ELISE ROSALIE CAROLINE ZAHLER BOSSHARDT GREEN
Born: 8 January 1859 at Bern, Switzerland
Father: John Zahler
Mother: Rosina Schupbach
Married: Franklin R. Green on 30 October 1901 at Salt Lake City, Utah
Historical Sketch of Elise Rosalie Caroline Zahler Bosshardt Green
My ancestors as far back as our genealogy is recorded (1528) were born in Switzerland. Some of them held important positions. My parents were good, honest and hardworking, and tried to set good examples to us, their children. My father was an expert workman in all kinds of woodwork. My mother was one of God’s noble women.
I was born on the 8th of January 1859 in Bern, one of the oldest cities in Switzerland. It is a beautiful city, especially the suburbs of Bern. For some time we lived on the banks of the beautiful river Aare, not very far from the very interesting bearpit, where we spent many hours of our childhood. I started to school at the age of six and attended until I was fifteen years old. Switzerland is noted for its splendid, free, public schools.
When I was about 10 years of age, we heard the gospel preached by Elders Louis Grant, Brother Karl G. Maeser and others. Our father was the first to embrace the gospel and our dear mother and the older children became members soon after. I was eleven years old when I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
Our family was not able to come to Zion together, for the want of the necessary means. In 1873 our sister Bertha came to Zion. She was eleven years old. She was taken into the hospitable home of Aunt Susan Grant, who was a real mother to her. In 1876 myself and sister Rosalie emigrated and we were well received by Sister Mary L. Naegle, with whom I lived about 17 months. In the year 1879 our dear mother, two sisters and our youngest brother came to Zion, and a few months later our dear father and oldest brother joined the family in Utah.
In December 1877 I went to Southern Utah (Toquerville) where my sister Rosalie resided, and I lived with her for a while. In September 1878 I was married to Henry Bosshardt. We lived in New Harmony for two years. From there we moved to Provo, where we resided four years. We built a nice little home in 1883 and had lived in it but a few short months when we received a call to go to St. Johns, Arizona to settle in that part of the Lord’s vineyard.
We left Provo on the 13th of May 1884, and traveled by team in company with five or six families to our future home. After traveling about two weeks we arrived at Houserock, where we camped five weeks, waiting for the big Colorado River to go down. Where was an abundance of grass for our animals and plenty of good, pure water. While camping there, we took a trip over into the Buckskin Mountain, where my sister and her husband and little daughter spent the summer months on their ranch. We traveled a day and a half through beautiful timbered county. We could scarcely see the road, it was traveled so seldom. We had a nice pleasant visit with my sister and family, with whom we stayed a week. On our journey back to camp we lost our way, but succeeded in finding it after some difficulty. In a few days we continued our journey, crossed the big Colorado River safely in a small boat, then traveling over some of the roughest road, barren deserts, finding very poor water in many places.
We arrived at last in St. Johns on the second of August, 1884 after a wearysome journey, having been on the road nearly three months. Our first winter in St. Johns we lived in a small tent. In the spring we built a one-room house, later adding another room.
In the spring of 1890, my husband was called to fill a mission in Switzerland, his native country. He left home on the 27th of March 1890, going to Provo to visit his aged mother, brothers and sisters before leaving for his mission. While my husband was absent, the people of St. Johns were very kind to us, furnishing him with means quite often. The brethren worked our land and brought the crops to my home in the fall, and the deacons hauled wood for me. I shall always remember the good people of St. Johns.
My husband returned on the 25th of May 1892, having been absent from home 26 months, having filled an honorable mission. My husband was made Sunday School Superintendent soon after his return, which position he held at the time of his death, two years later. I was left without a relative at the time of his death, but I had many friends who were willing to help me in the time of my sorrow. In May 1895, I left St. Johns to join my mother, brothers and sisters in Bountiful. My father died three months after my husband, while I was yet in St. Johns, so I did not have the privilege to see him again in this life. He was 66 years old at the time of his death. On the 27th of May 1897, our dear mother passed away at the age of 66. She had been a patient sufferer for several years, also a kind and loving mother.
On the 30th of October 1901, seven years after my husband’s death, I was married to Franklin R. Green. His mother, with whom we were living, was taken sick the following spring, and died on the 22nd of July 1902, at the advanced age of 72. She had been a noble, faithful mother and Latter-Day Saint. In 1903, Nicholas Krause, aged 10 years, came to our home, and lived with us over 9 years. His parents lived in Salt Lake City. On the 13th of December 1905 we took a baby boy to raise, the mother died when he and his twin sister were nine days old, leaving a husband and five other boys, beside the twins. We adopted little Joseph the following fall, and he has grown to be a nice big boy, ten years of age. He is a blessing and comfort to us, and we hope he always will be.
In 1911 a younger brother of Nicholas Krause came to live with us, and remained at our home nearly four years. He is now learning a trade in Salt Lake City and lives with his mother, his aged father died three years ago.
My greatest desire and ambition is to see these dear boys, whom we have had in our care, grow up to be good, useful and honorable men, in the community in which they may live.
–from the Genealogical Record of Elise Rosalie Caroline Zahler Bosshardt Green