Wife of Alvin Leonal Romero (divorced), then Joseph Osborn Davis, and then Thomas James Michaelson. Daughter of John Thomas Rigby and Eliza Rebecca Kunz

Provided by Brat Morgan:
Pearl Elizabeth Rigby was the eldest child in a family of twelve children. Her father, John Thomas Ribgy, was a school teacher. Her mother, Elizabeth, also widely known as “Eliza” and/or “Lizzie” Rebecca Kunz was of swiss origin and knew hard work all her life. Pearl was born 15 October 1895 at Wayan, Bannock, Idaho. When she was three weeks old her parents moved to Bern, Bear Lake, Idaho, where she lived until her teen-years when she lived with a family at Paris, Idaho where she attended the Paris Academy. Pearl was given a name and a blessing December 3, 1895 by President William Budge. She was baptized October 15, 1903 by her father, John Thomas Rigby and confirmed the following Sunday by her grandfather, Christian Kunz. According to Bern, Idaho school records, Pearl E. Rigby was an excellent pupil. she was promoted to her second reader March 4, 1903 after enrolling in school October 20th, 1902. She was very quick to catch on to methods and instructions given by her father, who was the teacher. She wrote on a slate that had a crack in it as the good slates were given to other pupils. Her father did not want anyone to think that his own child was a privilege pupil in his room. Her lowest reading score was 85%. She loved school and one book that became her favorite was the various stories by Charles Dickens. She was very quiet and attentive when her father would read any story written by Charles Dickens. Another teacher during elementary school was H.C. Broomhead who was also a beautiful script writer as her father was, hence Pearl was acclaimed throughout her life time as the lady with the very beautiful hand writing. Mr. Broomhead was still her teacher when she was in the seventh grade. She graduated from eighth grade in April 21, 1911 with one of the highest scholastic records in her class. She was fourteen years of age at the time. She was only able to attend school 93 1/2 days during this year, but in spite of a limited amount of school days, she still maintained one of the highest scores in the class. She was given a great deal of responsibility at home, being the eldest. At the time of graduation from eighth grade, she was secretary of Sunday School and Primary in the Bern, Idaho ward. Her father taught school during the severely cold winter months, then did farming and milking of cows during the summer. he was an early homesteader near Bern, Idaho. The children always needed to be on the alert when playing for bears, coyotes, badgers, and other wild animals. Indians frequently came to the pioneer homes for food and of course this would frighten the children as you can well imagine. I am certain she will never forget all the hard work and duties that entailed the washing of the family clothes. Water had to be carried from a ditch and poured into a boiler and large kettles for heating on the wood burning cook stoves. Clothes were lathered with home-made soap and rubbed repeatedly on a washboard. This was a board with metal ridges or ripples on one side and was quite effective in getting the dirt out of clothes if the person doing the work didn’t give out before the washing was done. Every drop of water was almost cherished until it had absorbed dirt or became unfit for anything but water plants outside the door. Water was carried in buckets for the families weekly Saturday night bath. It was always heated on a wood burning stove for every purpose in which hot or warm water was needed. Her mother would put lye in the wash water that was heating on the stove to soften it after which she would skim the scum from the top of the water and after throwing the scum away, the water was ready for the ordeal of washing them. There were always plenty of clothes to wash. Pearl leaned to do the work of a seamstress at an early age and no one knows how many dresses, nightgowns, baby clothes, coats, hats, under clothes, and suits she made for relatives and friends. She always wanted to know how to do things the way the professionals did them; so enrolled in classes whenever she had the opportunity. One of the last sewing classes she enrolled in was a “tailoring class” in Logan, Utah when she was in her seventies. Pearl’s mother had a talent for taking care of sick people and Pearl followed in her footsteps. I am quite certain that she has no idea how many babies she helped mid-wives and doctors deliver. At one time Pearl’s sister gave birth to twins. The twins were stillborn, but the attending doctor didn’t know there were two babies. After delivering the first baby, he turned things over to Pearl and went home. He was rather disgruntled to be called during the night and was quite perturbed. A short while after the doctor left, the second stillborn baby made its appearance, but Pearl took care of things and didn’t bother the doctor again that night. Pearl loved sports and activities as well as music. She was very popular at dances and never found it necessary to wonder if she would have the opportunity to go home dejected for lack of a dancing partner. At the age of sixteen she was in quite a quarry as to which young man she would marry. She finally said “yes” to the most popular young man in school and they were married 13 April 1912. Alvin Leonal Romero was the third child in a family of thirteen. He too, learned at an early age the need for work, work, and more work. He also had learned to share responsibility for the care of his younger brothers and sister. After their marriage it was soon apparent that even more work was necessary in order to provide for his young wife and baby girl that was born to them the thirteenth of February 1914. They were married for ten years during which time, Pearl gave birth to five children: Dora Bernice; David Howard, born 28 April 1916 at Bern, Idaho; Mildred Theresa, born 9 September 1918 and died 13 September 1918; Ray McKay, born 12 October 1919 at Bern, Idaho; Byron Rigby, born 2 June 1921 at Bern, Idaho. Mildred was born in Montpelier, Idaho and died there, but was buried in the Bern Cemetery. Times were hard as well as the work. They moved many, many times during those ten years. Toil, hard wok, and suffering take their toll. After living in San Francisco, California for about one year, Pearl and her four children moved back to Idaho and in due time, Alvin also moved back to Idaho and joined his family in another move. But in March 1924 Pearl and her children moved to Montpelier, Idaho and that year obtained a civil divorce. In 1926 she obtained a temple cancellation. For the next six years she and her children lived with her folks. Everyone learned at an early age the song hours of farm life. Pearl obtained a secretary and book-keeping job for the Montpelier coal dealer and by making all their clothes, living from the farm garden and products furnished by good milk cows, time passed on until June 12, 1930 she married a widower, Joseph Osborn Davis in the Salt Lake Temple, where she had married her first husband. She remained active in many church positions throughout life regardless of the many hours she worked to provide for her family. She was chorister of the Relief Society before moving from Bern, Idaho. Then while living in Montpelier, Idaho she was a Sunday School teacher and Gleaner Leader in the Montpelier Third Ward. She also served as an MIA secretary. She served as stake secretary in the now obsolete organization called “Religion Class” of which her father was the stake superintendent. After her marriage to Mr. Davis, they attended the Montpelier Second Ward where Pearl was leader of the Women’s Mutual Improvement Association for two years. After which she was a member of the Montpelier Stake Primary Board from 1932 until called to be President of the Stake Primary in 1946 which office she held until called on a mission to the Texas-Louisiana Mission in March 1953. During her marriage to Joseph Osborn Davis, she raised a boy, Russell, whom Mr. Davis and his first wife had chosen to raise. Russell;s parents had died during a severe flu epidemic in 1918 leaving six small children. A number of families came to the rescue of this little family and Mr. Davis had Russell to raise alone after Mrs. Davis passed away in 1928. So now, Pearl was responsible for the proper training of five children, besides working as clerk and book-keeper in her husband’s drug store and department store. After her husband suffered the loss of most of his income sources, he kept one drug store which furnished the money to raise his family. In due time, Pearl obtained a practicalness certificate and obtained employment in the Montpelier Hospital where most of the people of the valley sought her out to confide their troubles to; ask her advice and thanked her ignominy ways for her loving kindness, patience and help when they were in the hospital or in need of an understanding heart in time of trouble. Pearl had had more than her share of problems, trials, and tribulations during her life and she was never a person to find fault with anyone, but only to be a good listener, and give advice if it was sought. Her house was always a stopping place for friends and relatives. She was one of the best cooks that any of us ever knew. No one could set a full course dinner with all the trimmings in less time or in a more tasty manner than Pearl could. Some of her neighbors thought that Pearl must be related to every person within 200 miles or just knew where they could obtain a few good meals and a good bed. In fact one of her neighbors said that she was considering hanging a sign over Pearl’s front doorway on which she would print “GRAND CENTRAL STATION.” When the Montpelier Hospital closed its doors to all patients while the new Bear Lake Hospital was under construction, Pearl converted two of her bedrooms into hospital rooms. The doctors provided her with hospital beds and other supplies and they were able to come to her house and deliver babies rather than drive thirty miles away to deliver expecting mothers. She entertained a number of Primary General Authorities in her home while she was Stake Primary president, including Mrs. Wallace F. Bennett and Pres. LaVern Parmley, also others whose names I do not recall just now. After twenty-two years of married life with Joseph Osborn Davis, he passed away and Pearl found herself alone for a day or two, but friends and relatives still sought her out and she was soon back at her work in the Bear Lake Hospital where she was always a sympathetic and understanding nurse to many, many patients who became her life-long voted friends. About the time, many people decide they have lived a full life and have reached the age of retirement. They have earned it, they need it, and look forward to it, another fine man came into her life. His name was Thomas James Michaelson. He had recently returned from a mission among the Indians in Canada and in due course of time had been asked to accept another mission call, but after he met Pearl, he was in quite a spot as he did not wish to lose her while he was gone two years. After considerable debate, he went to Salt Lake City and met with Apostle Spencer W. Kimball and told him that he had met an outstanding woman since last talking to him and hesitated to go on a mission at this time. After due consideration (a few minutes) he asked Thomas if his lady friend was in Salt Lake. Pres. Kimball asked Thomas to go and get her and bring her to his office. Thomas soon had Pearl by the hand and there they stood in Brother Kimball’s office. After asking a few questions and considering a few things, he advised Thomas to marry his lovely friend, Pearl and take her on the mission with him. This they did. They served well and faithfully in the Texas Louisiana Mission for two years. They made friends wherever they went. Thomas taught Pearl the art of playing string instruments and they soon entertained for many events and occasions. Upon their return from the mission field, they settled in Thomas’s home in Logan, Utah and became ardent temple workers. Pearl was asked to be secretary of the Logan Branch Genealogical Library and continued to listen to problems and go the second mile to help anyone seeking her help. It wasn’t too long before Pearl, Thomas, Lee and May Peterson, and Thomas’s nephew, Lewis Turner formed a Michaelson Orchestra. They played for Senior Citizen dances every Saturday night. Theses dances were well attended. They were invited to play at the Utah State Fair along with other Senior Citizen Orchestra’s, they were asked to go to the University State Campus for a number of weeks while their music could be recorded and put on television. They still found time to enroll for college night classes. There were quite a few pictures and “write ups” made about them and placed in the Logan newspaper. Pearl worked as supervisor and assistant supervisor of the sealing department in the Logan Temple for some time. Her husband also served in the sealing department. At one time a co-worker who later married one of the temple president’s assistants awakened during the night and quickly obtained a paper and pencil and wrote the following tribute to her friend, “Pearl”. MY TREASURE I have a treasure I do not keep it under lock and key. It travles far and near And yet returns to me. Other own my treasure And of it freely take Yet from it I have ample store My happiness to make A curious thing—A Treasure That others use and lend It’s value is unequaled The past few years, Pearl has divided her time between research work (concentrating on recording Rigby pedigree names which her sister, Fonda and niece, Jeanette obtained a few years ago while in England) and temple work. She also teaches a class for young married girls in her ward. She is still an active Relief Society teacher. She puts in a “shift” at the temple as cashier for the dining room. In between church activities, she still entertains with delicious food many, many friends and relatives and gives anyone her bed that needs a bed. She and her wonderful husband maintain a lovely large yard and vegetable and flower garden. They think nothing of climbing up a ladder to paint the side of the house, wash windows, paper a room, take a neighbor to the store, visit and care for any friend or relative that has the misfortune to be confined to the hospital. She is an avid reader of church books, worthwhile articles and magazines (she has had to give up reading funny papers, she claims she just doesn’t have time for them anymore), finds time to practice new tunes with her husband, travels to the homes of any of her children of Thomas’s children that need her. Written Aug. 12, 1973