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Laura Clark Cook

We had been dismissed, and I was sitting there. Eliza R. Snow said to my sister Annie, "Who's little girl is that sitting here so quiet?" Annie spoke up and said "That's my little sister". I can remember that I was about 4 or 3, but I remember it so well. Annie at that time was president of the Relief Society.

Keith Were most people of Farmington at this time members of the Church? 

Laura Most of the people were Mormons, I don't think there were any non-Mormons in the town, although now and then my father had some non-Mormons to do his farm work. When I was a little girl, my mother had to cook dinner for the hired men at noon. I would have to help serve this dinner at the table. One time one man asked me for some matches, and my father said "I never want you to ask my daughter for anything anymore". One man swore on the farm, and my father said, "Young man I want you to work for me, but I never allow any swearing on my farm. I've dedicated my farm to the Lord".

Keith When you were a teenage what were some of the games you played?

Laura We played Croquest and ball. When I was a girl, up on the back street of Farmington I lost a ball. It was my friend's ball, and I lost it. It was after school and most of the children were gone home. I felt just so concerned about losing that ball, so I just knelt down by the bush or tree or something and asked the Lord to help me find that ball, and I found it. I felt better afterwards.

Keith About how old were you then?

Laura I think I was about ten years old. In our mother's home we had four big bedrooms upstairs, and we didn't have electricity, and we didn't have any vaccums in those days; we had to sweep it up with brooms·; and gather it up in a dust pan. On Saturday it was my duty to sweep these bedrooms and gather up the dust on the dust pan. I took it outside and throwed it out a little ways from the house. One day my brother came home after a date, and he said "Where's the key to my trunk? I can't get my clothes out of my trunk without the key''. I went down and looked for that key on the ground but I couldn't find it, then I hurried up to my bedroom to pray, and I went right back down there again and there was the key. The Lord answered my prayers. 

Keith Was there anything that teenagers did in the community?