Margaret Rosetta Little Haigh

Maggie as a child

With oldest child, Maurice


Personal History of Margaret R. Little Haigh
Typed from her hand-written manuscript

Born in Littleton (so called after my grandfather who was first pioneer there), Morgan County, Utah on a very cold wintry day. The same day Mr. Giles, our nearest neighbor, was killed by a barn falling in on him. January 16, 1890. My sister older than I was five years old when I was born.
I was named Margaret (Maggie is what my mother always called me as she told me she had been reading a book, “The Mill on the Floss” just before I was born. She named me after the Maggie who ran away with the gypsies, a regular little spitfire and at other times, loving and forgiving. This girl had a very deep love for her brother, Tom. I really cherish this book as in many ways it is like me. I have had the same love for my brother, Ern. Rozetta, my second name was after my mother’s oldest sister. We lived on an irrigated farm of about 31 acres and some range land. I was my Father’s pal. Some of my earliest recollections are standing by the cupboard (about 2 years) and as I teased for a coffee bean I couldn’t talk plain as I spelled co d’ beb d’ b. Then walking to the pasture with my Dad. He always taught me to hold on to the two little fingers. Most every evening I climbed into his lap and as I pulled his mustache he would snap at my fingers. On the day my younger sister was born (I was nine yrs.) I sat behind the stove very sober and lonesome and when asked what was the matter I said “I guess Pa don’t like my anymore.” I think I started to school at six years. I was fifteen when I graduated from 8th grade. We had a five month term. Had to buy our own books. Oh such happy days. In my memory, my teacher comes as an angel. We didn’t have color books, the teacher didn’t scold if we took a colored pencil and colored pictures in our book. I enjoy thinking about my little first grade reader and remember many pictures and stories in it. We went thru a chart first. School was always a joy to me, only the year I went to Salt Lake University. It was all so different from what I had grown up on. I got lost the first day and in tears inquired of a lady. That was Freshman initiation proper all the year. I worked for my board. I was sick and had to go home in early spring.
When I was twelve my Father passed away and I felt it keenly. Mother had to work so hard to keep things going and boys didn’t agree so well.
I went up to Elkhorn, Utah as a substitute teacher on Jan. 8. I was almost 16 and next went when I was 17. I stayed until April 15 (our Arbor Day) and came home with $100 in my suitcase. Had made some warm friends and the sup’t seemed pleased with my work. The following Sept. 2, Mother went to join my father (just five years after him.) The summer before she took sick I had enrolled in a Teacher’s course (correspondence). Hester was 8 yrs. old and the boys were not married. Sadie worked away but she didn’t want to stay at home so I didn’t feel like leaving until things were straightened out at least and I didn’t want to leave Hester. One of our neighbors had arranged for me to teach at a school when a certain teacher had got married . I stayed at home that winter and following summer I came to Montana to stay with Clara and finish my teacher’s courses. I think I came in September and stayed until May 30 and returned home again.
We had a party at Lydia’s mother’s home. I think there must have been more than 50 present and we received many lovely gifts and soon after we came back to Montana. Gail had built a nice little house of three rooms and we lived there on the homestead continuously until about 1920. Have been living in town for 14 years.





This brief personal history was taken from two pages written in Maggie’s own handwriting. I estimate that it was written around 1934, before the deaths of both her son and her husband