Josephine Cottam

Notes:

My Mother, Josephine Cottam Shaw by Karen Shaw Thomas May 1993
Contributed By G. Shaw Soren · 21 January 2015

It is a beautiful sunny day here in the Northwest and I was able to mow my lawn today. The rain finally stopped!

As I was mowing the grass and out in the beautiful sunshine, I started thinking of Mom, knowing that I wanted to get my history of her written. The thoughts of her started flooding back in my memory. It was very appropriate that I should be mowing the grass, for I remember Mother as a person that wasn't afraid of doing good hard work. If she were living today (she would have been 101 years old this month), she would be one of the first one to be mowing her lawn or doing any other work that would be necessary to making a house a home.

Even though Mother was ill a lot while I was growing up, she was cleaning the house or irrigating the pasture or butchering the chickens when she felt well.

I can remember her taking our bull by the chain on the ring of his nose down to the neighbors when they wanted to use him. She was one of the bravest persons that I've ever known. I cannot imagine even doing something like that of leading a mean bull around. She had made certain that Chyrl and I were in the house because the bull was very mean and she didn't want us to get hurt. There I was, watching out the window in fear and Mom showed no fear at all. It was a job that had to be done and Mom knew she had to do it.

My fondest, most precious memories of Mom involved hers and my love for music. I can remember Chyrl and I singing for the Townsend Club in Riverbank, California, or at Church. I'd look out in the audience and could always spot Mom right away, because she'd have her head tilted as if trying to absorb and hear every word that we sang. She would have the proudest look on her face and a big, big smile. When I sang at Church or at school, Mom and Dad were always there and the love would radiate from their faces to me.

There was many a day when Mom was ill and wouldn't be able to get out of bed. She'd often ask me to play the piano for her and sing some songs. Her favorites were Drink to Me Only with Thine Eyes, The Lord is My Sheppard, Abide with Me, How Gentle God's Command, Come Unto Jesus, We Thank Thee 0 God, for a Prophet, I need Thee Every Hour and Bless This House, 0 Lord We Pray, to name just a few. She found a lot of solace and peace in music and the words of the songs

We always attended Church as a family when I was growing up. This was very important to Mother. After getting home, we would have a Sunday afternoon dinner that was excellent. Mom was a very good cook and her fried chicken or pheasant was the best! The very first thing she taught me to bake was a custard pie. I'll always remember that day and also making fudge from scratch.

When we were growing up, they didn't have catchy sayings like "Don't be a Litter Bug" and yet Mom taught me to be careful with the earth and our environment and to enjoy the beauty of it. We'd be driving down the
road and if she saw a board in the middle of the road or any other debris, she'd stop, walk back and pick it up and take it home to throw it away. Many a times, we'd come to a screeching stop in order for her to pick up something so it wouldn't be a hazard to the next car that came by or so that it wouldn't litter the ground. You could do that in those days, before fast moving cars on the streets and freeways. When I was six years old, the Second World War broke out. Mom and Dad had the best Victory Garden in the area. Everyone was encouraged to plant a vegetable garden and ours was full of every vegetable imaginable.

Mom always kept very close tabs on Chyrl and I and yet she allowed me the freedom to chase the birds in the fields or to walk a mile or more down the road to another field to pick a big bouquet of bright orange California poppy wildflowers.

I can remember Beth taking care of Chyrl and I when Mom was very ill. Once, when she was in the hospital, we rode with Beth to the hospital and we took the "snarls" from Chyrl's hair to show Mom that she was being a good girl about getting her hair combed. Mom was interested in everything we did and paid a lot of attention to Chyrl and I. The love that she showered on us while she was alive was enough to last even to this day.

As Mom was getting ready to leave on her trip back to Utah with Maxine and Walt before she passed away, I can remember standing by her in the kitchen in the home at Riverbank, California, and the last thing she said to me was, "If you ever want to talk to me, Karen, just pray". I think she had a premonition that she might not see me again. I'm thankful for her words to me as they have brought slot of peace to me down through the years and closeness to my Mother that will be forever.

Josephine married John Riley Shaw 20 Jul 1910, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States. John (son of Edmund Riley Shaw and Sarah Jane Ward) was born 30 Apr 1888, Pleasant View, Weber, Utah Territory, United States; died 22 Sep 1953; was buried 25 Sep 1953, North Odgen, Weber, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet]

1. Venis Shaw was born 31 Dec 1911, Pleasent View, Weber, Utah, United States; was christened 3 Mar 1912, Pleasent View, Weber, Utah, United States; died 29 Apr 2001, Utah, United States; was buried 3 May 2001, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States.
2. Erma Shaw was born 19 Oct 1913, Pleasent View, Weber, Utah, United States; died 14 Aug 2007.
3. Phyllis Mozella Shaw was born 8 Jan 1916, Pleasent View, Weber, Utah, United States; died 7 Nov 2002, Clinton, Davis, Utah, United States; was buried 11 Nov 2002, North Odgen, Weber, Utah, United States.
4. John Riley Shaw was born 15 Aug 1917, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States; died 18 Jun 1949; was buried 21 Jun 1949, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States.
5. Marjorie Shaw was born 8 Oct 1919, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States; died 22 Nov 1922, Pleasant View, Utah, Utah, United States; was buried , North Ogden Cemetery, Weber, Utah, United States.
6. Beth Shaw was born 14 Oct 1922, Pleasent View, Weber, Utah, United States; died 2 Aug 2009, Saint George, Washington, Utah, United States.
7. Living
8. Robert Keith Shaw was born 16 Mar 1927, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States; died 6 Dec 2014, Fair Oaks, Sacramento, California, United States; was buried 15 Dec 2014, Dixon, Solano, California, United States.
9. Living
10. Living

John married Lillie Rose 14 Dec 1888, Logan, Cache, Utah, United States. Lillie (daughter of Andrew Rose and Josephine Malcolm) was born 6 Apr 1871, North Odgen, Weber, Utah Territory, United States; died 15 Feb 1928; was buried 17 Feb 1928, North Odgen, Weber, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet]

William married Ellen Bridget Gallagher 21 Sep 1851, Makersfield, Lancashire, England. Ellen (daughter of John Gallagher and Ellen Hines Duffey) was born 22 Dec 1831, Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom; died 11 Jun 1902, Snowville, Box Elder, Utah, United States; was buried 13 Jun 1902, Snowville, Box Elder, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet]

Notes:

Ellen Bridget (Gallagher) Cottam
Contributed By PitloGaryPalmer1 · 8 October 2014

William and Ellen Bridget Gallagher Cottam Written by their daughter Elizabeth Jane (Cottam) Jensen I would like to tell the younger generation about my parents. William was born on March 17, 1829 in England. My mother Bridget, they called her, was of Irish descent but was born in England on Dec. 22, 1831. William was a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints or Mormon Church as a young man and later Bridget was baptized. They were married in England on Sept. 5, 1852. Mother was working as a nurse in a hospital in England. William would go with the missionaries and he also taught Sunday school. They were blessed with many children, two sets of twins and one set of triplets. They had several pass away before they left England. William came to work in the coal mines of Pennsylvania to earn money to send for his family. Bridget worked in a hospital to earn money as well. She did not tell William that she was pregnant before he left for America. William earned enough money for his wife and youngest child to migrate. But that was not good enough for mother, she worked hard to raise the money needed to bring the entire family. Nellie, the youngest child, was only 9 days old when they set sail. A large storm came up and all those onboard the ship were frightened. Many of them gathered around mother because they knew she had allot of faith. She held the clothes of the baby under her dress to try to keep them dry. It took 6 weeks to sail to New York. When mother arrived our father was not there to meet her. The ship's captain helped care for them for a time until he could meet up with them to take them to Pennsylvania. A son named William was born in Pennsylvania. They saved to make the move west. They came in the first freight train in 1869. They moved to Porterville, Utah, which is located near Morgan. Mother was a midwife using her nursing skills learned in England. She was promised by a patriarch that she would never lose a mother giving birth. She delivered over 300 babies in her lifetime. She went on to have 4 more babies of her own. They were all girls, Elizabeth, Mary and Martha (twins) May and Eve. About 3 months before the twins were born she rode in a covered wagon to the Salt Lake Endowment House to be sealed as an eternal family. William, my father, started a brick plant. He bought the first coal oil lamp and cook stove in Porterville. He also worked in the mines in Wyoming. They moved their family to Snowville, Utah. They eventually ran a store there which still stands today. Bridget was the mother of 19 children, 7 of them died while they lived in England before they moved to America. These were hard times sometimes we were hungry. But our father did the best that he could to provide for us. Mother would get payment for her midwife services in the way of food or other items. Their children married and started families of their own. Father passed away on Aug. 30, 1910 and mother on June 11, 1902 both in Snowville.

Andrew married Josephine Malcolm 1 Jul 1870, Brantford, Ontario, Canada. Josephine (daughter of Johnathan Malcolm and Deborah Moore) was born 27 Jul 1853, Brant, Ontario, Canada; died 12 Jun 1924, Pleasent View, Weber, Utah, United States; was buried 14 Jun 1924, North Odgen, Weber, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet]

James married Margaret McDonald 30 Jun 1816, Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. Margaret was born Abt 1783, Ireland; died 4 Sep 1860, Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom; was buried 7 Sep 1860, Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. [Group Sheet]

John married Ellen Hines Duffey Mar 1828, Chadistine Marriage, Chaddesden, Derby, England. Ellen (daughter of John Doughty) was born 1815, Mayo, Ireland; died 10 Apr 1877, Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom; was buried , Wigan, Lancashire, England, United Kingdom. [Group Sheet]

George married Mary Moore 1 Jul 1840, Ontario, Canada. Mary (daughter of Ashman Moore and Elizabeth Swackhammer) was born 7 Nov 1822, Brant, Ontario, Canada; died 19 Apr 1885, North Odgen, Weber, Utah, United States; was buried 21 Apr 1885, North Odgen, Weber, Utah, United States. [Group Sheet]

Johnathan married Deborah Moore 18 Jan 1846, Brockville, Ontario, Canada. Deborah (daughter of Ashman Moore and Elizabeth Swackhammer) was born 23 Feb 1829, Scotland, Ontario; died 6 Jan 1885, Scotland, Ontario. [Group Sheet]