SWARBRICKS, Our Yesterdays, Jefferson Co., MT USGENWEB NOTICE: These electronic pages may NOT be reproduced in any format for profit or presentation by any other organization or persons. Persons or organizations desiring to use this material, must obtain the written consent of the contributor, or the legal representative of the submitter, and contact the listed USGenWeb archivist with proof of this consent. Files may be printed or copied for personal use only. "List transcribed and organized by Ellen Rae Thiel, thieljl@aol.com All rights reserved." Copyright, 1998 by Ellen Rae Thiel. This file may be freely copied for non-profit purposes. All other rights reserved. SWARBRICKS Richard and Mary Jane Develin Swarbrick, who had been born in Davenport, Iowa, came to Boulder Valley as a young couple in the 1880's. They settled in a shady spot that Mr. Swarbrick had chosen on a previous trip to Montana. It was nestled in a grove of cottonwood trees beside a small creek north of the Boulder River. The years passed quickly as they dug a well, built a log house and outbuildings, planted a garden and some apple trees and raised their six children. Mr. Swarbrick had a lime kiln on Elkhorn Creek where he sold lime for 40 cents a bushel to be used for making bricks also for the mortar in masonry. When the children were old enough for school, Mary Jane moved with them to Boulder to a two-story home on the east side of town. The younger children all graduated from high school in Boulder. Joe, an industrious young man helped to support the family by securing any job that he could get. He was always busy, as everyone liked the affable young man. Weekends, Mr. Swarbrick would visit his young family, traveling up from the Valley in a wagon pulled by white, spotted horses. On the way he would gather a huge load of cedar for his wife and family for their fuel. The smell of cedar would tell the children that their father was home and they would run to meet him as he neared the house. The Swarbrick's grandmother was a powerful influence on the children. Terrified of electrical storms, she'd make the rounds of the frightened children, sprinkling them with holy water and invoking the saints. Some fear thunder and lightening to this very day. One day young Anna Vosburgh was sent post hast to Mrs. Swarbrick's. Her mother's chickens had begun mysteriously to drop dead. Panting, she ran into the house and opened her apron. "Get out of here," shrieked Mary Jane. Having raised poultry, she was familiar with the malady of the baby chickens...lice. Later, Mrs. Swarbrick, a woman with a warm sense of humor was able to laugh about the time that young Anna had brought her an apron full of the lousy chickens. Steve Swarbrick lives in San Bernando, California and his sister Alice (Dolly) Childerhose lives in Hollywood, California. The other members of the family have died. SUBMITTED BY MRS. DOLLY CHILDERHOSE AND MRS. MARIE ASPENGREN