William Fredrick Brooks, a son of Henry Saul Brooks and Harriet Horsfall was born 19 December 1858 on the Pawnee Reservation close to what is now Pawnee City, Nebraska. His parents and sister and brother, John Lawrence and Helen, who were twins, were traveling across the plains from St. Louis, Missouri. When they arrived at the Pawnee Reservation, 19 December 1858, William Fredrick was born in a little cabin. After the birth of the baby, the cabin caught fire and the mother and baby had to be carried out in the bitter cold to a neighboring cabin where they stayed until they began their travels west with the company.

When arriving in Utah, they settled on the East bench at the mouth of Provo Canyon in a lean-to. William herded the cattle from the Fort, which is now Provo City, where the families had banded together for protection from the Indians. The Indians were quite numerous in this vicinity at the time because of the favorable conditions both in winter and summer and because they had quick access to the Utah Lake where they did a lot of fishing and game was quite plentiful.

At the Fort, Williams father, Henry Saul Brooks, acted as a presiding Elder and William was quite active in the Church and held the Aaronic Priesthood.

The entertainment at the Fort was all home made. Everyone would meet quite frequently at the Fort Center which was used as a school, Church and Community Center for programs and to hear some emigrant or trapper relate experiences of the plains. Some of the boys had ponies and horse racing was quite popular. During this time William, stayed out of school one day and was a witness to the first execution of a man in the State of Utah.

Later the settlement was moved farther South on to a creek which came down from the canyon East of the present City of Provo.

When the mines were opened up in the Tintic District, William went to work there as a young man and this is where he probably met his young wife, Rozina Rose. She was the daughter of William Arnold Rose and Agnes Ann Callahan. William and Rozina were married 8 June 1881 on Rozina’s Fifteenth birthday. While living in Diamond, Tintic District, at this time two children were born. Zina Ann born 20 April 1882 and Etta May born 17 Oct. 1883.

Later on William and his family moved to Lake Shore, Utah County, where his parents had finally settled. His father had a large farm and kept beehives. He had driven four or five water wells, which flowed for a long time, and he was quite prosperous for

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those times. William and his oldest brother , John, went together as partners and bought a small farm. They each built small homes on this property. William’s home was frame and in this home four sons were born: William Earl born 10 January 1886; Henry Lee born 28 December 1887; Jesse Elmer born 11 May 1890 and David Lynn born 13 September 1894.

During one of the terrific wind storms that frequented that area, the frame house was blown down. Some of the older children with William had escaped but Rozina and the baby, Lynn was trapped in the house. Rozina had instinctively crouched over the baby and as luck would have it, she was right by the flour bin where a years supply of flour was kept. This bin kept the roof from crushing the mother and child and they were not harmed. Another small child, Henry was found in the middle of a duck pond where the wind had blown him.

Later William built a more modern home for those times. He bought his brothers part of the farm and had a full 40 acres of his own.

About 1897 or 1898, the family moved back to the mines in the Tintic District. Here William worked hard and long hours, seven days a week. He also had four or five cows from which he furnished the town with fresh milk. The two older boys, Earl and Henry, ran a water wagon, going several miles to a spring from which they supplied the town with fresh spring water. As a family, they were better off than most families. They always had a team of horses and a wagon and finally were able to purchase a buggy. This really was getting up in the world.

Here in Diamond three more children were born; Gladys Lavere, born 9 July 1898 and twins Reed and Reeta born 5 May 1901.

During this time, Rozina and her two daughters, Zina and May, ran a boarding house. Here under the supervision of their mother they learned to be fine homemakers and cooks and how to make a little go a long way.

Here in this little town of Diamond, William frequently would spend an evening with some of the other miners playing cards and when he did his family always waited up for his return home because most often he would win a bag of candy, some times a few oranges or apples. He was a great reader and many nights the children sat at his feet on the floor while he read pioneer stories, and about the lives of the great trappers and frontier men as well as about the great Indian Chiefs with wars and contention. Also William and Rozina had fine voices and they often sang together.

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About 1899, William and his brother, John, leased some mining property and went out on their own. Being expert miners, they prospered to the extent that both made enough money to buy some more farm land. William had kept his farm in Lake Shore to farm which was what William enjoyed doing most. They were able to raise most of their food such as meat, potatoes, flour and always plenty of milk, butter and good rich cream. They were close to the fruit farms of Provo and in later years had home canned fruits and jams, always a variety of pickles, chow and a barrel of home make sauerkraut, and fish the year around. Rabbits were always plentiful.

There also were times of sorrow and heart ache. There were many diseases that are almost unheard of today, like small pox, diphtheria, scarlet fever and many others. During the diphtheria epidemic, all of the children came down with the disease. Doctors were few and Rozina generally was called on by neighbors as well as caring for her own children. Most of the children had a light case except Reeta and Lynn. Toxin and antitoxin, the serums they use today to prevent the disease were only in the experimental stage, but the children were so bad the doctors said there wasn’t much hope for their recovery, so they used the serum. Reeta didn’t react favorably and about 2 O’clock A.M. she passed away. It was a heart breaking experience for William and Rozina, especially so for they expected Lynn to die anytime as the air passages in his throat and nose were filling with mucous which suffocated the victim, and there was nothing anyone could do. Neighbors were scared to offer help, so they endured their heart aches alone. Rozina had to wash that beautiful little body, comb her hair, dress and lay her in the casket and seal it up. Then she wrapped the casket with a quilt that had been brought by the health officer and passed it out a window. Lynn made a miraculous recovery but it was about one year before he was fully recovered. It might be interesting to know how the family contacted the disease. William stopped to talk to a neighbor who had small pox in the family. Reed was with him and as his father talked, he played with a little dog this man had. When they left, the man gave Reed this dog. The dog had the disease and in turn passed it on to the family. The dog sickened and died with the disease.

William moved the frame house he had built and joined it to an adobe house his brother had built when he owned part of the farm. This made quite a comfortable home and gave them plenty of room for their growing family. William had learned the shoe repair business from his father and both in the Tintic District and Lake Shore, he repaired shoes for quite a number of people. As barbers were practically unknown in those times, he cut many a head of hair. His boys never knew what a barber was until their late teens.

The recreation in those later times was visiting in the homes of neighbors or having them in to visit or frequently card parties. William and Rozina were good entertainers and enjoyed having company. Sometimes in the winter when people were not so busy, they would put on a home dramatic show, which was always a treat. Two more children were born at this time in Lake Shore, Ralph Leslie, born 1 October 1904 and Wells (Kelly) Lorenzo, born 10 July 1910.

About 1913, William and Rozina sold their farm in Lake Shore and moved to Hoytsville, Utah. Several of the children had

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moved there and Rozina was not content with them so far away. Here he farmed a little, but mostly hired out to other farmers.

Rozina kept busy raising her own family besides going out nursing. There was only one doctor in the area and no trained nurses. The Doctor often called Rozina his right hand man and said she was the best nurse her knew. Her knowledge came from experience and her intuition and many families in the community have her to thank for saving a loved one when the doctor had given them little or no hope of recovery.

William died 1 March 1922 at the age of 64 years. He was recuperating from a bad case of the flu and apparently suffered a heart attack. He was a kind gentle man. He was a great and good friend and neighbor. Ambitious, honest and what ever he did, he did it well and the best he could. He was a good father and loved his children. He enjoyed them and liked to have them with him. He worked with them and played with them and gave them the best he could.

Rozina stayed in Hoytsville for a while than went to Spanish Fork to live. She married Charles E. Barney, April 1925. He died in 1932. Rozina worked for a doctor, taking care of him home and helping raise two of his grandsons for a good many years. Later she married Joseph Aikens, 20 April 1939. He died 1 June 1941. She then lived alone except for visits from her children.

She was strict with her children and was the one to discipline them. She was cheerful, hospitable, and willing to help someone at any time, night or day. She was a good horsewomen and loved horses. Best of all, she was a good mother. She died in Springville at the home of a daughter, May, 17 April 1949 at the age of 83 years and 10 months.

Rozina and William are buried in the Hoytsville Cemetery.