Some history on Grandma Isabell and grandma Mary Emma

Isabel Harker Marsden was born  November 17, 1856 in Taylorsville, Utah and  was married to Charles Thomas Marsden in Salt Lake City, Utah on September 11, 1876.  They had 13 children.  They left Utah and moved to Cardston, Alberta, Canada in 1892.  Isabel had a reputation of being a hard worker and was known for her compassionate service.  She remained home with 7 children in 1909 while her husband filled a full time mission in the Eastern States Mission. 

Mary Emma Marsden was born August 12, 1893, in Cardston, Alberta, Canada the ninth child of Charles Thomas Marsden and Isabel Harker.  Mary loved the beauties of nature.  She wanted to work in a tailor shop, save her money to take a nursing course.  She had a good opportunity to do so but her father said that good girls did not go into those professions.  He felt that they should keep house and learn to be good homemakers.  She did just that.  She kept house for many people when their babies were born, and worked keeping house and cooking for men at every opportunity. 

On December 17, 1913, Mary married Thomas L. Workman at the home of her parents in Cardston.  They made their first home in Cardston where he did blacksmithing then worked for the Marsden brothers.  Their first 4 children were born in Cardston.  They subsequently moved to Nephi, Utah where Tom did odd jobs as well as blacksmithing.  They returned to Cardston 4 years later.  They rented a farm 3 miles south of Kimball.  By this time the family had 6 children and all lived in a one room granery in the winter and a tent in the summer.   Mary was primary president and Tom was in the bishopric.  Tom was a good singer and his family and friends loved to hear him sing.  They moved to Oregon in the Spring of 1937 where Tom blacksmithed in Corvallis, Independence and finally Woodburn where he served as branch president for 13 years with Mary as Relief Society President.  They had 10 children by this time. 

Tom served in the Woodburn council for 6 years and was Mayor of Woodburn for 4 years.  He sold his blacksmith and metal fabrication to his son Benare in 1960.  Both Tom and Mary died in 1964 and are buried in Woodburn.