My parents were born in the beautiful land of the Midnight Sun.  My father was a sailor in his boyhood and later learned the trade of a shoemaker.  My mother did the most beautiful dressmaking I have ever seen.  They have told us such interesting stories about their early life, how they would go out at midnight when it was as light as noon day and gather wild nuts and berries.  I remember especially my Mother saying that she gathered so many of the nuts which we call Filberts or Hazel Nuts and strawberries and cranberries which grew wild all over the hills.  She told us about how beautiful the hills were all covered with wild flowers.  As soon as my parents heard the Gospel preached by a young missionary, they said they knew they had heard it somewhere before and immediately were converted and made preparations to come to the land of Zion.  As soon as their friends heard of them joining the Mormons they were shunned and they tried in every way to get them to see their folly but my parents were determined to not let anything stand in their way.  I have heard my Mother tell so many times about a man there who wanted to marry her.  He was a wealthy man and promised her every luxury on the earth if she would only stay in Norway and marry him.  But she told him there wasn’t enough money in the whole world to keep her there after she had heard the Gospel.  So they worked to make the money to come across to the United States and my Mother brought my grandmother with her.  They stayed in New York after six weeks sailing on the ocean.  They worked in New York for about two years before coming on to Utah.  My parents were engaged to be married while in Norway, but decided to wait until they reached Utah for their marriage.  They were married in the Endowment House.  They lived on North Main Street for about two years before they built our home, where all the family of seven children were born.  I was born to them on Aug. 6, 1892 in Salt Lake City.  I shall never forget my happy childhood.  I know my parents denied themselves many things in order to give me the things that I desired.  They really lived the Gospel to the end of their days on this Earth and I only hope that I can live worthy to be with them hereafter.  I never did hear my parents complain about anything.  Everything was always perfectly all right and the way that the Lord intended it to be. 

I attended the Salt Lake High School where I took a course in business and I worked as a stenographer for a few years before I was married.  I lived in the 24th Ward and taught Sunday School for two or three years. After my marriage to Ernest Horsley in the Salt Lake Temple, we lived in the 16th Ward until our first child, Bernice, was two months old, when we moved to Malad, Idaho.  We purchased our grocery store from Prof. S. M. Powell about a year after coming to Malad.  Three lovely children were born to us, Bernice, Raymond and Jean and they have made our life very happy.  At present, we have seven beautiful grandchildren of whom we are very proud.  

I was very happy when Verda Michaelis, the president of the First Ward Primary asked me to teach a class.  Since that time I have worked in the M.I.A. , Sunday School, Relief Society, and the Primary Stake Board.  After teaching in the First Ward Primary for one or two years I was asked to teach the Junior Class in the M.I.A. , and was sustained in this office Aug. 12, 1923.  Then on Nov. 2, 1924 I was set apart as 2nd counselor to Janie Evans in the M.I.A., which office I held for two years.  When I was released from this office in 1926, I was called to work on the Primary Stake Board as Librarian with Sister Alice Harding as President.  I also had charge of one of the younger groups on the Board.  I stayed on the Primary Stake Board for two years when I was asked to come back to the M.I.A. as President..  I was set apart to this office Aug. 11, 1928, with Gwen Ward and Thelma Dredge as my Counselors.  I was released Aug. 31, 1931.   

I was called then to work as First Counselor to Bessie Jones on the Primary Stake Board, with Stella Jones as Second Counselor.  I was in charge of the play work on the Board, which I enjoyed very much.  In 1933, Bessie was released to work as President of the First Ward Relief Society and I was asked to take her place as President of the Primary Stake Board.  I was set apart on Sept. 13,  1933 by President Thomas W. Richards.  I have held this office for sixteen years and can truthfully say that I have experienced the greatest joy of my life, while working in the Primary.  I am very grateful to my Heavenly Father for the opportunity of holding this office and for the great blessing of health which I have always enjoyed.  My testimony has been strengthened more each year that I have enjoyed the association of the most wonderful women in the world.  During this time we have enjoyed social as well as spiritual experiences together which mean a great deal to me and which I shall never forget.  On several occasions we have had serious illness amongst our Board members and we have met in prayer circles with our Stake Presidency President Thomas. W. Richards; S.A. Hendricks and E. N. Crowther and our Priesthood Advisors in attendance.  The Lord has always heard and answered our prayers and those who have been ill have been restored to health.  We have had Priesthood Advisors who have always had our work at heart and have been an inspiration to us.  Our first Advisor was Thomas. D. Evans, then John E. Baisdell and L.G. Corbridge.  Melvin Richards has just recently been appointed to take the place of Brother L.G. Corbridge.  My first counselors on the Board were Sylvia Sparks, and Hannah Peterson, with Merle Hughes as Secretary.  When Hannah Peterson was released, I chose Laura Smith as my second counselor.  Bertha Peck was our Secretary for a short time after Merle Hughes was released and Shelba Dredge has now held that office since 1938.  Our Primary Stake Board has been very united for many years, with very few members being released.  At present, the following are members of our Board, besides the Presidency –Nellie Ward, Historian;  Margarite Davis, Teacher Trainer;  Eunice Tovey, Organist; Wanda Napier, Chorister.  Helen Thomas, First Group;  Lillie Hess, Second Group; Maria Williams, Zions. I; Mildred Howard, Z.B.Z G.. II  ;  Lilith Jones, Larks;  Blanche Budge, Bluebirds;  Vera Vaughan, Sea Gulls;  Mildred Hess, Blazers;  Ida Smith, Trekkers and Ruby Lundberg, Guides      (picture of Agnes W. Horsley)