The Letters of Bennett & Higgs

This is not a perfect digitized recording. Some of the tape cassettes skipped a little. There is background noise like water being poured, etc. Sadly, part of Rose’s speech was skipping including her poem at the end. Regardless, this is a pretty special recording to hear from Hal, Emily, and each of their children and their spouses as well. It discusses growing up in the family and the trip they w...

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon My name is Kathryn Jenkins. I am the granddaughter of John Harper Bennett and the creator of this audio story, using real letters from 1925-1926 when my great grandparents traveled to England to pursue music. This is a discussion about the process of making this audio story, some of the sources, and what t...

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon In 1925, Emily and Hal cross the ocean to England with their young son, Johnny—returning a year later to Utah changed by all they had seen and endured. There are losses waiting at home, and financial strains that test them, but there is also new life, growing children, and the steady rhythm of family settl...

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon During a season of civil unrest and a nationwide strike in England, the family welcomes a son, John Harper, into an uncertain world. With food scarce and tensions rising, daily life feels fragile, marked by rationing and the quiet fear of what tomorrow might bring. A second-hand motorcar becomes their smal...

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon Hal is sleeping in a garden shed garage, Emily is struggling with breastfeeding. Both mothers, Marmee and Rose are sending all of their advice through letters. Every detail of their baby John is incredible to the newly-wed parents. Many things are still unknown with Hal's health and whether he will be...

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon Hurrah for John Harper! A few days before his birth, the news from England had been uncertain, so much was still unclear but Emily arrived at the nursing home, welcoming a baby boy. His grandmothers, Rose and Marmee, were thrilled and celebrated with parties and visits.

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon Illness strikes suddenly. Harold falls gravely sick, and Emily’s letters home grow urgent, carrying careful updates across the ocean. In California, Rose and John remain unaware of their son’s fragile state, distance dulling the immediacy of danger. And as worry tightens its grip, Emily stands on the brink...

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon  The letters of Bennett and Higgs continued their correspondence, discussing the heroism of a shipliner, Aliciele's surgery, Dort and Louis's romance , and Rose's many updates on John.

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon Christmas arrives softly in England and exuberantly in Utah—shop windows glowing, parcels tied with string, and traditions unfolding on both sides of the ocean. Though separated by miles, the Bennett and Higgs families celebrate in spirit together, their letters bridging the distance with holiday cheer.

⁠https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon Across the winter in England, Hal, Emily, and Marmee Bennett keep close through letters. Hal writes of his music studies, Emily of her pregnancy—and the quiet worries that come with it—while Marmee fills her pages with news from home and small, practical purchases that tether them to Salt Lake. As Emily pre...

https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon John F. Bennett, Hal's father battles heart problems and diabetes at a time when hospitals inspire more fear than comfort. His strength returns in waves—buoyed by work, shadowed by bouts of depression. He remains fiercely loyal to both family and company but at what cost.

https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon In England, Hal and Emily settle into a modest mission house in Liverpool—affordable, practical, and mindful of Emily’s health. Letters from Marmee stitch them to home, carrying news of family life and Hal’s father’s fragile condition. They steal away for a day in Paris, but the sea has other plans, leaving t...

https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 ⁠ MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon In 1925, Hal and Emily Bennett finally set sail for England. Their journey takes them by train to New York, then north to Montreal—only to be interrupted when their ship strikes an obstacle and limps back to Quebec for repairs. What could have been disaster becomes an unexpected pause, giving them time to wan...

https://app.permanent.org/p/archive/0jxt-0000 MORE SOURCES, and TRANSCRIPTS coming soon In 1925 Salt Lake City, Hal and Emily find each other through music, writing, and a steady exchange of letters. Over seven years of courtship, their words carry them across distance, and the hope of something lasting. Sealed in the Salt Lake Temple in 1924, Emily and Hal set their sights on a future shaped by m...