My Farming Roots

By: Meghan Cleverly

Farming in my family began with a very humble beginning across the pond in England. The story begins with my great-great-great grandfather, Charles Batt, who at age 15 was forced to support his family after the death of his father. He worked several small jobs until he found work in a flour mill. Unfortunately, two years later, the mill closed. His boss from the mill gave him a great recommendation to a gentleman farmer, and Charles began his apprenticeship gardening and landscaping. Charles enjoyed working in the hothouses where he raised plants for flower beds and gardens. Charles later took a job as a gardener on the estate of the poet, Sir Percy Shelley. Charles and his wife, Eliza, lived at a lodge on the beautiful estate near the ocean. Soon after giving birth to a baby girl, Charles and Eliza joined the LDS Church, were baptized, then decided to leave England to join the saints in Utah.

Charles and his family settled in Cache Valley with little to no money. Times were tough trying to find sustainable work and lodging. Charles worked hard to farm but never had success with any of his crops. He was awful at farming, and the more he farmed they poorer they got. Farming in Utah was very difficult with its sandy soil, not what he had previously experienced been back in England. Charles once again looked for work after his failed farming attempt. Luckily, at that time there was an Agricultural College being built in Logan, and Charles was initially hired as a handyman.

Charles also became a gardener for the Agricultural College (now known as Utah State University). Charles brought with him from England a love of smooth lawns and gorgeous landscaping which he instilled in his newfound home of Logan, Utah. It is said that through his many years of service as a gardener he watched tiny plants that he picked from the mountains and replanted on the college grounds grow into large trees. He watched small buildings grow with their lawns, walkways, and shaded terraces. It has been said that, “Many a successful graduate, looking back to his student years from the vantage grounds of maturity, has testified that some of his most valued lessons were learned, not in the classrooms and laboratories, but in halls and greenhouses at the hands of a man who held no degrees and knew no academic titles” (Cleverly, 2010, p. 24). Charles labored until he no longer had the strength to garden and landscape, as it had become a true labor of love for him.

Even though traditional farming didn’t pan out the way he might have wished, Charles was able to find joy and satisfaction in his agricultural endeavors. He was a gardener for 53 years, and under his watchful care the campus of Utah State University has grown and blossomed into one of beauty. Despite challenges in immigrating to America, losing a son to the influenza epidemic in 1919, and hardships during The Great Depression, Charles was successful in bringing anything he touched to life. I am so grateful for his courage to not give up when his farming endeavors failed and to continue to have faith that God would help him use his talents for good. As a current student at Utah State University, I can say assuredly that thanks to my great-great-great grandfather Charles Batt we have the most beautiful campus in the world.

Works Cited:

Cleverly, Dean Batt. Batt & Lee Ancestors (2010): 15-24. 19 Jan. 2017.