Alexander McRae, 1807-1891

Born 7 September 1807, Anson, North Carolina

• Died 20 Jun 1891 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
• Parents: John B. McRae and Mary Jane Parker
• Spouse: Eunice Fitzgerald (md. 2 Oct 1834 New Castle, Henry, Kentucky)
• Children: John McRae, Joseph McRae, Kenneth McRae, Alexander McRae, Catherine McRae, Daniel McRae, Mary Jane McRae, Martha McRae, Charles McRae, Eunice McRae, David Fitzgerald McRae, Sarah Eunice McRae

• Spouse: Caroline Amelia Owens Webb (md. 1856 , , Utah)

A very complete biography of Alexander and Eunice McRae was written by Gordon Irving.  Click here.

Preston Nibley's brief biography of Alexander is here.

Alexander McRae at Joseph Smith Papers found here.

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From 22nd Quo. of Seventy Record Book—Church Archives

Alexander McRae
The son of John B. (& Polly) who was the son of Daniel, who was the son of __________McRae was born in Anson County (North Carolina) Sept. 7th A.D. 1807. My Father moved in 1828 to Iredell Co. (S. C.) I left my Father’s House in April A.D. 1829 to follow my occupation (Tailoring) I then joined the United States army for a 5 years term -- the same fall I moved to Port-Gibson, west Cherokee nation -- in April 1834 I was discharged, and went to New Castle Henry Co. (Ken.) where I married a Wife Eunice Fitzgerald on Nov. 2d 1834. I then moved to Ripley Co. (Ind.) in Janr. 1835 where my oldest son was born Janr. 30 1836. Myself an Wife was baptised in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter^ day Saints in the summer of 1837 in Ripley Co. (Ind.) by Elder Elisha P. Davis next I moved to Far West (Mo.) in the fall of 1837 where my 2d. son Joseph was born March 3, 1338. I was in the persecution of the Saints in Missouri, and was one with Joseph & Hyrum Smith that was cast in Prison, where we were shamefully treated. Our food was rough, we had human flesh brought to us to eat for I think about five days in succession, we did not know at the time what it was, only that it was meat of some kind that we could not, nor did not eat, only Lyman Wight who was a prisoner with us, this we learned afterwards by one of the guards who told it to one of our friends who told it to us. In the spring of 1839 we got loose from our keepers and came to Quincy Illinois, where I found my family who was driven during my imprisonment, my wife came to see me Twice while in Jail, the last time she stay’d two weeks with me, after which she was driven out dependant on the Charity of the people, as everything we had was plundered by the mob. Mr. E. W. Leland who had been one of the Twelve and Burr Riggs being at their head to direct them. I was ordained and Elder in the quorum of Seventies by President Joseph Young, Josiah Butterfield, & Henry [Herriman?] in Quincy Adams Co. (Ill.) April 12th 1839. I moved from there to Ripley Co. (Ind.) on a visit to my Father-in-laws, where my 3d. son (Kenneth) was born March 11th. 1840 then I returned to Nauvoo, Hancock Co. (Ill.) in about 1840 where my 4th. son (Alexander) was born Oct. 22nd. 1842. I was sent on a mission to (N.C.) at the April conference in 1844 and took my family to my Fatherinlaws to remain untill my return, where our 5th. child a daughter was born Dec. 24th. 1844 in Ripley Co. (Ind.) I then returned to Nauvoo with my family April 4th. 1845 and was ordained one of the Presidents of the 22d. quorum of seventies under the hand of Presidents Israel Barlow, Edson Barney, & Charles Bird April 9th. 1845 ^ in the city of Nauvoo where I now reside-- My Daughter Catherine died 24th. April 1845 being just 4 months old. as I approached the conference ground on the 6th of April 1345, President Brigham Young was speaking to the congregation, I heard him before I could see him, and thought his voice was like Joseph Smiths, and when I got where I could see him, I thought he looked like Joseph, on the 12th day of April 1846, our 5th son (Daniel) was born in the City of Nauvoo. (Ill) In the fall of 18__ he was in the Nauvoo Battle by the Saints against the mob of Illinois. In the Spring ^ of ____ I left my family at Nauvoo and went to Winter quarters in the Omahaw Nation of Indians where the Saints went the previous Year, winter and called it by that name. In the summer of 1847 I had my Family brought to me to Winter quarters. In the spring of 1848, I removed with my family to what was called ____________ or Traiding Point.

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Back row:  David F., Joseph, Daniel, John
Front row:  Mary, Martha, Alexander, Eunice, Sarah

Alexander and Eunice McRae's family, 1887

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From the Missouri Petitions Collection, Church ArchivesA bill of debt and damage against the state of Missouri in consequence of the governors exterminating order first for moving into the state [expenses?] from 25 to 30 dollars for time in moving and use of horse and wagon seven weeks at two Dollars and fifty cents _____ _____ _____ after I moved to the state I bought a house and lot in the town of Far West for which I have not been able to get any thing at all. I concider it worth at least 150. Dollars. how much it has cost me to come away I do not know I have been in Prison near six month without law or justice or unlawfully and my family was driven out while I was in prison. all this I shall leave to the generosity of the authorities of the United States.
Alexander McRae
I certify that the above is just and true according to the best of my judgment
Alexander McRae
Sworn before me this 13th day of May AD. 1839
C. M. Woods clerk
(Circuit court) Adams County State of Illinois

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ALEXANDER MCRAE

"McRae, Alexander, second Bishop of the Eleventh Ward, Salt Lake City, was born in Anson county, North Carolina, Sept. 7, 1807; removed with his parents to South Carolina, and afterwards to Iredell county, in his native State, where he learned the trade of a tailor.

"When about twenty years old he left home, and in March, 1829, enlisted in the U.S. Army in South Carolina; he served five years. After his discharge in 1834, he removed to Louisville, Kentucky, and subsequently, Oct. 2, 1834, married Eunice Fitzgerald, at New Castle, Henry county, Ky. From there he removed to Ripley county, Indiana, where he embraced the fullness of the gospel and was baptized in June, 1837, together with his wife.

"In September following he removed to Far West, Mo., where he was elected a captain in the 23rd regiment of the Missouri . During the persecutions and mobbings in 1838 he took a very active part in the defense of his people until he was betrayed into the hands of the enemy by Geo. M. Hinkle, together with the Prophet and other brethren, Oct. 31, 1838. With them he passed through all the hardships and mock trials to which they were subjected and finally was incarcerated in Liberty jail. There he remained until the spring of 1839, when he, together with his fellow-prisoners, succeeded in getting away from the guard and escape to Illinois.

"At Quincy, where he remained for a short time, he was ordained to the office of a Seventy. Subsequently, he removed to Ripley county, Indiana, and later established himself as a tailor in Nauvoo, Ill., and also assisted in various ways to build up that city.

"In 1844 he filled a mission to North Carolina, and returned to Indiana after the Prophet's . In the spring of 1845 he returned to his home in Nauvoo, where he passed through all the persecutions and hardships which the Saints had to endure in those days. As a captain of the Nauvoo Legion, he took an active part in the defense of Nauvoo, and rendered efficient service in the famous battle fought in September, 1846. Previous to this he had served as an aide-de-camp to General Don Carlos Smith.

"After the capitulation of Nauvoo he went to Winter Quarters, and, later, located temporarily at Kanesville, Iowa. While residing in the latter place he was elected sheriff of Pottawattamie county.

"Finally, he came to Great Salt Lake valley, with his family, in 1852. Jan. 19, 1857 he was ordained Bishop of the Eleventh Ward, Salt Lake City, a position which he occupied until his . In 1869-70 he filled a mission to the States, laboring principally in Mississippi and Alabama, together with his son Daniel. After a long and eventful career, Bishop McRae died at his residence in Salt Lake City, June 20, 1891."

--from: Andrew Jenson, Latter-Day Saint Biographical Dictionary (Western Epics: Salt Lake City, 1971; reprint of 1901 edition published by Andrew Jenson History Company), vol. I, p. 620. Paragraphing added.

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Gaining his witness

"Writing to a friend in December 1880, Bishop Alexander McRae of the Eleventh Ward in Salt Lake City commented on the process of gaining a testimony and the circumstances in which he had gained his own witness of the gospel over 40 years earlier.

"McRae, a Southerner, had served in the U.S. Army from 1829 to 1834, being stationed in Arkansas Territory to police the Indians. After his discharge he worked as an itinerant tailor, accepting employment later that year with David Fitzgerald in a small town in Kentucky. He soon married David's sister Eunice and moved to Ripley County, Indiana, where Eunice's parents were then living.

"In 1837 the McRaes were visited on their farm by Mormon elders. Alexander, a Baptist, became interested when he learned that the elders taught baptism by immersion. Several times he and Eunice walked eight miles, carrying their baby son, John, to hear the missionaries preach.

"As Alexander listened to the elders, he decided that he must meet the Prophet before he could know whether or not the missionaries' claims were true. Bishop McRae records in his 1880 letter that he left for Kirtland, Ohio, over 300 miles away, to meet Joseph Smith, "but before I got a great way on my journey I concluded the Lord could show me whether Mormonism was true or not just as well without my going there as if I went, and I turned and went back and learned it was true without going anywhere out of my own neighborhood."

"After receiving a spiritual confirmation that the gospel was true, Alexander made a complete reversal of his life, as his wife later noted. The McRaes were baptized by Elder Elisha P. Davis in June 1837. They walked 16 miles to the place of baptism, despite the fact that a mob of 200 men had gathered to prevent their baptism.

"Alexander later had the chance to determine, through personal experience, what kind of man Joseph Smith was. Shortly after their baptism the McRaes gathered with the saints in northern Missouri, and a year later Alexander was one of five men imprisoned with the Prophet in Liberty Jail. During the rest of his life he bore testimony of the gospel and of God's selection of Joseph Smith as His instrument for its restoration in the latter days."

--Gordon Irving. An article in the LDS Church News, unknown date (prob. 1983 or 1984)

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Letters of Alexander McRae to the Deseret News

Letter of Alexander McRae to the Deseret News.

Salt Lake City, Utah, Oct. 9, 1854.

Mr. Editor:—In reading the History of Joseph Smith as published in the News last winter, and especially that part of it which relates to his imprisonment in Liberty jail, Missouri, I see there are many interesting facts which are omitted; and as I had the honor of being a fellow prisoner with him, I thought I would write some of those incidents for the satisfaction of any of your readers who may feel interested in them.

During our imprisonment, we had many visitors, both friends and enemies. Among the latter, many were angry with Brother Joseph, and accused him of a son, a brother, or some relative of theirs, at what was called the Crooked River Battle. This looked rather strange to me, that so many should claim a son, or a brother killed there, when they reported only one man killed.

Among our friends who visited us, were Presidents Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball [now—i. e. at the time this letter was written, 1854], of the First Presidency—the latter several times; George A. Smith, of the quorum of the Twelve; Don C. Smith, brother of Joseph, came several times, and brought some of our families to see us. Benjamin Covey, Bishop of the Twelfth Ward of this city, brought each of us a new pair of boots, and made us a present of them. James Sloan, his wife and daughter, came several times. Alanson Ripley also visited us, and many others, whom to name would be too tedious. Orin P. Rockwell brought us refreshments many times; and Jane Bleven and her daughter brought cakes, pies, etc., and handed them in at the window. These things helped us much, as our food was very coarse, and so filthy that we could not eat it until we were driven to it by hunger.

After we had been there some time, and had tried every means we could to obtain our liberty by the law, without effect (except Sidney Rigdon who was bailed out), and also having heard, from a reliable source, that it had been stated in the public street, by the most influential men in that part of the country, that "the Mormon prisoners would have to be condemned or the character of the state would have to go down," we came to the conclusion that we would try other means to effect it.

Accordingly, on the 7th day of February, 1839, after counseling together on the subject, we concluded to try to go that evening when the jailer came with our supper; but Brother Hyrum, before deciding fully, and to make it more sure, asked Brother Joseph to inquire of the Lord as to the propriety of the move. He did so, and received answer to this effect—that if we were all agreed, we could go clear that evening; and if we would ask, we should have a testimony for ourselves. I immediately asked, and had not no more than asked, until I received as clear a testimony as ever I did of anything in my life, that it was true. Brother Hyrum Smith and Caleb Baldwin bore testimony to the same: but Lyman Wight said we might go if we chose, but he would not. After talking with him for some time, he said, "if we would wait until the next day, he would go with us." Without thinking we had no promise of success on any other day than the one above stated, we agreed to wait.

When night came, the jailer came alone with our supper, threw the door wide open, put our supper on the table, and went to the back part of the room, where a pile of books lay, took up a book, and went to reading, leaving us between him and the door, thereby giving us every chance to go if we had been ready. As the next day was agreed upon, we made no attempt to go that evening.

When the next evening came, the case was very different; the jailer brought a double guard with him and with them six of our brethren, to-wit.: Erastus Snow, William D. Huntington, Cyrus Daniels, David Holeman, Alanson Ripley and Watson Barlow. I was afterwards informed that they were sent by the Church. The jailer seemed to be badly scared; he had the door locked and everything made secure. It looked like a bad chance to get away, but we were determined to try it; so when the jailer started out, we started too. Brother Hyrum took hold of the door, and the rest followed; but before we were able to render him the assistance he needed, the jailer and guard succeeded in closing the door, shutting the brethren in with us, except Cyrus Daniels, who was on the outside.

As soon as the attempt was made inside, he took two of the guards, one under each arm, and ran down the stairs that led to the door, it being in the second story. When he reached the ground they got away from him; and seeing we had failed to get out, he started to run, but put his foot in a hole and fell, a bullet from one of the guards passed very close to his head, and he thinks the fall saved his life.

The scene that followed this defies description. I should judge, from the number, that all the town, and many form the country, gathered around the jail, and every mode of and that their imagination could fancy, was proposed for us, such as blowing up the jai, taking us out and whipping us to , us, burning us to , tearing us to pieces with horses, etc. But they were so divided among themselves that they could not carry out any of their plans, and we escaped unhurt.

During this time, some of our brethren spoke of our being in great danger; and I confess I felt that we were. But Brother Joseph told them "not to fear, that not a hair of their heads should be hurt, and that they should not lose any of their things, even to a bridle, saddle, or blanket; that everything should be restored to them; they had offered their lives for us and the Gospel; that it was necessary the Church should offer a sacrifice, and the Lord accepted the offering."

The brethren had next to undergo a trial, but the excitement was so great that they [the officers] dare not take them out until it abated a little. While they were waiting for their trial, some of the brethren employed lawyers to defend them. Brother [Erastus] Snow asked Brother Joseph whether he had better employ a lawyer or not. Brother Joseph told him to plead his own case. "But," said Brother Snow, "I do not understand the law." Brother Joseph asked him if he did not understand justice; he thought he did. "Well," said Brother Joseph, "go and plead for justice as hard as you can, and quote Blackstone and other authors now and then, and they will take it all for law."

He did as he was told, and the result was as Joseph had said it would be; for when he got through his plea, the lawyers flocked around him, and asked him where he had studied law, and said they had never heard a better plea. When the trial was over Brother Snow was discharged, and all the rest were held to bail, and were allowed to bail each other, by Brother Snow going bail with them; and they said they got everything that was taken from them, and nothing was lost, although no two articles were in one place. More anon.

Yours respectfully,

Alexander McRae


Second Letter of Alexander McRae to the Deseret News.

Salt Lake City, Utah, Nov. 1, 1854.

Mr. Editor:—Sometime during our stay in Liberty jail an attempt was made to destroy us by poison. I supposed it was administered in either tea or coffee, but as I did not use either, I escaped unhurt, while all who did were sorely afflicted, some being blind two or three days, and it was only by much faith and prayer that the effect was overcome.

We never suffered ourselves to go into any important measure without asking Brother Joseph to inquire of the Lord in relation to it. Such was our confidence in him as a Prophet, that when he said "Thus saith the Lord," we were confident it would be as he said; and the more we tried it, the more confidence we had, for we never found his word fail in a single instance.

A short time before we were to go to Daviess county for trial, word came to us that either General Atchison or Doniphan, would raise a military force, and go with us to protect us from the wrath of that people. The matter was discussed by the brethren (except Brother Joseph), and they naturally enough concluded it would be best; and although I had nothing to say, I concurred with them in my feelings. Brother Hyrum asked Brother Joseph what he thought of it. Brother Joseph hung his head a few moments, and seemed in a deep study, and then raised up and said, "Brother Hyrum, it will not do; we must trust in the Lord; if we take a guard with us we shall be destroyed."

This was very unexpected to us, but Brother Hyrum remarked, "If you say it in the name of the Lord, we will rely on it." Said Brother Joseph, "In the name of the Lord, if we take a guard with us, we will be destroyed; but if we put our trust in the Lord, we shall be safe, and no harm shall befall us, and we shall be better treated than we have ever been since we have been prisoners."

This settled the question, and all seemed satisfied, and it was decided that we should have no extra guard, and they had only such a guard as they chose for our safe keeping. When we arrived at the place where the court was held, I began to think he was mistaken for once, for the people rushed upon us en masse, crying, "Kill them:————them, kill them." I could see no chance for escape, unless we could fight our way through, and we had nothing to do it with. At this, Brother Joseph, at whom all seemed to rush, rose up and said, "We are in your hands; if we are guilty, we refuse not to be punished by the law." Hearing these words, two of the most bitter mobocrats in the country—one by the name of William ton and the other Kinney, or McKinney, I do not remember which—got up on benches and began to speak to the people, saying, "Yes, gentlemen, these men are in our hands; let us not use , but let the law have its course; the law will condemn them, and they will be punished by it. We do not want the disgrace of taking the law into our own hands."

In a very few minutes they were quieted, and they seemed now as friendly as they had a few minutes before been enraged. Liquor was procured, and we all had to drink in token of friendship. This took place in the court-room (a small log cabin about twelve feet square), during the adjournment of the court; and from that time until we got away, they could not put a guard over us who would not become so friendly that they dare not trust them, and the guard was very frequently changed. We were seated at the first table with the judge, lawyers, etc., and had the best the country afforded, with feather beds to sleep on—a privilege we had not before enjoyed in all our imprisonment.

On one occasion, while we were there, the above-named Williamton, partly in joke and partly in earnest, threw out a rather hard insinuation against some of the brethren. This touched Joseph's feelings, and he retorted a good deal in the same way, only with such power that the earth seemed to tremble under his feet, and said, "Your heart is as black as your whiskers," which were as black as any crow. He seemed to quake under it and left the room.

The guards, who had become friendly, were alarmed for our safety, and exclaimed, "O, Mr. Smith, do not talk so; you will bring trouble upon yourself and companions." Brother Joseph replied, "Do not be alarmed; I know what I am about." He always took up for the brethren, when their characters were assailed, sooner than for himself, no matter how unpopular it was to speak in their favor.

Yours as ever,

Alexander McRae.

From History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, vol. 3, pp. 256-259.

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Death of Bishop McRae

   Bishop McRae, of the eleventh Ward of this city, died peacefully and quietly on Saturday afternoon, surrounded by his family and friends, after a long and severe illness.  The deceased was a staunch and upright man and was a veteran in the case of truth.

   The date of the funeral has not been definitely decided upon, but it will be held from the Eleventh Ward meeting house on Wednesday next, providing that Joseph, son of the deceased, who resides in Arizona, and who has been apprised of his father's demise, will be able to reach this city before that time.

   The exact time of the funeral, together with an extended account of the life and labors of the deceased, will appear in our columns hereafter.

--Deseret Evening News, 1891-06-22, p. 8

Bishop McRae's Funeral

-------

Will be Held in the Eleventh Ward

Meeting House Tomorrow

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   It was expected that the funeral services over the remains of Bishop Alexander McRae of the Eleventh Ward would have been held this afternoon, but were necessarily postponed in consequence of the non-arrival, in time, from Arizona, of Joseph, son of the deceased.  He, however, arrived safely in the city today after a long and wearisome journey.  The time of the funeral has now been fixed at 2 p.m. tomorrow, and will be held at the Eleventh Ward meeting house.

--Deseret Evening News, 1891-06-24, p. 8

Obsequies

   The funeral services over the remains of the late Bishop A. McRae were held in the Eleventh ward meeting house on Thursday afternoon.  It was filled to overflowing.  The floral offerings were handsome and numberous.  The music was excellent.  Appropriate remarks were made by Elders Joseph E. Taylor, Jacob Gates, Joseph B. Noble, R. T. Burton, C. W. Penrose, F. Keeler, F. M Lyman, Heber J. Grant, J. W. Taylor, J. H. Felt and R. Morris.

   It was announced by President J. E. Taylor that Elder [unreadable] Morris would for the present conduct the affairs of the [   ]

   A long cortege followed the remains to the cemetery.

--Deseret Evening News, 1891-06-26.

Deseret Evening News, June 22, 24, and 26, 1891

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Gravestone of Alexander and Eunice McRae in Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Emma Jackson, 1838-1917

• Born 29 Jan 1838 Mansfield, Nottingham, , England
• Died 28 Jan 1917 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
• Parents:  James Jackson and Elizabeth Wragg
• Spouse:  Robert Siddoway (md. 1 Sep 1860 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah)
• Children:  James William Siddoway, Edwin Siddoway, Elizabeth Siddoway, Emily Annie Siddoway, Susan Siddoway, Sylvia Siddoway, Francis Siddoway, Amos Siddoway, Eliza May Siddoway

Emma Jackson

"Emma was christened in Mansfield, Nottingham, England, on 29 January 1838, the daughter of James Jackson and Elizabeth Wragg.1

"Two months before her 13th birthday Emma was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Hull Branch in Durham England, 29 November 1850.  She was the only member of her family to join.2   At age 22, she immigrated to Zion as a single girl using the Perpetual Emigration Funds on the Ship Underwriter, which sailed on 30 March 1860 from Liverpool.3

"After arriving in New York she went with the saints to Florence, Nebraska (Winter Quarters), and was assigned to the 9th Robison Handcart PEF Co. that left on 13 May 1860.  Emma was asked by Captain Daniel Robison to assist the family of Robert Siddoway, age 31, a widower with three small children:  Isabella age 10, Richard age 8, and Robert age 7.4  Robert’s first wife, Elizabeth Dawson, had died in 1859.  John (Robert’s brother) and his bride Mary were also traveling with this family.5

"After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on 28 August 1860, Emma married Robert Siddoway on September 1.  Six months later on 9 March 1861 they were sealed in the Endowment House.6  Emma took over caring for his three children, Isabella, Richard, and Robert.  The Siddoway family spent the first winter in a log cabin with no windows and a dirt floor where the Bamberger Station now stands in Salt Lake City.7  Robert was a carpenter and was called by the LDS church authorities, along with his younger brother John, to go to Logan to help build the Thatcher Mill.  Robert built a home for Emma in the Sugar House Ward—located southeast of the downtown area.

"Emma gave birth to nine children.  Her first child, James William, born 14 September 1861 was named for Emma’s father James Jackson.  Her other children were:  Edwin (1863-1864), Elizabeth (1865- ), Emily (1867- ), Susan (1869-1871), Sylvia (1872- ), Francis “Frank” (1874- ), Amos (1876- ) (named for her younger brother), and Eliza May (1879- ) (named for her older sister).  Her first child was born when she was 23 and her last when she was 41.

"In September 1864, Fanny Wilkinson, age 30, from Emma’s LDS Hull Branch in England arrived in the valley with her two sisters:  Grace, age 23 and Maria, age 14.  Emma and Fanny renewed their acquaintance as they were from the same branch and eight months later, Emma’s husband Robert married Fanny in the Endowment House on May 27, 1865.8

"Some histories say that Emma never adjusted to sharing her husband with another woman, and that Fanny felt that she was neglected.  Fanny’s first child, Louisa Ann and Emma’s fourth child, Emily, were born within four months of each other.  According to Thane Siddoway’s large history, there was a break-up in the relationship of Emma and Fanny over sharing the same husband in the same home.  Emma became inactive in the Church, and some of the children were not blessed or baptized.  Fanny moved out, remained active, and stayed in the Church.

"Seven of Emma’s children married and gave her 37 grandchildren from the years of 1887 to 1910.  Her husband Robert died in 1893.  She was a widow for 24 years and died 28 January 1917 in Salt Lake City at the home of her daughter May Siddoway Van Cott.  Her obituary reads:

"Called by Death
Mrs. Emma Jackson Siddoway—At the home of her daughter, Mrs. Ernest Van Cott, 952 Ninth East street occurred the death of Mrs. Emma Jackson Siddoway, Sunday.  She was the widow of Robert Siddoway, who died several years ago.  Mrs. Siddoway was born in Hull, England, in 1838 and came to Salt Lake in 1860, where she has resided since.  She was the mother of nine children, six of whom survive.  They are James, Frank and Amos of Teton City, Ida.; Mrs. Stephen Bond of St. Anthony, Ida.; Mrs. Benjamin Harris and Mrs. Ernest Van Cott of Salt Lake.
     Funeral Services will be held Tuesday at 1 p.m. at the residence of Mrs. Van Cott 952 Ninth East street.  The body may be viewed at the residence from 11:30 to 1.  Interment will be in the city cemetery."

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1.  Vicar of Mansfield by correspondence from Velma Cherry Siddoway who hired the Gen. Soc.
2.  LDS Rec. Bap. For:  Emma Jackson b. 1838.  SLC FHL F. 13656 pt. 27. 13.
3.  Emigration Registers of British Mission – SLC FHL F. 614 pt.2.
4.  From a Fanny – W.R. Siddoway History.
5.  Leroy Hafen, Handcarts to Zion, pp. 181-185.
6.  Temple Index Bureau Endowment Cards.
7.  Richard Siddoway Family Report, pp. 48-49.
8.  Temple Index Bureau Endowment Cards.

--Talbot, Margaret Fawson, Once Upon a Time, The Siddoway Family Series, Book 1, Siddoway Families for Robert and his brother John, pp. 68-69, 92.

Eunice Fitzgerald, 1818-1906

• Born 7 Feb 1818 Newcastle, Henry, Kentucky
• Died 3 Dec 1906 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
• Parents: Joseph Hawkins Fitzgerald and Ketura Catherine Parkhurst
• Spouse: Alexander McRae (md. 2 Oct 1834 New Castle, Henry, Kentucky)
• Children: John McRae, Joseph McRae, Kenneth McRae, Alexander McRae, Catherine McRae, Daniel McRae, Mary Jane McRae, Martha McRae, Charles McRae, Eunice McRae, David Fitzgerald McRae, Sarah Eunice McRae

Read Gordon Irving's biography of Alexander and Eunice McRae here.

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Mrs. Eunice Fitzgerald M'Rae

"Friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and a Woman of Many Good Deeds, Laid to Rest

"Eunice Fitzgerald McRae was the daughter of Joseph Hawkins and Catherine Parkhurst Fitzgerald, and was born Feb. 7, 1818, in Henry county and died at Salt Lake City on Dec. 3, 1906. Her father was a soldier under Gen. Anthony Wayne in the War of [Independence]. On Oct. 2, 1834 in Newcastle, Henry county, Ky., she was married to Alexander McRae, late bishop of the Eleventh ward of this city.

"About 1837 she first learned of the Mormons, she and her husband walking eight miles to hear the elders preach. They made the return journey that same night on foot, carrying their 9-months-old in their arms. Mrs. McRae was baptized in June, 1837, and then moved with her husband and child to Far West, Mo., where they suffered the hardships and persecutions common to all the saints of those days. During the time that Joseph and Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and others were incarcerated in the Liberty jail, Mrs. McRae was one of their most frequent visitors, [ ] received many blessings and promises from the lips of the prophet. She was allowed more privileges than the other visitors, and only on one occasion did the guards search her before admitting her to the prison. When the Saints were driven out of Missouri, she went with her family to Nauvoo, where they helped to build that city, and there they endured many hardships. They were among those who were driven out of Nauvoo in 1846. They spent the winter of 1856-7 at Winter Quarters, and then moved on to Kanesville, where they lived for five years. They came to Salt Lake valley by ox team in [ ], arriving here in October. They located on the corner of Sixth East and Second South at an early date, and for more than 30 years Bishop McRae and wife were familiar figures in that locality. He died 16 years before his wife.

1887

"Mrs. McRae was a devoted and loving wife and mother, and a faithful Latter-day Saint to the last. Among those who knew her, she was noted for her generosity. Whatever she had she was always willing to share with the needy, and she was always true to her duties through all the trying scenes, even at the risk of her life. Her life was a continuous sacrifice, but she was never heard to complain.

"Her posterity numbers 152 as follows: Twelve children, 59 grandchildren, 75 great-grandchildren, and six great-great-grandchildren. Of these the following are living: Seven children, 43 grandchildren, 68 great-grandchildren, and four great-great-grandchildren, total 138. The only living relative in Utah outside of her own family is John H. Kidd, a nephew, who has been just as devoted to "Aunt Eunice" as any of her own sons.

"Funeral services were held over the remains on Sunday, Dec. 9, in the Eleventh ward chapel under the direction of the bishopric, and a large cortege followed her to the cemetery. The speakers were Bishop Robert Morris, Elders Charles Livingston and Joseph E. Taylor, and President Joseph F. Smith, who each bore testimony of the integrity and faithfulness of the departed, and urged the descendants to follow in her footsteps.

"The opening prayer was offered by Bishop Robert Brighton of the Thirty-third ward, and the benediction was pronounced by Elder John M. Knight of the stake presidency. Ex-President Joseph A. McRae of the Colorado mission offered the dedicatory at the grave."

--Obituary of Eunice McRae from Deseret Evening News, Tues., December 11, 1906, p. 5

1902

Deseret Evening News, Tues, December 11, 1906, p. 5

* * * * *

Eunice Saves the Gunpowder

       “The wife of Bishop McRae deserves remembrance in connection with an incident of the battle of Nauvoo.  When it was determined to surrender that city, the fugitive saints were naturally anxious to take with them in their flight whatever of property, etc., the could, that would be necessary to them in their sojourn in the wilderness.  It will be seen at once that nothing could have been of more service to them than their rifles and ammunition.  Hence, with a refinement of cruelty, the mobbers determined to rob them of these necessaries.  They accordingly demanded the arms and ammunition of all who left the city, and searched their wagons to see that none were secreted.  Mrs. McRae was determined to save a keg of powder, however, and so she ensconced herself in her wagon with the powder keg as a seat, covering it with the folds of her dress.  Soon a squad of the enemy came to her wagon, and making as if to search it, asked her to surrender whatever arms and ammunition she might have on hand.  She quietly kept her seat, however, and coolly asked them, “How many more times are you going to search this wagon to-day?”  This question giving them the impression that they had already searched the wagon, the moved on, and Mrs. McRae saved her powder.
“She still lives, and is at present a much respected resident of Salt Lake City.”

--Edward W. Tullidge, The Women of Mormondom.  New York: Tullidge and Crandall, 1877, pp. 425-426.

Wealthy Eddy, 1810-1892

• Born 24 Mar 1810 Solon, Somerset, Maine
• Died 18 Jul 1892 Plano, Jefferson, Idaho
• Parents: John Fuller Eddy and Rhoda Eddy
• Spouse: Stephen Billings Shumway
• Children: Clarissa Shumway, Ammi Warren Shumway, Mary Amanda Shumway

• Spouse: William Dickinson Pratt
• Children: Martha Mirinda Pratt, Clarissa Pratt, Annie Warren Pratt, William Jared Pratt, Stephen Pratt, Mirza Lyona Pratt

• Spouse: William Cornwell Patten
• Children: Sarah Wealthy Patten

Excerpt from MY PIONEERS: The Mormon Pioneer Ancestors of Suzanne Scott Jennings
July 1997

Wealthy Eddy

"Came by covered wagon pulled by a horse and a cow about 1848–1852

"She helped sew the burial clothing for Joseph and Hyrum
“The gospel is more to me than all the riches in the world”

"Wealthy Eddy Shumway Pratt Patten
"Both her mother’s maiden name and her father’s last name was Eddy because they were first cousins. She was descended from the earliest Pilgrims who came to America in search of religious freedom. The Pilgrims on the Mayflower landed at Plymouth in 1620.

*****

"Wealthy Eddy was born in Maine in 1810. She joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at age 20 in 1830, against her parent’s violent objections. She was a participant in most of the major events in the early days of the Church: Kirkland, Missouri, Nauvoo, the prophet’s , Winter Quarters, crossing the plains, and the Mountain Meadow Massacre.
After she ran away from home to join the Church, she married Stephen Billings Shumway in January, 1831. He was from Massachusetts and was a member of the Church. They had three children: Clarissa who died as a baby, Ammi Warren, and Mary Amanda, who is our ancestor.
Wealthy and Stephen attended the Kirkland Temple sometime between 1836–38. They were probably part of the large 1838 exodus of Saints from Kirkland who fled toward the other gathering place of the Saints, Jackson County, Missouri. They headed toward the Haun’s Mill Settlement with a group of saints, but due to the birth of Mary Amanda on October 18,1838, they had to stop over at Randolph. Thus, they narrowly avoided the Haun’s Mill Massacre by a segment of the Missouri on October 30, 1838.

"After the Missouri persecutions, including the imprisonment of Joseph Smith in Liberty Jail the Saints were called to abandon the Missouri settlements and gather at Nauvoo. For most of the Missouri saints, the forced and unplanned exodus to Nauvoo was a miserable experience.
In Nauvoo Wealthy and Stephen became members of the Nauvoo Third Ward, but Stephen died of appendicitis in 1839 or 1840 when she was about 30 years old. She was now a widow with two small children.

"In March 1941 she married William Dickinson Pratt, the older brother of Parley and Orson Pratt. He had lost his first wife and child. He, also, was a member of the Nauvoo Third Ward. William Dickinson Pratt and Wealthy had four children: Martha who died at age five, William Jared who lived to old age, Stephen who died at five months old, and Mirza Lyona who died at 1½ years.

Wedding notice in Times and Seasons, 15 March 1841, p. 357.

"Her marriage to William Pratt put her in the circles of the leaders of the Church and when the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed on June 27, 1844, she helped sew the burial clothing for them.

"After the Prophet’s , the saints worked furiously to finish the temple sufficiently to receive their endowments. At the same time the saints were finishing the temple, they began preparing to evacuate Nauvoo. Church leaders signed a contract with the mob that they would leave Nauvoo in the spring of 1846, and at the last conference held in Nauvoo in November 1845 the saints unanimously voted to leave. Anticipating a spring exodus, Nauvoo became a builder’s workshop and the people were organized into twenty-five traveling companies. Brigham Young, senior apostle and acting president of the Church, dedicated the attic story of the temple on Sunday, November 30, 1845 so the saints could begin receiving their endowments. The temple was kept open night and day to administer the ordinances. Wealthy and William Pratt received their endowments in 1845. Those blessings made the 1,300 mile westward trek, which seemed like walking into the jaws of , possible.

"Although the majority of the Saints left Nauvoo in three main exoduses during 1846, many of the Mormon women who were expecting a baby chose to stay behind in Nauvoo and take their chances with mob , rather than risk the exposure and hardship of giving birth in the wilderness. Wealthy may have been one of those women, because she stayed in Nauvoo and gave birth to Stephen Pratt in January 1847 and Mirza Pratt in 1847–48.

"At the time of the first exodus from Nauvoo, on February 9, 1846 Apostle Parley P. Pratt and his four wives and their children left Nauvoo in four wagons. Three teamsters helped drive those wagons to Council Bluffs, Iowa and helped establish their Winter Quarters in July of that year. William Pratt was one of those teamsters. He returned to Nauvoo in October of that year on a quick trip to England with Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor on Church business, but they were back by late spring of 1847. Parley and John Taylor went on West as leaders of the Main Company of pioneers. William, obviously, returned to Nauvoo to see her as Mirza was born later, but then he disappeared out of her story. Perhaps he was a teamster for a wagon train or was fulfilling other Church business.

"Sometime between late 1847 and the spring of 1848, she and her 4–5 children were driven from Nauvoo by anti-Mormon mobs, and they crossed Iowa to Winter Quarters. She was sealed in Winter Quarters, Nebraska on April 30, 1848 to Stephen Billings Shumway, after his .
She crossed the plains, without a husband, in a covered wagon with her young children sometime between 1848–1852. Her oldest son Ammi was age 15–20, Mary Amanda was age 9–14, and William Jared was age 4–8, Mirza was one years old or had already died by the time they crossed from Winter Quarter to Salt Lake. When they arrived in Utah, they went to Payson where they settled.

"Obviously, she and William Pratt divorced, because some years later in 1854 she married William Cornwell (Cornwall) Patten at Payson when she was 44 years old. William had also been a member of the Nauvoo Third War, but had lost his wife and daughter. Wealthy and William had one child: Sarah Wealthy Patten.

"William Cornwell Patten died in 1883, and she was left to fend for herself again. Her children Ammi Shumway and Mary Amanda Shumway Cherry both passed away before she did, and so Wealthy helped raise their children. She was left with her son William Jared Pratt and daughter Sarah Wealthy Patten at her at age 82 in 1892 in Parker, Fremont County, Idaho. She is buried there."

* * * * *

Wealthy Eddy
A Short History of the Life of Wealthy Eddy, born March 24, 1805
by

Susannah J. Shumway

"She was one out of a family of ten (10) children. Her parents were comfortably fixed. They had a large tract of land and a large house with many rooms. They had a work room for all their extra work with a large fireplace, to make it nice and warm. There they had a loom, a spinning wheel, reel, and cards for carding rolls and batts. They wove their own cloth. Lindsey for dresses, and all other clothing, also blankets and shawls. Jeans was wove for making mens clothes, suits and overcoats. They did their own spinning and coloring of yarns, both wool and cotton. They used a dye called Madder. It was used to color red. Logwood for black. Indigo and chamber lye to color all shades of blue. Green from peach leaves and yellow from the rabbit brush blossoms. They had a clay that was of a pink color and they put water over it and let it stand until it was the right shade and then they colored pink.

"They learned to sew, knit, darn, mend, and keep house. They also learned to cook good meals. They had cows, pigs, horses, and chickens. They also had enough sheep for the family use. They made their own butter and cheese. They had Maple sugar trees on their land and when the sap was just right they put spouts in the tree trunks and caught the sap in buckets and it was then boiled till it was done just right. Some was used for syrup. Some was crystallized for maple sugar.
They were an industrious family. They used a fire place with reflectors for cooking . It had large iron hooks to hang kettles on to boil and cook meats and vegetables. They made their own candles out of beef tallow. The tallow would run into molds that was threaded with candle wick. They would make enough to last a year. Soap was made from fats and grease from the animals. Lye was made by putting ashes in a large barrel and letting it stand. It was also used to soften water for washing.

"They had sports of different kinds, such as candy pulling. Corn parching and popping. They would go to neighbors and have parties and games such as was played in those times. They had quilting bees and corn husking as well as carpet rug bees.

"I do not know what religion they belonged to but they spoke a lot about the Quakers. Probably they were of that faith. But we do not know for sure. They were very prejudicial towards the Mormons. When their daughter, Wealthy Eddy, became interested in the Mormon religion they were not pleased. They did not want her to pay any attention to their faith but she went to several of their meetings. Her father became so angry that he locked her up in a room and kept her prisoner. She finally escaped and went to the Missouri river and got some one to row her over. Her father discovered her escape. He and her brothers rushed after her. When they saw her in the boat they took shots at her but she escaped unharmed. She never went back home. This story is told and written by one of her descendants.

"Wealthy Eddy later fell in love and married Stephan Billings Shumway, who was born July 20, 1805 at Orange Tennessee. They were married January 6, 1831 in Illinois. They started a home of their own in Orange Tennessee. They had land and a comfortable home. Their first child, Claresa Shumway, was born November 30, 1831. She died , no date. In the spring of 1832 they joined the Mormon church. Their second child, a son, was born December 16, 1832 Orange . He was named Ammi Warren Shumway. Their third child a daughter, Mary Amanda Shumway, was born in Missouri on October 18, 1838. Her husband Stephan Billings Shumway died with appendicitis, leaving her a widow with two children.

"In the year 1841 she married William Jared Pratt in Nauvoo. To that union was born three children. The first child, a daughter, was named Martha Mirinda Pratt. She was born December 30, 1842 at Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. She died no date. The second child was a son, Stephen Pratt, born January 30, 1847. He also died, no date.

"Wealthy Eddy was left alone again. The saints were being driven from place to place by mobs and threats. She had a hard time along with all the rest of the Saints. When her son, Ammie Warren, was about fifteen(15) years of age they decided to cross the plains with some of the saints. They wanted to get away from the trouble they were going through. They wanted to go west to Utah, where they would feel safe and be able to worship God unmolested. They fitted up a wagon as best as they could. They hitched a horse and a cow together, using harness that was made of different pieces of what they could get. They crossed the plains and settled in Payson, Utah.

"In Payson she met and married William Cornwell Patten in 1854. He was a widower with two daughters. She was a good mother and wife. The s, Hannah and Matilda loved her as much as if she had been their own Mother. That love continued till the day of their s. She had one child by this marriage, a daughter named Sarah Wealthy Patten , born November 3, 1857 at Payson Utah.

"She was left a widow again, and struggled along with her family as best as she could. She said that they always had something to eat and never went hungry. They always had something to wear and a place to shelter them even if it wasn’t the nicest. She told of going to church in a nice black silk dress and being bare foot because her shoes were worn out. Said that when she got to the church she took little steps to hide her feet. They wore long full skirts to the ankles. She said she felt like she must go to church and thank God that they were in a place where they could worship their God as they wanted, without being molested by mobs. She made an apron out of different pieces that she happened to have. They called it Jacobs coat. It was made what she called a sack apron, but she was proud to have that good. She always said where there is a will there will be a way.

"Wealthy Eddy had learned the tailor trade and also how to make fancy shoes. She was a good seamstress and helped make the burial clothes for the Prophet Joseph Smith and Hyrum Smith. She told how badly the people felt about their s and that they were left with out a leader.
In a short time in an afternoon meeting on August 8,1844 there was a special meeting to choose a leader to take the Prophets place. She said Brigham Young rose and spoke and he was transfigured with the countenance and voice of Joseph Smith. That all the people were astonished at what they saw and heard. There was a vote and every hand was raised in favor of Brigham with not one contrary vote. She said “I was at that meeting and what I saw and heard is true and he proved to be a good leader”.

"She told about being in a small company of saints that was in route to Hauns Mill. She was taken sick and gave birth to a child in October 1838. She escaped the terrible tragedy that happened at the Hauns Mill massacre. She felt that their lives had been spared.

"On one occasion when she was a small , they were on a boat for a few days and she went to the edge of the boat and lay flat on the bottom looking into the water and a large sea monster jumped and almost grabbed her. She gave a scream and the sailors and men came with spears and they told her not to go near the edge again for she might be eaten by a whale or shark.
She lived in Payson at the time of the Mountain Meadow Massacre. The man that took the message to President Young stopped at their home and got a black horse that belonged to Ammi Warren Shumway to ride into Salt Lake City with the message. He left the other horse to be cared for till he got back. When he got back to change horses again he said that Brigham Young told him to go back and not to shed and hurry and not spare horse flesh. He wouldn’t stop to eat but she fixed a lunch and he took it as he was on his way. But when he got back the battle was over, much against President Brigham Young’s wishes.

"After her son, Ammi Warren, was married to Mary Leon Lyon , they lived in Salt Lake City Utah. When their second child was 2 or 3 weeks old his wife died. Leaving 2 little children, a 3 and a little baby boy 2 or 3 weeks old. The two grand mothers each took one child. Janet Thompson Lyon took the little , Mary Leon Shumway. The other grand mother, Wealthy Eddy, took the baby boy, Ammi Alonze Shumway. The father went to hauling freight from Salt Lake to Montana. He never returned. His wagon was found burned and recognized by brands on the irons. It was supposed he was killed. The freight and horses were taken. The mystery of his disappearance has never been learned. She took care of the little boy and he made his home with her until he was married to Susannah J. Jensen. When her daughter Mary Amanda died and left a large family she took a little , 7 years old, whose name was Margaret Cherry. She made her home with her Grandmother and the rest of the family of children made her home their headquarters when out of work.

"One incident of her life was a sad one. Her little , Claresa, was small. They were driven from their home and the mob gave them just so long to get a boat to be taken across the river. They took a few things tied in a small bundle. That night the small died from exposure. She said the mob had some kind hearted men that let them come back and bury their . They buried her under a tree in the orchard. After they laid her to rest and covered the grave she said it seemed like her heart would break. She sat down on the door step and wept.

"One of the mob, who was tender hearted took a pan and went and got some peaches from her own orchard and put them in her lap. He told her not to feel too bad, but said we must get back to the boat. We crossed the river and went back to camp. She said she felt sorry for them because they were under orders and had to obey.

"Once they were going some where in a wagon and when they camped for the night she learned that her favorite sister lived a few miles away. So she got on a horse and rode up to the place. Her sister didn’t know her but when she told her who she was, oh how glad they were. They visited that night and she never saw any of her people again.

"She did work in the Logan Temple. She went through the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. She also attended the Nauvoo and Kirtland Temples as well as the Salt Lake Temple.
She moved several times. Sometimes for safety, sometimes to better their conditions, and sometimes they were called to build up new towns as was the custom in those days. Finally she settled in Oxford Idaho.

"When her daughter Wealthy and son William were married she lived close to her children. When her grandson Ammi Alonzo was married she lived with her children. About the year 1889 or 1890 they all moved to the Snake River Valley and settled there. She spent most of her time at her daughter, Wealthy’s, home. She stayed with Ammi Alonzo the winter before she died and we surely enjoyed having her. She would sit and tell of her experiences day after day.

"One day she told me of an experience that I have never forgotten. She said they had been camping, when they had to move for safety, while the cabins and log rooms were being built. She and her son cleared a place to build a log room. She went and sewed and helped families so they would help put up logs for her. She said when the logs were up and the dirt roof put on she moved in with out a door or window. It began to storm and so cloudy that you could not see the stars nor the moon. They had the few house hold things moved and the children put to bed. They had to go back to help get the cows and calves. They had made a pole corral by tying poles from one tree to another, so they could put the calves in it during the day and the cows at night. The cows had never been over the road before. It was very dark and stormy , but they needed the milk. She said as they were going along she felt the presence of some one and she said a faint voice said I will often be with you and help you. Her son spoke and said Mother did you hear some one speak. She didn’t want to frighten the boy, so she said maybe you imagined it. She felt the presence so strong that she put out her hand to feel but she couldn’t feel nor see any one. But she felt her husband’s spirit was with them. The cows went right along with out being drove and the calves went in to the corral just like they were being drove in and with out any trouble.

"One day I asked her, after she had been talking and telling of their nice home that she had left and other experiences of her life, if she ever felt sorry that she had left it all. She looked up and said no the Gospel is more to me than all the riches in the world. She meant every word that she said.

"She was living with her daughter, Sarah Wealthy Brown, when she died on July 18, 1892 at Eagen, Idaho. She died with dropsy and was buried in the Parker Cemetery.
I haven’t been able to give all the years and dates of this history, but I wrote it as I have gathered it and as I remember it as she related it to me time and again. I have tried to be truthful in these statements. If I have failed it is a mistake and not intentional."

--Written by SUSANNAH J. SHUMWAY Fairview, Wyoming

**********

Bibliography
“A Short History of the Life of Wealthy Eddy, born March 24, 1805,” Susannah J. Shumway—a great granddaughter, Fairview, Wyoming.
A short synopsis with stories of the life of Wealthy Eddy. Susannah J. Shumway a great grand-daughter had the privilege of sitting at her knee and listen to Wealthy tell about her life. Most of the personal details of her story come from this source.

Journey to Zion, Voices From The Mormon Trail, Carol Cornwall Madsen, Deseret book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah, 1997, pp.1–85.
A rich and interesting account of the Mormon Exodus in which William Pratt is specifically mentioned in the diary of George Whitaker: At the time of the first exodus from Nauvoo, on February 9, 1846 Apostle Parley P. Pratt and his four wives and their children left Nauvoo in four wagons. Three teamsters helped drive those wagons to Council Bluffs, Iowa and helped establish the camp that became their Winter Quarters in July of that year. William Pratt was one of those teamsters. Most of the way, the Pratt wagons were several days in front of the main group lead by Brigham Young. Parley selected the site for the Mt. Pisgah settlement in Iowa which they established along their way. It was at Mt. Pisgah that the bretheren decided they were too poorly equipped to cross the plains and the Rocky Mountains that summer, so they decided to go to the Missouri and make a camp in which to prepare to cross in 1847, instead. In October the “brothers Pratt” left with John Taylor for England on Church business.

LDS Infobases, Inc., Early LDS Membership, CD ROM, Provo, Utah, 1996.
Gives vital statistics, church ordinance information, family information, and comments about Wealthy Eddy, Stephen Billings Shumway, William Dickinson Pratt, and William Cornwell (Cornwall) Patten.
Stephen Billing Shumway died of appendicitis in Nauvoo. They were all members of the Nauvoo Third Ward.
William D. Pratt born 1802, older brother of Parley and Orson Pratt, baptized 1831, ordained High Priest, member of Nauvoo Third Ward, William and Wealthy were married by William Nisewager, “William labored with his brother Orson Pratt and traveled through Missouri and Illinois.” William had five wives, sealed to last two, and in 1860 was living in Salt Lake City as a laborer.

LDS Infobases, Inc., LDS Collectors library ’97, CD ROM, Provo, Utah, 1996.
William Pratt accompanied David W. Patten when Patten was sent to Clay county, Missouri, 19 December 1833 bearing dispatches to Church leaders in Missouri. Remained in Missouri until arrival of Zion’s Camp June 1834.

Mormon Genealogies, The Smith, Pratt, Young, and Richards and Allied Families,
Gives ancestors, siblings, wives, and children of William Dickinson Pratt. He had six wives. Seven children are listed but only two lived to maturity.

Wealthy Eddy Pedigree and Three Family Group Records, Family Search: Ancestral File, CD ROM, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Genealogical Library, Salt Lake City, Utah.

From http://jared.pratt-family.org/histories/wealthy-jennings.htm

Lorenzo S. Davidson, 1861-1924

• Born 31 Aug 1861 Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah
• Died 12 Apr 1924 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah
• Parents: Hans Christian Davidson and Anna Maria Jensen
• Spouse: Anna Louisa Peterson (md. 4 Mar 1887 Fairview, Sanpete, Utah--divorced)
• Children: Mary Louise Davidson, Arland Lorenzo Davidson, Arthur Cleveland Davidson, Lenora Sarah Christina Davidson, John David Nathaniel Davidson, Eskil Leander Davidson, baby Davidson

• Spouse: Martha Dwyer (md. 29 Dec 1897)

There is a blog devoted to the life story of Lorenzo S. Davidson.  It includes details not found in the story below.  You can find it here.

LORENZO DAVIDSON'S LIFE STORY
Compiled by his family in 1960

"Lorenzo was born August 31, 1861, in a dug-out cellar in the side of a hill, in Pleasant Grove, Utah, about three years after his parents came across the plains. He was the fourth child of Hans Christian Davidson, and Anna Maria Jensen. He had four brothers, Hans Thomas, Amasa, Ephraim and Joseph; six sisters, Mary, Elizabeth (Bell), Sara (1), Sarah (2), Lucinda and a baby sister who died unnamed. His eldest brother and sister were born in Denmark, before his parents joined the church. In Denmark, his father was a prosperous printer before he joined the church; then he was persecuted so much he was glad to leave all he had and come to Zion.

"In 1864, Lorenzo's parents moved to Mt. Pleasant, here he spent his boyhood. His parents were very poor and couldn't buy shoes for their children, so they went bare-foot most of the time. In the winter, Lorenzo and Bell, would get a large chip of wood, then standing on it with one foot and pushing with the other, they would skate across the ice.

"He had little schooling, only going to about the third grade. He and Amasa attended the First Presbyterian school, now known as "Wasatch Academy," it was founded in 1875, by Dr. Duncan J. McMuillian. The school was first conducted in an old dance hall, which McMmllian converted into a school and church. This building was still standing on Main Street in 1932. It was being used as a meeting hail for the Masonic Lodge. It was one of the Pioneer Day Landmarks.

"He herded cows for his father at the time Indians were hostile, and there were also many wild animals to make a young boy afraid. One night when it came time to take the cows home, he could not find them. Not wanting to go home without them he knelt down, and asked the Lord to help him. He got up and looked around, then walked over to a place where there were lots of willows, and there laying down, chewing their cud were the cows. He worked away from home and helped his parents while young. He was always concerned for his mother, and before he would leave he would cut up a pile of wood so she would have plenty to last until he returned.

"One time he came home late at night, and awakened to hear his mother call Amasa to get her some wood. After she had called several times and Amasa had ignored her, Lorenzo became angry and jumped out of bed, and went to Amasa, and when he would not get up and get the wood, Lorenzo picked him up and threw him down the stairs and told him to get it. After that they were not the best of friends.

"Although we have been unable to find any record of this, it is told in the family that when he was about eighteen, he met and married a girl of about the same age. They lived in Mt. Pleasant, a baby boy was born to them, but within the year his wife left him. This made him feel badly and he left Utah and went away to prospect and trap. (About 1921 he told his daughter Lenora, that he hunted up his first wife and found her in Wyoming. He went to see her but she was bitter and would not talk to him. She threatened to throw scalding water on him if he did not leave, so he did leave without finding out anything about her.)

"When he was prospecting in Montana, he filed on a claim. He would work an eight hour shift in a coal mine then he would work his own claim. There were two foremen at the coal mine, each on a different shift. Each foreman thought he had a man who could load the most coal, so they made a bet of $50.00 for the winner. Lorenzo's foreman told him he would give him half if he could win. The other man loaded fifty-seven cars of coal, (each car load weighed 800 pounds, in his eight hour shift. Lorenzo loaded sixty-one cars and was proud to win.

"In Butte, Montana, he and another man took up a claim together; it turned out to be the richest gold mine in Butte at the time. They were doing fine and taking out tons of rich ore every day. One day a man from the east bought out his partners' share for $2,000,000 but Lorenzo would not sell his share. Two days later the miners struck a vein of water so large that it was like a canal running out of the mine. There was not any way to stop the water so they had to abandon the mine and again every thing seemed lost to him. Later he sold his share to the man who bought out his partner for $2.50, and left for Canada to try again. Later he was thankful that he lost it and considered it a blessing from God.

"He had many varied and, exciting experiences during the three months he spent in Canada, with no companion but a New Foundland dog. One day while he was out hunting, he walked on the shelf of a huge ledge with his dog walking behind him. At a sudden noise he turned around to see a mountain lion spring from the ledge above, grab the dog, then jump to the ledge below and disappear. That was the last he saw of the dog. He was tired of living on wild meat without salt and lonesome without the dog so he returned to Utah. When he arrived home, at Birch Creek, he was saddened to find his mother had died while he had been away. He loved his mother very much, her was a blow to him.

Date unknown

"It was then that Lorenzo met Anna Louisa Peterson, a young widow with three little s. On March 4, 1887, they were married. It was not a temple marriage for Anna Louisa was sealed to her first husband, Johan Wilhelm Peterson, who had died of pneumonia in 1882. Shortly after they were married, they went to the Manti temple and Lorenzo received his endowments. They lived in Fairview several years and a daughter, Mary and a son Arland were born to them there.

"Lorenzo and Anna Louisa decided to homestead in Wyoming. They left Fairview about 15 April 1892. Traveling with them were Carl and Lena Gjettrup and family, also Carl's brother, Pete. Lorenzo wanted to travel fast and did not plan to take any animals with them but the Gjettrup's had a cow and had to travel slowly, so Lorenzo bought a cow and a calf; thus the family had fresh milk as they traveled along. Lorenzo drove four head of horses on a wagon, with a trailer wagon, hooked on behind it. Christian Jacobsen, his brother-in-law, drove another wagon for him. When he left Utah, he was thirty-one years old, Anna Louisa was thirty-three, Anna, her eldest was thirteen, Ellen was eleven, Rena, nine; and Mary four, Arland the baby was twenty-two months.

"On one of the wagons, Lorenzo built cupboards, with shelves facing the outside of the wagon box. On one side of the wagon there were three shelves, each held six chickens, eighteen in all. On the other side were two shelves with a pair of geese and a pair of turkeys, on the back they had two pigs in a box. Inside the wagon they kept their household supplies, grain and seeds to plant. The trailer wagon was sort of a camp wagon or a sheep wagon, as we know them today. In this they ate and slept. It contained a small stove, a dry-goods box made a table, there were a few dishes and a dasher churn. Across the back a large bed was built which covered many supplies stored beneath. In the third wagon Lorenzo had ordered some fruit trees and some bushes but they had not come when they left Fairview. The man he ordered from received them soon after Lorenzo left, so he followed and overtook the families and delivered the plants; consequently the Davidsons had the first fruit and shade trees in Teton Basin. However the winters were so sever that most of the fruit trees winterkilled. The lilacs, raspberries, strawberries, gooseberries, currants, rhubarb and other plants did fine and from them Lorenzo was able to give starts to people all over the valley for the next fifteen years.

"When they left Fairview, Lorenzo intended to go to Big Horn Basin in Wyoming, but when they came through Salt Lake City he heard that the snow was so deep they would not be able to get through. They traveled through Cache Valley, Pocatello, Eagles rock, and (Idaho Falls) and to Rexburg. There was lots of storm as they passed through Cache valley, and the weather was so bad they camped for a time in a meadow, southwest of the Logan Temple. They stopped each evening about five o'clock and turned the animals and poultry loose to eat before night. In the morning they would catch the poultry under the wagons where they had found shelter during the night and put them back into their pens. They crossed the Snake River at Idaho Falls on a narrow plank and caused some delay and quite a scare. At Moody Creek, between Sugar City and Teton, Lorenzo and Mr. Gjettrup, left their families and went on to Teton Valley, to try and locate a place for them there. This was necessary because there were many places the snow was still too deep to get through, also Anna Louisa was expecting another child and it was due any-day and they did not want to be held up in a drift or in mud.

"In Teton Valley, Lorenzo met a Mr. Seymore, who asked them what their plans were and when they told him they intended to homestead, he said, "What! Take my cattle range. I want you to know that sage brush and cobble-rocks are mighty hard to digest." They found some land they liked, and then returned to their families. As the men cross Teton Creek, it was dry but when they returned with their families and loads there was so much water in it they could hardly get their wagons through the creek. In Teton Valley, they homesteaded at a place called Darby. They arrived there the 23 May. At this time there were only two families living there; the Henry Todds and the Eilington Smiths.

"Davidsons stopped at the Todd home, a one-room log cabin at the mouth of Darby Creek canyon. Mrs. Todd slept on the dirt floor and gave her bed to Anna Louisa. Seven days later Uncle Chris sent for Mrs. Murphy, the mid-wife, On May 29, 1892, a son was born to Anna Louisa. He was the first white child to be born in the valley. He was named, Arthur Cleveland.

"Mr. Todd had built the walls for another room at the north of his cabin but winter came before he could finish it. Lorenzo shoveled the snow out of it, chinked the logs and put on a roof. Here his family lived until he could clear a bit of land and get things started for himself. Lorenzo homesteaded one hundred and sixty acres adjoining Todd's three hundred and twenty acre farm. The Gjettrup's filed on a farm one-half mile west of Lorenzo's and west of Todd's. Before Lorenzo could build a cabin for himself or plant a crop, a canal had to be dug to bring water from Darby Creek so they could irrigate the farm and water their animals. This took some time, then the land had to be cleared of sagebrush and sunflowers also rocks had to be hauled away. There were low places and high badger mounds that had to be leveled so the water would flow evenly over the land. The first year there was only a small field cleared. They planted a little barley, oats, potatoes and garden. When harvest time came they threshed the grain by putting the grain on a large wagon cover, then the children would trample it until the heads of grain were crushed. After this the straw was carried away and piled for the animals, then on a day when the wind was just right the grain and chaff were held high above the wagoncover. The breeze carried the chaff away and the clean grain fell to the cover. Some of this grain was ground with a small coffee grinder and the flour was used to make bread during the winter, along with the one sack of white flour they had.

"After the planting was done, logs were cut and hauled to build their cabin and shelters for their animals and poultry. Neighbors helped put on the logs, then more logs were hauled and split to make a door and a roof, On top of the split logs they laid a thick layer of willows, they put a thick layer of grass and straw over this and last a thick layer of dirt. The openings between the logs were filled with a clay mud, this kept the room dry and warm. Their garden was not very good that year and the family of eight lived mostly on wild meat. There was plenty of elk, deer, antelope and other game and Lorenzo killed enough to supply his family.

"In summer the animals were turned out on the mountains to feed. One time Lorenzo went out for his horses and met a grizzly bear with two cubs. She chased him down the mountain. Lorenzo could run down mountains like a deer or he would never have been able to get away from her. He also taught his children to run fast down hill. Besides grizzly bears there were wolves, coyotes, wild cats and mountain lions, so they always had to be on the watch. Lorenzo trapped many of the animals and tanned their hides, these Anna Louisa made into boots for Lorenzo and the children. They also made good robes and rugs. There were also many wild chickens, sage hens, grouse, pine-hens and others. One day Ellen caught a wild chicken in her apron. There were lots of badgers and ground hogs or squirrels as the children called them. These were bad because they ate the gardens and grain. Lorenzo would poison them with strychnine. It took many years before they got rid of them.

"Lorenzo put up wild hay to feed all the animals through the winter. The only light they had was a little dish of tallow with a strip of cloth through it to light. It was not a bad light; something like a candle only it smoked more. They bought coarse salt like we use for ice cream and ground it through the coffee grinder for table use. Lorenzo built a blacksmith shop and many mornings we would get up at four o'clock and sharpen plow points for himself and his neighbors. He also fixed machinery and shod their horses. The first few years he used a large box like affair he made to smoke and cure meat. He was very particular as to the kind of wood he used for the smoke fires for this smoke went into the building and flavored as well as cured the meat. This was the way the Indians cured their meat. When he had extra venison he cured it this way and it was called "jerky." When the blacksmith shop was built then Lorenzo cured his meat there. He really had a reputation for curing good meat and many people brought their meat for him to cure and sometimes he would go to ranches and cure the meat for them.

"The small bushes and plants he brought with him grew well and after the first year the family had all the raspberries and strawberries they wanted the whole year. He had an exceptional garden every year and raised some of the best turnips in the whole valley. Lenora and Nathaniel, were both born in the first log cabin. It was also used for the church house and dance hall and just every kind of a party for it was the largest room around. When a surveyor surveyed the valley, they found the cabin was built on the line between Lorenzo's and Todd's. About 1887, Lorenzo built a larger log house in the center of his field. After this the first log house was used for a schoolhouse. Arland started to go to school here when he was eight years old. They lived in this second log house when young Anna was married in November 1897. Anna was dressed in a lovely blue and George Dewey her husband, was also dressed in his finery. Many presents filled the large table. They lived on a homestead ten miles away. Chris and Hannah Jacobsen (Anna Louisa's sister), moved to Darby in 1898 and homesteaded a farm one mile west of the Davidson's. Lorenzo gave them the first log cabin he built and they moved it onto their farm. They enlarged it to make a comfortable four-room home. (The house was still standing in 1955 and was in use).

"Parties and church meetings were still held in the Davidson home. People came long distances and sometimes stayed over night when it was extremely cold. Beds were made all over the floor to accommodate these guests. Mary told about when the dances were held there and the smaller children were put up in the hall-loft where the children slept regularly. Here they could watch the fun until they became tired and then lay down and go to sleep comfortably. Just about the time Anna got married, Lorenzo built a lean-to on the west side of the house, for a bedroom and a kitchen. Later he built two rooms on the south, the larger room doubled as an extra living room where they had extra quadrilles and as a bedroom for Lenora and Mary. The smaller room was at long last a private bedroom for Lorenzo and his wife.

"He was always a kind father and did many things to bring happiness to his family, such as making a special trip to the mountains each year and bringing home a beautiful evergreen tree for their Christmas. They would decorate it with apples and string of popcorn. Whenever he took loads of grain to St. Anthony, which was the nearest trading center, he would always bring home a bit of hard candy or mints for them. Many times the children would tie strings on the hard candy and hang it on the Christmas tree. Mary was given a small piece shaped like a bird. She tied it on the tree every year until she was older then she kept it in her small box of treasures and late after her daughter got married she gave it to her. Whenever the children were ill he would lay his hands on their heads and give them a blessing, and then he would say, "Now go to sleep." Lenora says she could always go to sleep and sleep so good after he did this. He always had time to talk to the children and take them places with him.

"Lorenzo was clerk of the school board and had charge of hiring the teachers, and seeing that the school had the things they needed. He helped make the rough plank desks and benches for the first school in his log cabin. He was clerk as long as they lived in Darby. He was also clerk of the water association, and took charge of the distributing of the water, making head gates and doing anything needed.

"The Darby Ward was organized about this time and Emanuel Bagley was chosen Bishop. Lorenzo knew things about him that he felt were wrong for a bishop and he felt he could not sustain him in that office. When they voted for him in their sacrament meeting, and asked if there were any contrary votes, Lorenzo stood up on the bench and held both hands against him. There had been several others who intended to vote contrary but they failed to stand up for what they thought. This caused a disturbance but when all the information had been presented, Bagley was ordained bishop. Later he told Lorenzo he was excommunicated for his contrary vote. (In checking through the records of the church in 1960, they cannot find any record of an excommunication, the Presiding Bishopric say that Lorenzo was never excommunicated.)

"When Mary was about twelve years old she was very sick with rheumatism. (Now we would call it rheumatic fever.) This traveled all over her body and settled in her heart. They feared she would not live long. Lorenzo was very concerned over his eldest child. He went to Pratt Ward to get the Elders to administer to her. On the way there, he went into a grove of Quaken Asps, there he knelt down and prayed that Mary would be healed. He promised the Lord, he would be re-baptized into the Church and that he would serve Him. The Elders came and administered to Mary. They promised her health. A sharp pain went through her heart and from then on she was without pain. She speedily gained her strength and was able to go to school the following year.

"Lorenzo was re-baptized in a pond in the lower part of the farm by Daniel Hill on September 15, 1900. From then on he paid his tithes, went to church and did the things he was asked to do. From that time the Lord blessed Lorenzo abundantly. He was ordained an Elder again on April 2, 1904, by D. Hopkins, Lenora says, "I remember not long after he started going to church that one fall he loaded up grain to take to the tithing grainery; he had three beds on the wagon and the sacks were piled high on top of them. I'm sure he could not get another sack on top, and I thought to myself-my but that is a lot of tithing. I remember the next fall he had two graineries full of grain and a large shed that was between one grainery and the shop full of sacks of grain, timothy and alfalfa seed and I don't know how much hay he had. The Lord certainly blessed him abundantly."

"He had a lot of men work for him but only two worked for any length of time. One, Gene Cowan worked one summer, another, Joseph Bagley, worked for him several years. He married Rose Hill while he was working there so Lorenzo built them a one-room log house a little way from the Davidson home. Joe Bagley was a good worker and the children really like him. He had a good voice and could sing lots of songs for them. He also played the mouth organ and taught Arthur to play it too. Many an evening they would spend playing and singing. There was lots of snow during the winter in those days. The roads were always drifted full so people would travel straight from one place to another over fences and farms for one could not tell where boundaries were. When they needed to chop feed for the animals they would have to dig the snow away from the chopper so they could work. Lorenzo raised lots of hay and would sell it to sheep-men with the understanding that they would feed it on his place. They would feed the sheep in one place for a while then move to another. In this way the land was well fertilized and he raised a bumper crop.

"On March 4 1901, a stillborn child was born to Anna Louisa and Lorenzo. The baby had been several days before it was born and had started to decompose. Anna Louisa said that three days before as she had been carrying water from the ditch to wash she had felt the child turn as she lifted the water from the ditch and then the child had never moved again. Lorenzo made a coffin for the little boy out of an old coal oil can box. Ellen covered it and fixed it real nice and Rena dressed the baby. Lorenzo and Anna Louisa felt badly about it and they never had another child.

"About the time they lost the baby there was an epidemic of diphtheria in the valley. Arthur and Lenora had it very bad. They lay in the same bedroom as their mother lay still sick from childbirth. The rest of the family stayed in the kitchen and other bedrooms. They fumigated the house with carbolic acid and formaldehyde cloths to keep the germs down. They also tied asifidity bags around their necks and oh, how they smelled. Peeled onions were also hung about the house, they absorbed the sickness and would turn black almost over night. Arthur was so ill he was not expected to live. Some men came from Pratt Ward to buy hay and Lorenzo asked them to have the Bishopric meet in prayer for Arthur, which the Bishopric did that very evening. The night before this the chamber had been red with from Arthur's infected throat and he was so weak he could not move, in fact as they tried to move him that morning he fainted away. Early in the morning after he was prayed for, Arthur asked for a bucket of cold water. His mother and father hesitated about giving it to him but he insisted, saying that he would die if he did not get it. Anna Louisa asked Lorenzo to set her in the big rocking chair close to Arthur's bed so she could talk to him. He told her that when he fainted someone came to him and told him he should have this. She became convinced he should have the water and asked Lorenzo to get him a bucket, but to put enough hot water in it to take away the chill. Arthur leaned over and doused his head in the water three times then he took a long drink from the bucket, put his hands on his hair and squeezed the water from in into the bucket. Then he threw his legs out of the bed and stood up and said, "I am well now, bring me my clothes." The next day Pete Larsen a bachelor, who checked the sick families that were quarantined to find out their needs, came to the house. He expected he would have to order a grave dug for Arthur but he found him outside running after a fashion, with his brother Arland on a short strip of bare ground between the snowdrifts. The epidemic cleared up and there were no more s after this. There were trying times of sickness and s along with good times and the Davidson's weathered them all.

Left to right, seated:  Lorenzo, Eskil, Nathaniel, Anna Louisa, Arthur
Left to right standing:  Mary Louisa, Arland

"Anna Louisa's brother, Andreas, was a good carpenter and came up from Fairview to remodel their house. The old log part was torn down and a new frame building really made their home look nice as well as being more comfortable. This was to the north of what Lorenzo had built. They now had four rooms down stairs and a large room upstairs for the boys. They bought gasoline lights too, which made it real good. A lot of the ward parties were still held here.

"Lorenzo was about six feet two inches tall and weighed a good 235 pounds. He had a hearty appetite and was extra strong. A friend, Fred Tyler, says that one day he saw a load of something corning down the road. When he came closer he found it to be Mr. Davidson carrying the load on his back, and scarcely being visible beneath it. Even though he was tall some of the timothy he raised grew almost as tall he was and the alfalfa grew up to his arms. It was so thick it was hard to walk through it let alone cut it. The grain was also heavy and yielded good. He took prizes at the fair for grain, timothy and alfalfa seed. He sent

1925 at the time of Anna Louise Davidson funeral-Parker Idaho Front left: Mary Housley, Ellen Ellis, Rena Peterson, Lenora Tyler, Annie Dewey Back left: Arland Davidson, Nathaniel Davidson, Arthur Davidson, Eskil Davidson

some alfalfa and timothy seed to the world fair at St. Louis and took first prize. He was one of the first to grow russet potatoes in Idaho. He sent east for the seed and then people came from near and far to buy seed from him. One year he cut the timothy from a small patch and then cut all the ditch banks and sold enough to pay for a threshing machine. He also had good horses and took prizes on them too. He did lots of freighting in the fall and winter from Jackson Hole and Victor to St. Anthony. He would haul out the grain and hay and bring back food and supplies for Blogett's store in Victor and for Miller's ranch in Jackson Hole.

"After he began to keep the Lord's commandments and make good on his farm, he did not do it any more but stayed home with his family and took care of things.

"On Christmas Eve 1906, his daughter Mary, married Chester Loveland the Bishop's son. After they were married a while they had their differences and Lorenzo kept her home to live. After her little daughter Edna, was born, he took particular care of her. One day when she was about two years old, she went to the corral to get a bucket of water from the ditch. She was soon missed but when they found her an old buck sheep was bunting her down as fast as she could get up. Lorenzo took the child to the house, then took his gun and shot the sheep. Another time Ellen went to milk a cow. The cow had a new calf and was touchy. She started for Ellen. Ellen ran but the cow caught her with her horns and threw her over her head. Ellen was not hurt but Lorenzo got rid of the cow right away. Though he liked fine animals he wanted them to be gentle.

"When Arthur was about twelve years old, he and Arland and some of their friends, Earl and Clyde Hansen, were playing with some pet colts and having a high time. Arthur grabbed the tail of one colt and holding on chased it around and around the yard. Suddenly the colt shot out is hind feet, one hoof caught Arthur on the right side of the face cutting it open so it showed the temple and the cheekbones.

"When Arthur walked into the house the hay men were eating supper. One glance at Arthur and the meal was over. George Dewey was there and he rushed to the barn, harnessed the first horses he found to a light buggy then lashed them all the way to Driggs. Here he picked up Dr. Schuppe, and brought her out to care for Arthur. (Old Prince and Bell were not much good after this but they always had a place in the pasture.) In the meantime Anna Louisa gave Arthur the best aid she could. She had him laid on the bed and as she was cleaning the wound she looked up and saw Lenora, Eskil and Lorenzo watching her. Lorenzo was in a state of shock. She told him to take Lenora and Eskil out to the field and care for them. He put them on a horse and took them with him as he checked the irrigation water. When he returned, Dr. Schuppe had fixed Arthur. She had given him all the chloroform she had, and then it took thirteen stitches to sew up his face. It healed fairly fast but his skull was ed and it caused him unconsciously to do many odd things for a couple of weeks. Then he was all right.

"Lorenzo often went into the field and worked several hours before he had his breakfast. One morning he came in from irrigating about nine o'clock. When he came to the house there was a salesman there waiting to sell him some insurance. Lorenzo quickly told him he was not interested and could not afford the insurance anyway. The salesman continued to talk to him while he ate a breakfast of; half a dozen fried eggs, a large slice of ham and finished up with a big dish of fresh strawberries from the large bowl on the table, these he covered with thick separated cream. This was a sight for the salesman. He told Lorenzo, any man who could afford a breakfast like that, which was fit for a king, could certainly afford plenty of insurance. Then he asked Lorenzo if he knew how much a breakfast like that would cost if he had to buy it. Lorenzo was really taken by surprise but after thinking it over he bought insurance for both Arthur and Arland as well as himself. He kept plenty of food on hand in an upstairs storeroom. Each year he would take enough of his choice wheat to the mill and have it ground into flour, to last them until harvest came again. He also stored cereal and several sacks of sugar. He would have potatoes, vegetables and apples stored in a cellar. He kept a large barrel of pork covered with salt brine to be smoked when needed.

"There were chickens, turkeys, geese and ducks in the farmyard and a steer or two ready to be butchered when wanted. Whenever he went to St. Anthony, he brought home fresh salmon or smoked fish and dried fruits. Each spring he planted a hot bed in a special frame he made on the west of the house he built for the Bagley's. It was built a couple feet above the ground and each spring he would clean it out and put fresh manure in the bottom of it, (this caused heat which made the seeds grow). This he covered with several inches of good soil. He would plant cabbage and tomato seeds in rows and give them a light covering of soil. About fourteen inches above this he placed windows to let in the sunlight after the plants were up, but he kept the whole thing covered tight until the seeds germinated and began to show growth. One year he planted some lettuce and radish seed in it. They really grew fast. The lettuce was good but the radishes were mostly hot and tops. He always had plants to give to the neighbors.

"When they first came to Darby he wore pants that Anna Louisa made from old wagon covers and burlap sacks. She also washed, carded and spun wool into yarn and made the stockings the family wore for several years. She spun enough wool one year to have a suit made for Lorenzo. Now it really did seem good to Lorenzo to have plenty to take care of his family.

"About this time Bishop Hamilton and his counselors came to see him. The Bishop looked around and told him he was greatly blessed and he wanted him to go on a mission. At that time Lorenzo was using tobacco. He asked them to wait until fall so he would have time to quit his tobacco and get ready. But he did not quit his tobacco and as time went on he began to think he could not leave, so he asked the Bishop to take Arthur instead. Now Arthur was only seventeen years old but was well developed and much stronger than Arland the older son. It was decided to do this and Arthur went to Rexburg and took a missionary course that winter. He left for his mission to Sweden on May 10 1910. He was a good missionary but Lorenzo was not content, and things did not go well for him so he decided that Arthur would have to come home. Anna Louisa would not consider such a thing. Meanwhile Arthur became sick in Sweden and the Dr. could not find what was wrong with him. His companions took turns walking the floor with him for three days but he did not get better. Meanwhile at home Lorenzo walked the floor in frustration. The Mission president decided it was best to send Arthur home. It took a month for him to get home and he was better but still rather weak and could not do very much nor eat everything but he soon gained strength and was about again. He returned May 12, 1911, just away one year. Lorenzo was not at peace with himself, he knew he had not done right and he sent Arthur away, so he went to Chapin and stayed with his sister Anna and her husband until Lorenzo felt better and sent for him to return home.

"Lorenzo had the best farm in Teton Basin. He bought and sold other land there but he was never content anymore and wanted to move to a milder climate. He and Anna Louisa went to Parker and found a farm there that he liked very much and he made arrangements to buy it. He had not sold the farm in Darby so he had to get a mortgage on the farm so they could pay Frank Mason the previous owner in full. Lorenzo took Arthur, Arland, Mary and Lenora with him to Parker to plant the crop. They left Darby May 22, 1912, in a wagon and buggy, traveling across the fields as the roads were still deep with snow. Going across the field was so difficult, it took them all day to go one mile, so having broken trail they returned home and started again the next morning. On their arrival at Parker, they began housekeeping in a little house at the north, thus giving the Masons time to move out of the big house he had sold them. Later the rest of the family came to Parker but at harvest time Arland, Arthur, Mary and Lenora returned to Darby to take care of the crops. The farm at Darby was rented the next year and all the family worked together at Parker.

"The Masons had let the place run down, the yard was full of briars, seedling trees and weeds and the building were falling to pieces. The first thing they did before they moved in to the big house was to get things in order. Each one took either a hoe, shovel, rake or grubbing hoe and went to work with a will. They started on the south and worked to the west and north. An old well on the south was filled with everything from old stoves and buckets to rocks and trash. All the larger bushes and limbs were hauled a couple of hundred feet to the south. The pile grew higher and higher until the yard was clean and they could not get any more on top. One quiet evening they set fire to the pile. It burned high and fast. Soon there were lots of people there from town for they had seen the flames and thought the house was on fire and they came to help put it out. Things turned out all right and they got acquainted in a hurry. Soon Lorenzo began building new barns and other buildings. Soon after coming to Parker, Lorenzo and Anna Louisa went with a group through Yellowstone National Park. They traveled in a white top buggy most of the time. They enjoyed about the only vacation they ever had time to take.

"The next year the Government opened up a territory east of Idaho Falls for homesteading. Arthur was married and Lorenzo helped he and Arland and Mary to choose and file on each one of them a homestead. Arland was called on a mission and left for Sweden in November 1913. While he was there World War I began and he was transferred to So. Carolina to finish his mission. In the meantime Lorenzo was doing fine in the church again and the Stake President asked to prepare to be a Patriarch. While he was thinking it over he got a German family to help on the farm for a percentage of the crop. He took Mary to the dry farm and built a small house for her to live in and planted a small crop and a garden for her. She homesteaded both her 160 acres and 160 acres for Arland. The war was making a boom for farmers and Lorenzo did good too but he decided much to the sorrow of the family that he would not be a Patriarch neither would he send Nathaniel on a mission for he needed him on the farm.

"Arland returned from his mission and went to the dry farm to take care of it. Lorenzo began to have trouble with his stomach and had to watch what he ate all the time. Mary and Lenora worked away from home a lot of the time. One time Lenora was working for Mrs. Grey in St. Anthony, and as they were bringing her home one evening after work, he told Lenora that he was going to sell her father his old car. Lenora was indignant and told him she would shoot him if he did but if he would sell him a new car she would pat him on the back. She felt that her father was prosperous enough to have a new car. Mr. Grey told her he had been trying to sell him a car without success so Lenora told him to tell her father what a good farm he had and he would be able to sell him the car. A few days later Lorenzo bought a new Dodge car from Mr. Grey.

"Lenora always felt guilty for her underhandedness but it seemed to be a climax for all the good things they had shared together and because of their enjoyment of it, though it seemed to be the beginning of a changed way. Mary got married again in October 1917, Lenora in December and Arland in March 1918 so that Eskil was the only one remaining at home.

"Over the years Lorenzo and Anna Louisa had differences, but now they seemed to come to a climax. Anna Louisa was sealed to another man for time and all eternity and though they seemed to hang together desperately their differences continued to grow larger. Lorenzo waited until Lenora came home to have her first baby then a property settlement was arranged and Anna Louisa took over the still mortgaged farm and they arranged for divorce. Lorenzo went back to his old way and went trapping. He got a sheep wagon, fixed it up to travel and live in. He went into the mountains above the dry farms and trapped for a year or so. He got several dogs to keep him company. They were big lean hunting dogs and not at all friendly to anyone. The spring of 1922 he went to Twin Falls, where some of his friends were living and did grafting and budding at the Crystal Springs orchard. He found a small farm that he liked and bought it. He was lonesome and decided to try a matrimonial agency for a wife. He wrote and got in contact with Martha Dwyer. They seemed to think they could get along so she came to Pocatello. They got their marriage license on December 2 1922 but almost did not get married for she thought Lorenzo was too old. They visited and talked for several days and she finally decided she liked him all right and they were married on December 29 at the court house. Martha had a large family or married children and one young son she had brought with her. Lorenzo seemed to get along fine with both of them. The people in Twin Falls liked her. Later he took her to the dry farm where Arland and Mary still lived and they thought she was nice. They said she seemed to get along good with Lorenzo and he seemed very happy. This was a short happiness for April 1924, Lorenzo's stomach really got in a serious condition. They took him to the L.D.S. Hospital in Salt Lake City. They found he had a peptic ulcer but before they could operate, he had an internal hemorrhage and bled to death . He died April 12, 1924. His funeral was in Mt. Pleasant Utah, and he was buried there near his parents."