Lead image of Elizabeth McCune from history.lds.org.

This article by Kathryn Jenkins Gordon appeared in the 22 June 2016 online edition of LDS Living Magazine.

Let’s consider a woman who really “took one for the sisters.” If you’ve ever visited Salt Lake City, you are likely familiar with the McCune Mansion—the extravagant, red sandstone, 21-room manor perched on a hill just off Main Street. It was originally built as a home for Latter-day Saints Alfred and Elizabeth Ann Claridge McCune, who reared some of their nine children there.

Its affluent and elaborate design was a far cry from the more modest, humble homes in Nephi, Utah, where Elizabeth Ann grew up. It’s an even greater leap going from the humble lifestyle of a Mormon missionary in the streets of London to being grande dame of such a mansion, but that’s exactly what Sister McCune did. And she did it all despite a husband who decided later in life that he wanted to leave the Church.

On July 1, 1872, Elizabeth Ann Claridge married her high school sweetheart, Alfred William McCune, in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Alfred spent the next three or four decades building an incredibly successful career in railroad and mercantile ventures, resulting in him becoming one of the wealthiest men not just in Utah, but in the West. Sadly, along the path to wealth, he lost interest in the faith he and his wife had grown up with.

Not so for Elizabeth, who was always busy working on projects of her own. In 1905, she was appointed by Governor William Spray to be a trustee of the Utah State Agricultural College (later Utah State University) in Logan. For the last two of her ten years of service at the college, she acted as vice president. As far as Church service was concerned, she was a temple worker in the Salt Lake Temple and a genealogy expert who traveled twice to Europe to gather genealogical records. She served as a member of the general board of the Young Women Mutual Improvement Association, a member of the Church’s Genealogical Society, and in 1911 she was called to the Relief Society General Board.

A Life-Changing Speech

By the time Elizabeth turned 45 years old, she was the mother of seven. Her 19-year-old son, Raymond, was serving a full-time mission for the Church in Great Britain when Alfred decided to take his family on an extended European trip. Elizabeth was thrilled at the chance to meet up with her son along the way. She even invited Raymond and some of the other missionaries to stay in the house the McCune family was renting in England. The Elders held regular street meetings on a beachside promenade, and Elizabeth and her daughter Sarah Fay became habitual participants.

On October 28, 1897, the Saints from the London area assembled at Clerkenwell Town Hall for the Church’s semi-annual London Conference. Mission President Rulon S. Wells and his counselor, Joseph W. McMurrin, took turns addressing those present. Sister McCune remembered it as a hall bursting at the seams with “saints and strangers” and “some very distinguished people.”

During the afternoon session, President McMurrin decided to address an outspoken anti-Mormon head-on, speaking about the falsehoods the man and his daughters were spreading about Mormon women being confined in ignorance and degradation. Sitting in her seat, Elizabeth thought, Oh, if we only had one of our good woman speakers from Utah to take advantage of this grand opportunity what good it might do! Little did she know that she would soon be that speaker.

The thought had scarcely crossed her mind when President McMurrin pointed to her and announced, “We have with us just now, a lady from Utah who has traveled all over Europe with her husband and family, and hearing of our conference, she has met with us. We are going to ask Sister McCune to speak this evening and tell you of her experience in Utah.”

Surveying her audience, she started with boldness. She later recorded: “I told them I had been raised in Utah and knew almost every foot of the country and most of the people. I spoke of my extensive travels in America and in Europe, and said that nowhere had I found women held in such esteem as among the Mormons of Utah.

“Our husbands are proud of their wives and daughters; they do not consider that they were created solely to wash dishes and tend babies,” she continued, “but they give them every opportunity to attend meetings and lectures and to take up everything which will educate and develop them. Our religion teaches us that the wife stands shoulder to shoulder with the husband.”

Sister Elizabeth McCune, the visitor from Utah and mother of seven, had done more in a few sentences to put down the dissenters than had all the Elders combined. When the meeting drew to a close, she was mobbed by strangers who wanted to compliment her and ask her questions. One told her, “I have always had a desire in my heart to see a Mormon woman and to hear her speak. Madam, you carry truth in your voice and words.”

A Major Change to Missionary Work

President McMurrin thought about Elizabeth and her captivating effect on audiences so much that he wrote to the First Presidency. His plea was straightforward: that if “a number of bright and intelligent women were called on missions to England, the results would be excellent.”

On March 11, 1898, after some discussion, the First Presidency decided to call and set apart single sister missionaries; for the first time in Church history, single women would be given certificates authorizing them to preach the gospel.

At the April 1898 general conference, President Cannon announced the decision to the body of the Church. He noted that while sister missionaries could not administer ordinances, “they can bear testimony; they can teach; they can distribute tracts, and they can do a great many things that would assist in the propagation of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ.”

On April 1, 1898, Amanda Inez Knight and Lucy Jane Brimhall were set apart as the first single, certified, female proselyting missionaries in the history of the Church—in large part due to the way Elizabeth McCune spent her summer vacation and stood for her beliefs.

Guest Author

This article is from LDSDaily.com This is an excerpt.

On April 21, 1898, Lucy Jane “Jennie” Brimhall and Amanda Inez Knight (pictured above) arrived in Liverpool England to start their missions for the Mormon Church. While this may not seem like something spectacular today, it was at the time. In fact, Inez and Jennie were the first single women formally set apart as full-time, proselyting missionaries. Childhood friends, the two served as companions in England. Their story, though centuries old, will resonate with modern day sisters and continue to inspire future generations.

Growing Up Friends

Jennie and Inez both grew up in Utah territory and were brought together by the love their families had for education. Jennie was born in Spanish Fork and was the daughter of George Brimhall, who would eventually serve as the President of Brigham Young University from 1904 to 1921. Inez’s father, Jesse Knight, had a great desire for his children to be educated through the Church’s school. He moved them from the Payson area where Inez was born so they could enroll.

In the spring of 1898, at the ages of 23 and 22, the friends were planning an excursion to Europe. Little did they know what was to come.

Read the rest of this article

Guest Author

The experiences that the first seven missionaries to Britain had when they arrived in Preston, England in July 1837, exemplified Lehi’s counsel to his son. Upon their arrival one of the missionaries, John Goodson, went to find lodgings. They obtained lodging in the house of a widow who resided on the corner of Fox Street and St. Wilfrid Street. Joseph Fielding referred to them as “comfortable private lodging.” (Fielding 1:17). The missionaries provided their own food which the widow cooked for them. The top two floors of the three-floor home which still stands today, served as the mission home. A week after the missionaries arrived, and on the day when the first British baptisms were about to take place, an amazing event occurred within the lodgings.

An article by Peter Fagg for the 7 March 2016, online edition of LDSMag.com, takes the different accounts of the event and puts them all together in chronological order.

Heber C. Kimball’s account

Sunday, July 30th, about daybreak, Elder Isaac Russell…. came up to the third story, where Elder Hyde and myself were sleeping, and called out, ‘Brother Kimball, I want you should get up and pray for me that I may be delivered from the evil spirits that are tormenting me to such a degree that I feel I cannot live long, unless I obtain relief.

I had been sleeping on the back of the bed. I immediately arose, slipped off at the foot of the bed, and passed around to where he was. Elder Hyde threw his feet out, and sat up in the bed, and we laid hands on him, I being mouth, and prayed that the Lord would have mercy on him, and rebuked the devil. While thus engaged, I was struck with great force by some invisible power, and fell senseless on the floor. (Whitney p. 129-131)

Orson Hyde’s account

His [Heber’s] voice faltered, and his mouth was shut, and he began to tremble and reel to and fro, and fell on the floor like a dead man, and uttered a deep groan. I immediately seized him by the shoulder, and lifted him up, being satisfied that the devils were exceedingly angry because we attempted to cast them out of Br. Russell, and they made a powerful attempt upon elder Kimball as if to dispatch him at once, they struck him senseless and he fell to the floor… (Elder’s p. 4)

Heber C. Kimball Continues His Account

The first thing I recollected was being supported by Elders Hyde and Richards, who were praying for me; Elder Richards having followed Russell up to my room. Elder Hyde and Richards then assisted me to get on the bed, but my agony was so great I could not endure it, and I arose, bowed my knees and prayed. I then arose and sat up on the bed, when a vision was opened to our minds, and we could distinctly see the evil spirits, who foamed and gnashed their teeth at us. (Whitney p. 130-131)

In 1856, Heber related the account to a congregation in the Salt Lake Tabernacle and told them that the evil spirits he saw had “full formed bodies” – hands, eyes, facial features, hair on their heads, and ears. (See Journal of Discourses Vol. 3 mar 2, 1856, p. 229). His account continues:

We gazed upon them about an hour and a half (by Willard’s watch). We were not looking towards the window, but towards the wall. Space appeared before us, and we saw the devils coming in legions, with their leaders, who came within a few feet of us. They came towards us like armies rushing to battle They appeared to be men of full stature, possessing every form and feature of men in the flesh, who were angry and desperate; and I (Kimball) shall never forget the vindictive malignity depicted on their countenances as they looked me in the eye; and any attempt to paint the scene which then presented itself, or portray their malice and enmity, would be vain. I perspired exceedingly, my clothes becoming as wet as if I had been taken out of the river. I felt excessive pain, and was in the greatest distress for sometime. (Whitney p. 130-131)

Orson Hyde’s Fight Against the Principalities of Darkness

In the Bible, in John 10:10, scripture teaches, “The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy.” Therefore, as scripture also teaches in Ephesians 6:12, we must realize that “we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.” Nevertheless, all is not lost, for the faithful are promised that “the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly” (Romans 16:20).

These verses of scripture were born true to Orson Hyde as he further recalled that as Heber lay senseless on the floor and upon the bed after being laid there, that he stood between Heber and the devils and fought them face to face, until they began to depart from the room. He stated that the “last imp that left turned around to me as he was going out and said, as if to apologize, and appease my determined opposition to them, ‘I never said anything against you!’ I replied to him thus: ‘It matters not me whether you have or have not; you are a liar from the beginning! In the name of Jesus Christ depart!’ He immediately left, and the room was clear.” (Whitney 131). Orson’s actions exemplify what James taught in James 4:7, “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”

Joseph Fielding’s Account Substantiates What Orson Hyde Experienced

They [the demons] however kept their distances, but turned their heads toward Bro. Hyde; one looking at him said distinctly, but with a murmuring tone, slowly demure, I never spoke against you.  He said there seemed to be legion of them.  He was alarmed, but very much disgusted.  He could scarcely bear to speak of them. (Fielding, p. 23)

Upon returning home, Joseph Smith declared to Heber, “At that time, you were nigh unto the Lord: there was only a veil between you and Him, but you could not see Him. When I heard of it, it gave me great joy, for I then knew that the work of God had taken root in that land. It was this that caused the devil to make a struggle to kill you. (Whitney p. 132)

From his own experiences in the Sacred Grove (See Joseph Smith History 1:15-17), Joseph was able to teach Heber an important truth about the satanic attack in Preston. He stated, “The nearer a person approaches the Lord, a greater power will be manifested by the adversary to prevent the accomplishment of His purposes.”   (Whitney p.132)

Lehi’s further counsel to his sons is applicable to us at this hour. Said he:

Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit.

And not choose eternal death, according to the will of the flesh and the evil which is therein, which giveth the spirit of the devil power to captivate, to bring you down to hell, that he may reign over you in his own kingdom (2 Nephi 2:27-29).

* Information for this article was obtained from a 7 March 2016 article published in the online edition of Meridian Magazine by Peter Fagg titled A Satanic Attack on the First Missionaries in Preston, England.

* See also: 175 Years of Mormon Missionaries in England by Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

The Voyage of the Julia Ann

Between 1840 and 1890, approximately 90,000 Latter-day Saints traveled east to west from Europe to America via a total of 543 oceanic voyages. Although shipwrecks were a common occurrence in the nineteenth century, none of the Atlantic ships carrying Latter-day Saint converts were reported among those that went down. However, little is known about the vessels that brought converts from the west to the east across the Pacific. The story of the Julia Ann, the only vessel known with Mormon passengers where lives were lost due to a shipwreck, is one such case.

The Julia Ann left Sydney Australia on 7 September 1855, under the command of 32-year-old Captain Benjamin F. Pond, the co-owner of the vessel. The Saints sang “The gallant ship is under weigh,” a hymn written by the famous LDS poet and hymn writer W. W. Phelps, as the ship left port. Captain Pond being impressed with the passage of Australian Latter-day Saints to America the previous year was eager to be of service once again. The LDS Australian periodical, Zion’s Watchman, reported that Pond and others had certified “that they never saw business more correctly and expeditiously transacted, than was the business pertaining to the shipment of that company, and they also stated that they never saw a company that were so easy to be governed, by the voice of one man as that company of Saints were, who, they remarked, were always ready to hear and obey my counsel.”

According to the Meridian Magazine article titled “The Pioneer Story You’ve Never Heard: The Wreck and Rescue of the Julia Ann” by Fred E. Woods, Captain Pond recalled that the first two weeks of the voyage were “exceedingly unpleasant” with “head winds accompanied with much rain.” However, upon entering the southeast trades, “everything brightened, promising a speedy and pleasant voyage.” That brief period of tranquility, however, proved to be the calm before the storm.

According to the Meridian Magazine article, John McCarthy, one of the crew members, recalls that on 4 October 1855, “as the ship was sailing at 11 ½ knots per hour, the sea became broken up and the boat with a tremendous crash, dashed head on to a coral reef. She immediately swung round with her broadside to the reef, and the sea made a complete breach over her at every swell.”

Shipwrecked

The Meridian Magazine article continues with the recounting of the incident by one of the passengers, Andrew Anderson, the second missionary to Australia in the early 1840s:

About half-past eight o’clock she struck on a reef. . . . This was an awful event in our lives. There was four of our children asleep and in bed; there was very few in the steerage, chiefly on the steerage house, poop, &c. I had been asked two or three times why I was not out,—was I well enough? Yes, well enough thank you, but lazy or something else, (it seems a foreboding of what took place,) there was Sister Harris, Sister Logie, my wife and myself in the steerage house at the moment the Julia Ann struck, my wife ran to me and said what shall we do, I said I do not think there is much the matter, compose yourself. Mr. Owens, 2nd mate, came in and told us to compose ourselves and remain as we were. . . .

Word came out from someone for the passengers to go to the cabin, and by the time I got the four children out of bed, the water was knocking about the boxes, I got my leg very much bruised with a large box, with difficulty we gained the cabin, and about ten minutes after we left, house, galley, and box was all over board, preparations were made to go on the rocks to ascertain whether we could get any footing, as there was no land in sight, the ship was breaking up fast.

Getting Everyone to Safety

According to the Meridian Magazine article, as the ship was rapidly breaking apart, Captain Pond “called for a volunteer to attempt to reach the reef by swimming with a small line. One of the sailors instantly stripped; the log line was attached to his body, and he succeeded in swimming to the reef. . . . By this means a larger line was hauled to the reef, and made fast to the rocks.” Many of the passengers were able to escape from the damaged ship to the reef by hanging on to the rope, but two women and three children drowned in the process.

The article continues with Peter Penfold’s account of the 5 Latter-day Saint passengers who were drowned during the escape:

Sister [Martha] Humphries, and sister [Eliza] Harris and infant, were drowned in the cabin. Little Mary Humphries and Marian Anderson were washed off the poop and drowned. . . . After I had helped to get them all out of the cabin, I came up and found the vessel all broken into fragments, except the cabin, and into that the water was rushing at a furious rate, sweeping out all the partitions.

Throughout the entire ordeal Captain Pond’s concern was for the safety of the passengers and crew. The article recounts a noble act by Captain Pond during the episode:

While the crew were engaged in getting the passengers ashore, Mr. Owens, the second mate, was going to carry a bag containing eight thousand dollars belonging to the Captain, ashore. The Captain ordered him to leave the money and carry a girl ashore; . . . the child was saved, but the money lost.

Castaways in Hope of Rescue

The nearest land was 10 miles away. The survivors were able to patch up a row boat and assemble a raft from spars and drift wood. Led by Captain Coffin, the women and children were placed into the boat, and the men remained on the reef for a second night.

The next morning provisions and clothing were placed on rafts, and the men swam and waded beside them along the reef. All the while they were being pursued by a school of sharks and often had to seek safety by climbing upon the rafts. They were finally able to reach the island after two days without any food or water where they were greeted by children who took them to a water supply which came from holes dug beneath the coral sand. Three days later, Pond led an exploring party to look for more provisions to sustain the castaways. They would spend two months on a series of islands with shell fish, turtle, sharks, cocoa nuts, and brackish water for their sustenance. They also planted a garden to grow pumpkins, peas, and beans.

In spite of their hardships, the Saints still held worship services on a regular basis.

After eight weeks of being stranded on the Scilly Islands, Pond and 9 brave men launched out in a boat which they had repaired to find help. Their destination was the Society Islands which were 200 miles away.

A Missionary’s Dream and the Providence of God

In his autobiography which was published four decades later, Pond recounted the prophetic dreams of a Mormon Elder which were instrumental in guiding the 10 man crew in the direction they were to go to seek safety. The dreams are included in the Meridian Magazine article:

My passengers were mostly Mormons, bound to Salt Lake City, densely ignorant and very superstitious and were bitterly opposed to my first proposition of trying to reach the Navigator Islands. They argued, the distance to be so great, some fifteen hundred miles, that if we succeeded in reaching them they would starve to death before we could hope to send them relief. They could not, or would not understand why we might not steer in face of head wind and sea to the Society Islands which were so much nearer. We, however, as nautical men, determined to act on our own judgment in that matter, and steadily continued our preparations until our plans were blocked in a most unexpected manner.

One of their Elders had a dream or vision. He saw the boat successfully launched upon her long voyage, and for a day or two making satisfactory progress. Another leaf in the vision, and the boat is seen floating bottom up, and the drowned bodies of her crew floating around her. This tale, so wrought upon the superstitions that not a man would volunteer to go with me, and I was reluctantly compelled to change my plan.

After some days the same Mormon Elder came to me having had another vision. I asked him if it was a good one. Yes, a very good one. He saw the boat depart with a crew of ten men, bound to the eastward; after three days of rowing, they reached a friendly island where a vessel was obtained and all hands safely brought to Tahiti.

The castaways on Scilly Island were rescued on 3 December 1855. The Meridian Magazine article continues with the account of John S. Eldredge who expressed his profound gratitude:

We were delivered from our exiled and desolate situation by the untiring perseverance of Captain B. F. Pond, master of the barque Julia Ann, connected with the charitable good feeling of Captain Latham, master of the schooner Emma Packer, that came to our relief. We were taken off the Scilly Isles, where we were wrecked, on the 3d of December, making it two months that we were left in this lonely situation on an uninhabited island. I need not attempt to describe our feelings of gratitude and praise which we felt to give the God of Israel for His goodness and mercy in thus working a deliverance for us; for I have not language to express my own feelings, much less the feelings of those around me, suffice it to say, I am thankful to know that His mercy endureth forever.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, often inadvertently called the Mormon Church, recently packed its Church History website, www.history.lds.org, with even more features and information.

Matthew McBride, the Church History Department’s web content manager, told LDS Church News

In the age of the Internet, e from a variety of sources, some of which are very trustworthy and some of which are not. We’d like to be very proactive about being a consistent, faithful voice in the conversation about Church history on the web.

Latter-day Saint, (or “Mormon”) history is fascinating! Mormonism’s history is the story of the Lord restoring His Church again upon the earth and is intertwined with amazing stories of ordinary individuals who experienced angelic visitations, miracles, revelations, and persecutions.

Eager to explore the new content, I visited history.lds.org for the very first time.

Explore: Women of Conviction

Inez Knight

Immediately drawn to Women of Conviction, I read the story of Inez Knight who was the first female missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Day Saints. She was called to Great Britain in 1898. She labored in Bristol in 1899, where, laboring against strong anti-Mormon sentiment, Inez found herself mobbed, spat upon, and stoned, even under police protection. I served a mission in Scotland, and while I did have a woman spit in my face, I endured nothing like what Inez encountered.

Her story captivated me, and her faith and courage inspired me! Following is a small portion of Inez Knight’s missionary experience found on www.history.lds.org. Inez wrote of the persecution she encountered in Bristol but assured her friends in Utah that:

Many have been led to investigate the truth, through the opposition we received. … We meet all kinds of answers, but each day’s round finds sunshine and shower, and without one we might not appreciate the other.

She continued:

The Lord is abundantly blessing us in our labors, and although we do not always have clear sailing and have even been forced to seek protection from mob violence in a police station, receiving the slurs of the mob and even spat upon by the enemy, together with rocks and sticks from their hands, yet we rejoice in the work. We do not find it hard to say, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do,” for truly it is the ignorant who persecute us most. The Lord has said we must love Him with all our might, mind, and strength and to do this, means to be willing to sacrifice all things, and work faithfully for the upbuilding of His kingdom (from a letter to the Young Woman’s Journal printed in April 1899).

Explore: Revelations in Context -Historical Background for Sections of the Doctrine and Covenants

Revelations in Context drew my attention next. I clicked on the link referencing the section containing, what is to me, two of the most joyful, jubilant, beautiful, motivating verses in scripture, Doctrine and Covenants 128:22–23:

[S]hall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel, who hath ordained, before the world was, that which would enable us to redeem them out of their prison; for the prisoners shall go free.

Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King! And ye rivers, and brooks, and rills, flow down with gladness. Let the woods and all the trees of the field praise the Lord; and ye solid rocks weep for joy! And let the sun, moon, and the morning stars sing together, and let all the sons of God shout for joy! And let the eternal creations declare his name forever and ever! And again I say, how glorious is the voice we hear from heaven, proclaiming in our ears, glory, and salvation, and honor, and immortality, and eternal life; kingdoms, principalities, and powers!

The Doctrine and Covenants is a collection of revelations to the Prophet Joseph Smith and other leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ. Mormons consider it to be scripture. Revelations in the book are called Sections. As I read the words of the Doctrine and Covenants, I hear the word of the Lord to me in my particular circumstances. I know it is the word of God.

Section 128 of the Doctrine and Covenants discusses the importance and orderly manner of performing baptisms for the dead. (See 1 Corinthians 15:29.) Mormons believe that to enter the kingdom of God all people must be baptized. However, many people who lived on the earth never even heard of Jesus Christ, let alone were able to be baptized by property authority in His name! God’s merciful plan of salvation enables people to be baptized on behalf of their ancestors who have died. Those ancestors, whose spirits live in the Spirit World, have the opportunity to choose to accept that baptism or not. God’s gift of moral agency to each of His children enable them to choose to accept the Gospel, whether in this life or the next.

From this section of the website, I learned that after Joseph Smith received the glorious revelation on God’s kingdoms of glory in 1836, (Doctrine and Covenants 76), many Latter-day Saints realized that they did not have all of the answers on how God’s plan applied to those who died without hearing the Gospel. This blurb from the historical background on this section described the understanding leading up to this revelation.

Joseph’s vision affirmed God’s mercy, but it was not entirely clear whether the scriptural requirement of baptism would be waived for Alvin [Joseph’s brother, who died before saving ordinances were restored] and others like him, or whether it would be fulfilled in some other way. Some Latter-day Saints recognized this gap in their knowledge. Joseph Fielding, for example, “thought much on the subject of the redemption of those who died under the broken covenant” and speculated that “perhaps those who receive the priesthood in these last days would baptize them at the coming of the Savior.”

But at the funeral of Seymour Brunson on August 15, 1840, Joseph Smith taught the principle that men and women on earth could act for their deceased kin and fulfill the requirement of baptism on their behalf. The Saints joyfully embraced this opportunity and began almost immediately to be baptized for departed loved ones in rivers and streams near Nauvoo.

Doctrine and Covenants 127 and 128 helped to clarify how ordinances of the dead should be performed.

Aside from knowing the historical background, the message for me as I read this was that each of us gains knowledge about the truths of God line upon line and precept upon precept, “[b]y kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile” (Doctrine and Covenants 121:42). Our Father in Heaven is so merciful to each of us and wants for us to learn of Him and ultimately KNOW Him!! “And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come” (Doctrine and Covenants 130:19).

I invite all who are interested in the Latter-day Saints’ history, whether Mormon or a friend of another faith, to peruse www.history.lds.org if even for a few moments! “Shall we not go on in so great a cause? … On, on to the victory!”

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

William Greenwood was born March 4, 1819 in Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England, to William Greenwood I and Sarah Utley.

William I and Sarah Utley Greenwood

The elder William was a blacksmith by trade, but at an early age he got a spark in one of his eyes.  In trying to doctor it, he lost the sight of both eyes, so he never saw most of his thirteen children.  He and his wife Sarah, all of his children, and some of his brothers and sisters, joined the Latter-day Saint Church in England in 1840-41, and they emigrated to America.  Although William I was blind, he became quite handy at doing things with his hands such as making various articles of furniture, really specializing in good bedsteads.

The family came across the ocean on the ship “Tyrene” which landed at New Orleans, with Joseph Fielding as captain.  They settled first in Warsaw, Illinois.  It had been a long and wearing trip of about eight weeks on the ocean.  Before they could get adjusted to this new climate and conditions, they all came down with what was called “ague” fever and chills.  At times they were unable to help each other to get even so much as a drink of water.  Seven of the Greenwood family members died of this malady within nine weeks, including William I and Sarah, his wife.  They were all buried in or near Warsaw, Illinois.  It was said of Sarah by her daughter-in-law Ann Hartley Greenwood, “She was one of the best women that ever lived.  She had a strong testimony of the gospel, to which she testified as she sat up in bed just before she died.  She entreated her family to remain true to it.  She talked in tongues.”

William’s Life in England

William II (hereafter just referred to as William) must have grown up working in a clothing factory, as did so many of the children in that part of England, because as a young man he had become a steam loom overseer.  He met his wife, Ann Hartley, in the factory, as she too was a worker at the looms.  He was twenty years old and she was eighteen when they were married in 1839.

Soon after their marriage, he followed his wife’s lead in joining the LDS Church, and they came with William’s parents to America.  William had the ague along with the rest while they were at Warsaw, Illinois, and it left him so weak and debilitated that he couldn’t work at all for a year and a half.

Ann soon became so homesick that she thought she must return to England.  William was not in favor of this, so he would not cooperate with her in any way in making the arrangements for the trip back.  He did, however, return with her to England in 1843.  They found work again at the factory, but he was never satisfied or happy.  So, in 1846, he decided he would have to return to America to be with the LDS people, with or without his wife.  That must have been a sorry parting, as she decided to stay in England.  However, it didn’t take Ann long to decide that her happiness lay with her husband, so she joined him again in about 1848.  Upon his return to Warsaw, William had to accept work at fifty cents a day, as that was the going wage of the time.

William Obeyed the Word of Wisdom

William had grown up without any prejudice against the use of tobacco, tea, and coffee, and he was fond of all of them.  His new religion forbade the use of them.  He had embraced it in its entirety, so he was determined to take them out of his appetite and life.  It was a hard struggle for him, but he finally succeeded.  It is told of him that in the early days of his life in America when he went to work for a certain man, he was not offered any tea.  He went home disgusted, refusing to go back to work if they didn’t serve afternoon tea.

William and Ann Crossed The Plains and Then Were Called Settle the Desert

William Greenwood

William and Ann began making preparations to make the trek across the plains to join with the church members in Utah.  In May of 1852, they were ready to start, arriving in Salt Lake in November of that year.  They came with the Benjamin Gardner Company.  Ann had born four children previous to this time, but two had died and been buried in England, so they had two living.  Another son was born to them on the plains, and they named him William.

This little family had only been in Salt Lake three weeks, barely enough time to get rested after such a strenuous trip, when they were called by Church authorities to go to Cedar City to settle.  This meant another long hard trip into a very wild new region, and a great contrast to anything they could ever have imagined.  After several years of trying to overcome the adverse conditions in Cedar City, most of the settlers became discouraged and disgruntled.  They felt it was an impossible situation.  Many planned to go to California, but the Greenwoods wanted to stay closer to the center of the Church.

They had heard that there were good opportunities for homesteading in Millard County, so they took their ox teams and covered wagons and their children and set out in the winter month of February, 1856.  When they got as far north as Beaver Valley, they camped on the bank of the Beaver river.  They liked the area with its abundant supply of water, good supply of wood in the canyon, etc.  They continued north until they got as far as Wild Cat Canyon, a narrow place which they found blocked with deep snow so that they couldn’t get through.  They turned back and decided to settle in Beaver Valley.

The wagon box was lifted off of the wheels and it became their first home in Beaver.  They worked hard to plant grain, only to have it all spoiled by three weeks of rain after it had been cut.  Their scant supply of provisions had become completely exhausted, and they had to live on the milk from one cow, along with wild berries, roots, and greens which they could find in the wild.  William herded the town cows, barefoot all the year, wearing just buckskin pants which he had gotten from Indians.  Gradually, through using every bit of ambition, good management or sheer ingenuity which they could muster, they accumulated a few animals and were able to eke out an existence until things got somewhat better for them.

William built a log cabin and added on to it until there were three rooms.  Soon the Indians became a real problem, and they decided to move closer to other settlers, several miles north of their first location.  They first had a log house but later build a home of the native bluestone, and kept adding on until they had six rooms and an upstairs attic where their grandchildren would love to play in later years.

The Indians were still a problem.  One time, William was herding his sheep on the hills south of town when he was caught by a group of Indians.  They threw him to the ground and drew a sharp knife across his throat in a menacing gesture several times.  He didn’t cry out or show the fear he felt, so they relented saying, “Heap brave man no squaw,” and they spared his life.  The Indians tried several times to steal a lovely little gray mare which the Greenwoods owned, and finally succeeded.  After quite a bit of trouble, William got the mare back, after which the family decided to bring her into the kitchen at night for safe keeping.

In 1869, the Church called on William for a wagon and team to go east across the plains for immigrants.  It was decided that young Barney, the oldest son, should make the trip.  He was only sixteen and small, but he was responsible for his age.  It was a long and arduous journey of six months.  The Greenwoods had no thought but to answer the call, so while Barney was away, his father did two men’s work at home.

The Greenwoods, along with other families in the area, soon began to transport the goods that they could raise, selling them in other areas.  Later, the US soldiers took up residence at Fort Cameron, east of Beaver, and they purchased many things from the settlers such as eggs, milk, cream, straw, hay and grain.  So the standard of living began to increase.

Sometime during this period, William met an Englishman who had just come from the “old country.”  He had a red silk scarf which must have created a nostalgia in William’s soul, as he wanted it so much that he traded a little pig worth four dollars for it.  The scarf remained in the family as a cherished relic.

A Mormon Pioneer’s Final Days

After the death of William’s wife in 1897, he lived with his daughter Mary Ann for two years.  He was so pleasant and kind to his grandchildren that they always remembered him fondly.

As there was now train transportation to Milford, 30 miles west of Beaver, Mary Ann and her husband thought they would take a trip to Salt Lake in October of 1899.  They took William along with them and enjoyed the trip very much.  On the return trip, the train made a stop at Clearwater (or Clear Lake) in Millard County.  William was in a different car than Mary Ann and her husband, and for some unknown reason, he decided to get off the train.  It was dark and stormy and the wind blew his hat off his head.  He tried to follow and recover it, and while so doing the train pulled away, leaving him.  He started walking along the track until he met up with an employee of the railroad who quizzed him as to where he was going and found out that he was lost.  He asked the way to Fillmore, and the man pointed along the tracks.

Next morning, the employee heard the old man was missing.  He went out to look for him in the vicinity of where he had encountered him.  He picked up his tracks in the direction of the Sevier River, only to find that he had stepped into a low place along the bank, which had caused him to stumble and fall into about two feet of water.  Apparently he had been unable to recover himself, and so there he lay, drowned.  An inquest afterwards brought out this weird story.  His daughter and her husband knew nothing of his doings until arriving in Milford next morning, whereupon they started the investigation as to his whereabouts.  It was a tragic thing to have happen while he was still enjoying good health.

Truly William Greenwood was a man of deep and sterling qualities, never complaining of his adversity, but going ahead steadily against the greatest of odds, true to his faith and family.  No one could live more faithfully and nobly.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Missionary Work – Taking the Gospel to the World

At the close of His earthly ministry, before ascending to the Father, the Lord commanded His disciples:

Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be damned. And these signs shall follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues; they shall take up serpents; and if they drink any deadly thing, it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on the sick, and they shall recover (Mark 15:15-18).

David O. McKay, the 9th President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (inadvertently referred to as the Mormon Church by the media and others), taught, “True Christianity is love in action. There is no better way to manifest love for God than to show an unselfish love for your fellow men. This is the spirit of missionary work” (David O. McKay, Gospel Ideals [1954], 129.)

Concerning the importance of missionary work, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles (the second highest governing body of The Church of Jesus Christ) taught:

Missionary work isn’t the only thing we need to do in this big, wide, wonderful Church. But almost everything else we need to do depends on people first hearing the gospel of Jesus Christ and coming into the faith. … With all that there is to do along the path to eternal life, we need a lot more missionaries opening that gate and helping people through it (Jeffrey R. Holland, We Are All Enlisted, Ensign, November 2011, 46–47.)

Today, in response to the Lord’s Great Commission, there are thousands of Mormon missionaries throughout the world, who like the fisherman on the Sea of Galilee, have left their boats and their nets – their educational aspirations, professions, and career goals – and as a result of their willingness and obedience to follow the Master and to do His will, He has made them literal “fishers of men”, filling their nets with precious souls that are waiting to hear and to accept the message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Gospel to be preached in Season and Out of Season

Modern-day revelation, as recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 58:64, teaches that “the sound must go forth from this place into all the world, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth—the gospel must be preached unto every creature, with signs following them that believe.” However, despite the humble efforts of those who are willing to take “the sound” of the glorious message of the gospel to the uttermost parts of the world, the message is not always readily received in all areas. As in all things, there are oppositions. These oppositions attempt to hinder the spreading of the Good News. Such is the case with preaching the gospel in countries such as Italy.

Since the early years of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Italy has drawn the attention of Church leaders as a “field [which] is white already to harvest” (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:4). In 1850, Lorenzo Snow, the 5^th President and Prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ, dedicated the land of Italy to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Thus, Italy became one of the first non-English-speaking countries opened to missionary work by the Church. Over the course of time, the Church of Jesus Christ has faced many challenges in trying to move the work forward, but in spite of the opposition, the Church has maintained a solid presence.

The challenges and oppositions that The Church of Jesus Christ have faced over the years ring true to the teachings of the Apostle Paul to his young son in the faith, Timothy, when he exhorted him:

Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables. But watch thou in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry (2 Timothy 4:2-5).

Laboring in the Father’s Vineyard in Italy – The Beginning

Early Church leaders had a keen interest in the country of Italy because of its notable role in religious and cultural history, and because of its strategic geographical location in the Mediterranean world. The first missionaries were called to preach the gospel on the continent of Europe by Brigham Young, the President of The Church of Jesus Christ at that time, during the October 1849 General Conference. Lorenzo Snow, then serving as a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and Joseph Toronto, an Italian convert, were assigned to begin the missionary work in Italy. While en route to Italy from England, Elder Snow called Elder Thomas B.H. Stenhouse, a recent British convert, and Elder Jabez Woodard to serve as missionaries in the new mission. Elder Snow arrived in Italy on Sunday, 23 June 1850.

Upon his arrival in Genoa, Italy on 25 June 1850, Elder Snow carefully surveyed the conditions of the area, as well as the possible prospects, and made the decision to begin proselyting among the people (known as Waldenses) of a small Protestant community in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy, located at the base of the Alps in the Luzerne Valley. Soon after his arrival he wrote:

With a heart full of gratitude, I find an opening is presented in the valleys of Piedmont, when all other parts of Italy are closed against our efforts. I believe that the Lord has there hidden up a people amid the Alpine mountains, and it is the voice of the Spirit that I shall commence something of importance. [1]

The Italian Mission was officially organized on Thursday, 19 September 1850, when Elder Snow, accompanied by Elders Stenhouse and Woodard, atop a prominent mountain peak near the city of La Tour, Italy (today known as Torre Pellice), offered a prayer dedicating the land of Italy to the preaching of the gospel of Jesus Christ. By this time, Elder Stenhouse had departed to teach his family in Sicily.

The work had begun, and the missionaries were busy about the Father’s business, teaching the gospel to all who would listen. Elder Snow had written and published a missionary tract titled The Voice of Joseph which circulated throughout northern Italy. They received the first fruits of their labors on Sunday, 27 October 1850, when Elder Snow baptized Jean Bose, the first convert. He also supervised the translation of the Book of Mormon (Libro di Mormon) into the Italian language, and the first edition was published in London in 1852.

During the next 15 years, missionary work was hindered by opposition from ministers, anti-Mormon literature, deeply rooted religious and political traditions, and the poverty of the people. By the time the mission closed in 1867, about 180 persons had been baptized: approximately 70 of these immigrated to Utah, and the remainder either apostatized or were excommunicated. Many prominent Latter-day Saint families – Beus, Cardon, Malan, Bertoch, Pons, and Chatelain – are descendants of these original Waldensian converts. [2]

World War II and Beyond

Through the reading of Latter-day Saint publications, some Italians were converted prior to World War II. Among those converts was Vincenzo di Francesca. His conversion story was told in a 1987 Church film titled How Rare a Possession (you can view the video in Italian by going here). During World War II, Latter-day Saint servicemen’s branches were established in several locations in Italy, but there were no proselyting efforts made during that time.

The first member conferences were held in April 1963 in Vicenza, Italy, and in March 1964 a new edition of the Italian translation of the Book of Mormon was published. In November 1964 Elder Ezra Taft Benson met with Italian government officials in Rome, Italy to discuss the reopening of missionary work in Italy. Later that month he organized the Italian District of the Swiss Mission. By February 1965, 22 elders from the Swiss mission were called to preach the gospel in seven cities in Italy.

On 2 August 1966 Elder Benson reestablished the Italian Mission in Florence with John Duns Jr. as president, and in November 1966 he rededicated Italy for the preaching of the gospel at Torre Pellice, near the site of Elder Snow’s 1850 dedicatory prayer. The Italian Church periodical La Stella (The Star) commenced circulation in June 1967 and was thus published until its title, along with those of all other Church international magazines, was changed to Liahona in January 2000. By June 1971 Church growth necessitated the formation of two missions, and by 1977 four missions had been organized: Italy Rome, Italy Catania, Italy Milan, and Italy Padova. A major historical event was the first visit of a Church president to Italy – President Spencer W. Kimball arrived in August 1977. After years of groundwork, a milestone was achieved on 22 February 1993 when Italian president Oscar Luigi Scalfaro signed papers granting formal legal status to the Church. A total of three stakes exist in Italy: the first was established in Milan (June 1981), the second in Venice (September 1985), and the third in Puglia (March 1997). The Church Educational System, which has operated in Italy since 1975, includes five full-time supervisors, 220 teachers, and about 1,500 students enrolled in seminary and institute classes. [2]

A Little Child Shall Lead Them

Marie Madeleine Cardon was born in 1834 to Waldensian parents. She was just 5 or 6 years of age, living near Torino, Italy in the Alps, when in 1840 she received a witness of “a marvelous work about to come forth among the children of men” (see Doctrine and Covenants 4:1) on the other side of the world. She would later state that it was an event that would change “the career of my whole life.” [3] She recounted the dream in which three messengers bearing the restored gospel of Jesus Christ came to Italy:

I was upstairs in bed. A strange feeling came over me. It appeared that I was a young woman instead of a mere child. I thought I was in a small strip of meadow, close to our vineyard, keeping my father’s milk cows from the vineyard. It seemed that I was sitting in the grass reading a Sunday school book. I looked up and saw three strangers in front of me. As I looked into their faces I dropped my eyes instantly, being very much frightened. Suddenly the thought came to me that I must look at them that I might remember them in the future. I raised my eyes and looked them straight in the face. One of them, seeing that I was afraid said: “Fear not, for we are the servants of God and have come from afar to preach unto the world the everlasting gospel, which has been restored to the earth in these last days, for the redemption of mankind.” They told me that God had spoken from the heavens and had revealed his everlasting gospel, to the young boy Joseph Smith. That it would never more be taken from the earth, but that His kingdom would be set up and that all the honest in heart would be gathered together. They told me that I would be the means of bringing my parents and family into this great gathering. Moreover, the day was not far off when we would leave our homes and cross the great ocean. We would travel across the wilderness and go to Zion where we could serve God according to the dictates of our conscience. When they had finished their message to me they said they would return soon and visit us. They took some small books from their pockets and gave them to me, saying, “Read these and learn.” Then they disappeared instantly. [3]

She straightaway told her father, Phillipe Cardon, about the dream she had. Approximately 10 years later, after a royal decree granted from to the Waldensians, the family moved to Piedmont, Italy. It was there that Phillipe heard of three men preaching the same message that his young daughter had related to him from her dream.  He “became so excited and so intensely interested that he could not proceed with his work.” Instead, he went home, changed into his Sunday clothes, and went off in search of the three strangers. [3]

Marie recalls:

He traveled over mountains and through valleys and arrived on Sunday morning just in time to hear Elder Lorenzo Snow preach. My dear father was most happy to hear the pure truth so well and so earnestly explained. His heart was full of joy. After the meeting my father approached these servants of God, shook hands and kindly invited them to come to our home where he desired them to make their headquarters. They kindly and willingly accepted his hospitality. [3]

Marie and most of her family soon came to accept the restored gospel of Jesus Christ in its entirety, and became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She also did member missionary work by accompanying the missionaries and translating their messages as they preached to her neighbors in the mountains. In 1854, the family immigrated to Utah. In Utah, she married John A. Guild and together they had eleven children, and eventually settled in Piedmont, Wyoming. Marie died in 1914, but she left a legacy for her children in the form of an autobiography in which she bore her testimony of the faith and the gospel that had changed the course of her life.

 My dear children, I cannot doubt the faith and the principals which I have embraced. My whole soul is filled with joy and thankfulness to God for his regard for me and for you in His manifesting to me the divinity of his great work in so remarkable a manner. How sincere is my prayer that you my children may realize how wonderful and yet how real and true is this, my life’s testimony to you. [3]

The Work Rolls Forth

Current statistical reports of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints indicate that there are 24.970 members of the Church; 2 missions; 100 congregations; and 49 Family History Centers throughout Italy, with a Mormon temple complex under construction near Rome.

The work continues to roll forth as faithful members of The Church of Jesus Christ continue to answer the call of the Master, “Andate dunque, e ammaestrate tutte le nazioni, battezzandole nel nome del Padre, e del Figlio, e dello Spirito Santo” (Matteo 28:19) [Translation: “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost” (Matthew 28:19)]. As they are willing and obedient to “launch out into the deep, and let down [their] nets for a draught” (see Luke 5:4), the Savior has promised to make them “pescatori di uomini” (“fishers of men”).

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

Ann Hartley Greenwood

Ann Hartley was born into the home of Bernard Hartley and Mary Beck, July 26, 1821, at Addingham, Yorkshire, England.  She had two sisters, Margaret and Martha, and three brothers, Barnard who died young, Joseph, and another Barnard.  Of her mother, Ann said, “She was a very good looking woman, having white pearly teeth and a rosy complexion.  She was a very good manager with quite a business sense.”

Her father was a clothing manufacturer near Burnley.  It was customary at that time for little children to be carried to work at looms in the factories at a very early age.  Ann related that she was carried on her father’s shoulders as soon as she was old enough to start work.  A never-to-be forgotten memory for her were the moaning cries of these little children being thus carried to work in the early morning hours. Ann grew up thus being kept busy with factory life until she became very adept at the looms, being able to handle three with the help of one little girl by the time that she was married.

Ann met William Greenwood who was a loom overseer.  As they grew very fond of each other, they decided to get married, which they did in 1838, when Ann was only eighteen years old.  Since they both went on working, it seemed expedient that they should live in Ann’s father’s home, paying board.

Baptism By Mormon Missionaries

About this time, Ann heard missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preaching.  She was very much interested in it, and began leaving her home, alone, to hear more of the gospel message.  She was afraid to let her husband or family know what she was doing for fear they would not approve.  As was to be expected, her husband became curious, so he decided to follow her one evening to see what was going on.  He listened attentively to the message and became so interested that he began attending the meetings regularly with her.  Ann’s family hated to have Ann join the Church, and she was the only one of the family ever to do so.  She was baptized September 8, 1840, and William followed in June of 1841.

Joining The Saints In Illinois

William and Ann began making plans to go to America to be with the church members there. William and Ann arrived at New Orleans November 24, 1841, after a seven to nine week trip in the ship Tyrene. They settled in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois. Before they could adjust to the new climate, they all came down with the “ague” and were very, very sick for a long time.They found it hard to adjust to the new life, as living conditions were very hard.  Ann decided that it was just unbearable.  Her family had told her that if she ever wanted to return to them to let them know and they would send her the money for the return voyage.  She tried to talk William into writing to them to tell them of her desire to return.  He wasn’t in favor of the action, so wouldn’t write the letter.  She then went to another William Greenwood, a friend of theirs, and got him to write the letter for her.  The money was immediately forthcoming.

They returned to England in 1843, taking with them the little girl Martha who had been born in Warsaw.  This child died and was buried in Burnley in 1844.  Two other children were born to them here, Sarah and Foster.  Foster also died and was buried in the same place as Martha.

William was very unhappy back in England, so he decided he would have to leave Ann there, as she still wanted to stay, and return to the new land alone, which he did in 1846 or 47.  But Ann was not long in deciding that living with her husband was worth more than living in England without him.  She went to work and earned enough money to bring herself to Warsaw in 1848.  Their son Bernard was born in Warsaw in September of 1849.

Crossing The Plains

The Greenwoods began making preparations to cross the plains to Utah, and left Illinois in May of 1852. When it had come time for baby William to be born July 27, 1852, the family merely pulled off the road behind the wagon train and, with the help of some of the kind women, the baby came into the world.  That baby lived to be one of the healthiest and long-lived of the family, so everything must have gone well.

At one time, the animals became frightened and stampeded while Ann was driving. She had William shortly before and was not yet strong enough to walk by the wagon. She hung onto the animals, talking gently to soothe them down, until they finally continued on without any harm being done.  What a breathtaking experience for this factory maid from civilized England!

Settling The Desert

The Greenwoods arrived in Utah in November and soon were called to help settle Cedar City.  Their first year in Cedar City they lived in a sort of cave or dugout.  After several discouraging years in Cedar City, the family relocated in Beaver.  The first year in Beaver was very hard for them.  The only shoes Ann had were moccasins purchased from the Indians.  Her daughter Mary Ann wrote:  “Having no dress to her back, she wore what was called a sack, along with a quilted petticoat which she secured by making a quilt for a neighbor.  Ann went out doing washing or helping in any way when possible, but this was not often, as very few could afford such a luxury in that day.”

Ann had never had any experience in making clothing or doing housework before she was married, as she was practically raised at the loom in the factory.  She became very adept at all kinds of such work connected with raising a large family.  She was a very good cook and housekeeper, and she could make clothing in all its steps, starting from the sheep’s back to the finished product.  Mary Ann wrote,   “Clothing was extremely scarce.  It was not an uncommon thing for my mother to bathe her children on Saturday night and put them to bed perfectly nude while she sat up and washed and dried their clothes by the fire so they could have clean things for Sunday.”  The boys also sometimes ran around the house in their shirt tails while their trousers were being mended.  Even her husband had to go to bed when his trousers needed mending.

At this time, William and Ann had only one quilt for their bed.  It had worn very thin in the middle.  In desperation, they tore it in two so that they could each make better use of their piece, as they could tuck it in around their backs a little better.  They kept wood fires burning day and night, as wood was quite accessible, and it did help in keeping the biting cold away.

An interesting incident of this first year was of Ann walking a mile or so to an old fort to milk a teacup of milk from a cow that was about to go dry.  Her husband called her a fool for doing it.  However, the cow didn’t go dry; her milk came back, giving the family all the milk they needed, and it became their chief food.  Then her husband had to admit it hadn’t been foolishness, but extreme foresight and wisdom.

At one time, the family lived on potatoes and salt for three weeks.  They had not had a taste of bread all that time.  They went up to North Creek to gather bullberries at this time.  When Ann got out of the wagon to help gather the berries, she was so weak and faint from hunger that it was impossible for her to help gather any berries.  These bullberries were a great delicacy, heated up in their milk.  Hunger was the sweetener for the dish.  Bullberries were the only fruit they had for years.  They made many uses of them, such as drying them for storage and use all through the year.  In later days, they made dumplings of the berries with the other usual ingredients which gave a most delicious dessert.

Although their economic situation gradually improved somewhat, as late as 1863 when Ann’s baby Rachel was born, Ann could not provide a single piece of clothing for the baby to wear.  It was only through help from kind neighbors that the child had any clothing at all.  In 1861, when Titus had been born, Ann could only scare up two cotton diapers.

Every family in Beaver secured a barrel of molasses from Utah’s “Dixie” for the winter.  Except for an occasional bit of brown sugar, this was their only sweet flavoring.  Molasses candy combined with parched corn was their greatest delicacy.  Ann would make molasses candy loaded with cayenne pepper whenever a cold appeared among the children.

Eight of Ann’s children grew to maturity, and soon there were grandchildren.  They were always welcome in Ann’s home.  Cookies and apples in season were always on hand.  It was great sport to run and climb among the orchard trees and in the cattle corral and barn.  Most of all they loved to play in “Grandma’s Attic.”  They took picnics together and picked the yummy apples from the trees in the fall.

Ann was a dearly beloved mother with a sweet disposition.  She was a hard worker and a good example of the sturdy, long-suffering, patient pioneer woman of her day.  She was crippled up for many of the later years of her life so that she had to use a cane to get about.  She did much of her housework sitting and moving about on a chair.  She passed away in her bluestone house in Beaver on July 18, 1897, at the age of 76.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Tamer Washburn was a daughter of Jesse and Susannah Tompkins Washburn. She was born July 4^th, 1805, at Mt Pleasant, Westchester County, New York. When she was 19 years old, Tamer married Abraham Washburn (whose grandfather was her father’s brother) on March 16, 1824, at Mt. Pleasant, New York. In their early married life, they moved to Sing Sing, where Abraham went into the shoe-making and tanning business.

Mormon Missionaries

When Parley P. Pratt came to New York with the gospel message, Abraham Washburn was converted immediately; the message was so plain and beautiful that he believed everybody could readily be converted. Abraham took Brother Pratt home with him to explain the wonderful message to his wife. Brother Pratt told her that the Lord and His Son had visited, in person, the boy Joseph Smith, and later sent heavenly messengers who had restored the Priesthood, both Aaronic and Melchizedek, and that the Lord was giving the boy Prophet continued revelations, revealing the gospel of Jesus Christ in its fulness. He said that the Angel Moroni had delivered the history of the ancient inhabitants of this continent, written on gold plates, to the Prophet, and he had by the power of God, translated them, and that the book was now published and was called The Book of Mormon.

This was too much for this dear lady, who was a staunch Methodist, yet retaining many ideas of the Quaker faith in which she had been reared. She was infuriated at what she had just heard; it was impossible for God to give new revelations to man; all such things had ceased with the death of the ancient Prophets and Apostles. This man was surely an imposter teaching false doctrine. Her righteous indignation arose and she turned on Brother Pratt and poured out the venom of her wrath in no gentle tones. Her husband tried in vain to soothe her. He, however, knew that the message was true and in a short time was baptized. He tried gently, at every opportunity to convert his dear wife, but it seemed, for some time, that his efforts were useless.

One evening, while he was attending an evening meeting, Abraham received a message to come home quickly: his wife was in a terrible nervous condition on account of his being at a Mormon meeting. As he was leaving, Brother Pratt said, “Be of good cheer, Brother Washburn, for in a very short time your wife will be a member of the Church.” It was but a few weeks until she asked Brother Pratt to baptize her.

She learned to love Brother Pratt and the gospel of Jesus Christ. Her home was ever after a home for the Mormon missionaries.

As time passed, both Parley and Orson Pratt made their home with the Washburns while doing Missionary work in New York. On one occasion, Orson Pratt brought his wife. She wore, as was the custom in those days, a lace cap with bows of ribbon and small artificial flowers on the side of her cap. Tamer had not yet sufficiently recovered from her Quaker notions to be able to tolerate these ‘excessive’ practices, so she asked Sister Pratt to please remove the trimmings from her cap while she remained her guest.  Sister Pratt complied with the request to please Sister Washburn. In after years, Tamer laughed as she related the story wondering how she could have been so narrow minded because she herself wore just such little lace caps to the end of her days and enjoyed having them handsomely decorated.

Abraham was a prosperous business man and he gave Tamer a regular allowance of 75 dollars a month. She was saving, and deposited a part of her allowance each month in the bank. Once, Orson Pratt was going to England on a mission; he arrived in New York with no money to pay his traveling expenses. Tamer gave him enough money from her savings account to pay his passage to England.

A Blessing and Promise from the Prophet Joseph Smith

After joining the body of the Church at Nauvoo, Brother Washburn was a member of the Nauvoo Legion. They were friends of the Prophet, Joseph Smith. The Prophet Joseph Smith visited with Tamer and her folks many times. On one occasion when the Smiths and others were at their home at an evening social, the Prophet arose to his feet and said, “Sister Washburn, there is a special blessing from the Lord to you, and the Lord says that you’re just as sure of your Celestial crown as though you already had it on your head.” The sisters assembled said to the Prophet, “This is enough to make us jealous.” And then the Prophet said, “This blessing is for Mother Washburn above the rest, because she is a free giver. She could always give and never regret.”  Her salvation in the Celestial Kingdom was assured on account of her liberality.

Mormon Polygamy and Victory Over Herself

They came from Winter Quarters to Salt Lake City early in 1848 with the Richards Company. Tamer drove three yoke of wild steers across the trackless desert. Shortly after their arrival in the valley, Abraham married Flora Clorinda Gleason Johnson.

Tamer was a social person, and usually very optimistic, yet she was capable of very intense feelings. Flora’s daughter Lorena related, “Tamer told me how hard it was to live in plural marriage, and for a long time she was unkind to my mother although she loved mother. She prayed often for strength, and God finally gave her victory over herself. After that, plural marriage ceased to be a trial, and my mother became one of her best earthly friends.”

Such is a few of the trials and only a few that she with others passed through because they believed that God lived and had a Soul and Body like unto that of Man whom He had created and because they believed that He had the right and privilege to converse with the men He had created and that He did make known His mind and will and they believed it and would not deny it and troubles were multiplied upon them.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

My father’s name was Edmund Durfee, he was born in Rhode Island on the 3rd October 1788 of Dutch decent [SIC]. My mother’s name was Magdalena “Lana” Pickle and she was born 6 June 1788. Her father and mother were from Holland. I was born 6 March 1813 in Lennox, Madison County, New York and lived there until I was about nine years old when we moved to Amboy, Oswego County. Father bought some land, built him a house, made a small farm, and worked at his trade that was mostly carpenter and millwright. We lived there until the first of June 1830, father bought more land. There were lots of maple trees. Then father wanted to go West so he sold his sugar bush and farm and started for the south of Ohio. We went through Camden Village to the canal, went on the canal to Buffalo, we went to Briggles (Ruggles) in Huron County.

Mormon Missionary Introduces The Book of Mormon

Father bought land and went to work to make a home, and the next winter in 1830 we heard about the Mormons and the “Gold Bible.” The next spring Solomon Hancock came preaching about Joseph Smith and said that the Angel Moroni had revealed them to Joseph Smith. Solomon Hancock joined in with us, the Methodists and Campbellites, and he would preach in our meetinghouse. We would go to hear him and many were astonished at his message for it was so much different from what had been reported.

This was sometime in April 1831, and my father Edmond Durfee was baptized about the middle of May and my mother and sister, Martha and brother, Edmund were baptized about the first of June by Solomon Hancock.

Edmond served a Mormon Mission to Chautauqua, Genesee, New York in December 1831-February 1832.

Gathering with the Saints in KirtlanD

My father gathered some of his carpenter tools, seed grain, farming tools and in a company with others, he started for Kirtland, Ohio, on the first of February 1832 to build a place for all his family to go. He came home in the fall of 1832, sold his farm and all his possessions and we started for Kirtland, Ohio on the first of May 1833. The Lord had said “He would keep a strong hold” for five years in Kirtland. We bought us a farm, built us some houses and prepared to live.

A great many things transpired about this time that I haven’t time to write and some that I can’t place them. Land came up and sold for a large sum of money and they had a great land speculation, and many left the Church of the Latter-day Saints.

Missourian Mob Violence Against the Mormons

In the Spring of 1837, my father sold his farm and all his possessions and started for Caldwell County, Missouri, where we stayed that summer and fall, and lived on what they called “Log Creek” six miles from Far West. I was there when they killed David Patten, when they took a lot of prisoners and the Saints had to lay down their lives to their enemies.

The mob gathered and killed many and drove all the Mormons from Adam-ondi-Ahman to Far West. Not being satisfied, the whole state with the Governor at their head gathered by the thousands to drive them from Far West. They wanted Joseph Smith & Sidney Rigdon, our leaders and the Twelve, and all they could get and put them in prison. Some were bailed out and others had to stay and take up with such a fare as they could get and be fed on human flesh, but Joseph told them “not to eat it,” for the spirit of the Lord told him that it was human. Thus we were plundered, smitten and driven from our homes, our lives were threatened and we were ill-treated on every side by our enemies. Enemies to the truths of heaven came along, one to five hundred right to our houses and nobody around but women and little children. Took our men prisoners without any cause, only because they were Mormons and believed in the truths of the Gospel. They wanted to know if we had any guns, pistols or ammunition or butcher knives and such things.

No one can tell, only those that passed through it and was an eye witness to it can describe the feeling of the Saints and what they passed through.

In 1839, we crossed over to Quincy, went up the river to a place called Lima, Hancock county, Illinois. There we built us a house and bought a small place and fixed to live here a short time. But the devil wasn’t dead yet. In a short time there was some that would go to Lima and get drunk and come back swearing and tearing enough to frighten men, let alone women and children.

Mobbers Murdered Edmond in Cold Blood in Lima, Illinois

The gentiles and the mobocrats threatened us and told around how they would kill and drive them (the Mormons). They did kill and drive us from Lima, and shot my father Edmund Durfee and killed him instantly on 19 November 1845. He who had never done them any harm in his life, but on the contrary, had always taught them good principles of truth and uprightness and greatness and morality and industries all the days of his life.

But before this, they drove the Saints out of Father Morley’s Settlement and turned their sick ones out. Drove them all out to live or die. Rolled my brother, Nephi, up in a bed and threw it outdoors when he was sick. Went to the oat stack and got two bundles of oats and put a brand of fire in them and threw them on top of the house and said they would be back next morning. Father was trying to move some place and they came back and shot all their guns and ran them all off, and plundered and made a fire, burned houses, furniture, clothing, yarn looms, cloth, carpenter tools. The iron from the tools they picked and filled a barrel. Everything all around burned to ashes, and the mob went from house to house driving them out, sick or well, it made no difference, till they burned every house in the town that was Mormons.

The men from Nauvoo got their teams and started for Lima and traveled all night and day to get the families that had been burned out doors. My husband was one that traveled all night and got cold, took a chill and was ill for a long time. The mob said that they could come back and gather their crops. They were nearly done, so decided to stay over Sunday. When it got dark the mob came back and built a fire close by the barns. The Mormons thought they meant to burn their houses and rushed out. The mob stood back in the timber and as the men got between them, they shot off about a dozen guns, my father was the only one killed.

The mob built a fire in different places, one in the corn crib and the shucks was on and dry rail and dry shucks and it burned a little and went out, so you see, they couldn’t go any further than the Lord let them. This was the fall of 1845.

B.H. Roberts wrote of Edmond, “Mr. Durfee was one of the most industrious, inoffensive and good men that could be found.” This description was published in the ‘History of the Church’ by B.H. Roberts, on page 2024.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.