Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives SeriesVarious
History
Heroines of "Mormondom": The Second Book of the Noble Women's Lives Series
Various
Chittenden, Mary Dunster, 1818-; Latter Day Saint women; Latter Day Saints -- Biography; Smith, Mary Fielding, 1801-1852
In 1875, two men came up to the door, and asked for food and shelter.
When they announced themselves as Elders from Utah, Mary's hands were
outstretched and her heart filled with great joy, even as her eyes ran
over with happy tears.
The Elders were Jacob Miller of Farmington, and David Cluff of Provo,
since dead. A month or two afterwards, Elder Charles Burton and John M.
Young of Salt Lake City, also were warmly welcomed at the farm.
William's illness was Bright's disease of the kidneys, and he was
slowly dying.
They left Sydney on the 7th of April, 1877, for Utah, six souls in all,
William and Mary, their children Caroline, Louise and Hyrum, with the
one grandchild, Lavinia.
On their arrival they went at once to Provo. William had much more to
bear of poverty and suffering, than any one could have dreamed, even
after their arrival here. Mary went out washing to eke out their store,
(they had barely ten dollars left,) and the two girls got positions in
the factory.
Within a year, Caroline married Eleazer Jones, and Louisa married
Abraham Wild. The last named couple live near their mother now.
Caroline has moved with her husband to Arizona. Mary's eldest daughter,
Mary Ann Mayberry, also came with her husband and family to Utah in
1879.
I would not linger if I could on the severe suffering, and painful
death of William, just twelve months from the day they left home.
When the sad day came on which he left them all, in spite of his awful
agony, he called his only boy Hyrum, who was then thirteen years old,
and stretching out the thin, wasted hands he blessed him fervently, and
said, "You are going to be a good boy to your mother, I think?"
"Yes, father, I will," answered the lad, manfully.
"My boy, I can do nothing, no work in the Temple for her, nor for
myself; I have got to go."
"If you have got to go, father," tremblingly said the boy, "I will do
all that lies in my power."
"Remember mother, Hyrum, she has been good to us, and worked hard for
us all her days." Then again he blessed him, and soon the peaceful end
came, and the poor aching frame was at rest.
A year or two of hard, constant work at the wash tub passed away, and
one night the personage who had visited Mary before came to her in a
dream and said:
"Mary, the time has now come for you to go and do the work for
yourself and your husband. If you will go, you shall soon have a home
afterwards."
Here was a command and a promise. Hyrum had shot up and was a tall,
quiet-mannered young man, and had gone out on a surveying expedition,
carrying chains for the men, to earn some money. His great ambition was
to get a home for his mother.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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