Lydia Knight's History: The First Book of the Noble Women's LivesGates, Susa Young
History
Lydia Knight's History: The First Book of the Noble Women's Lives
Gates, Susa Young
Knight, Lydia Goldthwaite Bailey, 1812-1884; Latter Day Saint churches -- Biography; Latter Day Saints -- Biography
Just before leaving the city for Provo, Lydia had gone to President
Young and stated her circumstances in full to him, and asked if he
knew any reason why she should not have a divorce from Mr. Dalton. She
had then been separated from him for some time The President did not
know anything to prevent her being a free woman, and accordingly gave
her a legal divorce. So she was once more alone and battling with life
without earthly aid.
Her farm was a good one, and with the valuable assistance of her boys,
she soon became comfortable.
A widower, named McClellan, was living at this time in Payson who had
two motherless girls, aged eleven and thirteen. He was comfortably
situated, and, becoming acquainted with Lydia, he very much admired her
kind, motherly ways and general thriftiness, and he besought her to
unite her fortunes with his and be a mother to his girls who had been
orphaned about two years previously.
Lydia was not very willing to once more embark upon the perilous sea
of matrimony. Her heart was buried with her husband, and no love ever
had or ever could waken it to life. She had had a sorrowful experience
in that state with Mr. Dalton, and as she was now getting in years,
being upwards of fifty, she shrank from again taking a wife's burdens
upon her. Still, her heart yearned over the little helpless, motherless
girls. Finally, after much serious thought, she again accepted an
earthly companion, and joined her fate, for time, with James McClellan.
They moved to Payson in '60, where his farm was situated. Two or three
years after this Bro. McClellan was called south, and Lydia moved with
him, leaving Jesse and Hyrum with their brother James in Provo. They
settled at the Santa Clara, and soon became very nicely fixed.
In the Fall of 71, Lydia's brother, Jesse, wrote to her that their
father and mother were both dead, and, as there was some property to
be divided among the children, she had better visit the old homestead
where he lived and get her share.
She therefore went east and was treated very kindly by her brothers
and sisters and enjoyed herself quite well. As her share she received
$1,500, and then returned home.
On the 1st of January, 1877, work was commenced in the St. George
temple. President Young called upon Lydia to act as one of the workers.
Circumstances beyond her control did not permit her to go until the
Fall of '77, when she entered the sacred walls as one of the regular
attendants.
In the Winter of '79-80 Brother McClellan's health failed altogether,
and on the 10th of February, 1880, he died. Thus, after a companionship
of twenty years, Lydia was once more a widow. The work in the temple,
however, was so constant and pleasant that she could not feel lonely.
In 1882 Lydia purchased a piece of property in St. George and has there
settled. She shut up her house in Santa Clara, and manages to live
quite comfortably with the proceeds of her little estate.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account