A Message for Easter

                                                 

Dear family members, 

Because it is spring and because Easter is upon us, I would like to talk about the resurrection of the Savior.  I would like to talk about the blessings that came to the world and to us as a result of His resurrection.  There are three of these I would like to consider.

First, perhaps the greatest blessing to come to mankind since Adam and Eve was the "Good News" spread by the apostles and seventies following the resurrection of the Savior.

We are all familiar with the events of that Sunday morning some 2000 years ago.  That very day the gospel began to go forth from those who were closest to Jesus - that He had risen from the dead, for they had seen Him and talked with Him.  He would spend the next 40 days teaching His followers and organizing His church, appearing to as many as five hundred persons, and probably many more.

The "Good News" was that the long awaited Messiah had come.  He had been born and raised by mortal parents, but His real father was in heaven.  He had lived and taught and performed mighty miracles, even raised the dead. 

He had been loved by the common people, especially in the beginning of His ministry, but hated by their religious leaders.

At the age of 33, He was crucified and raised from the dead three days later, providing the means for all men to be resurrected as well.

Was this "Good News?"  From the time of Adam onward, the two greatest fears of mankind were dying and displeasing God.  Many obscene and horrible practices were enacted in hopes of prolonging life and pleasing deity. 

But now the Messiah had come and brought redemption from both sin and death.  Now mankind would not only live again but through the process of repentance they could assure themselves mansions in heaven.

This surely was "Good News" for those who would listen and believe.  Thus, from small beginnings began the missionary work that would take the gospel to all the world. 

They would carry with them the oral traditions and the letters and documents they had that incorporated the teachings of the Gospel.  Eventually these would become the New Testament.

Paul would take the gospel to Macedonia and Greece and Greek cities throughout the Mediterranean, to the Romans in Italy, maybe even into Spain, but ending up in Rome, where he met his death. 

Peter would take the gospel to Rome as well, and would die there.

By tradition Joseph of Arimithia would carry it into France and England.

By tradition other apostles would carry it into the then known world. 

Andrew would preach in Rome and possibly in the Ukraine.

James would preach in Spain and was buried there.

Philip went to Egypt and may have been martyred there.

Bartholomew may have gone to Turkey, India or Armenia.

Thomas is said to have gone to India.

Thaddeus preached in Persia and is said to have healed the king there.

Simon also went to India and was martyred there.

Matthias according to tradition is said to have taught in “the land of the cannibals.”

Mark would become the patron saint of Venice because of his preaching there.*

And of course there were many of the 70’s who traveled and taught two-by-two, in all parts of the world, establishing little centers of Christianity wherever they went.

Thus the gospel was spread throughout the known world.  This “Good News” would eventually enter all of Europe, Scotland, Ireland, Scandinavia, Russia, China, and Japan.  Even in the Americas Native tribes would tell of a white, bearded God who taught them a new religion, healed their sick and taught them more effective agricultural practices.

Eventually all the civilized countries of the world would hear of Christianity.

After the first hundred years or so, the message became garbled and confused, as those who had actually heard Jesus, died and were not replaced.  And it is true that acceptance of Christianity was often enforced by the sword or by political maneuvering.

We all understand that an apostasy took place, as false teachers and false teachings crept into the church.  But nonetheless, even though garbled and confused, the underlying message of the gospel found fertile ground everywhere, and brought untold blessings to those who believed.

Jesus was the Christ!  He had been born of the Virgin Mary!  He had lived and taught great truths!  He had suffered death by crucifixion!   After 3 days in the tomb, He had been raised from the dead!

Where belief may have been at first enforced by the sword, in time Christianity became accepted by people everywhere.  They came to believe that faith, repentance and baptism were necessary ingredients in that belief.

They came to believe also in various forms of the priesthood to which they could turn for spiritual blessings, consolation, and guidance.

The blessings that grew out of the “Good News” were incalculable.  Even the founding of our great nation, according to the Book of  Mormon, was the result of righteous men following the whisperings of the Holy Ghost.  The Founding Fathers gave God the credit for their work in developing the documents on which our government is based.

I don’t think we can give too much credit for the great blessings that have come to mankind as a result of that special Sunday morning 2000 years ago and to those who carried the message of the gospel to far distant lands.

Second, there is another great blessing of that Easter Sunday which we must also consider. 

From this basic Christianity and the teachings of the Bible came the inspiration for a young boy in 1820 to seek spiritual guidance regarding the many and varied Christian religions of his day. 

Simply, he went out into the woods to pray to find out which church was true.  We are all aware of the results of that inquiry.

In 1830 a new church was organized, and, as 2000 years before, missionaries were sent out two-by-two to teach the principles of a restored gospel. 

They carried with them a new book, a new testament of Christ, which along with the Bible, declared and clarified doctrines which had so divided Christians for centuries.

Like their counter parts 2000 years before, they also went throughout the civilized world teaching this restored “Good News.”  They went west into Indian territories, to the Eastern states, the Southern States, and across the ocean to Europe, Scandinavia, Asia, Russia, Jerusalem, and the islands of the sea.

Everywhere they went they organized new churches, new pockets of restored Christianity.

Was this “Good News” to those who heard and believed?  Is there a parallel in the founding of the church in the Savior’s day and our own?  Is it evident that the second is a result of the first? 

There probably would have been no Joseph Smith, no Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had it not been for the underpinnings of traditional Christianity.  The Christianity of his day is what led Joseph into the woods to pray.

If there had been no apostasy, there would have been no need for a restoration.  But because there was an apostasy, the “Good News” had to be retold, and all the missing parts replaced.   

We must be grateful because we have been twice blessed, first as a result of that Easter Sunday 2000 years ago and the gospel teachings which extended from it to the world at large.

Secondly, because Joseph Smith restored in our day all the missing pieces and blessings of that event.

Finally, there is a third blessing that comes to us from that first Easter – the blessings that come to us individually because we accept Jesus as the promised Messiah, we accept His death and resurrection, we accept His atoning sacrifice, and we accept the principles of the gospel He taught.

All the blessings that come to us are clearly stated in the 76 section of the D and C. Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon saw the inhabitants of the Celestial Kingdom.  This is how he described what he saw DC 76:54-59.

54  They are they of the church of the Firstborn.
55  They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things.
56  They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of
      his fullness, and of his glory.
57  And are priests of the Most High after the order of
      Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was
      after the order of the Only Begotten Son.
58  Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons God.
59  Wherefore all things are theirs, whether life or death,or things
      present, or things to come, all are theirs, and they are Christ's,
      and Christ is God's.                                     

Dear family, may we remember this Easter the great blessings that have come to the world and to us, and those blessings that await us because Jesus was raised from the dead almost 2000 years ago. 

Because of the pain and suffering He endured, we can also live again, free from the effects of our sins because of His atoning sacrifice.

I bear testimony to you of the reality of those events on that first Easter Sunday.  I know that Jesus is the Christ, that He is our Savior, and that He will stand upon the earth again in the last days.  And I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration, that the Book of Mormon is true, and that the ultimate destiny of us all, if we continue in faithfulness, are the promises recorded in the 76^th section of the D and C.

Of this I testify in the name of Jesus Christ.  

*These details are from the National Geographic Magazine, March 2012

Obedience as the First Law of Heaven

Obedience as the First Law of Heaven

I have thought about obedience these last few days because we live in such perilous times.  We live in a world where we are surrounded by choices that appeal to our senses but kill the spirit.  I hope my family can always distinguish between what uplifts and what degrades. The best assurances of this are the commandments outlined in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Perhaps Bruce R. McConkie defined the importance of obedience best:

       "Obedience Is the first law of heaven, the cornerstone upon which all righteousness
        and progression rest. It consists in compliance with divine law, in conformity to the
        mind and will of Deity, in complete subjection to God and his commands. To obey
        gospel law is to yield obedience to the Lord, to execute the commands of and be ruled
        by Him whose we are."

I could not help but think of the many great stories in the Scriptures that detail the blessings of obedience and the cursings of disobedience.

Take Adam and Eve for example. What a wonderful life they had in the Garden of Eden. I think Adam came home every day from his work naming the animals and told Eve all about his great adventures - the wonderful animals he had seen and named and the beautiful world in which they lived.

And I guess Eve had his dinner all prepared for him,  a dinner of the finest, richest fruits and vegetables from a garden without weeds or bugs. I guess she would tell Adam about her day, too, playing with the animals, picking wildflowers, and making beautiful bouquets for their home.

The weather was never too hot nor too cold in the Garden of Eden but always just right. Eve never got up in the morning and looked in her mirror for signs of crow's feet, new laugh lines, or signs of gray.

Her beauty and youth were eternal and unchanging, as was Adam's.

He never got up in the morning with his back still aching from the previous day's work. He never felled trees, or shoveled snow, or plowed fields.

If he couldn't sleep at night, it wasn't because of financial problems. More likely his mind was racing ahead to the anticipated adventures of the next day, and his days were 1000 of our years long!

It was wonderful – until a serpent visited Eve.

In this regard, I am reminded of a poem by A.E. Houseman:

               When Adam day by day woke up in paradise,

               He always used to say,"Oh, this is very nice."

               But Eve from scenes of bliss transported him for life!

               The more I think of this, the more I beat my wife!

Adam and Eve by way of commandment had only two things to do – not partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and to multiply and replenish the earth.

Simple enough it would seem, if you didn't think too deeply about it.

But Satan came along, tempted Adam first and then Eve, and their world was turned upside down.

When I think of obedience I think of Adam. Satan came to him tempting him with a fruit most delicious, a fruit that would make him like the gods.

Without any hesitation or equivocation, he refused. He would obey God's commandment not to partake of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil at all costs.

But then Eve came with the same temptation, after having been seduced herself by Satan. What a dilemma  Adam faced when Eve came to him with the forbidden fruit.

She held it out for him, but again he would not partake.

She asked him if he intended to obey all of God's commandments. He answered, again without hesitation or equivocation, that he did. Eve then reminded him that she had sinned and would not be allowed to remain in the Garden of Eden.

Eve's comments caused him to think more deeply about their situation. She had sinned and would be cast out of the Garden, and he would be left a lone man. What was he to do about the second commandment – to multiply and replenish the earth?

I wonder if he thought about how God had created woman. He had done it once, could he do it again? He had lots of ribs left. 

If so, his dilemma would be solved. After all, Eve had brought this problem on herself.

I wonder if he prayed about it? I wonder if the Lord told him it was okay to break the first commandment in order to keep the second?. This, too, would solve his problem.

In any case, he partook of the forbidden fruit in order that the eternal designs of his Father in Heaven could be accomplished. A Savior would atone for the breaking of the first command, and great blessings would come to Adam and Eve and all mankind because they kept the second.

They lost the Garden, but they gained mortality and the opportunity to work out their own salvation by keeping God's commandments for the rest of their lives.

When I think of obedience, I think of the story of Adam and Eve.

When I think of obedience, I also think of poor King Saul.

He had been called by God to be the king of Israel. And God had blessed him beyond any reasonable expectation. Now he was engaged in a great war with the Philistines, and he had been gathering his armies for weeks in anticipation of the great battle that was to come.

For all his efforts he had only about 3,000 men, and they were divided into three groups. He stood on the heights of Gilgal above Jericho watching the Philistines gathering below in anticipation of the battle.

The Scriptures say the Philistines had 30,000 chariots, 6000 horsemen, and soldiers as the sands of the sea.

Was Saul worried? You bet he was! His only hope was a blessing from God  to strengthen his army. In anticipation of this, he had asked Samuel the prophet to offer animal sacrifices in Israel's behalf.

But a week had gone by, and Samuel had not made his appearance. Out of fear and desperation, many of Saul's men began to flee as the Philistines increased in number every day.

Saul, too, was desperate, and he made a decision that would cost him his crown. He decided he would offer the sacrifice himself.

While he was not a Levite and thus not authorized to do such things, he was, after all, the king.

In his pride and arrogance, he killed the animals and made the sacrifices. Ironically, just as he finished, Samuel made his appearance! Saul was dismayed. If only he had waited just a little longer! He tried to justify what he had done, but Samuel chastised him severely for his arrogance and disobedience.

He took away Saul's right to be king because he had knowingly not kept the commandments.

But this was only the first of Saul's decisions to disobey. Some time later he led his armies against the Amalekites, with a strict commandment by God that he was to to destroy them all.

Instead he decided he would spare their King Agag and bring the choicest animals and riches back to Jerusalem, where he would make sacrifices to God.

Surely God would overlook his disobedience once the sacrifices were made.

But Samuel rebuked Saul again for his pride, his arrogance and his disobedience. As a result, we have perhaps the most profound statement about obedience in all the Scriptures.

Samuel said, "Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice and to harken than the fat of rams ... Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he has also rejected thee from being king." (1 Samuel 15:22, 23)

With that exchange, Samuel left and never saw Saul again.

When I think of obedience, I think of Saul and what his pride and arrogance cost him.

When I think of obedience, I also think of Uzzah. He was one of David's most favored soldiers. David was told by the Lord to bring the Ark of the Covenant into Jerusalem from the house of Abinadab, where it had been stored for 20 years.

The ark was placed upon a cart, and Uzzah was chosen to follow behind to ensure its safety.

Can you imagine what an honor that was for Uzzah? The ark was the most valuable possession of the Israelites. Moses had created it, God had protected it, and through it had revealed his word to any prophet who stood before it.

However, only the Levites were permitted to come near it or touch it, and Uzzah was not a Levite. Since the time of Moses, death had been the penalty for anyone who disobeyed this law.

I can imagine Uzzah walking behind that cart, careful to keep his distance, perhaps thinking of the great honor that had come to him, maybe even thinking about how proud his wife would be when he got home and told her about being chosen by King David.

Then suddenly the cart tipped, the ark teetered, and in that instant Uzzah reached out his hand to steady it.

"And the anger of God was kindled against Uzzah," the Scriptures say, "and God smote him there for his error, and there he died by the ark of God."

When I think of obedience, I think of Uzzah and how exacting God is in expecting us to keep his commandments.

I think also of Joseph Smith, whose single instance of disobedience resulted in the loss of 116 pages of translated manuscript from the ancient record of Nephi and Mormon.

He never forgot the terrible self-recrimination for that loss, and as far as I know, he never found himself on the wrong side of God's commandments again.

Finally, when I think of obedience I think of my ancestors who joined the church in foreign lands and gathered to this valley only after great physical and financial sacrifices. They sacrificed so much, even their lives in some cases, because they wanted to obey the prophets of the restoration and keep the commandments of the Lord to gather to Zion.

Any sacrifices we make today, pale in comparison to theirs.

And so I conclude with verses 20 to 21 in the Doctrine and Covenants section 130:

          "There is a law irrevocably decreed in heaven, before the foundations of this world,

           upon which all blessings are predicated –

           And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law

           upon which it is predicated."

I know that this doctrine is true. How grateful I am for those who have gone before and shown us the way.

We can learn so much from both those who were faithful in their obedience to the commandments of God, and from those who were disobedient and paid the awful price of their disobedience.

For my family, I pray always that they will study the scriptures, come to understand as fully as possible what is expected of them as Latter-day Saints, and prepare for their calling and election to be made sure so that we can remain a family forever.

An Old-Fashioned Christmas

I have been thinking all week about what I might say to you about this Christmas season.  It is always a very special time as we remember the Savior's birth.  But sometimes it is difficult getting into the Christmas spirit because there are always so many distractions.

I think of Nephi's statement about there being an opposition in all things.   I decided this must be true even in such things as the Christmas spirit.  Certainly, the vocabulary of Christmas seems to be a mixture of both positive and negative images.  Unfortunately, too much of the vocabulary of Christmas has to do with its material side.

Sale 40% off,

Traffic and crowded malls,

Money,

One Christmas Carol every 10 commercials on the radio,

Visa cards,

Department store Santas,

Wrapping out of town packages,

Post office lines,

Too few store clerks to wait on you,

Putting up Christmas decorations,

And stress, stress, stress.

Obviously if we think of Christmas in these terms, we are in for a very UnMerry Christmas because we got it all backwards.  We become a kind of a cross between Ebenezer Scrooge and the Grinch who stole Christmas, and if we're not careful we can become cynical, resentful, and forgetful of the true meaning of Christmas.

In opposition to this negative language there is the vocabulary that expresses the true meaning of Christmas, words like:

Family,

Love,

Brotherhood,

Sacrifice,

Giving,

And of course, the greatest word of all, Christ, He whose very name is Word.

What in the gospel is more profound than John’s characterization of Christ as the “Word.” (John 1:1-5) There is no more powerful word than “Christ” whose word is all-powerful. Through the power of his word all things came to be and through all ages prophets, priests, writers and artists and have tried to express both His nature and His power in art, literature, music, and poetry.

Who has not thrilled at the music of Handel's "Messiah" or stood in amazement at the beauty of Michael Angelo's Piata or felt inspired by El Greco's Gift of the Magi?  Think of the beautiful words and music of Mendelson's “Hark the Herald Angels Sing,” Handle’s “Joy to the World,” and Kugler's “Silent Night.”

For thousands of years, mankind has been writing and singing and creating such works of art out of love and remembrance of Him whose birth we celebrate this week.

Suppose for a moment that you too could have been there in the hills of Judea on the night the Angels sang?  Suppose that you too had hurried with the shepherds to that manger were Joseph and Mary tended with wondering awe the baby Jesus asleep in the hay?  How would you have told the story?

Would you have written a poem or tried to capture the wonder of it all in a painting? Perhaps you would have tried to write music or just a simple prose account of what you saw and felt.

Remember how Luke told the story? It’s simplicity and directness and power make it one of the most beautiful and moving stories in all literature. I hope you will read it again this Christmas in Luke chapter 2.

 We may not have been there, but we can through others words and music and art capture the spirit and beauty and significance of the event.  We may not be able to write a great story or compose beautiful music or paint an inspiring picture, but we can express our great love and devotion and thanksgiving through the spirit and tenor of our lives - and not just at Christmas time.

May we emphasize the positive language of Christmas and remember family, friends, brotherhood, love, sacrifice, and most of all, Christ whose Word is the light and life of man.

Often this time of year we hear the old folks say, “I wish we could go back to the old-fashioned Christmases we used to have.” I know this is true because I heard my grandparents say it, and I heard my parents say it, and I’ve even been known to say it myself.  But you know what? Every time I catch myself saying it, my next thought is what the heck does that mean?

Is an old-fashioned Christmas a picture postcard out of Currrier and Ives depicting a father bringing home a Christmas tree he has just cut out in  the pine forest, a log cabin with an open fire and smoke curling from the chimney in the background?

Is it a family in an open sleigh singing Christmas carols as they fly over the river and through the woods to grandma's house? Or is it a father sitting around a warm glowing fire reading Dickens’ A Christmas Carol to his children?

Is it making Christmas decorations for the tree out of colored paper and popcorn chains?

Is it just the simpler times of long ago that we yearn for?

Actually, mankind has always emphasized the festive side of Christmas more than the spiritual side, but they have always fashioned Christmas in accordance with their particular viewpoint. Consequently, an old-fashioned Christmas is not a matter of time or place. It's a matter of the heart.

It is a matter of personal perspective.  “old” doesn't have anything to do with a wonderful Christmas. But “fashioned” does.

Each year we have a chance to fashion Christmas anyway we wish. We can emphasize the negatives mentioned earlier and just tune into the festive aspects of Christmas, or we can shape Christmas around the birth of the Savior, trying to fashion a personal relationship with Him and fashion our lives around the principles and ideals and attributes of His life.

And in our gift giving we can give the gift which he gave, which is the greatest gift anyone can give, the gift of self. We give to some from our abundance and these are worthy gifts, but if we emulate the Savior's gift we must look to gifts of the heart. These are the hardest gifts to give because they require us to open our hearts rather than our wallets.

When we do this, we truly can have an old-Fashioned Christmas:

Fashioned by humility as we recognize God's blessings and share them with others less fortunate.

Fashioned by compassion as we become more sensitive to the needs and desires of others.

Fashioned by self-sacrifice as we give gifts of ourselves.

Fashioned by faith in the miracle of Christ's birth, the perfect example of his life, and the salvation and exaltation made possible through his birth, death and resurrection.

Fashioned by a Christ-like love for our fellow man and for Him, through whom all things are accomplished.

May you all have a very Merry old-Fashioned Christmas.

Ebenezer Richardson - A True Pioneer

I have been wondering about what to write in this next blog. I think since many of us took the trip to see the Richardson house in Plain City, Utah, I would like to tell the story of Ebenezer Richardson.  You will remember parts of this story, but sometimes it is better to read it than to hear it.

                                 Polly Uretta Richardson                           Asa Newton Allred

This story was written by an unknown author, but in parts it bears the characteristics of Polly Ann’s personal history.   I have made some corrections.

Ebenezer Clawson Richardson and his wife Polly Ann Child were the parents of Levi Asa Richardson.  He married Polly Erminne Child, and they were the parents of Polly Uretta Richardson. She married Asa Newton Allred, the two of whom are my grandparents.

Ebenezer Richardson was born August 7, 1815, in Dryden, Tompkins County, New York. He died September 20, 1874, in Plain City, Utah, at his home. Ebenezer was baptized by the prophet Joseph Smith in 1834. He was endowed January 30, 1846 and was sealed to his parents October 23, 1884. 

Ebenezer grew to young manhood in a family of 11 children, and when he was 18 years old, he met and married a beautiful, dark eyed, brunette girl, Angeline King. They both were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in the fall of 1834 were baptized by the prophet Joseph Smith. The first child, a little girl named Mary Amanda, was born to them August 24, 1834, in Greenwood, New York, where they continued to live for sometime. Angeline gave birth to Josiah on  April 16, 1844.

They soon migrated to Kirtland, Ohio, where the majority of the saints were living. This was the year that Ebenezer was called to enter the covenant of plural marriage, and he took to wife Polly Ann child, a beautiful educated girl of 22, as his second wife. This marriage was performed by the prophet Joseph Smith.

Ebenezer had moved along with the saints from place to place. In Far West he became a bodyguard to the prophet Joseph Smith. At the time of the Hans Mill massacre he was sent with another man to Hans Mill to assess the condition of the saints there.  As he began his return home, he was shot through the chest by one of the mobbers. The bullet went through his body and lodged in his back, just under the skin. His companion cut it out with a knife, administered to him, and through their faith they were able to go on their way.

The Saints were horrified when the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hiram, the patriarch, were martyred, but the church soon had at its helm the able leader Brigham Young.  During this trying time, there were many who were unable to stand the mob violence and persecutions and left the church.  The Richardsons remained faithful and accepted persecutions as the will of God.

The family moved from String Prairie to Galena, Ohio and then to Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1844 Lowly, Ebenezer's mother, died of a chill fever and was buried in Nauvoo.  Finally they were driven from Nauvoo, and we find Ebenezer and families in Council Bluffs, Iowa, (Winter Quarters) in 1846. Here Angeline gave birth to a little daughter, Lola, in 1848 and another daughter, Jane. Both of these little girls died in 1850 and were buried in the Council Bluffs, Iowa, Cemetery. While in Council Bluffs, Ebenezer married as his third wife, Phoebe Wooster Child, a beautiful girl and sister of Polly Ann.

Ebenezer Clawson Richardson and his wife Polly Ann Child were the parents of several children, one of whom was Levi Asa Richardson.  As mentioned previously, he married Polly Erminne Child and they were the parents of Polly Uretta Richardson. She married Asa Newton Allred, [the two of whom are my grandparents].

Alfred Bosworth, was born to Polly Ann and was also buried in Council Bluffs beside little Jane and Lola. In 1849 Phoebe's first baby Amanda Malvina was born, and she felt favored of heaven at being able to keep her. This was to be her only girl, for in due time she became the mother of 10 more children, all boys, and raised all but John.

Polly Ann was the mother of five boys and one girl; she raised four to adulthood. Angeline became the mother of 12 children, raising eight to adulthood.

They arrived in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1850 and settled in Bingham's Fort just north of Ogden, now called Five Points. Polly's history indicates that this was west of Salt Lake. They moved there because of Indian raids. Soon Ebenezer bought a small farm where the Union Depot in Ogden now stands. Times were soon better; their flocks and herds and harvests all increased.

They moved around a great deal, from Ogden to Riverdale, to Ogden Valley and then finally to Plain City. While they lived in Ogden he became a deputy sheriff, and the experience is told that a large company of men entered Ogden without paying the customary toll. Ebenezer, along with Bill Brown, rode out to meet their camp and collected the money.

Shortly after coming to Utah, Ebenezer and Polly Ann went to California in hopes of finding gold and increasing the families’ prosperity.  Ebenezer Clawson, their son, was born while in California.

Early in 1869 the Richardsons moved to Plain City where a home was bought for Angeline.  Nearby, Polly Ann and Phoebe shared the big rock house purchased and remodeled by Ebenezer for his other two wives and children.

Ebenezer played the violin and fiddled for dances. He liked to josh with the young people. He was a large man in stature and had dark, curly hair.

In 1857 Ebenezer was called to go on a mission to South Africa. He helped to convert and baptize the Gilson family to Mormonism while on his mission.  They migrated to Utah and moved to Ogden to live. In due time in 1859, Ebenezer married Elizabeth Gilson, daughter of William Gilson and Charlotte King. The other wives, although close to each other, did not take kindly to his young bride. They felt that they were entitled to all the help he could give them in raising their families. 

Five children were born to Elizabeth, but not being happy with conditions as they were, she took her five children and moved to Oregon to live. 

Because of financial difficulties, Ebenezer returned to the mines in California, and while working there his foot was crushed by a falling rock. When word was received of the accident, Polly Ann and her son Warren went to California by wagon and brought him home. It was a long trip back, and even though they were accompanied by a doctor, blood poisoning set in and he died. Ebenezer lived about a month after returning home, he was 59. Death came on September 27, 1874, in Plain City, Weber County, Utah. He was buried in Ogden Cemetery. He was the father 34 children. 

This next story covers much of the same material, but also adds some important information .  It was written by Ebenezer's grandson, Jack Morgan.

"Prosperity and pleasure of a modern-day Utah seems far from the severe reality of generations past, generations when sagebrush, alkali, hard work and difficult times were not an unfamiliar bill of fare.

Plodding through the ruins [of the old rock house], where once a people shared their lives, or fondling a relic from its storied past, languishing in mystic silence, here we pause momentarily and dwell vicariously as one who knew the real life story.

Those first years in the desert land of Salt Lake Valley and surrounding areas were difficult even to people not unaccustomed to hardships. They located first at Bingham's Fort, west of Salt Lake City, then due to increasing Indian raids, chose to move to Ogden. Ebenezer bought a farm, and for two years they struggled to eke out a living, though their efforts seemed fruitless. Each year found them more impoverished than before.

The California gold rush of 1849 caused no small feeling of unrest and wonderment even among the saints, and many of them were drawn to the gold fields, despite Brigham Young's attempt to sway them. Apparently, the promise of Fortune made its impression on the mind of Ebenezer Richardson also, as he labored in vain to provide for his families, and by 1852 he knew something had to be done.

In Council with the three wives, Polly, Phoebe, and Angeline, it was decided perhaps California gold would give them a new start. It was also decided that Polly and her one son would accompany him while Angeline and her children, who were not old enough to help out on the farm, would remain, along with Phoebe. In Polly's words, "There was quite a company going, we had a pretty hard time getting there."

Historians have since expressed more vividly what Polly meant by "petty hard times." Ahead lay the barren wastelands now nearly depleted of grass and water supplies by those having gone on before. Powdery dust swirled mercilessly  from underfoot and wagon wheels, making breathing arduous. The grassy marshlands of Humboldt Sink offered only temporary relief as Humboldt Desert lay just ahead, then the painful hours that carried them eventually to the waters of the Carson and Truckee River's.

Journals do not record the length of their stay in the gold fields or whether or not they struck it rich, but prosperity seemed, at last, to return with them to Utah. Polly said, "We worked hard and sacrificed a great deal and by 1854, we were getting along pretty well."

The Richardsons continued to prosper until about 1857.  The future looked secure for the first time in 20 years, but it was short lived. In 1857 Ebenezer was called on a mission to South Africa, leaving his three families to fend for themselves. Along with this, the old familiar sequence of events that had driven them from their homes in Missouri and Illinois, now seemed to envelop them once again, and many of the saints were certain they would be driven out by spring of 1858, as they had been so many times before. [By Johnston’s Army]

Soon the dread message came. Brigham Young had sent word for the saints to move quickly to the settlements in the lower part of Utah. This they did, leaving only a few behind to dispose of the settlements, if necessary. Needless to say, suffering people were made to suffer more.

Once again Polly records the following comments: "We were called on to move south when Johnston's army came to Utah. So each of us women with our families had to accept the best we could and go too. We could not take much with us, so of course we suffered more hardships."

Angeline's older boys were to guard the family property in Ogden, or destroy it as the case maybe. Because of the impending crisis at home, Pres. Brigham Young called all the missionaries back to Utah. When Ebenezer arrived late in 1858 the  crisis had been settled and his families had returned to their homes at Alton. [Plain City]

The next 10 years brought prosperity, during which time they moved several times settling in 1869 in Plain City, west of Ogden. Here Ebenezer built a home for Angeline and her family. About 4 miles away, he built [bought] a large stone house for Polly, Phoebe, and their families.  These three families enjoyed a warm mutual love and regard for each other, always associating together in a pleasant and friendly way.

Here, years of prosperity were enjoyed, until one evening, someone set fire to the shocks of grain and all the machinery. Ebenezer, seeing the blaze from Angeline's house, hurried to put out the flames, but to no avail. The loss of crops and machinery meant little means were left to replace equipment or repay mortgages. 

Once again, Ebenezer turned his eyes toward California with hopes of another start. After having worked [in the mines] there nearly a year he suffered a severe injury. having been struck by falling rocks which crushed his ankle, causing blood poisoning.

Upon receiving word, Polly and her son, Warren, took a team and wagon and left immediately to bring him home.  Such an undertaking by a woman and her child with its inherent hardships and perils defy imagination; 1000 miles of uncertainty, coupled with anxious concern for the condition of her beloved husband.

Ebenezer was near death when Polly arrived, but his wish was to return to Utah to be among the saints. Polly immediately enlisted the aid of a doctor and began the thousand mile trip home, arriving in late summer of 1874. On September 27, shortly after their arrival in plain city, Ebenezer Richardson passed away. 

           The Stone House referred to in the stories. Grandma Allred lived here as a child

   

Following his death Polly and her sister Phoebe remained in the stone house with their children for about 10 years. One of Phoebe's granddaughters said the Richardsons had one of the finest apple orchards in the country. The income from this, plus monetary aid from their sons, meant they could live in comparative ease.

In August 1884, Levi, the fifth of six children born to Ebenezer and Polly Richardson, was married to Polly Erminne Child. Shortly thereafter his mother, Polly Ann, sold her share of the stone house to Phoebe and went to live with her children [Levi and Polly Erminne Richardson, my great grandparents] for the remaining years of her life. On January 19, 1905, Polly Ann Child Richardson died of natural causes at the age of 84, a saint, a lady, a representative of the courageous breed of pioneers. Ebenezer mand Polly Ann were my great grandparents.  Levi was my grandfather" 

[They were my great, great grandparents.  There son Levi, who passed away September 19, 1943, was my great grandfather] 

Polly Ann lived with my great grandparents for many years before her death. My grandmother. as a child, would often sit enraptured by her stories of the early events in church history. She would tell of the hardships of being driven from place to place, of the constant persecution, of the near death and miraculous recovery of her husband after having been shot by the mob, of being driven from Nauvoo and watching the temple burn as they crossed the ice-covered Mississippi River.  

She would tell of the love she had for Joseph Smith, of his greatness as a leader, and of his kindness and gentleness as a man.  Her testimony was always of the truthfulness of Joseph’s first vision, of the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, and of the truthfulness of the restoration of church in these last days.

She would speak of the Prophet Joseph Smith with tears in her eyes, of the sorrow she felt when Joseph was martyred, of the miracle she witnessed when Joseph’s mantle fell upon Brigham Young.  She testified that when the public discussion of who would replace Joseph as the prophet and new leader of the church took place, Brigham stood to speak, and his visage and his voice took on the aspect of Joseph himself.

Grandma was captivated by Polly’s stories, even as I was with hers.  Her testimony came largely from the testimony of her grandmother, even as mine did from the testimony of my grandmother.  She knew her grandmother could not lie, and I knew that mine would not, could not lie either.  I have always known Joseph Smith was the prophet of the restoration, that the Book of Mormon was true, that Jesus was and is the Christ – the Savior of the world.  I of course came to know these things more surely as I grew older and received the more sure witness from the spirit myself.  But how grateful I will always be for the testimonies of these great women in my ancestral line.

And I pass this on to my descendants in the hopes they will feel the same.

For a more full account of the lives of our Allred ancestors, see the Asa Newton Allred Book by Willard and Gene Mounteer.  

As an addendum, I would like to add a sad comment.  Gene Brady who rented us a small bus and drove most of our family on this outing died just before Christmas.  He and his bus added much entertainment to the trip.  He will be missed.