Sunday, July 20, 2014

Ancestor Conversion Stories: Sarah Goode Marshall

History of Sarah Goode Marshall
Sarah Goode Marshall is my Grandpa Gregory's great grandmother. There is some confusion as to whether her husband, Thomas George Marshall, ever joined the church. His record in FamilySearch shows that he was baptized during his lifetime, but the accounts of Sarah's life, as you will see below, indicate that he was very hostile to the church.
This was contributed to the LDS FamilySearch web site by Selena Gregory. I could not figure out who wrote it in the first place, it appears to be one of Sarah's Grandchildren.
Sarah (Goode) Marshall was the daughter of George Goode and Selena Mary Ann Holder. She was born 4 March 1822 (or 2 March 1821) at Abenhall, Gloustershire, England. While in her youth she learned the art of making kid gloves. Being deprived of scholastic education she always worked hard. Many times I've heard her say, "Idleness is the devil's workshop." However, she became a great reader of the Bible and often remarked, "There is more in the Bible than the ministers understand."

Sarah Goode  was married to Thomas Marshall 7 May 1843. During this early part of their married life they lived comfortably and happy until she became interested in the Gospel. 

She heard the Gospel in her native land and often walked twenty miles (with her babe in her arms) to hear the Elders preach. This caused confusion in the home, as her husband opposed her bitterly, and would sometimes follow her to the meeting to cause a scene and disturbance. But she was always impressed by the sweet prompting's of the spirit. "Sarah, you had better go. Tom is coming." She would leave the meeting immediately, but often took a severe whipping from her husband before reaching home.
Thus she became a victim of persecution and continued to live under those conditions until the death of her husband, which was in the summer of 1854, leaving her with six small children and penniless. I have often heard my Grandmother say, "I was so anxious to come to Zion that in my prayers I would ask my Heavenly Father to remove the stumbling blocks from my pathway." She often remarked, "Little did I think he would remove them by the death of my husband. I was hopeful that he would embrace the Gospel with me."
Her dreams of coming to Zion seemed utterly impossible, but she sought Divine help in this great undertaking, and worked very hard to save means for migration. During the day she worked as a "lady's maid" and at night she made gloves, and in two years she had saved enough to realize the desires of her heart. She had many friends as she always lived an honest life and was well respected by all. The night before leaving her native land, Grandmother's relatives and close friends had planned a party to show their respect for her. Some of the presiding Elders of the British Mission were invited guests at this party. Unfortunately, the spirit of discouragement spread like contagion among the members who were assembled. They began to gather around her and using their powers of persuasion in every way tried to get her not to leave, telling her she would lose her children and probably her own life on the way. One of the Elders overheard the discouraging remarks. He arose to his feet and by the power of God, raising his hands above her head he exclaimed: "I WILL PROMISE SISTER MARSHALL IN THE NAME OF ISRAEL'S GOD THAT SHE SHALL GO TO ZION AND SHALL NOT LOSE ONE OF HER CHILDREN BY THE WAY."
The following day, Saturday, 19 April 1856, my Grandmother Marshall with her little family boarded the ship "Samuel Curling" and sailed from Liverpool, England, under the direction of Dan Jones. They arrived in Boston 23 May, being on the water about five weeks. From there, they went by rail to Iowa City where preparations were under way for the long journey across the plains. This was the first handcart company formed, with Edmund Ellsworth as Captain. Grandmother procured a handcart and asked the captain if she could join with his company in crossing the plains. The company was large, and this was the first attempt in crossing the plains with handcarts. He answered, "Sister Marshall, it would be unreasonable for you to expect such a thing. You are a widow, with six small children. You would only be a hinderance to the company." Her answer was, "Well, Captain Ellsworth, I'm going and I'll beat you there.
After three months and seventeen days of trying hardships; enduring hunger, thirst, and fatigue and after ceaseless toil, pulling her handcart the entire distance, the end of their journey was at hand. The night before entering the valley, Grandmother asked the captain if she could arise early the next morning and start out ahead of the company as this would be their last day of travel. Permission was granted, and very early the next morning she with her little brood started out. After traveling some distance and being out of sight of the company, she discovered some men on horseback coming in their direction. As they came nearer they started yelling. Thinking them to be Indians, Grandmother gathered her frightened children about her. The horsemen, seeing her terror, stopped their noise, and rode quietly down to where she was. They were scouts sent out from Salt Lake to meet the Saints as the settlers in the valley had been anxiously waiting for the arrival of this company. These men assisted Grandmother, by taking her children on their horses to the settlement, hereby leaving her free to pull the cart. She and her children were the first of this company to arrive in Salt Lake, thus her statement to captain Ellsworth became a prophecy. "I'm going and I'm going to beat you there."
The tediousness of the journey ahead--the trails and hardships she would encounter--had not dawned upon Grandmother when she left Iowa City. Food was rationed out to them; only two ounces of flour were allowed for each member of the family a day to exist on, and at night they took turns in using the "bake ovens." One night members of the company had retired and Grandmother was no doubt very lonely, listening to the strange cries of the prowling beasts and birds while preparing her rations for the next day's journey. It was about eleven o'clock, when a young man came to her and said, "Will you please give me something to eat? I am starving to death." Knowing she was taking the food from her children, she shared what she had with him. I have heard my Grandmother say, "I have thanked the Lord many times that I shared my food with this young man, for he was found dead in his bed the next morning and should I not have done so my conscience would have condemned me the rest of my days."
I have listened with intense interest as Grandmother related her many various experiences while crossing the plains. After making camp one night, Grandmother was horrified when she discovered her little girl (Tryphena) was missing. The child was only eight years of age. Immediately she reported the situation to Captain Ellsworth and said, "I cannot rest until my child is found." At once he asked for volunteers to go back in search of the missing child. Grandmother with some of the brethren started out. After going back some distance they were forced to return to the company because of hungry wolves which were circling around them. Poor Grandmother, hungry and tired, had traveled late into the night until they came to water. What was she to do? Take a chance on her life, or return to camp worried and frantic? Approaching the camp they heard shouts, and to their great joy they found everybody rejoicing because the little girl was safe in camp.
She said, "I walked along with a man all afternoon. He sat down by the wayside to rest. He laid over on his elbow resting his head on his hand and went to sleep. I sat down by him and after resting for a while, I was afraid I would loose sight of the company, and I started out alone. Dark came on and I found that I was lost. Finally I saw a fire and walked toward it. As I came near it, I was afraid it was Indians and I crawled along on my hands and knees so they would not see me, and when I was sure it was our company, I raised to my feet and came in." The next morning some of the men went back in search of the man, and found him resting as Tryphena had said but he had passed away. They dug a grave and buried him at his place of resting. This man was an Italian and could not speak English; consequently, he and the child had no conversation.
Several days after her arrival in Salt Lake, Grandmother was washing and meditating on the hazardous journey crossing the plains and her words to Captain Ellsworth came to her. It was then she realized her statement of prophecy.
She was not in want for the necessities of life as long as her family remained in the fort, for their meals were cooked and brought to them. Her next home was in Ogden, where she lived for some time at the home of William Wasliegh. She was acquainted with him in her native land. Later she met Joseph Chadwick, a widower, and married him. They were among the first settlers in Franklin, Idaho. Two sons were born to this union, William and Charles Frederick.
Grandmother endured many trials and hardships, as did all the pioneers as the Indians caused them much trouble, and Mr. Chadwick was anything but a kind husband to her. Their next home was at Dayton, Idaho where they built up a small mercantile business in which they prospered until Mr. Chadwick's death in the year 1876. Grandmother was very ill at the time of her husband's death and suffered a big financial loss. Her stepchildren took the merchandise from the little business establishment and she was left again in strained circumstances. One of her friends said, "Oh sister Chadwick why do you let them rob you?" She replied, "The Lord says 'Vengeance is mine, I will repay." His answer was, "Oh Sister Chadwick, the Lord is so slow."
On the night of February 23, 1865, Grandmother awoke from her sleep startled with howling and barking of dogs. She hastened out into the darkness of the night. As she listened she distinctly heard cries for help. Rushing into the house, she went to her husband's room and found him sleeping. She woke him immediately and asked him to make an investigation; that she had heard someone calling for help and that they were in distress. But he consoled himself by telling her to go back to bed that it was only wolves howling. The following morning, teams were sent out to break road between Franklin and Oxford the snow being deep because of a fierce blizzard and the men discovered the frozen bodies of my Uncle John Boice, Jr. and my great Uncle George Barzee.
After the crops were harvested the farmers gave Grandmother permission to glean in their fields, and for days she with her children gathered the scattered heads of grain. In this way they secured flour. Truly she earned her "Bread by the sweat of her brow." Returning home one evening, tired and hungry, she discovered the axe had been stolen. Having great faith in prayer, she took the matter up with the Lord and asked that she might find the missing implement. A few days later, she with a neighbor lady, were on their way to the river with their water pails which was a distance of a half mile. We would think it terrible if we had to carry water that distance these days. As they were going down a dugway, a prompting told Grandmother to dig in the earth at the side of the road, but she paid no attention to it until she was prompted the third time. She then excused herself, told the woman she must go back, and in removing the surface, she discovered her axe under a few inches of earth.
Another time, after returning from her work, someone had stolen some buckskins which she kept on the cord under her straw tick. She intended to make her boy a buckskin suit for winter. This was such a disappointment to her that she asked the Lord to cause that the party who had taken her buckskins could not rest until they were returned. The next morning when she went to the shed to milk her cows, she discovered the buckskins stuffed between the willows underneath the shed. She had very good reasons for believing who this guilty party was.
While in the fields one day the Indians ransacked her home and after helping themselves to what they could find they left the house and when Grandmother returned in the evening, she found everything turned topsy-turvy. There were so many Indian depredations in those days that a person was subject to an assault at any time especially if they were alone; thus it was customary for several to be together at all times. One late fall Grandmother had prepared everything so she could be ready to take her grain to the grist mill on short notice. Early one morning she saw some men, with sacks of grain on running gears, a wagon without a box; boards being used instead, headed for the grist mill. Desiring to follow close behind them, Grandmother with the help of the children was soon ready for the trip. As the men were passing near her home, and fearing that she was trying to get ahead of them, they began lashing their oxen. In the excitement a sack of wheat slipped off their wagon. Grandmother began calling to them, but they hurried right along and pretended they did not hear her. Finally they came to a dugway. The oxen became stubborn and ran into the willows at the foot of the hill, and while the men were trying to get them back on the road Grandmother came along. Her oxen went steadily up the grade. Thus her opponents became excited, and two of them ran up the hill with clubs in hand and began to beat the heads of the oxen. The man at the flour mill was on the "mill-race" and saw what was going on. When Grandmother drove up with her ox team he took a sack of wheat from her wagon and said, "I have seen horse racing, but that is the first ox team race I ever saw. Those men ought to be ashamed of themselves for treating a widow in such a manner."
Grandma took up mid-wifery and has brought many souls into the world. She was surrounded with a comforting influence which gave courage and hope to suffering humanity in the hour of distress. She would never allow anybody to say anything about her religion or nationality. She always put her trust in her Heavenly Father, as she was a firm believer in prayer. She suffered many trials that no doubt account for her exceeding faith. Grandmother reached her desired haven here on earth and no doubt rich blessings await her in eternity. She left a numerous posterity to mourn her departure. She was laid to rest in Franklin, Idaho, having died in Dayton, Idaho, April 26, 1904 or 1905.


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