Brittany Chapman Nash - Fearless in the Cause

2016 Brittany Chapman Nash and Richard E. Turley Jr.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means without permission in writing from the publisher, Deseret Book Company, at permissions@deseretbook.com or P. O. Box 30178, Salt Lake City, Utah 84130. This work is not an official publication of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The views expressed herein are the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church or of Deseret Book Company.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Nash, Brittany Chapman, editor. | Turley, Richard E., Jr., 1956 editor.

Title: Fearless in the cause: remarkable stories from women in Church history / edited by Brittany Chapman Nash and Richard E. Turley Jr.

Description: Salt Lake City, Utah : Deseret Book, [2016] | ?2016 |

Selections from Women of faith in the latter days, edited by Richard E. Turley Jr. and Brittany A. Chapman (Salt Lake City : Deseret Book, 20112014). | Includes bibliographical references and index.

Identifiers: LCCN 2015038542 | ISBN 9781629720241 (hardbound : alk. paper)

Subjects: LCSH: Mormon womenBiography. | The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day SaintsBiography. | LCGFT: Biographies.

Classification: LCC BX8693 .S76 2016 | DDC 289.3092/52dc23

LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015038542

Printed in the United States of America

RR Donnelley, Crawfordsville, IN

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Cover design and photo illustration by Shauna Gibby. Images from iStock.com. Book design 2016 Deseret Book Company.

Related Works

Women of Faith in the Latter Days

Volume One, 17751820

Volume Two, 18211845

Volume Three, 18461870

For Peter

BCN

For Shirley

RET

A Note to the Reader

This volume of stories contains highlights from the first three volumes of Women of Faith in the Latter Days, works that tell the stories of women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though their experiences vary, these women are united in their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ and their commitment to it. The projected seven-volume series begins with some of the earliest Latter-day Saint women and will culminate in the stories of living women around the globe.

The volumes of Women of Faith in the Latter Days are organized by birth year of the women whose stories are included. The women in the first volume were born before or in 1820, the first generation of Mormon women. Many lived through the persecution of the Kirtland, Missouri, and Nauvoo eras, and their memoirs are stirring and humbling, filled with the fiery faith of those discovering a new religion just gaining a foothold in the world.

The women whose stories are told in volume 2 (18211845) may have seen those early scenes of persecution as children or adolescents; many were converts from the British Isles, Scandinavia, and Australia. They accepted the principle of the gathering with courage, crossing the plains and settling the desert lands of North Americas Intermountain West.

The women of volume 3 (18461870) include second-generation Saints who were born to Latter-day Saint parents and raised in Mormon settlements that stretched from Canada to Mexico. Converts also hailed from farther-flung regions of the world. The women in this volume began to extend themselves in a wider sphere of service and advocated for womens rights, greater opportunities in education, and such political causes as womens suffrage. They joined hands with national and international womens leaders, including Susan B. Anthony.

Each chapter, both in this volume and in the main volumes of the series, is written by a different author. We cast a net far and wide to solicit chapters and invited anyone to submit a chapter (and still do for upcoming volumes). Some of the authors are professional historians; others have never been previously published. All have dug through a kaleidoscope of sources to enrich their narratives; records come from journals, reminiscences, autobiographies, correspondence, memoirs, and oral history interviews. We and the authors have been sticklers for acquiring original records where possible in order to ensure faithful accuracy to the stories of the women featured. Where possible, we have tried to reflect each womans own voice because no one can tell her story as well as she can.

In all three volumes are women we love as friends and view with awe. They have tutored us with the wisdom of yearswisdom often gained at a priceand they have enlarged our hearts and strengthened our faith. Through these women, we understand a bit more the convictions that fueled their sense of purpose amidst trial and the joys and testimonies that kept them true to the faith. We hope you enjoy learning more about the women upon whose shoulders we stand, who consecrated all, and who have reached beyond what they could see.

A Borrowed Mirror

Susanah Stone Lloyd

Susanah Stone was born on Christmas Eve 1830 in Bristol, England. When she was eighteen years old, she became the first of her family to join the Church, followed a few months later by her younger sister, Sarah, and later still, her mother. Contrary to her parents wishes, however, Susanah desired to gather with the Saints. She gained employment with a man who was generous with her wages, and she was able to save enough to pay for the journey. In May 1856, at age twenty-five, Susanah left Liverpool, England, with a group of Saints aboard the ship Thornton bound for New York. The party was directed by Captain James Willie.

The Willie and Martin handcart companies faced more adversity from weather and death than did any other Latter-day Saint companies during the pioneer migration west. As the only member of her family in the Willie company, Susanah found support from devoted friends on the trail. The single women traveled together, pulling their handcarts during the day and sharing two tents at night. They did all they could to aid and encourage each other.