Sarah Beriah Fiske Allen Ricks
I was born in the town of Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, on the first day of September 1819. I was the sixth child of Varnum and Sarah Emes Fiske. My parents emigrated from New Hampshire in the year 1817 to New York State. Their knowledge of their ancestors was very limited. The name of my Grandfather on my Father's side was Daniel Fiske and on my Mother’s was Alexander Emes. Both served in the Revolutionary War, and received pensions for their services.
My parents never united with any church but were liberal in their religious views as to the universal salvation of mankind. Consequently they allowed their children to attend the services of any denomination they chose.
At an early age I became a lover of books and spent much of my time in reading the scriptures and other religious books and meditating upon the things of God. I desire greatly that the course of my life might be pure, that I might have a right to the tree of life and enter in through the gate to the holy city.
While remaining in my Father's house as a school girl the news came to our village that a young man in the Southwestern part of the state had de-clared that he had had the visitation of an angel and that he had found a book or a "golden bible." Some time after that my Father had occasion to go on business to the city of Ogdenburg. When he returned I heard him tell my Mother that he had seen the Golden Bible and in answer to her inquiries he told her it purported to be a history of the ancient inhabitants of this continent, and that he had found it lying upon the table of the hotel.
As time passed on I sometimes found an article in the newspapers head-ed "The Mormon War." I suppose it was when our people were passing through the persecutions of Missouri.
In 1837 I became acquainted with a young man from the town of Madrid by the name of Ezra H. Allen. He was a person of good character. On December 25, 1837 I was married to him and removed with him to his home in Madrid.
A few years passed and my own dear mother, and mother-in-law Sally Powers Allen had been lain in the silent tomb. We received their parting coun-sel and mourned for them as do those without the consolation of the gospel.
Two beautiful little girls, Cynthia Amoretta Allen and Jerusha Elvira Allen, had been born to us to bless our home with their presence and we were comforted.
About this time word was brought to us that Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had given out an appointment for a meeting to be held in the district school house in our neighborhood. I at once made up my mind to attend the meeting and hear what they had to say about the angel and the “golden bible.”
At the time appointed, accompanied by my husband, we proceeded to the schoolhouse with some anxiety. After the opening a quiet and unassuming man arose and said he had not come to preach any new doctrine; but that the doctrine was old, the same that Jesus and His apostles taught when He was upon the earth. I felt that his remarks were very reasonable and well sustained by quotations from the scriptures. My friends asked me what I thought of the preaching. I replied that I had heard nothing that I could condemn. They said they thought I would become a Latter-day Saint. I replied, "I cannot condemn the scriptures." I learned soon after that the Elder was our esteemed Brother William Snow.
A few more months passed away. Late in the autumn the health of my younger child began to decline. Medical aid seemed of no avail. I watched her tender form slowly, gradually, fade away with all the anxiety of a fond mother's heart.
One day, as I was quietly sitting at my work, a rap came at my door. Upon opening it, I met one of my husband's brothers and his wife. They were accompanied by two gentlemen who were strangers but were introduced to me as Elder Christopher Merkley and Elder Murrey Symmonds, two Elders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who had come into the neighborhood to fill an appointment which had previously been given out. I immediately put away my work and prepared supper and made myself ready to accompany them to the meeting. After the meeting a short time passed in pleasant conversation and they returned home. After this visit other visits were made and books were introduced into the house. We were also allo-wed the privilege of asking questions pertaining to their faith and the seed that was then sown in our hearts began to manifest itself. My husband and two of his brothers soon offered themselves for baptism. As for myself, I sought the silent recesses of my chamber and poured out my soul to the Lord. Earnestly I besought Him not to suffer me in my weakness to reject the truth; but if the doctrines I had heard were from Him, and were principles of life and salvation, that I might receive them. My mind was continually occupied in meditation, pray-er and reading. The time now came that was appointed for my husband and his brother to receive the ordinance of baptism, 27 June 1842. I did not accompany them to the water but remained at home with my sick infant. They were baptized and returned to the house for confirmation. After receiving this ordinance my husband requested the Elders to administer to our sick child to which they attended. My soul was now filled to overflowing. I had spent all my days in a Christian land and had never witnessed the ordinances of the gospel performed until now. And yet it was plainly written in the scriptures and practiced in the days of Jesus and his apostles. How earnestly I wished that I could be where no human ear could hear the sound of my voice that I might shout, "Glory to God in the highest, Hallelujah to God and the Lamb." I had never heard a Latter-day Saint shout, and I had not been very charitable toward the Methodist shouting, so I closed my lips and pondered over those things in my heart. Our infant was blessed but not healed. Our Heav-enly Father had decreed it to be otherwise and its blessed spirit was freed from its mortal tabernacle. The infant Jerusha Elvira died on 18 August 1842.
We now began to receive the spirit of gathering. Our home seemed lonely without our darling babe and we constantly longed for the society of the Saints and to hear the Prophet's voice. So we began in earnest to pre-pare to emigrate to Nauvoo. Our homestead was sold, our team fitted up, our friends and kindred visited and in two weeks we were ready to start upon our journey. I shall never forget the sorrowful tears I shed when I passed the grave of my darling child.
Our faces were now set as flint Zion-ward and our God had opened our way. On account of the lateness of the season our journey was long and tedious. We arrived in the city of Nauvoo early in the winter of 1842 in good health. We hired a small house and began active life that we might accumu-late the necessaries of life and be prepared for any changing scene that await-ed us.
Early in the spring of 1843 an effort was being made to make a settle-ment at a place called Shocoquan about 25 miles up the Mississippi River. Brother Amasa Lyman presiding. My husband concluded to remove there. It was a beautiful location, I was delighted with the scenery. The majestic river rolled in all its beauty and grandeur a few steps from my door and the wild flowers greeted me at every step as I passed. We found the climate damp and unhealthful. It was not my good fortune long to walk on beds of flowers or re-joice in the beauties of nature.
In April we returned to Nauvoo and were present at the general confer-ence which was held on the 6th of April inside the walls of the temple. This was the first time that we had the privilege of seeing the Prophet Joseph Smith and hearing him preach. We had a time of rejoicing with the Saints and re-turned to our homes in good health. In May I was baptized by Amasa Lyman and confirmed a member of the church. Meetings were held in the branch and the spirit of the Lord attended, causing our hearts to rejoice.
About this time in 1843, one evening after the sun had set, we observed in the northwestern sky a white cloud in the shape of a huge spear which remained stationary one end being raised higher than the other. It didn't seem to rise or set but appeared in the same position for several evenings then disappeared. I heard one of the Brethren ask Brother Lyman what he thought of it and he replied smiling, “I don't know; I guess it is the fore-end of some runner."
One evening after I retired to rest I had the following dream. I dreamed I was nursing a young eagle. After nursing it for some time it released itself from my hands and flew away to a great distance. After a long time had passed away it returned to my arms and I nursed it again.
On July 21, 1843 our first son was born. We named him Alexander Ham-ilton. When he was a few days old I requested my husband to raise me in bed in a sitting posture, this he did and sitting upon the side of the bed supported me in his arms, our new babe lay upon my lap. As we sat gazing upon its innocent healthy face suddenly three drops of blood came dropping down upon my hand and sleeve, being weak and nervous I was very much frightened; but my husband kind-ly soothed my fears, wiped the blood away and I again became calm. Soon after my husband was seized with chills and fever, and in a few days our little daughter came running into the house shivering from head to foot exclaiming, "Oh, Mama it is cold; it is going to rain," and climbed upon my bed. I covered her up where she lay chilling until a fever came to take place of the chill. In a few days I was attacked with the ague. We were now a family of invalids. It was very difficult to hire a nurse and as difficult to keep one on account of so much sickness so I had to be my own nurse. In the morning my husband would bolster me up in bed, and then after washing me and combing my hair I would then wash and dress my young babe and my little girl. My husband would prepare a little breakfast and then I would lie down and have a spell of ague and fever, which generally lasted about four or five hours until my strength was gone. I was soon not able to turn in bed.
My babe had to be put out to be nursed but was returned in a week or two saying they could not keep it any longer. It was attacked with chills and fever also and from poor nursing it soon wasted away. It would cry and moan while the chill was upon it, then go to sleep while a burning fever preyed upon its tender form. Seldom were its lips moistened with water or its little head bathed with cooling water. Oh, bitter recollections. I over-exerted myself, lost my speech and lay helpless and speechless by its side. He lived until he was eight weeks old then passed from the world of sorrow. And thus my eagle had flown. My husband and little girl a portion of the time were not able to wait upon themselves. A few kind friends came in and prepared my baby for burial, not one of my family being able to accompany it to the grave. I continued to grow weaker, one disease after another setting in, until I fainted and became unconscious. I was be-lieved by all who saw me to be dying. I was told after that I remained in this condition two nights and one day. Suddenly I became conscious, but was too weak to move or speak or open my eyes. There were several per-sons in the house. I heard them say, "Sister Allen is dying." I heard them make remarks on my general character and the esteem they had cher-ished for me. One woman came and whispered in my ear and sent a mess-age to a friend who had passed behind the veil. At length a lady came in and asked how long I had lain in that condition and if they had given me any nourishment. They replied that they had not as I could not take any nourish-ment. She then mixed some wine and water and with a teaspoon put a few drops into my mouth, it ran out again as I had not power to swallow it. She then put the spoon down to the roots of my tongue and got a few drops to run down my throat. I then began to receive a little strength. She continued until I could swallow then I put out my tongue and touched my lips. She then sent for some meat broth and fed me, and thus as an angel of mercy she nursed me back to life. As soon as I recovered so that I could speak in low whisper I requested of my husband as soon as I gained a little more strength, to take me to Nauvoo. I said, "if I live, I wish to live there, or if I die, I wish to be buried there."
Meanwhile one of our Brethren had died, and Brother Lyman had been taken sick and had been taken to Nauvoo, and another Brother died soon after. As soon as it could be arranged I was placed upon a bed and removed to Nauvoo. I was taken to my husband's sister's home. Here I received nurs-ing and the faith and prayers of the Saints and I soon began to recover; but it was not until January that I was able to perform the duties of my household. My husband and little daughter also recovered. In the spring of 1844, I was again attacked with fever so I requested them to take me and baptize me in the river for the restoration of my health. This they did. I was taken home, put into my bed and began immediately to recover and become healthy and strong in body.
In June 1844 the clouds, which had so long been gathering around the heads of the Latter-Day Saints, burst in all their fury and enshrouded in deep gloom the hearts of the Saints. On the 27th of June our beloved Prop-het and patriarch were murdered and Brother John Taylor was seriously wounded in Carthage jail. I will pass hastily over this painful scene as many have written upon the subject. Suffice it to say that many were the bitter tears that were shed upon that occasion, but our faith was in God. He had commenced his work upon the earth and we would not forsake it. We knew God's work would triumph, while those who had committed this horrible crime would eventually be punished. Several of the twelve apostles were absent from home at this time and upon their return the people were counseled to remain calm and to build up the city and finish the temple. In consequence of the sacrifice and loss of property and sickness we had become reduced to very poor circumstances.
On 28 September 1845 our second son was born and we named him Alexander Alma. The work upon the temple had steadily progressed until the winter of 1845 and 1846. Many of the Saints received ordinances in that house. My husband and myself were among the number (date of endowment and sealing 2 February 1846). On account of continued persecutions the church began making preparations to remove west although very few if any knew where that journey would end. My husband, in company with Joel Ricks, took a journey to St. Louis to assist him in bringing his stock to Nauvoo to prepare for the journey. In return he was to have assist-ance in removing his family. All was in readiness my husband taking charge of a large team, we crossed the Mississippi River on April 27, 1846. On account of heavy rains and bad roads our progress was very slow. The com-pany was urged forward until we arrived at Mt. Pisga where we remained for a length of time while the brethren planted some land and put in grain for the immigration that was expected to follow. Then we again continued our journey until we arrived at Council Bluffs. We encamped near a small stream of water at a place called Musketo. There were some in the company who had brought their violins and my husband had been a fifer in the Nauvoo Legion. So at evening, after the company had encamped, they endeavored to cheer the hearts of Saints with their music. While at this place, July 1846, a call was made for 500 of our brethren to enlist in the service of the United States. This company, known as the Mormon Battalion, marched to California. My husband enrolled among the volunteers and immediately prepared to go. After bidding his family and friends farewell he hastened to join his company which left on 16 July 1846. Before leaving my husband made arrangements for me to draw provisions from the store of a trader at a small settlement on the Missouri River but the provisions never reached me. Through his or some misunderstanding it passed into other's hands. The company now prepared to move to a better location and through having received no means I thought it best to remain here. My goods were put into a small shanty, my cow was separated from the stock and the com-pany moved away. After they had been gone a few hours, my cow was determined to follow them and broke through the corral and ran after them. I could not leave my babe and little girl to follow her. Overcome by the desolate situation that confronted me I wept bitterly. I determined to go to a camp some distance for help. There I found a young woman to stay with me. After my return in the evening, judge of my surprise on seeing my cow come walking into camp. The Lord always provides for those who puts trust in him and upon this occasion He was more than kind. After we had retired for the night we were startled by a man's voice calling out "Hello." At first I was afraid to answer but as he continued to call I asked what was wanted. He asked where the company had gone? I replied that a part of them had gone away. After a few more inquir-ies about stray stock he departed. The next morning he came again to our camp and said he was camped in the edge of the timber and asked the privilege of moving his wagon into the yard. I asked if he had a family, he replied that he had. I then told him I thought I would be glad to have their company. I was pleased with the appearance of the mother and children and a friendship sprang up between us that remains to this day. Thus the Lord raised me up friends in the hour of need. I cannot recount all the kindnesses that were shown to me by this woman and her worthy husband. He built me a house and divided his provisions with me and waited until I could in a meager way return their kindness. Meanwhile I exerted myself in every way that I could to provide for my family. When my babe was one year old he was attacked with chills and fever and became seriously ill and continued to grow weaker until I became very anxious about his recovery. I came to the conclusion I would fast and pray for his recovery. The first day he had a slight chill and the second day it was almost unnoticeable, the third day it was gone. Thus through the mercies of God he was restored.
The Omaha Indians were very troublesome, killing stock and stealing everything in their power. This was in the spring of 1847. My cow went into the edge of the timber to find something to eat. The Indians found her there, drove her into the thick woods and killed her to satisfy their hunger. I then gave the calf away to save its life. In the summer of 1847 I taught a school of small children and procured means to buy another cow.
In the spring of 1848 I began to look forward to the return of my husband. The Lord has blessed my efforts to provide for my family and the brethren and sisters had been kind to me. A long journey lay before me and I looked forward to the time when his strong arms would lift these burdens of care from my shoulders. I gathered grapes from the low lands near the river and made wine and prepared such dainties as I could that would please him. At length the news came that a company of Brethren was expected to cross the river at the ferry in a few days. I felt anxious to go to the ferry to meet him, but circum-stances would not permit so I remained at home waiting and watching, listen-ing to the sound of every footstep that approached my door. After several days word was brought to me that some of the brethren had been killed by Indians in California or the Sierra Nevada Mountains. Three men had volunteered to tra-vel in advance of the company to prepare a road, namely, Daniel Barnett, Ezra H. Allen and Henderson Cox and they had been murdered the second night on their camping ground. I learned that a purse containing about $120.00 in gold dust had been found belonging to my husband and it was being brought to me. Thus were my hopes and expectations blasted in a moment. What could I do now but trust in God. I had no relative in the church, two small children, and a journey of a thousand miles before me. For sometime I felt as if I would sink under my burden of grief and anguish of heart. Then I aroused myself and began to meditate on what course to pursue - how to provide for my family and prepare for the journey. I therefore determined to make every effort in my power to accomplish this desirable undertaking and leave the event in the hands of God. In a few days the purse which had been found containing the gold which had belonged to my husband was brought to me. There were marks of blood upon it and it seemed to me as the price of his life.
In 1849 I was summoned to attend the deathbed of my husband's sister. Her husband had gone to Salt Lake. She was conscious to the end and her last words were "I can see that the Lord has not forsaken me." She left two children, I took them home with me and in a few weeks their brother came and took them to his home in Missouri.
Soon after this I was requested to teach school for a few weeks in the absence of the teacher. When I arrived at the boarding school I found a young Mormon of my own faith engaged as a housekeeper. At this time the cholera was prevalent in some of the settlements on the Missouri River. There had been one death nearby, then this young woman was attacked with it. When my school closed at night she sent for me to come to her room. When I entered she requested me to administer to her as there were none of our Brethren there. I laid my hands upon her head and asked God in the name of Jesus to rebuke the disease and preserve her life from the power of the destroyer and restore her to health. She immediately arose, said she was healed, that God had heard our prayers, and she returned to her work. The mistress of the house was aston-ished. We made no explanation but went about our duties.
Upon another occasion Brother Orson Hyde had been editing a paper at Kanesville. I had been there assisting Sister Hyde for a few days. One even-ing after I had retired she came into the room with a candle in her hands. Before leaving she accidentally set fire to a piece of cloth that reached to the curt-ains around my bed where I was sleeping. I awoke very suddenly and found my bed curtains all in flames. I instantly sprang from the bed, snatched the child that was sleeping with me and gave the alarm. My hand, which had been lying above my head, was burned but not seriously. Thus again I felt to thank God for sparing our lives.
In 1851 I exchanged my gold dust for cash and goods reserving enough of the gold to make me a ring, which I still wear. I gathered my little means to-gether and hired me a wagon made. I purchased another cow and a yoke of young cattle and helped to purchase another yoke of cattle. I procured my provisions for the journey and I took a young man and his wife into my wagon, he acting as teamster, and in company with many of my Brethren and Sisters in the spring of 1852 started for Salt Lake City.
I will hastily pass over the incidents of the journey as many have written upon it. Suffice it to say, our teams became weakened, our loads were heavy, and our progress slow. The cholera attended the camp for several hund-red miles, one woman dying. We arrived in Salt Lake City September 14, 1852 in good health.
On our journey west we had many exciting and terrifying experiences, as well as many happy, hopeful hours in anticipation of a peaceful home in the valleys of the mountains. When I arrived in Salt Lake with all I had in the world, I had no place to go but I had learned that the Lord always provides for those who put their trust in Him. One of the brethren had just completed a new stable that had never been used, and I and my family and belongings were priv-ileged to take possession. This was our first home in Utah. I obtained work where I could and helped again with teaching school, and the Lord blessed my efforts and the people were kind to each other in those days. We did many things. I was considered an expert spinner of yarn and helped to make many yards of cloth, also carpets. My first home was lighted with a grease rag until we were able to make tallow candles, which we thought were wonderful. I went many days to the hills to dig sego bulbs to help provide food for myself and little ones.
Compiler’s note:
This ends the story of the life of Sarah Beriah Fiske Allen Ricks as copied from her own hand-written journal which has been handed down through the generations. Her daughter, Ellen Jane Ricks Nibley, has written the remainder of her life story. She lived about 40 more years, with many experiences. I would like to include this last part of her history as written by her daughter so as to complete her autobiography.
After arriving in Salt Lake she met Joel Ricks, whom she had known in 1846 when she and her husband Ezra Allen traveled west in the same company. He had been in the Salt Lake Valley 4 years. Hearing of her husband's death he proffered his aid. He provided a home for her in Centerville and on October 26, 1852 they were married. In the following July 1853 a son was born to them whom they named Ezra Varnum.
Soon after this my father, Joel Ricks, engaged in the tanning business in Farmington, Davis County, and removed Mother there in 1855. Their home being one of the first adobe homes built in that place. It was during this year that they passed through the famine period caused by the grasshoppers and crickets. Just at a time when all the produce was about to be destroyed, thous-ands of gulls came from over the lake, pounced down upon them, and destroyed them, enough being saved to sustain life until another year.
On Sunday March 30, 1856 a second daughter was born, whom they named Ellen Jane Ricks.
In 1856-57 our people were so grossly misrepresented in the east as being disloyal to the government, that in the spring of 1858 the territory was threatened with invasions by the United States army. The suffering of former persecutions in Illinois and Missouri was still fresh in the minds of the people and rather than submit to further trouble the people decided to again leave their hard earned homes and trust to the mercy of hostile Indians rather than to that of civilized humanity. Hurriedly gathering together what they could and just as the Johnson army entered the Salt Lake Valley the people were moving southward. The new governor Cummings urged them remain and promised them protection. At this time Father’s family moved as far south as Cherry Creek, near Lehi, where he remained six weeks. Upon receiving the word from President Young to return, the people gladly returned to their homes. The government was finally convinced that the episode was a mistake.
My father's family returned to Farmington early in July and on the 21st day of the same month a son Joel was born.
In June 1859 my father, in company with two other men, visited Cache Valley 73 miles north with a view to obtain land for farming and stock raising. Being im-pressed by the beauty of the valley and its natural resources, he at once determined to remove there. At this time not a house was standing in the valley. Returning to Farmington we immediately prepared to move. At this time there were many hostile Indians in the valley and the greatest care had to be taken to avoid trouble with them. There were also in the mountains nearby bears, lions, wolves, and other wild animals, from which we had to protect ourselves and the domestic an-imals, especially the sheep.
Through kindness to the Indians and following the injunction of Brigham Young, "Better to feed them than to fight them", they learned soon to regard us as their friends.
We settled in Logan where my father engaged in farming and cattle raising for several years. Until a home could be built, we lived in the open in sort of a bowery, sleeping in the wagon box, passing through varied experiences that only pioneers know of. My father (Joel Ricks) built the stone house where we began to enjoy some of the necessities of life, and to us they were luxuries. The stone house still stands as it was built on what is now Main Street. Business houses have been built around it, but it is a part of one of them.
In this new valley we had to learn to be self-sustaining. There were no resources nearer than the Missouri River. Our mothers (Eleanor Martin Ricks and Sarah Beriah Allen Ricks, the wives of Joel Ricks) washed, carded, and spun the wool, then wove it into cloth, which served for both summer and winter wear and supplied bedding. The flax was made into cloth and supplied us with table linen and underwear. Braid was made from straw and sewn into hats. Mother was an expert at this and Father with crude tools made her a block to press them on. In the winter time we wore hoods made from the woolen cloth and men and boys wore caps made from the same material. Thus necessity was the mother of invention and we learned to devise and economize under those trying circumstances.
My Father built a tannery in Logan and worked at the tanning business for some years, which supplied leather for shoes, which were made by some of our neighbors who learned the trade in their native country. Saw mills and flour mills were built. What we lacked in machinery, men were dispatched to the Missouri River to procure. We raised sugar cane, from which molasses and brown sugar was made. Orchards were set out, grain fields planted, but on account of late and early frosts very few apples and no peaches were raised. It was impossible to raise corn for several years. There were many discour-agements in those early days, such as drought - until we learned the art of irri-gation, in the winter frozen up grist mills, scarcity of flour, etc, but so gen-erous were those who had a quantity in store that all shared alike and none suffered. My Father owned a farm on the banks of the Logan River and kept a ferry boat and later built a bridge which he presented to the county. He was treasurer for Cache County for more than 30 years.
On December 25, 1859 Mother’s eldest daughter Ammeretta by her first husband was married to Lewis Ricks the son of Joel Ricks by his first marriage.
On October 24, 1860 a little daughter was born to mother; she named her Adelia. She lived to be three years and one month old; she died on Nov-ember 22, 1863.
On October 28, 1862 Mother's tenth child was born; she was named Esther Adaline. When the babe was two years old Mother was attacked with inflammatory rheumatism and suffered greatly through the entire winter keep-ing to her bed during that time. The following summer she was able to pay a visit to my Sister Amorette in Paris, Idaho, remaining several months.
In 1865 Father built a large comfortable house, and she moved into it in the spring of 1866. This was a delightful change from the log cabin of three rooms that had sheltered them in the past with but the bare necessities of life. From this time on her life changed, her health was fairly good and her labors were less arduous. She gathered about her the comforts of life. Her sons and daughters were growing up around her and indeed life seemed to have put on a new phase to her, but alas trials presented themselves in various forms and a new and severe one was in store for her in the loss of her daughter Sarah Beriah. She had almost reached her fifteenth year. She was a tender loving girl, gentle in disposition and a great comfort to Mother. She died of typhoid fever December 9, 1869. It was a long time before Mother regained herself from this shock but she finally reconciled herself to the will of God as she felt it to be.
In May 1870 she identified herself with an organization known as the "Female Relief Society" and was chosen as its secretary.
May 1, 1872 she went east to pay a visit to her relatives, residing in Ottowa County, Michigan. She had three brothers still living who were most anxious that she should visit them, her two sisters having both died a short time previously. Thirty years had passed since they had parted and still they were not reconciled to the course she had chosen to pursue and the faith she had espoused. She spent two months visiting with them. Her manner and influence while among them called forth such expressions as these, "Sallie, you are a true Christian; your every day walk and conversation tell me so."
On January 7, 1874 Mother’s eldest daughter Amorette died, leaving an infant babe five days old and six other children. This was indeed a severe blow, falling doubly hard on Mother. She assumed the entire care of the babe and spent much of her time in providing for the needs of the other child-ren. The babe died of cholera infantum when eight months old. (Amorette's husband Lewis Ricks died in Paris, Idaho, 2 January 1894.)
On May 18, 1874 Mother was chosen as president of the First Ward Re-lief Society and the following ten years of her life were spent in visiting the sick, caring for the needs of the poor, and comforting those who were in sorrow. Oftentimes her ambition to do good exceeded her strength. She made many warm friends during these years, and was commended for her acts of charity by many for years after her death.
About 1885 her health began to fail; Father also was feeble. She resign-ed as President of the Relief Society and buried herself in light home work. Her eyesight was unusually good for one her age and she read considerable, until her memory began to fail. She was conscientious and devout in her religion and a faithful church member. Naturally she was not a public-spirited woman but was modest and retiring aside from where duty called her. She possessed a fine spiritual nature. She was a Latter-Day Saint heart and soul, and was blessed with great faith sufficient oftentimes for the restoration of the sick. She was also prophetic to a degree and her many promises to others were fulfilled. In April 1890 her health failed and from this time on she never regained it. During the last few months of her life, her mind seemed occupied over the salvation of her dead relatives and she often made the request that that work be attended to after her death. She lingered until June 12, 1891 then passed to her rest, after a well-spent life.
GENEALOGICAL DATA
Sarah Beriah Fiske, born 1 Sept. 1819 Potsdam, St. Lawrence County, New York, daughter of Varnum and Sarah Eames Fiske; died 12 Jan. 1891 at Logan, Utah.
(1) Married Ezra Hela Allen 25 Dec. 1837 at Madrid, St. Lawrence County, New York; died 27 June 1848 Sierra Nevada Mountains, Nevada.
Children:
Cynthia Amoretta Allen, born 19 April 1839 Madrid, New York; died 6 Jan. 1874 at Logan, Utah; married Lewis Ricks 25 Dec. 1859.
Jerusha Elvira Allen, born 23 Nov. 1841 Madrid, New York; died 1842.
Alexander Hamilton Allen, born 21 July, 1843 Shocoquan, Illinois; died Sept. 1843 at Shocoquan, Illinois.
Alexander Alma Allen, born 28 Sept. 1845 Nauvoo, Illinois; died 31 July 1916; married Maria Eleanor Cowley 5 April, 1869.
(2) Sarah Beriah Fiske Allen married Joel Ricks 26 Oct. 1852 at Salt Lake City, Utah. He was born 18 Feb. 1804 at Donaldson, Trigg County, Kentucky; he died 15 Dec. 1888 at Logan, Utah.
Children:
Ezra Varnum Ricks, born 13 July 1853 Centerville, Davis County, Utah; died 30 Jan. 1933; married:
(1) Julia Lois Clark on 24 Oct. 1888; she died August 1889.
(2) Mrs. Flavilla Leavitt Adams Smith on 18 Mar. 1891; she died 10 June 1938.
Sarah Beriah Ricks, born 17 Jan. 1855 at Farmington, Utah; died 9 Dec. 1869.
Ellen Jane Ricks, born 30 Mar. 1856 at Farmington, Utah; died 1 Feb. 1935; married Charles Wilson Nibley 30 Mar. 1880; he died 11 Dec. 1931.
Joel Ricks, born 21 July 1858 at Farmington, Utah; died 23 Nov. 1944 at Logan, Utah; married Susette Cardon 13 Jan. 1881; she died 2 Jan. 1919.
Adelia Ricks, born 24 Oct. 1860 Logan, Utah; died 22 Nov. 1863.
Esther Adeline Ricks, born 28 Oct. 1862 Logan, Utah; died 12 April 1949 at Logan, Utah; married Joseph Ellis Wilson 22 Aug. 1888 Logan, Utah; he was born 2 May 1858; he died 25 Oct. 1930.
The Pouch and its Circle of Gold
The true story of how a massacred Mormon Battalion soldier's gold reached his family - and paid their way to Zion.
By Norma Baldwin Ricketts
Norma Baldwin Ricketts, formerly columnist and drama-music critic for the Sacramento Union, is active in California writing and public relations circles. She is a Primary teacher in Whitney (California) Ward and Church representative to the California State Fair.
When Sarah Fiske and Ezra H. Allen were married in Potsdam, New York, on Christmas Day, 1837, they looked forward to a happy life together, with all the high hopes and dreams peculiar to young couples in love. She was a descendant of an early Massa-chusetts family, and he was "an ambitious young man of good character."
Their years together were few—yet during the brief eight and a half years shared by Sarah and Ezra there were enough events to fill a lifetime. Little did either of them realize at the beginning that their story would be such a dramatic one, reaching from one side of America to the other and then circling back again. It is fitting that a ring - a circle of gold - is left as the symbol of their story.
The Allens, married four years, had been blessed with two lovely daughters when elders from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - Christopher M. Merkley and Murray Simmonds - arrived in Potsdam in 1841. They began holding meetings, and before long Ezra and two of his brothers were baptized. By the summer of 1842 the Allen brothers were ready to leave for Nauvoo. They arrived there early in the winter of 1842 and settled 25 miles up the Mississippi in a beautiful location, where wild flowers greeted Sarah at every step.
In April 1843 they traveled to Nauvoo for general conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held inside the walls of the uncompleted temple. They were thrilled to hear the Prophet Joseph Smith, and a short time later Sarah, too, was baptized into the Church. She wrote of the meetings held in their branch and of the rich out-pouring of the Spirit of the Lord that attended them, causing their hearts to rejoice.
This was probably their last period of peace and happiness, because the persecution of church mem-bers by outsiders began to reach them. In June 1844, when the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum were murdered by a mob at Carthage, Illinois, the Allens shed bitter tears along with many others. But their faith was in God, and they were counseled by members of the Twelve Apostles to remain calm and to complete the temple. The sacrifices of the Saints at this time were great because of loss of property and sickness.
On the 2nd of September 1845, Alexander Alma Allen, their second son, was born. During the winter of 1845-46 the Allens worked, with many others, on the Nauvoo Temple and were able to receive their ordinances in the temple before leaving.
As the preparations were completed for the west-ward trek, Ezra Allen and Joel Ricks traveled to St. Louis to bring additional stock to Nauvoo for the journey. They finally crossed the Mississippi River on April 27, 1846. Heavy rains made traveling diffi-cult and slow, but they continued on until they reached Council Bluffs, Iowa. Sarah Allen wrote of the evening camps. Her husband, who had been a piper with the Nauvoo Legion, and some men who had brought their violins endeavored to cheer the Saints with their music. It was here in July 1846 that Brigham Young received the request from the president of the United States for a battalion of 500 men to assist in the war with Mexico.
Allen enlisted and made plans for Sarah to remain in Council Bluffs until he could return and take his family west to the gathering place of the Saints. He also made arrangements for his young wife to draw supplies from a store at a small settlement on the Missouri River. Pleased that he would be paid for his services, he marched away hopefully.
The accomplishments of the Mormon Battalion have been told many times. The hardships they endured, their courage, and their determination are recorded in many journals and subsequent histories. Arriving in San Diego on January 30, 1847, they continued to serve until July 1847, when their year of enlistment was over. Except for 81 who re-enlisted for another six months, the rest left immediately for northern California.
The discharged men had heard of the Brooklyn and its load of Latter-day Saints in San Francisco and decided to take this route to join the main body of the Church, although they did not know at that moment exactly where Brigham Young had decided to stop.
Using an old map that showed only a few rivers, they journeyed past Fresno, where the Indians gave them corn and melons. A short time later they met Thomas Rhodes, a Latter-day Saint emigrant of 1846, and learned from him for the first time that Great Salt Lake Valley had been selected as the stopping place. They arrived at Sutter's Fort on August 25, had their animals shod, purchased needed supplies, and then continued on.
The ex-battalion members saw the remains of the Donner Party tragedy on September 5. They con-tinued to the other side of the summit where they met Captain James Brown, also of the battalion, who had been in charge of one of the companies in Pueblo. He came to collect their discharge pay and to bring them a letter from President Brigham Young. They were instructed to return to California for the winter and to work for clothing, stock, and provisions if they did not have sufficient means. If their fami-lies were in Salt Lake, they were to continue on. Diaries state "half went on and half turned back." Since about 265 had been discharged in Los Angeles, there were approximately 130 discharged soldiers who turned around and went back to work a season at Sutter's Fort and in the San Francisco Bay area.
Thus it was that Ezra Allen spent the winter work-ing for Captain John Sutter. The following January, 1848, the nine workers building a lumber mill for Sutter at Coloma were present when the mill foreman, James Marshall, discovered gold. Six of the men present were former members of the Mormon Battalion.
As spring approached, the men were eager to be on their way to Salt Lake. Situated in an enviable position, they had first claim to rich gold deposits, yet a majority remembered the instructions of their Prophet and began to make plans to leave.
Eight men started out on May 1 under Captain Daniel Browett to pioneer a wagon road over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, since the Truckee route was still impassable. (Browett had been elected captain of this returning group.) Others in this first exploring company were Ira J. Willis, James C. Sly, Israel Evans, Jacob G. Truman, Ezra Allen, J. R. Allred, Henderson Cox, and Robert Pixton. It took them three days to reach Iron Mountain, where they found the snow too deep to travel. They decided to postpone their explorations, and for the next couple of months the men hunted gold and bought wagons, supplies, and cattle. They also built a large corral at Pleasant Valley, nine miles from present-day Placerville, where they planned to rendezvous for the trip to Salt Lake Valley.
On the 24th of June three mem-bers of the first exploring company - Captain Daniel Browett, Ezra Allen, and Henderson Cox - de-cided to try again to find a route through the mountains. Their friends advised them against going in such a small group because of the Indians. They set out, each having a riding animal and a pack mule, saddle, and gun.
Allen made a small double pouch for his gold dust and attached a buckskin string, long enough to put around his neck, letting the pouch hang in his bosom inside his clothes. Saying they would travel slowly, hunt the best way to cross the Sierra Nevada Range, and meet their battalion companions again somewhere in the mountains, they left.
By July 2 the main body was ready to leave Pleasant Valley. Also included in this group were several families from the Brooklyn as well as the discharged battalion members. As they traveled along, they kept a sharp lookout for their three companions who had started out ahead. Since Browett had not returned, Samuel Thompson, for-mer second lieutenant of Company C, was made captain in his place.
On July 18 an advance company of five men was sent ahead to clear the road. They located a rushing mountain spring, which had evi-dence of a recent campfire beside it. Nearby they also saw a new mound of dirt. While traveling back to the main group, they noticed an Indian who was wear-ing the vest of one of their missing companions. They told their com-panions, and the next day, when the entire group arrived at the spring, they found upon closer examination arrows, broken arrows, bloodstained rocks, and evidence of a hard struggle. Near a big fir tree lay Ezra Allen's gold pouch.
Darkness settled in, and around the campfire that night the men decided to open the mound the next morning. To their dismay they found the naked, mutilated bodies of their companions. The men de-termined the three must have been attacked at night, since there was evidence that two had slept to-gether with the third nearby. The pouch had apparently slipped to the ground unnoticed in the dark when Allen's clothes were being taken. They reburied the bodies, putting a three-foot high wall around the grave. After filling the center with dirt, stones were put over the top to further seal it from wild animals. Next they chopped the bark from the large fir tree and on the bole of the tree carved this memorial to their friends:
"To the memory of Daniel Browett, Ezrah H. Allen, and Henderson Cox, who were sup-posed to have been murdered and buried by Indians on the night of 27th June, 1848."
They then named the spot Tragedy Spring, a name it bears today. The men continued on, arriving in Salt Lake Valley on September 29, 1848.
Meanwhile, Sarah Allen waited in Council Bluffs for the return of her husband. The supplies she was supposed to receive from the store had gone to others, and times had been difficult for her. After two years word came that some dis-charged battalion men were to arrive in a few days. Certain that her husband would be among the first to return, she waited anxiously for his footsteps. Finally the men did arrive and handed her the bloodstained pouch. Her world crumbled quickly. All of the long-ing of two years engulfed her, and she thought she could not go on. But she determined to follow out the original plan - to go to Zion and join friends who had preceded her. After all, there was the gold dust in the pouch, which could outfit her for the journey.
Sarah Allen hired a wagon made and purchased another cow, sup-plies, and a yoke of oxen. She saved a small amount of the gold flakes and had a ring made - a plain gold band, which she wore the rest of her life. Her journal mentions starting west with two children, so apparently two had died during the two years their father was gone. Without giving details of the journey, except to say the "loads were heavy and the progress slow," she stated simply: "We arrived in Salt Lake City in good health September 14, 1852."
She was welcomed into the home of her old friends, Joel and Eleanor Martin Ricks. She later became his second wife, and they had six children. The Ricks lived in Farmington, Utah, until July 1859, when Mr. Ricks moved his two families to Logan in the beautiful Cache Valley. Sarah died there June 12, 1891. Her daughter Amorette Allen married Lewis Ricks, second son of Joel and his first wife, Eleanor. Her son Alex-ander A. Allen later became a bishop in Weston, Idaho.
Meanwhile, the stately fir kept its constant vigil over the grave. Correspondence in the historian's office, state of California, reveals that for a time no one knew the identity of the men whose names were carved on the tree. Someone covered the inscription with a piece of glass to protect the carv-ing from the weather. In 1929 a county sheriff from Auburn, Cali-fornia, wrote to the curator of Sutter's Fort, telling him insects were boring into the tree severely and that the glass was completely steamed from a sweating action of the tree. He suggested the tree be cut down and taken to Sutter's Fort for preservation. A heavy windstorm in the spring of 1930 snapped the infested tree off 15 feet above the ground. Fortunately the inscription, untouched, was left standing.
On August 30, 1931, the Native Sons and Native Daughters of California from Amador County placed a bronze replica of the original inscription near the fir tree. About 300 persons attended the ceremony. The following week the stump, which stands about six feet high, was cut down and hauled to Sutter's Fort in Sacra-mento. There it remained until January 1966, when the Division of Beaches and Parks moved it permanently to the museum in the James Marshall Gold Discovery Park at Coloma, California.
The Sacramento County Camp Daughters of Utah Pioneers, has applied to the State of California Landmarks Commission to have Tragedy Spring declared a historic landmark. A recent trip to the site revealed the stone-covered grave in a rugged, majestic forest 150 feet from California State Highway 88, just west of Carson Pass. Two tall trees stand at one end of the grave, leaning over it slightly as if to protect it. A large granite boulder with the small plaque of the Native Daughters embedded on it is nearby on higher ground.
Little did Sarah Fiske and Ezra Allen realize on their wedding day in 1837 that the events of their lives would become one of the treasured stories in California and Utah pioneer history, that his grave and that of his two companions would someday be de-clared a historic spot, and that over a hundred years later descen-dants in Salt Lake City would cherish the gold pouch and the ring as prized heirlooms.
It was the pouch and its golden contents that reached Sarah and provided the needed items for her trip to Zion, just as her husband had planned to do himself. It seems fitting that this ring - this circlet of gold - remains a symbol of the love and faith Sarah and Ezra Allen shared!
Reproduced by special permission of The Improvement Era.