Priscilla Gifford

Priscilla Gifford was born March 3, 1818 in Sullivan, Pennsylvania to Levi and Deborah Wing Gifford. Priscilla is a Pioneer of Richmond.

History

In 1831, Missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints visited the Gifford home. Members of the Gifford family were converted, along with Priscilla who was 13 years old. Soon after, the Gifford moved to New York to be closer to the Saints.

The Gifford family moved with the Church to Ohio, Missouri, and Illinois. While living in Nauvoo, Illinois, Priscilla became acquainted with Warner Hoopes. Priscilla Gifford married Warner Hoopes on Oct 18, 1836 while fleeing from mobs in Brown Township, Nebraska Territory.

In 1844, Church President Joseph Smith was assassinated, and the Saints had to move west to have protection. To make the means to move west, Brigham Young counseled the Hoopes family to move to Missouri to find work. The Hoopes family moved to Smithville, Missouri in 1847 where Warner was engaged in burning charcoal.

During this time, Warner was making great means, until he and their future son-in-law Charles R. Lincoln were accused of murder. During this time, life at home was proving to be very difficult for Priscilla. Rumors about taking Warner's life began to make their way through the town. For protection, Warner decided to sleep in the woods nearby and gave Priscilla a whistle. When she blew it, Warner would run.

"During the night, Priscilla was awakened by voices outside instructing men to stand guard at all the windows and "if he tries to escape, shoot him down!" She quickly got the horn and blew three loud blasts. The leader of the group rushed in and, thinking she was calling him to come home to protect her, grabbed the horn and started blowing as loud and long as he could. Finally she told him to stop blowing as Warner was probably in the next county by then. "The louder and longer you blow the farther and faster he will run," she chided. They were very angry but she told them that if they had come as gentlemen he would have come and talked to them. The men stood guard all night but Warner did not return. The next night he did come back and he was put in protective custody by the sheriff and he remained there for ten months. All the money they had saved was used in lawyer fees and court expenses. Priscilla wove willow baskets which the children sold door to door to provide the necessities for her family. As soon as Warner was released, they borrowed money from his brother Hyrum and moved to Florence where they prepared to move West with the Saints."

The Hoopes family joined the Redfield and Smith Freight Train in 1859 and entered the Salt Lake Valley on Aug 17.

The Hoopes family settled in Bountiful, Utah before moving to Richmond in 1860. They lived in Richmond until the Church called the Hoopes family to move and make a new settlement in Idaho: Weston.

Epilogue