Wordless Wednesday: Happy Sweet Sixteen Baby Doll!

 Children sure grow up so fast!

Guest Blog: Eliza's Fire by Princess - Part 2

If you read part 1 of this post, this all makes perfect sense. If not, back up one post and then read them both.

And here is the script from my portrayal. I never told it quite like this, but you will get the general idea. 

My name is Eliza, and I was born in England in 1824. When I was fourteen years old, I sang at the coronation of Queen Victoria. My family was very proper and English, which is one of the reasons my mother was so upset when I married Joseph Burton, a poor delivery boy. 

One day, while Joseph was out making deliveries, he came upon a missionary who shared about the Book of Mormon. I was not very happy about this. There were a lot of rumors about the book and the church that went along with it. My mother told me if I joined that church, she would never speak to me again. 

So when Joseph told me he was going to be baptized, I was very upset. That night, I knelt beside my bed to pray, and ask God if what Joseph was doing was right. Immediately, my room filled with light, and I took that as a sign that the Book of Mormon was from God. I ended up getting baptized before my husband. I was twenty-five years old.

A few years later, we decided to travel to Utah. Unfortunately, Joseph died before we set sail, so I was alone with my seven-year-old son and four-year-old daughter. We spent a month on a ship to Massachusetts, then a few days on a train to Iowa before joining the Martin Handcart Company. 

There were some delays getting our handcarts ready, so we did not start our trek until the beginning of July. Several people tried to encourage us to wait until next year, because we wouldn't reach Salt Lake before winter hit, but we weren't worried. It was the middle of summer! We were more worried about sun burns than snow storms. 

The trail was not easy, especially with two young children. Our handcarts were cheaply made and broke often. We ran out of food. People got sick. And then it started snowing. My little boy lost two of his toes to frostbite.

When we got to the Sweetwater River, I had to tie my children to a tree so they would not follow me into the water. At this point, some of the rescuers had arrived from Utah and were carrying people across, but I was too stubborn to ask for help. I crossed that frozen river five times–first to carry my son, then back to carry my daughter, and finally to retrieve the handcart.

When we got to Utah, my new bishop introduced me to a widower named Nathan Staker. Nathan already had seven children of his own, and the bishop suggested I marry him so those children could have a mother. Even though Nathan was twenty years older than me, and a stranger, I decided to do what the bishop said. 

Nathan and I moved here, to Mt. Pleasant, and were one of the few to successfully grow an orchard. One day, my little girl drowned in the ditch. We sent for the apostle Orson Hyde and he brought her back from the dead. My life was full of many miracles including my seven children, many of whom have descendants living in Mt. Pleasant today. 

Guest Blog: Eliza's Fire by Princess - Part 1

Last year, I wrote a book about one of my pioneer ancestors. I could talk for hours about what that experience has meant to me. In fact, I kind of have. I recorded my own audio book and made an hour-long podcast. 

But that’s not what we are talking about today. 

Back in July, I decided I wanted to visit the Relic Home in Mt. Pleasant, Utah. It’s a little museum about pioneers about a mile from where my ancestor (Eliza) is buried. So, my two youngest and I stopped at the cemetery first, and then went on to the Relic Home. (It was pioneer day, hence the outfits.) 

It felt a little strange opening someone else’s door, so I inched it open just a crack and peeked my head in. The only thing I could see was an old floor and a picture hanging on the wall. Many of my fears subsided as I discovered I recognized the face in the frame. It was my ancestor’s husband. 

So we had a beautiful time at the Relic Home. They didn’t have any info about Eliza that I didn’t already know, but I got to learn about other pioneers she would have interacted with and see some really awesome stuff. If I hadn’t had my kids, I could have spent hours in that place. 

When we went to leave, our tour guide asked me if I had heard of Mt. Pleasant’s Walk with the Dead day. When I said I hadn’t, she quickly told me about a Halloween themed family history event that took place in the cemetery. Volunteers would stand by a grave dressed like the person buried there and tell their story. She asked if I would come and portray Eliza. 

I said yes and just this last weekend, I finally got to do it. It was challenging pairing down a story I knew so well into a 5 minute presentation, but I loved getting to feel close to Eliza again.

I think my biggest takeaway from this experience was that people do want to talk about their ancestors. I can’t tell you how many times I would finish my speech and people would immediately tell me a story about someone from their family tree. It was such a neat and spiritual experience. The people may be dead, but their stories can live on if we continue to share them. 

A huge shoutout to my husband, kids, and mom who came to support me. I haven’t really done anything like this since high school, and I appreciated my little fan club who not only cheered me on, but worked with people to get my books for sale at the event and now in the Relic Home while I was busy acting.

If you want your own copy of the book, find it on Amazon, the Relic Home, or come see me at my book signing on November 7th in Spanish Fork. :)

Pink Night at Copper Hills

Baby Doll was so good at the game tonight!! I snapped a few pics for you. She is #33, remember? Long blond ponytail and pink shoes... 😀