Arrived in Utah 1849

I am the daughter of Stephen and Abigail Smith Abbott, I was born Dec. 28, 1839 at Pike County, Illinois, town of Perry.

There were eight children in our family, six girls and two boys, I was the seventh child. My father and mother were baptized into the L.D.S. Church six weeks before I was born, the ice had to be broken for them to be baptized. Soon after my birth the family moved to Nauvoo, Illinois.

My first recollection was when my sister was born, I was two and a half years old. I was very proud of her. I remember the Prophet Joseph Smith holding me in his arms, my father was very intimate with him, having himself been on a six months mission and called on another one.

The Prophet told all of the missionaries to get six months provisions for their families. "Father, Barria Griffin and William Jacques were all going together. They had contract from the steamboat company to get cord wood for the steamboats. When getting the first load father got wet and contracted pneumonia and lived only three days. The prophet preached at his funeral and said father had gone to fill his mission. He was the first one Or the Abbott family to embrace the gospel and had been called to take the gospel to his relatives on the other side.

His companions cheated my mother out of her share of money, the only thing she received being a barrel of dirty flour which she could not use. Both men apostatized about five years after that. Bryon Griffin traveled over one hundred miles to see mother and ask for forgiveness, He had lost everything, even his wife. He said that all he had was what he stood up in, and the other man had also lost all he had.

At fathers death we were in good circumstances. We all had come down with the fever, not one being able to wait on one another. Doctor bills and other things soon caused us to be in need. Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball heard how ill we all were and came to see us. Some of the children were near death. They administered to us and said we should all get well and go to the mountains. Also said we would never want for bread, we did not know where the next meal was coming from, mother said, do not fear, we have a promise, I know we will not suffer. Our promise was fulfilled.

Mother and my brother Myron were working in the garden, Myron picked up a shiny five cent piece. Corn meal was ten cents a bushel, so we were able to buy a half bushel. Mother said that the Lord had sent that to us and that he was able to send more to us.

About eleven O'clock that day brother Joshua Williams, a great friend of the family, came to see us. We talked for a while and then started to go, he said "sister Abbot have you any flour", she said she had some cornmeal. he brought in one hundred pounds of flour, some cheeses butter and ham. That seemed to break the spell. We were never out of food again. Mother being a proud woman and used to having plenty was humiliated having to receive charity.

I remember seeing the Prophet Joseph Smith and Hyrum when they were laid out. The saints were in the deepest sorrow when they were martyred. I remember seeing the state Militia on parade, the Prophet at the head, it was a beautiful sight. The Prophet rode so erect and commanded great respect. We were frightened when we saw the mobs going through streets making hideous noises.

We lived a little over a block from the river where the boats landed. Mother boarded the men that worked on the steam boat. This was a big help to us and we soon began to have things we needed again.

The Sunday after the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph, mother was at Church, one after another arose and declared themselves the leader. There was quite a confusion. Mother sang in the choir, All at once a quiet came over the congregation, Brigham Young had arrived. It was 80 quiet you could hear the clock tick. He began speaking in the voice of the Prophet. Every one rose to their feet, only to see him clothed with the mantle of Joseph Smith. The people were convinced beyond a doubt that Brigham Young was to be their leader.

The move came in 46. Mother had a nice two story house, also a one story house and farm. The men came to Nauvoo to buy up homes of the Saints. They gave mother $10.00 for the house and lot and twenty acres in the big field. She had a cow, a span of mules le M. She was going to give our last cow to move us but some of the brethren sent back to move those that were left so they moved us. This saved our cow. We started to move, went two miles, camped on the edge of the river that night. Between the mob firing at us and the noise of the whippoorwills I became so frightened it threw me into a high fever and they could not go on for three days.

When we crossed the river we lived in William Cole's carpenter shop for three weeks. Then we lived with Orange Warner for a time. Mother made cheese for a Mr. Parks that summer which helped us very much.

My oldest sister, Emily, was married to Edward Bunker and a year later he was called to go with the Mormon Battalion to Mexico. They had moved to Garden Grove. Being sick with a new baby Emily was not able to go then with the saints.

Brother Lyman Shurtliff was sent to gather up the widows. He took us to Garden Grove. We stayed with Emily in a three room log house with a chimney, but no windows or floor and quilts hung up for protection.

Mother having had a good education, was asked to teach school. She taught all that cold winter, walking one and a half miles in the deep snow.

In the spring mother took land to clear and in a short time had three acres ready to plant. We had a good garden and had enough corn and beans for a year.

Preparing for the move in 47 we moved into Winter Quarters. Many were sick with chills and fever. Mother and we children helped gather James Brown's crops as they were sick. We Flailed and fanned the buckwheat and took it to the mill and got flour for them. That winter she spun for Mr. Scotts and Jos. Young's families. The fall of 1848 I was baptized. I was called the little dreamer.

I dreamed that I was at a spring getting a bucket of water and I saw my brother-in-law, Edward Bunker, walking towards the house. He was all rags and carrying a gun on his shoulder. No one believed in my dream but that afternoon I was sent to the spring for a bucket of water, as I looked up the road I saw the same man of my dream and ran home to tell of Edwards coming home which gave much joy. He was like a father to us. We all worked together and raised much food stuff.

We were ready to go west in 1848 but helped Captain James's family to go first and he was to send money for U9 to buy another outfit. July 10, 1849 we were finally ready to go to the Rocky Mountains. We were delighted, tho hated to leave our friends. We had two wagons and Edward and Emily had one. We were in George A. Smith company. Elisha Everet was our Captain. Mother made moccasins for us to walk in so save our two pairs of shoes till we got to the valley.

We experienced the usual conditions crossing the plains, Indians, buffaloes, etc. Brothers Williams Hamilton and Clayton were the hunters for our company. We were four months getting to Salt Lake, arriving Oct. 26th, we had two cows giving milk, so we had milk and butter. We were met at Echo Canyon by men with vegetables and how good they did taste. I was ten years old that winter. We made our home in Ogden, a three room log house with dirt roof. Mother got the use of some cows that people did not use, made butter and cheese and sold it to the people going through to California gold mines.

We moved south in 1847 when the Johnson army was sent to Utah. The soldiers became sick with scurvy.

In the spring of 1851, mother and the older children built a log house on our piece of land, a ten acre plot. By this time we had several head of sheep and four cows. The wool from the sheep was used for our clothing. Log elder was used to make dye. The winter of 1855 was very hard and many cattle died.

My sister, Charilla, was the first school teacher in Ogden. The schoolhouse was a one log room. She took anything people had to pay for tuition.

I received work from the Bankhead family at Willard making cheese and butter. Received $1.00 a week and had to take part of my pay in wheat. I worked from four in the morning until nine at night. I left Bankheads and went to Salt Lake intending to go to school, a friend and I went to visit one of the wives of Brigham Young and persuaded me to work for her. I was with her for one year.

Everything was in perfect harmony there. I was treated as one of the family and attended school for one year. I then went to Bunkerville, Nevada, with my sister Emily. I taught there one year and then returned to Ogden.

In the year 1867 I was married to William N. Fife in the Endowment House and am the mother of four children, one daughter and three sons two sons died in infancy, the was the great sorrow to me but our Father in Heaven knows best.

Written as an autobiography by Cynthia Abbott Fife

Cynthia Abbott Fife, an honorable woman and one of God's choice spirits, lived a life worthy of imitation. Faithful to every trust imposed in her, she was a lady in every respect, of noble birth on both parental sides and a true Latter Day Saint in the fullest meaning of the word.

She was courageous and unselfish, devoting herself to Mormonism and ever lending a helping hand to suffering humanity, never officious but trusting in God.

I, the eldest child, feel justified in writing this, I am indebted to my mother for her biography which she has written and am having it recorded for her. May her memory ever live in the hearts of those who knew her and loved her.

Written and Read by Mary Fife Hutchens

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