2.5 Priscilla Merriman Evans, Account of Relief Society in 1856–1870, as Recorded in Autobiography, circa 1907 (Excerpt)

Priscilla Merriman Evans, Account of Relief Society in 1856–1870, as Recorded in Autobiography, circa 1907 (Excerpt)

Priscilla Merriman Evans, Autobiography, [ca. 1907], pp. 42, 48, 51–54 (excerpt); Emma Priscilla Evans Little, Papers, 1870–1941, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT (MSS 357).

See images of the original document, courtesy of Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.

Priscilla Merriman Evans preserved a record of Relief Society activities in Spanish Fork, Utah, by including in her dictated autobiography excerpts from the no longer extant “old Book” of minutes and accounts she had kept as the organization’s secretary. Priscilla Merriman, born at Mounton, Wales, was baptized in 1852 at the age of seventeen. She married Thomas D. Evans, a Welsh missionary, in 1856—two weeks before the couple set sail from Liverpool for Boston. They traveled by cattle car to Iowa City, where they joined a group of Welsh converts walking with handcarts to the Salt Lake Valley. The Evanses settled in Spanish Fork, where over the next two decades they raised twelve children.¹

In 1850 Latter-day Saint settlers began to cultivate land about sixty miles south of Salt Lake City in the river bottoms of the Spanish Fork River. Settlers erected a fort in 1854, and a year later the territorial legislature granted Spanish Fork a city charter.²

Priscilla Evans had lived in the city nearly a year when, in 1857, visiting patriarch John Young met with about forty women to organize a Relief Society, naming Rhoda Snell as president. “Because of the scattered settlement and in order to do more efficient work,” one account explains, the ward was divided into districts (first three and later four) to facilitate women’s visiting in order to assess needs and collect donations. Each district had a Relief Society presidency and kept its own accounts.³

Evans served as secretary in the second district (her account speaks of the Second Ward, but Spanish Fork was not divided into four wards until 1891). Evans served as Relief Society secretary until 1875, when her husband was called on a mission to Europe and she asked for a release. “At that time I already had 10 children,” she wrote. “In all those years since the Organization of the Female Relief Society, of Spanish Fork, in 1857 I had done the secretary work, kept all Books and accounts, for the Society. I always attended my meetings when able.”⁴

Reading from her old record as her daughter Emma Priscilla Evans Little took down the dictation, Evans noted changes in officers, donations made, and a few of the names of those who contributed goods, time and labor, or money. While most individual ward Relief Societies north of Provo disbanded when the Saints moved south to Provo in 1857, the district Relief Societies farther south in Spanish Fork continued to function. In 1871, as part of the movement to reestablish the Relief Society in every ward, Eliza R. Snow, Margaret T. Smoot, and Elizabeth A. Howard visited Spanish Fork and assisted in reorganizing the city’s four Relief Societies into two, and, as Evans recorded, “encouraged the Officers and members to do their duties and live up to their responsibilities.”⁵

Priscilla Merriman Evans

Dictated by herself and written by her daughter, Emma P. Evans Little. … [p. 42] …⁶

We reached Salt Lake City. Oct 2—1856.⁷ Tired, sick foot sore and weary W^m R. Jones⁸ met us at the public Square⁹ Salt Lake City, and took us down to his home 60 miles distant, to Spanish Fork in Utah Co. We stayed with him about one month then went to live in the family of Stephen Markham. His family consisted of himself, three wives, seven children, when he took in I and my husband. They lived in a “Dug out”—It was a very large room built half under ground, with a fireplace in one end, and a dirt floor. Lumber was very scarce and three bedsteads were constructed from poles, and rawhide, cut in strips and laced back and forth making a nice springy bed. For the children they had “Trundle” beds with little wooden rollers on, and in the day time those little beds could be rolled under, their mothers bedsteads to utelize space. The dear generous big hearted Stephen Markham took us in to his large family and made us feel like one of them. M^r Markham had been one of the Prophet Joseph’s body guard, and went all thru the drivings and persecutions of the Saints, and his great heart was ever open to the wants of those less fortunate than himself.¹⁰ … [p. 48] …

Perhaps this would be an appropriate place to insert some of my Relief Society work.

The very first Organization, of the Four Wards of the relief Society Was Organized by “Uncle John Young” in the “Old Bowery.”¹¹

as I have to deal with what was the Seccond Ward I will begin with my work.

1^st Journal of meetings of the Female Relief Society of Spanish Fork City Utah Co, Utah. Sept 16^th, 1857.

The sisters met with a few of the Bretheren at the home of Charles A. Davis.

Meeting opend by singing. Prayer by Bishop John L. Butler.

After singing some instructions were given by Bishop John L. Butler. in regard to moving out as a Female Relief Society. (By the way, Bishop John L. Butler was the first bishop of Spanish Fork. Utah.¹² [p. 51]

The following Officers, were selected and and unanimously Sustained.

President	Lucretia Gay.	Mrs [Hannah] Beck was nominated Secty first, but as she could neither read or write. they Sent for me I was sustained as Sec’ty. altho I had come in with the Hand Cart Co, and had a young babe.¹³
1^st Councilor	Armelia Berry
2^nd ″	Letetia Davis
Tressurer	Ruth Davis
Secretary	Priscilla Evans.

Priscilla Evans.¹⁴

The Teachers were also selected and sustained, and the names of 40 members enrolled. The above is a copy taken from my old book of the First Organization, of the 2^nd Ward. Female Relief Society of Spanish Fork City Utah Co Utah Sept. 16^th 1857.

**Thomas D. Evans and Priscilla Merriman Evans.** Circa 1901. Handcart pioneers Thomas and Priscilla Evans had lived in Spanish Fork, Utah, for about a year when Priscilla began keeping the minute book for one of the districts in the newly established Spanish Fork Relief Society (1857). Photograph by George Edward Anderson. (Courtesy L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, UT.)

There are pages of donations, For the Poor, for the Emmigration fund,¹⁵ Temple donations, Flour and all kinds of food gather’d to pay for work done such as Temple clothing and aprons. Carpenter work &c a Sample of donations in early days are as follows. Mary Thomas 3 nails calico,¹⁶ Lydia Markham 1 Pr of wool socks $125. Thirza Thurber, 1/4 yd calico. Adeline Allan [Sarah Adeline Allen] 3 nails calico. Priscilla Evans calico 15 cts Lucy Allen 1 skein of thread 15 cts Wool was 40 cts pr lb. Thread 15 cts skein. Calico 40 cts pr yd. Hickory shirting 40 cts when you could get it.

Here is a little coppied from the “old Book” while Mrs Gay was Pres. Feb 12^th 1858. an account of work done to fit out the bretheren who went to Echo Canyon to meet Johnsons Army. in defence of Zion.¹⁷

Lucretia Gay worked 10 days carding and spinning wool for shirts. she furnished half lb of wool. worked four days carding & and spinning “hair” for Lariets. for the bretheren¹⁸ she worked one day, and donated cloth for one pr of garments $2.40 she also helped to make a pr of Pants and she made, one pr. of mittens. Armelia Berry worked six days knitting. and donated one wool shirt $5.00. Ruth Davis worked five days at sewing and donated 3/4 yard of cloth for sleeves of shirt. Lydia Markham worked 1½ days carding hair. one day quilting, one and half day making garments. She also donated one wool blanket $7.50. Some of the bretheren who were disabled and could not go, sent their clothes [p. 52] Thomas D. Evans let Harrison Beck take his over coat, and another man took his boots. Martha Davis [David] worked two days carding hair, and donated two skeins of wool yarn. Hariet Simmonds [Simmons] donated 1/4 yd calico, and three knots of wool yarn.¹⁹ The above is a sample of the workings of the Female relief Society only of course many donations for different purposes. They made quilts, and all kinds of clothing It was all done by hand as there were no sewing machines. Some of the old Nauvoo Sisters²⁰ have sheared the sheep washed, carded, and spun, and wove the cloth, and made it up in to clothing by hand. for their husbands and families This kind of work was done to fit out the bretheren who went to meet Johnsons Army. Sister Gay and her councilers Presided nine years when they 〈she〉 wished to be released owing to ill health and old age

The reorganization of the Second Ward Female Relief Society.

The seccond Ward Female Relief Society, met in the little white “School House” Feb 14^th 1866.²¹ Bishop [Albert] Thurber was filling a mission in England and Geo A Wilkins [George Washington Wilkins] Presided.²²

The following officers were set apart for their various offices by Pres. Geo A. Wilkins, Pres of Teachers Thomas D. Evans and Teacher Andrew Ferguson. Feb 14^th 1866.

“The Officers were chosen as follows.

President	Letetia Ann Davis
1^st Coun.	Hariet Simmons.
2^nd ″	Sarah Brockbank.
Treasurer.	Thirza Thurber.
Secretary	Priscilla Evans.

Eight Teachers more were nominated and sustained and the names of more members enrolled. The history of the next four yrs. is about like the past nine yrs. There are pages and pages in the old book of meetings, with a record of work done and credit, for scraps for quilts, wool, thread, yarn, flour, food, and evry thing that could be used. They paid $10.65 to get a box made for scraps and records. they donated and bought silk worm Eggs. and set out Mulbery trees, as counciled by the presiding sisters, The silk industry was a failure here.²³ They made a great many quilts and they ranged in price from $8.00 to $15. cradle quilts four dollars. [p. 53]

When the Militia was organized in Spanish Fork, the R. S. made their tents for them by hand.²⁴ On training days, they looked like an Army. They would take turns meeting in diferent places, from the settlements around. In Spanish Fork when the Visitors would come, they would pitch their Tents, South of town across the river and camp. They would train and have sham battles, and all kinds of interesting skirmishing. There would be hundreds of people there to view them. Government put a stop to the Training in Utah.²⁵ I suppose they were affraid they would get to be too efficient. in fighting. Letetia A Davis Presided four years. when she was released on account of failing health. She died Jan 26^th 1872. … [p. 54] …