Thomas and Mary Ann Ovard are blessed for their service

In the spring of 1905, when my brother was called on a mission, my parents were hard pressed to raise the $45 a month necessary for his keep. The Relief Society gave a farewell dinner for him and presented him with a purse of $75. I helped them all I could by taking my two tiny children, Joseph and George, in the baby carriage into the field with me while I helped harvest hay and grain. For two summers, I loaded and stacked every load of hay and grain that was hauled in.

My husband used to get a few days work here and there. I remember he worked for John Paskett for two days digging post holes for $1.50 per day. The day he came home and handed me the money, I had received a letter from my brother stating that he needed money.

I told my husband, "Will needs money and our two children need shoes. What shall we do?" He said, "Send it to your brother. We will get shoes for our children somehow."

That night I had a dream, a vision or some wonderful thing. I dreamed that my husband and I went down in the narrows along the railroad tracks to pick up coal. We had to go by Croyden then, because there was no road through the narrows. It was told in my dream that we would find plenty of coal and shoes for our children, if we would go to a certain little sage brush, by the side of the tracks.

So, the next morning I got up and told my dream to my husband. We hitched our old black horse to our wagon and went to see what we could find. I walked down the track to the spot I had seen in my dream. There was a shoe lace sticking out of the cinders. I started to dig the dirt and cinders away with my hands. There in the dirt, were 13 pairs of shoes all in men's and boy's sizes. I called to my husband and he helped my gather them and take them to the wagon.

We also got so much coal we could not carry it.

When we got home we checked with the local stores to see if any shoes had been stolen. None had, so we sold five pairs and my husband had enough shoes to last for years.

"I learned through that vision, or whatever it may have been, that by doing good to others and not being selfish, we are blessed."

John O'Driscoll learns obedience

From an account by his daughter, Susie O'Driscoll Wilde

He spent his young boyhood days as most boys in that tropical land (South Africa) did -- swimming in the ocean, gathering wild honey and fruits, and hunting wild birds and animals.  Many are the stories he would tell to us about the different birds, plants, animals, snakes, etc. that are found in the tropical lands.

The missionaries were always welcome at the Smith home and spent much of their time there.  The family, including my father, were finally converted and baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

The voyage across the ocean took two months and six days.  The journey from New York to Omaha was made on the railroad.  At Omaha they joined the wagon train, and father drove seven yoke of oxen form there to Salt Lake Valley

At Bittercreek father encountered his first snow storm.  Father was 20 years old and didn't have any idea what snow was.  At night when they camped, the wagon boss told the drivers to pick up their oxen yokes and other articles as they were going to have a snow storm; father didn't take any notice of him and left his things on the ground; but he said the next morning when he had to hunt ox yokes, whips, etc. out of the snow he decided form then on to obey orders.  At any rate it was a useful lesson.

William Morley Black follows the prophet

That settled it with me. So far all that I had met was in harmony with my feelings and judgment. But a little test was coming. We had finished the Tithing Building, and for want of better work I went to hauling wood. A Brother Woolsey let me have a yoke of oxen and a wagon and boarded me giving me half the wood that I hauled. It took three days to get a load. Each week I earned a load of wood for which I generally got $8.00, making $1.25 a day, and that was considered good wages.


One day President Wells told me that I had been selected as one of a party to go to Sanpete Valley and to aid in making a settlement. I did not wish to go, as I had been told that It was a cold frosty place, too high in altitude for agricultural purposes, and I felt that my condition would not be bettered. Again I could not see just what right the President had to call me. I understood and expected them to guide me in spiritual matters, but this was of a temporal nature and beyond their jurisdiction. These were my thoughts and this pioneer call was the first trial to my faith. I am pleased to say the pause was only for a moment. On reflection God's dealing with Noah, Abraham, Moses, Lehi, and Nephi was strong evidence that reasoning and traditions were incorrect. Was not God the author of the world as well as the Gospel? If he built the earth, why not govern it? If it requires union of spirit and matter to bring exaltation of men, then it must be that the priesthood has a right to direct in material or temporal things as well as in spiritual things.

The next time I met Brother Wells I told him I was willing to go to Sanpete or anywhere else. I want my descendants who may read this sketch to bear in mind that I was a new disciple and my mind was still steeped in the ideas and thoughts of sectarianism, and obedience to the requirements of the priesthood was a new doctrine to me. But the call set me to thinking and studying, and led to an increase in knowledge.

Charles Henry John West is blessed for going to church

I had joined the tabernacle choir in the old tabernacle. Brother Sanders was our leader. My clothes being a little shabby I kept away several Sundays. Finally I made up my mind to go. I thought it was not my clothes but my voice that was needed. One Sunday after meeting was let out, a Brother John Cox (the brother-in-law of a young man by the name of Joseph Neville, who was keeping company with my daughter Annie) asked me what I was doing, I told him helping masons. He told me his brother-in-law, George H. Knowlden, wanted a clerk in the grain business on Main St. At noon the following day I saw Mr. Knowlden and he took me in his employ at $40 per month, so you see I done some good by going to meeting regardless of fine clothes.

Charles Henry John West learns to listen to the still small voice

I worked for President Young quite awhile, doing all manner of chores. Sometimes in the garden and orchard, in the harvest field. While working there I had, with another teamster, to go after bridge timbers for the railroad, President Young having the contract, I went up City Creek Canyon about 7 miles to the mill, got loaded up, and made up my load with inch lumber. Coming down the canyon a voice said to me stop and rebind your load. I said no I will stop when I get up with the other team which was ahead of me. Some of the boards shoved forward and touched the mules and when I wanted to stop I could not, which scared the mules and I found I had a runaway team to handle. I made up my mind to start the mules uphill when I came to a good place and then jump off. It happened fortunate the the mules saw the team ahead of them and slackened their speed. I stopped and rebound my load. That was a lesson to me to give heed to the still small voice.

Charles Henry John West - feels blessed by the Lord

If I donated any amount made of me, the Lord always opened up the way so that I never felt the loss but gained a blessing. On the 1st day of May 1856 we had another daughter born to us  her name being called, Ann Lydia West. I continued working at William Cooper and Co. I recieved two shillings more per week making in all twenty two shillings per week. It seemed that the Lord put it in the hear of my employer to raise my wages about the time we needed it, done without the asking.

We took the council of the brethren to live within our means, we did so. We found that with a fixed determination to get out to Zion, that the Lord was good to his word "He would help them that helped themselves."

We found by studying economy and using wisdom in what means we had coming in every week, that we not only cleared the debt but was enabled to get means enough to take ourselves and four of our children the following year as far Florence, Nebraska. (two of their daughters had previously emigrated)

Before leaving England my employer Mr. Thomas Cooper was sorry to have me leave his firm, I gave him notice of my going away, he gave me every inducement to stay, said that I could have my place in his establishment as long as I live. He seeing I was determined to leave, he made me a present of 30 shilling for good conduct which I was thankful for. When my wife went to the Latter Day Saint office to pay the balance of our emigration money, Brother Stains who was the emigration agent for the church, he told another brother that was present that she was the Sister who had sent two of her young daughters away to Zion a year before. Brother Stains blessed her and all of our family and said that we would get there safe and not one of us should die on the way (which promise was fulfilled, although one daughter died shortly after arriving in Utah).

We went to the Endowment House, 23rd day of March, 1804, and was married and sealed together for time and eternity. We felt fully paid for our journey and few trials we had passed through.

Charles Henry John west - a fish for his daughter

Our little daughter, Mary Ann Young, she was sick more or less while crossing the plains, her appetite failing her, I thought I would goto the river side (being near one) and get a fish. I know it would do her good. The river being very low and leaving small puddles of water I would try and chase the fish by my hands into shallow water, so catch one. I did not exceed in getting any. I then and there prayed to God that I might get some if it was only one. I was about leaving to catch up to the train, when a man came along with a string of fish and offered me one, my prayers being answered, I went along rejoicing

A lesson in frugality

One of Isaac Black's grandsons, Vernon Black, relates this: "I believe the best lesson I ever had in being economical or thrifty was one winter I helped him in the flour mill. We decided to save every kernel of corn that we found that didn't found its way into the grinder. After the milling season was over, we had about one gallon of corn. He then proceeded to tell me he would dry it and give it to some family who was not so fortunate as us that if we had let the corn go maybe those people would have had to go hungry a few days. And that is the way the Lord would have us do it."