Cry Zion

Margaret had last seen her husband alive sometime the morning of the day before. Now alone with her grief, her thoughts went tumbling back, back to the day five months ago when they had boarded the ship and set sail for America. The forty-four days in crossing the Atlantic, though not always comfortable, proved uneventful except for some rough seas and seasickness among some of the passengers. Boston, the point of disembarkation, had seemed strange and so very far from the English countryside. She recalled the uncomfortable ride by rail from Boston to the terminus in Iowa City, Iowa; the fretting of the children; the smelly boxcars that had been their lot on the last lap out of Chicago. Indeed, a good many things had gone awry on this venture, which had started with such high hopes for a good life in a new land. The rain and mud at the readying camp; the rugged life incident to tenting on the prairie; the unexpected, agonizing three-week delay in getting the carts ready; all had proven a severe test of faith and endurance for a dainty English lady used to a comfortable home and pleasant surroundings.

Five hundred and seventy-six souls made up the Martin company, which had left Iowa City July 28, 1856. Then followed the wearisome trek, the dust, the fatigue, the dreary nights and the near constant illness she had endured.

Vividly Margaret recalled how supportive her husband had been of all the leaders in all their preparations and during the movement across the plains, the vision of the "Valley" constantly before them. One particular item carefully stashed away in the corner of his cart, a token of his dreams, was a masonry trowel with which Robert hoped to help build the Temple in Zion. Again Margaret saw in her mind's eye the strong back and the strained muscles as her dear Robert, often fatigued to the point of collapse, had leaned into the pull bar, hauling the loaded cart for a period of more than twelve weeks over hundreds of miles of prairie.

Today all this seemed of little consequence compared to that which had transpired since arriving only two days ago at the crossing of the Platte River.

The company leader, Edward Martin, had deliberated at length with his appointed captains over the feasibility of attempting a crossing. Time was of the essence because of foreboding weather conditions. It had turned bitter cold, and ice floated in the swollen river. Decision made, the crossing got underway. The infirm and the tiny children were brought safely over in the supply wagons. Some of the youngsters rode atop the loaded carts. The men went into the waist-deep, numbing water time after time to man the carts and bring them to the south bank. Many of the women braved the treacherous stream with their husbands.

When the crossing had been completed and the pitiful company had made camp at the foot of some bluffs, all were completely worn out. Time after time Robert had gone into the water, drenching himself for hours in the ice flow. Suffering from exhaustion, exposure and lack of proper nourishment, he then lay deathly ill in the tent. The children had gathered a little wood, built a fire and prepared what food remained of their depleted rations. As the family huddled together, the youngsters tended as best they could to their ailing parents. Robert's mind seemed to dwell upon what had been his compelling desire, to get to the Valley in the West. In a low voice he sang the words of a favorite hymn, "Oh Zion." As the night wore on and his strength failed him more, the words came only as a faint whisper: "O Zion, when I think of thee I long for pinions like a dove, And mourn to think that I should be So distant from the land I love.

The family prayed as their father's life seemed to be ebbing slowly away. Six inches of snow fell that night. Surprisingly enough Robert was still alive when morning came. When orders came to break camp and move on, Janetta and Heber assisted their father to one of the wagons, he being unable to even stand alone, let alone perform any work. Many others had resorted to the wagons, unable to continue any other way.

Weakened from exposure and hunger, the bedraggled company moved only a short distance that day, due to the nearly impossible task of pushing through the snow and mud. By day's end, having managed to pitch a tent and build a fire, Janetta and Heber went looking for their father. The wind blew the snow so badly they could hardly see and the wagons were late getting into camp. Sorrowfully they returned to the tent, unable to locate the wagon they had put him in. As death stalked the dismal camp, more snow fell that night, (Oct 20, 1856).

The next morning Heber went alone in search of his father. He found his frozen body underneath one of the wagons. A touching scene ensued as Heber mourned his father's death, not knowing for sure the final circumstances of his passing. One can hardly imagine the despair in the young boy's heart as he carried the sad news to an anxious family.

Haggard men with no heart and not much strength for the task had gone through the camp this day to count the dead and lay them at the edge of the clearing. Heartbroken families watched as fifteen" were buried in the common grave, Robert among them.

What now would be their fate with such questionable means of survival, yet so far from the place of their desire?

Despite the tragic events at the crossing of the Platte River, the Martin Company pressed on as best they could. Church history and the private journals of many of the participants tell the story of their near superhuman efforts against the great odds of deep snow, lack of food, illness and exhaustion.

Accounts of Robert’s death in journals of family members differ in some details. This is to be expected since they were all children at the time and wrote their accounts many years later. The account given here is a composite extracted from the several accounts of the children and other historical sources, and is believed to be essentially correct. Some accounts give the number of people who died that terrible night as thirteen, but the fact is there were thirteen dead the morning of October 21, but before the burial took place two more had died. It seems total of fifteen is correct.

One particular incident of special significance to the McBride family, illustrative of the manner in which they had to contend with the elements, occurred a short time following the tragic events of the crossing of the Platte River. The company had made camp on the ground already blanketed with a few inches of snow. Strong winds during the night precipitated a crisis. The people, huddled in their canvas shelters were pitifully ill-equipped against the severity of winter. The bitter cold pierced like a driven nail. Though the winds of blizzard force had subsided with the coming of the dawn, another eight inches of snow had been added to the Wyoming hills during that terrible November night. Brave men, barely able to move about in the one foot depth of the icy stuff, had managed to start a few fires. The camp of well over 500 persons began to stir. Almost every tent lay flattened by the weight of the snow and the fierce winds. Many had been ripped from their moorings and carried away, leaving hundreds of men, women and children with little choice but to draw canvas and blankets around them and wait out the storm. The more stalwart of the men moved about the camp attending to the gruesome business of helping people from their frozen beds. Not all had survived. Several frozen bodies had been carefully removed and laid out as weary souls wept and huddled near the fires.

Margaret McBride lay seriously ill, physically numbed by the bitter cold and mentally distraught by the plight of her five children. One of her brood had not been immediately accounted for. As the camp attendants approached and inquired about their welfare, Janetta, the oldest, tearfully volunteered, "I'm afraid my little brother died in our tent last night."

Hastily kicking away the snow from off one comer of the fallen tent, one of the men threw back the stiff canvas. A young boy lay still, his long blond curls frozen to the icy ground. The distraught mother, fearful that her six-year-old son was dead, had not the strength but to weep and pray. Then as calloused hands gently lifted the little form out, thinking to lay him beside the others, the lad whimpered and made a slight movement. Peter McBride was alive! A joyful family gathered about to wrap him in warm blankets and administer a cup of hot broth, all the while praising God for the miracle of his deliverance. Soon his normal self, young Peter suffered no ill effects from the ordeal.

Historical accounts tell also of the great rescue effort set in motion by President Brigham Young at the October conference in Salt Lake City. Except for the rescue contingents which finally met the ill-fated company, death from starvation and freezing may have been the ultimate fate of all of them. By the time the Martin Company arrived in Salt Lake City, Nov. 30, 1856, upwards of 150 had perished and been left along the way, many in unmarked graves. The story of the McBride family beyond the Platte River must be pieced together from journals written by family members many years later.

The plight of the McBride family differed little from that of others whose men folk had been lost. It is worthy of note that Margaret had been ill most of the way, and at times unable to walk. We think that she never asked for room in the wagons but rode on the cart during these times. Of course, the baby, three-year-old Margaret Alice (Little Maggie), always had her special place atop their meager belongings. Much of the work on the trek from the beginning had fallen to sixteen-year-old Janetta and thirteen-year-old Heber to assist their parents in every phase of the wearisome journey. The two little boys, Ether eight and Peter six, did their share. They willingly pushed when needed and took part in the many chores about the camp. They, like their older brother and sister, walked all the way, a thousand miles or more.

Beyond the Platte River the efforts of all were indeed heroic, but to Janetta fell the major responsibility. With her mother still very ill most of the time, she took charge of the family affairs. Not a healthy girl in early childhood, the parents had taken special measures to nurse her through those early years. Janetta's weathering of the ordeal stands as a miracle in itself. It is almost unbelievable that this slip of a girl could have mustered the courage and strength to strive with the handcart and do all else that she did. If ever stubborn determination was exhibited "against great odds," it was by Janetta Ann McBride, there in the plains and mountains of Nebraska and Wyoming. And Heber by her side proved ever faithful and as stubbornly determined.

Editors' special note- In all, ten handcart companies crossed the plains and mountains into Utah between the years 1856 and 1861, five of them after the ill-fated Martin Company. That unparalleled adventure of thousands of Latter-day Saints moving West pulling handcarts, must in the broad over view be hailed a tremendous success. Phases of the venture, as that which befell the Willie and Martin Companies, have elicited criticism and were declared a failure by some. But failure is an elusive word, the question often persisting, by what criteria shall it be measured? And what mortal is in possession of a proper yardstick?

Those people who suffered great losses, almost to a person, remained true to the faith, their losses counted but dross and refuse compared to the joys and blessings derived from having endured for the Gospel's sake.

TRIUMPH OVER ADVERSITY

Samuel Ferrin, a goodly man and a widower, lived on a small farm in Ogden, Utah. In November of 1856, his wife had been dead well over a year, leaving him with a family of four boys and one little girl. In the latter part of November when Bishop Chancy West contacted him with a special request, Samuel could not have known the vital role he was about to play in the final chapter of a drama at that moment being enacted in the snow-covered mountains to the east.

For well over a month residents had been aware of the unparalleled rescue effort put into operation by Brigham Young on behalf of the stranded handcart pioneers. Bishops of Wards throughout the area had been alerted to receive the survivors and look after their immediate needs, a customary procedure. Indeed, it was the law of the Church, and Samuel Ferrin willingly accepted the request to provide temporary care of any of the needy that might arrive at his door.

The Martin Company arrived in Salt Lake City November 30, 1856, the McBride family, along with others, occupying a wagon driven by Ebenezer Richardson of Ogden City. Consequently their destination became Ogden, the occupants to be dropped off at different locations along the way. In Salt Lake City the driver's sister, Mrs. Mese, provided food and lodging the first night. The next day they proceeded as far as Farmington to stay the night at a Mr. Grover's place. On the evening of the second day, the McBride's arrived in Ogden and there taken to the home of Samuel Ferrin. Mr. Ferrin's housekeeper prepared nourishing food and helped provide for their immediate needs. Margaret, not fully recovered from the lingering illness of chills and fever, welcomed the tender care proffered by the housekeeper and relished a few days of rest at the Ferrin home that greatly improved her condition.

Bishop West secured a small, one-room house for them in Ogden. Whether a log or an adobe structure is not clear, but it had a dirt floor and a thatched roof covered with dirt. A fireplace in one end gave some semblance of comfort, although the roof leaked badly and allowed rainwater to run down the walls and get the children's beds wet. But the Church members were kind and helped provide wood and food for the unfortunate family. The children spent many hours digging sego roots (Along-stemmed beautiful bloom with a nourishing onion-like bulb under ground, the Sego Lilly grew abundantly in that area) to supplement a diet consisting principally of cornmeal, salt, and squash. With an abiding faith and great determination, the little family made it through the first winter, Margaret always grateful for any assistance proffered by Mr. Ferrin and others, never complaining.

When the spring thaw began and planting time drew near, Janetta and the two older boys found some employment on the farms and elsewhere in the community. Janetta, now seventeen, soon found herself attracted to the oldest Ferrin boy, Jacob, who was several years older. After a brief engagement they were married March 29, 1857, and went out on their own.

About this time Margaret and her family moved with their scanty possessions to Slaterville, a small community a few miles west of Ogden City. There they took up quarters a mite more comfortable than the small cabin they had occupied during the winter. The Slaterville place belonged to Samuel Ferrin.

Perhaps the marriage of Janetta to the Ferrin boy had promoted a closer tie between the two families. No doubt in the turn of events in each of the lives of Margaret and Mr. Ferrin they saw a need for each other. In any event Samuel soon proposed marriage and Margaret became Mrs. Ferrin May 3, 1857, in a civil ceremony. Family records reveal that Margaret was eventually sealed by proxy to her first husband, Robert McBride.

Not a wealthy man, Samuel Ferrin, like most of the people in that section of Utah, had struggled through some trying times since migrating to that state. Nevertheless, things must have begun to look brighter for Margaret and her family. The boys took responsibilities on the farm, the arrangement assuring food and lodging and a sense of security that they had not experienced during the last full year.

Records show that Brother Ferrin treated the McBride children as his own. Even after they were grown they spoke respectfully of their stepfather, always addressing him as "father" which indeed he proved to be as they worked and struggled together for a number of years.

Difficulties of an unexpected nature loomed on the horizon, however. Following their marriage the Ferrins were to feel the effects of a situation foisted upon all the Saints in the West, the so-called Utah War. False rumors reaching Washington depicted the Mormons as in a state of rebellion. Old misunderstandings fanned by political rivalry caused President Buchanan to take an unwarranted step. Disregarding the claims of the Saints, and without waiting for Federal investigation of the serious charges, President Buchanan, on May 28,1857, ordered the Federal Army at Ft. Leavenworth to proceed to Utah and quell the so-called rebellion. When word of this reached President Brigham Young in Utah, it precipitated a crisis. The Saints were determined to resist such unwarranted aggression. Members throughout the west mobilized for defense and prepared to abandon their homes and move southward. They determined to use a scorched earth policy and burn everything at their departure. During summer and fall of 1857, preparations got underway as the Army under the leadership of General Johnson crossed the plains and drew ever nearer to the Salt Lake Valley. The Ferrin family, caught up in the mass exodus, left their home with little hope of ever seeing it intact again. Left behind were only those to torch the city if the Federal Troops invaded. Heber's and Ether's journals tell of the heartaches connected with this episode.

War was averted, however, when General Johnson and leaders in Washington were finally persuaded that no such thing as a rebellion existed. When the crisis ended in June, 1858, a greatly maligned populace filed back into their homes. It had been an eventful year, the cause of much hardship for the Mormon people - one more chapter in the lives of Margaret and her uncomplaining brood to survive in the face of overwhelming adversity.

It was probably shortly after this time (1860), that Margaret, received the communication from England. The letter from her father-in-law, Robert McBride 2nd and her mother, Ann Howard, must have caused rejoicing in her family. Evidently Margaret had been in communication with her mother previously, but probably not directly with the elder McBride. Perhaps letters were exchanged more frequently than we know, exploding the once stated belief that any ill feelings about Margaret joining the Church and going to America were of a lasting nature. We believe all the members of the Howard and McBride families were compatible, God-fearing, religious people with much love and affection for each other.

Following the settlement of the Utah War, Brother Ferrin established his family on a 200 acre farm about three miles north of Ogden. With his farming Samuel operated a sawmill with the help of his sons and stepsons. Their stay at this location lasted only about three years. Heavy rains during the winter of 1861-62 washed the sawmill out while the farm also suffered damage. They sold the land and moved into a sparsely settled area east of Ogden over a range of mountains into Ogden Valley. Here again the family engaged in farming.

Sometime early in 1862 Margaret must have received the sad news of the death of her mother, Ann Wright Howard. While alone at her home in Churchtown, England, Mother Howard's clothes accidentally caught fire. Badly burned she lived but twenty-six hours. The death occurred January 2, 1862, age seventy-three years.

Information concerning Margaret's life with Samuel Ferrin is sketchy. Those were the days of polygamy in the Church; and an inescapable factor in the relationship of this pair is that Samuel eventually took a second wife, though with Margaret's consent. Every indication is that their life continued without serious discord.

About this time several settlements were being established in Ogden Valley. It seems the Ferrins located near the community of Huntsville, by no means an easy place to live because of frequent trouble with the Indians. Early in 1865 the Indians had become so troublesome in some sections of the valley that families began to move closer together for protection. The Church Authorities, aware of the need, arranged for the establishment of a new community. A beautiful spot laid out under the direction of Richard Ballentyne took the name Eden, Utah, and people moved in immediately. A big celebration and dedication activities marked its founding, July 15, 1865.

Despite the fact that we find no indication of an estrangement between Margaret and Samuel Ferrin, in due time we find them living separately. It appears that the move to themselves was more one of convenience and for the benefit of the children than for anything else. The boys were growing up and becoming more capable in providing financial support. In fact, they continued to work for Brother Ferrin from time to time, and he may have otherwise contributed to the welfare of his adopted family. Margaret was certainly never ungrateful for the love and support of Samuel Ferrin.

In 1865 we find Margaret with her boys and daughter living in Eden, and for a good many years this garden spot figured prominently in the lives of the McBride family.

Regrettably their exists no life history of Margaret other than that woven into the story of the McBride family thus far. Little is known of her life after she settled in the town of Eden, she then being approximately fifty years old. she considered this her home for the rest of her life, a period of another twenty-six years or so. Here her three boys and young daughter grew to maturity.

From the records of the Women's Relief Society in the Eden Ward we gather a few interesting details of Margaret's later years, which testify to her unswerving devotion to Gospel ideals and to her sterling character. We learn that she spent several months in St. George, Utah (part of 1876 and 77), helping with the completion of the Temple. Her work consisted mainly of sewing carpets and curtains for that building. Being present at the dedication, April 6, 1877, she witnessed spiritual manifestations that remained memorable experiences the rest of her life.

From page 67 – B ok A off the Eden Ward Relief Society the following is taken under the date of June 2, 1877:

Sister McBride addressed the meeting:

Dear sisters,

I am glad to meet with you again and all the Saints in the Valley, I have traveled a long journey since we last met. I have had the privilege of receiving instructions from the high authorities of the Church. I have tried to attend every meeting possible, also to retain some of the great blessings and teachings that were given to the Saints on different occasions from eleven of the Twelve Apostles. The Temple at St. George is a great building. My first introduction was to help the sisters to sew carpet for the Temple. I was also present at the dedication. Great power was made manifest. I cannot find language to convey to you the teachings we received.

The Saints traveled from great distances and large numbers of people came to do ordinances for the dead. I was baptized for my mother and many of my dead relatives. Babylon must fall, and those who have slain the Prophet and driven the Saints will be brought into judgment. Brother Brigham has told the sisters to raise silk worms and make silk for clothing. Well may the Lord bless us is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Just a year from this event Margaret was called as President of the Relief Society in her Eden Ward, June 7, 1878. Again from the Relief Society records we discover that three years later she spent another lengthy period, more than a year, at the St. George Temple. On page 170 - Book A under the date May 10, 1882, the following appears:

President McBride having been gone so long hardly knew what to say. She had been away more than a year. While absent she had had good health and had been laboring in the Temple doing work for her dead relatives who died without the Gospel. She was baptized for 135 people in one day. She gave a great account of her labors in the St. George Temple and how the work was done. She wished all the sisters could have the privilege of laboring in the Temple as she had done. She continued with blessings and instructions.

During these periods in St. George, Margaret stayed with her daughter, Margaret Alice (Little Maggie) Snow, and husband, Erastus White Snow.

Though comparatively little is known of Margaret's life after they moved to Eden, it is extremely significant that she served faithfully as President of the Relief Society in the Eden Ward for a period of thirteen years, from June 7, 1878, until the time of her death. To anyone who understands the duties of a Relief Society President, especially in those early and trying days of the Church, the record is abundantly clear; this delicate little woman stood well above most of her peers in performing meaningful service to her fellow beings. We can be sure that in raising her family and remaining steadfast in her calling, she did plenty to which secular recorded history can never do justice.

Margaret passed away in Eden July 5, 1891, at the age of seventy-six and six months. From page 308 of the Relief Society record we extract the following:

One more gone to rest at Eden, Weber County, July 5, 1891. We were called to part with a noble woman, President Margaret McBride of the Relief Society of the Eden Ward. Margaret McBride was born Dec. 21, 1814 in Parish of North Meols, Lancashire, England. Married at the same place in the year 1833, Nov. 25th. Baptized into the Church on the 4th of January, 1838 by Heber C. Kimball in Preston, Lancashire, England, and migrated on the 30th of May, 1856 Crossed the plains with handcarts and lost her husband on the way. He was found dead under a wagon covered with snow and buried with fourteen other men, all in one shallow grave. She arrived in Ogden December 24, 1856 with five children, the youngest being three years old. She was the mother of nine children, five are living and are all members of the Church. She has forty-six grandchildren.

It is interesting to note that during these years she went by the name of McBride and not Ferrin. We do not know of any special significance of this.

With the above notations we come to the close of an eventful life of one of the choice daughters of Zion. Her life had not been an easy one. But despite this, Margaret claimed much joy in the Gospel and never complained about her lot, her steadfastness giving credence to the thought that triumph, and not tragedy or failure, is often the fruit of adversity.

From her devotion to temple work, and from her testimony we perceive the spirit and dignity of a true Saint. As the veil between this life of hardship and a better life grew ever thinner, how she must have yearned to embrace her dear Robert on the other side, recalling his fervor to see his family planted securely in Zion, and how he had planned to help build temples there.

Faithful to the end, "against great odds," both he and she left a legacy of perseverance worthy of emulation by their descendants. We owe them much!

Nearly 50 years later the six who survived the 1856 handcart trek. Back row, L to R: Margaret Alice McBride snow, Peter Howard McBride, Janetta Ann McBride Ferrin. Front row: Heber Robert McBride, Margaret Ann Howard McBride (mother - picture inserted), Ether Enos McBride. Salt Lake City summer of 1896. The father, Robert McBride 3rd died enroute.

Return to History of McBride's