Martha Ann Nelson Parker Ross

Martha Ann Nelson Parker BIRTH 17 Oct 1818 Fayette County, Kentucky, USA DEATH Oct 1889 (aged 70–71) Washburn, Barry County, Missouri, USA BURIAL Unknown

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109145182/martha-ann-parker

In the spring of 1852, grandmother Parker sold the Tavern and farm land to Elder Orson Hyde and left Kanesville, Iowa, in the company of Capt. Reese and her brother, Napoleon Bonaparte Nelson, who was second captain, and who were coming to Utah on the Northern Trail on his way to the California gold fields. They traveled together until they reached Sublett's cut-off in Wyoming. The California gold fever was at its height and the company decided to hurry on to California, instead of going to Utah first as had been planned; but grandmother with her five children, the oldest sixteen years of age, two wagons and ox-teams, ten cows and one horse, a hired man driving one team, turned off on the Utah Trail alone.

When they discovered she had pulled off on the other road both captains came back and tried to persuade her to go to California, but the lure of gold did not tempt her and when they saw she was determined they undertook to frighten her into going with them. They told her the Indians would kill them all and they would never reach Salt Lake City. She knew her own mind and told them she intended to keep her promise to her husband. Trusting in the Lord for guidance, she journeyed on alone feeling in her heart that she was doing the right thing and that the Lord would protect them and aid her in getting her children to Utah in safety.

As the day passed and the shadows lengthened into night her brother and another horseman returned to try once more to persuade her to go with them, but all in vain. She went her own way and before many days overtook some other pioneers and came on to Salt Lake with them. Her oldest son, Robert, sixteen years of age, drove one team, and Nelson and Joseph F. drove the cattle.

The ox-teams were slow and the journey long, but the weary and dusty train finally reached Salt Lake City in the fall of 1852. There grandmother met James Allred whom she had known in Kanesville. He was going to Spring City and she decided to go with him, so they traveled together.

In Spring City she built an adobe with one large room where they lived for about a year. While living here the Walker War began, and they were robbed of everything—the two ox-teams and the ten cows. Two of the boys Robert and Alma were herding cattle and barely escaped the Indian's arrows. After a few days the two best cows came home and grandmother felt that this was indeed a great blessing. She sold one of them to buy flour for the winter, and the other supplied them with milk and butter.

The Spring City fight proved to be a terrible battle, with only fifteen white men against one hundred and fifty Indian warriors. Xenas Dodge was sent on the only horse left in town to Manti for help. A company of men with teams came and moved the people to Manti in the night to prevent their being slaughtered by the Indians.

In Manti, Grandmother built another adobe house, a portion of which still stands on Main Street. They lived there about two years, then moved to Provo, the place grandfather had planned to take them, and they bought a home from uncle Andrew Rose on the block where the Parker school house now stands.

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/109145182/martha-ann-parker

Children Photo John Fletcher Parker 1828–1889

Photo Robert Pollock Parker 1836–1892

Photo Joseph Faulkner Parker 1841–1936

Photo Alma Mormom Parker 1844–1886

Photo Exile Liberty Parker Ewing 1846–1866

• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jan 19 2021, 14:22:54 UTC

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• Reference: Find A Grave Memorial - SmartCopy: Jan 19 2021, 14:22:54 UTC