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Show Feature Nathan an SOUTHERN UTAH NEWS WEDNESDAY MARCH 8, 197 Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1836 near Writers note: This article is the Brockville Canada when N a than third in a series featuring His- was about five. They lived there toric Homes in Kanab, but for a time, then joined the gathmostly the purpose of this write- ering of Zion" in Kirtland, Ohio. up is to tell the story of Nathan Later when hostile gentiles and Mary Melinda (Plunkett) threatened the Mormon commuAdams. What they accomplished nity, the family moved to in their lifetime without moder- Nauvoo, Illinois. Arza was a firm believer in the conveniences is n-day Mormon religion. In 1839, he asked his brother to look after worn his Nathan Adams, family while he went back to Grandpa to do missionary work, Canada on the the of sat tread time, by The ofhis home front porch message of Arza Adams reswatting flies. With pride, he glanced at ally got through to William Rob- the vines growing up over the ert and Sarah (Kennedy) Plunkett, parents of Mary porch, the fruit trees and well-keblessed. felt N Meiinaa. In 1840, ten years afathan garden. ter Joseph Smith founded the The years had been good. Grandma Mary Melinda Mormon church, Arza baptized Adams came out of the house. and confirmed Robert and Sawoman rah as members. (Ironically, fifShe was a large-bone- d with laughing eyes. Her mouth teen years later, Robert Plunkett was chewing and Nathan didnt was excommunicated from the know ifshe had anything in it or church for opposing the authorinot. Grandpa got up from his ties and for using profanity.) When Mary Melinda was chair and twirled Grandma around. Youre still one of the about five, the Plunketts left best dancers in town, she chuck- Canada and moved to Nauvoo, a town on a scenic bend in the led. A small boy darted up the path. Mississippi River. Thousands of Grandpa Adams crossed the Mormons had banded together yard and in the shade of a large to build homes, businesses, and tree pulled up a cool drink from a grand temple on the banks of the well. He offered it to the boy. the Mighty Mississippi. Nathan The youngster shook his head recalled carrying water for those no, he was interested in the piece who worked on thq Temple. By of apple pie Grandma Adams 1844, the city had 10,000 inhabheld in her hand. itants. This growth stirred susAdamses time the the pur- picion among their By chased lot 4, block 19 in 1880, neighbors. Opposition to the they had a large family. The Mormons reached a climax when y brick, authorities arrested Smith for couple built their hall-an- d parlor house with a rear incit ing a riot after he attempted in three phases, liv- to destroy a newspaper that exing in a log cabin on the prop- posed the Mormon practice of erty, and in their wagon. (In polygamy. Before Smith went to mob broke early Kanab, settlers built rooms trial, an as needed or when the money into his cell and killed Smith became available.) Although and his brother, Hyrum. At the time of Joseph Smiths their house was small, the was thrilled to move from the death, Mary Melindas family lived on a farm near Carthage, Fort into a home of their own. Now lets backtrack a bit. Arza Illinois. She recalled hearingthe and Sabina (Clark) Adams, par- shots that killed Joseph Smith, ents of Nathan, joined the and she remembered the gloom By Barbara Pyles mind-bogglin- g. pt non-Morm- one-stor- anti-Morm- rwr This is tfje cabin the family lived in while their house was being built. 16 and sadness of that time. Nathan was acquainted with Smith and felt his death deeply. Following the murder of Smith, Brigham Young organized the exodus that would take the Mormons westward. Until this time, the Adams and the Plunkett families had been almost inseparable. But for some reason, the families did not travel together. Nathan wrote: In tkeyear 1845 or 46, we moved to Council Bluffs moving 77 fatten Mary Melinda Plunkett Adams house was built in three phases. There is with our teams. My a cellar underthe house and t.e soil taken from the cellar was used to make the brick. Photo father drove one yoke by Barbara Pyles, on one wagon and I team and took a wagon load of drove 2 yoke on one wagon. We on October 3, 1856. Fourteen years after tying the butter and cheese away from here settled Little Pigeon 6 miles north of Kanesville (another name for knot, Nathan and Mary Melinda to get provisions for winter, a mission call to South- - ing first to Washington, Cedar, Council Bluffs) and lived there era Utah to help built a settle- - Parowan and Beaver, down as until the spring of 1849. About that time, the Plunketts ment. While living in Dixie, far as Nephi . . . They crossed the were living in the Washington their 8th child was born. The Sevier River twenty-si- x times in Township in Van Buren County, family lived in a thatched dug-o- the course of only a few miles. Iowa with a group of farmers. that they built. Their son, They arri ved home well and withto They were growing crops help John Quincy Adams, writes of out having any incidents of any new emigrant converts who were deep sand and no shoes. In kind . . . (Biography by Tessa coming through in large num- March of 1871, the family an- Riggs.) In the 1890s Nathan and Mary bers. After enduring many hard- swered a call to the most inacships and suffering much abuse, cessible place in the United ran a boarding house. At the ed ut both families settled in American Fork, Utah, and took care of each other. Getting back to the young people: When Nathan was 20, he drove a yoke of oxen to Carson Valley, near Lake Tahoe, for William Clever, then he went to Eldorado, Californian to pan for gold. He brought back a wed- ding band for Mary Melinda. Meanwhile, Mary Melinda was States (Kanab), and set up time, Mary was helping Eleanor housekeeping in the old fort. McAllister with her hotel, takThe couple had three more chil- ing the extra people into her own home. Mary was a good cook, dren while living in Kanab. Taken from transcripts of the widely known for her donuts and history of the Plunkett family: It pies. was here that she experienced the Its written that Nathan was a hardest ofall hardships that came serious man, yet, that he also to them during their pioneer life. had a sense of humor. Its said They were always so afraid of the that he was honest and never Indians and it was often very spoke against anyone. He made hard to get the necessities of life. his living as a stock raiser, Nathan recalled a time when he ... farmer and owned and ran dairEdsmund with the living Lake Ellsworth family near Salt thought he would have to put his ies. He loved music and was $ member of the first band in City. She worked as a cook at the Henry rifle to use. Beehive House for Brigham Young. Its said that she spent ...It was here that she experienced the hardest of all her money on pretty dresses. On February 15, hardships that came to them during their pioneer life... 1855, Mary Melinda Continuin g:They lived first in Kanab. .Nathan helped Jacob Plunkett became the wife of Nathan the old fort until the people dared Hamblin on his peace keeping Adams, and they to move put onto their lots and missions with the Indians. settled in American build up the town. While her Nathan died in Kanab on DeFork. They, lived husband spent most of his time cember 26, 1916,. He never took there for about thir- from early spring until winter a plural wife. , teen years. The new- away from home with the Mayor ' Mary Melinda was a devoted lyweds went through Powell's Survey . . . she and her daughter, wife and mother. She some very trying children kept a dairy, first up at was full of love, kindness, and times. First there Cottonwood, then Cave Lakes determination. Mary sold cheese was the grasshopper and various other places. Many and butter to Major Powell for a visitation,, then the times she has walked six miles few extra dollars. She also dried drought. The winter from Cave Lakes to Kanab with fruit and traded it to the Indians of 1 856 was the worst more than she ought to have car- - for deer meat, and saved every the two had experi- ried of butter and cheeses, and scrap of grease to make soap. enced since coming sold it to the emigrants going Like other pioneer women, she West. Nevertheless, through to Arizona, for anything made, grew or traded for just they also experience they had to exchange that was about anything she needed. joy, Mary Ellen, their needed. Once she took her twelve- - Mary Melinda died November Photo by Barbara Pyles. first child, was bom year-ol- d son Nathan to drive the 20, 1924 at the age 86. |