Clarinda Phillips Langston-3 stories

(these stories were given to us by a descendant, Glade Dalton; the first two are similar but not exact)

SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF CLARINDA PHILLIPS LANGSTON

written by her daughter, Alice Ann Langston Dalton

Clarinda Phillips Langston, daughter of Israel and Dorothy Rose Phillips of Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.

Clarinda was born 19 Jan 1829 in Greene Co, Illinois. Her Mother died when she was 7 years old. Also, an infant sister, leaving her an only child. She lived with her Father’s brother, John Phillips until she was about 9 years old. Then her Father married again. Her name was Rebecca Cane.

This stepmother never had any children and was never well. So mother had to be housekeeper, chore boy. Her Father was always on the move, so Mother never had much chance to go to school. She also rode the pony to get the corn meal from the grist mill and grind it into meal. She tells of how the pony would always buck and throw her off and the sack of grain. So she would get on again and he would go along all right. So she learned to watch for his trick and was never badly hurt.

When she was 15 years old, she married John Langston, an Englishman who had been working for her Uncle. They were married the 5th Sep 1844. Her husband had an iron factory works so did not know much about farming. Mother taught him how to farm and he taught her how to read, which was always a great comfort to her, especially in her aged years.

When the first baby (a boy named Israel Francis) was about 2 years old, he died. The next child, a daughter named Catherine.

When gold was found in California, Father hired a man to take care of Mother and the place, and left for Cal. The man deserted Mother, leaving her alone, and soon after the 3rd child was born, but only lived 6 weeks. Word was sent to Father and he came home to take care of his family.

The 4th child, a boy was born and named John Franklin. When he was 15 months old, the oldest girl, Catherine, was burned to death on Christmas day. Three other children were burned to death, too, the children of the Hathaways, their friends. They were all burned to death while the parents were at a Christmas dance, 25 Dec 1853. Mother never enjoyed Christmas the rest of her life but did all she could to make others happy. Soon after this, Father and Mother and family started for California. But Mother having met the Mormon Missionaries, and being converted and baptized by Elder Lane in Pottawattamie Co, Iowa in Sep 1851, she wanted Father to join the Church, also. She had seen the Elders in a dream so was prepared to receive them when they came. Father was converted but could not receive and understand polygamy, so did not join the faith for 2 years. He writes in his diary that he received a testimony of the principle in a very convincing manner, so was ready to be baptized when they decided to come to Utah.

Mother’s Father, who had been to the Gold Rush in California, having come home, wanted Father and Mother to come and live with him. But they decided to start for Utah. This made her Father very angry for he was very bitter against the Mormons. Mother never heard of him again until after his death, when a Mr. Davis, a neighbor of her Fathers wrote her that her Father asked him to find her in Utah and give her share of his estate. He found her through some folks in Draper. He also stated that her Father had married a 3rd wife and she had bore him 5 children, 3 boys and 2 girls. The children divided her Father’s property with her. This was a big help to mother for at the time she was getting quite old and did not have much of this world’s goods, but she was rich in good deeds. She was always giving some boy or girl a home and a mother to all children as well as to her own. She was a great lover of children, especially baby boys and often said she hoped she would have a chance to take care of babies in Heaven. She was a fairly good singer and could amuse children for hours.

Strangers were never turned away from her door hungry or cold. She was very kind hearted and generous to all. As a child, I remember I complained because she gave so much food, shelter and beds to others. But she said, “If we expect the world to look after our Mormon Elders when they are traveling from place to place, we must extend a helping hand to others.”

She was head teacher in the Relief Society for years and years and devoted much time in looking after the poor and needy. She was always busy and very independent until she was too feeble to do so. She raised fruit and vegetables, especially large onions and always sold them. This helped to provide for the family’s needs. Father having died in Dec 1882, Mother was left with a family to provide for.

There were 3 main principles she lived and tried to instill in the lives of her children, namely TRUTH, VIRTUE, and HONESTY. She seems to have been successful.

Mother had one other severe trial. It was when Father was sealed to another girl named Elizabeth Freestone. She bore him 2 children, George and Ellen.

Life was hard and Indians were hostile and hard to get along with. The last 10 years of her life, she suffered a great deal and was an invalid for 3 years. She died at the age of 79.

 CLARINDA PHILLIPS LANGSTON

Compiled by daughters, Mary L. Stout and Alice L. Dalton

Clarinda Phillips Langston, daughter of Israel & Dorothy Rose Phillips, was born January 19, 1829 in Green Co, Illinois. Her mother died when she was 7 yrs old, also an infant sister, leaving her the only child. She lived with her father’s brother and family, John Phillips, most of the time until she was 9 yrs old, when her father married Rebecca Cane.

The stepmother never had any children and was unhealthy. So, Clarinda had to be chore boy and housekeeper. Since her father was always on the move from one place to another mother never had much chance for schooling. She had to ride a small pony for some distance to get what schooling she could.

She also had to ride her pony to the grist mill to take corn and get it ground into meal. She tells of how the pony would always buck and throw her and the sack of grain as soon as she started out. But she would get on again and he would go on all right. So, she learned to watch for this little trick and was never badly hurt.

When she was 15, she married John Langston, an Englishman who had been working for her Uncle. This was the 5th of September in 1844.

Her husband had always worked in the iron factories so didn’t know anything about farming. Clarinda taught him and he taught her how to read. This was always a great comfort to her, for in her older life, she spent much time reading when she could not work.

When her third child was born, Father went to California to the gold fields. When the baby, whose name was Rebecca Elizabeth, was six weeks old, she died, leaving Clarinda with one child, a daughter. Her first child, a boy, named Israel Francis, having died when two years old.

Sometime after the baby’s death, two Mormon Elders came to their home in 1851. She had seen them in a dream so was prepared to receive them and the gospel. She was baptized by Elder Lane in Potawatamie County, Iowa in September 1851.

When Father came home from the gold fields in California in the summer of 1851 she wanted to go to Utah to be with the Mormons. So, in the early part of January 1852 they bought a yoke of oxen and a wagon and started for the West, as their home had burned down and there was nothing for them to live on.

When they reached Council Bluffs, they found Isaac Stewart, a cousin of Mother’s. He took them in and did all they could for them. While living with the Stewarts, they started talking about religion, as the Stewarts were Mormons. Father was converted to the gospel but couldn’t believe in polygamy so did not join the church for two years. He did receive a testimony on that principle, though, and then decided to go to Utah.

Mother’s father had by now come back from California with some money and found that she wanted to go with the LDS people. They started for Utah and she never heard of her father again until after his death. He had told his neighbor, a Mrs. Davis, that he wanted Mother to have her share of his property. So, Mr. Davis wrote his folks in Draper, Utah and found out where Mother was and then did all he could to see that she received her share of her father’s estate. She found out that her father had married a third wife and had five children by her, 3 boys and 2 girls. They all divided the property with her.

This was a big help to Mother as she was quite old by now and not able to work and did not have very much of this world’s riches. But she was rich in good deeds as she was always giving some boy or girl a home and was a Mother to all children besides her own 13. She was a great lover of babies, especially baby boys and often said that she hoped she could have a chance of taking care of babies after she went to heaven.

She was head teacher in the Relief Society for years and was always looking after the poor and helping them. Many an expectant mother received help in clothes and food. Strangers were never turned from her door as she was so kind hearted. As a child, I once complained about her taking in so many people and giving them beds and food. But she said that, as Latter day Saints, we send our boys to preach the gospel and expected them to travel from house to house and they had to rely on strangers to feed and give them shelter, and that it should be the duty of the Saints to extend the helping hand to others in need.

She was a fairly good singer and could amuse children. She was always very busy and independent before she became so feeble that she could not wait upon herself. She always raised a lot of fruit and garden, especially large onions, which she sold to maintain her lively-hood, her husband, having died in 1882. There were three main principles she always tried to teach her children and live herself. These were: Truth, Virtue and Honesty, which she seemed to be successful in.

The last ten years of her life, she suffered a great deal but was very patient. She was bedfast the last three years of her life. She died 28 August 1908 at the age of 79 of general debility. She was survived by seven children, four boys, Frank, Isaac, Jacob, and William and three girls, Alice, Mary and Laura. Her daughter, Clarinda Jane Stout preceded her in death by two years, at age 59.

THE NIGHT MY GRANDMOTHER DIED

by Sophia Langston Terry, Alpine, Utah 14 Dec 1967

Grandma Clarinda Phillips Langston was born 19 Jan 1829 and died 29 Aug 1908. She was a wonderful person. To know her was to love her. She was so kind and thoughtful to little children. No child ever went away from her home hungry. The thing that stands out so vividly in my mind was the night she died. She was just worn out. She had been sick and was gradually getting weaker for more than a month. Some of her children had been staying with her.

This night, Genevieve Dalton and myself sat up with her. The children went to bed or went home. Toward midnight, she got very restless and wanted some paregoric. Aunt Phoebe came in and fixed it for her, then she went back to bed. After a while, Grandma motioned for me to come over to the bedside. She said, “Who is that man sitting on the foot of my bed?”and she pointed her finger toward the foot of the bed.

I said, “Grandma, there isn’t any man there.”

She looked at me and nodded her head and said, “Yes, there is, it is John.” Then she said, “Call the children.”

We went outside where Aunt Mary, Aunt Alice, Aunt Laura and Uncle Ike were sleeping, and woke them, and called Uncle Will and wife from the other room. They all came in and stood around the bed. She waved her hand and said, “Good-bye.” Then closed her eyes and went to sleep. In a few minutes Aunt Phoebe took hold of her hand, then said, “She is gone.”

Within myself, I am sure that Grandpa was in the room waiting for her, and that the “veil” was taken from her eyes that she “did see” him. Her body was washed and laid out and prepared for burial by the loving hands of her daughters.

This is a testimony to me that we will be together as families in the hereafter.