Autobiographical Sketch of
Pricilla Parrish Roundy
Emigrant 1847
by Pricilla Parrish Roundy
with foreword by Etta
berry Heap
and postscript by Sarah
Roundy Berry
Samuel Parrish was born in
Elizabeth, Leeds, Ontario, Canada, September 10, 1789. He courted
and won the hand of a pretty Irish lass by the name of Fanny Dack.
She had emigrated with her parents from Ireland February 3, 1820.
They became the parents of six children: Sarah, Mary, Lydia, Jane,
Joel, and Priscilla. We will now let Priscilla, my grandmother, tell
the story in her own words.
~Etta Berry Heap
My parents on my father's
side were Quakers. I am unable to tell what my parents were on my
mother's side. Their names were William Dack and Jane Coad. It was
cold in Canada, and the snow lay on the ground six months out of the
year. They had to dig up trees to make room for farming land. My
father became very dissatisfied with the country and moved to Stark
County Illinois. Although he never met a “Mormon Elder,” he
purchased a Book of Mormon when he left Canada.
Illinois proved to be a
good place to make a living. We had a large farm and fine orchard.
Grandfather Joel Parrish and grandmother Sara de Wolfe Parish were
living with us at the time. It was while here that we first heard of
a Mormon elder. My father, mother, and sisters joined the church in
the winter, when they had to cut the ice in order to baptize them.
Precious to this, my parents did not belong to any church. We did
not have to raise hay in Illinois, we went out on the prairie and
cut the hay.
After father joined the
church he went to Nauvoo to see the Prophet Joseph Smith. My two
eldest sisters were married here. Sarah married Egbert Elsworth;
Mary married James Pollock soon after this. They joined the church
in the spirit of gathering and we moved to Iowa across the river from
Nauvoo. We all moved except Mary, there was a Branch of the Church
there. I went to school for awhile, but after a short while we moved
again, down on the bottom near Nauvoo. My sister Sarah stayed on
the Bluff, she had a little girl. Mary moved to Iowa, we lived near
her for awhile., then she moved out on the prairie, she lived near
the timber. While we were living here my sister Sarah died and
mother took the child. She was two and one half years old then.
Soon after we had a big prairie fire and had to burn the grass around
the house in order to save it. About this time we moved to Nauvoo
and lived on the bands of the river in the Northeastern part of the
County. Nearly all the family had chills and fever and then measles.
My sister Mary died with measles and left a baby girl two and one
half years old. After this we moved up into town and it was while
here that I had chills and fever. At this time I was eleven years
old.
The Prophet Joseph Smith
and his brother Hyrum were killed at Carthage Jail. I will never
forget that sad time, everything seemed covered or shadowed with
gloom. I saw the Prophets when they were in their coffins. I had
the privilege of hearing the Prophet of the Lord give his last
sermon, and this I say for the benefit of my children. The enemies
were not satisfied with killing the Prophets, they burned the homes
and grain all around. My father and brother Joel were working on the
Temple at the time. I was baptized in the Missouri river at the
time.
My sister Lydia married
Joseph Coad. They lived in the house we had, but soon separated. My
sister Jane married Ephriam Lindsay in the spring of 1846.
We had to leave our
beautiful city and Temple. We crossed the river about six miles to
my sister Lydia's place. It was while there that Lydia died in the
night. She was sleeping in the wagon and complained of her head, and
soon passed away. As there was no carpenter there, father had to
make the coffin and bury her there. My grandfather, grandmother and
three sisters lay side by side in the Montrose, Iowa graveyard. I
was only two years old when my grandmother and grandfather Dack
died, so I don't know much about them.
I will post more when I get more retyped.
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