SARAH PULSIPHER ALGER

1824 – 1909

Sarah Pulsipher was born 02 November 1824 in Spafford, Onondaga, New York. She was the fifth child born to Zera and Mary Brown Pulsipher. The older members of the family, Mary Ann, who died in infancy, Almira, Nelson and Mariah were all born in Pennsylvania where the family lived for quite a few years. It must have been in the latter part of 1823 or the earlier months of 1824 when Sarah’s father moved his family to New York State where he bought a farm and built a mill. His diary states that he built a meetinghouse there for the Baptist Church which he was then associated with. It was here that little Nelson was killed by a falling tree.

Sarah was just seven years old when her parents heard and accepted the gospel of truths as taught by Jared Carter and other missionaries of the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Then in 1835 her father moved his family to Kirtland, Ohio. At eleven she would be able to remember many experiences about this journey to Kirtland. When the persecutions became more severe they later moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. Her father’s history gives realistic accounts of the hardships they were forced to endure.

Among the group of Saints was young man by the name of John Alger who had been born 05 November 1820 in Willoughby, Astabula, Ohio to Samuel Alger and Clarissa Hancock Alger. This young couple became god friends and when Sarah was 28 and Jon 22 they were married 06 January 1842 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois by the Prophet Joseph Smith. They were later sealed on 13 February 1848 in the Nauvoo Temple, having received their endowments on 07 Jan 1846. About 1843 a little boy named Nelson was came to gladden their home, but he wasn’t permitted to stay with them. Sarah Ann was born 13 Apr 1845 in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois.

Soon after this they were obliged to leave their homes and travel westward away from their enemies. Thus it was that Olivia was born at Winter Quarters, Nebraska 23 June 1847. Just before they arrived in Salt Lake City, Sarah gave birth to Adeliza 09 August 1849. As this young couple struggled to establish a home in a new land their little family was added to by the arrival of John Zera 15 January 1852, their first boy to live. Martha Ellen came 04 December 1853, Ann Eliza 20 December 8155. All these were born in Salt Lake City.

It was the year 1857 when Johnston’s Army were determined to enter the peaceful valley of the Saints. Sarah experienced many anxious hours as her husband went with the rest of the men into the mountains to thwart the plans of the approaching army. The inhabitants of the valley were instructed to move south out of the way of the intruders should they get by the guards. At this time Sarah was in a delicate condition and it was in Payson, Utah that she gave birth to Samuel Nelson Alger 26 Apr 1857. When the troubles were over the people moved back to their homes in Salt Lake City. She next gave birth to Alva Don 21 January 1860. Willard Edgar arrived 11 April 1862.

It was in the fall of 1862 that a call was made to establish a new settlement far to the south in Utah’s Dixie. John and Sarah Alger were among the families who accepted this mission. Sarah was happy to know that her dear father and mother and all of her sisters and brothers and their families were to journey south with them. They started making preparations right after the October conference and it took them until the first day of January 1863 to reach their new location in St. George.

Shoal Creek or Hebron was soon established by the Pulsiphers and a few other families, so the Algers moved there. It was in Hebron that Sarah gave birth to her 11^th and last child, Mary Edna 09 Dec 1865. The family later moved to St. George and established a permanent home.

It might be well to give the names of the person each of Sarah’s children married:

Sarah Ann - William Edward Cowley

Olivia - Philip Oakden (div.)

Adeliza - Andrew B. McArthur(1)

John Zera - Anna Mary Barnhurst

Martha Ellen - Abram Church

Ann Eliza - Joseph Price

Samuel Nelson - Ruth Elmira Pace

Alva Don - Dolly Young

Willard Edgar - Ida Pulsipher

Mary Edna - Frank Ashby(1)

I, Nora Lund, wife of Terry Lund, a grandnephew, wrote the above facts. I am indebted to Aunt Sarah’s grandchildren for the remaining and most interesting part of this sketch. Those whom I contacted and who were so helpful are:

Olive A Truman, Eva Paxman, John and his wife Mary – children of John Z. Alger. Erma Sorenson – daughter of Olivia Price. Nellie Twitchell, Edan Cunningham and Manie Randell – daughters of Willard E. Alger. These people knew and loved their grandmother. May I be pardoned for not giving more of you grandchildren an opportunity to express yourselves in these pages. It is my hope that your own copy will contain your personal impressions and incidents in the life of your grandmother that you remember best. It is important that your children and grandchildren know her as you did by your stories.

Nellie Twitchell says of her grandmother:

"Grandmother was a very proud, dignified lady. I can’t ever remember seeing her when she didn’t look like she had just stepped out of a ‘band box’."

"She did very fine needle work. She made a beautiful silk quilt, a crazy patch, and such beautiful stitches that it took first prize at the fair."

"I remember helping her feel silk worms. I think she was one of the first to raise them in St. George."

"I remember on her 80^th birthday they had a party for her. She was dressed all in white and sang "Oh My Father", besides joining in the games. She was very witty and always had an answer to everything."

"She was a Temple worker for 30 years. She was very kind to everyone, especially to the Indians. She had doctored them many times, always preparing her own medicines."

"She crossed the plains in 1848, lived in Salt Lake until 1862. My father, Willard Edgar Alger was born April 11, 1862. They moved to St. George the following October."

Manie Randell remembers her grandmother telling of watching the construction of the St. George Temple. How beautiful and smooth the rocks were when they finished up and ready to go into that sacred building.

"Grandma was an ordinance worker for many years. Until the last two years of her life she hardly missed a week. She had poor health the last year and couldn’t go at all."

"She used to get us grandchildren to go and to the baptizing for the Algers and Pulsiphers. She took me one day and asked me how many I could go for that day. I told her twenty, but I went and was baptized for 125. She said ‘the more you do today the more people can have their work done, as they are all waiting anxiously on the other side for the people here to do it, as they never had a chance.’ So, I went several times after that."

"She was always telling about something that happened on their trip across the plains. How they prayed for a safe night’s rest when they camped."

"She told us of a rattle snake going up Grandpa Alger’s leg. It touched his garments at the knee and fell dead at his feet."

Erma Sorenson says:

"I remember the old temple wagon that came every morning and picked up the temple workers. It had steps down from the back and seats on both sides of the "White top" wagon. It was driven by Brother George Worthen. Grandma would send me out to sit on the ditch bank to watch for Brother Worthen. She was always so particular not to have him wait, she did not like to hear the sound of his whip on the top of the white top, if he had to wait long."

"Grandma was a government Doctor to the Indians. She got a check each month for this service until she died. The Indians had sore eys so much and she would bathe them in salt water. No matter what was wrong with them she always had a cure."

"She was among the first to raise silk worms in the Dixie Mission. She raised the worms, spun the silk wove the cloth and made a good lot of it up into clothing."

Grandma was a good hand at teaching youngsters to learn to dress themselves. I guess I was spoiled and pampered being the only girl. I used to bawl around for Ma to come and dress me but one morning Grandma turned on me and said, ‘you are a big girl now and your Ma is not going to dress you any more’ – and she didn’t!"

John and Mary make the following comments:

"John remembers the ‘snake story’ and said it happened when they lived in Diamond Valley. The snake crawled up Grandpa’s leg. He just stood there a second, said it stopped crawling when it got to his knee. He gently shook his pant leg and kicked a little and it fell dead. ‘Something queer about those old timers.’"

Mary says: "We were at Aunt Adieu Price’s home in St. George when the first automobile came into St. George. Aunt Adieu called to us to ‘come quick’ the automobile was coming up the street. We were in the basement part of her house. Grandma passed us all and was out on the sidewalk cheering that new invention. She was always interested in improvements of any kind."

I remember after I came into the family seeing Grandma Alger wear a black silk dress. She said she raised the silk, spun the thread, wove the cloth and made the dress by hand. She was a wonderful seamstress. She was also an expert at making buckskin gloves for ladies. She made hundreds of pairs. My Mother had a pair of her gloves. I can remember they had bit high gauntlets, all silk embroidered. They were lovely."

"There is one that that I remember John’s mother saying about Grandma’s hair. She had beautiful hair, even when she died, not very gray. Grandma said every few weeks she rubbed coal oil and salt into her scalp, the fine combed it. She was a great hand to have the children comb her hair. If she ever caught a youngster idle she’d hand them a fine comb and take down her hair and they’d have a job as long as they’d comb. My oldest daughter Cecil remembers combing her hair when she was just a little tot."

Olive Truman entitles her contribution as "Mine and Grandma Lager’s Memories":

"I think Grandma was about five feet and two or three inches tall. She would have weighed about one hundred and twenty or thirty pounds after she got old. She was very erect and dignified and proud in her carriage. She had good articulation in her speech. I loved to listen to her talk because I could always hear what she said."

"About my first memory of her was when Uncle Don Alger died of Dilator Dust. He was laid out in Aunt Adieu Price’s parlor. His little boy Lafayette and I were the same age, about three or four years old. We asked her if we could see Uncle Don. She took us each by the hand and led us to where he was then took the sheet from over him and stood us on a chair so we could look down at him. Then told us to feel his face and hands. She explained that that was always the way people were after they had gone to Heaven so it did not hurt us when we were put in the ground. That same day he would take his little boy in his arms and he would be happy again! I have always been thankful for that experience. I have never had any fear of the dead or dying."

"She came to spend the summer with us in Enterprise when I was about 12 years old. Her stories made early Utah life very vivid in my mind."

"She told how Grandfather and Uncle Charles Pulsipher were among that handful of men that circled around the knoll in full view of Johnston’s Army. They would have to hurry so fast on the opposite of the hill to catch up with the last one in sight that it was hard to keep men in sight all the time. It was a rough part of the country with lots of trees and underbrush. When Grandfather was finally relieved from duty and returned home his clothes were almost entirely torn off of him. As usual he only had one suit of anything to wear so she took part of the homemade rag carpet to make him some trousers so he could return to his duty. She chuckled when she told about his beautiful striped new trousers and what a lot of fun they had had over them."

"I do not remember ever being at Aunt Adieu’s place while Grandma lived there without their being Indians and usually a yard full of them around. They would bring pine nuts and jerky or buckskin to trade for medicine. She made excellent buckskin gloves and always got a good price for them from the white folks. Sometimes the Indians would just sit on the ditch banks or steps in the shade just because they felt at home around there. The squaws did the laundry for Aunt Adieu. Grandma made most of her medicine; usually pills. She had a pension from the U.S. Government when she was old for doctoring the Indians."

"She was the first wife of John Alger and gave her consent to his having a second wife whom father called ‘Aunt Jane’. Grandma and all her children loved Aunt Jane. She almost raised both families while Grandmother made the living."

"Neither Grandma or Aunt Jane lived with Grandfather after he took other wives. I think he married three after them but they all left him when he got old and childish and because interest in spiritualism. Grandma never quite forgave him for that."

"She was a steady temple worker for a long time in the St. George Temple."

Aunt Sarah Alger died 01 January 1909 in St. George, Utah at the good old age of 85 years.