Question: When Nathaniel Marble III moved to Nauvoo, what happened to him and some members of his family?
Answer: Nathaniel Marble III was born on January 15, 1800 on his father’s birthday; the second child of Nathaniel Marble II and Mary Faunce.
In 1812, the family moved to Phelps, Ontario, New York. Phelps was a wilderness at that time.
Nathaniel grew up to be six feet tall and had red hair. About 1820, he married Mary King, the daughter of William King and Jane Harvey. Mary was born on February 29, 1802 at Shewsbury, Mammouth, Massachussets. She was their fifth child and third daughter, and her nickname was “Polly.”
Nathaniel and Mary settled in Ontario, New York, where their first two children were born: Mary Almeda and Samuel Harvey. Sometime between 1822 and 1824, Nathaniel took his family, along with his brother Abram’s family, to Huntsburg, Geauga, Ohio were there was a thriving settlement with churches, schoolhouse, and organized military companies in each town in the state for protection. This vicinity was later known for its Mormon advocates and many converts from here later went to Illinois. In this area, six more children were born to Mary and Nathaniel; Silas, Amy Ann, William Lorenzo, Horace, Joseph, Henry Lyman, and Jane.
The citizens of Huntsburg were largely “Whig” and were generally law abiding people with good morals. The children were brought up with good habits of industry and economy, and were Christians. About 1836, a debate took place between the Reverend Mr. Tracy and Joseph Smith Jr, the Mormon Prophet, which continued two days. There were also several other Mormon Elders in attendance. The debate was held in the schoolhouse, and the question debated was “Are prophets needed at the present time?” Joseph Smith contended that they were needed, and that it was in accordance with scripture that prophets were ordained now as in the time of Moses. Soon after the debate, twelve families joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Abram, Nathaniel, and Mary were among those who joined the Church and moved to Far West, Missouri.
In 1837, their son Joseph (about four years old) died. In 1839, Nathaniel moved his family to Spring Point south of Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, to be with the Saints. Two more children were born to them: Hyrum at Spring Point and Emma in Nauvoo. Nathaniel moved his family to Nauvoo in a home about a block from the Mansion House. He helped build the Nauvoo Temple and performed other duties asked of him. They lived in Nauvoo for about five years.
Nathaniel had been ordained an Elder on May 23, 1843 by his cousin, Noah M. Faunce. The oldest daughter, Almeda married Martin Hanchett in 1843, and Amy Ann married Lorenzo Babcock in 1844.
When the Prophet Joseph was on his way to Carthage he stopped and asked for a drink of water. Eight-year-old Henry Lyman Marble supplied that need. The Prophet placed his hand on Henry’s head and said, “Thank you my boy. You will live to be an old man, but my time is soon finished.’ This was on the 24th of June 1844. The Prophet was murdered on June 27th and brought back to Nauvoo where he laid for viewing in the Mansion House. One of Nathaniel’s sons says he remembers being lifted up by his father to see Joseph and Hyrum in their coffins in the Mansion House.
Nathaniel would no doubt have been at the special meeting in August 1844 when Brigham Young spoke with great power and the people were convinced that the authority and power of the priesthood of God, which had been with Joseph, was with the apostles.
In 1845, tragedy struck the Nathaniel Marble family. Almeda and her small daughter died. Nathaniel’s two daughters: Mary (age 24) and Jane (age 7) died that same year. Emma, another daughter, only a few months old also died. The same week that Emma died, Nathaniel died of a malaria sickness. He died on September 29, 1845 at the age of 45, and was buried in the Nauvoo Pioneer Cemetery.
Mary was left with six sons and one daughter to carry on during one of the churches most difficult periods. Mob violence was increasing and persecution vicious. In 1848, her son Silas was killed by the mob, who robbed him of his days earnings. In another incident, her son Lorenzo was thrown into the river by the mob but survived. Mary left Nauvoo and made the journey to Winter Quarters with her family.
At Winter Quarters, Mary’s oldest son, Samuel, was called to go west with Brigham Young’s Vanguard Company in 1847. Mary and the rest of the family were at Winter Quarters until 1851. Mary got ready for the Journey by baking pies and cakes and her children sold them at camp meetings. She was able to buy a wagon, and she had one horse and one cow. They arrived in Utah in 1851. On March 13, 1852, Mary was sealed to Nathaniel Marble in Brigham Young’s Office in the Salt Lake Utah Territory.
Sometime between 1852 and 1855, Lorenzo helped his mother move to the Manti Settlement, which had been created in 1849, but was still very much a desert wilderness with hostile Indians and harsh living conditions. Mary’s sons, Lorenzo and Samuel, enlisted in the militia organized in 1856. By 1857, there was bountiful harvests and settlers settled on lots and began making improvements.
Mary’s sons, Henry Lyman, Samuel, Hyrum and Lorenzo were the only four of the children who lived longer than Mary. Mary married Stephen Taylor, a carpenter in 1870 when she was 68 years old.
Mary was a woman of great faith and courage in the face of trials. She had faced the deaths of her husband, Nathaniel, and seven of her eleven children. Mary had settled in harsh desert conditions in Utah, but she kept the faith and taught her children to also keep the faith. Mary died on December 1, 1881 at Richfield, Sevier County, Utah.
Source: Excerpts from “Life Story of Nathaniel Marble and Mary King’ by Betty Marble Rhead, FamilySearch.org; FindAGrave.com
No Comments yet!