HARRIET MARIA ASHBY STRINGHAM

Born April 8, 1834, Salem, Essex County, Massachusetts. Died April 18, 1921, Pasadena, California. Remains brought to Salt Lake City and buried in the family plot in City Cemetery. Daughter of Nathaniel and Susan Hammond Ashby.

This record is so replete with the life story and activities of this noble pioneer woman that little can be added here to make that story more complete. Her long life of service for her children and their posterity, still lingers in the memories of all who knew her, and to them is still an inspiration and a guide for righteousness in their lives. Lovingly called "Nana" by the earliest lisping of her first grandchild, she carried that name throughout her days.

From her earliest girlhood she sacrificed all worldly pleasures for the principles of her espoused faith in the Restored Gospel, and ever held steadfast to the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Girls of her day had little time for romance. Practically all were engaged in the stern duty of building an empire with early marriage and a family to carry out the trust. Looking back over the years, however, there appears one episode in her life that de serves mention. Before her marriage to Briant Stringham, as his second wife, she was offered and refused the hand of Henry W. Lawrence, a young man of prominence in the community and who later became a business and civic leader of high distinction. Henry

W. Lawrence must have loved her deeply, for through the years it is not known that they ever met to converse with each other, still, at her death, age 87, he now an old man, remembered her with a beautiful floral offering for her funeral.

A beautiful woman of but 37 years of age at her husband's death, she had many opportunities for marriage, all of which she refused. She remained true to her trust of rearing her children, always cherishing a great love for her husband whom, to her dying day she ever expressed a desire to be with once more.

Harriet's mother was a superior nurse and taught her daughters the art of caring for the sick. All those daughters became noted for their genius in this respect.

When the wife of Brigham Young, Harriet Elizabeth Campbell Cook Young, gave birth on February 10, 1846 to a baby boy, named Oscar Brigham Young, the event took place in an upstairs room of the Ashby home at Nauvoo. Here, it was believed, the best care in the community was available under the supervision of the mother of the family, Susan H. Ashby. Young Harriet Ashby was then in her thirteenth year, but she did her full share in nursing this good woman and her baby boy.

The following items of interest in the life of Harriet M. A. Stringham are taken from a penciled sketch written by herself when she was 84 years old. It was composed sometime between Christmas and New Years, while she was visiting her daughter, Elmeda Johnson, at Holden, Utah. She writes: "I was ten years old when we came to Nauvoo in 1843. Susan and Elizabeth were handsome girls. We were all good looking and well behaved. As we left Nauvoo I assumed the principal care of my baby brother, John, then

six months old, so I have been a mother ever since I was thirteen years of age.

"Briant Stringham operated a butcher shop when we reached Salt Lake City, and during his and my sister, Susan's courtship, he would give her every silver fifty cent piece that came into his hands. Paper money was pretty much the only money in circulation at the time.

When Brother Noble's first wife died, and mother went to care for her three small children, Briant Stringham, who was then married to my sister, Susan, suggested that I go and live with Susan and go to school. This I did. Some three months after this my mother passed away, and on her deathbed asked Briant to care for her orphaned children. They all soon learned that in him they had found a real father.

"Before my mother died, and realizing that her end was near, she requested that Susan should care for her younger sister Mary, that Libby look after Emma, and that I should have charge of Louisa. Louisa was then eighteen months old, and I was only sixteen years of age.

In 1849, during the California gold rush, Susan and I made straw hats. Every miner would buy a hat, and on a horse with a pack mule trailing behind would start for the mines. .It was so hot , , and the wagon road so difficult that they sold their teams and wagons with groceries and supplies for whatever price they could get, and continued the journey with only those supplies a pack mule could carry. In making the hats, I would braid the straw and Susan would sew the hat, the standard price for which was one 1 dollar. When I was eighteen years old Briant Stringham began paying some attention to me. One night, when we had been out walking, as I came into the house, Susan said, “Had! Aren't you ashamed of yourself?' I said, 'Yes, I am, and I will never do it again.' I felt so sorry for Susan that I took Louisa and went to sew for Sister Gray. There I stayed three weeks. I was determined I would not have Briant talking to me any more, but every night I would look over the fence to see if he was coming. He finally did come and after a time and arranging matters satisfactorily with Susan, we were married.

"My first child, Maria, and Susan's second born, Briant Jr., were nursing babies at the same time. Little Briant became very ill so that his life was despaired of, seemingly from lack of nourishment. His father would bring him to me to share the nourishment I was able to supply my baby, Maria, and with the nourishment I could give and his mother could furnish, baby Briant soon got fat. I learned to crochet at a very early age, and made lace for the dresses for many of the babies born to Brigham Young and his wives.

"I was one of those whom Brigham Young invited to ride the first train to Ogden. We had an enjoyable trip, with supper at the Hotel in Ogden." At the time she set down the above items, she wrote a letter to her nephew, Dr. Briant Stringham, then living in Woods Cross, Utah, the same Briant Jr., she had nursed as a baby; in which letter she said: "Now here 1 am with Meda in Holden, living on new milk and getting fat. Henry and George are here to see us and they are surprised to see me so well. I have been well ever since you advised me what to do. I drink mountain sage tea every day, in the morning and at night. It has cured me and I would recommend it to anyone who is not well."