Lydia Pond Rich no 3 done I was born October 9, 1834, at Whitestraw, Siltshire, England, and am the daughter of Thomas and Ann Garrett Pond who were of humble birth but strictly honest and taught their children the same; my father died when I was about eight years old leaving my mother with seven children. I being the youngest of them. In a few years my mother was married again to a man by the name of Isaac Pernell and we moved to his home in Trowbridge, a manufacturing little town; them kame some of the best woolen cloth that is made in England. After a while I went to work in one of thses facory’s belonging to the firm of Potter and Heywood, the same firm that my grand-parents and parents had worked for, they were weavers and kept others to help them and when the weaving was done in the factory by machinery the old faithful ones still continued to have theirs at home and the children if they had any that were old enough to work in the factory had the privilege of going and working at the power looms, and I was one of that number; it was there I first heard of the Latter-day Saints. Another young girl and myself went to their meeting for a little pastime and we enjoyed it very much and went quite often till we became thoroughly convinced of its truth and in November 1850 we went down into the waters of baptism; I was only a girl sixteen years old. My parents belonged to the Baptist Church, so I had to depend on my Father n Heaven and he never has forsaken me. Soon after I joined the Church my step-father died leaving my mother a widow again. My home was very comfortable; I could take the Elders home at any time and leave them with the family, as I had to go to work early in the morning and I knew they would be well cared for, as my mother would never allow bad rumors told in the home about the Latter-day Saints. She told us that we should not tell anything we did not know to be true, and we could not always depend on rumor and that home ought to be the happiest place on earth. Some time after I jointed the Church I became acquainted with a young man by the name of John H. Rich and our acquaintance soon ripened into courtship and in 1852 I became his wife; we were married in the Church of England, in January, 1853. We left our home and turned our faces Zionward being the only ones of our families that were in the Church. We left Liverpool on the fifth of February on the ship Jersey; Elder George Halliday was our president. We arrived in New Orleans in March being six weeks and three days on the sea; we went from New Orleans up the Mississippi River to St. Louis and stayed there two months. My husband went to work while we were there to help get our living and also to get things for our journey across the plains; many inducements were held out to us to try and get us to stop there; but we had started for the gathering place of the Saints. We went from St. Louis up the Mississippi River to Council Bluffs; I shall never forget how the boat grated on the river bed; and we camped at Kanesville till the company was ready to start. The captains name was Moses Daley; while there a dear sister met with an accident and lost her foot, it was shot off by her husband he had been out hunting and was showing the boys in camp how he lost his game; he pulled the wrong trigger and shot his wife in the leg; she was getting her baby to sleep at the time; but there was not much sleep in camp that night; it was quite a trial for us to leave her; there was an arrangement made as soon as she was able for her to come on, but she went back to St. Louis with her husband, and they came to Utah the next year and lived in the city for a while, her name was Emily Halliday. In June we started on our journey across the plains. August 24th, I gave birth to a baby boy, we named him Franklin John; we were at the time at what was called the Black Hills; the company stayed over one day for me; we arrived in Salt Lake City, September 29, 1853. A few days after we came in, a brother Thurston came to our wagon and offered us a home for the winter at his house if my husband would work for our board which he agreed to do; we lived in with the family till April the following year; when we moved into a log cabin that we had used as our bedroom during the winter; it was about fifteen feet square with no floor or window, but it was the best they could do for they had a large family of their own. It was there I learned to make salt-rising bread; I also learned to make butter while there. Sister Thurston was very kind to us and so were all of the family. In August, 1854, we moved to the settlement or fort as it was called; my husband was working days work for our living and the Lord blessed us in our labors and we got us a home, it was a log house, we bought if of Brother Lyman Porter and we were thankful to be in our own house; in January, 1855 another son was born to us, James Thomas. The following fall, in October while my husband was hauling wood from the mountain he had the misfortune to break his leg; he was not able to do any work that winter; we had some wheat on hand and had it ground and we sifted the bran and put one fourth bran and three fourths flour and it made good bread and by so doing we had enough bread to last us till my husband was able to work and during that winter we lost everything, and had to make a new start. In September, 1857 a son was born to us, William Henry, and in the spring of 1858 came the call for people to leave their homes and move south; we were among the first ten that left Centerville; we left our home not knowing where we were going; we did not have any team or wagon at that time, but Brother Rollins, a man, my husband had done a great deal of work for, offered him a yoke of steers, and a light wagon, if he would haul some of his things with ours which he did; it was not much we had to haul at that time; we went to Payson and stayed there till the latter part of June when we returned to our home again, and the lord blest us greatly for the sacrifice that we had made although it looked rather dark at the time and the cloud was hanging low, but ther was a silver lining under the cloud. October 31, 1859, a baby girl was born to gladden our home, her name was Lydia Millira; in April, 1861, we moved from Centerville to Weber Valley, now Morgan,. In Morgan county; my husband took up some land and build us another home; we were among the first settlers; there were many hardships to endure, but it all gave us an experience and taught us to be thankful to our heavenly Father for the blessings we receive from time to time; in January, 1862, another little girl was born to us, Louisa Ann, but she did not stay with us long, not quite two years and her spirit took its flight to the better land. There are many lessons to be learned in settling up new countries and in those day there was not much to do with, making it all the more difficult to build new homes; now it is comparatively easy to do what it was then, a great hardship, one can scarcely realize it if they have not passed through it in these days. We were glad to have a spring seat in a lumber wagon to ride in but that is almost a thing of the past now and buggies have taken their place; in 1865 another daughter, Lucy Jane, was born to us. In 1868, the Relief Society of Morgan was organized and I have been a member of it ever since; for which I am truly thankful, for it has been a good school for me; it has taught me to rely on my Father in Heaven for strength to do all things. In March, 1877 I was chosen President of the Relief Society of Morgan, and when the stake organization was effected in 1878, I was chosen president of the stake and held both offices until 1889 when I asked to be released from being president of Morgan ward; I am still laboring as President of the Morgan Stake. I shall never forget how I felt when my name was called out for me to take that responsible position. When I reached home I said to our dear sister Eliza R. Snow; I fear I am not capable of filling that position; she said you will; and fill it with honor, and hose words have always been strength to me in the hour of need, and before she went home she b lest me; and it has always been a help to me with other blessings that I have received from her and Aunt Zina and many others who have gone behind the veil not forgetting the many kind and encouraging words that I have received from many of the sisters that have visited our conferences; among them sisters Jane S. Richards and E.B. Wells, many words of counsel have been given my by them and they have been as land marks while passing through life. In 1879 my eldest daughter died leaving a baby girl four days old, it lived one week and passed away. In 1886, my eldest son died laving a wife and six boys, they all are grown to manhood and are workers in the Church. I have passed through many trials; it has given me experiences, that have been as gems by the way side; and my faith has been increased and I trust I will be faithful to the truth to the end of my life.