History of My Life by Emma Irene Facundus Trotter
written [by Emma] in December 1942
I was born February 11, 1868 in
Gillsburg, Amite County, Mississippi. My parents were
James J. and
Jane Wall Jones Facundus.
My father,
James Jacob Facundus, was born the 8th of March, 1837, in Livingston Parish, Louisiana (near Springfield). He was the son of
George and
Mary Ann McKie Facundus. My grandfather,
George Facundus, was born and raised in Livingston Parish, near Springfield, Louisiana, and was the son of
Jacob Facundus. Where Jacob Facundus was born or what his nationality was, I do not know; because my father, James J. Facundus was left an orphan and he did not know much about his grandfather. Some said that he was a Spanish ship-builder and others said that he was of french-american descent.
My grandmother,
Mary Ann McKie, who was born, raised and married in Livingston Parish, Louisiana, was the daughter of
James McKie and
Ann Bookter who came to Louisiana from South Carolina.
My mother,
Jane Wall, the daughter of
Charles Wall and
Patsy [Ann] Sibly, was born, raised, and married in Gillsburg, Amite county, Mississippi (the exact date of her birth is unknown because a fire destroyed family records, but she thought that she was born about June 1835). Her father (and my grandfather),
Charles Wall, came to Mississippi from South Carolina with his parents when he was a small lad. The parents of my grandmother, Patsy Sibly, came to Mississippi from North Carolina.
Charles Wall, my grandfather, was a cotton-plantation owner, He had a large plantation and many slaves. I can remember hearing my mother tell about him and her life on the plantation. My grandmother,
Patsy Sibly Wall, died, leaving several small children. Although my grandfather remarried later, the care of the children and the house was given to Mammy Celia and Mammy Matilda, two good-hearted negresses. Their skins were black, but their teeth were white as ivory and they had hearts of gold and the children loved them. Even when the children were grown and married, these two good souls went to their homes to help them when they were needed and especially in times of sickness. I can remember very well when one of these Negro-mammys from my grandfather's plantation came to care for my mother when my sister,
Cassie, was born and I was five years old.
Visiting my grandfather's plantation is one of my earliest recollections. It had a long lane down through it. I can still remember how it looked with the plantation-house on one side of it and the negro cabins on the other side. The white folks lived on one side of the long lane and the Negroes lived in small cabins on the other side. Grandfather Wall always treated his slaves kindly and many of them stayed with him and continued to live on the plantation after they were freed. Each married negro had his own cabin and garden spot for his family, The work to be done was assigned out: one negro was the plantation blacksmith, who kept all the tools in repair; one was the plantation fisher and hunter. He provided fish which were caught in the rivers nearby and had charge of the animals which were turned loose to run in the swamps. He had a hunting dog and a horn which when blown, brought the hogs together. Hog-killing was an exacting business, for often one hundred hogs were slaughtered at one time in the fall of the year. Their meat was cured with salt and then smoked in smoke houses and packed away in corn husks for winter use.
After the Civil War Grandfather's plantation, like many others, was devastated and he, saddened by the war and its after-effects, soon died. Later the plantation-house was purchased by the
Gill brothers. They used it for a store and a Post Office, and the town became known as Gillsburg after them. I can remember when they had their store there. As a small girl, I was quite interested in their activities. Once they got a shipment of dry-goods which had been brought from Greensburg in wagons, without covers, in a rainstorm. Upon its arrival it was all wet, and the Gill brothers unwrapped the bolts of cloth and had them strung outside in the yard and on the fences to dry.
My mother,
Jane Wall, married
Josephus Jones. He was fatally stabbed in an Election Day fight. Election Days in the South were usually very exciting, and many times gun-play and fights at the polls resulted in death.
 |
| Pvt. Francis M. Carter - On October 4, 1858 (Election Day) Josephus Jones was stabbed in front of Wall's store in Gillsburg, Mississippi. Francis M. Carter was accused of this stabbing and the subsequent death of the victim on the following day. The Liberty Advocate published a report on the 14th of October, 1858 about this event. It was said that Mary Spurlock Jones spent $3,000 dollars trying to have him hanged. He was instead given a jail sentence, though it would appear to be a short one, from looking at the birth date of his second child — William Monroe Carter on September 7, 1860. Francis M. Carter served in the 33rd Mississippi, Company B. |
To this union the following children were born:
Mary Francis Jones, born October 2, 1852;
Aldolphus Eugene Jones, born May 31, 1854;
Charles Henry Jones, born April 29, 1856 - died August 28, 1859; and
Jane Jones, born July 14, 1858 - died August 7, 1858.
On the 8th of March 1860
James J. Facundus and
Jane Wall were married. After their marriage they lived on a farm in Amite County, Mississippi, where the following children, including myself, were born:
Charlie Facundus, born May 17, 1861;
James David Walton Facundus, born April 4, 1866;
Emma Irene Facundus, born February 11, 1868;
Rosa Ellen Facundus, born February 21, 1870;
Cora Cassandra Facundus, born October 13, 1873; &
Elzy Varner Facundus, born February 27, 1876.
When I became old enough to go to school I walked about three miles with my brothers to the one-roomed schoolhouse which we attended. Later we lived for two years at Amite City, Louisiana. Here I spent much time reading the Bible because it was one of few books we had in our home.
While we lived in Amity City, we children went to school in a larger building which had a double chimney in the middle of the room. We had two lady teachers. One of them, Mrs. Abbey, told me that I would have to have a reader. I told my father and he bought me one called "An Independent Reader". I always treasured this book because it had so many poems in it. I always loved poetry and I think I memorized every poem the book contained. I can still remember one called "The Acorn" as clearly as when I first learned it. It went like this:
The Acorn
Long ago in the changeful autumn,
When the leaves were turning brown,
From the very top-most branches
Fell a little acorn down.
And it tumbled by the pathway
And a chance foot trod it deep,
In its shell, where all the winter.
In the ground it lay asleep.
With the white snow lying over
And the frost to hold it fast;
Till there came the mild spring weather
When it burst its shell at last
First shot up a spangling tender,
Scarcely seen above the ground;
Then a mimic little oak tree
Spread its tiny arms around.
Many a rain and night dew nursed it,
Summer hot and winter long,
And the bright sun shone upon it
While it grew up tall and strong.
Now it stands like a giant
Casting shadows broad and high,
With huge trunk and leafy branches
Reaching up toward the sky.
Here the cattle come for shelter
In the noon-tide hot and bright,
And among its leafy branches
Is where the wild birds rest at night.
After we had lived in Amite City about two years, a yellow-fever epidemic broke out along the railroad so father moved us out to a farm where he felt we would be safer. Mr. Lock Boyd was our first man teacher there. We went to his school after we moved out to this farm which my father had rented. Later father bought his own farm which was near Greensburg. As children, we always did our part on the farm and helped with whatever work there was to be done.
I recall vividly the "log-rollings" which used to be held. When the heavily-timbered lands were cleared for farming, "log rolling" was given. Previously the landowner had chopped the bark off the trees. (Called "girdling", the farmer cut a band of bark off, which killed the tree.) When the trees were dead, all the neighbors were invited to help clear them from the land. Sometimes fifteen or twenty men came to help cut and roll the ten or twelve foot logs into piles and burn them. The women in the family would cook for three or four days to prepare food and on the day of the "log rolling" a hot dinner was served to the workers. In the evening a dance was held in the home and the people who weren't staunch Baptists danced to violin and accordion music - for dancing was forbidden in the Baptist Church.
I met
Samuel Thomas Trotter, a young man who was staying with my friend, Helen Story. The Story family only lived a short distance from our home. We became good friends and later became engaged. Samuel went to work on the sugar farms for two winters before we were married. He was the son of James and
Ruth Glasscock Trotter and was born February 15, 1860, in Greensburg, Louisiana. His father,
James Trotter, was born about June 1813 and his mother,
Ruth Glasscock, was born August 18, 1815.
We were married on February 4, 1886, in my home. Reverend Robert Stewart performed the marriage ceremony. After our marriage we made our home on a farm which my husband worked. While we lived there the following children were born:
Samuel Adrian, born November 3, 1886;
James Lloyd, born April 1, 1888, - died December 1, 1888;
Arnold DeWitt, born October 12, 1889;
Daisy Irene, born July 25, 1894;
Maston Sitman, born August 29, 1897 - died November 21, 1921; and
Arthur Dahl Swenson, born March 12, 1900.
During these years
my father and brothers were given contracts to build houses on the land in Springfield, Louisiana, that had formerly been in the Facundus Farm. They worked under the name of the
Facundus Brothers Contractors and Builders. I remember when Daisy was a baby, that Tom Easely, who was working with them, was reported to have dug up a pot of gold. For a time everyone was searching for, and hoping to uncover, some buried treasure along the river which was near the Facundus Property.
One day in 1896 I saw two men who traveled up and down on the country road that ran past our farm. They passed by our place several times and each time I saw them , my curiosity was aroused, I wondered what they were doing. Finally, one evening they came to our home and asked for a nights lodging. My husband wasn't home, but after I learned that they were missionaries. I invited them to come in and wait until he came form work.
We decided to give them lodging for the night and, being
missionaries of the
L.D.S. church, they told us of the principles and beliefs of their church. After that night they came to our home many times and we held fireside conversations in which we discussed the Gospel. They gave us a card bearing the Articles of Faith. When I read the 8th
Article of Faith which states, "We believe the
Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly, we also believe the
Book of Mormon to be the word of God." I felt some doubts. This was because I was a staunch believer in the Bible. But when
Elders Swen L. Swenson and William Martin explained the
Article of Faith more fully to me, my testimony of the truthfulness of their message made me anxious to become a member of the C
hurch of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints [sic]. I think that I must have been converted from the very first, and I could hardly wait until the day I was baptized. On May 24, 1896, I was baptized by
Elder Swenson and conferred a member of the
LDS church by Elder Martin on the same day.
My husband took longer to consider this new-found faith but he too was baptized July 5, 1896 by Elder Martin and confirmed the same day by Elder Swenson. We found great joy in the Gospel even though we were the only ones of our families to accept it and join the Church. My folks were not bitter against the "Mormons" as so many people were in those days; yet they did not see fit to partake of the manifold blessings which have been ours since that day when we cast our lot with the saints.
After we had joined the Church we felt the spirit of gathering. I was especially desirous of coming to Utah, which was the gathering place of the saints. From this time on we always invited the Elders to stop with us. At one time I recall there were eight missionaries who come to our home. They were on their way to a conference. We could accommodate only four, so the other four went back to Brother Thomas' to stay. He wasn't a member of the church but he was kindhearted and liberal. By the time we came to Utah there had been thirty-five different Elders who were entertained at various times in our home.
At last, in June of 1900, we left our home and dear ones and our friends and came to Utah to live.
Elder Swenson, the man who had brought us the message of the gospel, wanted us to settle in Pleasant Grove, where he promised Mr. Trotter a job in his store. Elder Arthur Dahl, a missionary that we had grown to love before we came to Utah, influenced us to come to Goshen, the place where he lived. After we arrived here, Mr. Dahl, who was leasing the Ercanbrack Farm on the creek, gave my husband work on the farm. This kind of work was more to his liking. After we came to Goshen two more children were born. They were Core Estella (born June 28, 1902) and Hoyt Mocus (born November 13, 1905 - died November 19, 1942).
For a time we lived in a house at the top of town; later we moved to the home in which William Burraston now lives. When Mr. Dahl went to Canada to settle, my husband got other jobs. He drove the milk wagon for the Goshen Creamery, worked as watchman on the tracks, and drove a peddling-wagon to Eureka for William Finch while he was on his mission.
In 1907 I returned to Louisiana for a visit because my mother was seriously ill. She lived about one week after I reached there and died March 23, 1907. My father died a little over a year later on June 19, 1908.
In 1911 Mr. Trotter obtained the position of school custodian. He was the first man to put a fire in the Goshen school furnace and the custodianship of Goshen Buildings has been in the family ever since. From 1913 to 1925 we lived in the old schoolhouse which had been remodeled into a dwelling place.
On December 1, 1915, Mr. Trotter and I received our Endowments in the Salt Lake Temple and were sealed to each other. In the last few years I have done all the temple work for my family that has been possible for me to do.
On October 15, 1913 our oldest son,
Samuel Adrian, and
Maude Diana Hansen were married. They had the following children:
- Rene Charles Trotter - born September 19, 1914 at Provo, Utah; married Noreen Conley - has one son, Charles Rene Trotter, born January 14, 1940 at Payson, Utah.
- Della Trotter - born July 10, 1916 at Provo, Utah; married Albert Hudson - Two children, Raydel and Jollean.
- Wayne Thomas Trotter - born October 16, 1917 at Provo, Utah; married Delma Hines - two daughters, Charmane and Katherine, who died in infancy, one son Thomas Michael, born May 10, 1942 at Maywood, California.
- Stanley Howard Trotter - born July 7, 1920 at Castle Gate, Utah. Before being drafted into the army, he earned his civilian pilot's license at Spanish Fork & at Tucson, Arizona. At present, he is a Staff Sergeant, gunner & bombardier-navigator; stationed at Daniel Field, Augusta, Georgia. He also received training at Camp Kearns, Utah; Las Vegas, Nevada; & Carlsbad, New Mexico.
Our oldest daughter,
Daisy Irene, was married to
Emil Jacobson on October 22, 1913. They have made their home in Provo, Utah, and have the following children:
- Fawn Irene Jacobson Wyatt - born January 5, 1915 at Provo. Her husband is now in the Army and she and her son, David Neal Harris, born September 10, 1935, at Provo, are with her parents in Provo. She works at the Geneva Steel Plant.
- (Ensign) E. DeWitt Jacobson - born September 21, 1916 at Provo. He is a Naval Flier and is now attending college at Burlington, Vermont, for Northeast Airlines.
- Elder Keith T. Jacobson - born January 28, 1920 at Provo. He is serving a mission for the LDS church, laboring in the Southern Louisiana Mission, and is serving as a District President.
- Mack Arden Jacobson - born October 1, 1923 at Provo. He entered the services November 17, 1942 and is presently stationed at the U.S. Naval Base at Farragut, Idaho.
- DeAnn Jacobson - born May 9, **** at Provo. She is in the fourth grade at the BYU Training School.
On June 14, 1916 our third son,
Arnold DeWitt Trotter, was married to
Louisa ("Louie") Price. They have the following children:
- Philip DeWitt Trotter - born March 2, 1917 at Goshen. He is now a clerk in the Intelligence Department, 25th Division, U.S. Coast Guard, Kodiak, Alaska.
- Dorothy Trotter - born October 6, 1919 at Provo. She married Virgil Pershing Howe and lives in Los Angeles. They have one son, Michael DeWitt.
- Edythe Trotter - born November 12, 1921 at Goshen. She is Head Floor Girl at the Kress Company.
- James Lowell Trotter - born January 7, 1926, died November 5, 1926.
- Richard Junior Trotter - born August 20, 1923 in Goshen. He is in the Armed Services.
- Paul Arnold Trotter - born September 25, **** at Huntsville, Weber County, Utah. He is attending Lincoln Junior High School and his hobbies are electronics and raising pets.
- Anna Louisa Trotter - born June 5, **** at Ogden, Weber county, Utah. She is attending Lincoln Junior High and is active in 4-H. Her name is a namesake for Louisiana, being Louisiana re-arranged.
When the United States entered World War I, our son,
Maston, volunteered. He asked for a position as a truck driver and was assigned to company F, Fifth Supply Train in the 5th Division of the U.S. Army. Here he drove a truck which carried army supplies. He was sent across to France with this division in the Spring of 1918and saw months of active service there. My daughter,
Cora, and I made a large U.S. flag and sent it to him. He was very pleased with it, and put it on his supply truck. Whenever the French people saw the flag they cheered loudly. After the war ended, a French family who had become his friends asked for a souvenir to remember him by, and he left this flag with them.
He drove on the Fifth Division, or the Meuse Division as it was later called. This division laid its chief Claim to fame in its forced
crossing of the Meuse River and the Canal de l'Est in the face of dominating heights that were almost impregnable and as I understand, was the first to cross the bridge after the bridgehead was established. Of the brave feat of this Meuse Division Commander-in-Cheif,
John J. Pershing,
wrote, "The feat of arms, however, which marks especially the Divisions ability as a fighting unit, was the crossing of the Meuse River and the establishing of a bridgehead on the eastern bank. This operation was one of the most brilliant military feats in the history of the American Army in France."
With the exception of a small piece of shrapnel which lodged in his knee, Maston was not injured; although the end of his truck was demolished and his captain, who was standing beside him, was killed. He reached the rank of Corporal when the Armistice was signed. He came home on the
U.S.S. Agamemnon. He had a
medal on which was written, "Defense Sector, St. Mihiel, Meuse Argonne."
On August 15, 1921, he and
Zelda Steele were married. He took ill and died November 21 of that same year, leaving his bride of three months. Their son,
Maston Lavelle Trotter, was born April 10, 1922 at Goshen, Utah. He is majoring in Civil Engineering at the Utah State Agricultural College.
The following Christmas we received the following lovely poem from our friend, Hattie J. Higginson:
Christmas in Heaven
Dear friends, I know your hearts are sad
Since Maston went away,
And you will miss him, oh so much,
This coming Christmas day.
You'll miss his bright and happy smile,
And all his joyous ways,
But he is spending Christmas now
In happy song and praise.
Just wanted on the other side,
He had a work to do;
Perhaps he's hunting up dear friends
Who were beloved by you.
Perhaps Out Father needed him
His gospel to proclaim,
The time is drawing very near
When all must name His name.
Yes, wanted on the other side,
So many of our young
Have passed away the last few years,
Their lives seemed scare begun,
We know not why Out father calls
The young, the brave, the true,
But sometime we will understand
And know our Father knew
I pray the Lord to comfort send
To every stricken heart,
Bind up the wounds, and dry the tears,
Sweet peace to each impart;
For He alone can send the balm
To heat the heart of pain,
So put your trust in Him, clear hearts,
You will not trust in vain.
I pray his parents may be blest,
His brothers, sisters too,
His dear young wife so soon bereft,
Her married days were few;
I pray the Lord to give you strength
To bravely bear the pain,
And trust in Him, with hearts of faith
Till you shall meet again.
So put your trust in God, dear friendly
The time will not be long,
Till you meet your boy again.
So beautiful and strong;
You'll thank the Lord for every gift
That unto you He's given,
When you shall meet, your loved ones greet,
Some Christmas up in Heaven.
Lines composed for Br & Sis. Trotter by Hattie J. Higgerson, Bancraft
Our daughter,
Cora, and
Leslie R. Olsen of Santaquin, Utah, were married June 28, 1924. They have made their home in Santaquin and have four children:
- Carl Dean Olsen - born March 26, 1926
- Leslie Lynn Olsen - born February 15, ****
- Jean Olsen - born August 4, 1934
- Richard Alan Olsen - born March 29, ****
On August 19, 1925, our son,
Arthur Dahl Swenson ("Swen"), and
LaVon Stewart were married. They have made their home in Provo and have two children:
- Dahl Stewart Trotter - born April 14, ****
- Carolyn Trotter - born April 10, ****
About twenty years after my father had died, my son,
DeWitt, wrote to me asking for Genealogical information. I had very little that I could give him but I got out our family Bible. As I turned the page in search of a card which told of my mother's death, I picked up a paper. I could not remember ever having seen it before. On opening it I discovered that it was a letter that my father had written to me right after we came to Utah. On the back of it was the very genealogical information which I needed and which I had felt certain that I had no way of obtaining. I believe that this information was put there for me at this time, when I needed it. The letter read:
"Magnolia, Louisiana, November 17, 1900
"My Dear Children: I write you today for the first time and hope you do not think hard of us for not writing sooner, but we knew you was [sic] hearing from us all the time through Cassie. We are all well at this time and hope that you are enjoying the same blessing. We still live at the same place and are getting along as usual and I guess you know how that is.
"I hope you and Sam are doing well there and I know you are from what you write. You are among civilized and a Christian people while I consider that we are almost in heathendom and it seems to me that they are getting worse instead of better. And if we could get the rest of the children to go, it would not be long before we would be with you all. I, Jim, would like best in the world to come to see you all and see the country if only I was able to do so. And I have regretted and regret that I was not brought into your church while I had the opportunity to do so. My mind has never changed as that's being the only true church is the Latter Day Saints. And I would like so much to see some of the Elders or all of the Elders that used to visit us so that I could have them preach to us on true Scripture, but I live there they was [sic] not allowed to preach; but I hope that someday, and that soon, that we can come and see all of you. Give our love to all the children and to all the Elders and tell them to write to me. And may God bless them and you all is my best wishes. Write soon and from now on I will try to write often. Tell Sam and Dick (DeWitt) and Daisy howdy for us all.
"Yours as ever, J.J. and Jane Facundus"
The following genealogical information, which I found on the back of my father's letter, reads:
"No I. Jane Wall now Facundus - I was born and raised and married at Amite County, Miss. My maiden name was Jane Wall. My age is from sixty-five to sixty-seven, I don't know exactly. my mother was Patsy Sibly, her parents came from North Carolina. My father was Charles Wall; his parents came from North Carolina when he was small.
"No. II. James J. Facundus was born in Livingston Parish near Springfield, La. on March 8, 1837 and was sixty-three years old last March. My father, George Facundus, was born and raised in Livingston Parish, La., but my grandfather, Jacob Facundus, I cannot tell where he came from or his nationality as I was left an Orphan and knew nothing of his origin. But my mother was Mary Ann McKie. She was born and raised and married in Livingston Parish, La. Her father, James McKie, came from South Carolina but I cannot tell you their ages as I have not got any record. As to further information, I cannot give it."
On June 23, 1930 I received the following Patriarchal Blessing; given by Patriarch Andrew Steadman:
"Sister Emma Irene, in the Authority of the Priesthood and the spirit of my calling, I lay my hands upon your head and confer upon you a blessing after the Patriarchal Order. The Lord is pleased when we seek His blessings that we may be comforted and buoyed up in the battle of life. You shall have His influence to guide in all your under-takings.
"In a pre-existent state you were valiant in defense of Christ's plan of Salvation, and granted the privilege of being born of goodly parents, and in this Gospel Dispensation when you could have the blessings of the Ever-lasting Gospel. You embraced the Gospel for the love of it, and its principles of truth appealed unto you, for you have always defended truth and sought after righteousness and avoided error.
"Thou hast been enabled to fulfill the measure of your creation with glory and honor, even as you kept your first estate you will keep your second and be added upon.
"Thou hast kept sacred the covenants entered into in the waters of baptism, and the Holy Ghost has testified of things pertaining to Eternal life, and thy soul has rejoiced and been made glad at the things that have been revealed unto thee by the whisperings of the still small voice. Thou hast kept thy covenants entered into in Holy Places, magnified thy calling, given heed to the counsel of the Priesthood, and thou shalt in no wise lose thy reward.
"Thou art of Ephraim and of the faithful house of Abraham and shall receive blessings of old were pronounced upon Sarah, Rachel and Rebecca through that royal lineage and the blessings of posterity shall grant you the richest joys of life. Joys that shall lead on to an eternal reward.
"Be prayerful and the Lord will bless you in every righteous desire.
"You will go up unto the house of the Lord as a savior on Mount Zion, for such a great and wise purposes have you been gathered to mingle with the daughters of Zion of whom much is expected. You shall have unspeakable joy in looking decline of life labor for the salvation of thy dead, for there are many behind the veil who look to thee for salvation.
"The powers of heaven shall protect thee from evil and lead you in paths of peace. And you will joy in looking back over a life well spent, with sacrifices for truth in the earth.
"I seal you up against the power of the adversary and no power seen or unseen shall prevail against thee, even unto the day of redemption. You will yet witness many great events pertaining to the establishing of truth in the earth. I seal you up unto eternal life to be clothed upon with glory and immortality and receive an exaltation in the Kingdom of God and live and reign as a queen and priestess to the most high, when the meek shall inherit the earth. These blessings I seal upon your head in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, Amen."
My husband served as Goshen school-custodian from 1911 until his death on May 26, 1935. Injuries which he sustain in a fall while he was at work at the school caused his death.
He was always a conscientious worker, was well liked in the community and had many friends who loved and respected him. He was always faithful and active as a Latter Day Saint and was a member of the High Priests Quorum at the time of his death. He used to say, "It isn't difficult to live the principles of the Gospel, its only when you half-live them that you have difficulty." Since his death our son, Sam, has carried on his work as school custodian.
I would like the Patriarchal Blessing which my husband received on November 3, 190_ [date given is 1907, but William Price died in September 1906] under the hands of Patriarch William Price:
"Brother Trotter, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, I place my hands upon your head and at your request confer upon you a Patriarchal blessing and I confer upon you the blessings of the new and ever-lasting covenant. Thou art a descendant of the house of Israel and if you are faithful to your covenants, keeping the commandments of the Lord, your God, you shall partake of the blessings promised to the covenant people of God and inasmuch as it is your desire to magnify the Holy Priesthood and bring others to a knowledge of the truth, the eyes of your understanding shall be opened and you shall be blessed with the ability to present the truth of the principles of the gospel to many that are yet in darkness.
"Your faith in the promises of the Lord shall increase and according to your faith desires of your heart, you shall be an instrument in the hands of the Lord in performing a great and glorious work of salvation for the living and for the dead. Therefore, try and obtain a knowledge of your progenitors for the Lord has chosen you to bring about their redemption and if you are faithful in the discharge of your duties you shall have great joy, you shall be blessed with a knowledge of principles and truths revealed by the God of Heaven, I bless you with the blessing of health and I bless you with the gift of salvation and eternal life, if you are faithful and prayerful, not one word of this blessing shall fail. I seal them upon you by virtue of my office as a Patriarch in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."
On November 19, 1942, our son, Hoyt Mocus, died. I want his Patriarchal Blessing to be recorded here also. It was given to him at Goshen by William E. Potts, Patriarch, on November 4, 1917.
"Mocus Trotter, in accordance with the desires of your parents, I lay my hands upon your head and give unto you a blessing. Though you are afflicted in your body, this affliction is not eternal for the time shall come when you shall stand forth perfect in body. And through the blessings of patience and love given unto you by the constant care of your parents, they have done for you that which you have been unable to do for your self. And in the Lord's own time and way there shall come unto them the full reward for their love and devotion. You are of Ephraim; and your name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life.
"You, yourself, shall be led to rejoice in the Lord, God of Israel. I seal you up to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection relieved of all afflictions both of body and mind. And may the peaceful influence of the spirit of God be and abide with you, that you may have patience in your affliction. Unto this end I bless you and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen."
Since I joined the Church I have memorized these truths, and they are very precious to me so I wish them included in my history:
- "We believe the Bible to be the word of God" (Article of Faith)
- "Search the Scriptures," said Jesus, "for in them ye think ye have eternal life, and they are they which testify of me."
- The Bible is a collection of scriptures written by many authors, and contains 66 books, 39 in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
- Many books and scriptures referred to in the Bible Narrative are lost to the world.
- In ancient times the Bible was divided into 54 divisions, one of which was read in the Jewish synagogue each Sabbath.
- The first translation of the scriptures was into Greek, about 1240 A.D. The Bible was translated into Latin & divided into chapters by a Catholic Friar named Hugo de Sancto Caro.
- The subdivision of chapters into verses was the work of a famous Jewish rabbi named Mordecai Nathan in about 1445.
- The first English Bible was translated by John Wycliffe, about 1380, but was never printed. Several manuscript copies are still in existence and are found in libraries.
- The first printed Bible was translated by William Tyndale, assisted by Miles Coverdale, between 1525 & 1530. From that time until 1611 there were many other translations.
- In 1604 King James of England called 54 of the learned men of his kingdom to make a new translation. In 1607, 47 of these commenced their work - King James Bible was printed in 1611 & is used today.
- The revised version, which is used quite extensively by students today, was revised from the King James version and original sources in 1881. There are many changes, but chiefly in grammar. Through all these many changes the Bible has come to us & we can readily understand why our article of faith reads, "We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly." We can see the need of Jesus' admonition to "search the scriptures" and His words, "Whoso readeth, let him understand."
- We will need the spirit of the Lord and the gift of discernment, for the Master said, "If any man will do His will he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God or whether I speak of myself." Read the Bible with a prayerful heart and receive a testimony of its worth. It contains the history of the creation of the world & God's dealing with His Covenant people through many generations. The prophecies of the coming Savior and their internal fulfillment. The life of Jesus Christ on the earth & the history of the Gospel Dispensations. The many prophecies of the Great Apostasy, the Restoration of the Gospel, the gathering & the final consumption of all things at the end of this world.
- As literature the Bible is conceded by all authorities to be the best example in the world of scholarly, clean, exquisite English. It is a complete geography of the then-known work
- For romance, what is more beautiful than the stories of Joseph, Ruth, Esther, David, Daniel and Jonah?
- For historical drama we find: The reign of the Kings, Saul David, Solomon, and the King.
- For stories of travel there are the lives of the early Patriarchs, journeying's of the children of Israel, Paul's missionary travels, etcetera.
- Some of the most beautiful poetry in the world in contained in the Psalms of David the writings of Job, & the songs of Moses, Miriam, Deborah, Hannah, Simeon, & Mary.
- For exposition we have the beautiful sermons of the Lord Jesus, and of Peter, James, Paul, and others.
- For Relief Society work we have the story of Dorcas and the virtuous women in the Old Testament. When in trouble & affliction we can find comfort & consolation in the Bible. What is more beautiful than John 14:15-16?
- In order to understand & explain the principles of the Gospel we need ro be familiar with the Bible.
- "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path", sang a Psalmist. Paul likened it to the "Sword of the spirit which is the word of God." We sometimes sing the iron rod, which is the word of God. Are we holding unto it? Does the word of God prove to us that it is indeed a lamp unto our feet? Can we use the sword of the Spirit to fight the battle of the Lord? Let us read the holy scriptures, both ancient and modern, and listen also to the living oracles, for in them, "Ye think ye have eternal life, and these are they which testify of me."
Besides caring for my family I have done dress-making for about thirty-five years of my life. Before I came to Utah I made tailored pants for the college boys who attended Johnson College, which was near where I lived. I did all types of sewing for different ladies who lived in my neighborhood until I became a very good judge of materials. I could tell the equality of goods by the wonderful sense of touch which developed in my fingers. After I came to Utah, I was agent for the Ladies Tailoring Co. and they trusted me with the finest goods for making ladies dresses & congratulated me on my excellent work.
As I was promised in my Patriarchal Blessing, I find increasing joy in my posterity. I am well-pleased with the interest my grandchildren have taken in seeking out the good & lasting things of life. I hope that the Gospel will mean as much in their lives & in the lives of my children as it does to me. I desire to leave my testimony of its truthfulness and to express my thankfulness to my Father in Heaven that I was counted worthy to be a recipient of His wonderful blessings.
I know that the Gospel is true, I think that I knew from the very first time that I heard its truths from the lips of Elders Swenson and Martin. I could hardly wait until I was baptized, for the desire to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints filled my heart. Before and after I was baptized I didn't have any doubt in my mind that this was the True Church; I have felt as satisfied as could be that I had done right. I have always been thankful that we came to Utah to join the body of the saints. My husband and I have always tried to live the teachings of the Gospel in so far as we understood them and to be true latter-Day Saints.
Emma Irene Facundus died on the 6th of August, 1945, in Santaquin, Utah county, Utah. She was buried in Goshen, Utah. She was 77 years of age.
