Eliza Williamson Homer
written by her son William Harrison Homer – 1931 Provo, Utah
Eliza Williamson Homer was the daughter of John Williamson and Nancy Sickles (Pure Blood Holland Dutch). She was born Dec. 15, 1816 Onondaga county, New York. She was married December 20, 1836 in Otsego county, New York to Russel King Homer. Their parents were friends and neighbors and they knew and loved each other from childhood. The two families moved from Onondaga county New York to Crawford county, PA. when they were about fifteen years of age. Some time after mother went back to the old home on a visit, her mother got quite anxious about her return and told father if he would go and bring her back home he could marry her. He replied that he would like to go to the old home town and spend the Christmas holidays and bring home a wife. Accordingly, he went after her.
They were married and spent a short honey moon in the town of Erie, New York. A most thrilling and eventful trip, especially a boat ride on Lake Erie. While on this trip mother became acquainted with a young lady by name Mary Van Horn. The heroine of an episode that happened in the war of 1812. The incident had been published in Ballad form; she purchased it and sent it in a letter to father. It was called James Bird after the Hero of a Battle that was fought on Lake Erie and he was the sweetheart of Mary Van Horn. Father memorized it and sang it as long as he lived almost everyday. Their first child Elizabeth was born and died in Pa. The second Edmund was also born in Pa.
Then they started to move west, travelled by wagon to Nauvoo Illinois. They lived in Illinois until 1845, suffered the hardships of the refuges and was personally acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith. Stopped for a short time at Council Bluffs. While there she was taken very sick with a fever. She lay ill for several weeks and the Doctors could her no good. Up to this time she had not been Baptized. The Elders who came to see her Promised her if she would get Baptized she would get well accordingly they set a time. Mother was taken out of her sick bed bundled up and placed on a sled and taken to the creek almost a mile from home and a hole was cut in the Ice three feet thick. Mother was placed on a sheet and four men one at each corner and she was lowered down into the water and Baptized, First for the remission of sins and then before she was raised up from this watery grave she was Baptized again for her health. She was then replaced on the sled and well protected from the cold. When reaching home she was placed in bed with the wet sheets around her. Next morning she got up and dressed herself and was entirely cured of her fever and all other bodily ailments and always after that she had no use for Doctors.
In 1852 all the family went by team from Iowa to Pennsylvania. Stayed there one winter and then came back to Iowa. Grand mother Williamson came back with us and stayed until she died. We lived on a little creek called North Pidgeon. Our sister Julia died and was buried near Cresent City while we lived a little town called Bethleham.
Father kept a trading Post the custom was mostly Indians with their Main camp on the west side of the Missouri river. Sometimes there would be as many as fifty Indians cross the river in small canoes and a heavy wind would come up and make it dangerous for them to cross back. Mother would ask them to stay all night and father gone aways they would lie down on the floor wrapped in their blankets covering the entire room as close as sardines packed in a can. Mother would take her children and go to bed in the bedroom and to sleep. Was she afraid? No indeed she was not, they all loved her dearly for she was kind to them and doctored their Papooses when they were sik and always showed them by her conduct that she trusted them.
From there came the journey across the Plains. In 1858 while on our Journey we camped for the night on the Wood river near its Junction with the Platt. We saw a storm coming up and had just got our cook tent up when it started to rain. It began to pour down and thunder and lightening something terrible everyone rushed to cover 16 persons crowded into the tent mother was near the stove cooking and I was down behind the stove a heavy clap of thunder was heard and the next I knew was next day we were travelling along in the wagon. I woke up and felt of my head and face which was quite sore. Mother told me what had happened. Lightening had struck the tent and stunned everybody in it but I was the last to come too. Mothers clothes were burned and torn and one shoe was ripped entirely off her shoe and one of her legs was quite badly burned.
On Oct. thee 8th, 1858 we arrived in Salt Lake City and lived the first winter in the 17th Ward and next spring moved to the second ward. In the spring father and Brother Edmund returned to Iowa to look after property left there and assist in bringing immagrants across the plains and left mother in charge of the family with one hired man to look after the stock and farm and cattle on the range.
On July 6th, mother’s last child was born (Russel King Junior) besides raising her own nine living children mother gave her consent for father to marry into Plural marriage. He married Mary C Anderson. She had three girls when her youngest was two years old she (the mother) died. Our mother took those three babies and cared for them until they were married. A short time after he married Mary he married an English girl by name of Eliza Thornton. She had two sons and four daughters and then she also passed away leaving a baby four weeks old. Mother took those six children and raised them until they were all grown. And up to the day mother left this life those children all loved and respected her and she in turn loved and respected them and treated them just as well as she did her own children and in all her trial and experiences in Polagamy I never heard her complain and never knew of one Harsh word being passed between our mother and the other mothers of father’s family.
One more characteristic of mother was beautifully illustrated about two years before her death. She was at our house in Logan. I happened to meet an old acquaintance on the street. He inquired about mother . I told him she was in town and asked him home to see her. They had a nice little visit and when he shook hands with her on leaving he said with tears in his eyes Mother Homer I want to thank you again for your Kindness to me when I was a poor hungry child just a poor Danish Immagrants living in part of your house because we could not pay rent we were to poor and every day you gave one of your big fat biscuits covered with butter. In my minds eye I can see them yet and never can I forget how good they tasted. Mother clothed the Naked and fed the poor and all Blessed her who knew her she was truly one of the nobles ones of the earth of whom the half will never be told.
Copied for history book by R. Maretta Homer Crockatt 1933
Punctuation and some spelling changes added to make more readable
https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/KWJY-37K
Russell King Homer's History 