Abigail Mindwell Jackson Lamb

Abigail Mindwell Jackson Lamb was my great, great, great grandmother. 

She was born July 26, 1808 in Seneca, New York to James Jackson and Deborah Hendricks. Abigail’s paternal and maternal forbears arrived in America from England in the middle of the 17th century searching for religious freedom. She was described by her children as a large, strong woman and was a good Latter-day Saint and taught her children to be righteous and honest and to obey the principles of the gospel.

She married Erastus Lamb in about 1829. He was the son of Daniel Lamb and Prudence Fox born in Connecticut, but grew up in New York. After their marriage they made their home in Huron, New York. She had five children: Harriet Laura, Suel, James, infant son, and then a daughter Polly Emaline. 

They accepted the gospel in New York and were baptized in 1841. She was the only one of her family that joined the church. She and Erastus and their young family gathered with the Saints in Nauvoo soon after. They lived in the north part of Nauvoo, close to the banks of the Mississippi River and shared in the trials and persecutions through which the early members of the church passed. Her husband worked on the Nauvoo Temple and her son, Suel worked there also as a water boy. 

Abigail was a hardworking woman and did many things to make life pleasant for her young family. She saw a great deal of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and always retained a vivid recollection of the stirring events that were experienced by the church members and leaders in that city. She remembered the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and his brother, Hyrum Smith, and of the claim of Sidney Rigdon to the Presidency of the church and the wonderful manifestation that was given to prove that Brigham Young was the man to lead the church. 

Through faith and courage, Abigail saved the life of her son, Suel, when he was bitten by a rattlesnake. It was the fall of the year when snakes are the most poisonous. The bite was between the thumb and forefinger. Suel ran all the way home which was more than a mile. His blood was heated up and the poison went all through him and it looked as if he would surely die. Through the prayers of his mother, Abigail, and her work with him, his life was saved. She cut open live chickens and laid his hand right on the inside of them. The whole chicken soon became green with the poison. As the poison was drawn from him, he started to get better.  Suel always had the testimony that his life was saved through the faith of his mother.

They were acquainted with the expulsion of the Saints from Nauvoo. Following the exodus from Nauvoo in 1846 the family settled for a time at Garden Grove, Iowa. While there she saw her oldest daughter, Harriet, married to John Zimmerman. The Zimmerman family were also on their way west. On June 1, 1852 they were finally prepared to make the trek to join the Saints in the Valley. They were assigned to go in the James Snow wagon train of 250 people. Their wagon consisted of Erastus age 48 and Abigail age 43, two sons Suel--19, and James--17, and daughter Polly--age 10. 

The plains in Iowa were very hot in July and water was scarce. One day when they finally reached a stream which provided them with much needed water, they all drank their fill. However Erastus drank too much of the cold water, and suffered severe cramps. Abigail did all that she could to relieve his pain, but it was not to be. He died during the night. With sobs she awoke her family to tell them. The people in the wagon train were afraid that he had died of cholera and moved on leaving his family behind to bury their husband and father. He was buried somewhere on the plains of Iowa. The family were forced to follow behind the wagon train and were not allowed to mingle with the people until they were certain that whatever had killed Erastus was not contagious. Abigail bravely gathered up her little family and fought the trail, sand, and hardship as they journeyed to Utah. They reached Salt Lake City on October 9, 1852, and went first to Pleasant Grove and then to Lehi, Utah where they settled with the first settlers, and made it their permanent home. 

They lived in log houses with dirt floors and mud roofs. They gathered pig weeds for greens to cook for their families. Their vegetables were grown in the fields where they had to go to pick them because their city lots were not fenced and they could not keep the pigs, sheep and cattle out of their lots. They made molasses out of red beets by boiling the juice down. They gathered grease wood and burned it and put the ashes in a large barrel and stirred it well and when it settled they used it for lye to soften water and to make soap. Abigail made her own candles from tallow, sometimes dipping them and sometimes using a mold. She washed wool from the sheep and spun it into yarn and had it made into cloth for clothes for her family. 

She lived to see her children all married and having good families. Abigail was a stalwart member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She received her endowment in the Endowment House in 1856, and was sealed to her husband in 1868. 

She was compassionate and loving and always willing to help others in need. After being a widow for 30 years, she died at the age of 75 on January 2, 1882 in Lehi, Utah. There is a lovely headstone erected by her descendants in the Lehi Cemetery in remembrance of her. 

The following item appeared in the Deseret News on January 6,1882: “At Lehi,Utah, January 2nd, 1882 ABIGAIL MINDWELL LAMB wife of Erastus Lamb and daughter of James Jackson and Deborah Hendrix. Deceased was born at Obed, Seneca County, New York. Sister Lamb obeyed the gospel at an early day. She lost her husband in crossing the plains in 1852 while on their way to Utah. She came with her family to this place and settled with the first settlers. She lived the life of a true Latter-Day Saint, and was much beloved by all who knew her. She passed away in the full hope of a glorious resurrection."
Ancestral Line:  Janeal Kindred Smith... Janice Gregory... Elizabeth Sharp... Margaret Elsie Lamb... Suel Lamb... Abigail Mindwell Jackson