Sarah Southworth Burbank
3rd wife of Daniel Mark Burbank Sr.
Sarah was born in Boston, Ontario, Canada, February 10, 1835, a daughter of Chester Southworth and Mary Byington. The parents joined the Latter-day Saint Church, sold their home and other possessions and moved to Kirtland, Ohio. They participated in the exodus of the Saints from Kirtland, Far West, Missouri, and again from Nauvoo, Illinois. From there the family crossed the Mississippi to Mt. Pisgah where they stayed the winter. Later the family moved to Kanesville, Iowa, where Sarah's little sister, eight years of age, died and was buried by a lone tree near the road. While they were moving up the Mississippi River a brother died of an attack of croup and was buried along the route.
When the family arrived at Council Bluffs, Mr Southworth built a cabin of logs. He made the chimney of sod cut in big square pieces with grass on one side, and laid them up like adobes. The ground was the floor. The door was made of slabs and the window was made of cloth.. Quoting from her history:
"We lived there two years and while there raised a little corn, a few potatoes and a small garden. Father made boots and shoes from a little leather we had on hand and sold them to strangers for flour. We were working to go West. I worked for 50 cents a week, and bought myself a gingham dress for 5 cents a yard. I was spinning rolls on a big wheel to make yarn for cloth and was not yet 15 years old. Later I worked in a boarding house for a dollar a week, so that I could have clothes to start on the journey to Zion."
"In June, l852, we camped at Winter Quarters where the company was organized in companies of fifty, a captain over each. Daniel M. Burbank was our captain. Then we started on our journey. When we came to a stream we washed out clothes and dried them on the grass for we might not get a place again for fifty or a hundred miles. We gathered dried buffalo chips to make a fire to ~cook our food, dug a hole in the ground, put the skillet in the hole with a tight lid on it, placed buffalo chips on the lid and set them afire. It baked the bread fine. That was the way we did our cooking until we got to where there was wood again."
"Then we went along the Platte River where we had cholera. Five died with it in our company. My youngest sister was born on the plains. My eldest sister gave birth to a baby on the plains, as did many other women, but the company was not hindered and moved on the next morning. Abby Burbank, wife of our captain, died of cholera and was buried without a coffin by the Platte River along with the others. Another young lady and I washed and dressed her the best we could, sewed her in a sheet and quilt and that was all we could do toward her burial. Most of the other women in the camp were afraid to prepare the body for fear they would contract the dread disease.
Three month after the death of Abby, Sarah married D. M. Burbank on the plains. Captain John B. Walker, who was in charge of the entire company, married them on evening. in speaking of her marriage and subsequent events: "The bugle called the camp together to witness our marriage. We had cedar torch lights instead of candles. it was by the Green River in the Month of September. There i mothered four children who were sick with scarlet fever. My husband and i had great sickness the rest of the way. We also had a number of oxen die and had to stop for the camp to get cows instead of oxen."
"Approximately a hundred indians took Mr. Burbank a prisoner. We thought he would be killed but the Chief gave him up to us if we would give them flour, sugar and coffee. He had gone to hunt buffalo when he was captured. The poor cows furnished us milk and we ground parched corn in a coffee mill to eat in the milk and save our flour."
When the company arrived in the Salt take Valley, the Burbank's moved to Grantsville, Tooele County, where they made their first home. in 1863 they were assigned to help settle Box Elder County where they remained the rest of their lives. During her later years Mrs. Burbank served as the community midwife and took an important part in church activities. She passed away at the age of 92 years, May 28 l927, in Deweyville, Utah, and was buried in the Brigham City cemetery. ---Margaret H. Halliday
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