[From Biography for Daughters of Utah Pioneers]

 

Margaret Elzira Frost Rawlins
by Janice Last Castleton

• BIRTH DATE; Born 28 April 1830 Place: Knox, Tennessee
• DIED ; 4 April 1920 at Lewiston, Cache County, Utah
• PARENT'S FULL NAMES

  • Father: McCaslin Frost
  • Mother: Penina Smith Frost
• PIONEER; Arrived in Salt Lake City on 12, Oct. 1848 Came in Cover Wagon with the Andrew Cunningham Company.
• SPOUSE: Harvey Mccalyard Rawlins
• MARRIED 3 Dec. 1846
• MARRIAGE PLACE: Nishnabothna, Atchison, Missouri
• SPOUSE DIED 9 Sept. 1913
• PLACE DIED: Lewiston, Cache County, Utah

THEIR CHILDREN Name Date of Birth

Marrgaret Elzira Frost was baptized by her brother Samuel B. Frost in 1842, after he returned from a mission. She was confirmed by Henry Miller at the water's edge. The family was living in Illinois. They had moved there after joining the church and moving from Tennessee. Her brother Samuel returned to Tennessee to serve his mission among their relatives.

Margaret was working out to a place helping a family in 1846 The mother of this family was sick. One day the father tore a large hole in his coat in going through the brush, as they lived a way out in the woods. Margaret offered to mend the hole. She did such a nice job that other neighbors brought work for her to do.

It was at this time that she married Harvey M. Rawlins. He was a brother-in law to her sister Mary Frost Rawlins.

Margaret writes in her own words, "I was married very young and when our first baby was about three weeks old my husband and I left our parents and families and our home in Nauvoo and started west with the Andrew Cunningham Company of ten. I rode in the wagon which carried our supplies. It was pulled by four oxen. A pig pen was built on the back of the wagon and there was a chicken coop built on top of it. At night they chained the pigs to the wagon wheel and the chickens were turned out to pick around. Then they would hop back in their coop to roost. The old hens laid their eggs every day and they were seldom ever broken from the shaking of the wagon.

Our bed was a homemade one. It stood in the back end of the wagon. I made my bed every day and tided up my corner of the wagon. I had a little rocking chair which sat in the front corner of the wagon. I sat and held the baby most of the time because she was very cross and cried a lot. My husband walked most of the time and drove the oxen and cattle. We milked our cow every day and strained the cream into the churn which stood in the other corner of the wagon. The jaring of the wagon churned it to butter, We had butter all the way across the plains which was quite a luxury for us.

We were never troubled by the Indians nor did we ever have a stampede. to bother us. There was one baby born on the Platt River, he was called Platt Lyman." They arrived in Salt Lake City, 12 Oct. 1848. The first night they stayed at the fort.

Many of their family members came into the Valley at this time and they moved to Big Cottonwood and then on to Draper. In 1865 many of them moved to Richmond, Cache County, Utah. In 1871 Margaret and their family moved to Lewiston, Cache County, Utah,

Margaret and Harvey attended the dedication of the Logan Temple on May 17, 1884. Quoting from her journal again, "At the April conference 1893, the Salt Lake Temple was dedicated and I and fny husband was at this glorious gathering." On Jan. 6, 1876 the Relief Society was organized in Lewiston, Utah and Margaret Elzirah Frost Rawlins was called to be its first president. There were 23 members at the beginning. She served as president for 26 years. On her 30th birthday the Relief Society sisters had a surprise party for her. While she was the president of the Relief Society she helped to bury about 125 bodies, and cared for the sick and homeless. She took care of her father and mother until they died, and nearly always had some of her own family living with she and her husband at all times. Her old~est daughter married at the age of 15. Her first baby died in just a few weeks. At 17 this daughter had her second baby and 2 weeks later this young mother died. This was the beginning of many sad sicknesses and deaths with the Fcrst and Rawlins family. At one time she writes in her hournal, "I just live with the dreads."

Margaret and Harvey lived together for 67 years until his death. He was blind for the last 13 years of his life. Margarets history doesn't mention that she was a member of the DUP, but she states, "The 24th of June 1910 the Daughters of the Pioneers came and held their meeting with us. They served lunch after."

Margaret had her own home until she became sick, a few months before she died, She lived to be 90 years old. Always a very great example of a true Pioneer who's faith never waivered.

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