History of Annie
Hicks Free
Hand Cart Pioneer
Arrived in Utah Nov 30, 1856
Written by:
Louesa Free Rock, Daughter
Wells Ward Camp
Daughters of Utah Pioneers
My
mother, Annie Hicks Free, was born January 8, 1837 in Barking Essex, England,
the younger daughter of Daniel Hicks and Hannah Wenlock Hicks. Her only sister Louesa Hicks was two years
her senior.
Her
father, being a sailor, was away from home much of his time. He was captain of a ship which left England a
few months before Mother was born. One
of the first things that she could remember was looking forward to the return
of her father. She would say many times
a day, when she saw a man that she didn't know, "Is that my father!"
Her
mother laughingly said, "No be off with you, your father's a black man." When he came he was unshaven and very rough
looking with long black hair, black beard and a mustache.
Her
mother was very anxious for her to be nice but when she saw her father she said
crying, "Oh! my father is a black man." She was four years old when he returned never
having seen him before.
On
his last sea voyage he became very sick and from then on was a confirmed
invalid thus making necessary for her mother to secure work in the Work
Shop. While yet a small child, my mother
was taken to the work shop with her mother.
She was so small that she sat on a stool and learned to knit. At a very early sage she was forced to
provide for herself. In her own brief
history she days, "as a child I was very devout, praying and asking God
for guidance and firmly believing that he would protect me from all wrong. And surely I have been saved many times from
most certain evil.
The
only schools available at that time were private schools which were very
expensive so her mother taught her to read and write. However, she was very studious and learned
very rapidly.
We
have no record of any of her youthful experiences and amusements.
She
was a member of the Church of England
From
her own brief writings of her life, she says, "I was alone, or rather away
from my own people at the time I first heard the Gospel and I think I loved it
the first time I heard it; it seemed to quiet and pleasant to me. I embraced the Gospel and was baptized on
January 17, 1855 in the White Chapel Branch, in London England. Shortly after my baptism, before I had been
confirmed, my relatives sent me a terrible book against the Mormons, marking it
in many places for me to read. The tales
were so wicked, I was afriad I had done wrong and decided to ask the Lord to
direct me aright, never doubting but that I would be answered. I fervently pleaded with our Father to answer
my prayer that night as my confirmation was to take place the following
morning.
"I
immediately was comforted by a wonderful dream.
A large book, the Book of Life, was opened before me and leaves were
turned in rapid succession until the page with my record was found. On the page was my name without a mar or
blemish against it. A loud clear voice
spoke to me saying, "This is the way, walk ye in it." I was overjoyed at this revelation and never
doubted the Gospel from that time on.
You may be assured I was confirmed the next day, feeling perfectly happy
and satisfied.
"From
then on my relative were very unkind and cruel to me. I worked very hard to obtain enough money
come to America. I would knit from early
morning until evening in the London Work Shop.
"On
the twenty-third day of May 1856, I sailed for America on the ship Horizon,
beginning my journey to Zion. I crossed
the plains with the belated Handcart Company of Edward Martin. We underwent numerous hardships and lost many
of our good and faithful band on the way.
"I
have been asked to relate an incident or two that might be of interest to
you. On which I recall very clearly occurred
as we crossed the Platte River. The
stream was very strong and the water bitter cold, making it very hard to
cross. In the company was a widow with
her family. Her oldest son, a fine young
chap, had started across the river with his hard-cart, but the current was so
strong that he was borne down stream.
Seeing the boy's condition, I ran down the bank of the river and went
into it in time to catch the boy and his hard-cart. I helped him to shore, but he was almost
frozen. In the evening when the company
made camp the boy's mother was going out to gather chips of wood but the boy
insisted upon going himself. When he had
been gone quite a long time a search was made for him and he was found frozen
to death with sticks in his hand.
Another
incident which I well remember mother relating, I will give briefly--One bitter
cold day they were forced to make camp early because it was impossible to go
further without help. A prayer meeting
was called and they prayed to the Lord for relief. Immediately when they arose from their knees
a young man shouted, "Look a horseman is coming." The whole company looked off in the distance
but could see no one. The young man
persisted and in a short time they could all see a speck in the distance. They watched patiently as her came nearer and
nearer. When he arrived he brought the
good news that relief was near."
Another
incident on their journey just before they arrived in the Valley happened at
Devil's kitchen. The company had made
camp and Mother was nearly frozen to death.
She was cold and very drowsy and had slumped down on the ground when
Sister Nightengale tired to arouse her.
When she didn't respond she said to mother, "Well are you going to
shirk and drink the water and old women hauls for you?"
Mother
then said, "I have never shirked in all my life, give me the
pail." When she returned Sister
Nightengale said, "Ann, I had to do it to save your life, to get your
blood circulating.
She
was forced to leave all her belongings on the plains so all her earthly
possessions were on her back.
Mother
reached the Valley on the last day of November 1856 with not one friend to meet
her. She was taken to the home of
Brother Ellerbeck where she did housework for which she was paid 75 cents per
week. She also did their knitting,
sewing and embroidery work.
On
March 5, 1857, she was married to my father, Absalom Pennington Free, who was a
Patriarch of the Church. She was the
mother of 7 children, all of whom grew to man and womanhood and survived her.
Mother
was a women of rare ability. She was possessed
of a power of discernment that she could foretell things to come. She was a great lover of good books, Charles
Dickens being her favorite writer. She
could remember so many placed that he wrote about in England, and she knew well
that he did not exaggerate. His
descriptions were so clear.
She
was a gifted writer and wrote many beautiful poems. For many years she was Secretary of the
Farmer' Ward Relief Society, and her records were kept beautifully.
Mother
was a dignified women who was noticed wherever she went. Her later life was
devoted to reading and needle work. She
lived very comfortably on her income from the farm where she lived for 56
years. Her death came at the age of 89
years and 7 months, dying on August 27,1926
at her home 370 East 21st South, Salt Lake City, Utah.
It
gives me a great deal of pride to write this brief history because I was always
proud of my Mother.
--Louesa
Free Rock
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