Submitted by Sharon Brunelle
CEDAR POSTS FOR FLOUR
(Adapted from a letter written by Charles H. Taylor, son of James C. Taylor. It is a true story that was written in the Primary Blazer manual in the 1950’s.)
“I see you have a lot of cedar posts. I would like to leave flour for part of them.” Father said, “Take all you want and leave us flour.” The stranger left… flour for the family…”
William and Elizabeth Patrick Taylor, owned 900 acres of choice land, two homes, and some other assets- They left it all for the gospel plan that meant more to them than life itself, but before their journey began, William died.
After his death, the widow began her trek across the plains with twelve of her fourteen children, including a son, James C. Taylor, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in 1849. James married Sarah Hyde, the daughter of the Patriarch, in 1860, and the couple started a family. They had a lot of trouble from Indians and wild animals. Sarah could never sew, except for a few minutes, at night, because someone had to keep guard on the housetop by playing a mouth organ to keep the wolves away.
It was at this time, that President Brigham Young asked them for a quantity of wheat as a donation for the building of the Salt Lake Temple. The family complied with this request gladly. Later on when church officials came for the grain, father took a broom and swept up the last of the wheat to fill the order. Seeing this devotion to the Church, President Young promised them that it made no difference what their callings might be, they would never want for flour.
Soon after this incident, they were called as pioneers in Cache Valley, Utah, homesteading at Fairview, Idaho, as some of the first settlers there. They endured many hardships at Fairview including drought, and grasshoppers that destroyed their crops. Failure followed failure, but their faith never weakened.
One day, mother made the last of the family’s flour into bread, and as she was placing it in the oven, she turned to father and said, “That was the last of the flour.” James said, “I know the Lord will provide. I remember the promise made by Brigham Young.”
That same day, a stranger drove up with a load of flour and said, “I see you have a lot of cedar posts. I would like to leave flour for part of them.” Father said, “Take all you want and leave us flour.” The stranger left enough flour for the Taylor family and, for that matter, the entire neighborhood. Everyone was overcome with joy, and when they went to thank the man, he was gone, without a trace.
James Caldwell Taylor, some history
Source- email from Jill, Bruce Taylor’s wife:
Dear Sharon, I was rereading your mother’s memory of growing up on the farm near Preston and her father taking groceries to his father’s second wife. Then in parenthesis someone adds “his first wife had died.” That is not true. Sara Hyde Taylor did not die in Preston until 1926 and was alive when Charles was delivering groceries to Lucy Lake Taylor, the plural wife of James. James died in Preston in 1907. Lucy who was younger died in 1942 in Preston.
I have been reading the history of Fairview, Idaho which James and Sarah Hyde Taylor helped to settle. Lucy Lake’s family also helped to settle the area and that is how James met Lucy Lake. Lucy is buried in the Fairview cemetery next to James and Sarah. It is interesting to note that James went there at the request of Brigham Young along with two of Sarah Hyde’s brothers and her sister’s families. There were 4 children of Rosel Hyde helping to settle Fairview, Idaho. Heman Hyde, the son of Rosel and Mary Ann Hyde was the first Bishop of Fairview and he picked his two brother-in-laws including James Taylor as his counselors in 1884. James and Lucy were married in 1885 in the Logan temple and had four children together. They are named Lora, Dora, Millie and Laurence James. Only Lora Taylor (Erickson) and Dora Taylor (Checketts) married and had families. Millie and later Laurence James both died of heart conditions. James seemed to have spent most of his time with his first wife.
Lucy appears to have lived by herself with her children. In the history it says, “She moved to Winder to homestead a farm while her children were small.”
It was nice to hear that Charles Taylor was dropping off groceries to his step-mother since by all accounts she was poor. The 1900 census lists James living with Sarah and some children including Charles who were still at home. When Grandpa Charles Hyde Taylor died, only Dora, his half sister survived him, as listed in his obituary. She attended the funeral with her family according to her granddaughter.
I pulled up the death dates from the S.S. index for Charles (28 Jun 1997), Lola (30 Nov 2003), & Anna (Aug 1982).
