Shadrach RICHARDSON

                   HISTORY:
Polly Richardson Stewart
1818-1893

	Polly Richardson Stewart, daughter of Shadrach and Elizabeth Garret Richardson, was born in Cumberland County, Kentucky, April 27, 1818, one of a family of twelve children, seven boys and five girls. Pollys father, Shadrach Richardson, had brothers named Meshach and Abednego - the three named after Daniels friends in the Biblical story. As Polly grew in years she shared in the responsibilities of the home and learned to be generous, kindly and industrious.

	Polly was a pupil in all characteristics that build for noble womanhood.  She was inured in her childhood to the hardships and privations of their kind of life.  Battling with circumstances of this kind often develops traits of character, powers and possibilities that can be brought out in no other way.

	When Polly was fifteen years old her family moved to Illinois.  There she met a son of Sarah Scott Stewart by the name of Benjamin Franklin Stewart.  They became interested in each other.  This interest ripened into love and on June 14, 1837, they were married in Beardstown, Illinois.  Soon after, the young couple moved to Fox River, Van Buren, Iowa.  Here six children were born to them, three whom died in infancy.

	The new home of the Stewarts was only fifty miles from the headquarters of the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, and by 1841 Polly and Benjamin Franklins mother had heard enough of the gospel to be baptized.  The occasion came about when Polly was very ill with lung fever.  There were two Mormon elders visiting in the Stewart home.  When they administered to her at her request she was immediately healed and got up to cook dinner for them.  Before the elders left she insisted that they break the ice on the river and baptize her.  In spite of the predictions of some that it would kill her, she was baptized with no harmful effects.  Although Benjamin Franklin had investigated the doctrines of the Church, he was not baptized until February of 1844.  He was ordained an Elder at the time of his baptism.  As faithful saints, they moved to Nauvoo to be with the other saints.  When the saints were driven out of Nauvoo, the Stewarts went with them to Council Bluffs.

	In the spring of 1847, Benjamin was chosen to go with a company of 50 men to find a place of refuge for the exiled Saints.  This left Polly to fit up her own wagons.  She drove the horse team and hired a boy to drive the team of oxen. They traveled with the O.A. Smoot Company in companies of 50.  At night, the wagons formed a circle to make a corral for the stock.  Polly had to take care of her own team as well as look after her two children, Almeda and Benjamin, Jr.  They were frightened one time when the passed an Indian Village, but the Indians did not molest them.  At another time they heard a rumbling sound and soon after a large herd of buffalo came into sight.

	Polly joined with her husband at the Platte River where he had been left to keep a ferry to help the oncoming saints over the river.  They traveled the remainder of the journey to Utah together.  Their most thrilling experience came on September 25, 1847, when they reached the top of a mountain that looked down on Salt Lake.  All in the company offered a prayer of thankfulness.

	A short time after their arrival, each family was busy preparing a place in which to live.  Benjamin built a small log house for the family.  Their furniture consisted of a bed made of logs put in the wall and a slab placed across them.  The table was made of a goods box.  They next settled in Millcreek and built a thatched-roof house to live in.  They started a sawmill, which operated for several years.  The spring crops looked fine and all were encouraged.  They expected a bounteous harvest.  But suddenly thousands of crickets came and began to kill and devour the crops.  While they were all trying in a helpless sort of way to kill the crickets, they heard a cry that seemed to some from the heavens.  Seagulls swooped down and began devouring the pests.  They would eat all they could and then disgorge them and afterwards eat more until all the crickets had been eaten.  Thus, the crops were saved and harvested in the fall.

	In the spring of 1851, the Stewarts moved to Payson.  The first summer was spent in farming.  Benjamin and a few others went to the canyon to build a mill.  They had great difficulty because the Indians were on the warpath.  Two Indians came to the Stewart house and acted so unfriendly that Benjamin brought out his gun.  It was old and rusty; but when the Indians saw it, they left without hurting anyone.  They came back, however, the next morning and said they were going to kill all the Mormons.  When the family heard the Indians, they fled from their beds without dressing and hurried through the brush for the canyon.  As they fled, the Indians shot at them.  Finally, they reached a log cabin and refuge.  Suddenly all firing ceased.  Cautiously, the men crept out to see what had happened to the Indians.  A posse from Payson had come to their aid.  These men reported that Alexander Keele had been shot while standing guard in Payson.

Before coming to Payson, Benjamin Franklin entered into plural marriage when he took his second wife, Rachel Davis.  They had their only child, Lucinda, on June 6, 1851.  On September 7, 1850 Benjamin Franklin took a third wife, Elizabeth Davis, by whom he had ten children.  His families all lived in Payson and later in Benjamin.  By his first and third wives Benjamin Franklin had ten children each.  Polly Richardson gave birth to Almeda, Polina, Alvira, Benjamin Franklin, Jr., Orson, Sarah, Lavina, Luther Kimball, Ellen Dorado, and Eunice Polly.  Six of these lived to maturity and married.  Elizabeth Daviss children were Brigham, George Albert, Franklin Henry, Philander Joseph, Rachel Maydia, Andrew Jackson, James William, Sadia, John Oscar and Samuel.  Seven of them lived to maturity and married.  A total of fourteen of his twenty-one children lived to carry on the Stewart family.

	Polly was a busy pioneer wife.  Without a complaint, she did all the work necessary in a pioneer life, and was brave and unterrified in meeting the dangers (such as Indians) and privations of her time.  As well as the terrors of the Walker and Black Hawk Indian Wars.  During the Indian trouble Polly was as brave and unafraid in meeting real danger, as she was uncomplaining and heroic in facing hardships, trials and privations of a pioneer country.  One could not help feeling the strength of her courage and bravery.  She always performed her part uncomplainingly by taking care of their home and family, carding, spinning, dyeing and weaving the linsey for blankets, flannels and dresses and jeans for the mens and boys suits during the day and fashioning and patiently stitching them into clothing by the light of tallow candles at night.  She helped and supported her husband in many ways while raising a large family and creating a loving home for them.  Her husband was Justice of the Peace, Alderman, and Mayor.  Polly and Benjamin had the first theatrical performance in their home in 1856.  Scenery for the occasion was made of unpainted cotton cloth.

	When the Indians no longer caused so much trouble and fear among the settlers they were encouraged to take up land on the outskirts of the community.  The little settlement was being enlarged by the arrival of more pioneers looking for a place to locate.  At this time, Benjamin laid out the plan of a new town and built an adobe house.  He was appointed Bishop and the town was named after him - Benjamin, Utah.

	Polly had a retiring, timid personality and shunned everything of a public nature, but was always aggressive in searching for opportunities to help others.  She loved her children and her home and was helpful, generous and sympathetic to those who were less fortunate than she.  The success and pleasures of Pollys family and Franklins whole life was intermingled with sorrow, trials, hardships and disappointments, but they accepted them all uncomplainingly.

	Her husband was killed June 22, 1885, by lightning.  During the later years of her life she made her home with her daughter Sarah Koontz.  She passed away in April 1897, and was buried beside her husband in the Benjamin cemetery.

Polly Richardson & Benjamin Franklin Stewarts Children:
	Alameda 		  	  8 Feb 1841
	Polina					 1843
	Alvira					 1844
	Benjamin Franklin Jr.         27 Feb 1845
	Orson					 1846
	Sarah				11 Nov 1850
	Lavina				 21 Apr 1852
	Luther Kimball		25 July 1854
	Ellen Dorado 			  1856
	Eunice Polly 		 29 Apr 1860