LUCINDA GATES, the eldest of the eleven children born to THOMAS GATES and PATTY PLUMLY, was born at Acworth, Sullivan, New Hampshire, on 19 September 1979.
On 20 March 1820 she married ERASTUS BINGHAM, the sixth child of a family of nine children, born 12 March 1798 at Concord, Essex, Vermont.
She was the mother of ten children, three daughters and seven sons, four of these were born in Concord, Essex, Vermont; three at Littleton, Grafton, New Hampshire; two at St. Johnsbury, Caledonia, Vermont; and one (the youngest) at LaHarpe, Illinois.
She was talented in music and singing, an ideal mother and homemaker, very hospitable, and, although her home was only a log cabin, it became a palace to her.
In the year 1833 JOHN F. BOYINGTON, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, was assigned to the territory where she resided; and she, her children and husband, after prayerful consideration of the truths he declared to them and prayerful reading of the Book of Mormon, accepted his testimony and were baptized. Early in 1836 she and her husband sold their farm and home in Vermont and accompanied WILLARD SNOW and others migrating from Vermont to Kirtland, Ohio, the central point of the Latter-day Saints headquarters at that early date.
She and her family remained in Kirtland, Ohio, until late 1836, when they left for Farr West, Missouri, where they arrived 4 November 1836.
Soon after, her husband rented a farm located on Shoal Creek about 2 1/2 miles from Farr West. Here he erected a log cabin large enough to comfortably house his wife and their eight children. The farm was fenced and she and the children aided in cultivating the soil until 1838 when the extermination order of Governor LILBURN W. BOGGS was issued. She and her family were driven away from their humble, but comfortable home by the mob and mobbings of individuals opposed to the teachings of the Latter-day Saints. The mob relented and did not burn her home, but permitted them to assemble the cattle and their personal possessions, part of which were sold for cash, and take them to Hancock County, Illinois. Early in 1839 a farm was rented near LaHarpe in the northeastern part of Hancock County, Illinois, where her youngest child, BRIGHAM HEBER, was born 15 December 1841.
Her fervent prayers prevailed to the extent that she and her family did not suffer so extensively as did many others when the mob drove the saints out of Missouri. She saw and experienced the ravages, burnings, and destruction of personal property as it occurred in 1838 and early 1839.
In the spring of 1845 her husband purchased a farm of 160 acres near Nauvoo, Hancock county, Illinois, which he cultivated and where he erected a comfortable home for her and her children. The next year mobbings occurred again and this mob violence caused her, her husband and family great distress and sorrow, even to the extent that the mob caused them to sacrifice their farm and possessions for a team of horses. With this team, other horses, livestock, wagons stocked with a few personal possessions and a scant supply of food they escaped from the infuriated mob on 6 May 1846.
She met the prophet JOSEPH SMITH while in Kirtland, Ohio, and knew him personally. She loved him and her religion and was willing to undergo great sacrifices for the religious cause she had accepted and knew to be the truth.
She was privileged to receive her endowments in the Nauvoo Tempe and passed through all the trying days of the martyrdom of the Prophet JOSEPH SMITH, and the leadership of the Church by the Twelve Apostles. During this time of apostasy hardship, and disruptions occurred in so many ways, but none of these disturbed her faith or knowledge in the divinity of the Gospel and the testimony she possessed concerning its truthfulness.
The weather prevailing in May 1846 was cold and stormy, and she and her family suffered greatly from exposure and lack of proper food during their trip from Nauvoo, Illinois to Winter Quarters in Iowa. When they finally arrived at Winter Quarters, Iowa, she and her family found that food and provisions were very scarce, and as there were so many others there who were less fortunate than they, a decision was made to remove from Winter Quarters to a point or place where the necessities of life could be had. They then migrated a distance of 150 miles north of Winter Quarters, and they wintered with the Ponca Indians at Swift Water living in their wagons and a wickiup provided by the friendly Indians.
In the spring of 1847 she, her three daughters, six sons, and husband left Swift Water and the Indians who had so graciously wintered them, and returned to Winter Quarters, Iowa. In June 1847 they purchased additional provisions, equipment, and supplies and joined the second company to leave for the west, with DANIEL SPENCER presiding over the group of 100; ELDRIDGE was captain of 50 and ERASTUS BINGHAM captain of 10.
These emigrants suffered the hardships of storms and early snowfall, but successfully overcame these and arrived in Great Salt Lake Valley on 19 September 1847. She experienced the hardships of the early pioneers, and the attacks from the Indians, who frequently had to be fed to pacify them. The lack of large supplies of food, reduced them to want during the winter of 1848-1849, but she bore these trials with patience and with faith in the Lord that means to meet every emergency would be provided by God her Eternal Father. It was this enduring faith that helped to make her home a happy one during the period from the fall of 1847 to the spring of 1851. During her stay in Salt Lake County, her home was in Salt Lake City; however, the men engaged in farming and ranching in the valley and near the mouth of Bingham Canyon.
The Indians new the kindness of Mrs. BINGHAM and her family and they were safe from violence of the occasional raids.
Early in 1859 her husband, ERASTUS, was called by BRIGHAM YOUNG to leave his family and help make homes in Weber County. He left his wife and part of the younger children to care for the farm in Salt Lake Valley, while they removed northward to select a new farm, build another log cabin, and establish another new home in the wilderness to the north. A log cabin was erected in Ogden, but before it was finished the leaders of the church recommended erecting homes at Lynn, where his farm was located. There he erected another log house and in 1851 moved her and the balance of the family to their new home. A fort was constructed to protect the women and children and this place was known as Bingham's Fort.
Her husband was selected to preside as Bishop which position he continued to occupy until the year 1868. His responsible positions in Church and state affairs (as he served in the Utah Territorial Legislature and other civic responsibilities) required her to sacrifice companionship and to adjust herself to many responsibilities. She was required to give part of her time to the sick and others who had been unfortunate, especially to new emigrants who arrived in Utah in poor health and lacking resources. These required assistance in food, clothing and home comforts or necessities and Lucinda was often called upon to lead out in administering to those who needed comfort, advise and assistance. She was equal to all demands made upon her, both as mother, homemaker, and also in aiding others in all cases where help and assistance in homemaking was required.
She exercised the highest degree of charity, and by deeds of kindness proved that she loved her neighbor as herself. Anyone coming to her in confidence or need went away comforted. In the dark days of Missouri and Illinois persecution many needed and sought her council, help, and encouragement. She and her daughters, while crossing the plains to Utah, gladdened the hearts of the other weary travelers with songs as they gathered around the campfires so necessary for the morale and to prepare them for a good night's rest.
After reaching Utah her good work continued. A home where husband and family were well taken care of was her ambition. So within the house was a hive of industry.
Each family had a few chickens, sheep, cows, and horses which contributed to their well being. They raised chickens for meat and eggs. The feathers were used for stuffing pillows and cushions. They made butter and cheese, when they didn't have milk of their own, they pooled their milk with neighbors and each in turn made a cheese. They prepared wool from the sheep's back to be used for bats for quilts, yarn for knitting stockings and mittens and for weaving cloth. They made two kinds of cloth, jeans and linsey. The jeans were for men's clothes and yarn was made by carding black and white wool together.
The linsey was finer and used for women's and children's clothes. The yard was white but before weaving it was dyed various colors. Indigo a blue dye was purchased, yellow by boiling rabbit brush and using the liquid, green by dipping the yellow yarn into a blue dye, brown from boiling yarn in a peach bark solution. From these colors many and various combinations were achieved.
She passed away in Ogden, Utah in the home they built when they moved from Bingham's Fort, 3 January 1874.
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