By Olivia Hawker
This book was a pleasant surprise. In reading it I felt the satisfaction of seeing familiar historical characters brought to life. This is a story of love, sacrifice, and loyalty set in the drama of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1856. It is a novel for all readers, not just for church members. I have not yet read any other books by Olivia Hawker, but I probably will.
The 1850s were jam-packed with significant historical events in Utah and in the church. Tensions were high between the Utah Territory and the United States Government during this time. The first public acknowledgment that plural marriage was, indeed, a tenet of the church, occurred in 1852. In the years that followed, plural marriage went from a rumored secretive practice to one urged openly by church leaders, especially for men who wanted to rise in the ranks of church leadership, which at that time was inextricably intertwined with success in civic and business matters. In 1854 the Republican Party was born. The party’s platform, approved at the first National Republican Convention in June of 1856, proclaimed the need to stomp out “the twin relics of barbarism,” slavery and polygamy.
This novel was written from the perspective of women whose lives became intertwined when they all married the same man. I enjoyed all of the heroines. Tabitha, the savvy herbalist healer who skillfully navigated the gender power dynamics of the time. Jane was a very young woman forced by circumstance into adult responsibilities far too soon. One of these women was Tamar Loader, a real historical figure whose sister, Patience, kept a journal that has been a valuable resource for historians. Many of the incidents recounted in her journals are also told in this novel; some of these took place at sea when the family was crossing the Atlantic to come to America, and some took place later on their journey. The story of the family’s participation in the ill-fated Martin handcart company’s trek across the country was one of incredible suffering and loss. The belief that divine rewards follow sacrifice, as well as personal revelation and visions, drove this family forward in faith.
Political pressures aside, journals from this period reveal that polygamy was no easier for plural wives than it would be for you and me, and yet, many women voluntarily entered into this lifestyle and expressed a firm belief in it as a heavenly mandate for their entire lives. Although we do not follow the family’s story past 1856, the historical record shows that the husband, Thomas Ricks, eventually went on to establish Rexburg, Idaho. Ricks College, now known as BYU-Idaho, was named for him.
As an interesting aside, Thomas Ricks had two sisters, Clarinda Ann and Sarah Ann, who were plural wives of Silas Sanford Smith, for whom the town of Sanford, Colorado, my home, is named.
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