Elizabeth "Betsy" Ann Henderson Brady

Life of "Betsy Brady" Elizabeth Ann Hendrickson,

Compiled by her 3-Great Granddaughter, Marilee Cornum Vannoy;

taken from http://waltonhistory.com and other family stories.  

(As I read the "Work and the Glory" by Gerald Lund, I related my Brady family to the Stead family.  Even though the Stead family was a fictitious family; they represented the lives of those who lived during that time, which my Brady family had joined the church.)

Betsy Brady was born as Elizabeth Ann Hendrickson, on October 23, 1813, in Springfield, Washington County, Kentucky.  I call her "Betsy" as that is the name she used; all the Nauvoo Temple proxy baptisms records her as "Betsy Brady".  Betsy was the first daughter and third child of Simeon Hendrickson and Keziah Paddix (Paddocks).  She had two older brothers, Jordan and Jesse; three younger brothers, Simeon, William, and Marion.  She also had one sister, Keziah, who was five years younger.


Betsy was the first wife of Lindsay Anderson Brady.  They were married October 18, 1831, in Washington County, Kentucky.  How they met and fell in love we do not know.  There first child, Simeon, was born in Washington County, Kentucky.  Here Lindsay purchased a farm on the Green River.  Two more boys, Marion H. and Warren P. were born here.


About five years after the LDS church was organized, two Mormon missionaries, Wilford Woodruff and Warren Parish, were sent into Kentucky to preach the gospel.  As a result of their labors Betsy and her parents became interested in this new message that God, our Eternal Father, had restored His church upon this earth.


Lindsay and his wife were baptized November 15, 1835 by Wilford Woodruff near Damon Creek, Kentucky.  This branch of the church was organized November 2, 1836.  Lindsay had the Aaronic Priesthood conferred upon him September 2, 1836 when Wilford Woodruff ordained him a Deacon at a conference held at Damon Creek Branch.


As a result of Lindsay joining the church his family disowned him and would have nothing more to do with him.  His sister, Charlotte, and her family became interested in the church but her parents persuaded her not to join.


April 25, 1837, Lindsay Anderson Brady and family started for Far West, Missouri to be with the main body of the church. Henry G. Sherwood was their captain. The company consisted of 89 members. They arrived at Livingston Co.,Missouri, where Lindsay purchased a piece of land on the Shoal Creek and began farming. This was to be their home for the summer. They then moved to within six miles of Far West and settled on Log Creek. Their first daughter, Elizabeth, was born here.


In 1840 mob violence in Far West became so bad that the Brady family along with other church members fled Far West and settled in what was destined to become the city of Nauvoo, Hancock Co., Illinois. Under the leadership of Joseph Smith they moved onto swampland on the banks of the Mississippi River. They drained this land, beautified it wand built a city which they named Nauvoo. In a short four year period they transformed a swampland into the largest and most attractive city in Illinois.


The family met with and became well acquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith. Lindsay worked many days with the Prophet on the Nauvoo Temple. Lindsay and Elizabeth were at Nauvoo when the Prophet and his brother, Hyrum, were killed by a mob at Carthage, Illinois on June 27, 1844 . Following their deaths, Lindsay and Elizabeth viewed their bodies and they lay in state. They were both at the meeting when Brigham Young stood in the form and “spoke in the voice of the Prophet Joseph Smith”. They attended the funeral and mourned deeply with the thousands of other saints over the loss of their great spiritual leader.


Betsy having New England ancestry made her related to several modern day prophets.  I am sure she had no idea that she was a 5th cousin once removed to the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.; and a 7th cousin once removed to Brigham Young.   She was also a 7th cousin to Vilate Kimball, the wife of Heber C. Kimball.  She was related to other prominent early LDS church leaders.

Nauvoo became the birthplace of three more Brady children, Keziah Frances, Jordan and Tranquilla. Family records show Tranquilla had a twin brother, Joseph, was still born. Lindsay and Elizabeth received their endowments at the NauvooTemple on January 1, 1846. During this period the Brady’s were called upon to bury their eldest son, Simeon.


Anti-Mormon sentiment grew in and around Nauvoo. The killing of the Prophet Joseph Smith seemed to intensify and accelerate the mob violence against the Mormons. The Lindsay Brady family suffered all the persecutions with the rest of the saints at this time. Lindsay was among the men at Nauvoo who gave up their firearms. At one time he was chased into a corn field by a mob where he hid himself in a large shock of corn. The mobsters searched the field for him and even parted the corn stalks where he was hiding. They were so close he could see the whites of their eyes, but he left the field unharmed.


Brigham Young knew as did Joseph Smith that the Mormons could not peacefully co-exist among other religious groups and still maintain and practice their own religious beliefs. To avoid conflict and persecutions they would have to go far away from other existing settlements. They would build a new commonwealth hundreds of miles beyond the last American frontier. This necessitated taking everything with them – farm implements, seed, cattle and clothing.


Mob violence increased and the Mormons hurriedly made preparations to leave. They traded homes, farms and anything they had for wagons, oxen, horses and provisions to take with them. Lindsay traded their brick home ad lot for one log chain and two stove flat irons.


The exodus from Nauvoo started on February 4, 1846. Six hundred people crossed the river on the ice. The first night after leaving Nauvoo, nine children were born and as they journeyed westward, mothers gave birth to offspring under the most trying circumstances – in tents, wagons, rainstorms and snowstorms.


The Mormons were camped on the Iowa side of the Mississippi River. Severe snowstorms kept them huddled in their camp for days. Suffering was intense and deaths from exposure, disease and malnutrition were many. They were poorly prepared for such an exodus. There were many others joining these saints who had little or nothing of the necessities for their own sustenance and the Brady’s divided their rations with them.


The trek across the State of Iowa was terrible. The teams were too thin and weak to pull the heavy loads over the muddy sad snowy roads. At times it was necessary for the young and even the aged to walk to save the teams. The Brady family, along with the Hendrickson family, traveled across the State of Iowa to the banks of the Missouri River, a distance of about 40 miles. This same year, 1846, they camped on the banks of the Missouri River. Their first home was made of sod and logs. They remained here until the spring of 1847, at which time the family moved into the Big Mosquito Creek area. Here Lindsay cleared a large tract of land and planted crops. They lived in the vicinity for about three years, making preparations for their long trip across the plains to the Great Salt Lake Valley.


The story of  "The Mighty Missouri" is loved to be heard by the descendants as a real pioneer story.  It was written by, .......... (story will be add later)

June 14, 1850, Lindsay Anderson Brady and his wife, Elizabeth, with their six children left Winter Quarters and headed west. The Simeon Hendrickson family planned to travel with this same company but the night before they were to leave all their oxen and horses were driven off and their wagons hidden so it was impossible for them to travel with their daughter and son-in-law. Jordan, son of Simeon, used this method to keep his parents from coming west with the Mormons. Family records show Susannah Ward Allen made the trip across the plains in the same wagon train as the Brady’s. She was destined to become Lindsay’s second wife.
The Brady family traveled to the valley of the Rocky Mountains with the Captain William Wall Company. As they journeyed westward, Lindsay Anderson, Jr. was born July 11, 1850, on the banks of the Platte River near Julesburg, Nebraska. Their outfit used for crossing the plains consisted of two wagons, two yoke of oxen, two yoke of cows, farm implements and provisions. On their way one of the oxen died so Lindsay hitched one of the milk cows to the wagon.


While on the plains the dreaded disease of cholera broke out. Many of the saints died and were buried along the trail. At times there were not enough well to care for the sick.


Lindsay Anderson Brady and family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley September 19, 1850. It had taken this company 96 days to travel from Winter Quarters, Nebraska to the Great Salt Lake Valley.

Betsy was the first woman to live in Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah.  This is were they made their finial home and raised many of their children and grandchildren.  In the Fairview museum there are a lot of artifacts of the Brady family, including a bed of cherry wood made by Lindsay.

This story is not complete and will will completed later.

Story about Lindsay Anderson Brady and Elizabeth Ann Henderson

Pioneer Company Trail Excerpt by daughter Elizabeth Ann Brady Huffaker

Story of Jordan Brady

Pioneer Immigrants to Utah Territory Page: 000389 Departure Date: 14 Jun 1850 Departure Place: Winter Quarters Travel Company: Elizabeth. Ann Hendrickson - Wife Marion H. Brady Jordan Brady Warren P. Brady Tranqulla Brady Elizabeth Ann Brady Lindsay A. Brady Jr. Kerinh, Frances Brady Party: William Wall Company Arrival Date: 19 Sep 1850 Arrival Place: Little Cottonwood, Salt Lake, Utah Place Settled: Union Fort, Fairview, Sanpete, Utah

This history is a combination from the history written by (his son) Willis A. Brady and from Lehi Hugh Brady.
Jordan Brady, son of Lindsay Anderson Brady and Elizabeth Ann Hendricksen Brady, was born in Nauvoo, Illinois, June 7, 1843.  He lived there until he was three years old.  Then the family moved to Winter Quarters in the spring of 1846.  In 1850, he with his parents crossed the plains with oxen teams in Captain Foot’s Company.  William Wall was captain of the 50 wagons they came with.  Lindsay had two wagons, two yoke of oxen and two yoke of cows.  It was during this trip that they had to cross the Missouri River.
        (Taken form Lindsay Anderson Brady story):  Captain Wall had given the orders that the company would leave by noon, but would travel slowly for the first day or so to give the Brady family a chance to catch up.  Lindsay and his family left the next day and pushed it had to catch up.  By noon they were at the eastern bank of the "Old Muddy" (Missouri River).  The early spring glow of the river had receded to a point where it was now quite safe to ford.  They would stop for their noon lunch on the western bank where the animals could graze on good grass.  The muddy water splashed against the sides of the animals and wagons as they crossed the ocean of moving, muddy water.  The first real thrill was over.
        The cattle had been unhitched and turned loose to graze while the family relaxed to enjoy lunch, which had been partly prepared before leaving their home that morning.  While eating they were attracted to a splashing of water in the river.  To their astonishment and horror, they beheld their faithful animals returning home.  Call as they might the herd gave no heed nor indication to mind, but plunged right ahead through the murky water.  Tremendous fear entered every soul as they were now marooned!  With the mighty Missouri on one side and a vast, unknown and untamed desert on the other.  The calm thinking of Lindsay scarcely lessened the hysterias of the mother and children.  Jordan was 7 years old at this time; with his oldest two brothers, Marion who was 15 years and Warren who was 13 years old.  Lindsay said, "Could they do it, these two young boys?"  "Yes" they answered, "We can swim'er."  And with further assurance, "We can bring them back."  "No, you can't" cried the hysterical mother as her mind went back to the loss of her first born son in Nauvoo.,  "I will not permit such a hopeless thing."
        Lindsay knew his sons could swim well and promised his wife the Lord will provide, He will help them.  "Yes, the Lord will provide," sobbed Betsy his wife.  "That is what you have always said from the day we left our good home and farm in Kentucky until we reach Far West.  Then again when driven from that place with infant in arms to Nauvoo, and the again force to leave a good home to cross the terrible Mississippi on the ice and head for this forsaken; now only to be lost and murdered by the Indians.  No, I tell you!  We will all die together rather than risk these two little boys in that wicked old river."  "But, Mother", came a defence from Marion.  "Don't you remember all the good swimming lessons Daddy gave us at Nauvoo?  We could swim the old Mississippi if necessary.  We can easily swim the old Missouri then,  We know we can."  Filled with bewilderment and with prayerful hears Betsy finally gave her consent.
        Marion and Warren went up the river to enter so they could swim down stream with the current.  The river was about one fourth a mile in distance.  The family watched to boys swim until they could no longer see them.  Besty sank to her knees in despair and uttered aloud her pleading for divine assistance.  She was still on her knees in suppletion when she heard the cry of her husband, "They have made it."  Springing to her feet, she beheld her precious boys climbing the bank far across the Mighty Missouri.  They boys found the animals.  Within the hour the animals were climbing the western shore and the two little blavck headed boys were safely mounted upon the backs of the strong oxen.  Again they gave thanks to the Lord.  The animals were hastily yoked together and hitched to the covered wagon and they were on their way.      
         They arrived in the Valley of the Mountains on September 18, 1850 with one wagon and six head of cattle, two of which were butrchered for food during the following winter.  They settled at Union Fort, were they lived for nine years.
In the fall of 1859, Jordan, with his father, mother, two sisters, and two brothers left Union Fort and went to North Bend (later called Fairview) in Sanpete county.  Here he met and married Mary Lovina Howell.  They were married in Fairview, on December 10, 1861 by John Cox, Sr.
Jordan built a one room house.  They had very little furniture; most of it home made.  The bed had one leg, the other three was the wall.  The bed springs were slats or rawhide strings.  The straw tick which was sometimes filled with oat straw which was like feathers as compared with the coarse, stiff wheat straw.  Their table was the end gate of a wagon laid on two pegs which were stuck in the wall and a shelf or two on the wall was her cupboard.  The next year he built a lean-to room on their house.
On January 27, 1863 their first son, Jordan Hendricksen was born.  They were good managers and soon had some cows, pigs, chickens, and horses.  He helped his father on the farm.
Jordan made several trips to Salt Lake with the ox team.  One trip he had quite a load and Mary and the children had to walk most of the way.  One of his oxen was balky.  He had a little hay, so when they came to a hill where the ox did not want to go he would take the hay up the road a little way and lay it down.  Then the oxen would bring the load to the hay.  They had to do that until they arrived home.
In April of 1866 they took their two sons and a daughter to Salt Lake and were sealed for time and all eternity in the Endowment House by Wilford Woodruff.  Then he went east to help bring the emigrants to Utah.
Jordan was a road supervisor and helped to build the road between Fairview and Mt. Pleasant; also up Cotton wood Canyon east of Fairview.  He was a member of the choir and took an active part in all church work.  He was an Indian War Veteran and helped guard the cows and settlement from the Indians.
        While living in Fairview, Jordan and Mary had seven more children:  Martha Elizabeth born March 7, 1869; Mary Emily born June 12, 1871; Willis Alphonso born October 22, 1873; Sarah Matilda born December 23, 1875; twins Ada Celestia and Radna Ann born April 1, 1878; and Warren Absolum born April 7, 1881.  The Lord had blessed their home with ten lovely children; a comfortable home; farm property; horses and other animals; as well as stock in the Co-op Store and a sheep herd.
         It was the year 1882, Jordan as in the prime of life; just beginning his 40th year.  Again, they heard and gave heed to the voice of their beloved Prophet John Taylor and responded to a Colorado settlement mission call.  Home and property were placed on the alter of sacrifice and preparations made for the move.
         Fairview had grown into a beautiful Mormon village, and they loved it.  It was home.  The parting was hard.  With two well-equipped covered wagon outfit, they along with their married children joined the mission caravan on August 10th and began the long trek which ended September 20, 1882.
         In the southern end of the San Luis Valley, they pitched their tents near the beautiful Conejos River and helped establish the spot they named Ephraim.  Here they face pioneering anew.   Little did they realize the trails of poverty and hardship which lay ahead in this unbroken and barren land of alkali and greasewood brush.  It was to the subdued at their hands and with the help of the Lord it would be conquered.
        While in Ephraim, Colorado, Jordan was ordained a High Priest on May 9, 1883; by Apostles Wilford Woodard and Brigham Young Jr. and set apart as second counselor to Bishop Peter Rasmussen.
        There they had three more children, Ophelia Sophia was born in February 3, 1883 and their second set of twins Samuel Joseph and Millie Rebecca were born June 7, 1885.  The baby Samuel Joseph only lived four months, and is one of the first buried in the Sanford cemetery.  They also buried two grandchildren in the Sanford cemetery.
        With irrigation their devastating enemy (alkali) soon made its appearance and caused the abandonment of Ephraim and the settlers created the new settlement of Sanford on a little higher elevation.  The dreaded alkali was every a disheartening problem.  Ephraim was too swampy; Sanford was 2 miles north on a bench.  Jordan helped lay out the town of Sanford, Colorado.  While living in Colorado he helped Bishop Amasa Tucker run a shingle and saw mill for several years.
        In Sanford, Jordan & Mary and their family settled on block 82.  He and his son in-laws, Peter Cheney, each built a home there.  Which later became the homes of his daughters Mary (Heber) Cornum and Martha (Andrew) Rasmussen.
In the spring of 1892 he and his family moved to Lehi, Maricopa County, Arizona, where his brother Thomas Lindsey Ward Brady lived.  The elements didn’t suit some of his children so that fall they moved back to Sanford, Colorado.
        The family loved to tell the following story.  "One morning when Jordan as on his way to stake conference.  His wagon wheel broke and he had to stop and fix it, which made him greasy and dirty.  When he arrived to the church his was late, so he just slipped in on the back bench.  Elder lyman and Elder Smith were here at the conference to pick a patriarch.  They had not found who the Lord was looking for.  Conference had started and still did not know who the patriarch was to be.  Well when Jordan Brady entered the meeting and they saw him they knew he was to be the Patriarch.  So they called him up to set on the stand, and there he was all greasy and dirty."  On June 10, 1893, he was ordained a Patriarch by Francis M. Lyman and John Henry Smith at a conference in Manassa, Colorado.
         Twelve years the Brady family struggled through this mission call.  Then in the fall of 1894 Jordan and Mary and their children moved back to Fairview, Utah.  Two daughters Mary and Martha had married men from Sanford and stayed in Colorado.  Jordan had two wagons and five horses and one of the horses was so balky he could not use him but on level roads.  The first or second night on the road one of the horses got sick and must have fallen into the river they had camped by.  Then he put the harness on the balky one to help hold the wagon tongue up.  That day they were going up the Devil’s Backbone and he had only three good horses so he would take on wagon a ways and then come back to get the other one.  They had a lot of trouble on that trip.  They lost another horse at Green River, Utah, and had to have help coming from Huntington to Fairview.  Uncle Charles Terry, mother’s brother and Jordan H. Brady came to help them.
They were without means and had to start all over when they finally arrived in Fairview.  The county had bought a farm and built a house on it where the poor and the old of the county could be taken care of.  Jordan was given the job of running this farm and looking after the poor old people who were sent there.  His family received their board for the work they did on the farm.  For his labor he received $100.00 per month.  With this he bought them a home.
He continued to give blessings and work in the church.  In 1896 or 98 he was put in as second counselor to Bishop James C. Petersen, which position he held until 1905 when he and his family moved to Mesa, Arizona.  This time they went on the train and chartered a car for their stock and house-hold-goods.  He bought a grape vineyard and built a good home; raised a good garden and a fair crop of grain but no grapes.  The family got homesick and some of them got prickly heat.  They decided that Fairview was good enough for them.  So back to Fairview they went.
He received a pension of $60.00 a month.  He and his wife lived happy and content by themselves until the fall of 1933.  When their youngest son, Warren A. Brady took over the home and cared for them the remainder of their lives.  In September of 1933, Jordan fell and was hurt so bad he was crippled the rest of his life.  He died May 27, 1934.  Jordan was father of 13 children; 98 grandchildren.  He died at the age of 91. He was buried in the (upper)  Fairview City Cemetery.
Jordan Brady on Findagrave