Lucy Fackrell Grant
1853-1919

On a lovely spring day the 27th of May 1853, six months after Joseph Crumb Fackrell and his wife Clarissa Dempsey had entered the Salt Lake Valley, to settle in Bountiful, they were blessed with a lovely little daughter, whom they named Lucy. She was their fifth child of fourteen, one who died in infancy and one at 3 years old.

At the age of sixteen, her beloved mother became ill with the measles and passed away. Lucy and the rest of the children were also ill in bed with the same illness as their mother, and they were told that if they got out of bed they would die. When Lucy was told that her mother was, no more of this world, she felt she couldn't let her go without one last look at her, so she got up and ran into the room were she was, when she was discovered she was scolded severely.

As soon as Lucy was well she assumed the cares and responsibilities of helping keep together the home for the family. Up to this time she had never mixed and baked a batch of bread, this was because of the hard times and the fear that the bread might be spoiled; also she had been needed to help her father in looking after the geese and the sheep. Seven of the children were younger than herself with the baby being only two years old, she was the eldest daughter living at home at the time, but feeling these duties to be hers, she assumed them willingly, as family and home were always first with her.

A few years later she went into Salt Lake City, where she went to work for a Sister Redfield, who was the mother of the wife of Senator Reed Smoot; she stayed there learning the things that helped her prepare for her marriage and homemaking. She was still there when she made her marriage plans and on the 29th of May 1876, in the Salt Lake Endowment House she married Jedediah Morgan Grant (II). For six years they made their home in Bountiful where three children were born, Alfa born 29 April 1877; J. Morgan Jr. (III) born 11 August 1879; Rossetta Grant born 18 Mar 1881.

Then the family moved onto a cattle ranch on the North Fork of Otter Creek, about five miles out of Randolph, Utah. With them came Lucy's brother Henry Fackrell. While living here five more children were born Joseph Crumb born 29 Apr 1883; Henry Charles born 25 Dec 1884; Estella born 7 Sep 1886; Jemima born 20 Dec 1887 and Lita born 22 Feb 1889. For awhile, while living on the cattle ranch Lucy's brother Jim Fackrell lived with them while he taught school in Randolph. A sadness came to them on the 28 Apr 1887 their six year old daughter Rossetta died.
Due to a drop in the price of cattle they were unable to make the payments on the ranch, so they moved onto a 320 acre farm about two miles out of town. There was a heavy growth of sage brush on the farm when they moved onto it so the children would often be out burning sage brush especially in the Spring of the year. Lucy was always a zealous church worker holding various position in the Religion classes and Sunday School.

When the Woodruff Stake was reorganized she was chosen and sustained as Stake President of the Relief Society. The manner in which she received her calling was rather unusual. A conference was being held at Woodruff, Utah. Her husband, Morgan was away in Oregon, and there was urgent work to be done in the fields, the land had to be cleared of sage brush if there were to be crops planted. Even though it was not women's work, Lucy knew the necessity of helping. She had spent the day in the fields with her boys, when word was sent to her asking that she be at stake conference. She attended and accepted the position of Stake Relief Society President.

When she was set apart for this position, She was given a blessing and was told, that her life's work would be among the sick, and she was promised that if she would go to whatever sickness she was called too, she would never bring the illness back into her home. Her daughter has memories of the many times Lucy went out to take care of any and all illnesses. Some of the illnesses were highly contagious communicable diseases such as Typhoid fever, smallpox, diphtheria, scarlet fever, measles, and etc. Each time upon her return she would go into an old shed. There she would bathe and change her clothes so that she would not bring the illnesses into her home. Truly she was an angel of mercy and her blessing was fulfilled.

While living on the farm two more children were born Austin born 19 Nov 1890 and Wesley Dempsey born 23 Aug 1892. Wesley was the last completing her family of 10 children. Her children were a source of joy and pride to her to the end of her days.

A couple of positions she held were an instructor in the Primary Grade and Ladies Dept. in Randolph, Utah between 22 Dec 1892 and 30 June 1892 another was instructor in a Religion Class in Randolph, Utah between 1 Oct 1897 and 20 June 1889.

In 1897 when the "panic" hit which was blamed on President Grover Cleveland they couldn't make the mortgage and lost the farm.

It takes courage to leave a home and answer a call to assist in colonizing a new country, but Lucy Fackrell Grant had that courage. In 1900, having been called by President Lorenzo Snow and under the direction of Apostle A.O. Woodruff the family gladly responded to leave their home. Lucy's father was concerned about her not wanting to go and came to visit her. She told him yes, that she wanted to go because in the Big Horn Basin her sons might find land on which to build homes. This was the last time Lucy saw her father as he passed away that winter. It took the company four long weeks to make the trip. One of her daughters, who at that time was thirteen years of age, tells that she clearly remembers the day they crossed the South Pass and met two men on horseback. It had been a hard day's travel, for the company had covered only one mile, Lucy and two of her little girls were walking along by the wagon in the mud and slush. The two men on horseback looked pityingly at their struggles and said, "it's a hard trail folks." Such hardships did not discourage them, these very words were typical of Lucy's entire life, "a hard trail,' but she followed it cheerfully.

When they finally arrived in the Big Horn Basin, on the Byron flats, they were met by Apostle Woodruff who after greeting them said, "This Sister Grant, is to be your home." The pioneers who entered the Salt Lake Valley in obedience to President Young's "this is the Place," could not have faced a more barren land or more discouragement. Those of her children describe the place as seeming to be just "Sand and Salt sagebrush." They recalled they could hardly get a meal prepared that wasn't filled with sand. On very hot days when they saw a heavy cloud gather in the southwest, they sometimes thought maybe they would get a heavy rainstorm, but when it got there it would be just dust and they would quickly put everything away in a food box. If it was just a whirlwind and they were eating they would cover everything and wait until it passed before they could finish their meal. For eight months the family lived in a ditch camp, where everyone pitched a tent, lived in their wagons or what have you for shelter while the Sidon canal was being built.

During this time Sister Grant gladly shared with anyone in need. The Grant family was very fortunate in possessing two cows, but the family only used so much, because of the many babies in the camp, it had to be shared with all. One incident in which kindness brings its own reward was when a Mr. Marshall who had been sent from Omaha, to act as a surveyor on the canal, brought his wife and two daughters from the east, there for the summer. They were refined wealthy people of the world, used to every luxury possible of the day and living in places where neighborliness had been forgotten. The Grant family shared milk with them also. At the end of summer, when they were preparing to leave for the east, Mrs. Marshall came expecting to pay for the milk they had received. Sister Grant refused any pay whatever, insisting that she was only too glad to share what they had with others. Mrs. Marshall was very surprised and vowed to repay her in some way. The Grant's rented a farm from Mr. Marshall for one year and then they bought it, which from that time on became her home.

When the family first moved on to the Marshall farm, they found a rather distressing situation a large house stood on the place and part of it was occupied by the family of the tenants of the previous summer. The people who were then on the farm were very much opposed to having anything to do with the so called "Mormon" believing the untruths and tales the world would have them believe. They flatly refused to permit the Grant family to live in the unoccupied part of the house. There was only one thing to do and that was to build a small cabin of their own in another corner of the farm.

Soon after the wife of the tenant became seriously ill with erysipelas, there was no one for miles around to go to their assistance, but Sister Grant, whom they had despised because of her religion, gladly went. For days she devoted every minute of her time in saving the life of Mrs. Tracy and also taking care of the rest of the family. Needless to say, the family had their ideas about "Mormons" changed very suddenly, and from that time on Sister Grant considered Mrs. Tracy one of her most faithful friends.

On the 28th of Oct 1900 organization of the church in the new colony called the Shoshone Branch was established with Byron Session Branch Pres., Jedediah M. Grant First Counselor and W.W. Graham Second Counselor, Mrs. Lucy Grant, Relief Society President. Lucy held this position about one year or until the Big Horn Stake was organized. Sister Grant's home was always open to the weary travelers, and at conference time, it had always been sort of a “headquarters" for conference visitors. Her children relate how many times there was scarcely room to step; so many beds had been made on the floor. Many times Apostle Woodruff, who stayed at the Grant home a great deal of the time would say, "Sister Grant, put these good people up for the night, they're tired and hungry." She never failed to respond to this call. Once again a sadness came to their home when their son Wesley died at the age of 13 with a heart ailment.

Busy helping others; busy rearing her own children, teaching them to follow in her footsteps, the years passed quickly. Lucy was able to see her sons go on missions. In her Patriarchal blessing Sister Grant had been promised that she should live as long as life was desirable to her. Her only desire was that she be permitted to live until she could see her children developed into good men and women and building homes of their own. This dream she saw fulfilled most of her children settled in the vicinity of Lovell. There they raised their families, and happy indeed were the days when the families met together in the old home on the ranch, bringing joy to the hearts of Brother and Sister Grant.

The grandchildren brought joy to the hearts of their grandparents. Many of the grandchildren, who were then little, still speak of the happy visits there. They tell of the wonderful dishes, which no one else could cook just like “Grandma”, and how she let them help her. She taught them other things, such as sewing, knitting, and tatting, leaving many wonderful memories. One Granddaughter, Nelliemae Grant remembers a favorite poem of hers:
Doors like these open with ease,
Two very very little keys,
Two of these are,
I Thank you and If you please.
A Grandson Nolan Grant remembers how she didn't believe in idle hands. She would tell him to go gather sticks and scatter them again if he had nothing else to do.

Sister Grant continued her life of service, always ready to aid in sickness and distress, and never for pay. When the "flu" epidemic which took such a toll, came to the land, she nursed the first victims in her locality, and during the long siege of sickness she went from home to home, helping. One of her grandchildren, who was then a little girl, relates that her only memory of her grandmother was as she stood in the doorway, holding her baby brother, looking in upon the rest of the family who were stricken with the "flu".

The strain of taking care of so many proved to much for her, and a few days later, on the 12th of January, 1919 she, herself succumbed to the flu. At the time of her death she was five foot six and one-half inches tall with brown hair, gray eyes, about one-hundred fifty pounds in weight and sixty-eight years of age. Many mourned her passing her family found it hard to give her up, but somehow it seemed that she would have preferred it that way. On the 13th day of January 1919, she was buried in Lovell, Wyoming. Her mission finished; her life of service completed. She had erected a monument of Love and Mercy unto herself, and her children could truly say, of her, "such a Mother as ours is not dead, but a living Presence."