Now in its eighth printing, Emma Lee is the classic biography of one of John D. Lee's plural wives. Emma experienced the best and worst of polygamy and came as near to the Mountain Meadows Massacre as anyone could without participating firsthand. Brooks writes with a depth of feeling and insight possible only to one with her knowledge of the southern frontier of Mormondom and her grasp of the affairs of Emma Lee. -- Arizona and the West, 1985 Emma Batchelor was an English convert to the Mormon church who came to Utah with the Martin and Willie handcart companies. Through this biography of Emma Batchelor Lee French, Juanita Brooks has captured the strength, adventure, and tragedy of one woman's life on the western frontier. Juanita Brooks was a historian of the American West and of Mormon history. Emma Lee By Juanita Brooks University Press of Colorado Copyright © 1984 Utah State University Press All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-0-87421-121-4 Contents Illustrations, Introduction, Emma Batchelor of England, Emma Lee of Lonely Dell, Doctor Grandma French of Winslow, Index, CHAPTER 1 Emma Batchelor of England The carving on her headstone says that Emma Batchelor was born in Uckfield, Sussex County, England, April 21, 1836, and died November 16, 1897. From family records we learn that she was the daughter of Henry and Elizabeth Divel Batchelor and had a sister, Frances, and a brother, Henry, and very probably another sister who remained in England. Of her early life we know little, but her writing gives evidence of a good education, while her skill in all the household arts and her immaculate cleanliness show careful training in the home. Strong-willed, she was sometimes sharp and positive in expressing her opinions. On the other hand, she was very tenderhearted and gentle, especially with anyone injured. For the long period beginning in the 1830s, England was struggling with problems of overpopulation, unemployment, and poverty. The Queen was encouraging settlement in Canada, Australia, and other areas where there was space and opportunity, so that when the Mormon missionaries arrived in England they found a field literally "ripe unto the harvest." Their new gospel was not just an appeal to prepare for the second advent; it held out hope of free land, with a chosen people already gathering. Best of all, ways were provided by which converts might go to Zion with a minimum of expenditure. Chartered ships would carry them across the ocean; a railroad would take them from the coast to the heart of the continent — the Mississippi River. From there they could walk the remainder of the way, pulling their belongings on a handcart furnished by the Church, while supply wagons attending the train would ration out their food. It sounded so simple, so easy! One mode of payment was to sign on the dotted line contracting to give one-year's labor to the Church in whatever way they could best serve. Enthusiasm ran high. Over a period of three or four years, thousands were converted and waited their turn to come. They sang the songs of Zion, among them "The Handcart Song": "For some must push, and some must pull, as we go marching up the hill! So merrily on our way we go, until we reach the Valley, O!" Two of the most eager of all the converts were Emma Batchelor and her friend Elizabeth Summers. They made their plans together, selected their clothing, and later, they shared the necessary cooking utensils and supplies. The record lists Emma as twenty-one years of age, Elizabeth as twenty-seven. They were passengers on the last ship to leave Liverpool that season, the Horizon. This ship, under the leadership of Captain Edward Martin, was carrying 856 Utah-bound passengers, and did not sail from port until May 25. Though they had a good voyage and adequate train connections after the landing, the passengers did not reach Iowa City until July 8. Here they found the James G. Willie Company, which had sailed three weeks ahead of them, still waiting for their handcarts. Brother Levi Savage, looking over this crowd of more than 1,000 — among them many elderly, many children, a sprinkling of pregnant women — felt they should stop in Iowa City and set up winter quarters. Here it was the middle of July; the journey to Zion required 100 days under normal conditions. Some teams traveled it in three months but such companies could be over the mountains before winter set in. Under the best of conditions, the Martin and Willie companies could not make it — not even those who got on the road first. The Saints were eager to reach their destination, of course; most of the Elders voted to go on. Only Brother Savage spoke out firmly against proceeding. "Brothers and Sisters: What I have said, I know to be true; but seeing that you are determined to go forward, I will go with you, will help you all I can, will work with you, rest with you, will suffer with you, and, if necessary, I will die with you. May God