The Women of Morgan

The youngest of seven children, Lydia Pond (Rich), knew hardship. It wasn’t just that she grew up with six older siblings; she understood what it meant to be a true pioneer. Rich joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when she was 16 years old while living in Whitestraw, Wiltshire, England. From there, she admitted to not thinking she was “capable of filling church positions” as she was asked to. However, she always found a way to make it through.

Born Oct. 9, 1834, Rich lost her father when she was only eight years old, and her mother remarried shortly afterward and moved to Trowbridge. She worked in a woolen cloth factory there, the same place where her grandparents and parents had worked when they were young. While working there, Rich learned of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and started attending services.

“Another young girl and myself went to their meetings for a little pastime, and we enjoyed it very much and went quite often till we became thoroughly convinced of its truth. In November 1850, we went down into the waters of baptism,” said Rich.

While she was the only person in her family to convert to this newfound church, Rich had a supportive home. Her mother, while being Baptist, wouldn’t let anyone speak ill of Rich’s religion. She was taught not to believe in rumors and that she should not tell anything she did not know to be true.

“Sometime after I joined the church, I became acquainted with a young man by the name of John H. Rich, and our acquaintance soon ripened into courtship, and in 1852, I became his wife. We were married in the Church of England in January 1853,” said Rich in her brief autobiography, which was published in Woman’s Exponent in May 1909.

“We left our home and turned our faces Zionward being the only ones of our families that were in the church,” Rich said. “We left Liverpool on Feb. 5 on the ship Jersey. Elder George Halliday was our president. We arrived in New Orleans in March, being six weeks and three days on the sea. We went from New Orleans up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, where we stayed for two months.”

After leaving St. Louis, Rich and her husband started their journey across the plains. On Aug. 24, 1853, Rich gave birth to her first son, Franklin John. “We were at that time at what was called the Black Hills. The company stayed over one day for me. We arrived in Salt Lake City on Sept. 29, 1853,” said Rich. She went on to have a total of three sons, three daughters, 34 grandchildren and 18 great-grandchildren.

Initially, Rich moved to Centerville in Davis County but moved to Morgan County, where her husband built their home. Her family was among the first 10 that left Centerville. “We left our home not knowing where we were going; we did not have any team or wagon at that time,” Rich said. “We went to Payson and stayed there till the latter part of June when we returned to our home again, and the Lord blessed us greatly for the sacrifice that we had made, although it looked rather dark at the time, and the cloud was hanging low, but there was a silver lining under the cloud.”

This silver lining was the birth of her first daughter, Lydia Millira, in April 1861. It was at about that same time that Rich and her growing family moved to Morgan County, then Weber Valley. “My husband took up some land and built us another home,” said Rich. “We were among the first settlers. There were many hardships to endure, but it all gave us an experience and taught us to be thankful to our Heavenly Father for the blessings we received from time to time.”

In March 1877, Rich was chosen to be the President of the Relief Society of Morgan, and when the Stake organization was [effected] in 1878, she was also chosen President of the stake. She held both offices until 1889, when she asked to be released from the Morgan Ward. She stayed on as President of the Morgan Stake.

“I shall never forget how I felt when my name was called out for me to take that responsible position,” Rich said. “When I reached home, I said to our dear sister Eliza R. Snow, I fear I am not capable of filling that position. She said, ‘You will; and fill it with honor.’ And those words have always been strength to me in the hour of need, and before she went home, she blessed me, and it has always been a help to me with other blessings that I have received from her.”

Rich expressed that she had seen many trials, but due to her experience and trust in her Lord, she was able to be faithful to the end of her life.