At this point of Hannah’s life we truly reach a black hole as virtually
nothing is known about her between her arrival in Utah in 1851 and her death in
1867. Most references about her during
this period of her life state that she lived with Dominicus in Provo. This writer has found one reference to her
that seems to disprove several things mentioned in this narrative.
The Overland Travel site at https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/41831/hannah-knight-libby-carter
states: “Birth date is confirmed by Manti Ward records at
the time of a rebaptism on 29 June 1851. She is listed in that record with the
surname of "Morley." (Manti Ward, Record of Members. CR 375 8, Reel
3954.) This roll of microfilm needs to
be studied to see what else it might tell us about Hannah. Was she in fact already in Utah in June 1851
and living in Manti? One warning about the family of Isaac Morley is that he
did have a polygamous wife, Hannah Finch – which can also confuse people as you
search for Hannah Morley.
We
are left with basically no record of what Hannah’s life was in Utah. With the exception of the Manti Ward record
mentioned above, it is assumed that Hannah lived in the Dominicus’ big house in
Provo. In Chapter 9 of this narrative is
found four firsthand descriptions of Hannah in her later years. Rather than
reprint them here we will just quote from them.
Clara Melissa Carter, Dominicus Carters’ daughter, remembered Hannah as
living in their home. What specifically
she did can only be guessed. She surely
helped the wives of Dominicus in household chores and with the dozens of children. She was not young. In 1851 she would have been 65 years
old. Francis Carter Knight, another
granddaughter, stated, “…She did not look as old as she really was. Her hair
was grey when I knew her. She wore a little lace cap. She had a good education
and was always very industrious, keeping her knitting close by, and working when
she was what might be considered too old to work.” Probably a later remembrance
was from a great-granddaughter, Sarah York Tiffany, who remembered, “She sat in
the chair or on the bed and pieced quilt blocks, and her sewing was neat. She
was childish and would cry when left alone very long.” That last comment would lead one to think
that possibly in her later years she suffered some form of dementia.
Whatever
the case, we are left only to guess what her life was like. Did she hold Church callings? Did her children travel to see her or did she
ever travel and visit with them? Over
the years it appears that things that were known about her have been lost to
our knowledge. In a 1941 memorial to her
entitled “Mother Hannah Knight Libby Carter” they recorded:
“In June, 1852,
Hannah Carter dictated the following message to her son, Dominicus, showing her
deep interest in temple work for her kindred dead:
By request of your
mother I am writing to you. She wishes to communicate to you some of her wishes
with regard to her deceased relatives. She is well at present as common, but as
life is uncertain, if it is not her privilege to live in this world to do the
work for her parents and relatives that have gone the way of all the earth, she
wants to leave this work so that it may be done and done right. She wishes to
be ready to go when she is called. This is the way we all should leave.
Then followed a
detailed list of relatives she remembered for whom temple work was to be done.
She remained at
Provo during the time of the Echo Canyon War and when the body of the Saints
moved south to Provo and adjoining towns. She lived in her later years at the
home of Dominicus Carter.”
One
other letter of Dominicus opens a small window on Hannah’s last days. On March 5, 1867 Dominicus wrote his brother,
Philip Libby Carter of Illinois: “Mother is alive but very feeble. I don’t think she can live long. She is getting old rising eighty. If you should want to see her before she
should die you better come this spring and not wait til the railroad is
finished. Mother wants me to say to you
that she does not expect to live long on this earth and she wants you to
prepare to meet her in the world to come.
She says the path she has pursued for the last 30 years is the only path
by which you can enjoy her society in the world to come and be accepted of the
Lord.”
Besides
giving us a glimpse of the ravages of old age working on her body, this letter
includes a strong final testimony of a longtime member of the church. Thirty-three years had passed since her
conversion but she still was strong in the Faith.
 |
| Hannah Death Notice |
Seven
months after the letter to Philip was penned Hannah passed away. For one hundred and fifty years we were in
the dark as to when Hannah actually died. We have never known the exact date,
only that on Nov. 2, 1867 a letter was written by Mary E. Whiting from
Springville to a relative in Manti stating, "Mother Carter is
dead." And that is where things
stood until February 2017. At that time
Virginia Bright (the wife of a descendant of Isaac Morley) contact the Carter
family with a newspaper account of her death. The reason we had never found
this document was that she was called “Hannah Libby Morley.” The newspaper article is actually a letter
from Apostle George A Smith. At the time
he had responsibility over the communities in Utah county and the news article
was actually a letter he wrote detailing some of his activities. The article reads:
CORRESPONDENCE
Provo City
Sunday, Oct. 19,
1867
Editor Daily
Telegraph:
Dear Sir:
This city was visited with a cold storm yesterday, the mountains being
covered with snow.
There is considerable sickness among
children; the whooping cough is prevalent, several deaths of late have occurred.
I delivered two addresses in the new
meeting house today also visited the Sunday School, which is making
satisfactory progress.
We are also called to mourn the death of a
Mother in Israel, Hannah Libby Morley, who died this morning, the widow of the
late Patriarch Isaac Morley. She was
born in the State of Maine, October 9, 1786.
When 17 years of age she married John
Carter, with whom she lived 43 years, and to whom she bore seven sons and four
daughters. She has upwards of 100
grandchildren, and 30 great grandchildren.
She is the mother of Dominicus, W. F. and John H Carter, prominent
citizens of this county.
One of her sons, Richard Carter, died in
the Mormon Battalion.
She was baptized in Newry, Oxford county,
Maine, in 1834. Prior to her baptism,
she was taken dangerously sick, and was given up to die; in the meantime a
Mormon Elder called in, whom she desired to pray for her, which was complied
with, and she straightway arose, walked one half of a mile, was baptized, and
became strong in the faith from that hour.
She passed through the persecutions in
Missouri and Illinois.
She kept the faith, and lately expressed
to her children that she desired to depart this life and join a "sweet
rest in Heaven,"
Geo. A. Smith
It
is interesting that Smith called her Hannah Libby Morley. He had known the family for many years and
had many dealings with both Dominicus and William Furlsbury at least. It is interesting that he used Morley instead
of Carter in describing Hannah, but she had been sealed to Isaac, and as such
she was considered one of his wives and would probably be known to many by the
name of Morley. This comes as a surprise
to many of us in our generation but actually helps to point out how far removed
from her day we are today.
We
need to address the date of her death – as the article leaves us questioning
the exact date of her death. It is
titled “Sunday, Oct. 19, 1867.” The
problem with that is that Oct 19th was actually Saturday and Sunday
was on the 20th. It seems
logical that she died either on the 19th or 20th. Since her death is mentioned as happening
“this morning” right after he mentioned attending a Sunday school – it would
seem most likely that her death date is 20 Oct 1867.
 |
| Sign at Provo City Cemetery |
Shortly
after her death, the body was originally buried at the Grandview Hill Cemetery.
This was where three farms converged and is no longer in existence. She was
moved along with her head stone to the Pioneer Cemetery in Provo, Utah. On Memorial Day, May 30, 1941, 155 years
after her birth, 90 years after she crossed the plains, and 74 years after her
death, 90 members of her posterity held a memorial service in her honor, sang
again the songs that were sung at her funeral, and listened to a sketch of her
rich life story. Then once again they gathered at her graveside (in the Provo
City Cemetery) and dedicated a bronze marker as a lasting memorial to her name
and noble character. It bore this inscription (beside the motif of a covered
wagon):
Hannah Knight Libby Carter
October 9, 1786-November, 1867.
“Faithful in the day of Trial.”
 |
| Hannah's 1941 Marker |
 |
| Bench to remember Carter children that have no headstones. |
With
this we end this account of her life. May
her ability to overcome trials and adversity be an example to us. Also might each of us embrace truth with the
strength that she demonstrated. Hannah
was a great example to her posterity of how to live an honorable life.
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