Family/Spouse: Living. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]

Notes:

One Page History of Eleanor Martin compiled by Janis Ostler Palmer, 4th great-granddaughter



https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/18936548?cid=mem_copy



Name: Eleanor Martin (Ricks)

Born: 20 December 1807 in Clarke County, Kentucky

Parents: Christopher Martin (b.1760) & Ann Turner (b.1768)

Married: Joel Ricks 17 May 1827 at Trigg Co., Kentucky

Children: Thomas Edwin* (b.1828); Lewis (b.1830); Sally Ann (b.1832); Clarinda (b.1835);

Temperance R. (b.1837); William (b.1839); Jonathan (b.1841): Mary Elizabeth (b.1843);

Josiah (b.1845); Joel Martin (b.1850-died as an infant). Nathan (b.1853)

Died: 26 February 1882 at Logan, Cache, Utah

Buried: February 1882 in Logan Cemetery, Cache, Utah



Life Sketch: When Eleanor’s husband Joel was ordained a patriarch she would write down the blessings. She gave this brief account of her life which is recorded in the book containing the patriarchal blessings that he gave. It goes as follows: “I was the daughter of Christopher and Ann Martin, born 20 Dec. 1807, in Clark Co. Kentucky. When I was twelve years old, my father removed to Trigg Co., where I lived until I married Joel Ricks, on May 17, 1827. In 1829 we removed to Madison Co., Ill. where we received the gospel. I was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, June 6, 1841.” Joel Ricks used to tease his wife, he called Nellie, with the following story: “When I returned I told Nellie we were moving on west. “No,” she said, “I won’t go. Let’s stay here.” I completed arrangements to move, packed my wagon with household goods, placed my son Thomas on the wagon seat beside me and made believe I was going to drive away without her. Nellie came running to the wagon, “Where’s my place?” she asked piteously. I reached down and pulled her up into the wagon seat beside me, and laughed as I answered, “You know your seat I always right beside me.” And it was too. She always was a good wife.” In 1830 Eleanor and Joel joined the Campbellite Church. It was here by Silver Creek, Illinois that the Mormon missionaries found them. Both Eleanor and her husband were baptized the same day by George Boosinger. Her husband Joel then made a trip to Nauvoo to see the prophet Joseph Smith. After living in Madison County, Illinios for16 years, they moved to Nauvoo in August of 1845. She gave birth to her oldest Thomas in Kentucky, the next 8 in Illinois, and the last 2 in Centerville, Utah. Her 10th child Joel Martin died a few days after birth, but the rest lived to adulthood. Both Joel and Eleanor received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple Jan. 21, 1846. Eleanor’s daughter Temperance Ricks Hinckley told a granddaughter that she remembered when Sister Cleveland (a charter member of the Relief Society) came to their home in Nauvoo and helped her mother work on a temple robe. This beautiful linen robe came across the plains and was cut up by a granddaughter Mary E. Smith to make long white aprons for herself and Eleanor’s daughters Temperance and Mary. The remainder was used for baby clothes. This robe was in the light trunk fastened to the back of the wagon when Eleanor’s husband went to rescue his son Thomas who was shot by Indians near the Elkhorn River in 1848. The Indians rifled through the trunk and stole the bright colored yard goods and bandana handerchiefs, but left this robe alone. On her journey west to Utah, she nursed her son Thomas back to health and grieved as her sister Sina and husband James Olive left the church and the trail, returning to live in Worden, Illinois while the Ricks Family continued on to Utah and settled in Centerville after spending the winter of 1848-1849 in Bountiful. In Centerville many of her children found spouses. Also, her husband Joel took a 2nd wife in 1852, Sarah Fisk Allen, a widow and friend from Nauvoo. Eleanor’s daughters Clarinda and Sally married the same man, Silas Smith, 2 years apart, moved to Parawon where they both died in childbirth in 1865. Eleanor sadly missed the funerals, it being so distant. Her 2nd son Lewis contracted pneumonia going back to help other immigrants get to Utah. Eleanor nursed him back to good health for 3 years. She moved with her family to Logan, Cache Valley in 1859 where her husband built a rock home on Main Street. This is now the location the Bluebird Café. Whenever church leaders came to Logan they went to Eleanor’s home and enjoyed her cooking. So did her grandchildren who looked forward to her ‘Pumpkin Festival’ every fall when the pumpkins were ripe and the molasses ready for sweetening. She made dozens of pies and invited her grandchildren to come over during one week to eat them. Her son Thomas E. had twin boys that were hard to tell apart. Heber played a trick on his grandma by first getting his pie and then coming back later and pretending to be his twin brother Brig to get another one. Eleanor made Brig another pie. She had a special way of catching flies. She had pet toad under her back step and everyone knew not to hurt him. She raised a nice garden and her grandchildren loved her flowers, especially the ‘fragrant pinks’, roses and lilacs. A granddaughter Ella told the story of seeing an Indian in the lilacs one day and was startled when she saw him enter her grandmother’s home. Eleanor came out and told her not to be afraid. This was her friend Chief Arimo (Arimo, Idaho is named after him) who lived far away and would come to cut wood for her. She would feed him and her husband would give him money to feed his tribe. Arimo would then warn the white people when the Indians were restless. Eleanor did fine handwork making beautiful bedspread, valances, and curtains. She knit yards of exquisite lace. She made her contribution to the building of the Logan Temple by knitting socks and looked forward to it opening. Sadly, she died before it was finished. Her husband however made sure that the temple work was done for many of her ancestors when the temple opened and carefully recorded the work.



Sources– 1) History of Eleanor Martin Ricks-Wife of Joel Ricks compiled by her great granddaughters Vida Adams

and Blondel Porter, June 1949 in Daughters of Utah Pioneers file.

2) Eleanor MARTIN File # 27779—Nauvoo Land & Records Office

3) Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, by Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, p. 2572

Eleanor married Joel Ricks on 1 May 1827 in Donaldson Creek, Trigg, Kentucky, USA. Joel was born on 18 Feb 1804 in Donaldson Creek, Trigg, Kentucky, USA; died on 15 Dec 1888 in Logan, Cache, Utah Territory, USA. [Group Sheet] [Family Chart]