She Had The Key

"I think she was bigger than anything that could happen to her, sorrow, misfortune, suffering, they were outside her door.  She was in the house and had the key."  

~ Esmeralda Andrus McKell, daughter of Lucy Loomis Tuttle Andrus

Lucy Loomis Tuttle Andrus

My third great-grandmother Lucy Loomis was no stranger to loss and tragedy.  But according to her daughter she was bigger than her suffering.  It stayed outside her door.  

To appreciate this beautiful compliment from her daughter, here are some of the losses and heartaches Lucy experienced. 

Note: These stories come from a biography of Lucy Loomis written by her daughter Esmeralda.  I have done my best to research these stories to verify they are true or get additional information but some are just oral tradition.  

LUCY VS. SAM BRANNAN

I don't know exactly how wealthy her family was, but they had lived in Massachusetts for generations, her relatives would eventually build a college, and she's my connection to the majority of the royalty that I come from.  So yeah, I'd say they were doing okay.  

She married Hubbard Tuttle, also from Massachusetts when she was 21 and they joined the Church of the Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints the following year.  As they prepared to move west, she was under the impression that they were going to California.  She sent all of her precious dishes, quilts, and possessions on the Brooklyn with Sam Brannan. 

First millionaire from the Gold Rush, died a pauper. 

Sam Brannan instead landed in Mexico.  Lucy never saw her possessions again.  

To read more about Sam Brannan and the Brooklyn voyage, click here.  

LUCY VS. SCURVY

While on her journey to Utah, she contracted black scurvy, a disease resulting from a lack of Vitamin C.  Right before you die from the disease, your skin turns black.  She lost nearly all of her teeth (gingivitis is one of the symptoms of scurvy) and they transported materials to make her coffin for 200 miles because they were sure she was going to die.  The wagon would stop to see if she was still breathing or if she had died. 

LUCY VS. CRICKETS

They arrived in Salt Lake on September 30, 1847.  The Saints had quickly planted crops after arriving in July to have enough seed to plant the following spring.  Much to their dismay, in the spring of 1848, a cricket infestation began to devour their precious crops and future food supply.  Miraculously, thousands of seagulls descended on the crops and devoured the crickets--to the point where they would fly away, vomit their meal and come back to eat more crickets.  

LUCY VS. GOLD 

The following year in 1849, the year of the California Gold Rush, Thomas Rhoades returned to Utah from the Mormon Battalion.  He had mined some gold in California and gave it to Brigham Young for the benefit of the Church.  It was worth $17,000.  This gave Brigham Young an idea to send men on "gold missions" to head to California and mine for gold to help the Saints in Utah.  These missions were not made public to the general membership of the Church.

Lucy's husband Hubbard left the following month on such a mission.  Their destination was the San Joaquin Valley, but they ended up spending their time in American Fork, California.  Sickness was rampant at these camps. 

While Hubbard was away, Lucy gave birth to their third child and first son, Hubbard Tuttle.  When he was 5 months old, Lucy heard that the company was returning.  She prepared for his return with food and clothes after his long journey.  In the morning she heard footsteps and went to the door to greet her husband.  Instead it was her sister's husband, Vincent Shurtlef.  He informed her that Hubbard had died of cholera and had been dead for three months. 

When news of Hubbard's death reached the Loomis family back in Massachusetts, her brother asked her to come home.  He told her that she would never want for anything.  She told him that she thought too much of her religion to return.  

Special thanks to Margaret Murphy who presented her research on Brigham Young's gold missions for the 2013 BYU Religious Education Student Symposium.  You can read her work by clicking here. 

LUCY VS. THE COLDEST NIGHT

The year after Hubbard died, Lucy married a polygamist named Milo Andrus on her 29th birthday, June 11, 1851.  She became his third wife.  She would have five children with Milo, their oldest being my second great-grandmother Lavenia Andrus.  She lived and worked with the other wives.  One year eight children were born to Milo Andrus.  Because he served several missions for the Church, these women spent many of their days alone taking care of themselves, their children, and each other. 

On what was known as the coldest night in Utah, Lucy gave birth to her sixth child (her third with Milo) all by herself.  It was so cold that it froze the cat on the floor in the adjoining room. 

Not actual cat

LUCY VS. THE INDIAN

Living alone was dangerous in the Utah territory for many reasons.  One was the chance of an encounter with Native Americans called Indians back then.  One day an Indian came with his horse laden with ducks. 

He said, "Squaw, give me bread."

"I will for a duck," she replied. 

He pulled out his gun. 

She reached for her axe. 

Laughing he said, "Heap brave squaw." 

He left without his bread, and she never got a duck. 

These are just a few of the many stories about Lucy.  She also:

• harvested sugar from corn stalks for her starving children
• washed and sheared sheep, 
• carded, spun, and wove wool into cloth.  
• took loads of hay from Jordan river bottoms to Salt Lake City
• gathered rock from canyons
• fed travelers and their teams at the point of the mountain
• opened the first hotel in Spanish Fork, Utah 
• raised three orphans

More importantly she had a sense of humor and was jovial.  She never lost her faith in God despite all her many trials and hardships.  Her dream was to have something good to eat and would be happy to just have a table to set and eat all the food they want since they ate only rations. 

She definitely had the key.  The key to perseverance, positivity, and resiliency. 

This post features

LUCY LOOMIS TUTTLE ANDRUS (1822-1890)

me-->Bruce Albert Buchanan-->Robert Amos Buchanan-->June Miller Buchanan-->Lavenia Andrus Miller-->Lucy Loomis Tuttle Andrus