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| Ammon Meshach Tenney and Anna Sariah Eagar |
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| Anna Sariah Eagar is seated in the middle, unsure the others at this time |
Anna Sariah Eagar was the first wife of Ammon Meshach Tenney. They married November 9, 1867 and eventually had 11 children; their third child, Nathan Cram, is my gg grandpa. Ammon later married Eliza Ann Udall on July 20, 1872;they had two children, and Hettie Millicent Adams on March 24, 1890 and they had 10 children together.
Anna Sarah Eager Tenney
Contributed By: Roger Tenney · 11 February 2014 · on familysearch.org
Anna Sarah Eager Tenney
Wife of Ammon Meshach Tenney
By Lurline Tenney Whiting and Rosalia Tenney Payne
Time does not dim the memory of Anna Tenney in the hearts of those she served. In a little town in Northern Old Mexico she was the only Doctor for many years. It is not uncommon to meet someone who will say, “I know your mother saved my life,” or maybe it was the life of a loved one. She was their teacher, too. Known almost entirely as Aunt Annie, they would ask “Aunt Annie, how do you make salt rising bread?” Or maybe it would be “How do you color with weeds? These and many more and she was always glad to help.
She was born May 29, 1850 in Millcreek, now part of Salt Lake City. Her father, John Eager joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in New York. He traveled by boat around South America and landed at Yerba Buena, now San Francisco. He soon came to Utah and met and married Sariah Johnson, daughter of Joel H. Johnson and Anna Pixley Johnson. Sarah’s sister Susan writes in her own diary: “We arrived in Salt Lake City October 3, 1850. Took dinner with Uncle Benjamin F. Johnson. My Aunt Sarah went with us to my father’s home in Big Cottonwood. I found my sister Sarah there married to John Eager. They had a baby girl about six months old. They seemed very happy together in their one-room log house (John and Sarah).” They soon moved to Manti, Utah, where John was a leader. He held positions his education made possible. But John was not well. He passed away in 1864 leaving Sarah with eight children.
Naturally she wanted to be near her people so she sold her lovely home and a farm and moved to Virgin City in Southern Utah. Two years later she married Andrew Jackson Workman and added four more children to her family.
In that day of hard times, everybody worked. Anna being the oldest was the family weaver. She wove nearly everything they wore and even their carpet. Nine miles away in Toquerville lived a young man, Ammon M. Tenney. Uncle Joel, mother’s younger brother tells this story. “In the corner of a very large room called the Loom Room, had been stored a pile of corn in the form of ears. I was sent to shell the corn. Ammon came and wanted to get rid of me but I wouldn’t go. He offered money. I shook my head. Then he was impatent, but I still sat. Exasperated he said, ‘Get out! I will shell the corn.’ That was exactly what I wanted and I left.”
Ammon shelled corn and Anna wove while they made plans. She was seventeen when she was married, November 6, 1867. Their first home was in Toquerville. Two of their children were born there. Then Ammon was called to Kanab to be nearer his work which was interpreter for Jacob Hamblin. Three more babies came at this place.
Anna had often mentioned plural marriage to Ammon, but he paid no attention. As time went on she began to bring it up frequently. Anna said, “I knew it would bring a blessing and I wanted it.” So one day Ammon looked up and said, “I know it is true because I know the Gospel is true. But who would we have?” Anna said, “There is someone for us.” The next time she mentioned the subject she he said, “Well, if you want to do it I’ll tell you what we will do. You find her. If you do, it will be someone you will love and you will get along nicely together and I would rather have that than anything.” Anna said, “Ammon, she will be your wife the same as I am, and I can’t find you a wife.” Then Ammon said, “You know I don’t care. We are getting along nicely the way we are. I am perfectly satisfied, but if you want to it’s all right. Only you must find her.” So each night when he came home he would ask, “Have you found anyone?” “No, she will be your wife, so you must find her,” was Anna’s reply. That went on several days. One night he asked and was quite cross with her reply that she had not found anyone. “Now tomorrow you dress up and get out and get acquainted,” Ammon suggested. Anna only smiled but the very next night Ammon came in all excited. “I think I have seen her,” Ammon said. She was Eliza Ann Udall. These two good women lived together for eighteen years and never quarreled. Eliza had two daughters only.
June 20, 1876 Ammon was called to preside over the Indian Mission in New Mexico and Arizona. So that he would be near his field of labor he moved his family to St. Johns, Arizona. Anna was a family nurse. When any of the children had colds or were otherwise ill, the old wooden washtub was brought in, filled half full of hot water, and mustard and soda added. The patient was seated and a blanket pinned over his shoulders. A cold cloth folded so there were several thicknesses was laid on his head. Anna knelt by the tub and dipped water and poured it over the shoulders until he was thoroughly soaked and real warm. Then he was rubbed dry and given a liberal dose of bitter aloes and tucked into bed. When Ammon came home Anna would often say, “see, my bed is full, you go and stay with Eliza.”
When they were old women both of Aunt Eliza’s daughters said they thought it was getting in to Aunt Annie’s bed that made them well. Eliza wanted to bring her children up in the strict way of her own childhood but Anna went about it real easy. When Eliza went with Ammon on trips or to work, the two girls chose to stay with Aunt Annie. Anna was pleased and two more made it nice.
For a while the family lived at Savoita, New Mexico. This was near the Indians and it seemed to be their favorite pastime to stand just outside the door and look in. One morning two squaws and a very large buck came in. Anna gave the children their breakfast, too nervous to sit down with them. She noticed that the squaws were gone but the man still stayed. One of the children dropped his spoon. Anna gave him another. Then she had to go to the other room and when she returned the spoon was gone. What to do, she did not know, but she knew if she let him get away with it she was in real trouble. She went to the stove and all at once she knew what she had to do. In the wood box were lengths of wood to feed the fire. She caught up one and took a hurried step or two holding the wood high, saying “Give me that spoon!” A slow smile crossed the Indian’s face. He put his hand under his blanket and gave her the spoon saying, “Brave squaw.” And then he was gone.
From Savoita they moved to Wind Mill Ranch. Anna’s sixth child was born there. But they soon moved back to St. Johns. Ammon was released and expected to put his family in better condition financially. Only a few days after his homecoming, Bishop David K. Udall came to say that the people who had accepted plural marriage were being persecuted beyond endurance. People were hedged in, couldn’t buy more land nor keep what they had in peace. Something must be done. He said it looked like it would have to be fought out in the court. But, they couldn’t do anything with us because it was unconstitutional.
“It will take someone who can handle it. Ammon, I want you to go,” said the Bishop. Ammon looked up, surprised but never hesitated, “All right, David, if you want me to go, I will.” Ammon did. He was duely arrested with three others, stood trial and was sentenced to three years six months in prison hard labor and given an $8,000 fine. This was in the U.S. House of Correction in Detroit, Michigan. While he was gone Eliza went to Nephi, Utah to her people. Anna’s eighth child, Rosalia, was two weeks old when Ammon left. Anna went to the farm in the summer and back to St. Johns to put the children in school in the winter. Anna’s letters to Ammon have no complaints in them, only words comforting him. “Try to be patient,” one letter said, “we are doing all we can to get you out. Night and day our prayers are for you.
In a little less than two years, President Grover Cleveland pardoned all four in October 17, 1886. In Ammon’s pardon it stated, “You have already more than paid for the crime if it was a crime.” Ammon had been home about one year when another call came for a mission. This time it was for three years. When he was released, President Wilford Woodruff told him to take his family and go to Old Mexico.
Ammon went ahead to prepare the way. In 1890 Anna followed. They traveled 600 miles in a lumber wagon with her young son driving them. A very poorly kept road led over mountains, through rivers in cold and heat and little children to care for, but Anna never complained. Ammon had been living with the Adams family. They had been very good to him. When Anna came he asked her to let him marry their daughter, Hettie. Anna said, “Go ahead if you want to.”
Ammon leased a saw mill in the Sierra Madre Mountains, built a large house and all the family lived there. Soon summer was gone and they moved back to Colonia Dias. Ammon decided to send Anna and the children back to St. Johns where they still owned a home and where the children could have a good school. It was 600 miles there and 600 miles back again in the Spring. They spent one more summer at the saw mill and then they moved back to Colonia Dias. Ammon bought nine acres at the edge of town with a one-room house on it. Covered wagon boxes were lifted from the running gears and placed on timbers for bedrooms. This did very well for awhile. Then Nathan, the second son, came home and built two more rooms. It was about 1892. All was not going well between Ammon and Anna. He imagined his place at the head of his family had been challenged. It seemed he was looking for an excuse, so before long he took the two other ladies and left.
Anna had five children at home, the oldest being sixteen. Levi found work with a big cattle company at one peso a day or in American money, 50 cents. Mother knew he was in the worst environment so she was very thankful when his sister, Olive Curtis, invited him to go to Logan, Utah, and live with them and go to school. Neighbors seeing Anna alone began to ask questions. Anna would laugh quite gaily and say, “Now I am my own boss,” but when the door was closed she would turn with down cast eyes and her children do not forget the look of humiliation and sorrow on her face.
One day Johnny (John Eager, about nine years old) took very ill. Anna worked day and night but to no avail. He passed on and Anna was alone but for the three little girls and friends. They had just come from the cemetery when Ammon, Jr. and Nathan arrived. Their tenderness with Anna must have been a great comfort.
Only a few minutes later Aunt Eliza came. She sat and wept. She had wanted to take Johnny with her to Deming, N.M., to meet her two daughters who were coming to visit. Johnny could drive the team. When she was gone Anna said, “You see, I would never have had him again.” Anna’s sons helped her all they could, but she wanted to help herself so she talked to a carpenter who had seen a loom. With her instructions he built a carpet loom and Anna began to weave. Once, just to show what she could do, she wove us each a dress. They were lovely. People stopped us on the street to admire and feel of the material. She usually wove eight yards of carpet a day and charged 25 cents a yard, but in case of necessity she would weave more. Anna was a natural doctor. She was called out day and night. She never refused and never complained. When she was asked why she didn’t charge for her services she said, “They have nothing to pay.” So Anna wove for a living and helped the sick wherever she was called.
But Anna was getting older, so when her youngest daughter Lurline finished high school she was given a position in a store so Anna had the loom take. But there was no rest. The revolution in Old Mexico was getting worse. The Americans were all driven out. Anna came out with friends and little more than what she stood up in. But in answer to sympathy she said, “The Lord is good.”
She went to Southern Utah to see her mother, but they hadn’t seen each other for thirty years and neither recognized the other. Anna stayed about one and one-half years there and then Lurline, who had located in St. Johns, invited her to come and live with her. Anna’s friends gave material for a house. Her son-in-law, Fred Whiting, built it and Anna’s gratitude was unbounded. Later she went to Salt Lake City and lived with her daughter, Lois Lemmon, and spent several happy years working in the Temple. She grew old and tired so by invitation she went to her daughter, Minnie, in Thatcher, Arizona, where she died January 19, 1934. Interment was in the Thatcher Cemetery by the side of her husband. She was the mother of ten children. Anna held two positions in her life. She was a councilor in the Relief Society and in later years a faithful Relief Society visiting teacher. Her children tell that some of the sweetest memories of their childhood was their mother’s singing. Usually it was after they were all in bed. No matter how tired she was she never refused. She had a lovely voice. Her special gifts, besides singing was mathematics and spelling. She spoke good English.
She was a lady and a saint. Her children hope to be worthy of her.
Lurline Tenney Whiting
Rosalia Tenney Payne
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