Marriner Wood Merrill: A Very Good Year

Marriner Wood Merrill joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada, in 1852, and then joined a wagon train on April 22, 1853 under William Atkinson, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on September 11. When he arrived in the valley, he had $5 and one cow.

On November 11, 1853, he married Sarah Ann Atkinson, the eldest daughter of the captain of their wagon train.

Sarah Ann Atkinson and Marriner Wood Merrill, 1853

He worked where he could, and the following year obtained 100 acres of land, which he then divided with his father-in-law, William Atkinson, and an elderly man who needed some land. He then cut down trees in the canyon and hired Samuel Henrie to help him haul the lumber to the mill. "The mill got one-third for sawing, Brother Henrie one-third for hauling, and I one-third for cutting and sliding. Thus I soon got lumber to build my small house and some to spare."

Marriner and his wife Sarah worked hard on building the house, and they were able to move in on September 16, 1854. On October 24, 1854, their first daughter Phebe Ann was born in their house.

Near wing, first home, 1854

In his autobiography, he summarized the past year's events:

"Thus in a little over one year after I came to the Salt Lake Valley a young boy penniless, with no one in the Territory I had ever seen before (save those who came in the same company), through the blessings of our Heavenly Father I had a kind, good wife, one nice girl baby, a house and home of my own, an unbroken farm of 33 and 1/3 acres, one yoke of splendid, well-broken oxen, and a good new wagon with only $70 due on it, 90 bushels of good wheat, 20 bushels of nice potatoes, a fat hog to kill (for we had raised one), a cow, and other small things for the house and farm. Thus it was demonstrated in my case that the Lord helps those who make an effort to help themselves."

I would have to say that Marriner Wood Merrill had a Very Good Year.