When the Civil War was going strong, the armies would pass by their plantation, which was not too large and any soldier that got sick was left by the wayside to die. Matilda Shepherd Young, being informed of any of those near her place, would see that they were given medicine and food. On one occasion she took care of a colored man that she found in the forest, and took medicine and food and gave him some old clothes to help him on his way when he got able to travel. The Army officers would come and ask her husband for his horses and he told them he couldn’t spare them, that he had a large family and needed them to provide for his children. He never was made to part with any.
She cooked all the meals on a wide fireplace. Large pots were hung over the fire. She and the children gathered nuts during nut season and they took care of them to use during the long winter months.
After the Civil War was over some of the boys were getting pretty well grown up. Floyd, being the oldest, had been mustered into Service, but got taken prisoner. He was soon turned loose, but had to swear allegiance to the flag and to the Government of the U.S.A.
His parents had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about sixteen or eighteen years before and he was in a quandary whether to join them too. So he decided to join the Army that the U.S. Government was sending out to Utah, General Johnson in command. That would give him a chance to see Utah and the Church first hand and see what the people were like.
He went out to Utah, then came back and married the girl of his choice, Nancy Emmeline Pritchett. They went back out to Utah.
During a cold rainy night Dr. young went out to attend a patient and got wet and took cold which was his undoing. He had the best of care by his wife, but I guess it was time for him to go. He passed away 16 February, 1869. Evalina Young Coryell
After her husband’s death Matilda determined to go to Salt Lake. Her youngest daughter was about nine years old by the time they were ready to leave. They left the place in the hands of a man named Hubble.
Several years later her son, William F. Young, went back to Virginia and collected six hundred dollars for the farm. Grandmother Young had to live very frugally the rest of her life. She nursed the women inn their confinements. One big event was when she arrived in St Louis. She bought her first cook stove, which she used many years. They lived in Payson when they first went to Utah, but they didn’t stay there too long. They finally moved to Fairview. When I was in Fairview in 1930 some of my Westwood cousins took me to see her old home. I was so happy to see the home she had lived in. It was frame, - not a house that would attract, but it was all she had.
Matilda did temple work whenever she could get a chance. I have an idea she did most of it at Manti. I know of some work she did for women relatives, and a number of male relatives, she saw that it was done. We don’t have the exact date she migrated to Arizona, but she didn’t come when her daughter Sara Indiaetta Vance did. She came to live at our house. I remember her cooking for us children. One dish she used to fix was called “lumpy dick”. As near as I could remember how it was made. She prepared a large pot with boiling water, took flour and cold water and put some salt in and mixed it up like dumplings and dropped it into the hot water and let them cool. Then we took them out and just dropped one or two into milk in a bowl. I always liked it, but maybe I wouldn’t now.