[This is a continuation of an earlier post you can read here]
Mary Elinda [Kidd] said "If the whole world turned against her, she would still do the same thing, because she knew it was true!" Some two years later, on 3 Nov 1903, her two daughters, "Maude Rebecca and Cora Alma" were also baptized members of the L.D.S. Church.
After the baptism of Mary Elinda, many Elders came to their home, it sort of became a home away from home. Finally the L.D.S. Mission President got permission to hold conference in the Baptist Church Building, this church was at that time inactive.
No meetings were being held there, occasionally someone would start a community Sunday School, and so it was named "New Hope". The land for this Church Building had been donated to the Separatist Baptist Church by Rebecca Adaline Lones the mother of George Washington Kidd.
The L.D.S conference came and all the Elders (missionaries) within walking distance came (the traveled without purse or scrip), some came by train to Manchester and walked from the train station to the New Hope church building. It was a very successful conference among the Elders, and also several converts that had traveled many miles by wagon and team to be there.
After the conference was over, and the Elders went their separate ways, there was a type written note left on the Church door, with a bunch of willows neatly tied and set on each side of the door.
The note read, "We forbid and more Mormon Elders coming into this community!", signed K. K. Klan. It did not alarm the Kidd family, however, George Washington did take precautionary measures, and told the man in the local community, who owned the only typewriter around, that "if anyone came to molest the Elders while at his place, they better prepare their burial box before they came!"
The family was never bothered again by the K. K. Klan, however, the stores within the Manchester, Tennessee also other community areas refused to sell groceries, clothing and other goods to the Kidd family.
[The response of the merchants proved too much and the family decided to move west, first to Utah, but the eventually settled in Idaho.]
1 year ago
2 comments:
What a difficulty to be denied basic services from local merchants due to religious beliefs. It's not like the family had many options in that rural area.
Yes Amy. The next nearest town was 18 miles away, a little too far for a single day round trip (36 miles) just to buy groceries.
It was the key factor in their decision to leave. But even with that obstacle it was a difficult decision. They left for Utah, without selling their farm, then came back for a summer, before finally selling the farm and leaving again for Idaho.
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