Sarah McDonald: Bishop of the First Ward

by Peggy Petersen Barton, Drew Barton Quinn

Barton, Peggy Petersen, Quinn, Drew Barton

Genres: Church

111 pages, Hardcover

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Deb · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked it! I would maybe give it a 3.5 but I didn’t love the style. I wish it could have been more factual and less narrative. I wanted to know the citations and the type of sources they were using. As it is, I’m not sure how to interpret the story and which stories or conversations were factual or speculative.

However, it was a short, quick, inspiring read. My heart ached for her decisions but I was impressed with her integrity and faith. Definitely someone to aspire to be like. And more should know about her. She reminded me of my great great great great grandmother. ❤️

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book very much. It's somewhat of a biography. A woman's descendants wrote it about her using her diaries, Relief Society meeting minutes, and stories told to them by other family members. It tells the tale of Sarah McDiarmid McDonald who was born and raised in Nova Scotia, Canada and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Liverpool, England. She was forced to choose between her husband and the Church, and she chose the Church. She and her two children ended up living in Salt Lake City in the First Ward congregation.

The story praises her Presbyterian background, the values she garnered from it, and her strong family life. It shows how horrible the rumors were back then about Mormons/Latter-day Saints. It shows how pride can become more important than happiness to some people. It tells about a woman who was devoted to the gospel and was an impressive scriptorian. At one point, she was the teacher of the High Priest's Sunday School class! She was Relief Society president for about two decades.

The name of the title comes from a story about a young boy who, upon being asked who the bishop of his ward was, responded that he wasn't sure, but he thought it might be Sister McDonald. :)

The book does not idolize her though; it mentions mistakes that she admitted to making and some of her own small vanities.

I enjoyed learning a bit more about what the Church was like back then and reading about this strong sister.

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book about Mark E. Petersen's mother-in-law. She faced a tremendous amount of hardship--including losing her loved husband--because she joined the church, but was always faithful and courageous. I don't think I would have read this book without Sharon telling me how wonderful it was and loaning it to me. I'm sure glad I did.

[Donna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non-fiction work about a woman who joins the LDS church in the late 1800s. She sounded both delightful and terrifying to be around. She was quite the impressive scriptorian and Relief Society president.

[Tara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wow what an amazing woman. Pretty much left her husband for the church but missed him every single day of her life. Tragic story in that way. I love reading about people in church history though. An easy quick read.

[Elainendean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting read! True story. Too bad that it's out of print. What an incredible woman!