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Fearless in the Cause: Remarkable Stories of Women in Church History
When Laura Clark Phelps s husband was unjustly arrested and held in a Richmond, Missouri, jail, she launched a daring (and successful) escape attempt to free him. Janetta Ann McBride was just sixteen years old when she braved chest-deep water and dangerous chunks of ice to push her starving mother and siblings across the North Platte River in a handcart. Rosa Friedlander Logie survived a shipwreck on her journey to Zion and spent two months with her husband and baby on a remote South Pacific island. Fearless in the Cause features inspiring stories from the lives of eighteen women from Church history. Some have names that are recognizable; many others remain largely unknown. All of their contributions to early Latter-day Saint history offer incredible examples of strength and courage. Stories of overcoming challenging personal circumstances, such as a diagnosis of cancer, an abusive spouse, or the loss of children, provide rich insights into the faith that inspired these heroic women to embrace opportunities they may not have chosen for themselves. Topically organized and featuring dozens of images in a gift-ready format, Fearless in the Cause is perfect for sharing with every woman in your life.
Hardcover
Published March 28, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
May 26, 2017
I am so grateful for the pioneers. I love reading their stories. I read one each night before I went to bed. Many I had heard but glad I was reminded again. I am grateful for their examples of faith and strength. I am glad that I got to read this before we go to Trek in June.
March 29, 2017
So many women from the early days of the LDS Church lived amazing lives. They were courageous and endured so many physical and emotional hardships to live their religion and to raise their families in such hard times. I am amazed and impressed by what they accomplished without all the multitude of life's comforts we enjoy every day.
August 7, 2023
A book of short compilations of the lives of many women who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in its early years. These are accounts compiled together from journals and family history.
If you want to know strong women who lived through experiences I can't imagine such as: walking in snow two to three feet deep up a mountain in bare feet because your shoes had given out long ago on the trek across the plains, burying family member after family member who died of everything from stillborn babies to dysentery to fatigue and exposure to the elements, shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island with a few members of the crew and passengers of their ship, planting a harvest late and deep and thereby missing a devastating insect infestation that eliminated many crops, shunning by family members who told them they wished never to hear of them again, a widow educated in midwifery - paid for by fellow sisters in their congregation so she could have a way to support her large family, standing up to prison guards who had wrongfully imprisoned a husband, fleeing with children across a field at night to escape a mob, bandaging and caring for your 10-year-old son whose hip was blown away by a member of the mob who had stuck his musket through the chinks in the cabin and set it against the hip and fired intentionally, and more.
If you believe you don't have the strength to endure whatever is facing you, this is a book where you will find inspiration. These women, I'm sure, would rally around you like true sisters, encourage you, lift you and assure you you are not alone. They would point you to look to God, believe he will send aid, and press forward firm in that faith.
You may not be acquainted with the history of these women, they are not famous, but they are strong. And by reading their stories I began to see the heritage of strength all the women of all faiths have left for those who come later. Women are powerful. It is in seeking to be someone else or something else that we lose that natural influence, well of fortitude, belief in improvement, and a desire to do good in the world for those around us.
If you want to know strong women who lived through experiences I can't imagine such as: walking in snow two to three feet deep up a mountain in bare feet because your shoes had given out long ago on the trek across the plains, burying family member after family member who died of everything from stillborn babies to dysentery to fatigue and exposure to the elements, shipwrecked and stranded on a deserted island with a few members of the crew and passengers of their ship, planting a harvest late and deep and thereby missing a devastating insect infestation that eliminated many crops, shunning by family members who told them they wished never to hear of them again, a widow educated in midwifery - paid for by fellow sisters in their congregation so she could have a way to support her large family, standing up to prison guards who had wrongfully imprisoned a husband, fleeing with children across a field at night to escape a mob, bandaging and caring for your 10-year-old son whose hip was blown away by a member of the mob who had stuck his musket through the chinks in the cabin and set it against the hip and fired intentionally, and more.
If you believe you don't have the strength to endure whatever is facing you, this is a book where you will find inspiration. These women, I'm sure, would rally around you like true sisters, encourage you, lift you and assure you you are not alone. They would point you to look to God, believe he will send aid, and press forward firm in that faith.
You may not be acquainted with the history of these women, they are not famous, but they are strong. And by reading their stories I began to see the heritage of strength all the women of all faiths have left for those who come later. Women are powerful. It is in seeking to be someone else or something else that we lose that natural influence, well of fortitude, belief in improvement, and a desire to do good in the world for those around us.
February 7, 2017
I enjoyed this book. It's a fast, easy read full of stories of faith and perseverance of Latter-day women from Church history. A few were familiar stories, but many were new. I'm inspired by the faith and goodness and endurance of these women and the impact their faith has had on future generations, including me.
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"Almost 150 years after the Willie handcart company crossed the plains under the harshest of conditions, Relief Society general president Mary Ellen Smoot recounted Susanah [Stone Lloyd]'s experience of borrowing a mirror at her journey's end and not being able to recognize herself. Sister Smoot observed that Susanah 'was a different person, both inside and out. Over the course of rocky ridges and extreme hardship came a deep conviction. Her faith had been tried, and her conversion was concrete. She had been refined in ways that the very best mirror could not reflect. Susanna had prayed for strength and found it--deep with her soul (p. 5).'"
"In her patriarchal blessing, given in 1895, Mary [Goble Pay] was told, 'Angels will minister unto you and your husband also shall visit you in your night visions and dreams and comfort your heart as he is laboring in the ministry in the spirit world.... Therefore be patient in your trials and afflictions and no good thing shall be withheld from you (p. 35).'"
"Once again, Diantha [Morley Billings] had been unable to save a beloved family member, but she continued to serve as a nurse and midwife for as long as her health allowed. She was described by Emmeline B. Wells as one of the 'noble mothers in Israel with kindly deeds and loving words [who] inspired many a fainting heart with faith and courage and ministered temporal and spiritual blessings to hundreds of the daughters of Zion, whose paths were not strewn with roses, but were full of thorns and fiery trails and needed their encouragement (p. 43).'"
"Perhaps the most memorable of those occasions for Elizabeth [Ann Claridge McCune] was an 1867 visit by President Brigham Young.... Toward the end of the meeting, President Young announced that some of the men would be called to go with their families and 'settle the Muddy,' a new settlement along the Muddy River near present-day Logandale in the bleak desert of southern Nevada. Elizabeth's heart nearly stopped.... 'Then I heard the name of 'Samuel Claridge,' my father. After that I knew nothing for a moment and when I recovered myself again I was weeping bitterly.... Elizabeth's friend seated next to her whispered, 'What are you feeling so bad about? My father has been called, too, but you see that I am not crying because I know he won't go.' 'That is just the difference,' Elizabeth replied through her tears. 'My father is called and I know that he WILL GO; and that nothing can prevent him from going. He never fails to do anything when called upon; and badly as I feel about it I would be ashamed if he didn't go (p. 46).'"
"The contrast between her pioneer upbringing and her new situation could not have been greater, yet Elizabeth maintained her unpretentious character (p. 48)."
"[Sarah] Louise [Yates Robison]'s experience at the conference not only reflects how Church callings were often issued at the time but also speaks volumes about her unassuming nature. For several days she agonized about the call [to the Relief Society general presidency], concerned that she was not someone the women of the Church would look up to. Feeling certain that President Grant had been misinformed about her abilities, she summoned the courage to voice her fears to the prophet when she went to his office to be set apart.... 'She'd be happy to do her best in whatever he asked her to do, but she wanted him to know that she had limited education, and very little money and social position, and she was afraid she wouldn't be the example that the woman of the Relief Society would expect in a leader. She finished by saying, 'I'm just a humble woman!' President Grant answered, 'Sister Louisy, 85% of the women of our Church are humble women. We are calling you to be the leader of them (p. 55).''"
"'My brethren and sisters, I am sure you will know that I need your faith and prayers, but I do love to bear my testimony.' Louise was the first general Relief Society president to visit branches and districts of the Church in England and Europe..... Louise proved to be a women well suited for her time. Aware of her own limited education and means, she reached out to others who struggled in similar circumstances (p. 57)."
"'Oh my Heavenly Father, I cried, what shall I do? Thou seest my poor wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh Heavenly Father direct me what to do! And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me.... Having done as directed I again prayed to the Lord and was again instructed as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by speaking to me....
'Alma, my child, you believe that the Lord made your hip.'
'Yes, Mother.'
'Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, don't you believe he can, Alma?'
'Do you think the Lord can, mother?...
'Yes, my son, he has shown it all to me in a vision.... Now you lay like that, and don't move, and the Lord will make you another hip (Amanda Barnes Smith, p. 61).'"
"After the death of her child, Lucy [Hannah White Flake]'s yearning to receive temple blessings intensified. She wanted to have her family sealed eternally (p. 67)."
"Lucy remembered, 'This beautiful valley was a bit of Heaven reserved for us as a reward for all we have suffered.... I poured out my gratitude' in prayer. Lucy concluded in her journal, 'We have had many trials and sorrows but the Lord has greatly blessed us (p. 68).'"
"During Sarah [Ann Nelson Peterson]'s illness, Canute Peterson realized he loved the young woman he had known since his youth. He wrote: 'I was impressed to go down into the woods on the creek and pray to the Lord for her recovery. Here I earnestly besought the Lord that He would spare her life...and I became so filled with the Spirit of the Lord that I thought I hardly touched the ground while going from the place of prayer to the wagon. When within a few rods of the wagon, I could hear her groan. I went to the side of the wagon nearest her head, put my hand between the wagon cover and the wagon box, and placed my hand on her head and silently rebuked the Destroyer. She immediately straightened herself out of the cramp, smiled, and told the Sisters, 'I am healed (p. 72).'"
"'You may be surprised to hear my say that I can give you something of more value than soles for your child's shoes.' Anna [Karine Gaarden Widtsoe] was cautious yet curious, but her hope turned quickly to horror when she learned that the shoemaker was a Mormon, and she left the premises immediately. Prejudice against Mormons ran deep in Norway. When the shoes were returned, however, more tracts were tucked inside. Nor was that the last time shoemaker Olaus Johnsen courageously and modestly offered her the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Curiosity eventually drew Anna to attend a meeting in a room on the upper floor of the shoemaker's house. As the daughter of well-respected parents and the widow of a university-trained teacher, she initially resented the primitive environment and the humble nature of the Saints. Joining them, she felt, would be a step downward socially. But after months of inner struggle pondering the new doctrines she was learning and beginning to perceive the rightness in them, Anna said to the Lord, 'Must I step down to that? Yes, if it is truth, I must do so (p. 80).'"
"Anna's roots in Norway went deep--her forefathers, parents, and husband were buried there, and her loved ones, particularly her sister, Pertroline, still pulled at her heart, even though they rejected her religion. Still, Anna's fatih and desire to be with the Saints began to burn in her soul and ultimately won out.... The blessings of Zion proved to be worth the struggle (p. 82)."
"Anna and Pertroline, in their early fifties, returned to their beloved Norway--this time as missionaries.... The testimony of two Norwegian women who had gone to Utah and returned to share their faith made a great impression, doing much to change the prevailing attitude toward the Church. It was said of these sister missionaries: 'They awakened interest everywhere. Men might lie...but these women were likely to tell the truth (p. 84).'"
"Anna passed away before the full impact of her influence could be felt. She died on July 11, 1919, eight years before her son John Andreas Widtsoe was called to be an apostle in the Church she had embraced as a young widow in Norway. Before her passing, Anna testified to her son, 'I want to tell you that the most glorious thing that came into my life, was the message delivered to me by the Shoemaker Johnsen of Trondheim. The restored gospel has been the great joy of my life. Please bear that witness for me to all who will listen (p. 85).'"
"'My husband was an infidel and unbelieving in most things pertaining to religion, while I was continually ambitious to find the right kind of religion, never feeling assured that those I was acquainted with were right.' Unsettled by her feelings, Belinda [Marden Pratt] quietly continued her search for the truth, and in 1843 her attention was drawn to a handbill advertising a Latter-day Saint preacher. Belinda and her husband arrived and found the elder in prayer. 'And such a prayer!' she recalled. 'We stood in the aisle till he finished. I think the light of heaven rested down upon me for the joy and peace I experienced was inexpressible. We attended the three meetings, morning, afternoon, and evening. I had an overwhelming testimony that what he preached was true and was so rejoiced that I seemed to myself light as air, as though my feet scarcely touched the ground (p. 100).'"
"For nearly forty years, the woman [Rachel Emma Woolley Simmons] who began her career as a destitute young widow with a large family to support continued her service as a midwife, safely delivering hundreds of babies. On one occasion she wrote in her journal: 'I have been the instrument in the Lord's hand of bringing two children into the world today.... I hope the Lord will bless me in the future as he has in the past, for I realize that without his help I can do nothing. His is the honor and the glory for all the work of my hands (p. 116).'"
Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
"Almost 150 years after the Willie handcart company crossed the plains under the harshest of conditions, Relief Society general president Mary Ellen Smoot recounted Susanah [Stone Lloyd]'s experience of borrowing a mirror at her journey's end and not being able to recognize herself. Sister Smoot observed that Susanah 'was a different person, both inside and out. Over the course of rocky ridges and extreme hardship came a deep conviction. Her faith had been tried, and her conversion was concrete. She had been refined in ways that the very best mirror could not reflect. Susanna had prayed for strength and found it--deep with her soul (p. 5).'"
"In her patriarchal blessing, given in 1895, Mary [Goble Pay] was told, 'Angels will minister unto you and your husband also shall visit you in your night visions and dreams and comfort your heart as he is laboring in the ministry in the spirit world.... Therefore be patient in your trials and afflictions and no good thing shall be withheld from you (p. 35).'"
"Once again, Diantha [Morley Billings] had been unable to save a beloved family member, but she continued to serve as a nurse and midwife for as long as her health allowed. She was described by Emmeline B. Wells as one of the 'noble mothers in Israel with kindly deeds and loving words [who] inspired many a fainting heart with faith and courage and ministered temporal and spiritual blessings to hundreds of the daughters of Zion, whose paths were not strewn with roses, but were full of thorns and fiery trails and needed their encouragement (p. 43).'"
"Perhaps the most memorable of those occasions for Elizabeth [Ann Claridge McCune] was an 1867 visit by President Brigham Young.... Toward the end of the meeting, President Young announced that some of the men would be called to go with their families and 'settle the Muddy,' a new settlement along the Muddy River near present-day Logandale in the bleak desert of southern Nevada. Elizabeth's heart nearly stopped.... 'Then I heard the name of 'Samuel Claridge,' my father. After that I knew nothing for a moment and when I recovered myself again I was weeping bitterly.... Elizabeth's friend seated next to her whispered, 'What are you feeling so bad about? My father has been called, too, but you see that I am not crying because I know he won't go.' 'That is just the difference,' Elizabeth replied through her tears. 'My father is called and I know that he WILL GO; and that nothing can prevent him from going. He never fails to do anything when called upon; and badly as I feel about it I would be ashamed if he didn't go (p. 46).'"
"The contrast between her pioneer upbringing and her new situation could not have been greater, yet Elizabeth maintained her unpretentious character (p. 48)."
"[Sarah] Louise [Yates Robison]'s experience at the conference not only reflects how Church callings were often issued at the time but also speaks volumes about her unassuming nature. For several days she agonized about the call [to the Relief Society general presidency], concerned that she was not someone the women of the Church would look up to. Feeling certain that President Grant had been misinformed about her abilities, she summoned the courage to voice her fears to the prophet when she went to his office to be set apart.... 'She'd be happy to do her best in whatever he asked her to do, but she wanted him to know that she had limited education, and very little money and social position, and she was afraid she wouldn't be the example that the woman of the Relief Society would expect in a leader. She finished by saying, 'I'm just a humble woman!' President Grant answered, 'Sister Louisy, 85% of the women of our Church are humble women. We are calling you to be the leader of them (p. 55).''"
"'My brethren and sisters, I am sure you will know that I need your faith and prayers, but I do love to bear my testimony.' Louise was the first general Relief Society president to visit branches and districts of the Church in England and Europe..... Louise proved to be a women well suited for her time. Aware of her own limited education and means, she reached out to others who struggled in similar circumstances (p. 57)."
"'Oh my Heavenly Father, I cried, what shall I do? Thou seest my poor wounded boy and knowest my inexperience. Oh Heavenly Father direct me what to do! And then I was directed as by a voice speaking to me.... Having done as directed I again prayed to the Lord and was again instructed as distinctly as though a physician had been standing by speaking to me....
'Alma, my child, you believe that the Lord made your hip.'
'Yes, Mother.'
'Well, the Lord can make something there in the place of your hip, don't you believe he can, Alma?'
'Do you think the Lord can, mother?...
'Yes, my son, he has shown it all to me in a vision.... Now you lay like that, and don't move, and the Lord will make you another hip (Amanda Barnes Smith, p. 61).'"
"After the death of her child, Lucy [Hannah White Flake]'s yearning to receive temple blessings intensified. She wanted to have her family sealed eternally (p. 67)."
"Lucy remembered, 'This beautiful valley was a bit of Heaven reserved for us as a reward for all we have suffered.... I poured out my gratitude' in prayer. Lucy concluded in her journal, 'We have had many trials and sorrows but the Lord has greatly blessed us (p. 68).'"
"During Sarah [Ann Nelson Peterson]'s illness, Canute Peterson realized he loved the young woman he had known since his youth. He wrote: 'I was impressed to go down into the woods on the creek and pray to the Lord for her recovery. Here I earnestly besought the Lord that He would spare her life...and I became so filled with the Spirit of the Lord that I thought I hardly touched the ground while going from the place of prayer to the wagon. When within a few rods of the wagon, I could hear her groan. I went to the side of the wagon nearest her head, put my hand between the wagon cover and the wagon box, and placed my hand on her head and silently rebuked the Destroyer. She immediately straightened herself out of the cramp, smiled, and told the Sisters, 'I am healed (p. 72).'"
"'You may be surprised to hear my say that I can give you something of more value than soles for your child's shoes.' Anna [Karine Gaarden Widtsoe] was cautious yet curious, but her hope turned quickly to horror when she learned that the shoemaker was a Mormon, and she left the premises immediately. Prejudice against Mormons ran deep in Norway. When the shoes were returned, however, more tracts were tucked inside. Nor was that the last time shoemaker Olaus Johnsen courageously and modestly offered her the truths of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Curiosity eventually drew Anna to attend a meeting in a room on the upper floor of the shoemaker's house. As the daughter of well-respected parents and the widow of a university-trained teacher, she initially resented the primitive environment and the humble nature of the Saints. Joining them, she felt, would be a step downward socially. But after months of inner struggle pondering the new doctrines she was learning and beginning to perceive the rightness in them, Anna said to the Lord, 'Must I step down to that? Yes, if it is truth, I must do so (p. 80).'"
"Anna's roots in Norway went deep--her forefathers, parents, and husband were buried there, and her loved ones, particularly her sister, Pertroline, still pulled at her heart, even though they rejected her religion. Still, Anna's fatih and desire to be with the Saints began to burn in her soul and ultimately won out.... The blessings of Zion proved to be worth the struggle (p. 82)."
"Anna and Pertroline, in their early fifties, returned to their beloved Norway--this time as missionaries.... The testimony of two Norwegian women who had gone to Utah and returned to share their faith made a great impression, doing much to change the prevailing attitude toward the Church. It was said of these sister missionaries: 'They awakened interest everywhere. Men might lie...but these women were likely to tell the truth (p. 84).'"
"Anna passed away before the full impact of her influence could be felt. She died on July 11, 1919, eight years before her son John Andreas Widtsoe was called to be an apostle in the Church she had embraced as a young widow in Norway. Before her passing, Anna testified to her son, 'I want to tell you that the most glorious thing that came into my life, was the message delivered to me by the Shoemaker Johnsen of Trondheim. The restored gospel has been the great joy of my life. Please bear that witness for me to all who will listen (p. 85).'"
"'My husband was an infidel and unbelieving in most things pertaining to religion, while I was continually ambitious to find the right kind of religion, never feeling assured that those I was acquainted with were right.' Unsettled by her feelings, Belinda [Marden Pratt] quietly continued her search for the truth, and in 1843 her attention was drawn to a handbill advertising a Latter-day Saint preacher. Belinda and her husband arrived and found the elder in prayer. 'And such a prayer!' she recalled. 'We stood in the aisle till he finished. I think the light of heaven rested down upon me for the joy and peace I experienced was inexpressible. We attended the three meetings, morning, afternoon, and evening. I had an overwhelming testimony that what he preached was true and was so rejoiced that I seemed to myself light as air, as though my feet scarcely touched the ground (p. 100).'"
"For nearly forty years, the woman [Rachel Emma Woolley Simmons] who began her career as a destitute young widow with a large family to support continued her service as a midwife, safely delivering hundreds of babies. On one occasion she wrote in her journal: 'I have been the instrument in the Lord's hand of bringing two children into the world today.... I hope the Lord will bless me in the future as he has in the past, for I realize that without his help I can do nothing. His is the honor and the glory for all the work of my hands (p. 116).'"
April 17, 2016
Some of these stories are just remarkable. Whenever I complain about anything I really need to try and remember these stories of women that had it so much worse and yet carried on and did what was asked of them.
July 2, 2017
Amazingly courageous stories of valiant women who fought weather, sickness, adversity of all kinds including death of loved ones, to hold fast to the truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the church. This book made we question how strong, physically and spiritually, I would be under equal challenges.
June 22, 2017
Inspiring. These woman were courageous, and determined. I cried, I want to be like these women; I admire them.
May 30, 2019
I loved these histories and these good women. Bite sized pieces of history.
July 21, 2019
Amazing the courage these women had and the great example they set for us.
March 16, 2024
Truly beautiful stories of courageous women!
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January 16, 2017From women who survived ocean voyages and those who persevered in handcart companies to women whose families were called to settle in frontier areas outside of Utah and who kept the faith after being widowed or the death of their children, the stories of 18 women who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were born before 1870 are in “Fearless in the Cause: Remarkable Stories from Women in Church History.”
Here's the link to the feature I did for the Mormon Times section of the Deseret News.
Here's the link to the feature I did for the Mormon Times section of the Deseret News.
February 6, 2017
it's impossible to not like our pioneer stories of remarkable women who are inspiring and in many ways it makes our life challenges look very doable. there is courage and faith in all generations and the Lord is always there. It's a spiritual person having a human experience
May 19, 2016
Inspiring stories about incredible women from Church history. My only complaint is that the stories didn't go into more depth, but I'm sure part of that is due to the lack of journal entries, etc. Quick, good read that left me feeling more grateful for what I have and appreciating all that the pioneers did for us.
June 15, 2016
Short and inspiring stories of women filled with faith and courage. A good read.
June 2, 2021
Wow. These women were tough! I'm always amazed at what the Mormon pioneers did and went through and the things these women endured was heart breaking and inspirational.
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July 5, 2016this book was very inspiring! These women were incredible in their faith, courage, and tenacity. It was wonderful that the stories were broken up into short "chapters".
April 7, 2017
Great short stories from church history about women who exhibited faith! Great collection and pictures.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews