Emma Lee French
Encyclopedia
Emma Louise Batchelor Lee French (April 21, 1836 – November 16, 1897), better known as Emma Lee French, was a British
woman, born in Uckfield
, East Sussex
who travelled to Utah
and Arizona
, in the United States
, where she became well known as a carer for the sick.
, where she pushed a cart filled with goods given by her church and headed to Salt Lake City, Utah
. She pushed the cart herself for the entire 1,400 mile walk, as one of the many Mormon handcart pioneers
.
She joined a company of her church's members for that trip, of which 150 died during snow
storms. Many others suffered other illness, such as frozen feet, noses and other diseases. Emma Lee helped care for them, eventually leading to most of them having a full recovery. During the trip, she also served as midwife to a pregnant woman, carrying her in the cart as the woman was close to delivering.
Upon arriving in Salt Lake City, she worked for seven years as an indentured servant to pay for her trip from England. Afterwards, she met John Doyle Lee, a prominent man among Latter-day Saints members. Brigham Young
himself married the couple on January 7 of 1858.
John Doyle Lee is said to have participated in a massacre of California
immigrants (see: Mountain Meadows massacre
) that left 140 people dead. For this, John and Emma Lee were followed by federal marshals for about twenty years. At one time JohnLee was tried but was freed after a hung jury. In 1868, George Hicks, a columnist from Harmony, Utah, wrote in a local newspaper
that the Lees had to leave town in ten days or John would be hanged.
Emma then spoke personally with George Hicks, warning him not to keep making threats against her and her husband. Hicks relented, never speaking against the Lees on his column again. He did, however, complain about the Lees to the town's Bishop, who proposed that Hicks and Lee should be baptized together. Emma Lee agreed, but not without complaining; she told the bishop she'd do it "seeing that (the bishop) are so inconsiderate as to require a woman to be immersed when the water
is full of snow and that too for defending the rights of her husband". She continued on, saying: "Perhaps if (the bishop's) backside gets wet in ice water (he) will be more careful how (he) decide again". Impressed by her speech, the bishop then agreed not to go on with the baptism.
In 1870, the LDS church excommunicated John Doyle Lee, based on the suspicions that the federals had put on him. He was, however, still ordered to carry out important tasks for the Mormons, and, in 1871, he was sent to the Colorado river
, near the border between Arizona and Utah, to establish a ferry
service, in a location now known as Lee's Ferry
.
Many celebrities of the era stopped by the Lees new home, including John Wesley Powell
, a Civil War major who became the first man to explore the Grand Canyon
by way of the Colorado river. In 1872, Wesley Powell and a group of adventurers returned; their photographer, James Fennesmore, became ill and was cured by Emma Lee. Wesley Powell wrote in he and his adventurers enjoyed a wonderful meal topped off with freshly baked apple pie.
Because, under Mormon doctrine, John Doyle Lee was allowed to have multiple wives
, he had to travel much of the time, to attend to his other wives and children. Lee often left to visit his "gold mines." As a consequence, Emma Lee was left to attend both the ferry and her children. When Emma Lee left Lonely Del l after Lee's death, she had several coffee cans of gold. At one time there was a gold map showing the location of the mine which is now under Lake Powell.
In 1873, a settlement of Navajos
came to camp near the Lee home. Fearful for her children's fate, she decided to befriend the Navajos, and discovered that the tribe's chief was a friend of her husband's. They spent one night at the Navajo camp, after which the Indians
left. At one time, a Navajo Chief came into Emma's lodge to attack her, but Emma had a streaming pot of water on the stove. She threw the hot water into his face. Later chief came back and apologized and asked medical attention for the burns. Afterwards, he told his tribe that Emma was a very powerful woman
and had a great spirit and to leave her alone. Another time, a group of warriors camped nearby, Emma heard them talking about killing her and the children. She took the children and camped with the Navajo's. They were amazed she knew their language .
Later that year, Emma Lee gave birth to her sixth baby. With John Doyle gone, she had to ask the oldest person besides her at the Lee house, her son John Jr., to help her cut the umbilical cord
. They did this task to perfection, and a daughter was safely born.
John Doyle Lee was caught by the US Army, tried again for the Meadow Mountain Massacre, found gulity, and shot by a firing squad on March 23, 1877 and buried at the site of the massacre. With small children and economically in need, Emma Lee sold the ferry to the LDS Church for 100 milk
cows in 1879. She was helped by a Civil War
veteran, Franklin French. French was a wandering gold prospector.
On August 9 of that year, Emma Lee and French married, in Snowflake, Arizona
. They found a home near Holbrook, Arizona
. They next moved to the White Mountains
, but their ranch was just out the reservation. The White Mountain Apache' had an uprising in 1882 and killed 150 settlers that night. Emma was warned just before the attack on her ranch and was able to escape with her children and some ranch hands. She heard the shooting of the livestock and saw the smoke from the burning buildings. Later French sued the government for $10,00 for the loss of the ranch, but the land was resurveyed and
was found to be on Apache land.
In 1887 she and Franklin moved to Winslow, AZ and established a dairy ranch. At that time the Santa Fe railroad was being built. Many times the railroad would send a special train to bring Emma to help take care of the railroad workers injuries. She was known as "Dr. French" although she had no official medical
title, because of her ability to cure the ill. She helped multiple women, including Navajos and prostitutes
, give birth.
In 1888, her daughter, Victoria Lee, committed suicide
. In 1892, her son Ike confronted a man who was trying to seduce his wife and was murdered by the man.
On November 1897, as her husband was on an expedition looking for gold, she had a premonition of her own death. When French returned on November 16, the next day she was fixing breakfast and said "I don't feel too well" and suffered a heart attack
. A crowd of businessmen, Navajos and prostitutes kept vigil outside her home as she lay in bed dying that night.
Her funeral was one of the largest held in Winslow. The Santa Fe stopped their trains for a tribute to her.
Her tombstone is in the old cemetery in Winslow, AZ, marked "Dr. French"
Great Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
woman, born in Uckfield
Uckfield
-Development:The local Tesco has proposed the redevelopment of the central town area as has the town council. The Hub has recently been completed, having been acquired for an unknown figure, presumed to be about half a million pounds...
, East Sussex
East Sussex
East Sussex is a county in South East England. It is bordered by the counties of Kent, Surrey and West Sussex, and to the south by the English Channel.-History:...
who travelled to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
and Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, where she became well known as a carer for the sick.
Trek
After being converted by the Mormons, Emma Lee arrived in Chicago from England, then headed to IowaIowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, where she pushed a cart filled with goods given by her church and headed to Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
. She pushed the cart herself for the entire 1,400 mile walk, as one of the many Mormon handcart pioneers
Mormon handcart pioneers
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings...
.
She joined a company of her church's members for that trip, of which 150 died during snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
storms. Many others suffered other illness, such as frozen feet, noses and other diseases. Emma Lee helped care for them, eventually leading to most of them having a full recovery. During the trip, she also served as midwife to a pregnant woman, carrying her in the cart as the woman was close to delivering.
Upon arriving in Salt Lake City, she worked for seven years as an indentured servant to pay for her trip from England. Afterwards, she met John Doyle Lee, a prominent man among Latter-day Saints members. Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
himself married the couple on January 7 of 1858.
John Doyle Lee is said to have participated in a massacre of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
immigrants (see: Mountain Meadows massacre
Mountain Meadows massacre
The Mountain Meadows massacre was a series of attacks on the Baker–Fancher emigrant wagon train, at Mountain Meadows in southern Utah. The attacks culminated on September 11, 1857 in the mass slaughter of the emigrant party by the Iron County district of the Utah Territorial Militia and some local...
) that left 140 people dead. For this, John and Emma Lee were followed by federal marshals for about twenty years. At one time JohnLee was tried but was freed after a hung jury. In 1868, George Hicks, a columnist from Harmony, Utah, wrote in a local newspaper
Newspaper
A newspaper is a scheduled publication containing news of current events, informative articles, diverse features and advertising. It usually is printed on relatively inexpensive, low-grade paper such as newsprint. By 2007, there were 6580 daily newspapers in the world selling 395 million copies a...
that the Lees had to leave town in ten days or John would be hanged.
Emma then spoke personally with George Hicks, warning him not to keep making threats against her and her husband. Hicks relented, never speaking against the Lees on his column again. He did, however, complain about the Lees to the town's Bishop, who proposed that Hicks and Lee should be baptized together. Emma Lee agreed, but not without complaining; she told the bishop she'd do it "seeing that (the bishop) are so inconsiderate as to require a woman to be immersed when the water
Water
Water is a chemical substance with the chemical formula H2O. A water molecule contains one oxygen and two hydrogen atoms connected by covalent bonds. Water is a liquid at ambient conditions, but it often co-exists on Earth with its solid state, ice, and gaseous state . Water also exists in a...
is full of snow and that too for defending the rights of her husband". She continued on, saying: "Perhaps if (the bishop's) backside gets wet in ice water (he) will be more careful how (he) decide again". Impressed by her speech, the bishop then agreed not to go on with the baptism.
In 1870, the LDS church excommunicated John Doyle Lee, based on the suspicions that the federals had put on him. He was, however, still ordered to carry out important tasks for the Mormons, and, in 1871, he was sent to the Colorado river
Colorado River
The Colorado River , is a river in the Southwestern United States and northwestern Mexico, approximately long, draining a part of the arid regions on the western slope of the Rocky Mountains. The watershed of the Colorado River covers in parts of seven U.S. states and two Mexican states...
, near the border between Arizona and Utah, to establish a ferry
Ferry
A ferry is a form of transportation, usually a boat, but sometimes a ship, used to carry primarily passengers, and sometimes vehicles and cargo as well, across a body of water. Most ferries operate on regular, frequent, return services...
service, in a location now known as Lee's Ferry
Lee's Ferry
Lee's Ferry is a site on the Colorado River in Coconino County, Arizona, United States, about 7.5 miles southwest of the town of Page, Arizona and the Glen Canyon Dam, and about 9 mi south of the Utah-Arizona border. It is the former location of a ferry established by John D. Lee, a Mormon...
.
Many celebrities of the era stopped by the Lees new home, including John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell
John Wesley Powell was a U.S. soldier, geologist, explorer of the American West, and director of major scientific and cultural institutions...
, a Civil War major who became the first man to explore the Grand Canyon
Grand Canyon
The Grand Canyon is a steep-sided canyon carved by the Colorado River in the United States in the state of Arizona. It is largely contained within the Grand Canyon National Park, the 15th national park in the United States...
by way of the Colorado river. In 1872, Wesley Powell and a group of adventurers returned; their photographer, James Fennesmore, became ill and was cured by Emma Lee. Wesley Powell wrote in he and his adventurers enjoyed a wonderful meal topped off with freshly baked apple pie.
Because, under Mormon doctrine, John Doyle Lee was allowed to have multiple wives
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
, he had to travel much of the time, to attend to his other wives and children. Lee often left to visit his "gold mines." As a consequence, Emma Lee was left to attend both the ferry and her children. When Emma Lee left Lonely Del l after Lee's death, she had several coffee cans of gold. At one time there was a gold map showing the location of the mine which is now under Lake Powell.
In 1873, a settlement of Navajos
Navajo Nation
The Navajo Nation is a semi-autonomous Native American-governed territory covering , occupying all of northeastern Arizona, the southeastern portion of Utah, and northwestern New Mexico...
came to camp near the Lee home. Fearful for her children's fate, she decided to befriend the Navajos, and discovered that the tribe's chief was a friend of her husband's. They spent one night at the Navajo camp, after which the Indians
Native Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
left. At one time, a Navajo Chief came into Emma's lodge to attack her, but Emma had a streaming pot of water on the stove. She threw the hot water into his face. Later chief came back and apologized and asked medical attention for the burns. Afterwards, he told his tribe that Emma was a very powerful woman
and had a great spirit and to leave her alone. Another time, a group of warriors camped nearby, Emma heard them talking about killing her and the children. She took the children and camped with the Navajo's. They were amazed she knew their language .
Later that year, Emma Lee gave birth to her sixth baby. With John Doyle gone, she had to ask the oldest person besides her at the Lee house, her son John Jr., to help her cut the umbilical cord
Umbilical cord
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
. They did this task to perfection, and a daughter was safely born.
John Doyle Lee was caught by the US Army, tried again for the Meadow Mountain Massacre, found gulity, and shot by a firing squad on March 23, 1877 and buried at the site of the massacre. With small children and economically in need, Emma Lee sold the ferry to the LDS Church for 100 milk
Milk
Milk is a white liquid produced by the mammary glands of mammals. It is the primary source of nutrition for young mammals before they are able to digest other types of food. Early-lactation milk contains colostrum, which carries the mother's antibodies to the baby and can reduce the risk of many...
cows in 1879. She was helped by a Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
veteran, Franklin French. French was a wandering gold prospector.
On August 9 of that year, Emma Lee and French married, in Snowflake, Arizona
Snowflake, Arizona
Snowflake is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. It was founded in 1878 by Erastus Snow and William Jordan Flake, Mormon pioneers and colonizers. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the town is 4,958....
. They found a home near Holbrook, Arizona
Holbrook, Arizona
-Historical events:*During 1881 & 1882, railroad tracks were laid down and a railroad station was built. The community was then named Holbrook after the first engineer of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad...
. They next moved to the White Mountains
White Mountains (Arizona)
The White Mountains of Arizona are a mountain range and mountainous region in the eastern part of the state, near the border with New Mexico; it is a continuation from the west of the Arizona transition zone–Mogollon Rim, with the Rim ending in western New Mexico...
, but their ranch was just out the reservation. The White Mountain Apache' had an uprising in 1882 and killed 150 settlers that night. Emma was warned just before the attack on her ranch and was able to escape with her children and some ranch hands. She heard the shooting of the livestock and saw the smoke from the burning buildings. Later French sued the government for $10,00 for the loss of the ranch, but the land was resurveyed and
was found to be on Apache land.
In 1887 she and Franklin moved to Winslow, AZ and established a dairy ranch. At that time the Santa Fe railroad was being built. Many times the railroad would send a special train to bring Emma to help take care of the railroad workers injuries. She was known as "Dr. French" although she had no official medical
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
title, because of her ability to cure the ill. She helped multiple women, including Navajos and prostitutes
Prostitution
Prostitution is the act or practice of providing sexual services to another person in return for payment. The person who receives payment for sexual services is called a prostitute and the person who receives such services is known by a multitude of terms, including a "john". Prostitution is one of...
, give birth.
In 1888, her daughter, Victoria Lee, committed suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
. In 1892, her son Ike confronted a man who was trying to seduce his wife and was murdered by the man.
On November 1897, as her husband was on an expedition looking for gold, she had a premonition of her own death. When French returned on November 16, the next day she was fixing breakfast and said "I don't feel too well" and suffered a heart attack
Myocardial infarction
Myocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
. A crowd of businessmen, Navajos and prostitutes kept vigil outside her home as she lay in bed dying that night.
Her funeral was one of the largest held in Winslow. The Santa Fe stopped their trains for a tribute to her.
Her tombstone is in the old cemetery in Winslow, AZ, marked "Dr. French"