The Minor Family of Somerset

HISTORY OF MARGARET SHANKLAND (TOD D)
Margaret Shankland Todd was born Nov 12182 6, the second daught
er of James Shankland and Margaret Cumm in in Dumfrieshire,
Scotland. Jan 25 1850 she married Thom as Todd Sr. who was bor
n Jan 28 1821 in Penpont, Dumfrieshi re, Scotland. He was the so
n
of John Todd andMarion Lorrim er .
Both were reared in strict adherence to their religious convict
ion and taught to be industrious, meticulously orderly . These v
irtuesthey
carried throughout their lives. Soo n after their marriage the
y accepted the teachings of the C hurch of Latter-Day Saints an
d were
baptized, against muc h opposition from family.
Four years later, in Feb 1854, they and their two small so ns, J
ohn and James, sailed from Liverpool, England on the s hip "Joh
n M.
Woods", landing in New Orleans after eight wee ks at sea. Jame
swho was ill when they left, became wors e and died a short tim
e out,
and was the first on the voyag e to be buried at sea. With heav
y hearts they saw their sm all boy buried in a watery grave.
The journey crossing the ocean was long and tedious. Afte r reac
hing New Orleans, they took the river boat up theMis sissippi R
iver to
St Louis, Missouri,and then to Kansas whe re they madepreparati
ons to make the 1200 mile journey t o the Salt Lake Valley.
Thomas was appointed to take charge of 10 wagons. The lon g jour
ney across the plains lasted three months and they ar rived in S
alt
Lake Valley on 1 Oct 1854.
Immediately after arrival he made arrangements with Levi S avag
e to work his land on shares and planted about 10 acre s of wint
er
wheat. Next spring the crop looked good befor e grasshoppers cam
e and destroyed most of their wheat.
On Feb 1856 their son Thomas Jr. was born and in the fal l of 18
56, theyreceived their endowments and were sealed i n the
Endowment House. Thomas wascalled to Echo Canyon wh en Johnston
's Army was on its way to Utah. He was called a s Captain of
50 men and was gone about 4 months until the e nd of the Utah Wa
r. While he was away, his family moved t o Spanish Fork where
they later built a small home. A daug hter was born at Spanish F
ork and named Margaret after he r mother.
In May 1860, the Todd family moved to Heber Valley and as mal
l home was built there. Now they had two sons, a daught er, a te
am, a
wagon and a cow. They lived close together w ith other settler
s in case of Indian attacks, and to shar e each others joys an
d sorrows.
Another great sorrow came to them when their oldest son, J ohn
, 10 years old, suddenly died. Their faith was again gr eatly tr
ied at the
loss of this son, but they were blesse d by raising a good cro
p and were able to purchase anothe r team.
Other children came to bless their home. They were the pa rent
s of nine children.A fourth son, John Murray Murdoc k died whe
n he
was about one year old. Sixof their childr en lived to marry an
d raise families of their own. Their c hildren were: John, James
, Thomas
Jr, Margaret, Marion Jane , Isabelle Helen,Sarah Ann, John Murr
ay Murdock, and Davi d Alexander.
Margaret loved beautiful things and was a skilled homemake r. In
side and out, her home was a modelof order and beaut y, and her
flower garden was the envy of all. They had the first rose bush
es in the Heber Valley, and shared many st arts that would be gr
owing
years later. She was a artist a nd fine needlewoman. Like many p
ioneer women, she washed , corded, and spun the wool to make
clothes for her family . She was a great cook and gracious hoste
ss and all were w elcome to the Todd home.
In 1876, they built a fine sandstone home in east part o f Heber
, which took three years to build. It is still stan ding and i
n good
condition toDay, and is still well kept wi th much of the origin
al furniture and decor. (This home i s listed on the Utah Histor
ical
Register.)
Margaret Shankland Todd departed this life 21 May 1908 a t theh