Cynthia Abiah Bradley Morley History

Contributed by Laura Jensen

Cynthia Abiah Bradley Morley
1833-1926

Cynthia Abiah was born 14 September 1833 in Clarence, Erie, New York to Thomas Jefferson Bradley and Betsy Elizabeth Kroll. At the time of Cynthia’s birth, she had one brother and two older sisters; her father had died in April 1833 – the year she was born, but five months earlier, so he never saw his little girl. Naturally she was the youngest in that family of four: Amanda (born 15 January 1829), Jerome Bonaparte (born 3 December 1830), Elizabeth born in July 1832 and died two days later. Cynthia was soon to know a father’s love, however, as her Father’s brother, George Washington Bradley, married Betsy and raised her children as his own.

Cynthia Abiah spent her childhood days in New York, often going out with her mother gathering wild berries. When at the age of ten her family, being converted to Mormonism, with other Saints went to Nauvoo. Here on Joseph Smith’s farm, they were living at the time Joseph and his brother Hyrum were martyred. She saw the mob take them away. She was among the thousands of lamenting Saints who met Dr. Richards with the bodies of the martyred. She went to the mansion house to view the bodies, there she saw kneeling by the coffins, Hyrum’s wife and son.

Nauvoo by this time had grown into prominence, and gave promise of becoming an important commercial and industrial center. They had been a happy and contented people until the mob, consisting of 300 men, again congregated and swore to drive the people of God from their beautiful home in that region. Soon the Saints were driven by the mob, and were forced to turn their backs on “Nauvoo the Beautiful.”

Soon a band led by Brigham Young were ready to start upon their journey west. They numbered at starting 148 souls, including 3 women and 2 children. This little band of pioneers after passing through many hardships on their long journey at last landed in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847.

In September 1848, Brigham Young with other leaders who had made a return trip to Winter Quarters, arrived a second time in Salt Lake Valley, bringing with them nearly twenty-five hundred immigrants. It was in this company, the Big Company, as it was called that Abiah came. She now bloomed into a beautiful girl of 14. Her family located north of Salt Lake, 3 miles above the Hot Springs. It was here that she was baptized in a small frozen stream, from which the ice had to be broken. It was in the very heart of the vast area considered worthless; desired by none and shunned by all; a region of savages and wild beasts that the pioneers found themselves.

At this time, there was only a mud fort, and a few camped where Salt Lake City now stands. She lived through distressing conditions of famine due to the scant harvest resulting from the cricket plague and the drought and the frost of the same season. Clothing and other necessities were scarce as was breadstuff. In these miles of desolate sage brush and saleratus stretching in every direction, the family declared that this was better than the terror of Nauvoo – what they did, the sacrifice they had made and all “were for God and His Cause, and that was enough.”

By this time, Cynthia Abiah’s mother had given birth to seven more children – Betsy Louisa, Lydia Mary, George Henry, Melinda Euphemia, Jacob Joseph, Levina, and Hyrum Morini (born at Winter Quarters). In August of 1849 another brother was born in a wagon box near the tithing yard on Temple Square. As this time, Cynthia Abiah’s older sister Amanda married Daniel Henrie who had just returned from the Mormon Battalion march. Cynthia Abiah at this time was keeping company with young Isaac Morley Jr. She was probably properly impressed by the gift of Longport China that Daniel gave his wife, bought with the gold nuggets that he obtained at Sutters Mill.

A delegation of Ute Indians under Chief Walker appeared in Salt Lake Valley and requested colonists to go to Sanpitch Valley and teach the natives how to build houses and till the soil. President Brigham Young chose fifty families to settle Sanpete Valley under the command of Isaac Morley Sr. After a difficult trip in a terrain without roads, the group arrived in Manti on 22 November 1849. Here in a severe winter with snow four feet deep, they struggled to survive. Seven Hundred Indians were camped around their community. They were kept peaceful by consuming the food that was supplied as the pioneers animals died from starvation. In the spring, the pioneers had new problems to contend with as hundreds of rattlesnakes crawled out from the ledges of Temple Hill, warmed by the bright spring sun. It was a great blessing, even though the settlers, had made homes in dugouts in the hill, that no persons were bitten.

Isaac and Cynthia Abiah’s first two children were born in Manti – George Franklin, born 30 September 1852, and Thomas Jefferson, named after her own blood father, born 12 February 1854. Their third child, a little girl whom they named Betsy Abiah, born 3 January 1855 in Salt Lake City. The family moved to what was known as Cottonwood Bench, from there they moved to Santaquin. Their next two children were Lucy Amanda born 20 December 1857 in Santaquin, Utah and Theresa Arethusa 24 April 1859 in Nephi, Utah.

They were then called to go help settle Moroni, Sanpete, Utah. Cynthia Abiah’s father was Bishop of this ward. She had the honor of being the first woman in Moroni. All of their other children were born in Moroni: Len Margretta, 29 April 1861; Arletta on 20 February 1863; Isaac on 7 April 1865; Amerillis, 20 January 1867; Daniel Henrie, 3 October 1868; Evelyn, 20 August 1870. William Alfred, 21 May 1872; Heber Chase, 28 February 1874; Ann Mary, born 21 February 1876 and died the same day, and a son born 20 February 1877 who also died the same day, and Jerome Bonaparte, born 26 March 1878. Sixteen children were born to this couple. Of these twelve married and had families. Cynthia Abiah also raised two grand-daughters left by her daughter, Betsy Abiah Morley Syme.

In Moroni, they went through many hardships, struggling to make a lively-hood and fighting off the Indians who were just fierce. She acted as Relief Society leader with Sister Lar Larsen. Besides caring for a large family she went among the sick acting as a doctor, only losing one patient in four years.

Isaac took a second wife 16 February 1857 and she, Francis Wilkinson, was sealed to him in the Endowment House on 16 February 1857 (one record shows it the 18th). Isaac and Cynthia’s first three children were sealed to them in the Manti Temple 29 August 1888. All of the other children were born in the covenant.

Isaac died 21 May 1908 in Moroni, where he was also buried at the age of 79 years and 19 days. He had been a resident of Moroni for 49 years. The death certificate gave the chief cause of death as cancer of the hand.

At age eighty-five, a little sketch reported that Cynthia Abiah had been a faithful Latter-day Saint all her life, she had passed through two famines, had driven a yoke of oxen, along with her sister, from Florence, Nebraska to the valleys of the mountains. At this age she had a bright Intellect and retentive memory and was physically able to keep house and care for herself. She has had sixteen children, one hundred and twelve grandchildren and one hundred eighty-eight great grand-children and four great, great grandchildren.

Cynthia Abiah lived until 11 March 1926 when she died at Price, Carbon, Utah at the age of 92 years 5 months and 27 days. Funeral services were held at Moroni, an immense crowd in attendance. The speakers were Orlando Bradley, Orsen Prestwich, Arthur Coombs, Bishop Anderson and Ephraim Nelson. She was 93 years old when she died. She was buried 16 March 1926 in Moroni Cemetery beside her husband. The chief cause of her death – cardiac.

(This history was compiled from one written by Adelaide Prestwich larsen for the DUP and one called “Isaac Morley Jr. & Cynthia Abiah Bradley taken from histories of Isaac Morley St. and George Washington Bradley, Moroni Ward Records, TIB, Temple Records, Death certificates, Patriarchial blessings, 1880 Census of Utah, Records of Salt Lake Stake. A record written by Vera Grace Morley (Ipson) a granddaughter was also used.

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Newspaper Article At The Time of Her Death

Cynthia Bradley Morley
Born: September 14, 1833 at Clarence, Erie, New York
Died: March 12, 1926 at Price, Carbon, Utah

Mrs. Cynthia Bradley Morley, 92, Utah pioneer of 1848, died at the home of her son, D. H. Morley in Price, Utah, Thursday evening. The body will be taken Sunday to Moroni where Mrs. Morley spent most of her life. Funeral services will be held there Monday March 15. Mrs. Morley was born September 14, 1833 in Clarence, New York. When she was still a small girl her parents moved to Nauvoo, Illinois and lived there on the farm of the Prophet Joseph Smith. She viewd the bodies of the prophet and his brother Hyrum Smith after they were martyred at Cathage.

In the fall of 1847, the family started across the plains by ox-team arriving in Salt Lake Valley in the spring of 1848. Mrs. Morley lived in Moroni up until six months ago, when she came to price to live with her son. She was the mother of 16 children, five of who survive. D. H. Morley, Price; William A. Morley and Mrs. Amerillis Sorensen, Moroni; Herber C. Morley, Mt Pleasant; and Mrs. Lucy Prestwich. Besides the children there are about 125 grand-children living and 178 great grandchildren and three great great grand-children.

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Photo Caption: 5 Generation Picture
Cynthia Abiah Bradley Morley, her daughter Lucy Morley Prestwich (Grand Daughter, Great Grand Daughter, Great Great Grand-child)