The Faith of Polly Knight

Yesterday in Gospel Doctrine we discussed Polly Knight, and I was impressed by her story.  She was the husband of Joseph Knight, Sr.  She and her family were early supporters of Joseph in New York and moved westward to Kirtland with the Colesville Saints in May 1831.  When they arrived they settled at first on the land of Leman Copley, but when he broke his covenant of consecration and no longer allowed the branch to be on his land (see D&C 54:4), Joseph received a revelation about what the Colesville Saints were to do: “Wherefore, go to now and flee the land, lest your enemies come upon you; and take your journey….  And thus you shall take your journey into the regions westward, unto the land of Missouri” (D&C 54:7-8).  So having spent little time in Ohio, they packed up again and departed on the arduous 1000 miles from Ohio to Missouri in the summer heat. 

          Polly Knight was at the time sick, but her faith would not let her stay.  According to one account, “Polly Knight’s health had been failing for some time, according to a statement made by her son, Newel. She was very ill during her journey from Kirtland to Missouri. ‘Yet,’ says her son, ‘she would not consent to stop traveling; her only, or her greatest desire was to set her feet upon the land of Zion, and to have her body interred in that land. I went on shore and bought lumber to make a coffin in case she should die before we arrived at our place of destination—so fast did she fail. But the Lord gave her the desire of her heart, and she lived to stand upon that land.’”  She did persevere and make it alive to the land of Zion.  The group arrived at Independence on July 25^th.  It must have taken all that Polly had to make that journey as sick as she was, and she didn’t last much longer.  She died shortly thereafter and was buried on August 7^th, the same day as the revelation D&C 59 was given.  She was the first member to die in Zion, and the beginning words of that revelation appear to speak directly about her death: “Behold, blessed, saith the Lord, are they who have come up unto this land with an eye single to my glory, according to my commandments.  For those that live shall inherit the earth, and those that die shall rest from all their labors, and their works shall follow them; and they shall receive a crown in the mansions of my Father, which I have prepared for them” (D&C 59:1-2).  This appears to hearken back to the final words of D&C 54 when Polly and the Colesville Saints were instructed to go to Missouri: “And again, be patient in tribulation until I come; and, behold, I come quickly, and my reward is with me, and they who have sought me early shall find rest to their souls” (D&C 54:10).  Polly did indeed find rest as she was laid in the grave in Zion and according to the Prophet, “sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection.”  This reminds me of the story of Mary Murdoch, a later pioneer who died in 1856 near Chimney Rock, Nebraska trying to also follow the prophet to reach Zion.  Elder Steven Snow related, “Her frail body simply gave out under the physical hardships the Saints encountered. As she lay clinging to life, her thoughts were of her family in Utah. The last words of this faithful pioneer woman were ‘Tell John I died with my face toward Zion.’”  Polly and Mary and countless others left us incredible examples of faith and sacrifice, and it is with that same yearning for Zion that we must likewise move forward through whatever challenges we must pass through.