Wednesday, April 2, 2008

Plowing Lessons

From the LDS International Art Competition
http://www.lds.org/ch/heritage/exhibit_test.html (C-D)
Linda Curley Christensen Oil Painting

“Our family has a heritage of forgiveness and charity, taught and demonstrated by my second-great-grandfather Peter Shirts, who, after having his life threatened by Indians, came to feed and teach them. This occurred in 1865 on the Paria River in southern Utah. Brigham Young sent Peter, known as ‘Daniel Boone of the Desert,’ to raise a crop. He succeeded, and, wanting to reap the harvest, he stayed too late in the season to return home. He built a cabin front against the mountain by a spring of water and stored his crop in a granary dug into the mountain. During the winter, Indians laid siege, but Peter was secure. When they asked for food, he bargained that if he fed them, they must pull his plow in the spring. When a search party finally arrived, hoping to find Peter’s bones, they found him plowing instead, with Indians pulling his plow.”
-Linda Curley Christensen

See entire exhibit. This work is a testimony of our Lord.

To the Morrill Family, Peter Shirts is my 4th great grandfather. He helped establish the iron industry in Cedar City, Utah. Peter also helped our grandfather, George Drury Morrill, from near starvation during the Hole in the Rock expedition and traveled extensively for Brigham Young. - Sherry Smith

Peter Shirts Family Collection - Photo by Uncle Robert Darius Adams
Printed copy in possession of Sherry Smith
Peter Shirts

2 comments:

Unknown said...

My late husband is a 3rgd great grandson of Peter Shirts and I am very familiar with this story. I would love to contact Linda Christensen to ask her about her artwork "Plowing Lessons" and to see if it is possible to get copies.

Andrea - said...

I love these stories! We need to post more. I also remember a story about one of his wives (a French womand I believe) who chased Peter with a knife. I think their marriage was only short lived or even annulled. Do you have the full story?

 

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