Phebe BEAGLE

• General Notes
  • Burial:  Date: Sep 1898 Place: Cedar Fort Cemetery, Cedar Fort, Utah, Utah  Individual Note: Rodeback Family Genealogy by Joel C. Darlington: Chester County Collections (Pa.C3e) 7:252-3, FHL film 824056 pages 253 & 255. Lists mother as Sarah (Evans) Beagle. OBITUARY: Deseret Evening News- 20 SEP 1898, FHL #1259817: Another of the aged pioneers of Utah, Mrs. Phoebe Beagle Rodeback, has gone to her heavenly home. She passed away yesterday, at 11 p.m. at the home of her daughter, Mrs. Rebecca Cook, of Cedar Valley, Utah. Loving hands administered to her in her last illness, but to no avail, the time of her residence on earth was over. Mrs. Rodeback was the widow of the late James Rodeback, and was born in Chester County, Pa., June 25th, 1811. Her exact age at the time of her death was 87 years, 2 months and 23 days. In 1839 she became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in 1841 removed to Nauvoo, where she resided during the troublous times there, being well aquainted with the Prophet Joseph Smith. With her husband and six children she came to Utah in 1852 in Uriah Curtis' company. True to the Gospel she remained a faithful Latter-day Saint until the end came and fully earned a great reward in heaven. Always loving, gentle and good and so unselfish, caring only for the wants and happiness of others. She was loved and esteemed by all who knew her and her loss will be mourned by hosts of friends. Funeral services will be held in Cedar Fort school house, Monday, at 10 a.m. All friends are invited to attend. Mrs. Rodeback leaves three sons and three daughters, thirty-five grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren.  HISTORY: Platt, Lyman, LDS Redress Petition Listing, 1843, Listing of Latter-day Saints Who Petitioned Congress, 1843: Nauvoo ward 3, p. 11; Phebe Rodeback.  LIFE SKETCH: by her daughter, Rebecca R. Cook, from a copy in the possession of Rebecca Norton, 11937 Jody Drive, Boise, Idaho 83713. Phebe Beagle was born on the 25th of June 1811, Uchlan, Chester County, Pennsylvania to Henry and Margaret Evans Beagle. Due to complications of childbirth, Margaret Evans Beagle died about ten days after Phebes birth. This left the young grief stricken father, Henry Beagle, with a new baby daughter and a growing business and no help. Not knowing what else to do, he bound Phebe out to an Inn Keeper and his family to care for until she was 18 years old. . . . Because of Phebe's happy disposition and as soon as she was tall enough to reach the tables she was put to work waiting on the customers. The family was as good to her as circumstances would permit and she had a fair education and was allowed to attend her own church, which was the Society of Friends or as commonly known, the Quakers. While Phebe was still young her fathers business improved greatly and he was able to remarry and to take back his daughter, but the family who had her would not release her from the bond. He tried several times to get her back, but to no avail. When she was 18 years old and released from her bond, he still tried to get her to come and live with him but she felt as a stranger to them and desired her own independence. Phebe grew up with a strong love for her country and respect for the things that stood for freedom. One of her ealiest memories was walking by "Independence Hall" in Philadelphia and reaching out her hand to touch the walls because she felt that it was so sacred and to touch it made her feel so reverent. As Phebe grew older she began to question her religeous beliefs and grew to hate her surroundings and felt that now she was free of her bond she would have a chance to change these things. One day when she was 18 years old she was walking down the street when she saw two young men whose appearance attracted her and as she passed them she felt the spirit that eminated from them and knew that they had a message for her. About this time she went to work for a man by the name of Edward Hunter. It was here that she learned that those two young men were Mormon missionaries. (Edward Hunter later became the Presiding Bishop of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.) While working for Mr. Hunter Phebe met James Rodeback who was a wheelwright in his employ. It was here that they heard and studied the Gospel and accepted it. Through studying the gospel and being associated with this family these two young people fell in love and were married on the 25th of May 1832. Phebe's father was very much against her joining those hateful Mormons and had offered to set her husband up in any kind of business that he desired if they would give up this fool religion. But Phebe and James knew that this new found faith they had accepted meant more to them than all these offers that her father, Henry Beagle, made to them. Her father gave them a feather bed and $20.00 and told them that they would never hear from him again. He was true to his word because they never did hear from him again. They lived in West Chester, Pennsylvania until their first three children, Edward Hunter, Phebe Ann and Margaretta were born. Margaretta died when she was two years old. About this time they, with brother Edward Hunter and other saints, migrated to Nauvoo to be with the main body of the Church. . . Here they suffered all the hardships that the Saints were subjected to during this time. One time, while living as near neighbors to the Prophet, Joseph Smith, he took their daughter, Phebe Ann, upon his knee and told her that her eyes were as black as his wife Emma's. After the Prophet was murdered and the question arose as to who should be the new leader of the Saints, all were called together when Brigham Young gave a talk, and his form took that of the Prophet Joseph. To many of the Saints there this was a strong testimony to the divinity of the Church. Especially to Phebe, who was present at this gathering. When the mobs came to Nauvoo, they, with the other Saints were driven from their homes in the cold of winter without proper food, clothing etc. to sustain them . . . They stopped at Council Bluff, Iowa to repair their wagons and replenish their food supply on the west bank of the Missouri River . . . They along with other Saints stayed to raise crops while the others went on west. . . In the summer of 1852 the family left Iowa and headed west for Salt Lake City. The children had to walk across the plains along with the other children. One night after the wagon company had made their camp for the night some Indians came. One Indian was on a beautiful white horse. the Captain of the company asked how much he would take for the horse. The Indian said he would trade it for that squaw, pointing to Phebe and James Rodebacks daughter, Phebe Ann. the captain told him that he could have her if he could bring another horse exactly like the one he was on . . . . the next evening the Indian returned with another horse exactly like the one he rode to exchange for the "squaw." The men of the company had a hard time convincing the Indian that the captain was only joking. In October of 1852, the company finally reached Salt Lake City. From here, the family moved south to pleasant Grove, Utah . . . They moved to Cedar Fort and in 1855, Phebe Beagle Rodeback called the children of the town together in her home and held the first Sunday School in Cedar Fort. A regular Sunday School was organized in the spring of 1863 with her husband James Rodeback as first superintendant and Phebe as his assistant. Phebe also called the children together at her home where she taught them to read and write. January 5, 1856 by legislative act and approved by Brigham Young, the inhabitants of Cedar Valley were organized as a county of Utah Territory called Cedar County. Allen Weeks was probate judge of the new county, but served only a short time and was succeeded by Zerubbabel Snow, who was one of the four Federal officers that came from the east to preside in Utah. He also took over the duties of school teacher. A school house had been built inside the picket fort. phebe taught many of her grandchildren to read and write before they entered school. A Relief Society was organized in Cedar fort on the 28th of January 1871 with Sophronia Cook as president, Sarah Jane Weeks as first counselor and Phebe Rodeback as second counselor. Malinda Cook was secretary and Almina Weeks as treasurer. On May 25, 1875, her husband, James Rodeback, was attending to his work as usual. He had carried some lumber to a shop to work on it and was talking to some neighbor men. He told them of a man who fell over dead and said "He fell over like this." The men waited for him to get up but he lay still and on examination they found he was dead. This was a great shock for Phebe. He was buried in the cemetery just south of Cedar Fort. Knowing that she was sealed to him for 'time and all eternity' made the separation easier for her to bear. She still found interest in her church activities and in her children and their families. Her grandchildren knew the pleasure of having a pair of nice warm hand knit mittens that grandma had made. She lived in her own home a number of years with her son James and his family, but her last few years were spent at the home of her daughter, Rebecca Rodeback Cook were she passed away September 17, 1898 and was layed to rest by the side of her husband.