Description
I Have Never Wanted
Mary Graham was born April 4, 1830, in Glasgow, Scotland. By the age of 14, her mother had passed away and the family moved to Kirkintilloch, Scotland. At that time an elder from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints knocked on the door. According to family records all he did was leave a tract with them. Mary’s father, who was on his deathbed, read the tract and proclaimed:
“Mary, my girl, that is true. I believe that. I believe that young man has come with the true Gospel. I won’t be able to remain long with you, but you look for the true Gospel described in this tract, and if ever you find it, you can safely embrace it.”
With the death of her father, Mary became an orphan and went to work for a family named Allen. Mary found where the Latter-day Saints were meeting and joined with them. However, when the Allen family discovered that she was associating with the “Mormons” they were angry. Rumors convinced them that Mary’s association was hurting their business and they gave her a bitter ultimatum:
“Mary, there is the door. You take your choice right now. Either our home and give up Mormonism, or out of our home into the night.”
Mary cried, but with grit that became characteristic of the rest of her life, she replied:
“I would be falsifying if I said it was not true. My father told me it was true when he was on his deathbed. And I know it is true for myself.”
With one shilling in her pocket Mary was sent out into the night. She took that shilling and went to the owner of the town hall and asked to rent the hall as a place for the elders to preach. One shilling was not enough, but because the man knew Mary’s father and honored him, he gave her the hall for one shilling. When the elders discovered what the courageous teenager had done they gave her a blessing, promising her that she would never want.
In March 1852, Mary married Archibald Miller Young Jr. She taught him the Gospel and soon he was baptized. Together they would have 13 children.
In 1872, Mary and her family emigrated to Zion. Family records state:
“When they arrived in Salt Lake City, the Allen family was there to welcome them and took them to their home for a wonderful banquet. ‘You are the cause of our being in the Church,’ they declared.
“When Mary had so courageously left their home in Scotland rather than give up the true faith, the Allen family concluded that her religion must be something extraordinary. They knew she as one of the sweetest, best, and most beautiful girls of their acquaintance. Mr. Allen said, ‘I cannot help but feel that there is something more to Mormonism that we understand; it cannot be just a man-made religion.’ He and his family investigated, joined the Church, emigrated to Utah, and welcomed Mary and her family when they arrived.”
Mary went on to live a life of courage, faith, and obedience in Zion. Just before her death in 1911 Mary called her children to her and told them this story, particularly of the blessing given by the elders when she was but 14 years of age, and then she declared:
“You may never be asked to give all that you have for the Gospel’s sake, but if you are, give it. I would like you to be as liberal with the Lord as he has been to you. I am eighty years of age and I have never wanted. That blessing has been fully realized. So I leave this with you children, that even if it takes the last cent you have for the Church, it is the finest thing you can ever do.”
That testimony left a lasting impression on Mary’s posterity. May it likewise stick to you for the rest of your days.
Source: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/MBH6-243
