Description

No, She Won’t Leave Me

One of the most touching love stories of the women left behind during the march of the Mormon Battalion, is told of Philander and Polly Colton.  A beautiful brunette with large brown eyes, Polly Matilda Merrill was considered the prettiest girl in town.  Often the center of attention, the young men flocked around her.  Rather small in stature, she caught the interest of Philander Colton.  It was common talk among the boys of the town that no boy could kiss Polly Merrill. Accepting the challenge at a country party, Philander grabbed Polly by the shoulders and planted a big kiss on her cheek.  Angrily, she slapped him in the face.  

Philander was unrepentant and bragged “I told the fellows I would, and I shall do, many other times in the future.”  Philander made good his promise when Polly and Philander were married in 1833.  They joined the church several years later and eventually arrived in Council Bluffs where Philander enlisted in the Mormon Battalion leaving behind his wife with 4 young children. Adding to Polly’s anxiety, her oldest and independent son Charles Edwin, stole away to join his father, marching the entire way to San Diego.  

Philander returned to Iowa at Christmas time, making the holiday an especially precious occasion for him and his family.  The Colton family journeyed to the Salt Lake Valley where they spent many happy years together.  Philander worked as a brick mason and plasterer, and Polly cared for their household of eleven children.

On August 13, 1891 at the age of 73, Polly passed away, but even her passing was marked by romance. While she was bedridden, the family told Philander that she was dying. He responded firmly, “No, she won’t leave me.  When we were married, she promised to stay with me and she has never broken a promise yet.”  

After Polly’s death, Philander instructed his family, “Don’t bury her until I die.  When you hear a loud clap of thunder, I’ll pass away also.” As recorded in a local newspaper, only two days later – on August 15, in the midst of a cloudless sky – a loud clap of thunder sounded. Philander closed his eyes in death.  United in life, they were united in death.”  

Source: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWJ1-NYZ

Contributed by Mary Ann Kirk MB Scholar