Richard E. Turley Jr. and Brittany A. Chapman - Seek by Deseret Book

Diantha Morley Billings (1795–1879) 7
path for them. In case the stacks caught, our fortification
would surely go, when through the mercy of the Lord, the
wind died down and the fire subsided, leaving us safe, and
our hay stacks unharmed. Kegs of powder and other inflammable
material in the camp were pitched into a stream called
Running Water, in order to protect the travelers that night
from the fury of a prairie fire. All material in the rooms of
the fort that was likely to burn that night, was moved to
a place of safety. It is needless to say that the women and
children were frightened and had it not been for my mother,
who was acting as a nurse, some of the women would have
committed themselves to the rushing waters when the fire
raged on the prairie. 18
Midwife and Nurse
Diantha’s ability to keep calm in the face of trying circumstances
served her well in her vocation and calling as a midwife and
nurse. According to her daughter Eunice, Joseph Smith blessed and
set apart Diantha to serve as a nurse and midwife to the Saints in
Nauvoo. 19 She had served in that capacity earlier while living in
Missouri.
In October 1838 Diantha and her family were living in Far
West, Missouri. As a member of the militia under the command
of Captain David Patten (an apostle), Diantha’s husband, Titus,
was involved in the Battle of Crooked River, which took place between
Latter-day Saints and Missourians on the night of October
25, 1838. 20 Elder Patten was killed, and the Latter-day Saint men
in the battle had to flee the state for safety. Their families fended for
18. Eunice Billings Snow, “Sketches from the Life of Eunice Billings Snow,”
Woman’s Exponent 40 (January 1, 1912): 47.
19. Hale, “Eunice Billings Warner Snow,” 3; Whitney, “Leaf,” 91.
20. Hale, “Eunice Billings Warner Snow,” 2; Joseph Smith, History of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. B. H. Roberts , 2nd ed. rev., 7 vols.