Life Sketch
Margaret Buckwalter was the daughter of John and Sarah Shuler Buckwalter, born November 12, 1828, in Westenantmeal Township, Chester County, Pennsylvania. At the time the missionaries came to their home preaching the restored gospel, her father was very ill. He told his family that he knew that it was the truth, but he passed away before he could be baptized. All of his immediate family joined the Church; Margaret was the oldest child. They left their home state to join the Saints in Illinois. Margaret was married to Lemon Wickel on April 23, 1847, by Nathaniel Felt. One son, Henry L., was born to this union before Lemon departed this life on June 4, 1850.
Margaret came to Utah in 1852 with her baby, mother and brothers, and sisters. The Buckwalter children and the Babbitt children had attended the same private home school in Nauvoo. The reunion of Margaret and Elizabeth Almira Babbitt was one of gladness. There seemed to be a strong, mutual affection between these two ladies. President Young married Leonard Gurley and Margaret on January 2, 1853, and a closeness existed between their two families through the years. Margaret had seven children, four boys, a girl who died as a baby, and last, a pair of twin girls.
The best rice grew in Farmington, Utah, it was said, as Rice sons (sometimes considered “wild rice”) appeared at frequent intervals. According to the two mothers involved, it was good rice, none-the-less.
Margaret was of noble character, deeply religious, and always concerned more for the needs of others than for herself. She was known by her friends and relatives as an extremely saintly woman. She loved to read Church books, and was a strict tithe payer. Her cleanliness was a legend with those who knew her. Spotlessness was a ritual in her humble cottage.
Margaret went to live with her sons who had moved to Cassia County, Idaho, about 1882. Later she settled in the Teton Valley and lived with her daughter, Martha (Rice) Drake, and her son-in-law Richard Asa Drake. When she was sixty-one years old, Margaret filed on a homestead next to Richard and Martha. To “prove up,” she had to build a house, clear land, plant crops, and build fences. With the help of Richard, she did “prove up.” Her hands were never idle—gardens grew, wheat was ground and eggs, butter and cheese were always on hand.
Later, her family built her a good home in the village of Victor, Idaho, where she could attend church as often as she pleased. She remained firm in the faith that she had accepted from Mormon missionaries years before. She left a life that had been a challenge in trying times, in exchange for eternal joys on the 10th day of October 1918, and was buried in Victor, Idaho.
