Essentials
Born: 1 December 1836, Gallatin, Clay County, Missouri
Daughter of: Newel KNIGHT and Lydia GOLDTHWAITE
Married: Zemira PALMER, 1 December 1851
Died: 1 October 1916, Orderville, Utah

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BY DARYL JAMES
FROM 'JAMES/HATCH ONE MINUTE HISTORIES' (1994)
     Sally Knight was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the oldest child of Newel Knight and Lydia Goldthwaite. She was born Dec. 1, 1836, in Galletin, Missouri, but soon moved with her parents to Nauvoo, Illinois.
     At 11, Sally left Nauvoo with her family to emigrate to the Salt Lake Valley in Utah. Along the way, her father died; she witnessed members of her company remove a box from her father's wagon to use as his coffin. He was buried on the plains in Nebraska. A few months later, Sally's mother gave birth to Sally's brother, Hyrum.

1850 acrostic by Zemira Palmer to Sally Success to thee during life, And may you be some good man's wife. Long may you live with plenty blest Like a fair queen enjoy the best Young youth and age by friends caressed.

     During one rainstorm on the journey, Sally brought clothing and quilts to her mother and Hyrum to help keep them dry, but to no avail; the rain kept coming and finally Sally's mother sent Sally to bed. However, Sally witnessed that "through the will of the Lord her mother and the baby did not suffer, though they were soaked through during the night."
     Sally arrived in Salt Lake with her remaining family and settled with them in Provo, Utah. Records describe her at this time as "a young lady with auburn hair and soft brown eyes flecked with yellow." She enrolled in school and soon met Zemira Palmer, who was studying carpentry.
     Zemira tried to write Sally an acrostic (verses which rhyme and the first letter of each line spells a name), but got Sally's name mixed up and accidentally wrote one to Martha, Sally's cousin. Sally found the note and was worried because she liked Zemira--but was too shy to inquire further. Zemira finally solved the mystery, much to the amusement of the school, and wrote an acrostic to Sally (given above).
     On Sally's 15th birthday she married Zemira and settled with him in Provo, where their first six children were born. In 1856 Zemira entered plural marriage with Caroline Jacques, a French-Canadian, and brought her to Provo also. About 1861, the families moved to Heber City, Utah.
     Sally stayed in Heber City for six or seven years but then moved again with Zemira to Nevada--first to Panaca and then to Eagle Valley. However, the Church soon called Zemira back to southern Utah to help organize and be in charge of the cotton industry, and he moved his families again. The families finally ended up in Orderville, Utah, where Zemira helped supervise a branch of the United Order.
     Sally had two more children in Heber City, one in Panaca, one in Eagle Valley, one in Springdale, Utah, and one in Santa Clara, Utah, giving her a total of 12 children with Zemira. Zemira died in Orderville at 49 in 1880, leaving Sally and Caroline alone to care for their children.
     Sally did many things to earn a living for her children. She could make attractive new clothing out of materials already used and could make plain food into palatable dishes. At one time she and her youngest son milked as many as 47 cows night and morning; many were wild and had to be tied. She died at 79 in Orderville Oct. 1, 1916.

-- Sources: 1. "Phoebe Draper Palmer's Children." The Mormon Drapers, pps. 53-58. (On record at Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah.) 2. Descendants of George Palmer and Phoebe Draper, pps. 445-461. (On record at Harold B. Lee Library, BYU, Provo, Utah.)

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Pioneer child

SOURCE UNKNOWN
     Sally was a young lady from Provo, Utah, with auburn hair, soft brown eyes, flecked with yellow, who had a background that was all a budding young man could desire. She was the daughter of Newel Knight, who came into the church under dramatic circumstances. His parents were Universalists living in Colesville, Broome County, N.Y., who became interested in Joseph Smith’s teachings. Newel having had the first miracle performed on him by the Prophet Joseph. Historian Andrew Jensen wrote "it was the first miracle wrought in this dispensation.” When Newel married Lydia Goldthwaite, theirs was the first marriage performed by the prophet after the church was organized.
     Sally went through the struggles of the early pioneers, she being the oldest child of her parents, helped her mother in many trials. She was present when one of their wagon boxes was taken for the coffin of her father and he was buried on the plains, she was eleven years old. A few months after this when her mother gave birth to her brother Hyrum, she helped her mother, at one time bringing clothing and quilts to keep her and the baby from getting wet, which was of no avail, the rain still came. She was told by her mother to go to bed, but witnessed that through the will of the Lord her mother and baby did not suffer though they were soaked through during the night. Many must have been her experiences, trials, struggles and privations. No doubt many wonderful testimonies of the power of God in preserving and providing for them.
     Many of her descendants remember her, and many have little pin cushions to treasure which she made for them, with her initials embroidered on.
     Zemira married Sally of her fifteenth birthday, settling in Provo, where their first six children were born. After the death of their second twin daughter, they dug up the grave of the first one and reburied her with her sister, on 10 January 1855. The first twin having died a week before. After many moves, they settled in Orderville. Brigham Young made this statement- “The United Order organization at Orderville was the nearest being right in organization, and the most successfully operated of any that made an attempt.” Zemira died in Orderville, at the age of 49 years.
     Sally being left to care for her children did many things to earn a living for them. She was very resourceful, an excellent cook and seamstress, in the sense she could make such raw food materials as were available wherever she might be into palatable dishes. She could make attractive new clothing out of old material already once used. She had borne and reared twelve children and was not afraid of hard work. At one time she and her youngest son milked as many as 47 cows morning and night, as many of them were wild, they had to be tied.
     She was a thrifty industrious woman, many times staying up at night sewing carpet rags by coal-oil light or other activities. Though she was never too strict with her children, when she told them anything she stayed by it and obtained mastery over her family, in whose memory she will forever be revered. She lived a long, useful life, spending most of her last days doing work in the St. George Temple. Her desire was when she died, that she be buried in Orderville by her husband’s side, which she did at the age of 80 years.
     Her daughter Chloe, it seems, was married by a person not authorized to perform marriage. When she realized something was wrong, went to the President of the Church, who told her that she was not legally married. This caused her great sorrow, and not doubt caused her an early death. She was a school teacher and helped several of her nieces in their schooling as they visited or lived with her.
     Many of her teachings have been passed on to her descendants through her children. She left a large posterity who reveres the memory of those pioneers with their great faith in the face of hardships and trials, who kept the faith and endured to the end. May her posterity show their appreciation by also remaining faithful to the end.

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Lydia GOLDTHWAITE
Joseph KNIGHT Sr.
Newel KNIGHT
Sally KNIGHT
Polly PECK

CHILDREN WITH ZEMIRA PALMER