The Empty Flour Barrel

Margaret Crawford Houston (1825-1912)

my third great grandmother

me-->Ruth Rasmussen Buchanan-->Alice Houston Rasmussen-->John Cooper Houston-->James Houston, Jr.-->Margaret Crawford Houston

The white-washed wall wasn't the only miracle Margaret Crawford Houston saw in her lifetime.

After Margaret was baptized into the LDS Church and married James Houston, they came to America to live with the Saints who eventually settled in Utah.

One day Margaret bent over the flour barrel to get some flour out with a pan.

http://www.mutualart.com/Artwork/Young-Woman-and-Barrel-of-Flour/12987986375E79D1

Her husband said, "I saw your stockings when you stooped to get flour from the barrel.  That tells me that it is getting low and we will be needing more."

Margaret retorted, "Well we wouldn't need more if you would stop giving away all the bread I bake.  I baked three loaves yesterday and you gave one loaf to Brother Black because his wife is sick and another to Pete Perkins because his family had gone to bed without supper."

James said, "Brother Brigham told us last night at our Priesthood meeting that if we divided our food with those who did not have any, we would never miss what we gave away.  I promise you, as long as we divide our flour with our friends, flour will always be in the barrel."

"When the flour is gone, it's gone," said Margaret.  "I scraped all there was in the barrel."

Margaret used the last of the flour to make some hot cakes.  She piled them on a plate.

Her daughter Libbie came in.  "Can I have a hot cake?"

"Yes," said Margaret, "but only one.  Father and John haven't had dinner yet."

Libby said, "Oh, maybe I'm not hungry for I had breakfast this morning but Maggie Jones didn't.  Maybe I give this to her if I don't eat it?"

Margaret said, "Yes of course.  Take second one for yourself."

Libby grabbed two hot cakes and ate one of them and gave the other to Maggie.

Then John and his friend Billie came in. John asked, "Mother, we are hungry.  Got anything to eat?"

Billie said, "Them cakes sure do smell good.  Ma can't make any.  She hasn't had flour for a long time because Pa is sick in bed."

"If your Pa is sick you should take some cakes over to him and your Ma," said Margaret.

"Thanks Sister Houston.  I know this will make Pa feel better."

Margaret looked at the empty plate.

"Whatever will I do for bread for James?" she wondered.

James came home and asked, "Is supper ready?"

"Yes," said Margaret, "when you milk the cow, because that is all there is."

Were farmers really that happy to milk a cow?

"But where is the bread?" asked James.

"You gave the bread away so I used the last little bit of flour to make hot cakes.  Our neighbors' hungry children ate them." Margaret said.

"Have you looked in the barrel since you got the flour?"

"James, how stupid you are!"  Margaret then went to the barrel to show him that it was empty.  She was surprised as she scooped out more flour.  "James, your faith is a wonderful blessing.  We will have supper after all."

Just then Mary Brown came over.  "Brother Houston, I hear you are the only one in the neighborhood with flour.  Can I have some and pay you back as soon as we get paid from Brother Knight?"

"Sister Brown, if we have some, you may get it.  Margaret, get Sister Brown some flour."

"But James, you saw me scrape the barrel," replied Margaret.

"Margaret, there is flour in that barrel.  Get it!"

Margaret went again to the barrel and scooped out more flour.

James said, "We shall never want as long as we divide with our neighbors."

This story was adapted from a skit "The Empty Flour Barrel" written by Gladys DeLong Banks. It is based on a true incident.  

The White-Washed Wall

Margaret Crawford Houston (1825-1912)

my third great grandmother

me-->Ruth Rasmussen Buchanan-->Alice Houston Rasmussen-->John Cooper Houston-->James Houston, Jr.-->Margaret Crawford Houston

When I was a teenager, my grandmother Alice Rasmussen told me a story that seemed like a fairy tale.  Since that time I've heard the same story from different sources; I now truly believe it happened.  Here's the account from the book titled "Ancestors and Descendants of James and Margaret Crawford Houston" beginning on page 209.

Margaret Crawford was born in a small village at the south end of Pentland Hills in Scotland.  

Source: http://www.carolinecollie.com/2009/12/travelling-tuesday-the-pentland-hills-scotland/

The Crawfords had lived in Pentland Hills for six generations.  

When Margaret was 2, her family moved to Wilsontown.

http://blueskyscotland.blogspot.com/2012/09/wilsontown-tarbraxforththe-sky-lands.html

When Margaret was 4, they moved to Pebbles-Manor.  [I believe this is a typo and should be Peebles]

When she was 6, they moved to Eddleston, Peeblesshire.

Later they moved to a place that would change Margaret's life.  Biggar, Lanarkshire, Scotland.

Source: http://www.tripadvisor.com/LocationPhotoDirectLink-g186576-i64514749-South_Lanarkshire_Scotland.html

I'm pretty sure that's not how the town looked in the 1830's.  I guess you could say it's gotten bigger, or is that biggar?

Margaret's father owned a small farm.  She had to feed and put fresh water out for cows and horses and gather the eggs and feed the chickens. 

The Farm Girl by Boulanger Gustave

 She also had the job of helping her mother with the white wash.

In the Crawford home was a large fireplace at one end with a low ceiling.  The soot from the fireplace made the walls dirty.  

Source: http://www.marariley.net/celtic/images/farmhouse1788.jpg

Margaret and her mother had the job of painting the walls to make the home clean and comfortable.  They used white clay or chalk found in nearby hills and mixed it with water to create the paint or white wash.

To get a better idea of what they did, here's a short video showing how whitewashing was done.

In all my research of white washing, I learned that it was time-consuming.  I'm fairly certain this was not a weekly chore.  Especially since it took 3 to 4 days to dry and cure.

One day Margaret and her mother had just finished this chore and were admiring the snow-white walls.  They received a knock on the door.

They didn't recognize the man, and thought he was a beggar.  First he looked at Margaret, then he looked at her mother, then he looked at the walls.  After gazing steadily at Margaret, he walked up to the fireplace and picked up a piece of charcoal. 

Then he did something that shocked the mother and daughter.  He began to write on the wall!

He didn't draw pictures like these kids.

He wrote words.  He filled the entire wall with his words .  When he finished, he silently left their home.  He never said a word.

At first, when Margaret looked at the writing, it seemed to be in a strange language.  Eventually she was able to make out the words.  This is what it said:

Margaret was going to be visited by a young man who was teaching a new and strange religion.  The young man was from the new world and had crossed many waters to teach her this religion.  She would accept the new religion and some of her family would accept it, but they would suffer persecution by joining it.  

The young man was of their own nationality, and would return to his home.  Then he would come again to her land and take her as his wife across the many waters, and there in the new world they would build a home and have a great posterity.

After the family read this, they laughed and made fun of it calling it a fairy tale--except Margaret. She was deeply impressed.  They all wondered how someone could come from the new world but be of their nationality, yet that is exactly what happened. 

 In Feb. 1844, Margaret's mother died.  In the fall of 1844, the Mormon missionaries came to Lanarkshire.  

They probably didn't look like these LDS missionaries currently serving in Scotland and Ireland.
Source: http://ashleemission.blogspot.com/2012/07/headed-to-scotlandireland-real.html

One of those missionaries was James Houston.  

First Margaret's father was baptized on 1 December 1844.  Her sister Christina was baptized the following March, next her brothers James and John in May.  

Margaret was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 26 July 1845 by James Houston.    They were married on 25 Aug 1845 and he was released from his mission on 31 Aug 1845.  

Note: LDS missionaries can no longer marry while serving as a full-time missionary.

James Houston went back to get his wife and on 3 September 1845 they set sail for Nauvoo, Illinois.   She was 20 years old.

James Houston is recorded as saying,

"I received her from the Lord and hold her at his disposal."

Margaret Crawford Houston

Note: To read how James Houston came to be a missionary in his own land, click here.