Margaret "Ellen" Talley: Ellen's Faith

Thomas Walker “Tom” DePriest and Margaret “Ellen” Talley were married on the 28th of November 1878 in Hickman, Tennessee, United States. They lived in the Cane Creek Community close to both the DePriest and Talley families. The Mormons had been proselyting in the area and several members of their families had been converted to the gospel and had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. (Ellen’s parents were the first converts in Cane Creek.)

On the 29th of January 1880, both Tom and Ellen were baptized and became faithful, steadfast members themselves. That same year they were happily expecting their first child when a fire broke out. Working together, Tom and Ellen were able to extinguish the fire.

Unfortunately, the baby died in the womb due to exposure to the smoke and fire. After six days, Ellen was very swollen and had been unable to deliver the baby. Dr. Blanton Burwell (a fellow Mormon) and two local midwives all agreed that delivery would not be possible. They sent for another doctor, who lived over ten miles away. He had special tools that would allow him to remove the baby in pieces and hopefully save Ellen’s life. That evening missionaries serving in the area, Elders Hyrum Belnap and Franklin Spencer, were asked to come to the DePriest home. They administered a priesthood blessing to Ellen pronouncing that she would have health and strength.

However, Ellen still had a rough night, chewing her tongue and losing consciousness. This caused the midwife to tell the family that she would do nothing more for a dead woman. In the morning, day seven, the missionaries again administered to her. Shortly, because of Ellen’s faith, her swelling began going down and by 4 pm the little girl, also swollen was delivered, feet first. An hour later the doctor arrived with his special instruments. After examining Ellen, he proclaimed her to be as fit as any women he had ever seen and she fully recovered the same day.

Ellen had a healthy baby boy the next year with ten more children following him. She watched them all grow to adulthood and taught them to serve faithfully in church. Living to 73 years old, Ellen never forgot that faith had saved her life.