The Story of Sarah Sim

This is the story of the frontier and how even in the best of circumstances it took a toll on women...

No frontier was harder on women than the Plains.  None found it more stressful than Sarah Sims.  In 1856 Sarah and her husband, Francis,  came from New England to buy 160 acres of land in Nebraska.  Their land had a creek, a grove of trees and neighbors nearby. Sarah was 32 years old when she came west with two children.  Their home was a 10x10 foot cabin.  The family had three cows, two oxen, a horse, a couple of pigs, and some chickens.  The family hunted prairie chickens and rabbits, and gathered wild strawberries and plums.  It seemed they had it better than most.

Sarah wrote her parents that "there is no church, no school.  There is some preaching in private houses. The weather is dry, the water is hard and it seems the wind would blow our little house away."

Before the first year had passed, Sarah's second children died of whooping cough and dysentery.  Her hand got badly infected and a finger had to be amputated.  Francis became ill.  The first winter was bitterly cold. 

Again, Sarah wrote her mother, "it almost breaks our spirits down.  Pray for me that I may overcome my present fear."  For eight months she suffered, becoming despondent and destroying household items, harming herself and sometimes her children, finally attempting suicide.  Francis had recovered and finally tied her to the bed.  Sarah gradually improved and wrote home that, "I sometimes quite despair I would do anything to feel better."

The second year the winter was mild and Francis built an addition onto the house.  They planted potatoes, beans, corn, and salted 1500 pounds of pork to sell.  Sarah planted flowers from seed she had brought from home.  Settlers arrived and a school was built.  Sarah was cheerful.

Sarah stayed strong through four of her nine children dying from diphtheria and mumps.  She survived to live out her life with her family on the Plains of Nebraska - just another of the courageous women who settled the West.  (the photo is Beatrice, not Sarah, but representative of these brave women pioneers)

Next time...A Bit of Learning
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Today in Pioneer History:  "On September 17, 1787, The Constitution of the United States of America is signed by 38 of 41 delegates present at the conclusion of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Supporters of the document waged a hard-won battle to win ratification by the necessary nine out of 13 U.S. states.