Diantha Morley Billings

Diantha Morley Billings 1796-1879

In 1815, Diantha Morley was just shy of her twentieth birthday when she first set foot on Ohio sod with her parents, Thomas and Editha Marsh Morley, and some of her siblings. Born in the township of Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts, on August 23, 1795, Diantha was the seventh of nine children. Her older brother Isaac and his wife, Lucy, had previously established a farm near the rural village of Kirtland, Ohio. Here in Kirtland area, Diantha met and on February 16, 1816 married Titus Billings. To this union would be born nine children.

They both became members of Sidney Rigdon's Reformed Baptist congregation.  

Sidney Rigdon

In November 1830, Diantha and Titus, with Isaac and Lucy Morley and many others in Rigdon's congregation, heard of and joined the Church of Christ, later renamed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As the first woman to be baptized in the Kirtland area, Diantha set her course to follow her heart's yearnings and never wavered in devotion to her family, her brothers and sisters in the gospel, or her God.

At the time of her baptism, Diantha was thirty-five years old and had five living children under the age of twelve; she had buried three others as infants. 

She first became acquainted with Joseph and Emma Smith when the Smiths settled in Kirtland in February 1831. 

Joseph and Emma Smith

In August of that year, Joseph Smith sent Titus to Missouri to aid in the gathering of the Saints in Jackson County. There Diantha gave birth to her last child and assisted in the births of several other children as a well-respected midwife. 

Diantha's husband, Titus Billings, was a stonemason and among the first appointed by revelation to move to Jackson County, Missouri. In August 1831 the Lord gave Joseph Smith the revelation contained in D&C 63:39, for Titus to sell his land in Kirtland and move to Missouri, the land of Zion. He did so and in the spring of 1832 they moved to Jackson County, Missouri and experienced the terrible persecutions which the saints had to endure.   Things did not go well in Jackson County for the Saints, and Titus and Diantha were among those who were forced to leave by an armed mob.

A 19th-century engraving of Kirtland, Ohio.

In 1835 the Billings family returned to Kirtland to work on the building of the temple there. 
Diantha, with her beautiful singing voice, was part of the choir that sang for the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in March 1836.

Kirtland Ohio temple

Diantha and her family had returned to Missouri and were living in Far West when the Saints were driven from the state. The night of November 13, 1838 the family was moving across the Missouri River into Clay County and beheld the phenomenon of thousands of shooting meteorites of falling stars. It caused considerable awe and concern among all who watched it. They settled near Quincy, Illinois, and established a home as part of the Morley Settlement. 

Diantha, Titus, and Eunice had beautiful voices, and often sang at Church meetings per the request of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Eunice recorded an incident while they were living in Far West: “The first time I ever sang for the Prophet, Father and Mother were called upon to sing “Redeemer of Israel,” and I sang a part alone.”  (Diantha and Titus sang at the dedication of the Kirtland Temple, and the whole family was in the choir for the dedication of the Nauvoo Temple.)

Diantha was always giving service, especially as a midwife. She was set apart for this purpose by the Prophet Joseph Smith, and it was said that in the 50 years she practiced, she never lost a mother. In fact, one night, after the Battle of Crooked River when her husband had to flee, leaving her alone for three months, the mob was out ransacking houses and terrorizing the women. She delivered a baby, and then raced home to take care of her own family. 

Emma Smith conducting early Relief Society meeting.

By 1842 they were living in Nauvoo, Illinois, where Diantha became a member of the Female Relief Society and Titus worked on the Nauvoo Temple. She joined the Relief Society of Nauvoo at the second meeting, March 24th 1842, where she continued to show her dedication to the Lord and His work. In the minutes she is recorded speaking on the cases of families who need help, and she donating money to help. In Relief Society on August 13, 1843, Sister Billings rose and said:

“I can say with Sister Whitney, we are called to rejoice—

notwithstanding the trials, sickness and death through which we

have been called to pass through in Missouri. I am thankful we

have lived it through and now it becomes us to be faithful and to

walk humbly before God. I feel my unworthiness. and desire that I

may war a good warfare and at last be received into the Kingdom

of God.” She exhorted the sisters to be bold, not timid or fearful in

bearing their testimony…none were required to go beyond their

strength. (Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, 1: 254.)

This good woman still had many trials ahead of her, and she always remained a woman of faith. . Diantha's youngest daughter Eunice recalls of this time,

"I shall remember as long as I live mother telling her children about the mob tarring and feathering brother Joseph Smith, Edward Partridge and one or two other brothers and how they went home for their wives to take care of them and what a terrible condition their heads and their hair was in. Mother always wept when she spoke of the condition they were in and how badly their families felt about it. "

Diantha's youngest child died in Nauvoo at the age of ten.  

The Lord must have had great trust in Diantha, because the Prophet Joseph Smith called upon her to make the first set of Temple garments and to design and embroider the first temple apron, which has been used as a pattern throughout the history of temple endowments in the Church. She did a lot of sewing for the Smith family, and was a very good friend of Emma’s. In fact, she was with Emma and Lucy Smith when the Prophet’s and Hyrum’s bodies were brought back from Carthage. How devastated she must have been, but it shows what kind of person she was thought to be that Emma and Lucy wanted her with them at that time to provide comfort.  In her daughter Eunice’s words, “Mother was as intimate with Sister Emmy as anyone could be with another.” 

Nauvoo temple 1845

Diantha was endowed in the Nauvoo temple, December 13, 1845 and in January 1846, Diantha helped with the administering of ordinances in the Nauvoo Temple. Later that spring, she and her family joined the exodus across Iowa to Winter Quarters. As Diantha was a midwife, she assisted in the nine births which occurred on 4 Feb 1846, when the Saints fled across the Mississippi River from Nauvoo.

Of the time during September 1846, Diantha's youngest daughter Eunice recalls, 

 "The next thing that comes to my mind is the burning of my uncle Isaac Morley's cooper shop. It was full of cooper ware, such as barrels, tubs, churns and other articles he had made to sell. The mob set fire to it and stood around and cursed and swore and yelled, looking like demons from hell at the time it was burning. I can well remember how frightened I was and how light it was from the flames. The shop was but a short distance from our home. I think mother said it was the next night after the fire that we were ordered to leave or home or we would be treated the same way. Mother said fifteen or twenty of the sisters got together and counseled what course of action to take. They concluded to take their smallest children and flee to a house out of town a short distance, where an old man by the name of Beebe lived alone. We had to go about three quarters of a mile in the dark and no women could go together. I remember well how my limbs were scratched and how they bled when I was put to bed and not allowed to cry or make a loud noise. The room where we slept was a large log room. The floor was completely covered with children and some of them did not even have a quilt over them or under them. Mother had three of her children (Alfred, George and Eunice) with her and not one of us had a bite of supper. We went through briars and all kinds of stubble. Mother carried a lantern half concealed under the apron she was wearing. Being the youngest of the three children, I held onto her skirt while she led the way. We had to cross the  main road at a point where four other roads crossed and some very large trees stood. As mother stepped into the road a man from behind one of the trees flashed a bright sword in her face. She jumped back and screamed. The man soon made himself known. He was one of the brethren guarding the crossroads His name was Morgan Gardner. Mother said that ever she was glad to meet a friend it was at that time. All of the women arrived safely."

Diantha experience a similar wagon train scene 1848

 Then, in the spring of 1848, they began their trek farther west in the Heber C Kimball company, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in September of that year.

At the October 1849 general conference of the Church, Diantha was surprised to hear the names of her brother and husband read over the pulpit to lead a group south to settle what would become known as the Sanpete Valley. It took them three weeks to make the journey, and they arrived in what became Manti, Utah, in November, just as winter was setting in.

In Manti, Diantha adopted a little Indian child who was given by the mother for food and clothes. She was christened “Rose Billings” and embraced the gospel and was baptized. When she was grown she moved to Salt Lake City and died a member of their family.

For the next fourteen years, Diantha and Titus lived in Manti, where Diantha participated in the first Relief Society in that area.  In Manti, Diantha Billings was called to be the President of the first Relief Society that was organized, but also continued to serve as the only doctor and midwife in Manti for many years. She served as Relief socity president February 1856–March 1861. 

Some of the things mentioned in her Patriarchal Blessing, given February 22, 1877, are of note in what they tell us about this great woman: “Thou…have yielded obedience of the gospel with an honest heart for which thou art entitled the blessings, gifts and privileges of the new and everlasting covenant. Thou hast seen many changes, passed through trying events and suffered privations, forsaken home and kindred and friends for the sake of salvation which thou shalt verily receive thy reward. The Lord hath heard thy petitions, witnessed thine afflictions and is pleased with thine integrity. Thy guardian angel hath delivered thee from among thine ememies and preserved thy life many times that you might partake of the blessings promised unto the Mothers in Israel among whom Thou art numbered and secured unto thyself the blessings of Eternal Life with a name, which shall be handed down with thy posterity in honorable remembrance from generation to generation. Thou art of the lineage of Ephraim, and thine inheritance is on Mount Zion, the new Jerusalem where thou shalt be crowned with those who have fought the good fight of faith and won the prize. The Lord, hath accepted thy sacrifice and thine offerings, thy mission is about finished. Therefore I say unto thee, be of good cheer and let thy heart be comforted, for all shall be well with thee both here and hereafter, thy name is written in the Lamb’s book of life...”

Around 1864 they moved to Provo to be near their son Alfred and his wife, Deborah Patten. There Titus died in 1866. Diantha lived as a widow for thirteen years, until her death on May 14, 1879. She was buried in the Provo, Utah, cemetery.

As if we needed it to know just what kind of example this great woman is for us, the following comes from her obituary which appeared in the Woman’s Exponent:

“Sister Diantha Morley Billings departed this life at Provo on the evening of May 14, [1879] at fifteen minutes to ten o'clock. She was familiarly known as "Mother Billings," and was truly a mother in Israel, beloved and respected by all. She was amiable, gentle, tender, truly benevolent, and her kindness and deeds of mercy extended to the stranger, as well as the friend or neighbor…

“Early in the settlement of these valleys in the Rocky Mountain region, organizations were formed, a natural outgrowth or continuation of the parent organization in Nauvoo, for the same spirit and sentiment still existed and was soon brought into active exercise. During all this time the sisters never lost sight of this institution as it had been established, nor the promises made to them of its future greatness, by the Prophet Joseph Smith. Among the foremost heroines of that eventful time should be indelibly engraven on the minds of the women of today and coming time, the names of Sisters Vilate Kimball, Mary Ann Young,

Elizabeth Ann Whitney, Mary Fielding Smith, Diantha Billings and others now passed away. These noble mothers in Israel with kindly deed and loving words inspired many a fainting heart with faith and courage and ministered temporal and spiritual blessings to hundreds of the daughters of Zion, whose paths were not strewn with roses, but were full of thorns and fiery trials and needed their encouragement. “…She was an intimate friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith and also of President Brigham Young, President Heber C. Kimball, Bishop N. K. Whitney and of the families of these brethren… Her name will ever be held in honorable remembrance, and she will be esteemed as a woman of God.” ("In Memoriam," [obituary of Diantha Morley Billings], Woman's Exponent