The Beginning
At five in the morning on April 15th, the rooster crowed signaling everyone to awaken. The year was 1847 and the date was Emma Smith's sixteenth birthday. It was also to be her wedding day. She would finally be the bride of Daniel Watson. They have loved one another since the first grade.
Daniel was seventeen, blonde and six foot tall. His lean and lanky figure looked strong from working on the family farm. Actually, he was just a boy but he would grow to be handsome one day.
Emma thought she was very plain but Daniel's love for her made her feel beautiful even with her dark hair. She had to hurry to finish her chores on the farm, help with the breakfast and then bathe to prepare for the celebration.
The traveling preacher would soon be there for breakfast and to perform the wedding. She was very excited. Soon she would become Mrs. Daniel Watson. She couldn't gather the eggs or feed the chickens soon enough. Thank goodness the cows were her brother's duties.
With her chores done, she hurried to the house to help with breakfast. The preacher had already arrived and was enjoying coffee and bread with Emma's Ma, Sara.
The wedding would take place at nine in the morning and after the ceremony a very large breakfast would be served to the guests. A smoked ham had been saved over the winter. There were plenty of eggs and real butter made from fresh cows' milk. There was a large fireplace where the bread would be toasted. Sara's jams and preserves would be a welcome addition.
Daniel and Emma had plans to head west following the ceremony. Their main goal was to farm there and raise a family. Emma and Daniel shared not only love but also a trust in one another that, young as they were, made them feel that they could accomplish this dream. Their enthusiasm was contagious.
Sara had made the most beautiful wedding dress that Emma had ever seen. It was lovely and fit quite well. Daniel smiled broadly when he saw her in the dress making her feel even more beautiful. As the preacher pronounced them "husband and wife," the people who gathered from the countryside cheered. Their friends and family wished them good luck on their journey.
Emma and Daniel walked from the farm with their wagon pulled by four oxen as their family and friends waved goodbye. The wagon was full of all their wedding gifts, which included the yokes being used on the oxen. It had been a gut-wrenching gift from Daniel's father who would miss the yokes more than his son would ever know.
Emma and Daniel waved a tearful but grateful goodbye to their smiling relatives with tear-stained cheeks. The young couple was optimistic of a wonderful future ahead of them with a farm, children and the love of each other. But they knew they would miss their families terribly.
After sundown, they spent their first night tethering the oxen, building a fire and fixing dinner. Then the newlyweds lay down under a blanket of stars. Their love blended their bodies as they each saw their own stars.
In the morning, after a hearty breakfast and glowing with love for one another, they yoked up the oxen, packed the wagon, and set out for St. Louis, Missouri where they planned to meet with a wagon train heading west.
A wonderful future awaited the young farm couple. The apple saplings they carried with them were only one fruit of their labors back home. The child conceived under the stars, another.
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