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Show 259 marriage in those early years of struggle lay in her very real love for Milford, part of it in the infallibility she attached to him, and part, no doubt, in her penchant for looking to herself as the party at fault. Milford subscribed to the church's teachings relative to plural marriage, with all of their lofty concepts, and seemed genuinely dedicated in his stewardship over his large family, especially where their spiritual and emotional well-being were concerned. In a tribute to her mother on her 91st birthday, Ellis Musser spoke of "the 2 little north bedroom which Father dedicated for family prayer." In those years of everyone living under one roof, Milford consistently counseled them to be unified and patient with one another. He had evidently observed some plural marriages where there was not peace, and he did not want his household jarred by contention. The notion of his giving physical assistance in the household is never mentioned. It may not have been expected of the nineteenth century Mormon father. He may have, on the other hand, been very helpful when he was at home. He was certainly at the heart of the farming effort in Sugar House. But his really significant activities within the household while the children were growing up, and those Ellis desired most of him, were the counsel, the comfort, and the encouragement which only he could give, as well as the vital Priesthood blessings. How did Milford compare with other husbands in plural marriage? We have already seen that in some homes there was discord. But in |