A Dream Fulfilled

In the 1850s, while living on a farm in Camden, Australia, Mary Dunster Chittenden dreamed that she received a book from two men carrying satchels. She hesitated to accept it, since she couldn’t read, but she took it for her children to read to her. Not long afterward, her husband, William, went to Sydney, where an old friend introduced him to two missionaries from Utah. William offered them food and shelter, as the missionaries followed the New Testament pattern of relying on local hospitality (see Mark 6:8). When the missionaries arrived at the Chittenden home with the Book of Mormon, Mary recognized a fulfillment of her dream.

The Chittendens were baptized on April 24, 1854. Like most converts at the time, they began planning to immigrate to the American West to build up Zion. After a terrible fire left them destitute, however, William decided to delay emigration. In 1857, when many of the missionaries were called back to Utah, the Chittendens were left to practice their faith and face the persecution of their neighbors, with limited contact with local missionaries and other Church members. The Chittendens cherished the bottle of consecrated oil left with them, using it in times of illness.

In 1861 Mary had another dream, which convinced her they needed to sell all their belongings and move to a town called Goulburn, where they would be able to save for the journey to Zion. In Goulburn, they met another Latter-day Saint family, the Mayberrys, and, with the help of friends, finally managed to save a little money. In 1877 Mary and William left for America with only their three youngest children and a grandchild.

Chittendens

William and Mary Chittenden, circa 1870

Their nine older daughters, however, who were married and settled, chose to stay in Australia. Some later emigrated; others stayed for good. They continued to teach the gospel to their children and share it with their neighbors. Jane Chittenden Carter held sacrament meetings in her home in Alexandria, and the home of Alice Chittenden Andrews in Erskineville doubled as the mission headquarters. Mary and William Chittenden’s legacy positively affected the growth of the Church all over Australia. By 1900 nearly a quarter of the Sydney Branch members were relatives of the Chittenden family.