Margaret D. Nadauld once stated that “A woman of faith trusts God. She knows of His interest in her life. She knows that He knows her. She loves His words and drinks deeply of that living water.” These words rung true in the life of Eunice Richardson Stone Connolly’s life; the evidence of her faith led her to uncharted waters. Martha Hodes, a history professor at New York University, devised the biography of Eunice Connolly’s life from 500 old family letters. Through Eunice’s life, one thing held precedence over her life: her faith.

To begin with, the problems that Eunice experienced started at a young age and lead her to an unshakable faith. Eunice’s father and mother owned a small New England farm which brought in very little money (Hodes). Luther Richardson Sr. could not supply for his family, which became the reason that the Richardson’s moved to Manchester in 1945. Nothing changed in Mr. Richardson’s actions; in fact they only got worse (Hodes). In the 1947, Mr. Richardson left his wife Lois and their seven children for a woman of a lower class. During this trying time, the family never wavered from their Congressionalist beliefs and their Puritan background (Hodes). The reason why the beliefs of the Richardson family held precedence over the rest of their daily lives had to do with their ancestors being part of the Puritan settlements (Hodes). The Richardson family held tight to their Congregationalist roots which may have some reason why when Eunice married William Stone at the age of seventeen small problems presented their selves.

Once Eunice married Stone, she took up the beliefs of his family. The Stones’ held tight to a Universalist belief which meant that they believed everyone had a chance to receive the gift of salvation, not just the ones who felt entitlement to the gift (Tindall, Shi). Eunice’s new fascination with the Universalist faith contributed to the idea that she held about working in the mills with the lower classes. Though the idea seemed terrible to her, and she was unable to ‘keep house,’ Eunice laughed with her coworkers and never spoke inappropriately of them (Hodes). However, her family did. Eunice’s younger brother Henry held racist beliefs including the idea that the white race should remain the dominant race in America. When
Eunice moved down South to follow her husband, she never spoke negatively about the different kinds of people she came in contact with like her sister Ellen did (Hodes). The Universalist belief is what led Eunice to ignore comments that would be made about her daughter Clara, and her future husband.

When the war broke out amount the North and South, Eunice’s husband William Stone signed on to fight for the Confederacy while her two brothers, Luther and Henry fought for the North (Hodes). In letters of correspondence between Eunice and her mother, it can be assumed that Henry held hostility towards Eunice’s husband for choosing the ‘wrong side.’ However, Henry was not fighting to free slaves but to preserve the nation that had been built because Henry thought the blacks to be an unequal (Hodes). After the war, Eunice heard news that William had died in Atlanta, and she was now a widow. Since she had moved back to New England from Mobile, Eunice went to stay with her mom after hearing the news. The years of 1865 through 1869 held a depression for Eunice until she met Smiley Connolly, a colored sea captain from the Cayman Islands (Hodes). Being a firm believer of equality, Eunice fell in love and moved with Smiley to the Cayman Islands so Smiley could provide for her, and she could ‘make house,’ something that she had been deprived of since her marriage to Stone (he could not provide for Eunice and their smile family) (Hodes). The decision to marry Smiley brought strain to the family and eventually exiled Eunice from communication with Henry (Hodes).

Since Eunice had decided to ignore the color line and marry for love, she made the ultimate sacrifice of her family, but gained the life that she had always dreamed of. While in the Cayman Islands Eunice still held to her Universalist beliefs, but also took the religion of her new husband, Presbyterian (Hodes). At the local church Eunice taught Sunday school to the locals. In all the letters of correspondence, Eunice never mentioned anything about the color of the skin bothering her (Hodes). Instead, she taught her children to be open-minded like she.

In conclusion, the faith the Eunice held changed her life. I believe her faith allowed her to live a fuller life than that compared to her family. Eunice did not see color, she only saw the ‘divine spark of God’ in every person. This belief led to there being no mention of negativity towards the Irish, African Americans, or the Cayman Island inhabitants she encountered. The life of Eunice Richardson Stone Connolly should be modeled after; her sacrifice of family to live a life she knew would be better should be applauded. Her beliefs in equality and divinity in all is one to be strived after. If Eunice Connolly did not have the faith she did, her death would have come to a miserable woman and not to a woman of happiness and love.