Richard Drake was born on November 22, 1839 at Palermo, Oswego, New York. Phoebe Lovina Beecher was born to Ransom Asa Beecher and Sylvia Desire Wheeler at Montrose, Lee County, Iowa on September 23, 1846. Phoebe married Richard Drake on July 24, 1864. They lived in Willard, Utah between the years of 1872 and 1874. Then they moved to Elba or Connant, Idaho and finally to the Teton Valley of Idaho. Richard suffered a stroke in 1904 and passed away March 6, 1912 at the age of 73. Phoebe, born on the flats of the Mississippi River across from Nauvoo, Illinois as a premature twin to a refugee mother fleeing anti-Mormon mobs, died in a tent on a windswept prairie of an Idaho dry farm July 9, 1915.

Ransom Asa Beecher, son of Lyman Beecher and Sally Wheeler, was born at West Haven, Connecticut on December 10, 1813. When Ransom was about a year old his parents moved west to Vienna, Ohio where they remained until at least 1832. Ransom married Sylvia Desire Wheeler on March 22, 1828 at Fort Leavenworth, Missouri. The couple joind The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. Later the Beechers moved to Utah where he died on December 23, 1904; he was buried in the Willard City, Utah cemetery.

Sylvia Lovina Drake was born in Willard, Box Elder County, Utah on March 3, 1867. Later her parents moved to Conant, Cassis County, Idaho. She married Edwin Rice on her seventeenth birthday. Edwin bought her a sewing machine, which she used to make dresses Edwin sold during his freighting trips to Montana. She is remembered as a woman of great faith and one who loved the beautiful refined things of life. She passed away in St. Anthony, Idaho on November 13, 1944 at the age of 77.

Sylvia Desire Wheeler was born in Portage, Ohio, April 17, 1821. When she was 17 years old she went west to Fort Leavenworth, Missouri to be with other members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. While there, she was married to Ransom Asa Beecher. The Beechers lived in Nauvoo for a while, but later had to move west with other Mormons. After they crossed the Mississippi River with their little family, Sylvia was worn out from worry and overwork. That night she gave birth to twin girls. Ransom delivered the babies, which were two months premature; they were so small a teacup could cover their heads and rest on their shoulders. Sarah's life in the unsettled west was full of hardships, trials and work. She was delivered from these when she passed away on March 9, 1877 at the age of 56.