Our Family Heritage

A Mystery Of The Desert

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 06:24:00 +0000

A MYSTERY OF THE DESERT.

In the early settlement of Iron County, President Brigham Young requested that a party of men be sent from Parowan in search of manganese ore, having been informed that a deposit of it was to be found in Southern Utah. Accordingly, a party of fifteen men, led by David Lewis, a brother of that old veteran Tarleton Lewis, left Parowan, taking with them pack horses to carry the ore, should they be so fortunate as to find the mine from the vague description of its locality given by the Indians.

The outfit of this company of prospectors was very simple; each man carried a gun, a lariat and a canteen, and a single blanket and a sack of crackers, tied on the saddle behind him. After several days' travel in a southerly direction into those vast and dreary deserts, the party one day made a singular discovery. In a level, sandy plain they saw at a distance what seemed a cemetery, with numerous gravestones or monuments; but their surprise at so unexpected a sight was much increased upon a nearer approach, which revealed something entirely different. They saw three circles, one within the other, composed of numerous blocks of cut stone about a foot square, and about two and a half feet long, cut with mathematical accuracy, and which had been originally placed about a foot in the ground and at a uniform distance apart. These three circles were exact in figure, were several yards from each other, and the stones composing them were placed with their flat surfaces facing the centre. In the centre of all stood a small stone cairn, circular in its base, a perfect cone, and about four feet high. The blocks forming the circles, and the stones forming the cone, had been brought a considerable distance, as no rock in place was to be seen anywhere in the vicinity. For a while a silent wonder filled the minds of the lookers on, and many were the surmises as to when this work was done, by whom, and for what purpose; but to all, one thing seemed plain: it must have been made to perpetuate some important event, or the place of deposit of something of great value.

Deciding to investigate, they carefully removed the stones comprising the cairn, and about a foot beneath the surface found the top of a stone box. As this box was almost an exact counterpart to that in which the plates of the Book of Mormon were found by the Prophet Joseph Smith, it merits a particular description. A stone about two feet square and six inches thick formed the bottom; four flat stones standing upon edge formed the sides; and a stone, similar in size and shape to that forming the bottom, was placed upon the top as a cover or lid. All these stones were skillfully cut and finished, with sides, faces and angles, geometrically exact, and, as cut together, each point of junction or seam was perfectly tight. The lid was carefully raised, but no treasure met their expectant eyes—the box was entirely empty. But the under surface of the capstone was a surprise. It was covered with hieroglyphics beautifully cut, which, could they have been interpreted, would doubtless have given the key of explanation to this mystery of the desert. The box had evidently been made to contain something of great value which had been subsequently removed; and as it so closely resembled that from which Joseph Smith took the plates near the summit of Cumorah, may at one time have held a similar treasure, which Mormon may have removed for safety when his people were driven northward by their swarming foes. The only difference between the boxes, it will be noted, was this: that while that upon Cumorah had a lid whose upper surface was in its rough, natural state, this in the desert had been made flat, and its under side was beautifully engraved, which was not the case with that upon Cumorah, so far as the writer understands.

As these rough mountaineers stood silently around this relic of the dim, mysterious past, the pervading spirit of the place filled their souls with a solemn awe. They felt that they stood upon ground that was hallowed indeed, and that they looked upon a receptacle that had once contained something, perchance, of infinite worth, something holy; placed there, and again removed by one of the ancient saints—perhaps by the hand of the great prophet Mormon himself, or by that of his son Moroni.

After some consideration, it was decided to take the lid with them to President Young, and it was loaded upon one of the horses for that purpose; but it was found too heavy and difficult to be transported so great a distance in that manner, and it was determined to leave it. Brother Lewis made as exact a copy of the hieroglyphics as he could with his limited means, upon a sheet of paper, and then the stone was carefully replaced, the stones piled over it as before, and the company departed, feeling that here was evidence strongly confirming the story of Cumorah, as told by the great prophet of the last days. It may be here mentioned that of the squared blocks composing the surrounding circles, some still stood upright, some were leaning, and many had fallen where they had stood.

After an absence of eighteen days, the party returned to Parowan with several hundred pounds of the manganese, which, with the copy of the engraving made by Brother Lewis, was taken to President Young. The writer examined the copied hieroglyphics which, as well as he can remember at this date, resembled very much some of those found in Palengue and Copan, in Yucatan, by Stevens and Catherwood, many years ago.

In regard to the removal of the former contents of the box, the student of the Book of Mormon will remember the charge of the venerable prophet of the Nephites to Mormon when the latter was a youth; that when a certain time should come he should go to the hill called Shim, and remove thence certain holy records there deposited; and how, some years later, when the Nephites were no longer able to retain possession of their country, and were about to retreat northward before the victorious Lamanites, Mormon went to the hill Shim, as he had been directed by the prophet, took up the records and carried them away in his retreat.

It is not probable that the Nephites made a steady and continuous retreat before their foes. No doubt they at times beat back their enemy, and gained a temporary advantage and respite for one or more years, enabling them to raise a little sustenance for their overmatched and half famished host. Indeed the traditions of the Pah Utes, of Utah, as related to the writer many years ago, freely corroborate this idea. Such a temporary halt, illusive to the hopes of the Nephites, would have given abundant opportunity for the making of such a box for the bestowal of their records, which, when again obliged to flee, they would of course remove and take with them. Who can say to the contrary? Could these silent stones of the desert speak, how eloquent might be their tongues, and how intensely interesting the story they could reveal. But for generations have they stood as to-day they stand, silent, mysterious and unspeakable.

An incident which occurred in the early history of Iron County, may be appropriately mentioned in this connection. Walker, the great Utah chief, halted a few days at Parowan while traveling northward, returning from one of his customary raids in the Colorado River country, undertaken for the purpose of procuring captive Indian children to be sold by him to any who would purchase. He obtained these child prisoners by suddenly attacking a village of some of the river tribes, killing men and women, and saving alive such children as would be marketable. The writer met him one day in Parowan, and as I was personally known to him, he stopped me, united a little sack or pouch at his bosom, and took from it two pieces of metal, one of which was nearly twice as large as the other. He held them in his hand for my inspection. In appearance they closely resembled bronze or copper, but were evidently discolored by age. From their weight there might have been a portion of gold in their composition, and I wished to scrape the surface with my knife so as to expose the true color of the metal, but this the chief would not permit, seeming to hold them in reverence. Each of them had hieroglyphics beautifully cut or stamped upon their surface. Walker asked if they were money, adding that he knew where he could get more, if they were of any value. All endeavor to learn from him the exact locality where he had found them was ineffectual, except to learn that it was near the Colorado River, and as the writer understood from him, in a cave.

The writer fully believed then, and does still, that these were veritable specimens of ancient Nephite coin, their evident age as well as their inscriptions clearly pointing to a remote past Indisputably they were made by none of the present inhabitants of America; and as the Lamanites were so inferior to the Nephites in all the arts and sciences, including metallurgy, there is nothing at all improbable in the idea that some Nephite had once possessed them as part of his earthly treasure. If, as Walker intimated, he had found them in some cave, it is easily to be believed they were taken there by some hunted Nephite who hoped in its dark recesses to escape the bloody hand of a merciless foe, but who never left the cavern alive.

We have the promise that in a coming day the secrets of the past, now so shrouded in the veil of silence and gloom, will be revealed, until then we must wait.

Santiago.

(Contributor, vol. 11 (November 1889-October 1890), Vol. Xi. July, 1890. No. 9. 342.)

The Southern Indian Mission

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 06:17:00 +0000

The SOUTHERN INDIAN Mission

By JUANITA BROOKS

TYPICAL PIUTE HOME OF SOUTHERN UTAH

IN 1854, Great Salt Lake City was, as it had been since its founding and was to remain for many years, the most important center west of the Mississippi River. Less than seven years old at this time, it boasted a population of some 20,000 people, a boast no doubt slightly exaggerated. Yet the progress that had been made in those short seven years was little short of phenomenal. Where had been only desert gray, except for the streak of green made by the willows on the banks of City Creek, was now a thriving city, laid out with uniform square blocks and wide streets, and covering an area of twelve square miles. Though the homes of newcomers might consist of a dugout and a wagon box bedroom, or a small adobe house, there were many large, two-story homes with glass at the windows and picket fences in front. Streams of irrigation water ran at the edge of the sidewalks; the young trees which fringed them had grown thriftily.

The temple block was enclosed with a high rock wall, finished nearly two years before, within which were the Hall of Science and a new adobe tabernacle capable of seating between two and three thousand people, to take the place of the willow bowery. Across the street where the Hotel Utah now stands was the tithing office, and adjoining it the long, low building which housed The Deseret News, while across the street to the south the Council House raised its two stories and stood four-square to all the world. One block east, on State Street, the new Social Hall had been completed, the home of the town's best entertainment. Here theatricals were presented, all firearms were checked at the door, produce was accepted for tickets, and the price of a child in arms was listed as ten dollars. Four years earlier the University of Deseret had been founded, with $ 5,000 appropriated annually for its maintenance, and an elaborate course of study outlined.

Perhaps the most striking change had come about along Main Street, for the pole fences of a few years before had been torn down and stores and shops elbowed each other for room, competing loudly with fancy signs, and fitted out with many hitching posts in front and planks along the sidewalks to accommodate the customers.

ON Friday morning, April 14, 1854, six wagons gathered at the home of Parley P. Pratt in Salt Lake City, preparatory to leaving for the Southern Indian Mission. The missionaries had been called at conference the October before and had been given the winter in which to prepare for the mission. Some of them studied Spanish that they might be better interpreters with the traders of the South; all of them tried to arrange their family and business affairs for a long absence. On the Monday preceding, most of them had met and been set apart for this mission. They had also effected an organization with Rufus C. Allen as captain, and David Lewis and Samuel F. Atwood as first and second lieutenants, respectively. Though they had agreed upon this as the time and place for starting, all were not present, but as some lived in the settlements to the south, it was thought best to proceed and pick them up on the way.

The recorder, Thomas D. Brown, wrote that the counsel given was: "In the absence of Capt. Allen that we start under the first lieutenant, behave ourselves as missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, keep a regular and vigilant guard, take care of our teams and other property, and procure our potato seed in the southern settlements and that he—P. P. Pratt—would follow us, and might overtake us, and give us further instructions, setting apart those who had not been with us on the 10th inst."

Garland Hurt, Indian agent for Utah, had written of this group, "They embrace a class of rude and lawless young men, such as might be regarded as a curse to any civilized community." Since from his correspondence it is clear that Agent Hurt found it hard to see anything good in any Mormon, the above comment is not to be wondered at. Certainly the group was composed largely of very young men; certainly they would not fit into his idea of the conventional missionary. But for the work to which they were called, they were well fitted. They were learned in the ways of the frontier; they were resourceful; they had an abiding faith in God and their leaders, and in the value of the work they were sent to do.

THE company pulled out of Salt Lake City in regular order. At Lehi they were joined by two missionaries; at Pleasant Grove by two more, and at Provo Captain Allen and Isaac Riddle came up with them, making the group complete. They now numbered twenty one men, with one boy of fourteen (Preston King) and one of six who were accompanying their fathers. The historian listed all the men, giving their ages, rank in the priesthood, and the quorum to which they belonged. They were, in the order in which he lists them: T. D. Brown, 46; Ira Hatch, 18; Rufus C. Allen, 26; Isaac Riddle, 24; Wm. Henefer, 30; Augustus P. Hardy, 23; Samuel F. Atwood, 29; Robert M. Dickson, 46; Hyrum Burgess, 17; Benjamin Knell, 19; David Lewis, 40; Lorenzo Roundy, 34; Jacob Hamblin, 35; Elnathan Eldridge, 42; Robert Ritchie, 47; Samuel Knights, 21; Thales H. Haskell, 20; Amos G. Thornton, 21; Richard Robison, 23; John Lott, 28; and John Murdock, 27. They included one priest, six elders, twelve seventies, and two high priests.

Their course was to lead them south and west to the very edge of the Mormon settlements. As they pulled out of Provo, they knew that they were facing the frontier and leaving behind them the last town of any size, for Provo was at that time the second largest city in the state. It boasted a flour mill and two hotels, one having eight rooms and the other being forty feet long and two stories high. Here, too, were several select schools, one where French and German were taught, a night school for adults, an historical society, and a singing school. Young men facing at least two years among the Indians could not but reflect upon the advantages of society in the north.

The historian, Thomas D. Brown, kept a careful record of all the doings of the journey, and it is through his eyes that we see most of the details. His journal, written in black ink in a strong Spencerian hand with hair-fine lines up and heavy shadings down, especially on the titles, is a volume of two hundred forty-three pages, and shows his keen power of observation and his independence of thought. His Latin phrases and his quotations from Shakespeare and other English authors mark him as a man with some educational background. He gives details of each day's travel, discussing the roads, the feed and the weather, as well as the towns they passed on the way. He had listed their outfits as:

10 wagons, 23 horses and mules, 6 cattle, 7 cows, 4,420 pounds of flour, 20 wheat, 10 corn, 18 axes, 1 saw, 20 guns, 3 pistols, 2 swords, 5 ploughs, with full ammunition and many "fixings."

They passed through Springville, and paused at Spanish Fork, where the bishop gave them some pork, then progressed to Payson or Petetneti. At Nephi they stopped to have some wheat ground. At Fillmore, Porter Rockwell and other Indian interpreters passed the company on the way to Chief Walker's camp. Under date of April 25, T. D. Brown wrote:

A fine morning after leaving camp up to Corn Creek, very wet and heavy driving. About 20 Indians of Walker's band came and surrounded our wagons and finally crossed the road and stood ahead of them. After many strange gestures and much loud speaking by the eldest of them, a blanket was thrown down. We all understood this to be a demand for toll for passing over their land; we all contributed some bread and flour and tobacco. They sat down and seemed to enjoy the bread. We passed on and soon some more came down the creek; they, too, had to be satisfied.

The next day they passed a small train of goods and droves of horses owned by a Mr. Watters, a mountain trader, and the historian commented on the fact that they had sugar for sale at 75c a pound and tea for $ 2.00. Chief Walker was traveling with the train, and had given Watters an Indian boy in exchange for a horse and about three hundred dollars worth of goods. Porter Rockwell and his group were also returning with this company, trying to persuade Walker to go in to Salt Lake for an interview with President Young. "The Hawk of the Mountains," as Chief Walker called himself, was by far the most powerful chief of the southern part of the state, and felt his own importance, so the Mormons courted his friendship. It might be that the meeting with the train was responsible for this comment:

I shall here mention that this company have attended to prayers morning and evening all the way, to keeping good guards out by night, and have been united, and kept their powder dry.

AT Parowan the missionaries stayed over Saturday and Sunday. This town, often spoken of as "Little Salt Lake" was now only three years old, but if one were to judge by the reports that were sent to The Deseret News, it had made substantial improvements. Some adobe homes had been built, a tabernacle was being completed. Their waterwheel was used to grind flour by night and to run a sawmill by day. A new threshing machine had been freighted across the desert from California, while E. E. Elmer's cabinet shop, C. C. Pendleton's machine shop, and William H. Dame's tannery represented the sum of local industry, aside from farming. Many homes had spinning wheels and a few had looms, and the sound of industry could be heard when one walked about the town. At the conference held there on the September 11, preceding, there had been reported 455 people in the settlement at Parowan, and of the town T. D. Brown comments:

In Parowan I have witnessed the most peace, union, order, good feeling, cleanliness, &c., I have anywhere on the road.

Certainly the Saints of this little town were most liberal in their donations to the missionaries, giving butter, eggs, corn, wheat, potatoes, and fresh vegetables, all of which were carefully listed by the historian.

Beyond Parowan, a day's travel, was Cedar City, the center of the coal and iron industry, where the "Deseret Iron Company" was then working to produce iron. At this town was gathered one of the most heterogeneous groups of the state, for the 795 people reported at their conference the fall before, there were many from England, Wales, Scotland, and the coal mining districts of Pennsylvania. So confident were they that it would be only a matter of months before they would be producing large quantities of pig iron, that some of the Saints had taken the tires from their wagons to be melted down and used to build the machinery. Now they were without the use of their wagons, and were beginning to realize that they must not depend entirely upon the mines for a living, but must produce their own food.

THE missionaries did not stop here long, but went on to their destination, Harmony, the last settlement toward the south, where they arrived on May 2. Their first business was to assure themselves food for the next season, so they selected a site, surveyed it, and divided it into two-acre plots, one for each missionary. These were assigned by drawing lots, each plot being numbered and corresponding numbers being placed in a hat.

The group set to work clearing the land and digging a ditch. After two weeks of work, the historian reported that they had cleared sixty-four acres and, with the help of fifteen friendly Indians, had begun to work on a canal "eight miles long, six feet wide, and three feet deep." Such entries as the following give some idea of what this labor meant, especially to a man unaccustomed to it.

Many engaged this day ploughing and sowing. I and Ira Hatch engaged grubbing land for our wheat, much grease wood upon it. I wrought with my axe until my hands were blistered, broke and bled....

On May 17 a horseman came to tell them that President Young was on his way to visit them, and asked them to gather with the people at Harmony. That meant a buzz of preparation, baths to be taken, beards trimmed, clothes washed and mended. Fort Harmony had only fifteen men old enough to bear arms, besides the twenty-one missionaries, while the president's party consisted of "82 men, 14 women, and 5 children, traveling in 34 carriages and with 95 horses." Truly the visit was an occasion for the people on the frontier.

At early candlelight they all gathered for a meeting in the center of the fort, where a bonfire of cedar was lighted. The people sat in a circle on logs or planks, the visitors, the settlers, the missionaries, and the friendly Indians, self-conscious in their unaccustomed shirts. The visiting brethren spoke of the importance of this mission, exhorting the people to do their duty and promising them that the day would come when the southern part of the state would be the head and not the tail. Parley P. Pratt was explicit in his counsel:

Give them shirts, pants, and petticoats. Say not only "be ye fed and clothed." Language neither feeds their stomachs nor covers their nakedness, nor can words convince them of your friendship. Feed, clothe, and instruct them, and in a year they will more than repay you for your outlay.... Teach them habits of cleanliness and industry "and many generations shall not pass away until they shall become a white and delightsome people." Win their hearts, their affections; teach them, baptize them, wash, cleanse, and clothe them. I should always have clean garments ready and clothe every one I should baptize. ... This wrestling, jumping and gamboling in their presence sets them a bad example, of idleness. Get their good will by manifesting yours....

President Young followed the same theme in his talk, reported in some detail in the Journal. A brief excerpt will serve to show its general tone.

You are sent not to farm, to build nice houses and fence fine fields, not to help white men, but to save red ones. Learn their language, and this you can do more effectively by living among them as well as by writing out a list of words. Go with them where they go. Live with them, and when they rest, let them live with you; feed them, clothe them, and teach them as you can, and being thus with them all the time, you will soon be able to teach them in their own language. They are our brethren; we must seek after them, commit their language, get their understanding and when they go off in parties you go with them.

The president helped the group to lay out a new fort, and gave full instructions for its erection. After he had gone, the missionaries set about preparing to visit the Indian tribes to the south. They must first complete their ditch and get their crops planted, both of which were difficult, for the new ditch had sandy banks that washed away, too steep a grade in some places, and a gravelly, porous bed that lost all the water in others. They appointed a watermaster to keep constant vigilance on the ditch and finally made arrangements to go on what they considered their real mission—a visit to the tribes who had never seen missionaries before.

(The Southern Indian Mission by Juanita Brooks, Improvement Era, 1945, Vol. Xlviii. April, 1945. No. 4. .)

Early Settlement of Utah's Dixie

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 06:08:00 +0000

Utah's Dixie

The Early Settlement of Southern Utah

At the October, 1853 conference in Salt Lake City, a group of fifty families and missionaries under the leadership of Rufus C. Allen (who had been trained in missionary work under Parley P. Pratt in South America) were "called" to strengthen the southern Utah Mission and labor among the Indians. The settlers left immediately but the missionaries delayed until the next spring.

In the meantime, the additional settlers had strengthened Harmony and an Indian school had been established. When the missionaries arrived, May 16, 1854, they found ten Indians in the school.35 Brigham Young visited Harmony on May 19 and while there inquired if a wagon road could be built to the Virgin River. He was given a discouraging reply.

A few days later, a number of the missionaries under Allen, pushed on to the south among the Virgin River Indians.36 On June 5, they descended Ash Creek and encountered a group of Indians near the present site of Toquerville. They made friends with the Indian Chief Toquer (meaning black, probably from the lava rocks) and bargained with him to send a runner to the neighboring Indians to arrange for a meeting with them. They moved on next day and met the other Indians at the present site of the old Washington Fields on the south side of the river.

These Indians were in a surly mood and had hidden their squaws and papooses; hence the Mormons were doubtful of their reception. However, one of them hunted up a hidden papoose and gave him a small pocket mirror which the child showed to the squaws. The trinket so pleased them that they all came out of hiding and quickly made friends with the whites.

The missionaries proceeded thence to the Santa Clara River by way of a trail north of the present site of St. George. Here they made friends with the Indians and laid the foundation for the establishment of a mission. The remainder returned to headquarters at Harmony, but Jacob Hamblin and William Henefer remained for some time on the Santa Clara working with the Indians and visiting others farther upstream. They did not reach Harmony until July.

[p.145] On June 21, 1854, a party of six under the leadership of David Lewis went west from Harmony to Mountain Meadows, down the Santa Clara and thence back over the mountains. On the trip, they preached to the Indians and baptized one hundred and nineteen into the Mormon Church, advising them thereafter not to steal or fight, but to learn Mormon ways of living. Two Indians were sent as messengers to the Muddy River Indians in Nevada, "To tell them we would come among them if they wanted us."37

The settlers at Harmony found a better location a few miles farther upstream on Ash Creek and during the summer of 1854 moved thither, calling it New Harmony. They built a fort there that fall. The missionaries in the Virgin and Santa Clara valleys found their remoteness inconvenient, accordingly a settlement was made on the Santa Clara where they could live among the Indians, and on December 1, Jacob Hamblin, Thales Haskell, Ira Hatch, Samuel Knight and A. P. Hardy established the nucleus of a permanent colony. Two weeks later Rufus Allen and Hyrum Burgess left Harmony for Tonaquint on the Santa Clara near its junction with the Virgin River where they built three log cabins. The missionaries helped the Indians construct substantial dams and ditches for diverting irrigation water. The first dam across the Santa Clara Creek, built in 1855, was a feat which aroused much enthusiasm among the Indians, five hundred of whom gathered to watch its completion. When the dam (100 feet long and 14 feet high) was finished and the water began to rise and run out, half on one side for the Indians and half on the other for the whites, a great shout of exultation went up from the dusky spectators.

The hard labor and poor nourishment which Jacob Hamblin had endured brought on a spell of sickness. To procure medicines and proper food for him, Gus Hardy went to Parowan. While there, Mrs. Nancy Anderson, a southerner, asked him about the mission of the Santa Clara and learned of the long, warm growing season. Believing that the climate might be suitable for cotton, she gave him a quart of cotton seed which she had brought with her from her old home. The missionaries planted the seed on the Santa Clara and raised a crop during the summer of 1855. This cotton was carded, spun, and woven into cloth by the women at the mission. Some of this cloth was sent to Salt Lake City and aroused no little interest there. Samples of the cloth even found their way into England and were said to compare favorably with cotton grown elsewhere. This was the beginning of cotton culture there, which finally led to the fuller settlement of the "Utah Dixie" along the Virgin River, [p.146] much as the iron industry had led to the development of Iron County, Moreover, like the iron industry, it answered a temporary need by supplying clothing when it was impracticable to import cotton.38

David Lewis Deposition

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 31 Mar 2007 05:58:00 +0000

A first-hand account by David Lewis of the incidents involved in the Haun’s Mill Massacre, October 30, 1838. This is a sworn deposition, which was later presented to the State of Missouri for redress of grievances. (Note: The spelling is left in its original context.)

[Sworn to before H. Kimball, J.P. Hancock Co., IL, 11 Mar 1840.]

LEWIS, David JSC fn

Settled with the rest we felt to rejoice we had neither Spyes nor guards out nor was aprehending danger, when about three hundred mounted men came in atack and fell upon us without Showing us any mercy what ever we never saw them until they was as near as one hundred & fifty yards of us we then amediately ran into ablacksmith Shop, they began fyering on us without asking us to Surrender without giving us the chance to Surrender when we called up on them to Spare our lives when men ran out & held up there handkerchiefs & hats for peace they Shot them down when they attempted to run they was Shot down & when they Stood Still they Shot them down threw the cracks in the Shop there was also a window in the end & another in the Side of the Shop, the Shop was neither chinked nor daubed So they had all chances to make a Speedy Slaughter of us, we Saw that they would Show us no murcy we then begun fyering at them but in this time our number was but few and the enemy mostly behind trees & logs So that there was but few of them killed or wounded.

I think that I could venture to Say that neither ancient or modern times have ever witnessed Sutch a cenery of things as was thare witnessed, there was a few men women & children in consequence of threts & the abuse that they had received had guethered themselves toguether in defence of there own lives & there property when they was fell upon by a lawless band, without being Shown the least murcy without Spareing men women or children there was one woman Shot threw the hand othe[rs] had holes Shot threw there clothes, they continued there bloody works until 17 was killed and 15 wounded I must here remark that this woman that was wounded was not in the Shop but was in a tent & when they commenced fyering at hur She run & hid hurself behind a long & it is Said that there was 12 or 14 bullets Shot in the log that She was behind, the other women that was Shot threw there clothes ran out of the houses that was near the shop knowing that there husbands was in the Shop & Screamed for murcy but instead of haveing murcy Shown to there husbands & friend they had to make a quick retreat to Save there own lives, there was one Small boys branes was Shot out, there was too other little boys during the fray consealed themselves under the Bellas & those cruel harted retches after killing both of there fathers came & Stuck there guns threw a crack of the Shop & Shot them both One dyed & the other recovered, they then came in to the Shop among those that was dyining & struggleing in there blood & them all that they could perceive life in they blown there branes out curseing them as loud as Screams could yell, there was too men that laid among the Slain that passed for dead men that escaped being Shot again one of them was wounded & the other was not.

And after these cruel retches had found out that these men had escaped there notice I heard them Sware that if they ever got in another engagement that they would enspect more closer by Sticking there k[n]ife in there toes, this barberous work commenced on TueSday evening about an hour by Sun, they kep on Shootin as long as they could find any to Shoot untill Sun down, it would be miraculous to tell how them escaped that did escape & also to tell how Some was Shot that did recover, how painful it is, when I think upon it my heart is filled & my eyes is ready to drip with tears to See my friend & near neighbors a falling around me, groaning & dying Struggleing in there blood, & to See the widows tears & to hear the orphants cry, to See the helpless babes a weeping Standing by, there was Thomas Mc bride a verry old man & justice of the [——] after he had gave up his gun & Surrendered himself a prisner he was Shot dow & after laying a little while he attempted to rise he was hewn down with an oald peace of a Sythe blade after a while he attempted to rise again he then was hacked down and hacked into peaces this was done by Jacob Roggers.

I had one brother killed & an other wounded I escaped myself but had Several holes Shot threw my clothes, the dead was thrown into a well about 8 or ten feet deep, because there was no one left that was able to burry them, this was too days before the Surrender at Far West, and the Second day after the masacre took place a large company of them came back and fyered there guns & blowed there bugle & frightened the neighbourhood, but did not kill any more, I had forgot to mention there Stealing & robing the houses on the day after the masacre, there was Several that was on there way to Far West from the east that in consequence of the way being guarded by the mob Stoped at the mill five of them was killed & after they was done Shooting the wounded over they then went into the houses & tents & robed the widows of there beds & clothing & left them to perish with the cold they als[o] took off those movers waggons & teams in order to hall off the goods that they had taken they took Several valuable horses they robed the women of there mantles & the men of there clothes, they Striped the boots off of the dead & Sold them, Steaven Runels boasted of Shooting the too little boys, Some of them thou[ght] it was not right others said a littl Sprout would be a big tree afte the mob had left the ground & it began to get dark I crep from my hideing place & went down near the mill & found my brother which was ga[s]peing & groaning in his blood I brought him to my house which was in a few hundred yards of the Shop he lived a few hours & dyed & while he was dying his wife loaned a young man his noble gildon to go to Far West to get assistance to burry the dead, the young man Started in haste & got in too or three miles of Far West & thare he met a company of men they ast him where he was from & where he was going he told them they then ast him where the militia was, he told them he did not know of any. they then told him to turnabout & go with them & they would Show him where they was, for they Said that there was 5 or 6 thosand out here a little piece, they then took him to ray county to Samuel McCristens & Stay all night. they thare robed him of a fine fur cap & threatened to take his over coat telling him that it was too fine for a mormon they thereatened to Shoot him & disputed among themselves who Should have the horse, in the morning Sashel Woods the Same that took his cap & threttened to take his coat & Shoot him Saddled up his horse & rode him round the lot & then Stoped & couneled with his company & then put his Saddle on an other horse and Samuel McCriStin Saddled up the horse & rode him off the young man told them that the horse belonged to a woman that hur husband was dying, this company then took the young man to Richmon & kep him a prisner this companys, names was as follows Sashel Woods Joseph Ewen Jacob Snordan Wiley Brewer John Hille and four more there names not recollected,

I Shall next proceede to give an account of the treatment that we had to endure after our friends was Slain, capt. Nehemiah Cumstock with 40, or 50 men came to the mills & located themselves for too or three weeks & took possession of the mille, dureing this time they lived on the best that the neighbourhood could afford, the industry of the mormons had procured to them Selves a plenty of that which was palatable & good, the capt & his company went from house to hous & plundered & Stold & burnt Some books they robed Some houses of every thing that belonged thare to, they, killed our hogs robe[d] beegams they ground the wheat that was in the mill & mad[e] use of it ther was ten widows in the neighbourhood, whoos husband they had killed & many helpless orphants whoo was dependent on gooing to these wicked retches for there meal & flower there was many exposed to the cold that was left destitute of meanes to Subsist on, there was many laying wounded & no one Scarcely to attend to there wants & there lives was day threattened, it was dreadfull to tell the awfullness of our Situation.

And this abuse we received from men of our own coular & of our own nation & we now not but our four fathers have fought Side and Side for our liberty, they told all manner of lyes & falsehoods against us in order to justify the evil conduct that they done, if we had done any crime we never refused to have the law put in force against us but they new that we had not violated the law & new that takeing us to the law would not accomplish the object that they had in view, for they had not forgot the Spoil that they had gained by driveing the mormons from jackson county, it was our farmes & our Stock & our property that they wanted, I Stand in defyance of the State of Misourie to proove one acusation against us that they So cruely treated that was worthy of the notice of the law for there was many of us in consequence of Sickness had bin confined dureing all of the difficultys & there was five that was killed that had jus came to the country too days before they was killed. Now those wicked retches went from house to house on Search of gunes & other other things that they wanted I was at the house of Jacob Foutz who was laying wounded when capt comstock with a company came in with there faces painted black with a half moon painted under each eye they begun to question Mr. Foutz if he knew where Sutch & Sutch of his neighbours was he told them that he did not.

I then got up & Started out I was ammediately followed out by Some of his company they told me to not go away until the capt Seen me they then went in and Saw the capt & he came out & told me that I must begaune or on the act of Starting by Tuesday evening this was on Sunday evening or denounce mormonism or go to richmond & Stand a trial I ast him what it was I must deny, he Said I must deny Jo Smyths being a prophet, I told him as for going to richman & Standing a triel I did not regard Standing a trial according to law for any thing that I had done, but to be tried by a mob law I did not like it for they heaped the mormons all in a lump & what they had against one they had against all, & as for moveing I thought it quite a Short notice for aman to have to move in when the weather was So cold & had neither waggon or team I told him that my wife was Sick & I did not know how I Should go So Soon I told him that the road was Said to be guarded that none was allowed to pass must I be drove off by one company and another to kill me as I went I told him that I thought the conditions of the treaty was that we might Stay untill Spring, he said that, that was the first conclusion but that he just had received new orders from the General & that was that all mormons Should be driven out forthwith, I then ast him if the way was not guarded So I could not go Safely he Said that he would give me a ticket that would take me Safely I then went my way & we parted, on the next day I hapened at the mill where the capt & his company was he the[n] rote a pass & gave it to me which reads as follows, November the 13th 1838 this is to certify that David Lewis a mormon is permitted to leave and pass through the State of Misourie in an Eastward direction unmolested during good behaviour Nehemiah Comstock, Capt Militia

on the next day after I got my pass Hiram comstock the capts brother came with too or three others men to my house & brought with them a prisoner, they told me that they had a prisner they ast me if I new him I told them that I had Saw him but did not know his name, they after asking Several questions, told me to go with them to there c[a]mp, I went down with them they told me that the prisner Said that he was well acquainted with me they then told me that I might considder my Self a prisner they then gave me plenty to eat & drink but kep me until next day & Set me at liberty

-- David Lewis

I was born Aprile the 10th 1814 in the State of Kentucky Simpson County & remained in the Same Stat & County untill Aprile the 22th 1837 I then went to the State of Missouri I there witnessed thos horred Senes of which I have Spoken, & my real losses, besides my difficulty troubles & vexations is not les than, 400 dollars all accasioned by those difficultys & those difficultys was accasioned by mobs

this March the 14th, 1839 David Lewis

(Clark V. Johnson, ed., The Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 1833-1838 Missouri Conflict [Provo: BYU Religious Studies Center, 1992], 276 - 278.)

Grandpa Hatch's 100th Birhday

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 00:36:00 +0000

Today would have been my Grandpa Hatch’s 100th Birthday. He made it to 96 years of age before passing away, about four years ago this March.

Grandpa lived most of his life in the town of Randolph, Utah a town of about 500 to 1000 people (population has varied from time-to-time over the last century) and well-known for is cold temperatures. His family moved there when he was 3 years old in 1910. Outside of the 2 years he spent on his mission, and a few months away as a student at the University of Utah -- he spent 91 of his 96 years in Randolph. Whenever he was away from town for any length of time, he would become restless and fidgety and would want to return home as soon as possible.

It was not an easy life for grandpa in Randolph. At age 14, his father was killed in a gun accident. Someone came to visit my great-grandfather at his sheep camp. The visitor had leaned his rifle on the wagon wheel of the sheep camp. Somehow the sheep camp was jostled and the gun fell and discharged, which fatally wounded him.

From that time on, grandpa tried to help support himself as much as possible. He began with 3 pet lambs, which eventually grew to 15 head of sheep. He also raised calves, and trapped muskrat, skunks and coyotes to earn money. Through these activities, he was able to help pay for the expenses associated with going to high school, and 1 semester at the University of Utah.

In about 1928, he bought some land on Little Creek, about 5 miles outside of town. Later when Grandpa was called on a mission, he leased this land to his brother-in–law while he was away.

Missionary Experiences

In 1929 he was called to serve in the Western States Mission, which was headquartered in Denver, Colorado. He left on April 13, 1929. He first went to Salt Lake City to go to the temple, and receive instruction from General Authorities before proceeding to his assignment. He received instruction from David O McKay, and James E. Talmadge, among others. On April 25, 1929 he boarded a train to Denver, Colorado. When he arrived, he found that his mission president, Elias S. Woodruff, (son of Wilford Woodruff) had been born in Randolph in the Woodruff log cabin (which now is a historical site).

Grandpa Described some of his first missionary experiences in his journal as follows:

On the second day of his mission, he had his first experience riding a bicycle.
On May 27, 1929, he had his first experience with a dog. Grandpa said: “It was little, and it was brown, but he had me by the leg!”
On June 19, 1929 he had his first street meeting, which he described as: “Kind of a shaky business.”

Meeting Grandma

On October 20, 1929, grandpa was diagnosed with appendicitis. He was sent by train from Grand Junction, CO to Salt Lake City for treatment.

While in the hospital, a certain student nurse, named Lucille, was assigned to take care of him.

Well, one thing led to another, and sparks began to fly. They managed to find ways to meet together, even when she wasn’t exactly assigned to take care of him.

After being released from the hospital, Grandpa stayed in Salt Lake for about 6 weeks to recuperate until he was able to return to his mission. All I can say is that Mission Rules must have been WAY different in those days. During that time, he and Lucille were able to go on a few dates, and spend time together during her off hours. On December 1, 1929, Grandpa returned to his mission, but not without giving Lucille an engagement ring first!

Grandpa received an honorable release from his mission on April 22, 1931. A year later, he and Lucille were married in the Cardston, Alberta temple on May 5, 1932.

Hard times

Circumstances had changed a lot since Grandpa had left for his mission. The stock market crashed while he was in the hospital with appendicitis. By the time he got home, the Great Depression was in full bloom. Times were tough. Cash was hard to come by. There were times when they had to live on game meat. He and his brother-in-law would gather firewood together up Old Canyon to burn in their stoves. Coal stoves were used to heat their home in the cold Randolph winters (Temperatures can reach 30-40 degrees below zero in the winter!) They would milk several cows, by hand, twice a day in order to sell milk to the local creamery. Grandma earned some money as well by working as a county nurse, and traveled all about Rich County on horseback, and by hitching rides with the mail carrier to Woodruff and Laketown.

Grandpa told the story of when he and grandma had to take out a loan for a sewing machine when they were first married. He just hated having to make payments “on time” as he called it. They paid off that sewing machine as quickly as they could. Grandpa would never again incur any other debts throughout his life, with the exception of mortgages for land purchases – which he also always paid off early. He was always very frugal and careful with how he spent his money.

On the other hand, Grandpa was also very generous with is money. There were many people who he would help who were in need, always in a very quiet way. Sometimes that help involved bringing young men, who we would call “at-risk” youths nowadays, to the ranch to work. He would give them a job, and they would stay out of trouble. Grandma and Grandpa maintained lifelong relationships with some of these young men.

The Ranch

Grandpa Hatch would eventually purchase additional tracts of land that adjoined his property. Eventually he would own nearly 2,000 acres of land. About 800 acres of it was cultivated farmland, with the remainder being rangeland for pasturing livestock.

Grandpa started out as a sheep rancher, but converted to cattle in the late 1940’s. Eventually he would have about 250 head of cattle. He would raise the calves each year, and eventually would sell them to feed lots in the Midwest, where the calves would be raised until they were ready to go to market.

One unique thing about grandpa’s cattle operation was that he always raised enough hay and grain to feed his own cattle through the winter. He never had to buy feed for his cattle from others. In this way he was always self-sufficient. In fact, he would usually sell any extra hay to his neighbors, and extra grain to feed companies, which provided a little extra income.

However selling the calves each year was his main source of income. Income would vary depending on the number of calves, and upon market prices each year. Cattle buyers would visit him each year. They would offer to contract with him to buy calves at a fixed price in the fall – call it cattle futures. He could contract with one of these buyers if he wanted to, or he could wait until the fall (usually around November each year) and get whatever the going rate was at the time. He had to know the market enough to decide whether to contract early, or wait for the fall market prices if he thought the contract price offered was a low-ball offer (which they usually were.)

Grandpa would save as much money as he could each year. Eventually he would have a large enough nest egg, that he was able to finance his own operations even in the lean years, without having to take out loans. It always amazed me to go with him to a car dealership, or an implement company and see him write out a check for a new car, truck, or a new tractor. (Actually, it was Grandma who wrote out all the checks.) But that’s just the way he did things. He was able to achieve relative financial security as a result.

Family and Church

Grandpa Served in many church callings. His two favorite assignments were as Stake Mission President, and as an ordinance worker in the Ogden Temple. In each of these, he was able to use his outgoing, gregarious personality as he reached out to others, in the service of God.

Grandma and Grandpa had 4 daughters, 17 grandchildren, and many great-grandchildren. I was the third grandchild, and the first grandson. As such I was the first boy in the family. I spent all of my summers as I was growing up on grandpa’s ranch. It was a wonderful opportunity that I will always cherish.

After the Ranch

While I was on my mission, grandpa sold the ranch. He was nearly 70 years old at the time, and age was catching up with him. It was probably the right decision, but selling the ranch nearly broke his heart. There is something about putting so much of yourself – literally your blood, sweat, and tears into the land. Then not to have that land any longer – your whole life’s work – its almost too much to take. So many memories, over every inch of that land. Land that he had worked for more than 50 years! Grandpa could hardly drive past the ranch in his later years. It was just too painful for him to even look at -- knowing that it was not his anymore.

I think I know a little of how he felt. So many of my memories are in that place. My memories only span a period of about 15 years. However they were my formative years as I was growing up, and my experiences on there on the ranch are forever embedded into who I am. The ranch will always be a part of me that I will carry with me, wherever I go for the rest of my life. When I drive past the ranch now, the memories flood through me as well. Now that grandpa is gone, I see things that no one else sees. I know things about that place that no one else knows – even things that the current owners will never know.

Grandpa was always a busy, up-and-doing "Type A" kind of person. Having nothing to get up for each morning really made him feel like he was not being useful. He tried to busy himself by helping out on his nephew’s ranch, but that didn’t really make him feel useful either. Finally, he and grandma became Temple workers, and then they felt like they were doing something useful and worthwhile once more.

Being a temple worker also worked on him. I noticed that some of the rough edges – like salty language, etc. – that you might expect to find in a rancher disappeared after he worked in the temple. His temple service in turn served to refine an polish him in his later years.

Then came the years of declining health. Grandma’s health failed first. Grandpa took care of her the best he could, with the assistance of my mother. Eventually grandma passed away. My mother continued to assist grandpa for another 5 years, until grandpa got his final wish – to be reunited with his eternal sweetheart.

We miss grandma and grandpa Hatch. They were fine people, who have given us, their family, a wonderful heritage and legacy. We look forward to being reunited with you again one day.

Happy Birthday, Grandpa!

John Perry - (1799-1855)

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 08:19:00 +0000

Photo of Benbow Pond

The following is a history of one of my ancestors, John Perry. This history was written by Hope J. Krum, and was submitted to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Sources for this history are: A history written by Edith Folsome Hatch and the Diary of Amelia Hatch Jackson.

JOHN PERRY

John Perry was born 22 June 1799 in Bishoptown, Herefordshire, England. He resided in the locality of his birth, where he became a master carpenter, cabinet maker and wheelwright and had several apprentices under his supervision.

John married Grace Ann Williams who was born 2 May 1801 (some records show 21 February) in Ashperton, Herefordshire, England to James and Sarah Williams. (You can read a history of Grace Ann Williams here.)

John and Grace Ann resided in the neighborhood of her birth after their marriage. They had nine (some sources say seven or eight) children being born there. They were: James, Elizabeth, Grace, Eliza Ann, Thomas, Alice, William, Elizabeth Melissa (my great grandmother) and John. The members of this family took a prominent part in the religious activities of the community. They were members of a society, numbering more that six hundred, known as the United Brethren. These' good people had broken off from the Wesleyan Methodist Church and organized themselves for the purpose of studying the scriptures, as they were not satisfied with the teachings of the ministers of the mother church. They had forty-five licensed ministers and several chapels. John Perry with seven years service to his credit was one of these ministers. They were constantly pleading with the Lord to send them more light and knowledge.

When Wilford Woodruff was on a mission in England he had a inspiration to go south. He visited that locality in 1840, he found the group known as the United Brethren to be earnest, sincere souls. (You can read from Elder Woodruff's Journal about his experience with the United Brethren here.) Elder Woodruff preached the gospel of salvation to these people and John Perry first heard the gospel on March 5, 1840; and was baptized March 8 by Wilford Woodruff He was one of the first six to be baptized in the pool on the property of Mr. John Benbow. Soon after his baptism, John was ordained an elder of the church by Brigham Young. Grace Ann Williams Perry was baptized 27 March 1840, also in the pool on the John Benbow Hill Farm, where more that six hundred of their religious associates received baptism at the hands of Elder Woodruff.

Several of the Perry children died previous to the family's departure from their home in Ashperton, Herefordshire, England. However, when the two-hundred souls, who formed the second group of foreign Mormon immigrants, sailed from Liverpool, on Monday September 8, 1840, John Perry, his wife Grace , their three daughters, Eliza, Alice, and Elizabeth Melissa, and their sons, William (or James?) and John, were numbered among them. This company in the charge of Theodore Turley sailed on the ship, North America, and they arrived in Nauvoo on 24 November 1840.

One of their severest trials befell them while they were yet upon the water. Their son, William, died and was buried on Staten Island. Upon reaching Nauvoo, John's ability as master carpenter and joiner was soon discovered and appreciated, thus he was assigned some of the most technical work on the temple. Grace was always found busily engaged with the other sisters, providing for the women and helping the people of the community.

While in Nauvoo, their son John, and daughter, Alice both died. This left but two children, Eliza Ann and Elizabeth Melissa. Elizabeth Melissa Perry was baptized in the Mississippi River 18 May 1845. John Perry and his wife Grace Ann Williams received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple 21 January 1846. John was also ordained a Seventy in the Nauvoo Temple.
The Saints were happy and contented in their new home, but not for long. The grumblings of Satan were heard again and the Perry family began preparations to accompany the Saints in their quest for a new home.

Upon being driven from Nauvoo in the spring of 1846, John, Grace and their daughter, Elizabeth Melissa, accompanied the other Saints to Winter Quarters, arriving the later part of August or early September. Eliza Ann had married Ezra T. Benson and joined the company where he was a member. (she was later the mother of seven children.) John Perry was fully occupied in helping to erect shelters for his own family and other Saints. Afterwards, he assisted in preparing conveyances in which the Saints could Cross the plains. By June 14, 1847 they were camped on the Elkhorn River where they were assigned to Charles Rich's company with Edward Stove as captain. On Thursday June 17, 1847 they were organized and ready to start their westward journey which began June 19, 1847. It would seem slow and arduous to us but it was very satisfying to the persecuted Saints. The company traveled an average of ten miles a day, never failing to leave messages and signs along the way, that others might find them and thus have an easier journey.

What rejoicing there was in the camp when the Saints were visited by brethren who were returning from the Rocky Mountains to the Mississippi to assist other stricken Saints. Such unity and brotherly love as existed would be highly valuable in our day.

The company in which the Perry family traveled, arrived at the Old Fort on October 3, 1847, this being the ninth company to arrive at the Great Salt Lake Valley. The family remained in the fort during the winter of 1847-48 and early in April 1848 they joined the families of Peregrin and Jezereal (Jesreal) Shoemaker in settling the country known as Sessions settle (later Bountiful), remaining in that immediate neighborhood, where they cultivated the soil and fought the crickets at the time the Saint's miraculous help from the seagulls. In 1849 the family was informed that Brigham Young wished them to go assist in the settlement of the country south. Always obedient to counsel, they loaded up their belongings and went to Salt Lake City where President Brigham Young told them that they had been misinformed, and advised them to go back to Session's Settlement. While retracing their steps they found a beautiful spring surrounded by some splendid land and decided to locate in that place, and later acquired the title to homestead adjacent to this spring. It is located some eight miles north of Salt Lake City.

During late summer and early fall of 1849, John Perry built a log cabin near the spring; thus providing a home for his wife Grace Ann and their daughter, Elizabeth Melissa. In the spring of 1850, John was appointed to preside over the Saints in the southern part of Session's Settlement and he held this position until his release in the fall of 1852. On September 8, 1850, he was sustained as a member of the first stake high council in Utah.

The family was always hospitable and charitable in their attitude toward others who came into the neighborhood and through uniting together were able to provide the necessities of life for themselves and also assistance to others.

At a special conference held in Salt Lake City, on 28 August 1852 John was called to fill a mission in Great Britian, for which he departed the same fall, September 15, 1952, thus leaving Grace Ann Perry alone in a strange land. She never wavered in her determination to truly be her husband's helpmate, so bravely she assumed the responsibility of managing farm affairs, a task to which she was not accustomed. She never failed to write encouraging letters, no matter what conditions were at home. Her integrity and faith were characteristics of common knowledge among her neighbors.
John Perry arrived in England in January of 1853 and was assigned to labor in Herefordshire. On June 7, 1854, he was appointed to preside over the Wiltshire Conference, which position he held until he was released in the spring of 1855.

One day while attending to her household duties, Grace happened to glance out the door and was surprised to see a tree standing in the pasture some distance from the house. She realized immediately that there was no tree in that location so decided to investigate the phenomenon. As she approached the spot she saw a man standing beneath the tree. The apparition then disappeared and she returned to the house meditating upon the significance of the affair. She was not to learn of its meaning until the next company of immigrants entered the valley, and brought her word of her husband's death.

Upon being released from his labors, on May 5, 1855, Brother Perry sailed from Liverpool with a large company of Saints on the ship, Curling. Upon arriving in America, he was appointed captain of a company of Saints, but upon reaching Mormon Grove, Kansas he was stricken with cholera and after eight hours of illness he passed to the great beyond. He was gifted as a singer and one who was with him at Mormon Grove relates that he spent several hours singing hymns just prior to his death. Upon comparing the time of his demise and the time of the apparition she found them to be the same, 18 July 1855.

John Perry was well built and of average height. He was very particular concerning his personal appearance and always looked very genteel. He was very strong in character, exacting, yet happy and congenial.

Their daughter, Elizabeth Melissa, married Orin Hatch, also a pioneer of the community, on 10 October 1855 and this couple made their home on the Perry homestead where Orin relieved Sister Perry of her responsibilities of the farm work. (Elizabeth Melissa received her endowments 14 November 1855 in the Endowment House, and was sealed to Orin Hatch the same day by Brigham Young.) They were the parents of thirteen children.

One of their daughters, Amelia Elizabeth Hatch, recorded in her diary that when they received the cloths of her Grandfather John Perry, after his death that there were some apple seeds in the pocket of his coat. They planted them and they were the best eating apples in the area. They never canned any apples from that tree as they were so good eating fresh.

John Perry was a great missionary and has many hundreds of descendants and I am proud to be one of his great-great grand daughters.

Information from history written by Edith Folsome Hatch and Diary of Amelia Hatch Jackson.
Written by Hope Jackson Krum

Grace Ann Williams (1801-1873)

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 08:15:00 +0000

The Following is a history of one of my ancestors, Grace Ann Williams. This history was written by Edith Folsome Hatch.

Grace Ann Williams
Born: 2 Feb 1801 at Aspherton, Herefordshire, England
Died: 14 Nov 1873 at South Bountiful, Davis County, Utah
Father: James Williams
Mother: Sarah Williams

On the 2nd day of Feb. 1801, into a good but unpretentious house, in Ashperton, Herefordshire, England, a beautiful dark eyed baby girl came to bless the lives of the family of James and Sarah Williams.

This child was destined to become one of God's noble women, a savior of her parents and loved ones, an influence for the enrichment of the lives of many persons who were to come into contact with her and the progenitor of a great and worthy posterity. This child enjoyed a normal happy childhood, surrounded by parents, brothers and sisters and respectable neighbors and friends; always exhibiting a preference for the good and ennobling things of life.

She grew into a stately young woman, slightly above average height, whose early years were filled with the homely tasks, customary to the young women of her day. Sewing, knitting, baking, she became an excellent house wife, proficient in all of the duties of the home. Her keen dark, kindly eyes, held attention of all who met her. In the course of time she met her ardent admirer and lover, John Perry of Castle Fromes, Herefordshire, England, to whom she was later married. (You Can read a history of John Perry here.) They resided resided in the neighborhood of her birth where the following children were born; James, Elizabeth, Grace, Eliza Ann, Thomas, Alice, William, Elizabeth Melissa and John.

The members of this family were very sincere people, who took a prominent part in the religious activities of the community, and while Wilford Woodruff visited that locality in 1840, he found them members of the group known as the United Brethren; earnest, sincere souls who had banded together to seek more light concerning the Lord's will in regard to his earthly children. Elder Woodruff preached the gospel of salvation to these people and Grace Ann Williams Perry was one of the first persons to recognize it as the Iight for which she bad been seeking. She accepted the Gospel and was baptized March 27, 1840, in the pool on the John Benbow Farm, where more than six hundred of her religious associates also received baptism at the hands of Elder Wilford Woodruff. This number included forty-five ministers; her husband being one of them.

This family had the misfortune to lose three of their children while living at Ashperton, Herefordshire, England, but when the two hundred souls who formed the second group of foreign Mormon emigrants sailed from Liverpool, Monday September 8,1840, the father, mother, two sons and three daughters, were numbered among them. This company, in charge of Theodore Turley, sailed on the ship "North America" and arrived at Nauvoo, 24 November 1840.

One of their severest trials befell them while they were yet upon the water. Their son died and was buried at Staten Island. Upon reaching Nauvoo the father's ability as a master carpenter and joiner was soon discovered and appreciated, thus he was assigned some of the most technical work on the Temple. The wife was always found busily engaged with the other sisters, providing for the workmen and helping the people of the community.

While at Nauvoo, their daughter Alice, and another son, were taken from them by death, thus leaving but two children to them; their oldest daughter Eliza Ann, and youngest daughter, Elizabeth Melissa

The Saint's contentedness and happiness were short lived for the grumblings of Satan were heard again and the Perry family was obliged to make preparations to accompany the Saints in their quest for a new home.

Grace Ann Williams and her husband received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple 21 January, 1846.

Upon being driven from Nauvoo, the Peny's camped on the Elkhorn River where they were assigned to Charles C. Rich's Guard, with Edward Stevenson as Captain, and on Thursday, June 17, 1847 they were organized and ready to begin their westward trek: seemingly a slow arduous journey to us;, but very satisfying to the persecuted Saints. The company traveled an average of about ten miles each day, never failing to leave messages and signs along the route that others following might find them and thus make their journey easier.

What rejoicing there was in the camp when the Saints were visited by the brethren who were returning from the Rocky Mountains, to the Missouri to assist other stricken Saints. Such unity and brotherly love as existed at that time would be highly appreciated in our day.

Eliza, the eldest daughter, married Elder Ezra T. Benson and joined the company of which he was member; this left the parents without one child to accompany them to the valley.

The company in which Grace Ann Williams Perry and her family traveled arrived at the Old Fort on October 3,1847 being the ninth company to enter the Great Salt Lake Valley. This family remained in the Fort during the winter of 1847-48 and early in April 1848 they joined the families of Peregrin Sessions, Jezreal Shoemaker and two others in settling the country known as Sessions Settlement, remaining in that immediate neighborhood, where they cultivated the soil and fought the crickets at the time of the saints' miraculous deliverance by the Seagulls. In the summer of 1849, the family was informed that Pres. Brigham Young wished them to go and assist in the settlement of the country to the south. Always obedient to council, they loaded up their belongings and went to Great Salt Lake City where Pres. Brigham Young told them that they had been misinformed and advised them to go back to Sessions' Settlement. While retracing their steps they found a beautiful spring surrounded by some splendid looking land and decided to locate at that place, later acquiring the title to a homestead adjacent to this spring. It is located some eight miles north of Salt Lake City and about three quarters of a mile south of the present O.S.L. Depot at Woods Cross (1939). Here, during late summer and early fall of 1849 John Perry built a log cabin, near the spring, thus providing a home for his wife Grace Ann and their daughter Elizabeth Melissa.

The family was always hospitable and charitable in their attitude toward others who came into the neighborhood and through their untiring efforts were able to provide the necessities of life, for themselves and also render assistance to others.

At a special conference held at Great Salt Lake City, August 18, 1852, the husband was called to fill a mission in Great Britain, for which he departed the same fall, thus leaving Sister Perry a virtual widow in a strange land. She never wavered in her determination to truly be her husband's helpmate, so bravely assumed the responsibility of managing the faun affairs, a task to which she was not accustomed. She never failed, no matter what conditions were at home, to write him encouraging letters. Her integrity and faith were characteristic of common knowledge among her neighbors.

One day while attending to her household duties she happened to glance out of the door and was surprised to see a tree standing in the pasture some distance from the house. She realized immediately that there was no tree in that locality, so decided to investigate the phenomenon. As she approached the spot she saw a man standing beneath the tree. The apparition then. disappeared and she returned to the house meditating upon the significance of the affair: She was not to learn its meaning until the next company of emigrants entered the valley, when word of her husband's death was brought to her.

Upon being released from his labors, Brother Perry, who was in charge of a company of English emigrants, had reached Mormon Grove, Kansas on his homeward journey. Here several of the company were stricken with Cholera, he being among the number , and after only eight hours illness he died and was buried beneath a tree. Upon comparing the date and time of his demise and the time of the appearance of the apparition she found them to be the same, July 18, 1835.

The daughter Elizabeth Melissa married Orin Hatch, also a Pioneer of the community November 10, 1855 and this couple made their home on the Perry homestead where Brother Hatch relieved Sister Perry of her responsibilities of the farm work. She lived with them at this place until her death, always desirous of continuing in the work of the Lord and determined to accomplish all that he wished of her.

Those who knew her, described her as a person a little above average height, very imposing almost aristocratic appearance, rather good looking, regular features, with keen, kindly, dark eyes and brown hair, who was extremely particular of her personal appearance. She had little to say but what she did say had great weight. Her charitable acts were legion and consisted mainly in the assistance rendered the new arrivals in the neighborhood.
Many of the people community, state that through the assistance given them by her, their people were able to establish themselves in homes of their own. She was strictly honest and would not countenance dishonesty in any dealings of her family. Thoroughly appreciating the good in others, she made every effort possible to see that each person had a fair chance.

Although Grace Ann Williams Perry so readily accepted the Gospel, she was unable to convince the members of her immediate family of its truthfulness and although her efforts in that direction were continued throughout her life, were of no avail and she remained the only one to be a Savior on Mr. Zion to them. Her mother lived to more than one hundred years of age and was still unfavorable at her death.

Grace strictly adhered to the principles and doctrines of the Church.

Her death occurred November 14, 1873, at her home in South Bountiful, Davis County, Utah.

Her descendants are eight children, twenty ,one grandchildren and the later generations are numbered in hundreds.

She was truly one of Our Father's noblest daughters.

Submitted to Daughters of the Utah Pioneers by: Mabel Peterson on 5 Feb 2003

The United Brethren

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Sat, 25 Nov 2006 08:10:00 +0000

One of my Ancestors, John Perry, was a preacher among a religious group called The United Brethren in Herefordshire, England. In March of 1840, Wilford Woodruff came into their area to Preach the restored gospel. You can read a history of John Perry here.

Here are some excerpts from Wilford Woodruff's journal, regarding his experience with the United Brethren.

Excerpts from Wilford Woodruff’s Journal

On His Mission to the United Brethren

From Wilford Woodruff, His Life and Labors, comp. Matthias F. Cowley [Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1916], pp 116-120.)

"March 1st, 1840, was my birthday; I was thirty-three years of age. It being Sunday, I preached twice during the day to a large assembly in the city hall, in the town of Hanley, and administered the Sacrament to the Saints. In the evening I again met with a large assembly of the Saints and strangers, and while singing the first hymn the spirit of the Lord rested upon me and the voice of God said to me, 'This is the last meeting that you will hold with this people for many days.' I was astonished at this, as I had many appointments out in that district. When I arose to speak to the people, I told them that it was the last meeting I should hold with them for many days. They were as much astonished as I was. At the close of the meeting four persons came forward for baptism; we went down into the water and baptized them.

"In the morning I went in secret before the Lord, and asked Him what was His will concerning me. The answer I received was that I should go to the south; for the Lord had a great work for me to perform there, as many souls were waiting for His word. On the 3rd of March, 1840, in fulfillment of the directions given me, I took coach and rode to Wolverhampton, twenty-six miles, spending the night there. On the morning of the 4th I again took coach, and rode through Dudley, Stourbridge, Stourport, and Worcester, then walked a number of miles to Mr. John Benbow's, Hill Farm, Castle Frome, Ledbury, Herefordshire. This was a farming country in the south of England, a region where no elder of the Latter-day Saints had visited.

“I found Mr. Benbow to be a wealthy farmer, cultivating three hundred acres of land, occupying a good mansion, and having plenty of means. His wife, Jane, had no children. I presented myself to him as a missionary from America, an elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who had been sent to him by the commandment of God as a messenger of salvation, to preach the gospel of life to him and his household and the inhabitants of the land. He and his wife received me with glad hearts and thanksgiving. It was in the evening when I arrived, having traveled forty-eight miles by coach and on foot during the day, but after receiving refreshments we sat down together, and conversed until two o'clock in the morning. Mr. Benbow and his wife rejoiced greatly at the glad tidings which I brought them.

"I also rejoiced greatly at the news Mr. Benbow gave me, that there was a company of men and women—over six hundred in number—who had broken off from the Wesleyan Methodists, and taken the name of United Brethren. They had forty-five preachers among them, and for religious services had chapels and many houses that were licensed according to the law of the land. This body of United Brethren were searching for light and truth, but had gone as far as they could, and were calling upon the Lord continually to open the way before them and send them light and knowledge, that they might know the true way to be saved. When I heard these things I could clearly see why the Lord had commanded me, while in the town of Hanley, to leave that place of labor and go to the south; for in Herefordshire there was a great harvest-field for gathering many saints into the Kingdom of God. After offering my prayers and thanksgiving to God, I retired to my bed with joy, and slept well until the rising of the sun.

"I arose on the morning of the 5th, took breakfast, and told Mr. Benbow I would like to commence my Master's business by preaching the gospel to the people. He had in his mansion a large hall which was licensed for preaching, and he sent word through the neighborhood that an American missionary would preach at his house that evening. As the time drew nigh, many of the neighbors came in, and I preached my first gospel sermon in the house. I also preached at the same place on the following evening, and baptized six persons, including Mr. John Benbow, his wife, and four preachers of the United Brethren. I spent most of the following day in clearing out a pool of water and preparing it for baptizing, as I saw that many would receive that ordinance. I afterwards baptized six hundred persons in that pool of water.

"On Sunday, the 8th, I preached at Frome's Hill in the morning, at Standley Hill in the afternoon, and at John Benbow's, Hill Farm, in the evening. The parish church that stood in the neighborhood of Brother Benbow's, presided over by the rector of the parish, was attended during the day by only fifteen persons, while I had a large congregation, estimated to number a thousand, attend my meetings through the day and evening.

"When I arose to speak at Brother Benbow's house, a man entered the door and informed me that he was a constable, and had been sent by the rector of the parish with a warrant to arrest me. I asked him, 'For what crime?' He said, 'For preaching to the people.' I told him that I, as well as the rector, had a license for preaching the gospel to the people, and that if he would take a chair I would wait upon him after meeting. He took my chair and sat beside me. For an hour and a quarter I preached the first principles of the everlasting gospel. The power of God rested upon me, the spirit filled the house, and the people were convinced. At the close of the meeting I opened the door for baptism, and seven offered themselves. Among the number were four preachers and the constable. The latter arose and said, 'Mr. Woodruff, I would like to be baptized.' I told him I would like to baptize him. I went down into the pool and baptized the seven. We then came together. I confirmed thirteen, administered the Sacrament, and we all rejoiced together.

"The constable went to the rector and told him that if he wanted Mr. Woodruff taken for preaching the gospel, he must go himself and serve the writ; for he had heard him preach the only true gospel sermon he had ever listened to in his life. The rector did not know what to make of it, so he sent two clerks of the Church of England as spies, to attend our meeting, and find out what we did preach. They both were pricked in their hearts, received the word of the Lord gladly, and were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The rector became alarmed, and did not venture to send anybody else.

"The ministers and rectors of the south of England called a convention and sent a petition to the Archbishop of Canterbury, to request Parliament to pass a law prohibiting the Mormons from preaching in the British dominions. In this petition the rectors stated that one Mormon missionary had baptized fifteen hundred persons, mostly members of the English Church, during the past seven months. But the Archbishop and council, knowing well that the laws of England afforded toleration to all religions under the British flag, sent word to the petitioners that if they had the worth of souls at heart as much as they valued ground where hares, foxes, and hounds ran, they would not lose so many of their flock.

"I continued to preach and baptize daily. On the 21st day of March I baptized Elder Thomas Kington. He was superintendent of both preachers and members of the United Brethren. The first thirty days after my arrival in Herefordshire, I had baptized forty-five preachers and one hundred and sixty members of the United Brethren, who put into my hands one chapel and forty-five houses, which were licensed according to law to preach in. This opened a wide field for labor, and enabled me to bring into the Church, through the blessings of God, over eighteen hundred souls during eight months, including all of the six hundred United Brethren except one person. In this number there were also some two hundred preachers of various denominations. This field of labor embraced Herefordshire, Gloucestershire, and Worcestershire, and formed the conferences of Garway, Gadfield Elm, and Frome's Hill. During this time I was visited by President Young and Dr. Richards."

On the 14th of April, 1840, Elder Woodruff records the ordination of Willard Richards to the apostleship. Two days later the Twelve, in council, voted to publish a Church periodical in Great Britain. Elder Woodruff proposed that it be called the Millennial Star, and it was so named.
"Brother John Benbow furnished us with L300 to print the first edition of the Book of Mormon that was published in England," wrote Elder Woodruff; "and on the 20th of May, 1840, Brigham Young, Willard Richards, and I held a council on top of Malvern Hill, and there decided that Brigham Young should go direct to Manchester and publish three thousand copies of the Book of Mormon and the Hymn Book.

"The power of God rested upon us and upon the mission," said Elder Woodruff, in our field of labor in Herefordshire, Worcestershire, and Gloucestershire. "The sick were healed, devils were cast out, and the lame made to walk. One case I will mention: Mary Pitt, who died later in Nauvoo, sister of William Pitt, who died years after in Salt Lake City, had not walked upon her feet for eleven years. We carried her into the water, and I baptized her. On the evening of the 18th of May, 1840, at Brother Kington's house in Dymock, Elders Brigham Young, Willard Richards, and I laid hands upon her head and confirmed her. Brigham Young being mouth, rebuked her lameness in the name of the Lord, and commanded her to arise and walk. The lameness left her, and she never afterwards used a staff or crutch. She walked through the town of Dymock next day, and created a stir among the people thereby; but the wicked did not feel to give God the glory.

"The whole history of this Herefordshire mission shows the importance of listening to the still small voice of the spirit of God, and the revelations of the Holy Ghost. The people were praying for light and truth, and the Lord sent me to them. I declared the gospel of life and salvation, some eighteen hundred souls received it, and many of them have been gathered to Zion in these mountains. Many of them have also been called to officiate in the bishopric, and have done much good in Zion. In all these things we should ever acknowledge the hand of God, and give Him the honor, praise, and glory, forever and ever. Amen.

Chester Carpenter

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Wed, 04 Oct 2006 22:18:00 +0000

This is the story of my Uncle, Chester Carpenter as told by his sister, Bessie Wirig.

Chester Joseph Carpenter was born November 17, 1919, in Robertson, Uinta County, Wyoming. Robertson was an out-of-the-way, rugged, frontier homestead in Western Wyoming, not far from Old Fort Bridger.

Chester was the third Child of Raymond Linzy and Verbena Mary Carpenter. He was the youngest child for only a few minutes, because very soon after his birth, his twin brother, Charles William Carpenter was born. There was no attending physician to assist. Both of these babies weighed under three pounds at birth.

They were tiny and had difficulty nursing, so milk was warmed over a coal oil lamp, and fed to them with an eye dropper. Eventually there would be 12 children in the family, and Chester would have many responsibilities.

Chester's early years were spent in Robertson. Later they moved to Evanston, Wyoming where he attended public schools and graduated from high school in May 1937. Life in his youth was hard (during the Great Depression) and being one of the oldest boys, he had many chores to handle as the family struggled for necessities.

He learned at a very young age to milk the two cows. This meant arising early each morning to milk the cows before school, and then again after supper in the evening. Along with keeping a garden, tending to chickens, rabbits, geese, and hogs, there was little time for anything else.

Chester was a talented writer, and wrote lyrics to music used for the High School and Junior High school songs. These were sung at every major school event for many, many years after Chester graduated. He wrote many poems that dealt with historic events and his love for life and his surroundings.

During the Great Depression, employment was almost unheard of, so Chester joined the CCC (or the Civilian Conservation Corps) one of the government projects put in place to help solve unemployment. He later worked as a sales clerk for the JC Penny store in Evanston.

War was brewing in Europe and it was evident that it would only be a short time before the United States would be involved. Drafting young men into military service was on the horizon, so Chester decided to enlist, rather than be drafted. In June 1941, he entered the military as a buck private, 21 dollars a month was his wage. He was in Cheyenne, Wyoming on December 7, 1941, and was immediately sent to the West Coast where his unit was being shipped out to the Pacific Theatre of war. The night before the scheduled departure he had an appendicitis attack, and was rushed to the hospital. The ship left without him. He learned later that most of those who were in his unit did not return from the war.

He was a good soldier, and won the respect of many. He was nominated to go to Officer's Candidate School, where after many hours of instruction, he was commissioned a Second Liutenant. He was assigned to the Army Medical Corp as a Registrar.

He was sent to England and witnessed the awful blitz bombing by the Germans where he sustained some eye damage. Right after D-day on June 6, 1944, he witnessed the first of many casualties coming back to England. Shortly thereafter he was sent to Calais, France, overseeing medical field units which were set up to take care of the wounded from the many bloody battles fought thereafter -- including the Battled of the Bulge. He witnessed a lot of pain and sorrow as he worked with the wounded and the dying. He advanced through the ranks of First lieutenant, then Captain, and became a Major.

He was a good soldier and a devoted son to his parents. He wrote a letter every week and expressed his love and appreciation for them. He was always interested in their well-being. For mother's day, 1943 he wrote this poem that expresses his love and concern:

Dear Father, bless my mother
On this war-time Mother's Day.
Give her comfort, free from worry
While her sons are far away.
Bless each one, that none will ever,
'Til the Victory Bells are tolled,
Change to white, the red carnation,
Or the stars of blue to gold
(Chester J. Carpenter, Army Medical Corp, May 9, 1943)

The war ended and Chester was discharged. He took employment with the W.T. Grant Company as one of their field managers in El Paso, Texas for a short period of time before he took advantage of the GI Bill and enrolled in college.

He received a Master's Degree from the University of Southern California (USC). He then attended Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa and earned another Master's Degree. Afterwards he attended Florida State University in Tallahassee, where he earned his PhD in Psychology. He taught at FSU as professor and then accepted a position at Indiana State University in Terre Haute, Indiana, where he taught until his retirement. He still had difficulty seeing, and had to wear very thick eyeglasses. However, he struggled through his eye impairment and succeeded in his profession.

Chester was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was sealed to his parents and family in the Salt Lake Temple as young boy. Eventually he was ordained a Seventy, and served as a Stake Missionary for the Woodruff Stake.

On November 22, 1962, he married Earlene Rose Schlotthower in Tallahassee, Florida. She died in May, 2005.

To this union was born Alexander Joseph Carpenter in 1963, and Ellen Rose Carpenter in 1965. Alexander was born with multiple birth defects, due to oxygen deprivation at birth. Alexander required constant care, and has been attended to by his family over the years. His sister Ellen has cared for him the last few years, until very recently, when circumstances required that he be placed in a care center. Ellen has taken care of her mother, and her father until they passed away. She took care of her brother for quite some time as well. She has truly been a blessing to her family.

My father (Joel) remembers his older brother Chester, taking a tablet of paper, and finding a shady spot under a willow tree to write. There he would sit, along the banks of the Bear River which ran next to their property, thinking, and pondering and writing. Chester was a gifted writer, and you can read some of his poems here.

Chester will be remembered as a loving father, dedicated husband, caring son, and a wonderful brother and uncle. Our love goes with him.

He was buried at the Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, in St. Louis, Missouri. I understand that this is the largest national cemetery, outside of Arlington National Cemetery, in Virginia. He was buried with full military honors, due to being a veteran of World War II.

Our Mayflower Ancestors

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Wed, 23 Nov 2005 07:41:00 +0000

Looking forward to the Thanksgiving holiday, I have been doing some research to find any of my ancestors who were passengers on the Mayflower.

Until recently, I knew of only one Mayflower Ancestor, William Bradford. After doing a little more research, I have found a total of 7 Mayflower ancestors from my family thus far.

Below is a list of the Mayflower passengers that I am descended from. Alongside each name, is the years of their life-span, and their age at the time they sailed on the Mayflower

Bradford, William 1590 - 1657, Age 30

Brewster, William 1560 - 1644, Age 60
Brewster, Mary 1567 - 1627, Age 53
Brewster, Love 1595 - 1634, Age 25

Cooke, Francis 1584 -1663, Age 36

Hopkins, Stephen 1580 -1644, Age 40
Hopkins, Elizabeth (Fisher) 1595 -1640, Age 25

If you click on a link, associated with one of these names, you will be directed to a brief biographical sketch of each person.

I recently read that there are now at least 30 million living descendants of the original Mayflower passengers living in the United States Today.

For a complete Mayflower passenger list click here. Once you see the passenger list, you can click on any passenger's name for information about that individual.

George Meldrum (b. 1830)

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Wed, 06 Jul 2005 00:02:00 +0000

Meldrum Handcart
Originally uploaded by David B..

I have recently transcribed a history of George Meldrum, who was born on 2 Aug 1830 in the village of Carriston, parish of Markinch, county of Fife, in Scotland. This history was written by a grandson of George, named Thomas Wilford Meldrum. You can read by clicking on the following link. The history is called: George Meldrum (Heir)

More details and other histories of George Meldrum will follow.

Zadok Knap Judd

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Mon, 27 Jun 2005 04:07:00 +0000

Kanab Cemetery - Memorial Day 2005
(Click on Photos to see a larger image)

On our way to Lake Powell, from St. George, we passed through Kanab, Utah. As we went past the cemetery, I noticed two columns of flags lining the main drive in the cemetery. The display was so striking to me, that I had to go back and take a pictures of it. I got out of the truck, and started snapping some photos. To my surprise, everyone else bailed out of the truck too. Dawn Ann remembered that she had some relatives buried there. So Dawn Ann and Amy started looking around the cemetery to find headstones of relatives. Bryan, on the other hand, wanted something to do, rather than just browsing around the cemetery.

Zadok Judd

We were able to find a few of Dawn Ann's relatives there. In particular, we found the grave of Zadok Judd. Zadok's sister, Mary Lois Judd Mitchell, was Dawn Ann's direct ancestor. They were born in Canada, and later joined the church in Ontario during the early 1830's. A few years later, they decided to gather with the Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, only to find out that Joseph Smith, and the Elders of the church had already moved on to Missouri. The family continued on in their quest to join together with the Saints, in a 1,000-mile trip to Missouri. Soon after arriving, however, they were driven from Missouri, and eventually settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. Eventually, they were driven from Nauvoo too, and began their trek to the valleys of the Rocky Mountains.

Mormon Batallion Insignia

Zadock, joined with the Mormon Batallion, which is noted on his headstone. There was a special insignia commemorating his status as a Veteran of the Mexican war of 1846-47.

Meanwhile, while we were finding and photographing headstones, Bryan located a fellow who was installing a headstone. Bryan learned how to use the block and tackle that the installer was using. Bryan lowered the 900 pound headstone in place, while the installer guided it into position. For Bryan, this something that really caught his interest, and was even fun for him.

Bryan Installing the Headstone

You Can read more about Zadok Knapp Judd a a web site dedicated to his remembrance.

David Lewis - Pioneer Forefather

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Fri, 24 Jun 2005 05:32:00 +0000

David Lewis, and his first wife Duritha Trail.
Photo taken about 1850

As part of our Memorial Day weekend trip, we stopped in Parowan to visit the grave of David Lewis. He was one of Dawn Anns ancestors, and an early member of the Church. He, and his brothers had settled at Haun's Mill, Missouri. On October 30, 1838, anti-Mormon mobs (In The guise of the Missouri Militia) descended on the small Mormon villiage. Just two days before, the mob/militia had demanded that the residents of Hauns Mill disarm themselves - which they mostly did. (You can read David's own account of the Haun's Mill Massacre here. This is a sworn deposition he wrote to petition for redress to the State of Missouri for damages he suffered at Haun's Mill.)

Now the armed mob/militia came with a force of 300 men and surrounded the men and boys of the community in a blacksmth's shop. They then began firing upon the men and boys - taking great delight in killing and wounding the men, and even took delight in killing the little boys.

David and 2 of his brothers were present in that blacksmith's shop. David's older brother, Benjamin was criticlly wounded, and died later that night.

Another older brother, Tarleton Lewis was shot multiple times. One wound was in his shoulder, with the bullet being lodged near his spinal column. He would survive Hauns Mill, and later come West with the Mormon Pioneers. Later, Tarleton would be called as the first Bishop of Salt Lake City.

At the time of the Haun's Mill Massacre, David Lewis had been sick for some time -- possibly with Cholera. He had just regained enough strength to walkwhen the mob descended upon their villiage. David, found himself along with his these two brothers in the blacksmith's shop. They all realized that they had to get out of the blacksmith's shop if they were going to have any chance to survive. Tarletonand Benjamin took off on the run. David, because of his recent illness could not run, but only walk. He left the blacksmith's shop and headed for a fence, the other side of which was a forested area that would provide some cover.

As David made his wayto the fence, numerous shots were fired at him. David had been blessed with a comforing spirit by the Holy Ghost that he would not die of a bullet wound. So in faith, he made his way accross the open area toward the fence. He heard several shots go whizzing past his head, but he kept on going. The commanders of the militia were cussing out their men because they couldn't seem to hit him. Later, an examination of his clothing would reveal numerous bullet holes, but there were no wounds to his flesh.

David made it over the fence, and hid in the woods. Eventually, he was taken prisoner by the militia. The next morning, he asked the militia if he could go check on his family, and that afterword, he would return and surrender himself to them again. Atfirst the militiamen scoffed and mocked him at the idea that he would ever return. hDavid gave his word of honor yhe wouldin fact return.

They let him go, not really expecting him to return. However David did just as he said he would. He found that Benjamin had died that night of his wounds, and that Tarleton had been seriously injured. He checked his wife, and is own familh, and then returned to the camp of the militia.

For a short period of time, David fetched wood, hauled water, and cooked meals for the militia men. After that he asked if he could return permanently to his family. By then, the hearts of the militiamen were softened toward David. They gave him a permission slip to move about the area, signed by the commander of the militia, which would prove to be a blessing to David and his family.

Later on David, like his brother Tarleton, would come west with the Mormon Pioneers. He was instrumental in the settlement of communities in Southern Utah. He also was a missionary to the Indians and helped with developing diplomatic relations with the Indians in the Southern Utah area.

You Can Read more accounts of David Lewis' life after arriving in Utah below:

The Early Settlement of Utah's Dixie
The Southern Indian Mission
A Mystery In The Desert

David Lewis' Headstone at Parowan Cemetery
Click on Photo for Larger Image

David passed away in Parowan, Utah, possibly of a stroke of some kind. It was an honor to visit his grave, and to remember him and the sacrifices he and his family made for the Gospel's sake.

Here is David's Individual Record on Ancestral File

Here is Duritha's Ancestral File Record

Here is the Family Group Sheet for David and Duritha.

Intro to Our Family Heritage

noreply@blogger.com (David B.) — Fri, 17 Jun 2005 04:49:00 +0000

This Blog will contain the stories of our ancestors. We will post vignettes from the lives of our progenitors, photos of them where possible, and links to other Internet resources about their lives, and their geneology.

We are in the process of collecting burial information for these ancestors. We will post photos of their headstones as we visit local cemeteries, along with instructions on how to find their graves within the cemetery.

We will create an alphabetical index links in the sidebar of each ancestor featured on this blog.

We may also build links to genealogy and family history resources available on the web as well.

Both my wife and I come from a rich heritage. Our ancestors have been instrumental in the establishment of the Church, and the settlement of the American West. We also have ancestors who came to America starting in 1620, and who fought in the Revolutionary War.

Now our children inherit the heritage from both of our family lines: From pilgrims on the Mayflower, to Revolutionary War Veterans, to the earliest members of the church (both in the United States, as well as in Great Britain), to hearty pioneer forefathers who crossed the plains in covered wagons and even handcarts, to soldiers who marched with the Mormon Battalion - on both sides of the family. One ancestor who fought on the Union side of the Civil war. Our children's ancestors helped build both the Kirtland and Nauvoo temples. They marched in Zions Camp, at Hauns Mill they were shot at, and some died. They helped settle many areas of the intermountain West as pioneers. Another ancestor was a timekeeper for the Union Pacific Railroad, and was present at the driving of the Golden Spikewhen the first transcontinental railroad was completed at Promontory Summit, Utah.

We have a rich heritage in the church, and as Americans. It is our responsibility to teach our children of their heritage. They must know of the sacrifices which have been made to make this country, and to build the Kingdom of God on Earth. That is why we stop at little the cemeteries along the way. That is why we tell them their stories, and record them for future posterity.