The following is an account of the Haun’s Mill Massacre as told by Austin’s widow and their son John.

A Mob Attacks

In the fall of 1838, mobs in the area were threatening to burn down the mill because it ground corn for members of The Church of Jesus Christ. “All the mills in that part of the country refused to grind for them as they were owned by the mob parties, hoping to starve them out.” Because of the threats, a few of the brethren volunteered to guard the mill. This they did for several days and nights as the mob kept repeatedly threatening violence. Finally the mob leaders agreed to meet with some of the Mormons to see if they could work out a compromise. On the day appointed, a fixed number of brethren were at the mill, hoping to work out a settlement and anxious to restore peace.

The mob party, however, did not make their appearance, but as the day was drawing to a close, a company of some two or three hundred strong partly sheltered from observation by the heavy timber near by; our brethren immediately hoisted a white flag. When the mob saw the flag they knew they had been discovered, they rode rapidly on lead by Baregard and Comstock. On their arrival at the mill one of them, without saying a word to our men gave orders for the men to fire, which order was obeyed. Their leaders then said, “All who desire to save their lives and make peace run into the blacksmith shop,” which was immediately surrounded by the infernal assailants who commenced firing between the logs as there was no chinking between them. They also fired through an opening made by sawing out a log for light. Several were killed in the shop, my father being one of them.

Several bullets were shot into his body, breaking both thigh bones. Some of the brethren thus shot down were dragged out into the yard that their murderers might have a better chance and more room to st[r]ip them of their clothing. All who had boots and coats were rifted of the articles. My father had on a new pair of boots that fit him tightly and in an effort to get them off he was dragged in his mangled condition. This cruel treatment must have caused him excruciating pain.

The brethren seeing that the mob party was so numerous and blood thirsty were useless to make any defence [sic]. Their only safety was to make their escape as best they could, which they did by fleeing into the woods or brush or where ever they could conceal themselves. When the mob had murdered all they found and robbed them of their clothing they retreated.

After darkness had come on the brethren who were hiding began to make search of those who had been killed and wounded. My father was found and carried into Haun’s house, where he died about twelve o’clock that night. During the night they kept up the search as best they could for in the darkness the wounded were found only by their groans. All that were found were taken into Haun’s house as soon as possible to protect them from hogs, which the woods were full of.

Blood Red Mist Arises

 While the men had gone to meet with mob leaders, Nancy Elston Hammer was home, anxious about what was happening.

At the time of this occurrence I was in my ninth year of age. I wish here to relate a circumstance which occurred at the time of this bloody deed was being enacted. I stood in the yard with my mother and Aunt York, my cousin, Isiah York and some of the smaller children of our two families. Our anxiety, of course, was great [as] to the fate of the brethren at the mill, knowing that Father and Uncle John had gone to assist in its protection, and to help those of our friends who lived there.

Looking eagerly in the direction of the mill, a crimson colored vapor like mist, or thin cloud ascended up into the sky, apparently as high as our eyes could see. Precisely from the place where we knew the mill to be. This angular Phenomenon like a transparent pillar of blood remained there for a long time, just how long I am unable to state, but it was to be seen by us far into the night. At that hour we had not heard of what had happened at the mill.

As quickly as Mother & Aunt York saw this blood-like token they commenced to wrong their hands and moan, declaring that they knew their husbands had been killed. Our uneasiness through that night was too great to describe. When daylight came my cousin rode to the mill to find out the facts of what had happened. On arriving he learned concerning the massacre and brought back word as quickly as possible. The following morning my cousin and myself went to the mill and found that the dead had been buried in the well. We found the hat of Uncle York with bullet holes in both sides showing he had been shot in the head.

Faith Endures Through Tragedy

Mob persecution continued after this tragic day. Eventually, the members of The Church of Jesus Christ were forced to leave the area—with only ten days’ notice. The family had one wagon and a blind horse to move them to Illinois. Most of the Church members were barefoot or wrapped their feet in rags to protect them from the frozen ground. John writes:

There was scarcely a day while we were on the road, that it did not either snow or rain. The nights and mornings were very cold for our unsheltered and exposed condition. It is a marvel to me to this day how we endured such fatigue without being disabled by sickness, if not death. But that merciful being who sheltered us, and gave us courage took us to our destination.

My mother seemed to be endowed with fortitude and resolution and appeared to be inspired to devise ways and means whereby she could administer comfort to her suffering children, and keep them in good spirits. Her faith and confidence had ever been great in the Lord, but now when all this weight and responsibility had fallen upon her, with no husband to lean upon, she felt indeed that God was her greatest and best friend. She realized that He, and He alone must be the deliverer of herself and her family. …

During the last years of her life her mind was much occupied in reviewing her long and useful life. In conversation with her children and friends, she expressed much satisfaction that she had acted her part so well and that the Lord had been merciful in giving her the light of His Holy Spirit, which had been a lamp at her feet, to direct her course safely through the dark perils of life.

Lisa M.

I am a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children in a small town in the mountains of Idaho. We ski as a family in the winter and camp, fish, and go to the beach in the summer. I’m a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I am grateful for the Savior and the blessings of the gospel in my life.

Nauvoo, sometimes called the city of Joseph, was central to the heritage of The Church of Jesus Christ. The historical marker will be built at the Trail of Honor Park in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. It will sit near the mills where Latter-day Saints harvested more than one and a half million board-feet of lumber and then floated it down the Black River to Nauvoo some 400 miles away. The Choir will dedicate the site June 19, 2013. Ron Jarrett, president of the Choir, said:

The sacrifices of these logging pioneers are not well known, even among Church members. We wanted to honor these unsung heroes by singing their praises. [1]

Settling in Nauvoo

At the beginning of 1839, the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ were being forcefully evicted from their homes in Missouri under threat of violence. They found refuge in Illinois and were able to purchase land along the banks of the Mississippi, including a small town called Commerce. There were only a handful of dwellings at the time, and the land was swampy. The Prophet Joseph Smith, the first president of The Church of Jesus Christ, renamed the town Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning “beautiful.” The pioneers drained the swamp, platted the land, and began building up the towns. The state Legislature granted the Nauvoo Charter, which gave the Latter-day Saints the right to establish the local government as well as a local militia, a municipal court, and a university. The Prophet Joseph extended a call to members of the Church to gather to the area, and they came by the thousands. [2]

Between 1839 and 1846, Nauvoo grew from “a humble town with one stone house and a few poorly constructed cabins to a metropolitan city rivaling the population of Chicago.” During this period of rapid growth, the Latter-day Saint pioneers built more than 2,500 homes as well as countless other business establishments, including stores, mills, and public and Church buildings. [1] The Latter-day Saints were also encouraged to beautify their homes and their city by planting and cultivating trees, vines, and bushes. [3] The most ambitious architectural projects were the Nauvoo House (which was a large hotel built to accommodate strangers who came to the city to learn about the Latter-day Saints) and the Nauvoo Temple—the Latter-day Saints’ place of worship. [1]

Mission to the Wisconsin Pineries

The decision to construct both the Nauvoo House and the Nauvoo Temple at the same time greatly increased the need for more lumber. However, lumber was scarce in the area, and imported lumber was too expensive for the Latter-day Saint pioneers’ limited financial resources. Church leaders received reports that they could obtain quality, inexpensive lumber in Wisconsin. Thus, the decision was made to send men up there to establish sawmills. A small contingent of 32 pioneers traveled to Wisconsin in September of 1841, and within four years an estimated 200 Church members were working in the mills and logging camps. Ultimately, the Church members in Wisconsin operated four sawmills and six logging camps to supply the mills. [1]

The work was difficult and the conditions were often harsh. Substantial amounts of food were required to sustain not only the people but also their livestock, which were essential to the work. The first season—before the pioneers planted gardens—the loggers’ diets mainly consisted of salt pork, flour, and potatoes as well as the game, fish, berries, and nuts when they could be found. [1]  Winters were especially hard as heavy snows made it difficult to obtain supplies. Allen Joseph Stout, who was a carpenter, wrote of his experience during the winter of 1843–44:

About the last of Mar. [1844] our provisions gave out, so as to leave us quite hungry. Some ate an ox after he had been dead three weeks and I cut of [sic] a piece and salted it and set it away but it stank so that it made me sick, and just as I was done fixing my stinking meat two sled loads of flour hove in sight so I did not eat any of that old carcas [sic]. (Dennis Rowley, “The Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries, 1841–1845,” BYU Studies, 32(1–2), p. 133.)

The pioneers “harvested an estimated one and a half million board feet of milled lumber, over two hundred thousand shingles, and an inestimable number of loose logs, hewed timber and barn boards. The short, straight and relatively mellow Black River floated a dozen lumber-laden rafts 400 miles to Nauvoo.” [1]

Through the remarkable labor and the many sacrifices of the loggers in the Wisconsin pineries, members of The Church of Jesus Christ were able to build and beautify their city. Members in the area remember the sacrifice their forebears’ made to help build a “City Beautiful” as well as a temple to their God. Mary Jurgaitis, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ who lives half a block from one of the logging sites, said:

They came here to honor God. I like to imagine the loggers’ satisfaction at the moment they came around the last bend in the Mississippi and the Nauvoo Temple was brought into their view. What a thrill that must have been for them. [1]

Additional Resources:

Picturing history: Historical marker commemorating Mormon pioneer loggers dedicated at Neillsville, Wisconsin

Black River Falls

Lisa M.

I am a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children in a small town in the mountains of Idaho. We ski as a family in the winter and camp, fish, and go to the beach in the summer. I’m a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I am grateful for the Savior and the blessings of the gospel in my life.