This article which was written by Danielle B. Wagner appeared in the 25 April 2016 online edition of LDSLIving.com.

Fear, fed by rumors and confusion, led the pioneers in Circleville, Utah, to kill at least 30 Paiute men, women, and children in an act that, in the long years since, has largely been forgotten. But the Church is working to change that.

On Friday, April 22, 2016,—the accepted anniversary of the massacre—members of the Paiute Tribal Council and the History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gathered together to dedicate a memorial that honors the lives of those who were killed 150 years ago.

Read the rest of the article.

Guest Author

Sadly, many of the children would lose their parents to death along the trail. However, even in their final moments, their parents’ hopes and prayers were that their progeny would reach Zion and have a better life for themselves and all future generations. In such times, these children were robbed of the innocence of their youth as they were forced to mature and take on adult responsibilities at an early age. Nevertheless, they were determined to fulfill their parents’ desires, and continued the journey, albeit with heavy hearts. Along the way, many of the children would have stories of their own to tell about their experiences.

Mormon Children on the Pioneer Trail

Twelve-year-old Albert Dickson was one of thousands of Mormon children who migrated to the west in the late 1840’s and early 1850’s. He was the second oldest of 5 children. His other siblings, his fourteen-year-old sister, Samantha; his nine-year-old brother, Judson; Alvina, who was six; and two-year-old William were also on the journey which covered an average of ten to fifteen miles each day depending on weather and the terrain, with only approximately half that distance traveled once they reached the Rocky Mountains.

Albert recorded the following in his journal:

We crossed the Missouri on a large flatboat. Two wagons went on each trip, with three men to the oar and one at the rear to steer. They would land down the river about one mile from the starting point, then pull the boat back with oxen.

When the entire party, which consisted of 60 wagons, had gathered on the other side of the river, they were divided into groups of ten with a captain appointed as leader of each group. Children comprised at least half of the company. The older children usually walked beside the wagons, with some being given the responsibility to herd the sheep. The younger children also walked during part of the day, but were allowed to ride in the wagons as they grew weary.

According to the article by Fay McCracken titled “Children Pioneers” in the July 1995 issue of the Friend magazine:

The group followed the Mormon Trail, which had been cleared in 1847 as a route for the migration of Church members to the Salt Lake Valley. It followed the north side of the Platte River to the fork of the North Platte and South Platte, then ran along the North Platte to Fort Laramie, where the pioneers crossed the river and followed the Oregon Trail to Fort Bridger. From there they traveled down Weber Canyon and Emigration Canyon into the Salt Lake Valley. The entire trip was about 1100 miles.

The company that Albert and his family traveled with was the fourteenth to leave for the west that spring, and the trail which the pioneers traversed was well marked and well-traveled. As the pioneers continued their trek westward, one of the first challenges that they faced was disease such as cholera which affected adults and children alike. Two members of the company succumbed to the disease at the first camp on the Platte River, and by the time they reached Loup Fork, a total of twelve would die from the dreaded disease.

With the large number of buffalo that were sited on the trail, buffalo meat soon became a staple, and oftentimes members of the company would leave messages on buffalo skulls for those yet to come.

Contrary to many wise tales, although Indian tribes were encountered along the way, they never presented much of a problem to the Mormon pioneers. In fact, they would often visit the camps and were given gifts such as beads and fishhooks. Because of the hospitality that was shown to them, the Indians did not attack the wagon trains.

Remembering the Sabbath Day

The wagon train would often stop and camp for a day or two to rest the animals, repair wagons, and do laundry. The older boys in the camp were expected to work with the men and help to get camp chores done. Albert worked alongside his father, Billa Dickson, who was a blacksmith by trade, and whose services were often called upon to repair wagon wheels and axles. He also hunted for fresh meat for the camp with his father.

Although the rigors of the journey were long and hard, the Mormon pioneers always remembered to take time to observe the Sabbath. The rest from the arduous journey was welcomed by everyone, especially the children as they attended Sunday school with their friends, sang songs, listened to stories, visited with the other children, and explored the nearby countryside.

They the Builders of the Nation

The company reached their halfway point, Fort Laramie by midsummer, and on the first of October, they entered the Salt Lake Valley – their new home – Zion.

Mormon Pioneer Children Became Leaders in Utah

Usually when a person thinks about Mormon pioneers, they are more familiar with the stories of the adults that made the trek to the west. However, a majority of the western pioneers were actually young children like Albert Dickson who eventually moved to Morgan County where he became the first Bishop of the Richville Ward, and served for 37 years. As these pioneer children grew older, they became the builders and leaders of thriving communities. They literally became the builders of a great nation which was forged out of barren and hostile lands. Their skills and leadership abilities were partially developed during their trek to Zion.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

Above is an infographic from The Trek West page of history.lds.org.

The first section shows major events that took place in the lives of pioneers before and after they survived the trek to the Salt Lake Valley. The graphic depicts the timeline of the lives of two pioneer women whose lives spanned a 200-year period.

Mary Ann Pulver VanLeuven (28 March 1768 – 7 April 1861) was approximately 84 years of age and a widow when she crossed the plains with the Robert Wimmer Company. Prior to embarking on the trek west, she witnessed many events from the Declaration of Independence to the first Saints departing Nauvoo, Illinois, and following Brigham Young to Utah. She was the daughter of John and Mary Ann (Spenser) Pulver. She married John VanLeuven in 1790. He passed away in 1847.  She was also the mother of 12 children: Cornelius, John, Ransom, Frederick Matthew, David, Carson, Davis, Ann, Elizabeth “Betsey”, Calvin, and Benjamin. Benjamin and Frederick took her to San Bernardino, California, by wagon train. She was captured by Indians en route and stripped naked before they where able to rescue her. They were among the first to bring oranges and citrus to Southern California. Many of their descendents still live in the area.

Hilda Anderson Erickson (11 November 1859 – 1 January 1968) was born in Ledso, Skaraborg, Sweden. She was the daughter of Pehr Anderson and  Maria Kathrina Larson Anderson. She was the wife of John August Erickson and had 2 children, Amy Dorothy Erickson Hicks and John Perry Erickson. She had 3 siblings, John Pehr, Claus, and Charles Pehr Anderson. She trekked across the United States as a young girl. During her lifetime she witnessed events from the completion of the First Transcontinental Railroad to the first successful human mission to space.

The second section of the infographic shows a day in the life of a pioneer traveling with a wagon train. In order to accomplish everything that needed to be done in a day’s time, the pioneers had to make a schedule to include making all of their food from scratch, as well as taking care of any accidents that might occur and repairs to their wagons.

The third section of the infographic is a Then and Now comparison.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

of-common-sense.site123.me/

The Campbellites attempted to recreate the New Testament Church and that appealed to him, but like many of that sect, he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, whose members are sometimes nicknamed Mormons, when it was organized. He was baptized near the end of 1830, the year the Church was organized. He had noted the scriptures about the Holy Ghost and when he met four Mormons, he decided to test their work by discovering whether or not the Spirit would testify to him of the truthfulness of their teachings. He rode twenty miles to Kirtland and that night the Spirit bore witness to him that it was true. He spoke with several recently baptized people and heard their testimonies that the Spirit had been present at their baptisms and conversions. That morning, he asked to be baptized. It was his third baptism, the first two being with the Baptists and the Campbellites, but the first time he felt the power of priesthood authority as the ordinances were performed. When he was confirmed and given the gift of the Holy Ghost, he felt that gift enter into him for the first time.

Murdock was so excited he began sharing the gospel with everyone he saw and his work resulted in seventy new members in four months. The requests for missionary lessons and baptisms came so fast he quit his job and joined home with another family to cut expenses.

The next year, his wife died in childbirth. He had five young children, including the newly born twins. John being overwhelmed by having to care for so many little ones, Joseph Smith, the first prophet and president of the Church, offered to take in his twins and raise them with his wife, Emma. Their own twins had just died the day before John’s were born and John knew of Emma’s heartache. Unfortunately, one of these twins, a little boy, would also die, the victim of a mob. The twins were quite ill and the when the girl finally fell asleep, Joseph sent his wife to bed with their daughter to get some rest. Finally, when the boy fell asleep, Joseph placed the child in the cradle near the door and went to rest himself. A mob broke into the house and kidnapped Joseph, tarring and feathering him. They left the door open and the icy wind made the little boy so sick he died.

Two months after the death of John’s wife, John became a high priest and then was called to serve a mission after he had settled his children. The three oldest were sent to stay with Bishop Partridge, while the surviving twin stayed with Joseph and Emma. He sold his property so he could assist these families in caring for his children.

In 1833, he came to live with Joseph Smith, allowing him to be near his daughter. He continued serving the church during this time and that year he had a vision in which he saw the face of the Lord, fulfilling the promise given to him in the revelation that called him to his mission.

When the Mormons moved to Utah, he became the first bishop (lay pastor) of the Salt Lake 14^th ward. A ward is a congregation. He served a variety of missions over the years, including two to Australia. He remarried three times, with the second and third wives also dying (one just a year and a half after their marriage.) The last wife, with whom he adopted a child, outlived him.

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

Heber immediately began missionary work and baptisms with Brigham Young and Joseph Young. Early in April, he had the opportunity to meet Joseph Smith, the president and first prophet of the Church, for the first time. He also became a member of Zion’s Camp, initially organized to try to peacefully stop mob attacks on Mormons in Missouri. Many future leaders came from this volunteer group. Later, when the Camp reorganized, he became a bodyguard to Joseph Smith, whose life was in constant danger.

In 1835, Heber became an apostle, following the New Testament model of Christian church leadership. He served a mission in the eastern states and was also able to attend the dedication of the Kirtland Temple in Ohio. He was particularly proud of his wife’s accomplishments in the building of the temple:

Our women were engaged in spinning and knitting in order to clothe those who were laboring at the building, and the Lord only knows the scenes of poverty, tribulation, and distress which we passed through in order to accomplish this thing. My wife toiled all summer in lending her aid towards its accomplishment. She had a hundred pounds of wool, which, with the assistance of a girl, she spun in order to furnish clothing for those engaged in the building of the Temple, and although she had the privilege of keeping half the quantity of wool for herself, as a recompense for her labor, she did not reserve even so much as would make her a pair of stockings; but gave it for those who were laboring at the house of the Lord. She spun and wove and got the cloth dressed, and cut and made up into garments, and gave them to those men who labored on the Temple; almost all the sisters in Kirtland labored in knitting, sewing, spinning, etc. for the purpose of forwarding the work of the Lord  (Instruments in the Hands of God, James E. Faust, General Conference, October 2005).

1837 was a very difficult time in Mormon history. Many people left the church this time, including leaders. However, not once did Heber C. Kimball waver, even during this time period. Despite frequent threats to his life, persecution, and mob violence, he stayed faithful to the Church and to God. While others complained, he went cheerfully off to England as a missionary, where he taught and baptized about 1500 people.

After returning from his mission, he moved with his family to Far West, where the Mormons were currently living in their constant search for freedom of religion. However, a mob invaded that community as well. Heber C. Kimball offered himself as a hostage to protect others. In December of that year, he and a few other leaders petitioned the state of Missouri to protect the Mormons and their constitutional rights. (Instead, Missouri would eventually put out an extermination order against all Mormons.)

A committee had been organized to plan for the safe movement of the Mormons to a new place. In April of the year following the petition, Heber C. Kimball warned the committee to finish up and get out of the area, because their lives were in danger. At about that same time, members of a mob tried to kill him on the street. He took his family and moved to Quincy, Ilinois. He then moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, where the Mormons again tried to found a city.

While Heber was in Washington, DC, trying to seek help from the federal government for the unceasing attacks on Mormons, Joseph Smith was murdered. This set off another round of apostasy as some people rebelled against God’s plan for Church succession, which made the head of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles the new prophet. Heber C. Kimball stayed firm and followed Brigham Young’s leadership.

The Mormons were forced to abandon their city and their homes to flee west, in the historic journey to Utah. Heber C. Kimball was made one of the two captains of the groups that left first—Brigham Young being the second. He was with the first group to reach the Great Salt Lake Valley and one of the first three speakers at the first church service. He offered a revelation that introduced an essential term into Mormon terminology, that of borrowed light:

To meet the difficulties that are coming, it will be necessary for you to have a knowledge of the truth of this work for yourselves. The difficulties will be of such a character that the man or woman who does not possess this personal knowledge or witness will fall. If you have not got the testimony, live right and call upon the Lord and cease not till you obtain it. If you do not you will not stand. …

The time will come when no man nor woman will be able to endure on borrowed light. Each will have to be guided by the light within himself. …

If you don’t have it you will not stand; therefore seek for the testimony of Jesus and cleave to it, that when the trying time comes you may not stumble and fall. (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1967, p. 450.)

He became a member of the First Presidency (consisting of the president of the Church and two counselors), making him the second-highest ranking church member. He had the opportunity to help lay the cornerstone of the Salt Lake Temple and to offer the dedicatory prayer.

In 1856, the Mormons were facing potential starvation. Heber and his family chose to eat less so they could share what they had stored with those who were in need. He once wrote that he cared only for things of eternity. He died in 1868. His grandson, Spencer W. Kimball, later became the president of the Church.

This article is adapted from:

Every Person in the Doctrine and Covenants by Lynn F. Price, Cedar Fort, 2007

Terrie Lynn Bittner

The late Terrie Lynn Bittner—beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friend—was the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992.

John White Curtis, Jr., (1859–1949) was born in Springville, Utah, to John White Curtis (1820–1902) and Matilda Miner (1840–1909). His parents married in 1855 in Springville, Utah, and had 14 children between 1858 and 1885. John White Curtis, Sr.’s, first wife was Elmira Starr (1815–1883). They married 1836 in Connecticut had 3 children between 1842 and 1846.

John White Curtis, Sr., joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church) in 1832.  Matilda was baptized in 1851.

Honored Mormon Pioneers

John White Curtis

Since past history is sure to indicate the general character of future families, this history will fall short of the very vital part of my parent’s lives. Nothing has been written of them until now, and I can only recall a small part of our family life. My parents were both pioneers and had to endure all the hardships of those days. Words fall short of expression of Father’s nobility and manhood. He had unusual foresight, used good judgment, and was always known as a fair dealing man. Both my parents were highly esteemed and their character is worthy of study for well-directed ideals.

My mother could remember the death of the Grandfather, Edmond Durfee by a mob. How it grieved her childish heart. She told how she lay counting the stars to make herself sleep. She well remembered walking across the plains, or carrying wood miles for their evening camp. Grandmother Tamma kept a jar of dry salt-rising bread meal ready for emergency needs. When they couldn’t have a fire, they had this bread to nibble on. Sometimes they soaked it in water so they might eat it. Mother often told of her white factory dressed dyed with blue. She told us of one little girl who traveled near in crossing the plains who had two pairs of shoes. When they came to thorny, rocky roads, this girl wore the best pair and let Mother wear the other until they came to better roads, then Mother trudged happily along. Mother walked across the plains when only twelve years old, and had no shoes except when the girl loaned her shoes to Mother.

My mother was born the 12th of January 1847 at Lima, Hancock County, Illinois, and was married in 1855. Her unwavering patience and sincere honesty are traits worthy of study by any person. To one who knew her casually, little note would be given, but to those who knew her innermost life, she is idolized as one among many. She devoted her all to those of her acquaintance and had a life of unusually hard toil and rough experiences.

Father had erysipelas of the bone and was very sick for two years, was never really well after this sickness, being somewhat crippled. Among experiences in these hard times, I remember helping Mother gather heads of grain in the fields that had been harvested. The hordes of grasshoppers which we always had to fight will always hold a place in my memory.

Memories of Indian Encounters

Our home life in Springville was quite adventurous because of savage Indians. They would steal our horses and cattle every chance they got. The women and children would all gather at one place at night and the men would stand guard. The squaws were bad to steal; they came often to our home and demanded food, etc., which Mother always shared.

I remember when I was very small my Father took me into the canyon with him for a load of wood. As we were leaving for home, an Indian stopped us and asked for a ride. Father let him ride but was rather uneasy, as then Indians were always treacherous. He had a rope under his blanket which he thought was well hidden, but we saw it and knew he was after something. He rode into the valley with us and disappeared. Hay was very scarce with us, so we had to turn our horses in pastures. The next morning, one of our horses was gone, and this Indian was later seen riding him.

On the 26th of June 1886, a band of these troublesome Indians stole horses from Spanish Fork and Springville pastures. They fled up Maple Canyon with our men in hot pursuit. As our men drew near they all began firing. One white man was killed and one seriously wounded. I was seven years old, and I remember they would not let me see either of the men they brought back. After this battle the Indians seem a little frightened and caused less trouble for a while. I loved the mountains, and being the oldest boy, my father usually took me along with him.

John’s Parents’ Polygamous Marriage

Times were very hard and my parents were poor, so we did any kind of work to get provisions and clothes. Father and his brother Ezra cared for the Utah County Coop sheep for two years. It took a great effort, as Father did his part with the sheep and went to Springville often enough to keep the farm going. His first Wife, Elmira Starr, stayed at home with part of the family, while my Mother went with, taking me and the baby girl. I was old enough to help some.

Both of father’s wives lived in the same house. They were very congenial and worked together on all problems. They were both fond of children and Aunt Elmira treated us as her own. We loved her, the same as we did Mother. They were both spiritual people and we were taught religion from our early youth. Father’s timely guidance with the firm cooperation of his wives are to be admired by all his children.

Settling Again

In 1877, when I was 18 years old, we moved to Willow Bend, now Aurora. Father took up land, and by extra hard effort raised a crop the first year. He went to the mountains and cut logs immediately, then moved his family from Springville. This first house was made by placing four poles in the ground and then making sides and a roof of willows. When winter came, we plastered the willows with mud to hold out the cold. We did our cooking on an open fire out of doors. Our furniture was limited. The chairs were made with rope, cane and leather, basket woven for seats. The beds were four posts beds, with rope for springs, and straw tick mattresses. Stools were commonly used for chairs. Later, the fireplace was a substitute for a stove, shelves were used for cupboards, and the roof was dirt covered.

Father traded one yolk of oxen to Mr. Coons in Richfield for water rights in the Rocky Ford Dam and Canal Company. I worked with father all my life until twenty-five years of age, helping him to support the family and get a start.

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

When most people think of Latter-day Saint or Mormon pioneers, they think of settlers from the Eastern United States or immigrants from Europe.  However, other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (often inadvertently called the Mormon Church) left their homelands to follow the Lord and His prophet as well. Polynesians responded to the prophet’s call to gather to Zion in the late 1800’s.

Mormon Missionary Serving in Hawaii

Brigham Young, then president of the Church, called my great, great uncle John Anderson West to leave Parowan, Utah, to preach the gospel in the Hawaiian islands in the late 1850’s and again 14 years later.  In his journal, John recorded his initial difficulty in communicating with the islanders.  With divine help, he slowly learned Hawaiian.  He loved the humble, hospitable people. During his first mission, missionary work progressed slowly.  When he returned again in 1870, many locals converted to Mormonism.

One convert gave John a horse to use while he traversed the vast Big Island. John recorded how a recent volcanic eruption had totally wiped out villages where he had once taught the gospel and he mourned the loss of friends who perished. The converts were faithful and endured great hardship as they converted to Christianity.

Pacific Islander Emigration to Utah

Converts left the Pacific Islands and emigrated to Utah. The leaders of the Church found a place in Utah’s Skull Valley, about 75 miles southwest of Salt Lake City, for the Pacific Islanders to settle. They named the settlement Iosepa (Yo-see-pa) honoring President Joseph F. Smith who was one of the first missionaries to the Hawaiian Islands, and the Prophet Joseph Smith. Though many parts of the Pacific Island’s leeward shores are desert-like, the Islanders had never experienced jarring winters which compromised the settlers’ health. Outbreaks of smallpox, diphtheria, pneumonia, and leprosy took a heavy toll. The emigrants creatively tried to adapt their traditional food to Utah food options, even substituting flour and cornstarch for poi. They tried to grow seaweed, as well as other more traditional mainland crops. However, crop failures forced many men to seek work as gold and silver miners. They created Kanaka Lake, a small reservoir, for swimming and recreational activities. Iosepa’s grid pattern streets were lined with yellow roses.

Richard Poulsens’ A History of Iosepa, Utah, reminisced that

The Polynesians were especially proud of their luaus, where they dressed in traditional costumes and performed the songs and dances of the islands along with their Gosh Ute Indian neighbors from the adjoining Reservation. On these occasions large feasts were prepared consisting of pigs and sheep cooked in an imu (underground oven), along with the making of laulau by wrapping carp (raised in their reservoir) inside corn husks. The traditional island poi was replaced with a substitute concoction that used cornstarch and flour.

In 1911, Utah historian J. Cecil Alter wrote,

Iosepa is perhaps the most successful individual colonization proposition that has been attempted by the Mormon people in the United States… There are 1,120 acres practically all in use and half as much more is being brought under the magic wand of the Hawaiian irrigator.

The Salt Lake Tribune reported, “As many as 200 [residents] lived [in Iosepa] from 1889 until 1917. Many then returned to their homeland, drawn by the LDS temple going up in Laie, Hawaii.”  Iosepa was deserted in 1917.

Remembering Iosepa’s Polynesian Mormon Pioneers

Vermin Hawes, a descendant of Iosepa settlers, coordinated a Memorial Day event in 1980 at Iosepa to repair and beautify the area. Polynesians now gather annually on Memorial Day at Iosepa for a three-day festival celebrating the pioneers’ history with memorial services, games, and a luau.

Late LDS President Gordon B. Hinckley dedicated a bronze bust Polynesian warrior monument to the memory of the settlers of Iosepa on August, 28, 1989.

Visitors continue to pay tribute to the Polynesian converts’ memories in Iosepa. Celebrating Utah’s 2013 Pioneer Day at Iosepa, Jacob Fitisemanu from Taylorsville, Utah, imagined being part of the original settlement and reflected,

There is a spiritual connection whenever we come here. We try to be reverent when we come here. We understand it.

They made it work. They were very spiritual people who managed to survive. They brought water to town from the top of the mountain four or five miles away for an irrigation system. They were an industrial people.

The converts of Iosepa settled their portion of Utah’s barren wilderness to be closer to the Salt Lake City Temple so they could participate in sacred Mormon temple rituals. The courage born of their faith enabled them to overcome the challenges of bitter winters and unusual food and culture. When a temple was built in the Hawaiian Islands, they returned to worship and build up the Church in Hawaii.

Having lived in Hawaii, I know that the Polynesians’ incredible faith in Jesus Christ and His Church continues today. They diligently spread the Savior’s love and aloha to others through food, friendship, and a constant invitation to learn of and worship the Savior in His holy temples throughout the Pacific Islands.

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

One morning we thought we would go and gather gooseberries. Father [John] Tanner harnessed a span of horses to a light wagon. And with his little granddaughter [Matilda], two Sisters Lyman [Matilda’s mother and Father Tanner’s daughter being one of them], and I, Father Tanner started out. When we reached the woods we told the old gentleman to go to a house which was in sight and rest while we picked the berries. It was not long before the little girl and I strayed some distance from the others, when we suddenly heard shouts. The little girl thought it was her grandfather, and she was going to answer, but I restrained her, thinking it might be Indians. We walked until within sight of Father Tanner, when we saw he was running his team around. As we approached we saw Indians gathering around the wagon, whooping and yelling as others came and joined them. When he saw us approaching, Father Tanner drove over and we got into the wagon to start, when four of the Indians took hold of the wagon wheels to stop the wagon, and two others held the horses by the bits, and another came to take me out of the wagon. I then began to be afraid, and asked Father Tanner to let me get out of the wagon and run for assistance. He said, “No, poor child, it is too late!”

I told him they should not take me alive. Father Tanner’s face was white as a sheet.

The Indians commenced to strip him of his belongings. They had taken his watch and handkerchief, and were trying to pull me out of the wagon. I began silently to appeal to my Heavenly Father. While praying and struggling, the Spirit of the Almighty fell upon me and I arose with great power, and no tongue can tell my feelings. I was as happy as I could be. A few moments before, I saw worse than death staring me in the face, and now my hand was raised by the power of God, and I talked with those Indians in their own language. They let go the horses and wagon, and stood in front of me while I talked to them by the power of God. They bowed their heads and answered yes in a way that made me know they understood. The little girl and Father Tanner looked on in speechless amazement.

I realized our situation. Their calculation was to kill Father Tanner, burn the wagon and take us women prisoners. This was plainly shown to me; but they were convinced by the power of God manifested through me, to change their minds. When I stopped talking, they shook hands with all three of us and returned all they had taken from Father Tanner, who gave them back the handkerchief, and I gave them berries and crackers. By this time the other young women came up and we hastened home.

The Lord gave me a portion of the interpretation of what I had said, which was as follows: “I suppose you Indian warriors think you are going to kill us. Don’t you know that the Great Spirit is watching you, and knows everything in your hearts? We have come out here to gather some of our Father’s fruit. We have not come to injure you, and if you harm us or injure one hair of our heads, the Great Spirit will smite you to the earth, and you will not have power to breathe another breath. We have been driven from our homes and so have you. We have come out here to do you good, not to injure you.

“We are the Lord’s people and so are you, but you must cease your murders and wickedness. The Lord is displeased with it and will not prosper you if you continue in it. You think you own all this land, this timber, this water, all these horses; why, you do not own one thing on earth, not even the air you breathe. It all belongs to the Great Spirit.”

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

William Greenwood was born March 4, 1819 in Heptonstall, Yorkshire, England, to William Greenwood I and Sarah Utley.

William I and Sarah Utley Greenwood

The elder William was a blacksmith by trade, but at an early age he got a spark in one of his eyes.  In trying to doctor it, he lost the sight of both eyes, so he never saw most of his thirteen children.  He and his wife Sarah, all of his children, and some of his brothers and sisters, joined the Latter-day Saint Church in England in 1840-41, and they emigrated to America.  Although William I was blind, he became quite handy at doing things with his hands such as making various articles of furniture, really specializing in good bedsteads.

The family came across the ocean on the ship “Tyrene” which landed at New Orleans, with Joseph Fielding as captain.  They settled first in Warsaw, Illinois.  It had been a long and wearing trip of about eight weeks on the ocean.  Before they could get adjusted to this new climate and conditions, they all came down with what was called “ague” fever and chills.  At times they were unable to help each other to get even so much as a drink of water.  Seven of the Greenwood family members died of this malady within nine weeks, including William I and Sarah, his wife.  They were all buried in or near Warsaw, Illinois.  It was said of Sarah by her daughter-in-law Ann Hartley Greenwood, “She was one of the best women that ever lived.  She had a strong testimony of the gospel, to which she testified as she sat up in bed just before she died.  She entreated her family to remain true to it.  She talked in tongues.”

William’s Life in England

William II (hereafter just referred to as William) must have grown up working in a clothing factory, as did so many of the children in that part of England, because as a young man he had become a steam loom overseer.  He met his wife, Ann Hartley, in the factory, as she too was a worker at the looms.  He was twenty years old and she was eighteen when they were married in 1839.

Soon after their marriage, he followed his wife’s lead in joining the LDS Church, and they came with William’s parents to America.  William had the ague along with the rest while they were at Warsaw, Illinois, and it left him so weak and debilitated that he couldn’t work at all for a year and a half.

Ann soon became so homesick that she thought she must return to England.  William was not in favor of this, so he would not cooperate with her in any way in making the arrangements for the trip back.  He did, however, return with her to England in 1843.  They found work again at the factory, but he was never satisfied or happy.  So, in 1846, he decided he would have to return to America to be with the LDS people, with or without his wife.  That must have been a sorry parting, as she decided to stay in England.  However, it didn’t take Ann long to decide that her happiness lay with her husband, so she joined him again in about 1848.  Upon his return to Warsaw, William had to accept work at fifty cents a day, as that was the going wage of the time.

William Obeyed the Word of Wisdom

William had grown up without any prejudice against the use of tobacco, tea, and coffee, and he was fond of all of them.  His new religion forbade the use of them.  He had embraced it in its entirety, so he was determined to take them out of his appetite and life.  It was a hard struggle for him, but he finally succeeded.  It is told of him that in the early days of his life in America when he went to work for a certain man, he was not offered any tea.  He went home disgusted, refusing to go back to work if they didn’t serve afternoon tea.

William and Ann Crossed The Plains and Then Were Called Settle the Desert

William Greenwood

William and Ann began making preparations to make the trek across the plains to join with the church members in Utah.  In May of 1852, they were ready to start, arriving in Salt Lake in November of that year.  They came with the Benjamin Gardner Company.  Ann had born four children previous to this time, but two had died and been buried in England, so they had two living.  Another son was born to them on the plains, and they named him William.

This little family had only been in Salt Lake three weeks, barely enough time to get rested after such a strenuous trip, when they were called by Church authorities to go to Cedar City to settle.  This meant another long hard trip into a very wild new region, and a great contrast to anything they could ever have imagined.  After several years of trying to overcome the adverse conditions in Cedar City, most of the settlers became discouraged and disgruntled.  They felt it was an impossible situation.  Many planned to go to California, but the Greenwoods wanted to stay closer to the center of the Church.

They had heard that there were good opportunities for homesteading in Millard County, so they took their ox teams and covered wagons and their children and set out in the winter month of February, 1856.  When they got as far north as Beaver Valley, they camped on the bank of the Beaver river.  They liked the area with its abundant supply of water, good supply of wood in the canyon, etc.  They continued north until they got as far as Wild Cat Canyon, a narrow place which they found blocked with deep snow so that they couldn’t get through.  They turned back and decided to settle in Beaver Valley.

The wagon box was lifted off of the wheels and it became their first home in Beaver.  They worked hard to plant grain, only to have it all spoiled by three weeks of rain after it had been cut.  Their scant supply of provisions had become completely exhausted, and they had to live on the milk from one cow, along with wild berries, roots, and greens which they could find in the wild.  William herded the town cows, barefoot all the year, wearing just buckskin pants which he had gotten from Indians.  Gradually, through using every bit of ambition, good management or sheer ingenuity which they could muster, they accumulated a few animals and were able to eke out an existence until things got somewhat better for them.

William built a log cabin and added on to it until there were three rooms.  Soon the Indians became a real problem, and they decided to move closer to other settlers, several miles north of their first location.  They first had a log house but later build a home of the native bluestone, and kept adding on until they had six rooms and an upstairs attic where their grandchildren would love to play in later years.

The Indians were still a problem.  One time, William was herding his sheep on the hills south of town when he was caught by a group of Indians.  They threw him to the ground and drew a sharp knife across his throat in a menacing gesture several times.  He didn’t cry out or show the fear he felt, so they relented saying, “Heap brave man no squaw,” and they spared his life.  The Indians tried several times to steal a lovely little gray mare which the Greenwoods owned, and finally succeeded.  After quite a bit of trouble, William got the mare back, after which the family decided to bring her into the kitchen at night for safe keeping.

In 1869, the Church called on William for a wagon and team to go east across the plains for immigrants.  It was decided that young Barney, the oldest son, should make the trip.  He was only sixteen and small, but he was responsible for his age.  It was a long and arduous journey of six months.  The Greenwoods had no thought but to answer the call, so while Barney was away, his father did two men’s work at home.

The Greenwoods, along with other families in the area, soon began to transport the goods that they could raise, selling them in other areas.  Later, the US soldiers took up residence at Fort Cameron, east of Beaver, and they purchased many things from the settlers such as eggs, milk, cream, straw, hay and grain.  So the standard of living began to increase.

Sometime during this period, William met an Englishman who had just come from the “old country.”  He had a red silk scarf which must have created a nostalgia in William’s soul, as he wanted it so much that he traded a little pig worth four dollars for it.  The scarf remained in the family as a cherished relic.

A Mormon Pioneer’s Final Days

After the death of William’s wife in 1897, he lived with his daughter Mary Ann for two years.  He was so pleasant and kind to his grandchildren that they always remembered him fondly.

As there was now train transportation to Milford, 30 miles west of Beaver, Mary Ann and her husband thought they would take a trip to Salt Lake in October of 1899.  They took William along with them and enjoyed the trip very much.  On the return trip, the train made a stop at Clearwater (or Clear Lake) in Millard County.  William was in a different car than Mary Ann and her husband, and for some unknown reason, he decided to get off the train.  It was dark and stormy and the wind blew his hat off his head.  He tried to follow and recover it, and while so doing the train pulled away, leaving him.  He started walking along the track until he met up with an employee of the railroad who quizzed him as to where he was going and found out that he was lost.  He asked the way to Fillmore, and the man pointed along the tracks.

Next morning, the employee heard the old man was missing.  He went out to look for him in the vicinity of where he had encountered him.  He picked up his tracks in the direction of the Sevier River, only to find that he had stepped into a low place along the bank, which had caused him to stumble and fall into about two feet of water.  Apparently he had been unable to recover himself, and so there he lay, drowned.  An inquest afterwards brought out this weird story.  His daughter and her husband knew nothing of his doings until arriving in Milford next morning, whereupon they started the investigation as to his whereabouts.  It was a tragic thing to have happen while he was still enjoying good health.

Truly William Greenwood was a man of deep and sterling qualities, never complaining of his adversity, but going ahead steadily against the greatest of odds, true to his faith and family.  No one could live more faithfully and nobly.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

Ann Hartley Greenwood

Ann Hartley was born into the home of Bernard Hartley and Mary Beck, July 26, 1821, at Addingham, Yorkshire, England.  She had two sisters, Margaret and Martha, and three brothers, Barnard who died young, Joseph, and another Barnard.  Of her mother, Ann said, “She was a very good looking woman, having white pearly teeth and a rosy complexion.  She was a very good manager with quite a business sense.”

Her father was a clothing manufacturer near Burnley.  It was customary at that time for little children to be carried to work at looms in the factories at a very early age.  Ann related that she was carried on her father’s shoulders as soon as she was old enough to start work.  A never-to-be forgotten memory for her were the moaning cries of these little children being thus carried to work in the early morning hours. Ann grew up thus being kept busy with factory life until she became very adept at the looms, being able to handle three with the help of one little girl by the time that she was married.

Ann met William Greenwood who was a loom overseer.  As they grew very fond of each other, they decided to get married, which they did in 1838, when Ann was only eighteen years old.  Since they both went on working, it seemed expedient that they should live in Ann’s father’s home, paying board.

Baptism By Mormon Missionaries

About this time, Ann heard missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preaching.  She was very much interested in it, and began leaving her home, alone, to hear more of the gospel message.  She was afraid to let her husband or family know what she was doing for fear they would not approve.  As was to be expected, her husband became curious, so he decided to follow her one evening to see what was going on.  He listened attentively to the message and became so interested that he began attending the meetings regularly with her.  Ann’s family hated to have Ann join the Church, and she was the only one of the family ever to do so.  She was baptized September 8, 1840, and William followed in June of 1841.

Joining The Saints In Illinois

William and Ann began making plans to go to America to be with the church members there. William and Ann arrived at New Orleans November 24, 1841, after a seven to nine week trip in the ship Tyrene. They settled in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois. Before they could adjust to the new climate, they all came down with the “ague” and were very, very sick for a long time.They found it hard to adjust to the new life, as living conditions were very hard.  Ann decided that it was just unbearable.  Her family had told her that if she ever wanted to return to them to let them know and they would send her the money for the return voyage.  She tried to talk William into writing to them to tell them of her desire to return.  He wasn’t in favor of the action, so wouldn’t write the letter.  She then went to another William Greenwood, a friend of theirs, and got him to write the letter for her.  The money was immediately forthcoming.

They returned to England in 1843, taking with them the little girl Martha who had been born in Warsaw.  This child died and was buried in Burnley in 1844.  Two other children were born to them here, Sarah and Foster.  Foster also died and was buried in the same place as Martha.

William was very unhappy back in England, so he decided he would have to leave Ann there, as she still wanted to stay, and return to the new land alone, which he did in 1846 or 47.  But Ann was not long in deciding that living with her husband was worth more than living in England without him.  She went to work and earned enough money to bring herself to Warsaw in 1848.  Their son Bernard was born in Warsaw in September of 1849.

Crossing The Plains

The Greenwoods began making preparations to cross the plains to Utah, and left Illinois in May of 1852. When it had come time for baby William to be born July 27, 1852, the family merely pulled off the road behind the wagon train and, with the help of some of the kind women, the baby came into the world.  That baby lived to be one of the healthiest and long-lived of the family, so everything must have gone well.

At one time, the animals became frightened and stampeded while Ann was driving. She had William shortly before and was not yet strong enough to walk by the wagon. She hung onto the animals, talking gently to soothe them down, until they finally continued on without any harm being done.  What a breathtaking experience for this factory maid from civilized England!

Settling The Desert

The Greenwoods arrived in Utah in November and soon were called to help settle Cedar City.  Their first year in Cedar City they lived in a sort of cave or dugout.  After several discouraging years in Cedar City, the family relocated in Beaver.  The first year in Beaver was very hard for them.  The only shoes Ann had were moccasins purchased from the Indians.  Her daughter Mary Ann wrote:  “Having no dress to her back, she wore what was called a sack, along with a quilted petticoat which she secured by making a quilt for a neighbor.  Ann went out doing washing or helping in any way when possible, but this was not often, as very few could afford such a luxury in that day.”

Ann had never had any experience in making clothing or doing housework before she was married, as she was practically raised at the loom in the factory.  She became very adept at all kinds of such work connected with raising a large family.  She was a very good cook and housekeeper, and she could make clothing in all its steps, starting from the sheep’s back to the finished product.  Mary Ann wrote,   “Clothing was extremely scarce.  It was not an uncommon thing for my mother to bathe her children on Saturday night and put them to bed perfectly nude while she sat up and washed and dried their clothes by the fire so they could have clean things for Sunday.”  The boys also sometimes ran around the house in their shirt tails while their trousers were being mended.  Even her husband had to go to bed when his trousers needed mending.

At this time, William and Ann had only one quilt for their bed.  It had worn very thin in the middle.  In desperation, they tore it in two so that they could each make better use of their piece, as they could tuck it in around their backs a little better.  They kept wood fires burning day and night, as wood was quite accessible, and it did help in keeping the biting cold away.

An interesting incident of this first year was of Ann walking a mile or so to an old fort to milk a teacup of milk from a cow that was about to go dry.  Her husband called her a fool for doing it.  However, the cow didn’t go dry; her milk came back, giving the family all the milk they needed, and it became their chief food.  Then her husband had to admit it hadn’t been foolishness, but extreme foresight and wisdom.

At one time, the family lived on potatoes and salt for three weeks.  They had not had a taste of bread all that time.  They went up to North Creek to gather bullberries at this time.  When Ann got out of the wagon to help gather the berries, she was so weak and faint from hunger that it was impossible for her to help gather any berries.  These bullberries were a great delicacy, heated up in their milk.  Hunger was the sweetener for the dish.  Bullberries were the only fruit they had for years.  They made many uses of them, such as drying them for storage and use all through the year.  In later days, they made dumplings of the berries with the other usual ingredients which gave a most delicious dessert.

Although their economic situation gradually improved somewhat, as late as 1863 when Ann’s baby Rachel was born, Ann could not provide a single piece of clothing for the baby to wear.  It was only through help from kind neighbors that the child had any clothing at all.  In 1861, when Titus had been born, Ann could only scare up two cotton diapers.

Every family in Beaver secured a barrel of molasses from Utah’s “Dixie” for the winter.  Except for an occasional bit of brown sugar, this was their only sweet flavoring.  Molasses candy combined with parched corn was their greatest delicacy.  Ann would make molasses candy loaded with cayenne pepper whenever a cold appeared among the children.

Eight of Ann’s children grew to maturity, and soon there were grandchildren.  They were always welcome in Ann’s home.  Cookies and apples in season were always on hand.  It was great sport to run and climb among the orchard trees and in the cattle corral and barn.  Most of all they loved to play in “Grandma’s Attic.”  They took picnics together and picked the yummy apples from the trees in the fall.

Ann was a dearly beloved mother with a sweet disposition.  She was a hard worker and a good example of the sturdy, long-suffering, patient pioneer woman of her day.  She was crippled up for many of the later years of her life so that she had to use a cane to get about.  She did much of her housework sitting and moving about on a chair.  She passed away in her bluestone house in Beaver on July 18, 1897, at the age of 76.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.