With the coming of spring, the brethren made a concerted drive to get all the Saints out of Kanesville. Other than for Julia’s health, Isaac was well equipped to travel. In the heat of the late spring, Julia gained some weight and felt pretty well. Deciding that they could safely make the trip, Isaac loaded the wagon
George was good with carpenter tools. The two men built a number of homes, the first LDS chapel, and other structures. Their names are on several plaques noting their contributions. George managed the co-op store and it boasted the first telephone in the community. He later operated the Tooele Z.C.M.I. store. He was a member of the County Livestock Association. George and his brother were both members of the Tooele militia.
Written by LaRon Taylor
Emily Marie Crumpton-Deason presents on Clara Decker Young, Harriet Wheeler, and Ellen Sanders Kimball Emily works for the Church History Library for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as the Pioneer Content Manager for the Church History Biographical Database. She graduated with a Master of Arts in History from Utah State University in […]
Written by Derek Rowley
At Salt Lake City William's little daughter, Adeline, who had become blind, was blessed by Joseph Smith's Uncle John and immediately healed.
Written by LaRon Taylor
The missionaries were "to labor among the Indians in Oregon country." They were instructed leave their homes and families and " to settle among the Flathead, Bannock or Shoshone Indians….teach the Indians the principles of civilization; teach them….to live in peace with each other and with the whites;….to settle down….to build houses…" (7) This mission became known as the Salmon River Mission.
Written by LaRon Taylor
George found himself, as a fifteen year-old, driving four yoke of oxen on a heavy freight wagon to the Utah Territory. His younger brother, James, later wrote that he had driven sheep 1,000 miles barefooted across the Plains. “In Alpine,” George wrote, “between 1855 and 1856, I spent about half of my time building forts to fight against the Indians and half my time killing crickets.” The family struggled against these odds to make a living. Then in 1858, they lost their father when he was killed by Indians.
Written by LaRon Taylor
Pendock, England, is a small village in southern Worcestershire, ten miles northwest of the city of Gloucester. On the nineteenth of July 1839, a third son and fourth child were born to Daniel and Esther Jones Collett, and he was christened Reuben Collett. The following year was a memorable one for this family as the Gospel […]
Written by Derek Rowley
One day Branch President Ephraim Twitchell was traveling from Sacramento a long way by wagon. The last day of his journey he was traveling late, after dark. He did not stop because he was almost home. He was alone in his wagon, when suddenly there was a man sitting beside him on the spring seat. He just appeared from nowhere. He told Ephraim that he should take his family from San Juan Bautista and go to San Bernardino. Ephraim responded that they had not been in San Juan very long and that his children had their friends there. He noted that he did not think he could get them to go with him. The man beside him replied, "Yes, you can, and you must go to San Bernardino or you will lose them." When Ephraim turned to answer him he was not there. He had disappeared just as he had appeared -it seemed like just out of thin air. Ephraim knew the gospel very well and remembered their story in the Book of Mormon about the three Nephites. He thought this must be the answer-the messenger was one of the three Nephites. He then saw a beautiful new coat that the messenger had left on the spring-seat beside him. He thought the messenger had really been there-that he had not just imagined or fantasized. Ephraim went home and told his wife, Melissa. They talked about the move. They prayed about it for a couple of days. They knew they must go to San Bernardino, California. Every one of their children and one nephew, John Newton Twitchell, the oldest son of Jasper Twitchell went with them. Anciel Ephraim's oldest son came a year later.
Written by LaRon Taylor
from History of Utah, Vol.4 by Orson F. Whitney COLONEL HENRY P. RICHARDS, son of Phinehas and Wealthy Dewey Richards was born at Richmond, Berkshire county, Massachusetts, November 30, 1831. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when eight years of age, and in 1843 emigrated with his father’s family […]
Written by Derek Rowley
For many years a prominent citizen, both of Salt Lake and Springville, Jacob Houtz made a record as an enterprising and successful man of business, a founder and promoter of various industries. He was born near Selin’s Grove, Union county, Pennsylvania, October 12, 1814, and his boyhood and early manhood were passed in the same […]
Written by Derek Rowley
From Whitney’s History of Utah, Vol. 4 “THERE were giants in the earth in those days.” Scarcely more apt were these words in the days described in Genesis than to the days of George A. Smith and his fellow founders of Utah. Seldom have so many great spirits been grouped in any one triod as […]
Written by Derek Rowley
from Whitney’s History of Utah Vol. 4 A native of New York State, born in the town and county of Otsego, January 14, 1827, and a corner to Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1848, Mr. Gibson is at present a prosperous and respected citizen of Davis County. He was one of the earliest […]
Written by Derek Rowley
On February 2nd 1846 the migration west began. Stillman and his family remained in Nauvoo until after the battle of Nauvoo in September 1846 when they were driven at the point of a bayonet across the river. Tribulations and hardships were many as the winter set in early and the Mormon refugees were without the proper food, clothing and shelter. The camp was ravaged by malaria, cholera, and consumption. The Pond family fell victim of all of these diseases. Stillman’s wife, Maria, became consumptive and all the children were afflicted with malaria. Snow fell early on the plains of Iowa and along the way Stillman and Maria buried their son Lowell Anson in September of 1846 on the plains of Iowa. Maria’s body wracked with pain and bowed down with grief for the loss of her son; was unable to walk and was confined to her bed in the back of the wagon with the fever of malaria. In this condition she gave birth to twin boys Joseph and J. Hyrum, the later part of September and the twins died a few days later and were also buried along the trail in Iowa.
Written by LaRon Taylor
This article originally appeared in the Jan/Feb 1990 issue of Pioneer Magazine by Thomas A. Woolsey, a great-grandson It was a sharp, cold winter day in winter quarters – Monday, February 15, 1847. President brigham young called members of his family and seven of the Quorum of the Twelve to an important meeting in his […]
Written by Pioneer Magazine
In May 1845, the company turned west from their northwestern trek and moved across western Iowa to Fort Vermillion, a French trading post in the present south-eastern part of South Dakota. This group of Mormons was probably the first Anglo American settlers in South Dakota. Jude and the others in the company spent the next ten months hunting buffalo, herding cattle, putting up log cabins, raising vegetables and putting up hay.
Written by LaRon Taylor
As a violinist he was much in demand. When the Salt Lake Theater was completed, in 1862, he played in the orchestra on the opening night.
Written by LaRon Taylor
After he was discharged from the Battalion, he worked at the San Gabriel Mission in California. He went gold hunting on the way to Utah with other battalion members. When he reached the Salt Lake Valley, he traded a sack of gold dust for 20 acres of land.
Written by LaRon Taylor
One of the first missionaries of the Restoration The earliest missionary of the Church to publicly teach about the book of mormon may very well have been Solomon Chamberlain. Even before the book was published and the Church organized, Solomon was traveling on the Erie Canal (which went through Palmyra, new york) and felt that […]
Written by Derek Rowley
A muggy evening added to Arza’s discomfort with the chills and fever. Malaria had driven him to bed for several days, even though he had much work to do on his farm located just north of the village of Carthage, Illinois. It was dusk when William and John Barnes, two non-Mormon acquaintances, knocked on the cabin door with devastating news: Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had just been murdered in Carthage. One of two survivors, Willard Richards, wrote a short letter describing the disaster and asked the Barnes brothers to deliver the letter to Arza Adams, one of the few Mormons living near Carthage. Although seriously ill, a surge of adrenaline permitted Arza to drag himself out of bed, saddle his horse, ride to Benjamin Leyland’s cabin and ask him to join in a dash to Nauvoo.
Written by LaRon Taylor
This article originally appeared in the May/June 1971 issue of Pioneer Magazine FRIGHTENING AND somewhat alarming are the doleful lamentations of the ecologists regarding the capability of the earth to provide for an expected over-population. More thought-provoking than ever before, nevertheless the fear of an inadequate supply of air, water and food has always haunted […]
Written by Pioneer Magazine
He discovered that the Mormons were a religious people, however, at that time he cared nothing for religion. “The Methodists and the Presbyterians had been trying to convert me to their faith. I came to the conclusion that religion of every kind was a hoax, and that none was right, and that all preachers of religion were hypocrites, and were preaching for money and popularity.”
Written by LaRon Taylor
This 1979 film tells the story of the pioneer emigration to the salt lake valley in 1847. Run time 17:26
Written by Derek Rowley
Submitted by John E. Elggren, Great Grandson William Crawford Lewis, pioneer of 1847, was born at Franklin, Simpson County, kentucky, November 24, 1830. He was the son of Benjamin Lewis, of Pendleton District, South Carolina, and Joannah Ryons of Clark County, Kentucky. William was named for William Crawford, a dear friend of his mother’s family, […]
Written by Derek Rowley
This article originally appeared in Pioneer Magazine, 2010 Vol.57 No.3 by Ken Lott Born on June 17, 1812, in Llangan, south wales, to samuel evans and anne hughes, Abel Evans was baptized as an infant into the “Independent” chapel in Llanboidy. The Independents, along with the Methodists and Baptists and several other faiths throughout Britain, […]
Written by Pioneer Magazine
This article previously appeared in Pioneer Magazine, 2010 Vol.57 No.2 Utah Pioneer with the Pony Express by Doran Baker, Utah Historical Society The end of days on earth for Howard Egan came while he yet watched over his beloved prophet. From the window of a specially constructed guardhouse he periodically kept a lookout on brigham […]
Written by Pioneer Magazine
This biography originally appeared on pioneerstories.org Born: 19 September 1794, Strasburg, Lancaster, Pennsylvania, USA Died: 9 May 1869, East Millcreek, Salt Lake, Utah Territory, USA The money belt John deserves a place in every gallery and history where the makers of the State are commemorated. Before joining the Church he was a wealthy and influential […]
Written by Derek Rowley
The following biography was previously submitted to www.pioneerstories.com Spouse: cornelia jane espy, Harriett, Sarah Pioneer Type: Early Pioneer Seth was raised in tennessee along the banks of the Mississippi River with the sons of the legendary Davy Crockett. At seventeen he left to fight for the Republic of Texas where he was closely mentored in […]
Written by Derek Rowley
They were surrounded by an armed cavalry of vigilantes who asked for the leader of the group. Amos Andrews stepped forward. The leader of the vigilantes asked if they were Mormons and Andrews confirmed his question. The leader then told them to prepare to die. Andrews looked around and saw that they were out-numbered and out gunned. Andrews then requested if he'd be permitted to sing a song. He sang the whole song to "A Poor Wayfaring Man of Grief "then sang another song and another. Andrews wife, Keturah, was nursing an. 18 month old baby, the baby stopped nursing and joined its father in singing the song. Overwhelmed with emotion at seeing the baby do such a thing, a member of the mob lowered his rifle, and swore an oath saying, “They all can sing, even the child at the breast." The mob removed their hats and rode away. The story is an example that "the hymns of the righteous are a prayer unto me."
Written by LaRon Taylor
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