SARAH BAKER DONE

 

 

 SARAH  BARKER  DONE

    Sarah was born on January 6,01828 in Thornhill, Lees, England.  She was the daughter of John and Nancy Morby Barker.  She was the seventh child in a family that would include ten children, nine girls and one boy.
    Thornhill was a coal mining town.  Sarah and all of her siblings would eventually work in the coal mine since that was the only work they were able to obtain.  A law was later passed that forbid girls to work in the mines.  Sarah and her sister, Ruth went to Glosip to get work in a factory.
    When Sarah was twenty-four years old she married John Done on February  15, 1852 in Ashton-under-Lyne, Lancashire, England.  They lived with John’s mother, Ann Hancock Done, after they were married.  Both John and Sarah continued working in the factory.  
    John, Sarah, Ann, and John’s two brothers, James and Gorge, were taught the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  The entire family was baptized on December 6, 1852.  When John and Sarah’s children began arriving beginning in early 1853.  The first two children were born in England.  They were Abraham, born March 3, 1853; and Elizabeth Anne, born June 27, 1854.
    Soon after the family was baptized, the family was advised to immigrate to the United States and then on to Zion.  It was decided that James and Geoge were to go first to America.  John, Sarah, his mother, and their two children were to  follow as soon as they could.
    The rest of the Done family followed two years later after they borrowed money from the Perpetual immigration Company.   This load enabled the rest of the family to leave for America.
    The family sailed on the ship, Samuel Curling, on April 22, 1855.  After arriving in America they traveled to Mormon Grove and joined the Milo Andrus Company on August 5, 1855.  The trip across the plains was very hard on the family.  John had never driven an ox team before.  It took him period of time to tell one from the other and where the oxen belonged when hitched to the wagon.and  One of the ox got lost and was never recovered.
    The family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 24, 1855.  Sarah walked most of the way carrying young Elizabeth Anne in her arms.  They first settled in Little Cottonwood that was about ten miles south of Salt Lake City.  It was initially very difficult struggle for the family because food was very scarce and hard to get.
    The Done’s later moved south Payson in the south end of Utah Valley.  The family added six more children to their family: George Henry, born June 29, 1854; May Jane, born July 5, 1859; Hihn, born August 9, 1861; Sarah Ellen, born September 9, 1863 and died at age 1; twins, Wilford and Williard born December 10, 1865.  Wilford later died when he was about one year old.
    Sarah passed away on November 27. 1886 and John passed away on Juy 14, 1901.  They were both buried in the Payson City Cemetery.

JOHN JASPER McCLELLAN

 

 JOHN JASPER Mc CLELLAN JR.

 
    John Jasper McClellan, Sr. came to Utah on foot in 1848, arriving with the main body of the pioneers.  After staying in Salt Lake a few months, he moved  to Utah County, where he became an influential citizen.  He married Eliza Barbara Walser.  She immigrated  to Utah early in life with her mother and stepfather, John Deim (Dean), who became a prominent merchant in Payson.  His wife was a native of Switzerland and sang in a choir there. It is said that McClellan the organist got his talent from his mother,  who played  the reed organ, and her father, who likely taught her.
    John Jasper McClellan, Jr. was born in Payson, Utah Territory on April 20, 1874.   By the age of eleven, McClellan was serving as a church organist in Payson.   His father  served as mayor of Payson from 1887 to 1890.
    As a young boy, he was fascinated by the little organ that had been brought by team from the railroad in Lehi to the original Payson Tabernacle.  The tabernacle  was originally built in 1870.  It was built near the center of the old fort where an original temporary meeting place of the old fort had been located.  It was dedicated by Apostle Wilford Woodruff on July 20, 1872. It was designed with a hip-angle roof and tall slim windows on each side. A balcony was built into the west end of the building. A slender shoe-box pulpit stood in front of the speaker's stand in the east end of the building. The building was destroyed by fire in 1904.
    John J. Jr. was often present when John Done Sr. played the organ and William Clayson Sr. led the singing either for the congregation or the choir.  Sometimes, he was allowed to work the lever that helped expand the sound into the gallery.  After meetings, John J. Jr. or Johnnie as he was called would often run his fingers over the keys of the small organ.  One day he was allowed to place his feet on the pedals and push air into the reeds while his fingers sought a melody.    
    Johnnie was never known to make a mistake according to Mr. Done who was also one of his first teachers.  Sometimes he was allowed to substitute for Mr. Done at the organ in some church meetings.
    He  was the oldest child in the family.  Like other children of his time, he spent most of his youth in going  to school; he wore homemade clothes and he seldom traveled far from his home.  It was therefore a wonderful occasion when his Grandfather Deim took him to Salt Lake City to Conference when he was but eight years of age;  but the greatest thrill came when he heard  the organ.  He  became so excited he "fell back and hit his head."  He said, "If only I could touch that  organ."
    Two years later, he began participating in musical activities of Payson.  William Clayson, Jr., son of the  well-known "Mormon" hymnist, was personally acquainted with "Johnnie."   When he was about ten years of age, he sang alto in the Payson Ward choir under William Clayson, Sr.,  with John Done, Sr. as ward organist.  This lad often told Mr. Clayson, Jr. that he got his inspiration  to play while watching Mr. Done.
    When  he was about ten in about 1885, Mattie Ramsey, a young woman from Illinois, came to Payson.  (She was the older sister of Emma Ramsey Morris who became a well-known singer.)  She had attended a Catholic school in Vincennes, Indiana, and was a fine musician.  For over a year she taught McClellan, taking produce as part payment for his lessons.  It was not until he started lessons from Miss Ramsey that McClellan began “playing out,” and Mr. Clayson felt  that her influence on this boy was very great.
    When once he began the study of music,  he figured in most of the musical activities of Payson.  He played marches on a small cabinet organ in the Central School, and played piccolo in Payson's Brass Band in 1887 and in Payson's Silver Band in 1889.  In March of 1888 his father bought him a new Conn Cornet, which he played in the Payson Band.  Later, he learned  the clarinet, but soon quit playing it so that he could  spend more time practicing  the organ and piano.
    For financial reasons, he left school before graduating, and his father financed him in business.  He and Frank Pickering published Payson's first regular newspaper;  he wrote for it,
set the type and printed it.  This he did for two years, at the same time continuing his music  study.
    In  the winter of 1886-87, Abram Done had a small dance orchestra, consisting of James W. Huish, piccolo; Ralph Archibald, piano; William Clayson, Jr., cornet.  McClellan earned his first money as a pianist substituting for Mr. Archibald  that winter.
    In the following  spring he became organist for the ward choir.  William Clayson, Sr. was still the director and once said of the accompanist, "Johnnie never hit a wrong note."  He was also the first person to play the new organ in the Payson Tabernacle.  This organ had been  replaced in the previous year by a Hammond Organ..
    Mr. Clayson died in the summer of 1887 and one of McClellan’s  uncles, Jacob Walser, led the choir until he moved  to Mexico; then Hyrum Brimhall took his place.  This led  to a very close friendship between McClellan and Brimhall.  The boy accompanied  Brimhall when the latter played violin solos, and also became the pianist for the Brimhall orchestra.  It was while a member of this orchestra that Payson musicians began to notice his exceptional talent and thought he should have a chance to study music elsewhere.
    Another encouragement, for further study away from home came,  the following year.  During the last week in January 1891,  a dramatic company from Michigan, directed by Mr. and Mrs. Felix Vincent, performed in Payson.  They engaged  the Brimhall orchestra to play for them every night, and then Mr. Vincent hired McClellan and Brimhall  to tour Southern Utah with them for a few weeks.  They performed  "Cricket on the Hearth."  While on the trip, Mrs. Vincent often talked  to McClellan about Michigan, and she later told his father that "Johnnie" had extraordinary ability and should study in the  east.
    As a result of this sentiment and the encouragement of  the Payson friends, McClellan went to Michigan in the summer of 1891, McClellan went to Saginaw, Michigan, where he studied under Albert W. Platte.  He then went to the Ann Arbor Conservatory, where he studied under Johann Erich Schmaal. He also studied with Alberto Jonas while there. He served as organist of St. Thomas Catholic Church while in Ann Arbor. He also served as pianist of the Ann Arbor Choral Union.  
    While in Michigan,  he thrilled  the audiences which filled University  Hall.  He also did some composing while there.  Professor  Lamson, head of the vocal department at Ann Arbor, sang some of McClellan's songs at the latter's graduation piano recital.    He set to music  "Sweet Is the Work" for his mother while he was at Ann Arbor.  Among  the Latter-Day-Saints, this song is probably his best-known composition.
    He was choirmaster and organist of the St. Thomas Catholic Church during  the time he was at Ann Arbor.  He wrote a Mass for orchestra and choir which was performed for Easter in 1896 and repeated  two weeks later to a crowded  hall.  Many  of the musicians were brought from Detroit, and one of the finest sopranos in the state was soloist.  The Tabernacle Choir of Salt Lake City still sings  "Gloria" from this Mass.
    In June 1896, he graduated from the university.  He  was the first pupil in his field to be graduated by the institution, and  the first Utah boy  to graduate from such a school. He was offered a position at the school, but chose to return to Utah.
    He  returned to Utah, where he taught music at L. D. S. College and at Brigham Young Academy (the forerunner of Brigham Young University). It was during this time that he married Mary Douglass who was the daughter of Samuel Douglass, a local merchant. They eventually became the parents of five children.  He also served as the pianist for the Salt Lake Opera Company.
    In 1899, McClellan went to Berlin, Germany, where he studied with Xavier Scharwenka and Ernest Jedliczka. While in Berlin, McClellan edited and published a new edition of the L. D. S.  hymnal in German.
 

   One of the main events in the life of John J. McClellan Jr. occurred soon after his return from Europe.  On August 29, 1900, he was appointed organist of the Salt Lake Tabernacle, replacing Joseph J. Daynes, who had occupied  the position for more than thirty-three years.  On his return he was also given the chair of music at the University of Utah.  He kept  this position for several years and then resigned, as he preferred  to spend his time teaching privately.

    In  September 1900, the Salt Lake Opera Company chose him for its new director.  On December 31, 1900, he persuaded  the authorities of  the Church to spend $12,000 to have  the organ remodeled by the Kimball Company.  This remodeling caused the fame of the organ to spread.  
    Often when important persons or groups were passing  through Salt Lake they desired  to hear  the organ, and it was only natural that the church authorities should be pleased  to have them do so.  As a result, McClellan was called on at any time of the day or night, at home or at his studio, to play special recitals for the visitors.  This caused difficulties as well as inconvenience, and  the organist felt that something had  to be done.  In 1901, he had the idea of giving regular free recitals, at least in the summer, for the population at home as well as for the tourists.  At first these were given bi-weekly.  The recitals brought increased  recognition to the organist and the Mormon Tabernacle organ.
    Among those who studied under McClellan were Alexander Schreiner, later the Tabernacle organist; Sidney B. Sperry and J. Spencer Cornwall.
    John Jasper McClellan, Jr. served as the chief organist of the organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1900 to 1925.
    The following year,  McClellan continued his many musical activities in spite of the great strain of overwork. The effect of  this,  however, caught up with him in the autumn of 1923 while on a concert  tour of the coast. In San Francisco,  he was  to play on the world's fair organ, but  the evening of the concert ,  he suffered what  some called a stroke.  
    This partially paralyzed his left hand and arm, and it was several months before he recovered from it so as to be able  to play again.  After this collapse, some Salt Lake people decided to have a statewide  testimonial in honor of McClellan  to raise money for him.  Mrs. McClellan objected strenuously but they told her that he was a public servant and she had nothing to do with it.  Plans for the testimonial progressed rapidly and by January 19, they were complete.  At least sixteen Utah cities planned  to honor him on January 24.     
    McClellan and his wife spent the ten months of his recovery at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California.  In  September 1924, he resumed some of his former duties.  The strain had been too great, however.  On July 28, 1925  (his mother's birthday),  he was again stricken while in his studio at the McCune School of Music and Art.  He died the second of August and was buried  the sixth of August  (his father's  birthday).
    John Jasper McClellan Jr.  made the oldest organ recording that we know about today on the organ at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. It was recorded on or about 1 September 1910. The Columbia Graphophone Company had transported equipment to record the famous choir. Two enormous acoustic recording horns, five feet long and two feet wide, were suspended on a rope strung across the Tabernacle. Although the engineer deemed the recordings successful, apparently they were never approved for release.  This is considered the first recordings of organ music ever made.
    John J. McClellan was an accomplished musician and composer.  Some of his pieces have appeared in many publications of the L. D. S. Church.  This list shows songs by John J. McClellan  Jr. that have appeared in songbooks or other collections published by the L. D. S.  Church, as well as songs from unofficial collections of interest to church members (note that this is not necessarily a comprehensive list of all songs by John J. McClellan Jr.).
    As a result of this sentiment and the encouragement of  the Payson friends, McClellan went to Michigan in the summer of 1891, McClellan went to Saginaw, Michigan, where he studied under Albert W. Platte.  He then went to the Ann Arbor Conservatory, where he studied under Johann Erich Schmaal. He also studied with Alberto Jonas while there. He served as organist of St. Thomas Catholic Church while in Ann Arbor. He also served as pianist of the Ann Arbor Choral Union.  
    While in Michigan,  he thrilled  the audiences which filled University  Hall.  He also did some composing while there.  Professor  Lamson, head of the vocal department at Ann Arbor, sang some of McClellan's songs at the latter's a graduation piano recital.    He set to music  "Sweet Is the Work for his mother while he was at Ann Arbor.  Among  the Latter-Day-Saints, this song is probably his best-known composition.
    He was choirmaster and organist of the St. Thomas Catholic Church during  the time he was at Ann Arbor.  He wrote a Mass for orchestra and choir which was performed for Easter in 1896 and repeated  two weeks later to a crowded  hall.  Many  of the musicians were brought from Detroit, and one of the finest sopranos in the state was soloist.  The Tabernacle Choir of Salt Lake City still sings  "Gloria" from this Mass.
    In June 1896, he graduated from the university.  He  was the first pupil in his field to be graduated by the institution, and  the first Utah boy  to graduate from such a school. He was offered a position at the school, but chose to return to Utah.
    He  returned to Utah, where he taught music at L. D. S. College and at Brigham Young Academy (the forerunner of Brigham Young University). It was during this time that he married Mary Douglass who was the daughter of Samuel Douglass, a local merchant. They eventually became the parents of five children.  He also served as the pianist for the Salt Lake Opera Company.
    In 1899, McClellan went to Berlin, Germany, where he studied with Xavier Scharwenka and Ernest Jedliczka. While in Berlin, McClellan edited and published a new edition of the L. D. S.  hymnal in German.
    One of the main events in the life of John J. McClellan Jr. occurred soon after his return from Europe.  On August 29, 1900, he was appointed organist of the Salt Lake Tabernacle, replacing Joseph J. Daynes, who had occupied  the position for more than thirty-three years.  On his return he was also given the chair of music at the University of Utah.  He kept  this position for several years and then resigned, as he preferred  to spend his time teaching privately.
    In  September 1900, the Salt Lake Opera Company chose him for its new director.  On December 31, 1900, he persuaded  the authorities of  the Church to spend $12,000 to have  the organ remodeled by the Kimball Company.  This remodeling caused the fame of the organ to spread.  
    Often when important persons or groups were passing  through Salt Lake they desired  to hear  the organ, and it was only natural that the church authorities should be pleased  to have them do so.  As a result, McClellan was called on at any time of the day or night, at home or at his studio, to play special recitals for the visitors.  This caused difficulties as well as inconvenience, and  the organist felt that something had  to be done.  In 1901, he had the idea of giving regular free recitals, at least in the summer, for the population at home as well as for the tourists.  At first these were given bi-weekly.  The recitals brought increased  recognition to the organist and the Mormon Tabernacle organ.
    Among those who studied under McClellan were Alexander Schreiner, later the Tabernacle organist; Sidney B. Sperry and J. Spencer Cornwall.
 

   John Jasper McClellan, Jr. served as the chief organist of the organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1900 to 1925.
    The following year,  McClellan continued his many musical activities in spite of the great strain of overwork. The effect of  this,  however, caught up with him in the autumn of 1923 while on a concert  tour of the coast. In San Francisco,  he was  to play on the world's fair organ, but  the evening of the concert ,  he suffered what  some called a stroke.  
    This partially paralyzed his left hand and arm, and it was several months before he recovered from it so as to be able  to play again.  After this collapse, some Salt Lake people decided to have a statewide  testimonial in honor of McClellan  to raise money for him.  Mrs. McClellan objected strenuously but they told her that he was a public servant and she had nothing to do with it.  Plans for the testimonial progressed rapidly and by January 19, they were complete.  At least sixteen Utah cities planned  to honor him on January 24.     
    McClellan and his wife spent the ten months of his recovery at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California.  In  September 1924, he resumed some of his former duties.  The strain had been too great, however.  On July 28, 1925  (his mother's birthday),  he was again stricken while in his studio at the McCune School of Music and Art.  He died the second of August and was buried  the sixth of August  (his father's  birthday).
    John Jasper McClellan Jr.  made the oldest organ recording that we know about today on the organ at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. It was recorded on or about 1 September 1910. The Columbia Graphophone Company had transported equipment to record the famous choir. Two enormous acoustic recording horns, five feet long and two feet wide, were suspended on a rope strung across the Tabernacle. Although the engineer deemed the recordings successful, apparently they were never approved for release.  This is considered the first recordings of organ music ever made.
    John J. McClellan was an accomplished musician and composer.  Some of his pieces have appeared in many publications of the L. D. S. Church.  This list shows songs by John J. McClellan Jr. that have appeared in songbooks or other collections published by the L. D. S.  Church, as well as songs from unofficial collections of interest to church members (note that this is not necessarily a comprehensive list of all songs by John J. McClellan Jr.).
     As a result of this sentiment and the encouragement of  the Payson friends, McClellan went to Michigan in the summer of 1891, McClellan went to Saginaw, Michigan, where he studied under Albert W. Platte.  He then went to the Ann Arbor Conservatory, where he studied under Johann Erich Schmaal. He also studied with Alberto Jonas while there. He served as organist of St. Thomas Catholic Church while in Ann Arbor. He also served as pianist of the Ann Arbor Choral Union.  
    While in Michigan,  he thrilled  the audiences which filled University  Hall.  He also did some composing while there.  Professor  Lamson, head of the vocal department at Ann Arbor, sang some of McClellan's songs at the latter's graduation piano recital.    He set to music  "Sweet Is the Work" for his mother while he was at Ann Arbor.  Among  the Latter-Day-Saints, this song is probably his best-known composition.
    He was choirmaster and organist of the St. Thomas Catholic Church during  the time he was at Ann Arbor.  He wrote a Mass for orchestra and choir which was performed for Easter in 1896 and repeated  two weeks later to a crowded  hall.  Many  of the musicians were brought from Detroit, and one of the finest sopranos in the state was soloist.  The Tabernacle Choir of Salt Lake City still sings  "Gloria" from this Mass.
    In June 1896, he graduated from the university.  He  was the first pupil in his field to be graduated by the institution, and  the first Utah boy  to graduate from such a school. He was offered a position at the school, but chose to return to Utah.
    He  returned to Utah, where he taught music at L. D. S. College and at Brigham Young Academy (the forerunner of Brigham Young University). It was during this time that he married Mary Douglass who was the daughter of Samuel Douglass, a local merchant. They eventually became the parents of five children.  He also served as the pianist for the Salt Lake Opera Company.
    In 1899, McClellan went to Berlin, Germany, where he studied with Xavier Scharwenka and Ernest Jedliczka. While in Berlin, McClellan edited and published a new edition of the L. D. S.  hymnal in German.
    One of the main events in the life of John J. McClellan Jr. occurred soon after his return from Europe.  On August 29, 1900, he was appointed organist of the Salt Lake Tabernacle, replacing Joseph J. Daynes, who had occupied  the position for more than thirty-three years.  On his return he was also given the chair of music at the University of Utah.  He kept  this position for several years and then resigned, as he preferred  to spend his time teaching privately.
    In  September 1900, the Salt Lake Opera Company chose him for its new director.  On December 31, 1900, he persuaded  the authorities of  the Church to spend $12,000 to have  the organ remodeled by the Kimball Company.  This remodeling caused the fame of the organ to spread.  
    Often when important persons or groups were passing  through Salt Lake they desired  to hear  the organ, and it was only natural that the church authorities should be pleased  to have them do so.  As a result, McClellan was called on at any time of the day or night, at home or at his studio, to play special recitals for the visitors.  This caused difficulties as well as inconvenience, and  the organist felt that something had  to be done.  In 1901, he had the idea of giving regular free recitals, at least in the summer, for the population at home as well as for the tourists.  At first these were given bi-weekly.  The recitals brought increased  recognition to the organist and the Mormon Tabernacle organ.
    Among those who studied under McClellan were Alexander Schreiner, later the Tabernacle organist; Sidney B. Sperry and J. Spencer Cornwall.
    John Jasper McClellan, Jr. served as the chief organist of the organ in the Salt Lake Tabernacle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1900 to 1925.
    The following year,  McClellan continued his many musical activities in spite of the great strain of overwork. The effect of  this,  however, caught up with him in the autumn of 1923 while on a concert  tour of the coast. In San Francisco,  he was  to play on the world's fair organ, but  the evening of the concert ,  he suffered what  some called a stroke.  
    This partially paralyzed his left hand and arm, and it was several months before he recovered from it so as to be able  to play again.  After this collapse, some Salt Lake people decided to have a statewide  testimonial in honor of McClellan  to raise money for him.  Mrs. McClellan objected strenuously but they told her that he was a public servant and she had nothing to do with it.  Plans for the testimonial progressed rapidly and by January 19, they were complete.  At least sixteen Utah cities planned  to honor him on January 24.     
    McClellan and his wife spent the ten months of his recovery at the Mission Inn in Riverside, California.  In  September 1924, he resumed some of his former duties.  The strain had been too great, however.  On July 28, 1925  (his mother's birthday),  he was again stricken while in his studio at the McCune School of Music and Art.  He died the second of August and was buried  the sixth of August  (his father's  birthday).
    John Jasper McClellan Jr.  made the oldest organ recording that we know about today on the organ at the Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City. It was recorded on or about 1 September 1910. The Columbia Graphophone Company had transported equipment to record the famous choir. Two enormous acoustic recording horns, five feet long and two feet wide, were suspended on a rope strung across the Tabernacle. Although the engineer deemed the recordings successful, apparently they were never approved for release.  This is considered the first recordings of organ music ever made.
    John J. McClellan was an accomplished musician and composer.  Some of his pieces have appeared in many publications of the L. D. S. Church.

ABRAHAM DONE

 

ABRAHAM  DONE

    Abraham Done was born March 3, 1853 in Hartshead, Lancashire, England.  He was the oldest son of John and Sarah Barker Done.  He had three younger sisters and four younger brothers.  His younger sister was also born in England and the remainder of his sibling wee all born after the family arrived in Utah.
    When Abraham was born, his parents had already accepted the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  They had joined this church December 6, 1852, three months before he was born.  When they accepted the Gospel,  they were advised to go to "Zion" as soon as possible so they began their plans and preparations.  Before the final plans could be carried out, Elizabeth Anne was born 27 June 1854.
    With the monies they had been able to save, and the balance borrowed from the Perpetual Emigration Fund of their new found church.  The borrowed money was to be paid back as soon as possible after they arrived in Utah, United States of America. They set sail from Liverpool the 22nd of April 1855 on the vessel Samuel Curling.  They arrived at New York City the 27th of May 1855.  They had been on the ocean for five weeks on their sailing vessel.  Abraham also brought his mother, Anne Hancock, with him.  
    The trip from New York to Utah was made by train, river steamer, and on foot.  They traveled with the company of Milo Andrus.  From Kansas to Utah they walked as they traveled by ox-teams.   Sarah Barker Done walked all of the way from Kansas and most of the time she carried her fourteen-month-old baby.  It was a hard trip for all of them.  John drove the oxen that pulled the wagon they were assigned to.  He had never seen oxen before so could have had no experience handling them.  He soon learned.  
    When they reached the valley of the Great Salt Lake they decided to settle at Little Cottonwood, which was about ten miles south of Salt Lake City.  John had been a factory worker in his native England but there were no factories where he could seek employment, so he purchased a small farm.  Farming was also a new experience to him but he had to provide for his family and his Mother.
    George Henry was born to the family 29th June 1857, while they were living in Little Cottonwood.  When Johnston's Army came into the Salt Lake Valley, Sarah took the children and went south to Springville, where she remained until John could build a new house for them.  While living in Springville Mary Jane was born 5 July 1859.
    Hard times were experienced while they were living in Springville.  John could not get all of the land that he needed to farm so that he could build the new house and the family decided to move farther south to Sanpete County, to the town of Moroni.  For their first home here they used a dugout in the side of a hill where they later built a room adjoining, which was made of adobe and had dirt floors.  
    The hardy parents soon became accustomed to the new way of life.  The Father became a better farmer and the Mother learned to card wool, spin it and make their clothes from the wool.  She was a good cook and a fine homemaker.  She made a happy home even though they were poor in the worldly goods.  
    They slept, cooked and entertained in the one adobe room and it was here that their remaining children were born.  John Jr. was born 11 August 1861;  Sarah Ellen was born 9 September 1863 (she died of scarlet fever when she was eighteen months old); the twins Wilford and Willard were born 10 December 1865 (Wilford died when he was one year and nine months old).  This additional sorrow was just about more than their mother could bear.  
    Abraham, called Abe, was baptized in Moroni and was a great help to the family.  He learned to shoulder many responsibilities.  Though life was hard for these hardy pioneers from a foreign land, and they often went without sufficient to eat, the home was rich in good music.  John was an accomplished violinist and Sarah had a beautiful voice.  Their music brought many happy hours to their home and the entire community.
    When Abraham was nine years of age, with his violin, he joined with his Father in playing for programs and for the dances in their village.  The grasshoppers were still a problem to the farmers.  At times the grasshoppers filled the air like a cloud.  They were killed by the bushels.  That first winter in Moroni was so cold that fruit and corn would not produce, Wheat, potatoes, and many other vegetables could be raised so at times, even though they had no bread, they had plenty of vegetables and greens.  
    Their mother sorrowed after losing the two babies and her health was affected.  Even the water at Moroni did not agree with her and Abraham and the family became ill.  The decision was made to move again and they selected the town of Payson, in Utah County.  
    Before leaving Moroni they had sold their home, but received very little money in payments so they had only an ox team and this small amount of money.  Again it was a hard start.  They bought a lot in Payson that had a large, one-room log cabin on it.  They were crowded in this one room but their health was better.  They also purchased ten acres nearby and they planted it into alfalfa.  
    By the time Abraham reached the age of sixteen years he was a real help to the family.  They made the adobes for the two rooms they added to their home.  Everyone in the family worked at whatever they were capable.  The girls received $.50 a week for working in homes and the boys worked with their Father in the fields.  

  John next bought a large tract of land west of Payson where he raised alfalfa seed.  He was one of the first in the area to raise this type of seed, and he and his boys were very successful in this venture.  
    Abraham also became very proficient as a carpenter.  The family also bought a sawmill in Payson Canyon where they cut the trees and made lumber which they could successfully sell.  The second or third organ brought to Payson was purchased by John Done, for the benefit of his children and their love for music.
    Elizabeth Annie (Lizzie) learned to read with help from her Mother.  She also learned some "numbers" but her formal schooling did not come until she was fourteen years of age and went in the "Third Reader." She attended school only four winters.  
    Lizzie, being the oldest child, had to assume   as much responsibility as possible.  She helped with the housework and also with some of the work outside, such as drying apples or crushing them for cider, which was mostly made into vinegar, to be sold.  She also helped when they were extracting the honey from the beehives.  She learned to sew by hand before the family “cutting bees at fruit drying time and "corn shelling bees in the winter.  There was always much laughter and singing at these parties.  When their tasks were finished, there would usually be honey or molasses candy and apples for all.  Also, cookies which were made from sour cream and honey.
    A friend, Antha Fillmore, lived next door to the Robinson home and was a very close friend to Elizabeth Robinson.  One evening, when Antha's boyfriend called on her, Abraham Done, came with him and he introduced him to Elizabeth.  The two couples began to double date and soon a double wedding was planned.  The date was set much sooner than the parents could complete the preparations, but the "double marriage" took place any way.  They were married on  June 22, 1875.
    The new Mrs. Done stayed with her parents for a week after the wedding while preparations were being made for the new couple to live with Abraham's parents for a while.  Abraham continued to work with his Father and brothers on the farm and at the saw mill.  The families prospered and were able to accumulate quite a lot of property.  
    Abraham managed the first Electric Light Plant that served the people of Payson.  The family had purchased some stock in the company.  
    Abraham went on a mission to the  Southern, Šri Lanka in 1888 and while there he contracted the Malaria fever.  The disease really took its toll and kept reoccurring so he was released from the mission to return home.  He was not able to complete one year of the mission and his hair turned prematurely grey during this sickness.  
    Abe was very active in civic affairs, as well as church. He was city councilman and a member of the Payson school board, also Sunday School Superintendent.  The Done School across the street from his home on 300 East and 300 South was named in his honor.  He was exceptionally good in spelling and mathematics and played in the Payson orchestra, being a violinist.
    Soon after his returning home, the family moved into a new, large, two-story house.  This home was considered one of the best in Payson.  The lot, about half of a block, contained a lumber yard, corral, barn, shade and fruit trees and a large lawn.  The last three children of the family were born in this home.
        Plural marriage was the subject of much controversy at this time. Abe and Lizzie were anxious, to live this divine principle, so they decided to sell their property and. go to Mexico where they could live in peace. A number of people were there including Robinson and Done relatives. So all the family, except the oldest son who was on his mission in Germany, moved to Mexico. They boarded the train in Payson for El Paso, Texas and then on to Colonia Dublan, Chihuahua, Mexico. Enough other people went to make up two passenger cars, including a young widow, Louisa Haag Abegg, with her four children. Abe and Louisa were later married according to the law of plural marriage and had five children: Richard Haag, William F., Marba, Otto and Beth. A mixed train was chartered with the two passenger cars, some freight cars for the furniture and other belongings, and cattle cars for the cattle and horses.
    When they reached El Paso, Texas, Lizzie's brother, Bishop John Robinson of the Dublan Ward was there to meet them. He rode back to Colonia Dublan with them, and Abe stayed to see about getting the furniture, cattle and horses across the international border. They stayed with John for a few days, then purchased a three-room adobe house, adding a kitchen and another bedroom. This was about in the middle of town, east of the railroad tracks.
    Abe and Lizzie were always fond of company, parties, picnics and family gatherings. He liked to read, but abhorred dirty jokes, or trashy reading. He was patient, long-suffering and managed his children with justice. Lizzie was also patient. She loved to sing at home or in the choir. When correcting her children and grandchildren she would sing a song appropriate to the occasion.
    Abe used the talent he gained in violin playing any time when asked for the benefit of family or church. He organized a family orchestra in Dublan, and then organized the town orchestra. He played the violin. His son Joe played the trumpet or cornet. The girls, Edith, May, Eva and Ethel helped with the organ at various times.
    He secured farming land, and also worked as a carpenter doing many jobs to sustain his family. They had taken a stand of bees to Mexico with them, which Lizzie took care of, so they always had honey and honeycomb. She liked to tend them and though they stung her, it did not seem to hurt.
    His family used their talents enriching their lives and benefiting others. Edith gave private music lessons and taught school. She married Louis Paul Cardon. They had twelve children-Louie, Edith, Mary, Florence, Paul Done, and Ellen (twins), Eva, Ethel, Lucy, Thomas Done, Emanuel Done and Lawrence Done—seven of whom survived to adulthood.  Abe's baby, Abram Wilford died of diphtheria, while quite young.
    Arthur Done returned from his German mission and came to Colonia Juarez where he taught school in the Juarez Stake Academy, the church high school. He was very efficient on the violin, and taught music. He married Fannie Clayson, and their union was blessed with these children: Fannie Mae, Arthur Joseph, Jesse Clayson, Jedde Edward, Ethlyn Annie and Dorothy.
    Abe and Ellen Precinda Moffett (Nellie) were married according to the law of plural marriage at that time in the colonies. Their family consisted of: Reed, Olive, Leo, Bernard, Leela, Ammon, Pearl, Horace, and Owen Emmett Done. He built homes and took good care of his loved ones.
    Abe's families lived in Mexico until the Exodus of July 28, 1912. The colonists were asked to leave by the Church Authorities because of the Revolution in Mexico. Each family was allowed a small amount of clothing and bedding, the rest they had to leave. People sadly gathered to await the train. Some were loaded into freight cars, including Abe and Lizzie. She had a can of sugared honey and gave the children hunks of it to keep them quiet while waiting.
    The destination was El Paso, Texas. And, at the time of the Exodus, the government seemingly forgot about them as Mormons, and simply thought of them as American citizens in trouble. A large lumberyard was arranged to make it as comfortable as possible, and those who had no friends or relatives in El Paso were allowed to stay there until places could be arranged. All the refugees were encouraged by the Church Authorities to go to a town or place where they had relatives, or someone to help them get located, and find work. Abe moved to Binghampton, near and now part of Tucson, Arizona, where a colony of refugees was locating.
    During the winter of 1914-1915, Lizzie went to Salt Lake City, Utah, where she took a course in obstetrics and nursing that the General Board of the Relief Society was giving. She helped deliver hundreds of babies in the years that followed, mostly in the Binghampton area. Most of the time she was doctor, nurse, and part—time housekeeper.
    To celebrate their fiftieth wedding anniversary in 1925, Arwell and Mary B. Done Pierce took her parents on an extended vacation to visit all their children, then on a tour through Yellowstone Park, through Montana, Washington, Canada, down the California coast, and back to El Paso, taking three and a half months.
    Abe, Lizzie and Nellie and families moved to Mesa. Louisa stayed in Binghampton.
    To celebrate their sixtieth wedding anniversary, in June, 1935 a reunion was held in Mesa, Arizona. Most of the family, many relatives, and also close friends attended this. They spent a good deal of their last years doing temple work in the Arizona and Salt Lake temples.
    They were living in Salt Lake City when Abraham suffered a stroke and died June 13, 1937. Lizzie then stayed with her children and daughters—in-law, going to those she felt needed her first in the Utah area, then to El Paso, then to Mesa. She suffered a stroke on Mother's Day, May 8, 1938. May took her back to El Paso where she cared for her until she died August 5, 1938.
    Funeral services were held in El Paso, Texas then she was buried by the side of her beloved husband in Provo, Utah Cemetery.

JANE ELIZABETH WIGHTMAN DIXON

JANE ELIZABETH WIGHTMAN DIXON

    Jane Elizabeth Wightman was born on June 22, 1818  in German Platte, Herkimer County, New York.  She was the daughter of Joseph and Amy Sholes Wightman.  Jane Elizabeth Wightman was a descendant of Roger Williams, the founder of Rhode Island. Her Dutch lineage on the Gysbert op den Dyck side dates back to 1297. And as early as 1642 the Updykes (as they spelled their name) held land grants in New Amsterdam, subject to the sovereignty of the Dutch West India Co. Her ancestors owned free tracts on Long Island and possessed at one time all of Coney Island. As the estates were sold, one part was kept in the family for six generations, finally it being sold in 1816. It is today run as an extensive dairy enterprise called Cedar Crest Farm. The dwelling there was built before the Revolution, but has been remodeled as comfortable residence.  
    Jane Elizabeth married Christopher Flintoff Dixon on September 1, 1844.   He was a landowner from Canada.  The Dixons began their married life in Sackville, New Brunswick, Canada.  Shortly afterward they accepted the gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then moved to Kirtland, Ohio.  Their oldest son, Joseph Wightman Dixon passed away shortly after his birth on October 19, 1845.
 

   They purchased the home of Hyrum Smith who had moved on to Missouri. Jane Elizabeth’s husband raised sheep and other types of livestock.  She cared for their home and the children as they were added to the family.  She corded wool and spun it into yarn, dyed it and then wove a blue and white bedspread in a bird pattern that was popular in the day.

    The Dixons was one of the last families to leave Kirtland because her mother had fallen and broken her hip.  She was bedfast for ten years and was cared for by Jane Elizabeth.  After the death of her mother, the family began the long trek across the plains in the spring of 1862 along with their eight children.  They were members of the Isaac Canfield Wagon Train.  The three older children had ponies to ride while the younger children walked along by the side of the wagon and then rode when they became tired.  They arrived in the Salt Lake  Valley on October 16, 1862.
    Three days after arriving in the valley, they traveled south to the community of Payson.  They  purchased forty acres of land that had originally been owned by James Pace.  He was one of the original settlers and the town had been named after him.  They erected a small, four-room adobe house with an attic.
    She had nine children with Charles Flintoff Dixon. Their children were the following: Joseph Wightman Dixon (born October 19, 1845), Ruth Elizabeth Dixon (born  November 25,  1846), Charles Hyrum Dixon (born September 23, 1848), John Henry Dixon (born July 15,  1850), Mary Adelma Dixon (born April 25, 1852), Erastus Wightman Dixon (born July 5, 1854), Emma Jane Dixon (born October 13, 1855), Estelle Victoria Dixon (born October 16, 1857), and Christopher Flintoff Dixon Jr. (born October 20, 1861).
    Mr. Dixon became a prosperous, successful farmer in Payson owning many acres of land, both in Payson and on the bench in Provo.
    Jane Elizabeth Wightman Dixon and her son, Charles Hyrum, became ill and died of typhoid fever.  Jane Elizabeth passed away on November 15, 1877 and her son passed away on December 7, 1877.  Both of them were buried in the Payson City Cemetery,

HEAMON ALISON HILL

 

 

 

 

 Heamon Alison Hill*

       Heamon Alison Hill was born at Petersboro, Hillsboro County, New Hampshire, on the 24th of December 1836.  He is the son of Leonard Hill and Sally Forbush Hill.
     Alison lived with his parents, and their seven his siblings, in Petersboro.  In 1841 the family was contacted by the Mormon missionaries and converted to the gospel.  They were the only members of their families to join the church, and were ostracized from their family and friends.  In 1843 they decided to leave their comfortable home and move to Nauvoo, Illinois to be with the main body of the church.  Their extended families regarded them as "lost".  One record simply states, "They joined the Mormons and moved west."
    After their arrival in Nauvoo, Leonard, being a carpenter and a builder, helped to build many homes in the area at the time.  He was building a new home for his family, on the outskirts of town when they were forced to leave it in the great exodus.
      The Hill family rejoiced in being with the saints.  They were grateful for their association with the Prophet Joseph Smith, and were diligent in accepting and following his leadership and counsel.  They were firm and true to their faith.  As with the other faithful saints, their grief was heavy when the Prophet and his brother Hyrum were martyred, 27 June 1844.  In connection with this event, Alison's sister, Maria, related the following story: " One day I was sitting on the doorstep of our home when the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum stopped at our home and came to our well to get a drink.  They were on their way to Carthage, where they were shot and killed.  Father said it was the last place they stopped as they left Nauvoo for the last time.  They came to the well and got a drink, but they did not come to the house,  The cup they used was kept in the family for a long time.  Maria said she remembered the incident so distinctly, and held it close to her heart, even in her elderly years.
    The ninth child of Leonard and Sally was born in Nauvoo, 30 Sept 1845.  They named him Emerald Jasper.
    In the spring of 1846, the family was forced to leave Nauvoo, their new home, and most of their belongings that wouldn't fit into their wagons.  They headed west.  The exodus was executed under the orders of Governor Ford, the Governor of illinois.  Alison was about 9 1/2 at this time.  After crossing the Mississippi River conditions were so severe, and their persecution so great, many of the saints became ill.  They needed to stop and organize themselves to continue their journey.
    Leonard Hill became very ill.  Being the Priesthood father, he undoubtedly did without that members of his family might have his meager share.  He has endured strenuous labors and persecutions, but endurance has its limits.  He passed away 10 sep 1846, the exact location is not recorded.  The baby, Emerald Jasper, passed away 20 days later.  Of these events, Alison's sister Maria reported, "The Lord blessed us, for a man came to us seeing our plight, took us to his farm.  He gave us a room in his home, put our cattle to pasture, and burried our Father and baby brother on his private burial ground.  We stayed there for a long time because our Mother and older brother Charles were both very sick."
      Later that year,  the Hill family moved on with a group of Saints.  By February 1847 they had reached the Misouri River, reaching it in the winter months so that they could cross it on the ice.  Sally Forbush Hill became very ill and passed away.  A hand sled was fashioned by her children, and it was said that Alison, then 10 years of age, pulled the sled, carrying the body of their dead mother, that they might bury her on a hill on the opposite shore.

    Less than 2 months later their oldest brother, Charles, died and was buried along the wayside.  Out of a family of 11, only 5 remained--three girls, and two boys.  The oldest, Sarah, was only 16 years old.  They had no home, parents, or food and traded everything they had to survive.  They were left in a settlement again, and eventually divided between several families.  Heamon and his brother George were placed with the Turley family.  While with them Alison permanently lost the sight in one eye when whipped, on accident, by one of the Turley boys.
     Their sister, Sarah, married a widower named Bingham Bement.  He was a kind man who gathered all the children together to live with him and Sarah.  They had only a small one-room home, but at least they were together.  They were working diligently, trying to prepare to continue their journey to Utah, when an epidemic of small pox broke out.  They all contracted the disease.  Sarah was expecting her first child.  They baby was born, but it was covered with small pox and only lived a short time.
    In the spring of 1850 they finally continued their trek across the plains.  Alison was traveling with a Mr. Bigford and his wife.  He was to help them with all of their tasks, and he would receive his food and keep.  He felt lucky to have such an arrangement.  Hardship struck again when Mr. Bigford contracted Cholera and died.  This made the trip very difficult for Alison as he was left with all of the work--work meant for a man.  He walked every bit of the way, with the exception of one half of a day when he fell ill.  He was allowed to ride in the wagon.
    It has been said of him, that he walked the entire distance, but it would be more like twice the distance as he had to go back and forth so much to keep the Bigford sheep and cattle together and on the trail.  
    The camp arrived in Salt lake City in October 1850.  The only possesions Alison had were the clothes on his body, and surely they were very worn.  It had been a long and tiresom trip for a young man still waiting for his 14th birthday.
 

    His sister Jerusha had married John Courtland Searle in March of 1850.  Soon after they arrived in the city, President Brigham Young sent them, along with 2 other families, to settle the area of the Peteetneet Creek, now known as Payson.  There were the Searles, The James Pace family, the Andrew Jackson Stewart family, and two young boys Alison Hill and Nathaniel Haws.
    As winter would soon be upon them, they immediately began to harvest the wild hay growing there, made corrals, and erected log cabins.  The cabins were built from rough hewn cottonwood logs from the banks of the river.  Not having a broad axe, they had to use an ordinary axe, an awesome task.  Young Alison worked as hard as any man, and was always willing to do his share and a little more.
    A few years later, Alison Hill rented a piece of hay land south of Salt Lake City.  He had to cut the hay with a hand scythe, and give the owner 3/4ths of the crop as rent.  It was while working here that he met Lurancy Chase from Salt Lake City and began courting her.
    Alison asked Lurancy to marry him in the spring of 1860, but she always said she put him off until the 25th of November of that same year.  They were married in Salt lake City and their first home together was in two rooms of her fathers home.  These were log rooms with no chinking.  They had plenty of fresh air, and must have been very cold during the cold months.
    After the endowment house was finished they were sealed together for time and all Eternity on 8 Nov 1861
 

 

    In 1862 they moved to Payson where they built their first home, of which Alison was very proud.  When they had been married 5 years still no baby had blessed this home.  Lurancy said that one day a Mr. Milan Fillmore, having lost his wife in childbirth, came to her home and asked her to care for the child.  She was hesitant because she had no experience with tiny babies, and this one was not very strong.  When he saw her hesitation he raised his arm and said, "Sister Hill, I promise you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that if you take this child and care for it, the Lord will bless you with children of your own."  She took the baby, cared for it and loved it, however, a little later it died.  Of this Lurancy said, "I could have felt no worse had it been my very own."  About one year later they were blessed with a baby girl of their own.  They named her Miriam Lurancy, after her Grandmother Miriam Chase.
    When President Brigham Young called for volunteers to go back and help the emigrants who did not have sufficient means to get to Utah, Alison willingly left his wife and 3 week old baby, took his team and wagon and on 25 april 1866 he started back acrossed the plains.  He was hoping to make the long trip easier for some than it had been for him.
    Alison Hill returned home six months later, Oct 1866.  This was a great sacrifice.  He had missed the growing season of the year.  He was needed so much at home to comfort his wife and tiny daughter.  Due to the damp cold weather on the trip, and the exposure, his health was never as good as it had been before.  He developed asthma and it effected him the rest of his life.  Upon his return he sold his team to buy his wife a cook stove.  It was ordinary for him to walk the distance from Payson to Salt Lake City  fairly often.
    They were blessed  with 7 children; four sons, and three daughters.
    He died on 24 February 1907 at the age of 70.  He wass buried in the Payson City Cemetery.
   
*The Facts for this story were gathered by Jennie Bird Hill, wife of Leonard A. Hill, son of Heamon Alison Hill.  This history was re-written by Marie T. Hill, and condensed by Jana Nielson.
   

GEORGE WASHINGTON HANCOCK--PART 2

 

George Washington Hancock–Payson Pioneer
Part 2
Mormon  Battalion March
Mt. Pisgah to Ft. Leavenworth

    The following is told in the words of members of the Mormon Battalion:
.
    Their longing eyes turned westward peering into the future as their hopes seemed about to be realized. At this time, in view of the many losses of the saints and their present reduced circumstances a representative of the Church was sent to Washington D.C. to apply to the government for some compensation to assist the saints in their contemplated exodus. There the Mormons were represented as "true hearted Americans" and the petitioner stood ready to pledge himself as their representative to answer any call the government might make upon them in their country's defense. Half were refused, but as the United States at that time was engaged in war with Mexico the representative was taken at his word and Captain Allen was sent at once to Mount Pisgah where on the 26 of June he made known his mission, and a call of 500 Mormon men to give active service were enlisted.
    After a conference with the Church council, Captain Allen went to Council Bluffs where on the 1st of July it was determined by Brigham Young that the requested Battalion should be raised and this was the answer: "We will take our young men first and if there is not enough we will send our old men, and if necessary we will send women. We will furnish our quota if it takes every one of the twelve apostles to do so.
    Just as a new sun seemed to be dawning upon the horizon of their hopes the call from the government came to these destitute saints to furnish a battalion of 500 volunteers to serve one year in the United States army to engage in the Mexican war, and at that time the Mountain Mission was abandoned. It has been recorded that "like all other grave situations confronting the saints this one was met with calmness and determination, promptness and order." Their leader, Brigham Young, advised men to volunteer that by doing so the United States president and all the world might know of their love, sincerity and loyalty to their country.
    The people were in dire circumstances, refugees from mob violence no homes but covered wagons, no clothes, and a scant supply of food. A year before it would have been easier to have enlisted 2000 men in 24 hours than now to enlist one hundred men in a week, said their prophet, "but we will raise our number now." The number was raised only because of the council and efforts of the leaders of the church and the confidence in which they were held for the people of that time and no reason to believe or trust in the officers of the Nation. This is verified in the words of Captain James Brown after the war, "I do not suppose there is an individual in the Battalion who had he been left to his own thoughts and feelings, independent of council, would have enlisted. I would have felt very reluctant under the circumstances had it not been for the council of my brethren whom God authorized to dictate the affairs of his Kingdom." An American flag rescued from the wrathful mob of former days and secretly tucked away with their most precious relics was hurriedly produced. It was masted to a pole and under its stars and stripes, on the 13th of July 1846 enlisted commenced. George and his brother were among the first to sign their names to serve their country as volunteers to this call. On the 16th of July the enlistment was completed. Five hundred men and boys had enlisted to fight the battles and defend the rights of those at whose hands they had suffered hunger, mobbings, burnings, and driving, being deprived of homes and property.
    Captain Allen took the Battalion under command. Teamsters had been withdrawn for this campaign and much heavy work fell upon the women and children and the aged and infirm. George, now a youth of twenty, and his older brother, Charles, twenty-three, with no preparation left their father in his 53rd year with a family of seven and his aged mother, living in a covered wagon. On 18 July under the cottonwoods, President Young called the Battalion together and blessed them and exhorted them to live up to the ideals of their religion and in no way compromise with things of the world. He exhorted them to be loyal to their country and to their God, that through their loyalty they would be able to alley prejudices of the people. He told them that this call would prove to be a temporal salvation of Israel. "Through your services to our country," he said, "Indian lands for residences will be granted to the Mormon families left on the banks of the Missouri river, a stretch of fifty or sixty miles in length and thirty or forty miles on its east side. Food will be produced on its farm lands and gathered to carry with the saints on their contemplated move west."
    He advised volunteers to be conservative with their means to send home all they could spare and this would prove to be as manna from Heaven for the saints. He promised protection and help to the families of these volunteers and promised to see them safe in the Rockies, fed and cared for even by the last crust divided with them. In power and majesty he blessed them with the promise that if they would live their religion at all times, under all. circumstances they would not have to fight anything but the wild beasts. "None of you will fall into the hands of your enemies," he said. You will pass over battlefields and there will be battles in front of you and battles in the rear, on your right and on your left, but you will not be harmed and your enemies shall flee before you." This promise was fulfilled and after the war was over William Hawks bore testimony to its fulfillment in these words.
    I want to bear testimony that the President promised the Battalion that inasmuch as they would go forth and do right there should not be a ball shot at them, and I can say for one, that I realized the truth of that saying; I have experienced it--I have seen those words fulfilled and that promise to the very letter, when placed in the midst of my enemies with nothing but these little Mallets (fists) to defend myself with and they were well armed with bows and arrows, knives and rifles, but they burnt the priming, the powder flashing in the pan and not a gun aimed at me went off and their arrows broke.
    Brigham Young further promised them "In the name of Israel's God if you will do these things, trusting in God and uncomplaining you will come back alive." I am willing to bet my right arm that this will be true, promised their prophet" and when your time of service is over you will be discharged at a distance of about eight hundred miles from the place where the body of the church shall be located, and your names shall be held in honorable remembrance to the latest generation." The distance between Salt Lake City and Los Angeles is today 748 miles. On 19 July a farewell ball was given to honor and cheer the departing soldiers. A bowery had been constructed for shelter and the dance floor consisted of hard earth tromped down by anxious feet. Violins, horns, tambourines and sleigh bells were assembled. The dance started at an early hour and lasted until the sun dipped behind the shore line of the Omaha hills.
    Courage was inspired in the hearts of both the volunteers and their families and when the parting came it was one of cheer as they marched away to the tune of "the girl I left behind me" played on the fife by Levi Ward Hancock, George's Uncle who enlisted in Company E.
    Five hundred wagons were left without teamsters and as many left without fathers or brothers. On 20 July 1846 the line of march was ordered and these two youths Charles and George, assigned to Company C and their Uncle Levi, the musician of Co. E equipped but with one blanket each and no tents again traversed the plains of Iowa and Missouri and marched to Ft. Leavenworth, Kansas, 2000 miles away encountering terrible storms and heavy rains and deep mud. The weather was very warm and the men in poor physical condition to start with and at once they became exhausted. The second day out a rain fell during the forenoon and in the afternoon they traveled but four miles in mud. They crossed the Nishnabotany river at Hunsaker's Ferry and camped near Lindon in Missouri.
    Captain Allen was in favor of moderate marches but some of the other officers having horses to ride urged long marches. Thus many began to fail at almost the beginning of their journey. On 25 of July they found themselves out of flour and many retired to bed fasting, while others made a meager meal of parched corn. No flour was obtained for two days afterwards, during which time a distance of thirty-eight miles was traveled in the heat and dust of a July sun. They crossed the Nodaway river and camped at the town of Oregon and there flour was delivered to them. On 29 they passed St. Joseph Mo. and camped one mile outside the town. On the 30 they passed through Bloomington and camped on a small creek where the wind commenced to blow and continued until trees fell in all directions around the camp. The howling of the wind and the crashing of trees as they fell the vivid lighting and the roar of thunder made the scene one of terror, but not one tree fell in camp. Surely God was with the Mormon boys. The next day they passed through the town of Weston and from there they marched nearly five hours to cross the river opposite Ft. Leavenworth. It took them nearly five hours to cross the river and get to the garrison. They arrived at Ft. Leavenworth on the 3 of August. Tents and arms were furnished to Company C. and on the 5th of Aug. they were paid $42.00 each in advance for the year for clothing money. The Mormon volunteers used their old clothes and sent the greater part of their pay back to the saints, which proved a heat benefit to the saints in their distress.
    Col. Allen, their honored and beloved commanding officer was taken ill after their arrival at Ft. Leavenworth and was forced to remain. Captain Jefferson Hunt was ordered to advance in command of the company.*

GEORGE WASHINGTON HANCOCK--PART 1

 

George Washington Hancock–Payson Pioneer
Part 1

    George Washington Hancock, son of Solomon and Alta Adams Hancock, was born the 8th day of March 1826 in Columbia, Cuyahoga County, Ohio. He was the sixth child of his parents and at the time of his birth his father was thirty-three years old and his mother was thirty-one.
    When he was very young, the family moved from the place of his birth to Chagrin, in the same county and state, on a farm where the next few years of his life were spent. George was but four years old when the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized. His parents and grandparents accepted the gospel and were among the first converts of the Church and were baptized in the year of 1830, a few months after its organization.
    Immediately after his baptism George's father, Solomon Hancock, left to fill a mission for the latter-day Saints Church and his mother, Alta, was left with the care of the six small children and to mourn the loss of their two first born.
    The father returned from his mission late in the fall of 1831 and in the following year he moved his family from Chagrin, Ohio to Jackson Co. Missouri and settled on the Big Blue river, six miles west of Independence, the gathering place of the saints. They encountered many hardships and endured severe sickness and the death of two more of their children on this journey. George was also very ill and nigh unto death, but through the blessings of the lord, the destroying angel passed by and his life was spared.
    After reaching the Big Blue river they planted a garden of corn and in the spring of 1833 they built themselves a house. Mob violence soon fell upon the Mormons at this time and after suffering severe persecutions and burnings the people of this place, on the tenth of Nov. 1833 fled from their home to Van Buren County. George, with many of the children, walked barefoot over burnt prairies’ suffering the gnawing ache of hunger, bleeding feet and chilled bodies from exposure of the wintry winds and storms.           
    On Nov. 13, his youthful eyes beheld the misery and the mercy of God in confounding the pursuing enemies as a meteoric drama shot forth stars from the heavens, falling as hail to the earth. The mob fled terrified, while the handful of saints rejoiced. They were pursued on the following day and once more deliverance came in the form of a terrible hailstorm, blinding the eyes of the pursuers, while the saints were protestingly sheltered in a cove of a hanging rock. Here their healthy appetites were appeased by the cooked meat of two raccoons, and the next day this little groups of thirty saints again took up their journey unmolested and arrived in Van Buren Co. Missouri.
    The Hancock's stayed at this settlement until the next spring and in April 1834 they crossed the Missouri river and settled in Clay Co. Missouri. While here his loyal young heart quickened its beat as he beheld with pride Zion's Camp marching through Clay County, on its way to redeem Zion, with his two uncles, Joseph and Levi in its ranks. At this time George, being eight years old, was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints by his uncle Levi Ward Hancock .
    In the fall the father, Solomon Hancock, started on another mission going east, leaving his wife, Alta, with four surviving children of their family of ten. George had known little during his youthful years of life but hunger, want, and hardships. The brightest spot of his life was his mother's love and her sympathetic care, and her courage and cheer. On Jan. 31, 1836 while his father was still upon his mission, the greatest tragedy of all came into his life-- his mother, having been very ill, died on this day and George was left motherless with only his two brothers and a sister to share his grief. The family consisted of Eliza, sixteen; Joseph, fourteen; Charles, thirteen; and George ten.
    With sorrow only their young hearts knew they laid their mother in a grave in this strange and unfriendly land. The children were left to the mercy of friends until their father returned, which was some months after, bringing their mother's niece, Phoebe Adams, who became their stepmother.
    Phoebe gave the children good kind motherly care and tenderly reared them through the perils of mob persecutions to manhood and womanhood and in her old age received their blessings.
    In 1836 the family once more were forced from their home in Clay Co., leaving the fresh grave of their dear wife and mother and moved to Caldwell Co. Missouri, and there helped to establish the city of Far West, the gathering place of the saints. There they bought land and built them a home and enjoyed peace and prosperity for a time. In 1838, the violence of the mobs broke out again and the Hancock family passed through those trying days in Missouri.    
    They finally fled from their home and possessions, valued at $1500, leaving all and again stained the soil of Missouri with their bleeding feet as they walked over its dreary prairie to a little settlement in Adams County. Illinois. There they lived on rented land until 1839 when they moved again going to Commerce Co., Hancock Co. Ill. which place afterward became Nauvoo, the beautiful, with the body of the saints.
    In 1841 they bought land from the state of Ill. and settled in Lims, later called Yelrome in Hancock Co. near the city of Nauvoo. At this place for a time they enjoyed peace and plenty by the labors of their own hands. George was now fifteen years old and at this place afforded his first and only schooling which lasted but three months.
    Tragedy and sorrow came to this boy once more however, when on the 27th of June 1844 their prophet and friend whom George loved dearly, Joseph and his brother Hyrum, the beloved patriarch, were martyred at Carthage Jail. George was a mourner with thousands of saints who viewed their remains in the Nauvoo Mansion House for the last time. This was a time of great anxiety and one of watchfulness by day and one of sleeplessness by night.
    In Feb. 1845 mobs once more terrorized the people of Ill. and threatened the lives of the saints in the settlement of Yelrome.
    Like the beasts of prey the mobs stealthily stole in the shadow of darkness and were not apprehended. When morning disclosed their losses, the thieves themselves made the first accusations, accusing the saints of their thefts, thus arousing prejudice in the minds of honest residents against the innocent Mormons.
    The president of this settlement, Isaac Morley, having been accused of theft and his life threatened, fled in grave fear to Nauvoo. President Brigham Young advised him to remove his family to Nauvoo and there to remain. The mobsters then proceeded to tear down and burn barns and houses belonging to the saints and went from one settlement to another and committed the most inhuman acts of vandalism.
    0n the 12th of Sept. 1845 George's father was put in charge of the settlements of the Hancock Co. and George and his brother shared many experiences with their father in his attempts to regain order and safety for the saints. On this condition George wrote a rhyme:
    On the tenth of Sept. 1845. The mob commenced their burnings.  The Mormons fro to drive   They came to Morley's settlement Determined to go through To drive the saints of God
To the city called Nauvoo

    On Nov. 20 1846 during the night the mob applied the torch to the Hancock barns and George and his father and brother hastened to put out the fire, but were soon fired upon and in self defense were forced to take up arms and participate in the battle which took the life of one of the saints, Brother Edmund Dwarf. The mob was scattered only a time and as persecutions and burnings continued, Brigham Young sent a message from Nauvoo for the families living in these settlements to prepare to leave and come to Nauvoo. Over a hundred teams were sent from Nauvoo to bring the people away and the mobsters were left to apply the torch as they choose.
    The Hancock's stayed in Nauvoo only about five weeks. The Militia had been sent to suppress the rnob and a compromise had been made whereby all Mormons might remain unmolested until the spring of 1846, during which time arrangements for the sale of all property should have been completed and at the expiration of this time all Mormons remaining would be expelled from the settlement and their property confiscated.
    The Hancock family returned to their farm to make a home for those who came to father their crops and to sell what they could of their possessions. On the first of April 1846 they took a last look at their hard earned home, realizing but a small part of its cost and turned their faces westward, making a road through the wilds of Iowa, and joined the Saints at Council Bluffs, in Pottawattamie Co., Iowa.
    At this time Brigham Young and his associates in the Church made plans for the saints to go west far beyond the savagery of. a civilized community where the worship might be enjoyed in peace and the Gospel of Jesus Christ could grow to the magnitude and greatness for which it was destined.
    The courage and confidence of the saints at this time may be understood, as we reflect upon the word of their mouthpiece, Brigham Young, "Come calm or strife, turmoil or peace, life or death, in the name of Israel our God we mean to conquer or die trying. We mean to open up the way for the salvation of the honest in heart for all nations or sacrifice everything in our stewardship, and if we fail in the attempt, having done all we could, our Father will not leave his flock without a shepherd."
    In view of this determination a camp was organized to go to the unknown west for the purpose of locating a resting place for the saints. On 29 June 1846, George's Father was called on this mountain mission and also to assist in securing money and volunteers to go with him. Solomon in company with Parley P. Pratt and Ezra T. Benson left his home and family and went to Mount Pisgah, returning the 4th of July 1846, having secured eighty-four volunteers to go as pioneers and $50.00 to help pay the way.
    Hope was inspired in the hearts of the Hancock family in the anticipation of a home of peace where nights might be spent in the blessed relaxation of undisturbed slumber and the waking hours in the realization of day dreams of happiness with a home to shelter them, a fire to warm them, and food to nourish their starving bodies.*