This was the 4 day of May 1846 we traveled 9 or 10 miles and put up at a
brother Tyril he has since apostatised. It was a dark stormy night rain and
snow Ann Eliza slept in the house and I in the waggon
A man by the name of Mexon with his family was with us all the way to
Keosauqua Iowa Ter. on the Desmoin river The 2d night we camped near pigeon
prairie A man came to our camp and told us that a family of Mormans had
started that day for Nauvoo and if we had been a little sooner we could been
in their company all the way. I prayed in my heart that something might
hapen that we might yet fall in with them.
It rained all that night. la the morning we yoked up our oxen and drove on
We traveled all that day in the rain camped it rained all that night in the
morning it stopt raining the families aluded to passt us as we ware eating
breakfast We soon hookt our teams on and started after them, they stopt
about 10 o'clock and we passt them and at night we all campt together finely
I asked them which way they ware traveling they said they ware going to Van
buren Co. Iowa I then asked them if they ware not mormans they answered by
asking me the same question I told them we was and we ware going with the
church, they then said that they ware also mormans and ware on the same
erand and we would travel on together, they then told us their names Levi
Savage and wife and 3 sons Levi Jr. and Mathew and Moroni one daughter Hanah.
the other family was Benjamine Waldren and wife and two sons Glusby & ______
We traveld on as far as Walnut Grove in Ilinois before we stopt except over
night here we camped for 6 days. While we ware at this place we were^
visited by WmjSmith and many other apostates they said everything in their
power to turn us back but we had enough of the spirit of the gospel to
overcome their arguments and they would turn and leave us after pronouncing
all maner of bad luck to us.
After our teams ware rested and we had washed our clothes and written
letters home or back we started on, while we ware camped I had a dream,
being somewhat disturbed in consequence of the stories we heard from
apostates about the corruption of the mormans for it was a continual harrang
from morning to night and being tired of disputing them continualy I went
away and prayed that the Lord would grant me his spirit that I might know
what more to say to them and to give me power to resist them, after which I
felt much strengthened that night I dreamed that I had two young wives one
had red hair slim in stature the other black hair not quite as tall as the
other I looked at them and could hardly believe that it was so but after I
had convinced myself that the ancient order was again restored and it was
right I awoke being convinced. In the morning I told my dream to father
Waldren and he believed that it was a true dream and that I should live to
see its fulfilment This dream gave us great comfort and satisfaction and it
strengthend our faith so that we felt as though we could ask no odds of all
the powers of darkness or its emisaries
We went on our way rejoicing although the rains had made the roads vary
muddy and had raised the streams so much that it was almost impossible to
travel but we determined that nothing should stop us, we traveled for miles
with our waggon wheels two thirds the way to the hubs and it seemed as
though the heavens was composed of clouds and water for it rained almost
continualy night and day and had done almost the whole time we had been on
the road the first day in the morning crossing a stream I strained one of my
oxen, the next day he was taken with the dry murin at noon he was so bad
that he could hardly travel. I gave him a dose composed of 1 pint of hogs
lard 1/2 pint of sutt a lump of rosin about the size of a hens egg and 1/2
pint of salt and started on. at night he seemed no better he laid down as
soon as I took the yoke from his neck, after he had rested a little while I
got him up and drove him a little ways from the camp and he laid down again,
by this time it was dark I watched over him and carried him water but he
would not drink, finely the thought came into my mind to lay my hands on him
and pray for him which I did and while my hands ware on him I heard a
rumbling noise inside of him which I took to be a testimony that my prayers
was answerd. The next morning I as soon as day appeard I was out to see how
he was and to my joy he was up and eating grass I drove him down to the
water and he drank harty, as he turned around to the grass his phisic
operated It was not thought best to work him for a day or two or until he
was better this left me with three oxen but brother Savage had some loose
cattle along and among them was a bull which he told me to yoke in his place
a few days I used him 3 or 4 days We had much trouble in crossing fox river
the water was fcdgh and ran vary swift so that we had to hang on to the bow
of the yoke to keep from being washed down stream by the currant and we had
to put all our oxen onto one waggon to keep them from being washed down
stream for they reached nearly acc-ross the stream and having the heavy
teams ahead they would get through the deepest and pull the rest through
with the load, but we got over all safe I waded the stream 9 times but it
done me no harm that I know of I generaly took the lead in all the hard and
dangerous places for the Lord was with me and this always encouraged me and
give me strength
Mahen had about a dozen sheep which was more trouble to us in crossing
streams than all our teams and waggons I had one that Hall wanted me to take
along for him, it was a fine merino buck of the best breed. I took him
through to winter quarters but he did not live through the winter
When we got to the DesMoin river we had another hard time to get accross. it
was about 50 rods wide and the curant swift we had to cut blocks and rais
eur waggon beds up 6 or 8 inches to keep them out of the water, this river I
also waded 9 times the next day I had the ague took some pills and some
opium and broke it up
Here we bid goodby to Mahon and his family we went on two days and came to
the Morman road from Nauvoo to winter quarters, it was about nine o'clock at
night when we got to a camping place in the morning we found ourselves in
company of many of the brethren but all strangers to me but one that was
Edward M. Webb the man who baptized us. he wanted me to stop and help him
build a barn which he had taken by the job to build which I did. We got our
pay in wheat We had 27 bushels each for our pay. We took it to mill and got
34 pounds to the bushel which made us 918 Ibs of flour besides brand and
shoots
The place was called Mechanicsville While I was at the mill I traded off one
yoke of cattle for a lighter pair for mine was to heavy and too slow for the
trip, and a missourian stole a good 2 gallon jug out of my waggon. We then
started for the bluffs the last house was on soap creek whare we camped the
first night. While we was camped at Mechanicsville a man came to our tent
and told us that government had sent a man on to overtake the mormans with
orders to rais 500 men to go fight Mexico and in case the mormans refused to
rais them he was orderd to rais an army and kill evry damd morman between
the Missippi and Misourie river however this we did not believe but in a few
days we found that it was true the men had to go and leave their helpless
families the plan was discovered by the heads of the church and they calld
on the brethren to volunteer to save the lives of the rest they traveld all
through the camps to get men to go so that in a tew days upwards of 500 men
volunteered to fight for their enemies which ware such in reality if they
could have had a cause, but in this instance the wisdom of God was greater
than the cuning of the devil. We traveled on in company with Edward M and
Wesley Webb and a man by the name of Pate who I let have 150 Ibs flour We
all went on to the bluffs & crosst the missourie river the first day of
October except father Pate he slept at Pisgah we camped in company with Seth
Taft Chancy Webb and Morace Snedaker to cut hay for the winter I was for
going on to fix a cabin as soon as possible for Ann Eliza was soon to be
confined. But E. M. Webb urged us not to leave their company that he would
let me have his tent that would be more comfortable than anything that I
could build in so short a time, accordingly I accepted his offer and staid
the 9th day of October Eliza was born it was 6 miles south of the main camp
she was taken sick in the night and it was with dificulty that I could get
any one to go for assistance, but after looking about the camp for some one
to go I found a man by the name of Dykes who had traveled with us from
Mechanicsville (which I had forgotten to mention before) he took Brother
Tafts horses and started about 9 o'clock in the evening and returned at 3 in
the morning he had to get off going through the sloughs and mud holes and
take the woman on his back and carry her accross as she was afraid to ride
accross on the horse Ann Eliza was vary sick she was delivered safely of a
daughter in about an hour after Mother Sessions arrived for that was the
name of the mid wife The indi-ans ware very hostile in their feelings they
wanted us to give them all we had and because we would not they set our hay
on fire, several times, and tried to burn our waggons and all we had but we
succeeded in puting it out. they shot an airow into one of Brother Tafts
cows which was like to kill her and he butcherd her to save the meat. And he
divided her out to the families. I had about 30 Ibs it was first rate
On Sunday I went up to the camp to meeting in company with Dykes this was
the first time I ever saw any of the 12 but P. P. Pratt he came to our camp
in Iowa on his way to England thare was but two or three of them presant I
did not see Bri-gham or Heber.
We returned from meeting and found the women much frightned by the Indians
they was vary mad because sister Taft would not give them one hind quarter
of beef she offerd to give them about 15 or 20 Ibs a piece, but they said it
was their cow for they had examined the hide and found whare they had shot
the arrow and by that they claimed it they pointed to the hay and said this
is our land and we will burn it all over and then your cattle will all die
But they finely took the amount they offered and appeared satisfied. After
we had done cuting hay we went up to camp we had a hired girl with us by the
name of Dolly Childs She left us when we come up to the camp Eliza was about
11 days old Ann E was not vary strong but the want of means compeled us to
let her go at first, Edward M, Webb and myself went to see Brigham to know
whare we should camp this the first sight that I had of the leader of the
Kingdom of God on the earth, he told us to camp along on the outside line
wharever we could find a place we went Into the south west corner on the
side hill. In a few days I got Into work for President Young and we moved
over onto the north side of the hill whare the mill was building, here I dug
out a flat place in the side hill to set our waggon box in while I took the
riming gears to draw logs for a house here I labored hard to build a house.
I got most of the logs hauled onto the spot and part of it layed up. it was
14 feet square Dykes the man who was helping me did not like the place and
he concluded to give me his part of the logs and make him a cave in the
ground which he did. Soon he left father Pate came and helped me finish the
house and lived in with us till spring after we got the body of the house up
we cut out the door and while I was hewing a casing for the door I stuck the
corner of the axe into the instep of my foot which laid me up about 3 weeks.
When I got so that I could step on my foot I went over whare Daniel Collett
was whip sawing I asked him to trust me to 25 cents worth of slabs for door
jams and when I got to work on the mill I would pay him for it but he
refused to do he had him a good house and was sawing lumber to sell and I
thought it rather hard that I could not get a brother to trust me a single
farthing and winter was on hand and I was still lame and not able to work
but I resolved not to complain come what would.
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