Photos of Myrna at the Alligator Farm

Thanks to Toni Jackson, cousin, I have this photo at all. When I went back home to Utah after the summer vacation, I took the photo to school to share for my vacation show-and-tell. I don't know what happened to it. My teacher, Mrs. King, thought that one of my friends must have "borrowed" it, though I have no idea why that would ever happen. At one point, when I became literate in Photoshop, I tried to put together a fake photo but it just wasn't right. I know why, of course, it was not the original and did not have these wonderful people included.

The people in this photo, in the background, are important to me. Jessie Brighton (my great-aunt), Vivian Smith (my maternal grandmother), Gilbert Brighton (my great-uncle). Uncle Gilbert baptized me. He was in the bishopric in his ward in California.

What a great gift Toni has given me. I have a piece of my childhood and a very happy day in my life restored.

There goes another great man, this one from Edna's family.

HOLGER LEVON GRUNDVIG

Holger Levon (Von) Grundvig 9/10/1926 ~ 7/11/2010 " .if ye are prepared, ye shall not fear." (D&C 38:30) PRICE - Our beloved husband, father, grandfather, great-grand-father, uncle and friend passed away peacefully at home on July 11, 2010 surrounded by loving family members after a brief battle with mesothelioma. He was born on September 10, 1926 in Wattis, Utah to Daniel Richard and Nina Beryl Oviatt Grundvig. He was orphaned by the age of 13 months, and was raised by his maternal grandparents, Beaman and Sylvia Oviatt. He married Mona Lee Jewkes on June 24, 1948 in the Manti Temple. He served in the Navy during World War II. He was a master electrician and was an electrical and heating and air conditioning contractor. He deeply loved his family, and has set a powerful example for his family to follow. His testimony of the gospel was evident in the way that he lived his life. He faithfully served in many callings including scouting, bishop, high councilor, and most recently as stake patriarch. He received the Silver Beaver award. With his wife, he served in the Papua New Guinea Mission, a temple mission to the Manti Temple and the Price Family History Center. He lived a quiet life of obedience and faithful service. His family will be eternally grateful for the legacy he has given them. He is survived by his wife, Mona Lee, Price, and his children, Gail (Loretta) Grundvig, West Jordan; Gardell (Carole) Grundvig, North Salt Lake; Loraina (Sidney) Nelson, Price; 14 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. Preceded in death by his brother, Daniel Carlos Grundvig; sister, Sylvia Grundvig Leach; and grandson, Brad Schmidt. Funeral services will be held on Thursday, July 15, 2010 at 11:00 a.m. at the Price 6th Ward located at 303 West 5th South - Price. A viewing will be held Wednesday, July 14, 2010 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m. at the Fausett Mortuary, 680 East 100 South - Price and July 15, 2010 from 9:30 - 10:45 a.m. at the church. Interment will be in the Orangeville City Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. Services are in the care of Fausett Mortuary. Friends and family may sign the guest book and share memories of Levon at www.fausettmortuary.com 

Published in Deseret News on July 13, 2010

Dear Else & Erling & Family

Leonard wrote:

Dear Else & Erling & Family:

I am just sitting here thinking and wondering if you are still being affected by the volcanic ash cloud. I remember when Mount St. Helene, erupted, in the state of Washington. The one side of it was blown out and sent a dust cloud into the sky. We knew it down here. If you left your car outside, it would be covered with dust. What I have been reading is that those who have been covered with the cloud are getting the same thing we had. I do not remember how many people died. There was a campground close by and some of the people were never found. It looked like an atomic blast had occurred.

In the months of April, May and June, we have had more rain and snow than in the previous three months. Our temperatures have been way below normal.The fact is that as I am I sitting here writing this letter, it is cool in the house. I am a cheapskate, I am not going to heat the furnace. I have had a chance to mow my lawns twice. The peas in the garden are growing well, however, the tomatoes are not doing well because it has just been too cold. I did put in one row of katofler.

Did you notice in the church news they are going to build a temple in Payson, Utah. That just 30 miles from here. Our stakes will be assigned to that district.

Myrna and I have mixed emotions about leaving  the Manti Temple. That is where our great grandparents, grandparents, parents, Myrna’s, as late as three years ago, were sealed.We were sealed there along with five of our children. We have been serving in the temple for ten years and four months. It is liked home for us. Payson will have the film. As you well know, ours is what is called a live endowment. It will only take us about twenty minutes to get to Payson and it is 45 minutes to Manti.

Our oldest grandson ileft for his mission on May 26. He will be in the missionary training center for three weeks and then flew out to South America. He is from the east coast. He is our oldest daughter’s son. He just finished his first year at BYU. 

We flew to Chicago, Illinois for our oldest son’s daughter’s high school graduation. That was Sunday, May 23. After the the school graduation they had her seminary graduation. We flew home on Monday, we flew out on Saturday.

So much for what is happening in our lives. How are you all doing? How are the kids and grand kids doing? Do you have much planned for the summer? How is your genealogy going? I have been going to ask you how is the temple attendance going? Our new temple president, President Pinegar (past Seventy) has been bringing bring about many changes that have increased our temple attendance. 

I have run out of questions and news so I will stop for now. We love you all and hope you all will have a great summer.

Especially Yours

L.H. and Myrna Trauntvein

We received your email about Rita. It is sad news. I think back on my association with her and it has always been positive. I think of the many times that I was in your home, while I was on my mission. She was always nice to me, as all of you always were. I know at one time your mom was having trouble with her and sent her over south of Odense, where I had been transferred. She gave me the name of the place, so i told my companion  we were going to go down there. It seemed like a long bike ride. When we got there, they would not let us see or talk to her.  I was very disappointed.When we came over to the Temple Dedication and visited with your mom, she was very cordial to us.

Even though she did not join the church, as I think about her, and, in my way of thinking, one of her greatest missions was to bring Heinrick into the family. He had a grandmother who loved him and an aunt and uncle and their family who love him. I can not say that she did not believe in some of the doctrine of the church. Like many other people I know, their habits get in the way of their being active in the church. I home teach two such brethren.

Heinrick has been a great service to the church and to us. When you came up to us, in between the talks and the program, you asked me if I would like to be in the temple for the the dedication. My remark was “yes” but in my wildest dream I did not think that it could happen.  You then stated, “That is not what I asked you.” I said, “Yes”. When you handed me the two tickets, I could have kissed you, then I thought that might not be appropriate. Then the morning of the dedication we were able to go in early an get a great seat. 

All the work Heinrick did for the open house, the program, and the dedication were admirable. Taking Elder Nielsen and his wife up to Veg and some of the same places you took us was also a great thing.

We want to express our sympathy to all of you and to Heinrick. Would you let him know about our feelings toward him and his mom?

We want you and your family to know how much we love all of you. My family knows the history of our relationship with you and your family. With out you we would never been in the Danish Temple for the dedication. And then to have the opportunity to do work in the temple, with you and Jana has been one of the greatest highlights in our lives. My children have heard all the stories several times and they have the same feelings we do. I believe if we were not the first to do initiatory there, there were not many before us. What a blessing. Also to have a picture of you and me on the front steps of the church and then the front steps of the temple is such a treasure. It does not get much better than that. Your’s and Erling’s hospitality was most gracious and we appreciated it. Thank you!

You will have to read this epistle in two or three settings.

We love you all:

Myrna and Leonard 

P.S. You might notice that it took a few weeks to write this. Sorry about that.

Great Grandmother Pritchett

I always referred to my Great Grandmother Pritchett as, “Grandma-with-the-cane,” and, I think, Garth (Childs) did also. I don’t know how much David (Childs) remembers about her. She used a cane because she had fallen and broken her hip and it was always somewhat weak after that. Grandma and I and, also, once or twice in the company of Aunt Renee and the "Boys" my only cousins on my mother's side of the family, did visit her in California where she moved in her later years. She was lived with Aunt Jessie and Uncle Gilbert then. In her 80s, she had several strokes which, eventually,  took away most of  her memory and, ultimately, her life. However, since she was grandmother to me, I loved her dearly. She lived with us, in Price, for awhile before I started school and I have happy memories of those days.

One winter day, for example, she sent me outside with a salt shaker. She told me that if I could put salt on a bird’s tail, I could catch it. I really tried. In fact, I spent most of the day trying to catch a bird. She stayed inside at the window and watched me, as I worked to catch one of those ever elusive creatures. It was still a bit cold outside (early spring), and I was bundled up warmly. When Grandma Smith came home from school, I told her I had tried to catch a bird by putting salt on it’s tail. She scolded Great-grandma a bit. “Oh, Mother, how could you?” Then she explained to me that, if you could get close enough to a bird to put salt on it’s tail, you could catch it without the salt. Great-grandma had a little of the practical joker in her. It always caught you by surprise because she was, otherwise, a very practical and proper lady.

Once she told me that I needed to be careful of tramps. This was after the war when many returning soldiers could not find work. We lived on Carbon Avenue in Price at the time. I had invited a raggy-looking fellow into the house while she was taking a nap. She was somewhat handicapped with her cane, which she always used after breaking her hip. She scolded me for that and explained that I did not invite strangers into the house. There were a lot of tramps after the war. I remember seeing one walking down the street, shortly after my inviting the one in, and he was not very tidy-looking. He had rumpled hair and awful clothes. I asked Great-grandma if he was the “boogie man” and she said he very well could be. Well, we children were all afraid of the boogie man so that took care of that.

Of course, our house was always a hit for a good meal. The men would offer to do chores around the yard for food. They usually chopped wood, or something like that. It was mostly in the summer when they traveled looking for work and a better life. One day, a man sat on our front lawn and ate spaghetti. Garth and I watched, fascinated, as he slurped the spaghetti into his mouth just for our pleasure, I am sure. We tried it later and it did not go over well. But you know, and I am honestly speaking, the lawn later died just where he sat on it. Grandma Smith wondered, aloud, if he had weed-killing chemical on his pants from the rail car he had ridden to town. I have wondered, in the years since, if it had an adverse effect on him. What if he got sick and thought it was the spaghetti and not the weed-killer?

I have some great photos of Great-grandma in my “Treasurers of Truth” book which I put together in Mutual when I was a teen-ager. I was, after all, 16 years old when she died. I remember being a bit resentful that I could not go with Grandma Smith to the funeral. She, Grandma Smith, took the train and I stayed home with Aunt Renee. I am certain that it was the expense but I was pretty spoiled and thought money “grew on trees,” as I was often told. And it did not!

I have a photo, for those of you who do not know, which features Aunt Grace and Uncle Woody Selby, Great-grandma, and Aunt Jessie. Woody grew up as a Pritchett and, later, went back to his own surname, Selby. He was the son of Great-Grandma Mina’s sister, who died when Woody was just an infant. He was “brother” to Grandma, Aunt Jessie, and Uncle Frank. He did have a brother or two, who went to other relatives on the death of their mother. She died of something like appendicitis or gallbladder. Whichever it was, the organ ruptured and she died of the resulting infection.

He never had children. He married a woman, Aunt Grace, who had two daughters. The girls were babies when he married Grace and he was their father in all senses of the word. He was a Wonder Bread Regional Manager and lived, at the time of Grandma Smith’s death, in Idaho. I didn’t keep in touch, sorry to say. I didn’t used to do a good job of keeping track of people. I have repented now, however. I guess he must no longer be alive because I can’t find him. If any of you are better at “People Search” than I am, do the job and let me know what you find. His full name was Woodrow (like President Woodrow Wilson) Selby.

Robbery

Saturday afternoon we left our home about 4:15 p.m. We returned home about 11:45 p.m. As we came into our home from the garage, we passed the back door, leading outside. I turned the knob on the door and it was unlocked.  I thought maybe I had left it unlocked, so I locked it. About fifteen minutes later, I checked the front door and it was ajar so I locked it and we went to bed. 

The next morning I was sitting in the front room reading and Myrna, my wife, called to me to come back to the bedroom. She told me that the reason the doos were  unlocked when we returned home was that we had been robbed. She showed me her drawers and how her clothes where sticking up and had been gone through. My drawers had also been rifled. She showed me  that my jar of quarters was missing. It was totally full. The burglars left the  decorative lid. 

When we realized we had been robbed, we called and Officer Wes Dudley came over. We were telling him that we could not see any evidence of a forced entry, when Myrna stated she could see how they got in. She pointed to the front door and we could see the groove in the door where they had pried it open. Then we could see the pry marks on the door casing and how the burglars had totally destroyed  the receiver.

Later on that morning, after a city police officer had gone, I went to my sock drawer and found they had taken three pair of Docker socks that I had purchased about a month earlier. They were black socks and had  Docker written across the toes.

On Monday, an officer came an took finger prints. Today, Monday the twelfth, we are to go over to the police station and give them our finger prints. Some of the prints Officer Burt Wright got looked pretty good. Hopefully, they will not be ours. The same night our house was broken into another home just three blocks from ours was also broken into and they lost a jar of money, a $100 bull and other items. A travel trailer was also broken into and many items, such as a flat screen television, were taken. As of now the only things we can see missing at our home are the money and the socks..

Jessie and Vivian

When my Grandmother Vivian and her sister, Jessie, were teens, Jessie tied my grandmother to a bedpost and then went downstairs to tell her (Vivian's) date that she was going to be late? Jessie visited with him and visited with him. Grandma couldn't get loose. FINALLY, Jessie went upstairs and let her go. THEN she wondered why Vivian was angry because she was just having fun. It ended up being OK, probably right away, but for certain 40 years later when they were all laughing about it one evening. That's how I heard the story. They did love each other a lot. 

Jessie also had a little teasing streak with her father. They lived in a house next to the girl's gym in Provo. (The building still stands across the street from what was once the BYU Accademy but is now Provo City Library.) The house they lived in is no longer there. Now it is an apartment building. But BYU held dances in the gym. The students were allowed to waltz but they could not fox trot. Grandpa Pritchett liked to watch the dancers from his upstairs bedroom window which faced the girl's gym. Aunt Jessie, knowing he was watching, would take her dance partner over along the edge of the floor so Grandpa P. could see them and do a few steps of the scandalous fox trot just to tease him. After the dance, he would scold her and she would laugh.

Grandmother Smith chose Jessie's name. She said that when Jessie was born, they lived in Sanpete County. Down the street from their home a young woman lived. She had the most beautiful read hair. Her name was Jessie. So when the parents, Mina Ericksen and Frank Pritchett, asked Vivian what she would like her sister to be named, she suggested "Jessie." They honored her request.

The day that Jessie was born, the doctor was sent for and Vivian was sent outside to wait. When the doctor came back out of the house, he told Vivian that she could go back inside and see the baby. "Where did she come from?" Vivian asked. "We found her under a rose bush," the doctor replied. Hmm, well, we all know the truth of that story. Aunt Jessie said, in later years, "Well, after they found me they hung me on a clothesline to dry and I fell off into a mud puddle. That's why I have all these freckles."

We all remember what a quick wit Aunt Jessie had and what fun she was. In all of her snapshots she is laughing. I wish we could hear what she was saying. I think that we would laugh also.

In the above photo: Left to Right, Mina Ericksen Pritchett, Minetta Black Pritchett, Vivian Christene Pritchett Smith, Toni Fexer (Jessie's granddaughter), Myrna (Me), Jessie Pritchett Brighton.

The Name of Petty

The following is taken from, "The Albert Petty Family, A Genealogical and Historical Story of a Sturdy Pioneer Family of the West. Based on Records of the Past and Knowledge of the Present." It was written by Charles B. Petty, Grandson of Albert and was published by Deseret News Press, Salt Lake City, Utah. (I have left out some history of the name, included in the first chapter, as belonging to individuals not directly related to Albert and his decendents.)

CHAPTER I

The Name of Petty

"The name PETTY is strictly of English origin. Families bearing this name were seated at early dates in the English Counties of York, Kent, Hampshire, Oxford and London, as well as in parts of Ireland. Of the various names, Petit, Petti, Pettie, Pitty, Pittee, Pettee, Pettey and PETTY, the last is the only one to be found in the English dictionary as having a meaning. It was usually used as  a nickname, meaning "small in stature." The name PETTY was found by the author in considerable numbers in the telephone directories of London, Liverpool, Manchester, Southampton, Portsmouth and other cities while visiting England at the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II in 1953.

"In an effort to trace the Albert Petty family lineage back as far as possible we secured the services of an experienced genealogical worker of Salt Lake City who went to Washington D. C., Virginia, and Kentucky and se-

cured valuable information for us. Dr. William F. Edwards, a descendant of Albert Petty who was residing in New York gave freely of his time and furnished new information.

   
"We next employed the services of the Latter-day Saints Genealogical Society, Salt Lake City, Utah, who with a competent staff furnished us a twelve page typewritten report of the Petty family which has also been microfilmed, and is being preserved in the church archives. It is available free of charge to anyone. From these sources of information we are able to start our story with certainty, thus leaving an opportunity for some other member of the family to continue the work of extending our line far back through the generations of the past. (Please note carefully the spelling of the family name from generation to generation.) *Media Research Bureau, Washington, D. C.

"FAMILY: THE NAME OF "PETTY”

"Ebenezer Petty, son of John Petty and perhaps Margaret his wife, was born in the year 1737, probably in Sussex County, New Jersey. He died the 4th of March, 1814, probably in Kentucky. His wife Elizabeth C. Petty was born in 1745 and died the 30th day of March, 1930 in Bourbon County, Kentucky, thirty miles below Cincinnati, Ohio.

"Ebenezer lived his seventy-seven year life span during an important era of our early American history, enduring hardships of frontier life which to him was always a fascinating challenge, and a new adventure. The Pettys moved several hundred miles westward over the Appalachian Mountains into the beautiful Ohio Valley, Monongalia County, Virginia, (now West Virginia). He watched the small struggling colonies grow from the grass roots, for he was a grown man when Boston, New York, and Philadelphia, whose present population exceeds twelve million then had a combined population of only sixty thousand persons, much less than the small city of Ogden, Utah.

"The entire thirteen colonies extending twelve hundred miles from Maine to Florida, and from the Atlantic on the east, to the western border of civilization on the west, contained fewer people than the city of Detroit or Los Angeles! Ebenezer was five years younger than George Washington, and six years older than Thomas Jefferson, and was thirty nine years of age when the Declaration of Independence was signed and war declared against England July 4, 1776!

"Inspired by hope from heaven, the colonists. placed their lives and all upon the altar of freedom and fought a seven year long suffering war to establish their claim. . . 'That all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are' life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.'

In the year 1782 he was listed in the census or tax list of Monongalia County, Virginia (now West Virginia) with nine persons in his family. , (Census of Virginia 1790) He took part in the Revolution from that county, for in a 'Revolutionary List of Public Claims, Monongalia County, West Virginia, copied by Anne Waller Reddy, Sec.,' appears the names:

EBENEZER PETTY

JOHN PETTY

JOHN MCCLURE

JOHN WILLIAM PETTY JR.

JOHN WILLIAM PETTY SR.

"He next appears among the early inhabitants of Kentucky. In 1787 it was proposed to make Kentucky into a state. A petition of "sundry inhabitants of the District of Kentucky" Objecting to this action signed, among many others

EBENEZER PETTY

JOHN MCCLURE

JAMES MCCLURE

THOMAs MCCLURE

JOHN PETTY (PETTEY)

ALEXANDER MCCLURE

SAMUEL MCCLURE

Petitions of the Earliest Inhabitants of Kentucky (Ky. Pub. Bp. No. 27, p. 58)

"By reason of Ebenezer's services in the Revolutionary War, all of his male descendants are eligible for membership in that patriotic society known as the "Sons of the American Revolution and all of his female descendants are eligible for membership In the "Daughters of the American Revolution." What a thrill to enjoy this distinction!

"On page 62 of 'West Virginia War Records' we find the following names listed as having taken part in the Revolutionary War: 'John Petty, Sr., Ebenezer Petty and John Petty, Jr.'

    
"They were all of Monongalia County, which leads one to believe they were related - probably John Petty Sr. and his two sons.

"Pioneers were sturdy people. On page 1009 Vol. c, History of Monongalia County we read: 'To make a wilderness a fit place for human habitation requires men and women of strong will power, as well as great physical endurance, who do not fear the hardest toil, for the felling of trees and the breaking of tough sod formed by nature through the ages.'

"FORGOTTEN BUILDERS

They anchored firm foundations here,     

With bases broad and deep,                   

And left their valued work unsigned,        

Before they fell asleep.                     

They went away with tombs unmarked,          

No signature or scroll;                      

And lodged no claims to share in part,       

Earth's product as a whole.                 

One shaped a sword and one a beam,

Another shaped a bow;

Another made a plow or cart, 

Another formed a hoe,

One fashioned blocks of wood or stone,

One learned to lock an Arch;

They lived and conquered this and that,

 In time's great forward march."

-Alex. C. D. Noe

"According to the records of the index cards in the Temple Index Bureau the children of Ebenezer and his wife Elizabeth C. were:

i. MAY, b. 3 Jan. 1764. 

ii. JOHN, b. 27 Sep. 1765.

iii. RALPH, b. 20 Dec. 1767.  

iv. MARY ANN, b. 29 Mar. 1769.  

v. EUNICE, b. 15 May 1774. 

vi. EBENEZER, b. 3 Jan. 1777.

vii. HENRY b. 15 Feb. 1779. 

viii. JOSEPH, b. 1781.

ix. JOSHUA, b. 1783.       

x. EZEKIAL, b. 16 Oct. 1787. 

xi. ELIZABETH, b. 16 Oct. 1789."

Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon History

Joseph Knight's Recollection of Early Mormon History 

Edited by Dean Jessee, BYU Studies, Vol. 17, No. 1

[On 22 August 1842, while reflecting upon the "faithful few" who had stood by him "in every hour of peril," Joseph Smith recorded the following sentiments about Joseph Knight:

[He] was among the number of the first to administer to my necessities, while I was laboring in the commencement of the bringing forth of the work of the Lord, and of laying the foundation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For fifteen years he has been faithful and true, and even-handed and exemplary, and virtuous and kind, never deviating to the right hand or to the left. Behold he is a righteous man, may God Almighty lengthen out the old man's days; and may his trembling, tortured, and broken body be renewed, and in the vigor of health turn upon him if it be Thy will, consistently, O God; and it shall be said of him, by the sons of Zion, while there is one of them remaining, that this was a faithful man in Israel; therefore his name shall never be forgotten.

Joseph Knight, Sr., was born 3 November 1772 at Oakham, Worcester, Massachusetts. In 1809 he moved to Bainbridge, Chenango County, New York and two years later to Colesville, Broome County, New York where he remained for nineteen years. He owned a farm, a gristmill and carding machine, and according to his son, Newel, "was not rich, yet possessed enough of this world's goods to secure to himself and family the necessaries and comforts of life." His family consisted of three sons and four daughters.

While Joseph Smith was living in Harmony, Pennsylvania he was occasionally employed by Joseph Knight. Such was the friendship that developed between these two men that the younger Joseph confided in his employer the circumstances of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon, and the elder sent provisions from time to time for the sustenance of his friend during the translation work. When Joseph Smith obtained the Book of Mormon plates in September 1827, Knight was visiting in the Smith home in Manchester. According to Lucy Smith, her son used Knight's horse and carriage as his means of conveyance on that occasion.

Although not numbered among those present at the organization of the Church in April 1830, Joseph Knight was baptized in June of that year. His family formed the nucleus of a small branch of the Church in Colesville, New York. In 1831 he moved with the Colesville Saints to Kirtland, Ohio, and a few months later continued with them to Independence, Missouri where he helped pioneer the Latter-day Saint settlement of that state. Joseph Knight died on 3 February 1847 at Mt. Pisgah, Iowa during the Mormon Exodus from Illinois.

Joseph Knight's account reproduced below, although undated and unsigned, appears to be a holograph penned sometime between the author's departure from Jackson County, Missouri in 1833 and his death in 1847. Located in the Church Archives, the document is written in ink on both sides of five 8 x 10 inch pages. The manuscript is incomplete, missing at least one beginning page. Although written in pencil from one to ten, the page numbers were obviously added by a later writer to designate the sequence of surviving pages. A clerk's filing inscription on the document reads, "22 Sept. 1827. Manuscript of the early History of Joseph Smith finding of plates, &c. &c." The words "22 Sept. 1827," "early," and "finding of plates, &c. &c." were inserted by Thomas Bullock, a church clerk from 1843 to 1857. Minimal punctuation has been added here to facilitate reading]

MANUSCRIPT OF THE EARLY HISTORY OF JOSEPH SMITH 

From thence he went to the hill where he was informed the Record was and found no trouble for it appeard plain as tho he was acquainted with the place it was so plain in the vision that he had of the place. He went and found the place and opened it and found a plane Box. He oncovered it and found the Book and took it out and laid [it] Down By his side and thot he would Cover the place over again thinking there might be something else here. But he was told to take the Book and go right away. And after he had Covered the place he turned round to take the Book and it was not there and he was astonished that the Book was gone. He thot he would look in the place again and see if it had not got Back again. He had heard people tell of such things. And he opened the Box and Behold the Book was there. He took hold of it to take it out again and Behold he Could not stur the Book any more then he Could the mountin. He exclaimed "why Cant I stur this Book?" And he was answered, "you cant have it now." Joseph says, "when can I have it?" The answer was the 22nt Day of September next if you Bring the right person with you. Joseph says," who is the right Person?" The answer was "your oldest Brother."

But before September Came his oldest Brother Died. Then he was Disapinted and did not [k]now what to do. But when the 22nt Day of September Came he went to the place and the personage appeard and told him he Could not have it now. But the 22nt Day of September nex he mite have the Book if he Brot with him the right person. Joseph says, "who is the right Person?" The answer was you will know. Then he looked in his glass and found it was Emma Hale, Daughter of old Mr Hail of Pensylvany, a girl that he had seen Before, for he had Bin Down there Before with me. 

Joseph then went to Mr Stowels [Stowell] whare he had lived sometime Before. But Mr Stowel Could not pay him money for his work very well and he came to me perhaps in November and worked for me until about the time that he was Married, which I think was in February. And I paid him the money and I furnished him with a horse and Cutter to go and see his girl Down to Mr. Hails. And soon after this he was Married and Mr Stowel moved him and his wife to his fathers in Palmyra Ontario County.

Nothing material took place untill toard fall the forepart of September. I went to Rochester on Buisness and returnd By Palmyra to be there about the 22nt of September. I was there several Days. I will say there [was] a man near By the name Samuel Lawrance. He was a Seear [Seer] and he had Bin to the hill and knew about the things in the hill and he was trying to obtain them. He [Joseph Smith] had talked with me and told me the Conversation he had with the personage which told him if he would Do right according to the will of God he mite obtain [the plate] the 22nt Day of September Next and if not he never would have them. Now Joseph was some affraid of him [Samuel Lawrence] that he mite be a trouble to him. He therefore sint his father up to Sams10 as he Called him near night to see if there was any signs of his going away that night. He told his father to stay till near Dark and if he saw any signs of his going you till if I find him there I will thrash the stumps with him. So the old man came a way and saw no thing like it. This is to shoe [show] the troubles he had from time to time to obtain the plates.

So that night we all went to Bed and in the morning I got up and my Horse and Carriage was gone. But after a while he Came home and he turned out the Horse. All Come into the house to Brackfirst [breakfast]. But no thing said about where they had Bin. After Brackfirst Joseph Cald me into the other Room and he set his foot on the Bed and leaned his head on his hand and says, "Well I am Dissopinted. "Well," say I, "I am sorrey." "Well," says he, "I am grateley Dissopinted; it is ten times Better then I expected." Then he went on to tell the length and width and thickness I expected." Then he went on to tell the length and width and thickness of the plates, and said he, "they appear to be Gold." But he seamed to think more of the glasses or the urim and thummem then [than] he Did of the Plates, for, says he, "I can see anything; they are Marvelus. Now they are written in Caracters and I want them translated."

Now he was Commanded not to let no [any] one see those things But a few for witness at a given time. Now it soon got about that Joseph Smith had found the plates and peopel Come in to see them But he told them that they Could not for he must not shoe [show] them. But many insisted and oferd money and Property to see them. But, for keeping them from the Peopel they persecuted and abused them [him] and they [the Smiths] ware obliged to hide them [the plates], and they hid them under a Brick harth in the west Room. About this time Came this Samuel Lawrance and one Beeman a grate Rodsman13 and wanted to talk with him. And he went into the west Room and they Proposed to go shares with him and tried every way to Bargain with him But Could not. Then Beeman took out his Rods and hild [held] them up and they pointed Dow[n] to the harth whare they ware hid. "There," says Beeman, "it is under that harth." So they had to garde the house until some time in November. He obtaind fifty Dollars in money and hired a man to move him and his wife to Pensylvany to hir Fathers, his wife Being onwell and wanted to go to her Fathers. He Bout [bought] a piece of Land of hir Father with a house and Barn on it. Here the People Began to tease him to see the Book and to offer him money and property and they Crouded so harde that he had to hide it in the Mountin.

He now Began to be anxious to git them translated. He therefore with his wife Drew of[f] the Caricters exactley like the ancient and sent Martin Harris to see if he Could git them Translated. He went to Albeny and to Philadelpha and to new york and he found men that Could Translate some of the Carictors in all those places. Mitchel [Samuel L. Mitchill] and Anthony [Charles Anthon] of New York ware the most Larded [learned[ But there were some Caricters they could not well understand. Therefore Anthony told him that he thot if he had the original he culd translate it. And he rote a very good piece to Joseph and said if he would send the original he would translate it. But at Last Martin Harris told him that he Could not have the original for it was Commanded not to be shone. And he was mad and said what Does this mean, and he tore the paper that he wrote all to pieces and stampid it under his feet and says Bring me the original or I will not translate it. Mr. Harris, seeing he was in a passion, he said, "well I will go home and see, and if they can be had I will wright to you immeditely." So he Came home and told how it was and they went to him no more. Then was fulfild the 29th Chapter of Isiah. Now he [Joseph Smith] Bing [being] an unlearned man did not know what to Do. Then the Lord gave him Power to Translate himself. Then ware the Larned men Confounded, for he, By the means he found with the plates, he Could translate those Caricters Better than the Larned.

Now the way he translated was he put the urim and thummim into his hat and Darkned his Eyes than he would take a sentance and it would apper in Brite Roman Letters. Then he would tell the writer and he would write it. Then that would go away the next sentance would Come and so on. But if it was not Spelt rite it would not go away till it was rite, so we see it was marvelous. Thus was the hol [whole] translated.Now when he Began to translate he was poor and was put to it for provisions and had no one to write a little for him through the winter. The Next Spring Oliver Cowdry a young man from palmyra Came to see old Mr Smith, Josephs father, about this work and he sent him Down to pensylveny to see Joseph and satisfy him self. So he Came Down and was soon Convinced of the truth of the work. The next Spring Came Martin Harris Down to pennsylvany to write for him and he wrote 116 pages of the first part of the Book of Mormon. And about this time Martin wanted to go home a Bout some Buisness and he wanted to take the writings with him But Joseph put him of[f]. But he urged him By fair promises that he would be Careful and he would Return it again. But he Being free with it some person go[t] hold of it and Cept [kept] it so that he never Could obtain it again. There fore Joseph Lost his privilige for a while. But after Repenting he again received the privelage of translating again, as in Book of Covenants page 163.Now he Could not translate But little Being poor and nobody to write for him But his wife and she Could not do much and take Care of her house and he Being poor and no means to live But work. His wifes father and familey ware all against him and would not j[e]lp him. He and his wife Came up to see me the first of the winter 1828 and told me his Case. But I was not in easy Circumstances and I did not know what it mite amount to and my wife and familey all against me about helping him. But I let him have some little provisions and some few things out of the Store a pair of shoes and three Dollars in money to help him a litle. In January his father and Samuel [Smith] came from Manchester to my house when I was Buisey a Drawing Lumber. I told him they had traviled far enough. I would go with my sley and take them down to morrow. I went Down and found them well and the[y] were glad to see us. We conversed about many things. In the morning I gave the old man a half a Dollar and Joseph a little money to Buoy paper to translate, I having But little with me. The old gentlemen told me to Come and see him once in a while as I could I went home followed teaming till the last of March the slaying [sleighing] Being good. I told my wife I must go Dow[n] and see Joseph again. "Why Do you go soon, for," said she. Says I, "Come go and see." And she went with me. Next morning we went Down and found them well and ware glad to see us. Joseph talked with us about his translating and some Revelation he had Received and from that time my wife began to Beleve and Continuwed a full Believer untill she Died and that was the 7 Day of August 1831.

In the spring of 1829 Oliver Cowdry a young man from Palmry went to see old Mr. Smith about the Book that Joseph had found. And he told him about it and advised him to go Down to Pensylvany and see for him self and to write for Joseph. He went Down and Received a Revelation Concerning the work and he was Convinced of the truth of the work and he agreed to write for him till it was Done. How Joseph and Oliver Came up to see me if I Could help him to some provisons, [they] having no way to Buy any. But I was to Cattskill. But when I came home my folks told me what Joseph wanted. But I had ingaged to go to Catskill again the next Day and I went again and I Bought a Barral of Mackrel and some lined paper for writing. And when I came home I Bought some nine or ten Bushels of grain and five or six Bushels taters [potatoes] and a pound of tea, and I went Down to see him and they ware in want. Joseph and Oliver ware gone to see if they Could find a place to work for provisions, But found none. They returned home and found me there with provisions, and they ware glad for they ware out. Their familey Consisted of four, Joseph and wife, Oliver and his [Joseph's] Brother Samuel. Then they went to work and had provisions enough to Last till the translation was Done. Then he agreed with Martin Harris to print. They therefore agreed with E. Grandin to Print five thousand Coppies which was Printed and Bound at Palmiry in the Spring of 1830.

Now in the Spring of 1830 I went with my Team and took Joseph out to Manchester to his Father. When we was on our way he told me that there must be a Church formed But did not tell when. Now when we got hear to his fathers we saw a man some Eighty Rods Before us run acros the street with a Bundle in his hand. "there," says Joseph, "There is Martin going a Cros the road with some thing in his hand." Says I, "how Could you know himi so far? Says he, "I Believe it is him," and when we Came up it was Martin with a Bunch of morman Books. He Came to us and after Compliments he says, "The Books will not sell for no Body wants them. Joseph says, "I think they will sell well." Says he, "I want a Commandment." "Why," says Joseph, "fullfill what you have got." "But," says he, "I must have a Commandment." Joseph put him off. But he insisted three or four times he must have a Commandment.

We went home to his fathers and Martin with us. Martin stayed at his Fathers and slept in a Bed on the flor with me. Martin awoke me in the nite and asked me if I felt any thing on the Bed. I told him no. Says I, "Did you?" "Yes, I felt some thing as Big as a grat Dog Sprang upon my Brest." Says I, "Was you not mistekened." "No," says he. "It was so." I Sprang up and felt, But I Could see nor feal nothing. In the morning he got up and said he must have a Commandment to Joseph and went home. And along in the after part of the Day Joseph and Oliver Received a Commandmant which is in Book of Covenants Page 174.20 I stayd a few Days wating for some Books to Be Bound. Joseph said there must Be a Church Biltup. I had Ben there several Days. Old Mr Smith and Martin Harris Come forrod [forward] to Be Babtise[d] for the first. They found a place in a lot a small Stream ran thro and they ware Babtized in the Evening Because of Persecution. They went forward and was Babtized Being the first I saw Babtized in the new and everlasting Covenant. I had some thots to go forrod, But I had not re[a]d the Book of Mormon and I wanted to oxeman [examine] a little more I being a Restorationar and had not oxamined so much as I wanted to. But I should a felt Better if I had a gone forward. But I went home and was Babtised in June with my wife and familey.

There was one thing I will mention that evening that old Brother Smith and Martin Harris was Babtised. Joseph was fild with Spirrit to a grate Degree to see his Father and Mr Harris that he had Bin with so much he Bast [burst?] out with greaf and Joy and seamed as tho the world Could not hold him. He went out into the Lot and appeard to want to git out of side of every Body and would sob and Crie and seamed to Be so full that he could not live. Oliver and I went after him and Came to him and after a while he Came in. But he was the most wrot upon that I ever saw any man. But his joy seemed to Be full. I think he saw the grate work he had Begun and was Desirus to Carry it out. On the sixth Day of April 1830 he Begun the Church with six members and received the following Revelation Book of Covenants Page 177. They all kneeld down and prayed and Joseph gave them instructions how to Bild up the Church and exorted them to Be faithfull in all things for this is the work of God.

Now after he had set things in order and got a number of Mormon Books we Returned home. Then in June as I Before said I and my familey and a number more ware Babtised, Joseph Being present and Confirmed them. And through that season there ware many Babtised in Many places and the Church grew and multiplied. But soon after the Church Began to gro the People Began to Be angry and to persecute and Cald them fools and said they ware Decived. But along toards fall Joseph and Oliver Cowdray and David Whitmore [Whitmer] and John Whitmore Came from Harmony in Pennsylvany to my house on some Buisness. And some of the Vagabonds found they ware there and they made a Catspaw of a young fellow By the name of Docter Benton in Chenengo County to sware out a warrent against Joseph for as they said pertending to see under ground. A little Clause they found in the york Laws against such things. The oficer Came to my house near knite [night] and took him. I harnesed my horses and we all went up to the villige But it was so late they Could not try him that nite and it was put of[f] till morning. I asked Joseph if [he] wanted Counsell he said he thot he should. I went that nite and saw Mr James Davison [Davidson] a man I was acquainted with. The next morning the gatherd a multitude of people that ware against him. Mr Davison said it looked like a squaley [squally] Day; he thot we had Better have John Read [Reid] a prety good speaker near by. I told him we would, so I imployed them Both. So after a trial all Day jest at nite he was Dismissed. Then there was another oficer was Ridy [ready] and took him on the same Case Down to Broom County Below forth with. I hired Boath these Lawyers and took them Down home with me that nite. The next Day it Continued all Day till midnite. But they Could find no thing against him therefore he was Dismist.Soon after this Joseph Left the Susquhannah river and went to Manchester to his Fathers. Then about the first thing Sidney Rigdin came from ohio to see Joseph and they Boath Came Down to Broom County and Joseph and Sidney went Down to Harmoney to settle some Buisness. And the Mob found they ware gone and they found when they ware expected Back and we found they had a plan laid to take Joseph and Sidney and me. Now Sidney had Ben at my house several Days and had preached there several times and he was too smart for them therefore they wanted to trouble him. And the Day we expected them I sent my son Down to meat them and told them of their Plan and they turned acrost to Chenango point. And so went to the Lakes. And I Loaded up what I Could Cary and went away that nite for the Lakes. I also took my wife and Daughter for we war[e] calcalating to go soon for we a litle Before had a revelation to go to ohio. So the Mob watched all nite at the Bridge. But Behold we all Came up missing and the poor mob Lost all their truble. Now Joseph and I went rite on to Kirtland ohio But did not stay long there for in March we went to the town of Thompson a bout twenty miles and in the spring the Colesvill Church all Came on. But Joseph remaind in Kirtland and Sidney soon Came to Kirtland.

Now this Spring Joseph received anumber of Revelation. One was to purchase a thousand acres of Land which was Claimed by Leman Copley24 and not paid for. He had a little Before Come into the Church and apeard to Be Zelaus and faithful. We all went to work and made fence and planted and sowed the fields. About this time we ware Cald upon to Consecrate our properties. But Brother Copley would not Consecrate his property therefore he was Cut of[f] from the Church. Then we was Commanded to take up our Jorney to the Regions westward to the Boarders of the Lamanites. And we sold out what we Could But Copley took the advantege of us and we Could not git any thing for what we had done. So we left Copleys in June and moved our things to wellsvill on the ohio river which was about ninety miles. Then we went on Board the Steamer the third Day of July and we landed in uper Misouria the 26th of the same Month. We found our selves among strangers But the people seamed to Be frindley with us. And we found the Country to be Butiful rich and plesent and we made our selves as Comfortable as we Could. And in a few Day Joseph and Sidney and a number of Brotherin came and they looked out and Enterd a Considrible of Land, for the People to Settle on. We found it a new Country with some settlrs on it.

There was one Joshua Lewis that had Come into the Church the winter Before, he and his wife. And they ware faithful and good to us and took us in to their house, my wife Being sick as before stated. She Died the Seventh Day of August and Joseph and Sidney attended her funeral on the Eighth. She was Burried in the woods a spot Chosen out By our selves. I was along By where she was Buried a few Days after and I found the hogs had Began to root whare she was Buried. I being verry unwell But I took my ax the nex Day and went and Bilt a pen round it. It was the Last I done for her.

Joseph at this time Looked out the Country and found the place for the City and Temple and set Mark, and after giving all other nesesary instructions he Returned Back for Kirtland. But as time Came along we often heard form him and Recevied Revelation. The next year in 1832 he Came again to Missouri28 and set things in order and Cald the Colesvill Church to gather and seald them up to Eternal Life. And this made some little feeling among others But I think he [k]new Best. So that passed of[f] and he Returned to Kirtland again and I think he Did not Come to Missouri the next year for the Mob Began to sho their Black heads in 1833. But Joseph Sent and Counsled During our troubles in Jackson County and after the worst Came to the worst thot we had Better leve the County.

Mothers

If I had a flower for each time I thought of my mother, I could walk in flowers forever. Thanks to all the moms who make life a field of flowers. Happy Mother's Day.


When I was a child, I didn't ever think of my grandmother as anything but my mother. I knew the facts of the story, that she was really my mother's mother, but the heart of the story was that I had a mother who was a living being. She cared for my needs, most of my wants and even some of my demands. She was as careful as most mothers that she did not spoil me too much so that my character would be irreparably ruined. But she was good and kind and loving, all at the same time.


My own mother, Jessie Elaine, had died when I was a baby. She died on my 11-month birthday, Nov. 24, 1941. I was born on Christmas Eve and she died just about Thanksgiving time. I know that, because she was buried on my grandmother' birthday, Nov. 26, 1941. My grandmother, Vivian, would have been 47 at the time. On some years, the 26th is on Thanksgiving Day. On other years, it is only close. Nevertheless, it was Grandmother Smith's birthday.


My mother was critically injured on the very corner where my grandmother later taught school. It was on the corner of Carbon Ave., Price, Utah, where the school, known as the Southside Elementary at the time, later as the Reeve's School, was located. It was the evening of Nov. 21, when a car, being driven much too fast for the time, well, for any time, at 100 miles per hour, struck the car my mother was riding in in a T-bone fashion. My mother was in the middle, my father, Howard Thomas Pitts, was in the passenger seat, my parent's friend, Ferron Gardner, was driving. The two men were thrown free on impact. My mother, in the middle, was thrown under the car and pinned there. My father, gaining strength from somewhere, pried the car off of my mother with the damaged street light pole that was still partially attached. She was still alive. She was taken to the Price Hospital where she clung to life until her Uncle Fred Smith came from Springville to give her a priesthood blessing.

Up until that point, she had been moaning about her baby, me, and who would mother that baby with her gone. She had severe head injuries, spinal injuries and many broken bones. She kept loosing blood internally. My grandfather, Thomas Vivian Pitts, had the same blood type and was giving her blood from person to person. Nevertheless, following the blessing, she died in peace.


The "Day of Infamy" was just 12 days away, Dec. 7, 1940, when Pearl Harbor was bombed and the United States became embroiled in the horror of the war they had been trying to avoid. President Franklin D. Roosevelt on Dec. 8, declared: "Yesterday, December 7, 1941 -- a date which will live in infamy -- the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan."

My father's family, like many in the United States, was immediately part of World War II. My dad's brother's, Morgan and Ken, and his uncle, Charles Edwards, who was a bit younger than my father, were all involved, at one time or another in the war. My father became a Seabee, which was a naval construction battalion (CB).


The action left me motherless and fatherless. I was about two years old by that time. It was decided that I should live with my mother's mother, a widow school teacher. While my father had been at home, he had been working on construction sites and I spent much of my time with either his parents or my Grandmother Smith. She was in the best circumstances to care for me and wanted to do so. My Grandmother Pitts still had children at home--my Uncle Bob and Aunt Pat. Uncle Bob is eight years my senior. Grandmother Pitts was a wonderful grandmother and she still did help out in that capacity. There were many visits to the farm they owned. I can certainly appreciate that I was loved and wanted on all sides. I even had a great-aunt and great-uncle who would have liked to have me live with them.


As it was, I ended up in a home with a mother-figure who loved me dearly. I remember asking her if I could call her "mama" because I wanted one. So that is what I did. I called her mama and was happy with the home I had. There were stories, books, songs, music lessons, dance lessons, art projects and cooking projects. There was sewing, writing, poetry and even girl scouts. There were the stories of pioneer ancestors and current relatives. There were stories of my mother, when she was little; when she was grown. There were church talks and scripture reading. There were trips and concerts. There were neighborhood playmates. There were relatives galore. There were also my cousins, Garth, David, and later, Richard Childs, the children of my mother's sister, her only sibling, Renee and her husband, Max Childs.


For day to day living, I could only be said to have had the best of childhoods. I believed that I could do anything I wanted to do if I did the necessary work to achieve my goal.


One day, when I was about five, I threw a terrible temper tantrum over a yellow helium balloon. I had wanted cotton candy but there was none left at the fair. The balloon was let go into the air and I was sent to bed. I remember thinking that, if I had a REAL mother, like other kids, I would not be treated so shabbily. Then my mother, Elaine, did come to visit me. She shone like the harvest moon outside my window. She was dressed in a sparkling white robe and her long dark hair fell about her shoulders. She stood off the floor and she bent, as though to touch my head, but she did not. She told me, in a quiet gentle voice, that I was where she wanted me to be and, that had I behaved like that with her, she would have done the same thing. "If I could be with you, I would but, since I cannot be, I want you to know you are where I want you to be." She said that my grandmother loved me dearly and that, when she, Elaine, had been small she had been punished in much the same way. That was how we learned to do good things. She told me that the church was important and that I should do the things my grandmother wanted me to do because she was a good woman and would help me to become one. She told me to always listen and to remember that I was loved. I remember the feeling of complete love that I felt more than I remember the precise words. Then she was gone, just as she had appeared, quickly and quietly.

Later, after telling my grandmother about the visit, I heard her discussing it with my Aunt Renee and wondering if it could be true. My Aunt was inclined to think it was all a dream. However, Grandmother was inclined to think I was reciting facts. The one telling thing about the whole story that convinced her was the fact that my mother had her hair down about her shoulders. "She has never seen her looking that way, with her hair down, because in her formal photos she always had her hair up because she thought it looked better." Apparently, my mother liked to wear her hair down at other, every-day times.


One thing I did know, through the years, was that I was loved. My grandmother, even though we had words now and again, were friends and she was a good mom. She was a particularly good mother for a headstrong girl. Because of her, I have good moral values and high ideals. But most of all, because of her, I learned how to love.

Ericksen Emigration

On Wednesday, May 2, 1860, 301 emigrating Saints, viz. 182 Danish, 80 Swedish and 39 Norwegian, sailed from Copenhagen, Denmark, on board the new Prussian steamship, “Pauline,” under the leadership of Carl Widerborg, who now emigrated to Zion. The voyage over the Cattegat and North Sea being stormy, a number of the emigrants suffered with seasickness, but the company arrived safe and well in Grimsby, England, May 5th. From Grimsby, the emigrants continued the journey to Liverpool, where they arrived Sunday afternoon, May 6th, and secured lodgings in a hotel on Paradise Street. On Monday, May 7th, they boarded the “William Tapscott,” a freight ship, which the previous year had brought a large company of emigrating Saints across the Atlantic. Besides the Scandinavian Saints, 85 Swiss and a large company of Welsh and English Saints went on board the same ship bound for America. Among the English were Elders Asa Calking, who had presided over the European Mission, and Thomas Williams, both accompanied by their families. When all were on board, the emigrating Saints numbered 730 souls. Asa Calkin was appointed president of the company, with elders William Budege and Carl Widerborg as counselors. They company was divided into nine districts, each with a district president. The district presidents of the Scandinavian contingent were Lars Ericksen (my ancestor), assisted by Hans Jensen; Mads Poulsen from Copenhagen, assisted by Carl J. E. Fjeld from Norway; Elder Christensen (Dannebrogsmand), assisted by Paul Stark from Sweden; Jons Jonsson from Malmo, assisted by Soren Moller; and Ingvart Hansen from Aarhus, assisted by Hans M. Nisson from Lolland; Swen Lovendahl was appointed captain of the guard and Nils Larson from Skane, Sweden, cook.

The “William Tapscott” sailed from Liverpool, May 11, 1860. It was a fine ship and a splendid sailer, but, owing to contrary winds, the voyage consumed 35 days. Union and good order prevailed during the whole voyage. Prayer was held every morning and evening, and, on Sundays, religious services were held on the deck. Owing to cold and change of diet, considerable sickness prevailed among the emigrants, and ten deaths occurred, most of them among the Scandinavian Saints. Four children were born on board and nine couple married, among whom were Hans Christian Heiselt and Larsine Larsen from the Vendsyssel Conference, Denmark. On the 3rd of June, the small pox showed itself among the emigrants, seven cases of this disease were reported, none of which however, proved fatal. On Friday evening, June 15th, the ship arrived at the quarantine dock in New York harbor. The next day, two doctors came on board and vaccinated, with but very few exceptions all of the steerage passengers, a part of the cabin passengers, and the ship’s crew. This was done to prevent a further outbreak of the disease, though all the sick had nearly recovered by this time. On the 20th, after being detained in quarantine five or six days, the passengers were landed at Castle Garden, New York. The smallpox cases had previously been taken ashore and placed in a hospital. On the 21st, the emigrants left New York per steamboat “Isaac Newton” and sailed up the Judson River to Albany, where they arrived on the 22nd. From Albany, the journey was continued via Rochester to Niagara Falls, where the train stopped about seven hours in order to give the emigrants the pleasure of seeing the great waterfall and the grand suspension bridge. The journey was continued through Canada along the north shore of Lake Erie to Windsor, where the river was crossed to Detroit in Michigan. Thence to Chicago, which city was reached June 25th.

From Chicago, the emigrants traveled by railroad to Quincy, Ill., whence they crossed the Mississippi River to Hannibal in Missouri, and thence traveled by railroad to St. Joseph, Mo., Here 13 persons were placed in a hospital, but upon close examination, they were found to be well enough to join the company the following day on the trip up the Missouri River, to Florence, Neb., where the company arrived in the night between June 30th and July 1st.

Elder George Q. Cannon, who this year acted as church emigration agent, made splendid arrangements for the journey across the Plains. It was deemed wisdom to send the emigrants as far as possible by steam and avoid the toilsome and harassing part of the team journey from Iowa city to Florence, a distance of nearly 300 miles, which in former years had required from 15 to 20 days’ travel. It had been learned by experience that the distance between Iowa City and Florence, at the season of the year when the emigrants had to travel it, was, in point of toil and hardship, by far the worst part of the journey, owning to its being a low, wet country, which in the opening of the years was subject to heavy and continued rains. These storms, owing to the nature of the soil (being clay most of the distance), rendered the roads almost impassable. Arriving in Florence, the emigrants found shelter in a number of empty houses while they made the necessary preparations for crossing the plains.

A handcart company, consisting of 126 souls, traveling with 22 handcarts and six wagons, left Florence on their westward journey, July 6th, under the leadership of Capt. Oscar O. Stoddard. The company was divided into three parts under Elders D. Fischer, Anders Christensen, and Carl J. E. Fjeld, respectively.

*This information appears in the book: “The Family of Auer Winchester Proctor, Volume III, Ericksen.” The book was published by Stevenson’s Genealogy Center, Provo, Utah, in 1984.