BITTON

John Evington Bitton & Sarah Susannah Wintle

b.13 April 1830  London, England
d.15 Jan 1905 Ogden, Utah 

John came from a seafaring family. His father had also been a seaman but he had to retire early due to an injury sustained at sea as a young man which caused him to gradually lose his eyesight.  
John hired on as a cabin boy on a sailing vessel at the age of thirteen. He later served as a seaman and sailed around the world three times. He studied diligently in order to better himself until he gained the rank of second mate. His first voyage in this position was to India. Upon returning he gave $600 to his parents. In 1848 his ship made port in California during the gold rush, and because he didn't desert the ship to run to the gold fields as many of his shipmates did, he was promoted to first mate for his loyalty.

He married Sarah Susannah Wintle on 13 May 1856 and they sailed for America twelve days later on the ship Horizon, a ship chartered by the Mormon Church to carry members of the Martin Handcart Company to Boston so they could travel by rail to Iowa City. At the time they joined the handcart company John was 26 years old and Sarah only 17.  The company got as far as Green River, Wyoming; there winter overtook them. Its members were so exhausted from lack of food and toiling with the carts that they were unable to proceed further. Word had been sent to Brigham Young that the company was in desperate circumstances. He immediately organized a company of men with teams to go to the relief of the immigrants. John, his wife Sarah and his sister, Jane Bitton, were rescued by John Poole, a resident of Ogden, Utah who had joined the rescue party with his wagon. They arrived in Ogden on 30 November and spent the winter with Mr. Poole. John Poole married Jane Bitton the following year, jokingly saying, "I rescued her from a snow bank, so I felt I had a right to her!"


John and Sarah had their first child in Ogden the following June and moved to West Weber shortly thereafter where they farmed for the rest of their lives and raised fourteen children.

b.28 March 1839  Great Yarmouth, England
d.27 Sept 1907  Ogden, Utah

THE EDWARD MARTIN HANDCART COMPANY

Edward Martin

The Martin Handcart Company was the fifth handcart company to travel west to the Salt Lake Valley. This company of English emigrants left Iowa City, Iowa, on 28 July 1856. There were "576 [people], with 146 carts, 7 wagons, 30 oxen, and 50 cows and beef cattle” (LeRoy R. Hafen and Ann W. Hafen, Handcarts to Zion [1960], 93).

At Florence, Nebraska, they stopped for handcart repairs. It was late in the season, and they wondered if they should continue. A few members dropped out, but most wanted to go on. They left Florence on 25 August.

They reached Fort Laramie, Wyoming, 8 October. After leaving Fort Laramie their food rations had to be cut. Because of their growing weakness, they had to lighten the loads they were pulling, so they discarded blankets and clothing. On 19 October they crossed the North Platte River. As soon as they crossed, it started to snow. Several people died that night.

As the storms and cold continued, the pioneers desperately needed the supplies they had left behind. The men became so weak and sick they couldn’t pitch the tents. Twelve miles beyond the river they were stopped by the deep snow. Fifty-six had died since they had crossed the river.

Early in October President Brigham Young heard there were still pioneers on the trail. He knew they would have problems, so he called for volunteers to go to their aid. Horsemen, wagons, and supplies were sent. On 28 October three men rode into the camp of the Martin Company. The deep snow had halted the rescue wagons, so the men told the emigrants their only hope was to keep moving to reach the rescue wagons. They struggled on, and on 3 November they reached the first of the supply wagons. The rescuers decided the company had to move on to find better shelter from the snow and cold.

The company pushed on until they came to the Sweetwater River. For many, crossing the river seemed more than they could manage, but men from the rescue party bravely carried several of the pioneers across. The company found shelter in a mountain cove where they stayed for several days.

When they moved on, they left most of the handcarts behind. The rescuers loaded the sickest and weakest into wagons, but the rest had to walk. The storms had forced some rescuers back, while others waited to try again. One of these, Ephraim Hanks, left his wagon and went on with two horses. One day he killed a buffalo and loaded his horses with the meat. That evening he reached the Martin Handcart Company. The meat was welcomed by the starving pioneers. On 11 November Ephraim Hanks and members of the handcart company camped on Bitter Creek (present-day Cottonwood Creek).

Gradually other wagons reached the pioneers, and all were able to ride the rest of the way into the valley. They reached Salt Lake on 30 November. Between 135 and 150 people had died on the way.

"  We suffered beyond anything you can imagine and many died of exposure and

starvation, but  we became acquainted with [God] in our extrem[i]ties.

    I have pulled my handcart when I was so weak and weary from illness and lack of food that I could hardly put one foot ahead of the other. I have looked ahead and seen a patch of sand or a hill slope and I have said, I can go that far and there I must give up, for I cannot pull the load through it.  I have gone on to that sand and when I reached it, the cart began pushing me. I have looked back many times to see who was pushing my cart, but my eyes saw no one. I knew then that the angels of God were there.

     Was I sorry that I chose to come by handcart? No. Neither then nor any minute of my life since. The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company."

(as quoted in David O. McKay, “Pioneer Women,” The Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, 8).

JANE EVINGTON BITTON AND WILLIAM FARMAN BITTON

Jane Evington was born in Deptford, London County, England on September 29, 1805, the daughter of John K. Evington and Mary Beeble. She had two step-siblings, and a full sister named Elizabeth (Mina).

She married William Farman Bitton in England about 1837. To this union six sons and four daughters were born. They were: Amelia, John Evington, Louis, Amelia (2), Jane, Stephen, Walter, Walter (2), Harriet and William. All of her children were born in London or at Great Yarmouth, England. Her first daughter Amelia died when she was just a child and little is known of her. Her second daughter was also named Amelia. 

One son, the first Walter, was jumping from one boat to another and fell between the ships and was killed.. His body was not found for about two hours. Two of her other sons, Louis and the second Walter came to America by ship, which exploded soon after arriving in the harbor. 

Jane’s husband, William was a seafaring man, like his father before him. One day while he was unloading some cargo, the pressure of the weight he was lifting caused his optic nerve to burst. As a result he became totally blind. This was just one more tragedy Jane experienced in her life. 

One day William heard the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints preaching in a meeting, and he went home to tell Jane he had found what he was looking for. The Elders’ testimonies and the teachings of the gospel impressed Jane also, and she was baptized on February 9, 1852. 

Six months after her baptism her youngest son, William was born, He died when he was seven years old, adding to Jane’s lifetime of heartache.

On May 25, 1856 Jane’s oldest son, John Evington, his bride Sarah Wintle, and John’s nineteen-year old sister, Jane left England aboard the ship “Horizon” and sailed for America. They traveled with the ill-fated Martin Handcart Company to Salt Lake City, Utah to join their fellow Latter- Saints. Seven years later, Jane, William and their daughter Harriet sailed for the United States. They crossed the plains on a wagon pulled by an ox-team in the fall of 1863. Because her father was blind, Harriet led him by hand most of the way. They settled in West Weber, Weber County, Utah where their son John and his family lived. 

William passed away in 1864, just one year after coming to the United States. (Jane’s obituary in 1891 noted that he was buried in the Ogden City cemetery. However no records exist to verify this burial.)

Sometime after her husband’s death, Jane went to Menan, Idaho where her two daughters, Jane and Harriet lived. (Both daughters were married to John Rawlston Poole as polygamist wives.) Jane became sick while living with her daughter and passed away in Menan on January 24, 1891. Because of the hardship and poor transportation of the time, it was impossible to take her body to Utah to be buried with her husband, so she was buried in the Poole family plot in the Little Butte cemetery. (The cemetery is located in Annis, Idaho, just outside of Menan.) Her daughters, Jane and Harriet were later buried beside her.

(Compiled by Barbara Fowers King great, great, great-granddaughter)

WILLARD TROWBRIDGE SNOW AND MELVINA HARVEY

Willard Trowbridge Snow

Willard's early life was spent on a farm where no doubt  Willard worked to clear rocks and trees from the farming land as he grew old enough to help in the fields. The Snow children were taught to work, each child had his daily jobs from the time they could carry a pail of water.

Willard's father and mother saw to it that their children obtained an education.  Both Levi and Lucina loved books and learning, they were avid readers and natural teachers which affected their children in future years as several of the Snow children taught school as they became older.

There was a strong religious atmosphere in the home were Willard was raised.This strong religious atmosphere has been said to have come from the Streeter side of the family and not the Snows. This same atmosphere seemed to prevail in the community. As soon as the homes were built, a church was erected for the community. The people in the community didn't seem to belong to any certain church, but the all lived by the Ten Commandments and were called "Seeker after God's Truths."

When Willard was a young man his family home caught fire and burn down. Neighbors came to assist the family in saving all that they could. His mother made sure all the books they had were saved. The family lived in the large new barn that they had just finished that summer and after the fall harvest was over the family built a new home. This barn is where the missionaries came and taught the gospel to the many individuals that joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

After hearing the gospel message that Orson Pratt was teaching in his father's barn, which was the largest building in St. Johnsbury at the time, Willard was baptized. He was baptized June 18, 1833 by Orson Pratt. After Willard and most of his family were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, he spent the better part of the next four years with his brothers, Zerubbabel, William and Erastus laboring as part time missionaries in Vermont and New Hampshire.

In the spring of 1834, at the age of 23, Willard left St. Johnsbury for Kirtland, Ohio with his brother Zerubbabel. That same year Willard and Zerubbabel joined Zion's Camp in Missouri. There he had a narrow escape from death, being among the number which, while the camp rested in Clay County, Missouri, was attacked by cholera. Early in 1835, Willard returned to Kirtland and then went to serve several other missions in the United States preaching in various parts of the country. Willard was ordained to the First Quorum of Seventies on February 28, 1835 by the Prophet Joseph Smith Jr.

Melvina Harvey

In 1836, Willard went through the Kirtland Temple, and shortly after moved to Missouri with his father's family who had come from St. Johnsbury to join the main body of the saints and be with their four sons. In Missouri, Willard's parents settled in Far West about one and a half miles north of the town. Here they endured the sufferings and persecutions of the saints, including the chills and fever which remained with them for many years. While living in Far West, Willard married Melvina Harvey, who he had known in Vermont. They were married May 14, 1837. Melvina was born December 16, 1811 at Barnett, Vermont. Willard had known Melvina and probably her family before coming to Missouri.

Willard and Melvina's first child, Amanda Melvina, was born March 18, 1838 at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri. June 13, 1845. After moving with the family to Garden Grove, Willard and the Snow families were among the first group of saints to leave their beloved Nauvoo and head westward. It was not safe for any leaders of the church or their families to stay in Nauvoo unless absolutely necessary. Before leaving, Willard and Melvina took out their Endowments in the Nauvoo Temple on December 12, 1845 and were sealed together one month later on January 12, 1846. While living in Nauvoo, Willard was one of the agents to help build the Temple.

On May 14, 1846, Willard married a second wife, Susan Harvey, Melvina's sister. Not much is known about Susan except that she had some kind of deformity. This information was found in Patty Sessions records as a midwife.

September 1847, Willard with his families, came to Utah in Jedidah Grant's company of 100 wagons. He was captain of the second 50 wagons in this company.  Willard arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 4, 1847. When he arrived in Salt Lake, he settled with his families on the north side of the Old Fort.

Many things happened in the life of Willard between October 1847 when he arrived in the Salt Lake Valley and September 1851. In these four years he was a judge at the first election held to form a territorial government. He was also a member of the territorial legislature and speaker of the House in 1849. He served on the judiciary committee in the new Territorial Legislature and he was the first Justice of the Peace appointed in Utah. While serving in the legislature he served on the judiciary, counties and on military and civil laws committees.He was a councilor to Daniel Spencer in the first organization of the town of Salt Lake. Willard was also a member of the Perpetual Emigration Fund Committee that had been organized by Brigham Young to help finance the western migration of the saints.

Willard's family life was very eventful at the same time. On February 8, 1848, about four months after his family arrived in the valley, Melvina gave birth to a pair of twins, the first pair of white twins born in the state of Utah. Susan, Willard's second wife gave birth to a daughter named, Susan, and the mother, Susan died soon after.

Two years after reaching Salt Lake, Willard married a third wife, Mary Bingham, a girl from St. Johnsbury, Vermont (1849).

At General Conference in Salt Lake City, September 7, 1851, Willard was called on a mission to Europe. Soon after, he left his wives and four children and arrived in England, December 29, 1851. Willard was appointed president of the Scandinavia Mission to succeed his brother Erastus. On April 21st, Willard took the steamer at Hull, England and arrived at Copenhagen, Denmark on the 26th. He set to work with a will to learn the Danish language in which he was very successful. He mastered the Danish language so well that he translated many books into Danish, one being the L.D.S. Hymn Book.

In 1852, while Willard was in Denmark, serving as the Mission President, he was mobbed and treated with contempt and was driven into the swamp where he contracted malaria or swamp fever. This fever was eventually what would take his life.

While addressing a council of Elders on the evening of August 15, 1853 in Copenhagen, he was so violently attacked with an illness that he was unable to proceed. Later he seemed a little better, and decided to go to England for treatment of his illness. On the 18th of 1853, he took passage on board the ship "Transit," but while on board he was again prostrated. He soon became unconscious, and continued to sink, gradually until the evening of the 21st, when he expired. Elder P.O. Hansen and H.P. Jenson were with him, but not withstanding their earnest pleading, the captain insisted that the body be sunk in the sea. So he was wrapped in canvass and sunk about 80 miles north of Hull, England in the North Sea. He was just 41 years of age.

Willard Trowbridge Snow was the first American Elder to die abroad while on his mission.

Willard Trowbridge Snow was known as a friend of the Prophet Joseph and faithful in all of the calling that he was asked to do.

ERASTUS BINGHAM

Writer of this history is unknown

This history from the DAUGHTERS OF UTAH PIONEERS

    The Bingham name appears prominently in English history from the Norman conquest of 1066 to the present day.  Our first American ancestor came from England to America in 1649.

    Thomas Bingham, number one in the Bingham family history, emigrated to America with his mother and settled in Connecticut, where he was known as a leader and a devout man.

    His tombstone in the old churchyard in Connecticut bears this inscription:  "Here lies the body of that Holy man of God, Deacon Thomas Bingham."  He was a man eminent for his piety, love, and charity.  He died in the 88th year of his life, leaving a large posterity; and we find the Binghams firmly entrenched in America, the land of promise.

   

    Research reveals the church played a prominent part in their lives, and among them were many church dignitaries and missionaries.  From this stock descended Erastus Bingham.

    He was born March the 12th, 1798, in Concord, Essex County, Vermont, a son of Elisha Warner Bingham and Sally or Sarah Perry.

    Erastus Bingham's father died when Erastus was four years old; and as soon as he was old enough, he worked on the farm to help the family income.  He continued in the farming occupation throughout his life.  On the 21st of March, 1820, he married Lucinda Gates at St. Johnsbury, Vermont.  Lucinda Gates was the daughter of Thomas Gates and Patty Plumley.  She was born the 19th of September 1797 or 1799 at Ackworth, New Hampshire, and died January 3, or 27th, at Ogden, Utah.

    Erastus Bingham owned a farm at Concord, Vermont, at the time of his marriage to Lucinda Gates.  Four of his children were born there, Mary, born April 1, 1820; Sanford, May 3, 1821; Erastus Jr., September 30, 1822, and Thomas July 19, 1824.  About 1825 they moved to Littleton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, where two of his daughters were born, Lucinda, born April 15, 1826, and Louisia Maria, born June 23, 1828.  He moved back to his old farm in Concord, Vermont, where two of his sons were born, Willard, born February 19, 1830, and Edwin, born May 5, 1832.

    Erastus Bingham had now reached the age of 34 years and had never affiliated with any religious denomination.  He never indulged in intoxicating liquor, was industrious and cautious in his financial affairs, and was honest and exemplary.  He first heard the Gospel preached in the spring of 1833, when Elder John E. Boyington came to that vicinity expounding the newly revealed principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was very much impressed, read the Book of Mormon soon after, and received a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the record.  He and his wife and daughter, Mary, and two sons, Erastus, Jr., and Thomas, were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on November 11, 1833, at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, by Elder Evans.

 His son Sanford was baptized and comfirmed the following week on November 18, 1833 at the same place by Elder Evans.

    In the fall of 1835, the first quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church were traveling as missionaries through the New England states and holding conferences.  They all stayed one night at the Erastus Bingham home and held a council meeting at his home in Vermont.  Erastus was reminded of this event, by Brigham Young, while they were living in Nauvoo.  He told Erastus that the council meeting held at his home in Vermont was the only one held at which they (the twelve) were all together after the organization of the Quorum.

    It was in the spring of 1836 that Edward Partridge and William W. Phelps went on an exploring expedition hoping to find potential sites for Mormon settlements in Northern Missouri.  They found the region commonly referred to as Far West, most of which was prairie covered by tall grass with timber only along the streams and rivers.  By August, it had been designated, as a settlement even though, at that time, only forested land was considered good for settlements.  It was in this area that Jacob Gates met the Bingham family and no doubt helped them to find a place to settle.

 In the spring of 1836, Erastus sold his farm at Concord, Vermont, and prepared to go west to the then gathering place of the Saints.  They started the 8th of June, accompanied by Willard Snow, Joel Harvey, and families and others.

    They arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, about the 6th day of July, 1836.  While at Kirtland, they had the privilege of hearing the Prophet Joseph Smith preach in the Kirtland temple and enjoyed that heavenly and ennobling influence which was constantly with the Prophet while speaking.

The reason for stopping at Kirtland as long as they did was that the flies on the Illinois prairie were so bad it was almost impossible to drive the horses across at that time of the year.

They started west again the first of September, 1836; but now they had other trouble.  It rained so much that it was almost impossible to travel through the sticky, deep mud while crossing the state of Indiana; and they didn't arrive in Far West, Missouri, until the fourth of November 1836.

They Gathered in Far West
    The Erastus Bingham family was on of the many families that had responded to the Lord's request, made by his Prophet Joseph Smith, to unite in one location in order to build strength in the newly founded Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In the summer and fall of 1836, Latter-day Saints had been gathering in Ray County, Missouri.  This gathering of so many people was not done, however, without the objections of the citizens of Missouri.  They objected to the differences they found in these newcomers to their area, such as: religion, customs, dialect, and opposition to slavery, some of their beliefs and the fact that most of them were poor.  As a solution to the prejudice and threats of the citizens of Missouri, it was agreed that the Mormon Saints would only settle in the sparsely settled northern part of the county.  Two small counties were created in the northern part of Ray County called Davies and Caldwell.  Caldwell County, which was to be exclusively for Mormons, became the new home of the Erastus Bingham family in the area called Far West.

    In August 1836, this area had been designated as a site for a city to provide homes for the many immigrating Saints.  This segregation of the Latter-day Saints was considered to be an excellent solution to the "Mormon problem."  The Saints began to gather in the late summer and fall of 1836, and soon Far West and numerous other smaller settlements sprang into existence.

    Far West, where the Bingham Family settled on November 4, 1836, became the most prosperous of the Latter-day Saint communities.  The Saints built more than one hundred fifty homes, four dry good stores, three family grocery stores, several blacksmith shops, two hotels, a printing shop and a large schoolhouse that doubled as a church and courthouse.  The Saints were busy planting crops and building log houses, but they always took time out to worship and study the gospel.

    Erastus Bingham rented a farm located on Shoal Creek about 2 1/2 miles from Farr West.  He erected a log cabin large enough to comfortably house his wife Lucinda and their 8 children.  The farm was fenced and Lucinda and the children aided in cultivating the soil.

    Erastus Bingham and his family found Lucinda's brother, Jacob Gates, there in Far West.  Jacob had been in Missouri since the summer of 1834 when Zion's Camp was there.  The Camp disbanded in Liberty, Clay County, located west and south of the town of Far West.

    During the hot summer months of 1838, relations between the Latter-day Saints and their northern Missouri neighbors continued to deteriorate rapidly.  Parly P. Pratt described the tense situation that existed in these words:

   

    War clouds began again to lower with dark and threatening aspect.  Those who had combined against the laws in the adjoining counties had long watched our increasing power and prosperity with jealousy, and with greedy and avaricious eyes.  It was a common boast that as soon as we had completed our extensive improvements, and made a plentiful crop, they would drive us from the state and once more enrich themselves with the spoils.

Extermination Order

    Violence erupted which eventually resulted in the expulsion of the entire church from the state of Missouri.  It was October 27, 1838 when Lilburn W. Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued an extermination order which stated:

   

    The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good.  Their outrages are beyond all description.  If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so, to any extent you may think necessary.

    By permission of the Governor, however, the larger portion of the Saints remained until the spring of 1839.  Erastus Bingham, being one of those who remained, was chosen as one of a committee at Far West to dispose of what furniture and other belongings of the Saints that could not be taken with them in their expulsion from the state.

    Great excitement prevailed, and mobs were heard of in every direction, which seemed determined to destroy the Mormons.  They burned the houses in the county and took off all the cattle they could find.  They destroyed cornfields, took many prisoners and threatened death to all Mormons.

    In Far West, Saints were warned that two notorious anti-Mormons, Cornelius Gillam and Samuel Bogart, officers in the militia, were planning assaults on the Caldwell County settlement.  Meetings were held where the Saints covenanted to defend themselves and not desert the cause.  Residents of the outlying settlements were instructed to gather to Far West, and the city hastened its preparations for defense.  Northern Missouri was in a uproar the last week of October as "mobs were heard in every direction."  The mobs burned houses and crops, rustled cattle, detained prisoners and threatened the Saints with death.

     The anti-Mormon militia forces continued to gather around Far West in preparation for an attack.  The militia for Far West barricaded the city with wagons and timber, but by Wednesday, October 31, the anti-Mormon forces outnumbered those of the Saints by five to one.  Neither side was eager to begin the battle, so the day was spent in a standoff, with each side trying to decide what to do.

    On the morning of November 1, the Missouri militia entered the city.  While searching for arms they vandalized the town, plundered valuable possessions, raped some of the women and compelled the leading elders at bayonet point to sign promises to pay the expenses of the militia.  Many prominent men were arrested and taken as prisoners to Richmond.  The rest of the Saints were told to leave the state.

    The Bingham family was driven away from their humble but comfortable home by the mobs, which were made up of individuals opposed to the teaching of the Latter Day Saints.  The fervent prayers of Lucinda prevailed to the extent that she and her family did not suffer so extensively as many others.  She saw and experienced the ravages, burning and destruction of personal property that occurred in 1838 and 1839.  The mob relented and did not burn their home.  They were permitted to assemble their cattle and personal possessions, part of which, they sold for cash.

    The Erastus Bingham family members were among the many church members that were asking where they could go for refuge?  The vast Indian tracts to the west were not open to settlers.  Iowa to the north was sparsely settled but offered little timber upon its vast rolling plains.  Going south meant traveling through hostile Missouri communities.  The route east was most familiar and reassuring to Church members.  Many of the Saints had traveled it only months before in exile from Kirtland.  Now some of them were considering a return to Ohio.  Crossing the Mississippi and pausing in some of the small Illinois communities along its banks, however, provided the respite necessary for the Saints to receive new direction from church leaders.

    Citizens of Illinois were sympathetic to the plight of the Saints and many people believed that a large influx of Mormons would help their struggling economy.  Illinois would be their next home.

    Leaving Missouri was not easy for the refugees.  Many people sold precious possessions and lands at unreasonably low prices to obtain means to flee the state.  Some people with oxen teams made several trips between Caldwell County and the Mississippi River, two hundred miles to the east, to convey friends and relatives out of danger.

    Some people saw the flight from Missouri as evidence that the Lord had forsaken the Saints.  The Prophet Joseph was in Liberty Jail with no prospect of release.  Whatever hopes the Saints had of regaining political fights and property in Missouri or establishing the city of Zion was dimmed.  Even some church members questioned the wisdom of gathering the Saints again into one location.

 He left Missouri in the latter part of March, 1839, arriving in Hancock county, Illinois, the forepart of April, 1839.  He rented a farm between Carthage and La Harpe, but nearer to La Harpe, about 15 to 20 miles east of Nauvoo and while here his youngest son, Brigham Heber, was born December 15, 1841. 

The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith

    The martyrdom of the Prophet and his brother Hyrum on June 27, 1844 caused great sorrow to all the members of the church.  Even when he began his ministry, the Prophet Joseph Smith knew he might have to die for his religion.  He increasingly felt the foreboding of the Spirit that his ministry on earth was nearing its end.

    With the death of the Prophet, the First Presidency of the Church was dissolved; and Sidney Rigdon asserted that he should be appointed "guardian" of the Church, but Brigham Young was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  The Brigham family no doubt watched with interest to see how this situation would be resolved.  The family was probably all in attendance at the historic gathering held on Thursday, August 8, 1844, when a miracle occurred before the body of the Church.  Brigham Young was magnified before the people, and the succession crisis of the Church was resolved.

    Brigham Young's remarks were short as he told the audience that he would rather have spent a month mourning the dead Prophet that so quickly attend to the business of appointing a new shepherd.  While he was speaking, he was miraculously transfigured before the people.  People of all ages were present, and some of them later recorded their experiences:

    Benjamin F. Johnson, age twenty-six at the time, wrote what he remembered:

    As soon as he (Brigham Young) spoke, I jumped upon my feet, for in every possible degree it was Joseph's voice, and his person, in look, attitude, dress and appearance was Joseph himself, personified; and I knew in a moment the spirit and mantle of Joseph was upon him.

    Zina Huntington said:

    President Young was speaking.  It was the voice of Joseph--not that of Brigham Young.  His very person was changed...I closed my eyes.  I could have exclaimed, I know that is Joseph Smith's voice!  Yet I know he had gone.  But the same spirit was with the people.

    President Young continued, and then turning to his main point declared, "If the people want President Rigdon to lead them they may have him; but I say unto you that the Quorum of the Twelve have the keys of the kingdom of God in all the world."

    The vote was taken, and all hands went up.  Brigham then asked, "If there are any of the contrary mind, every man and every woman who does not want the Twelve to preside, lift up your hand in like manner."  No hands went up.  Once more the Church had a presidency--the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles--with Brigham Young as their president.

The Bingham's moved closer to the Nauvoo Temple

    It was evident from circumstances and conditions at that time; a Mormon family was in grave danger of being mobbed.  This concern and the fact that the Brethren were pressing for a speedy completion of the temple in Nauvoo gave motive enough for Erastus to move his family to a spot nearer to Nauvoo.  It was during the spring of 1845 that Erastus bought a farm of 160 acres about 20 miles west of Nauvoo, Illinois, which was extensively cultivated during the spring and summer.  A comfortable home was built for Lucinda and the children.  After the crops were all harvested, the family's attention turned to the completion of the Nauvoo Temple, a task which had dominated the activities of Nauvoo for the last five years having been built largely by donated labor.

    The hopes of the Saints had been centered on the temple as their Prophet, Joseph Smith, sought and received additional instructions from the Lord regarding the sacred endowment, which was to be performed in the temple.  The Lord had pronounced these ordinances necessary to open the gate to eternal life and exaltation.  The Nauvoo Saints anxiously looked forward to the completion of the temple and the day they could take part in the endowment and understand more about the eternal perspective of the Lord.

    By the spring of 1845, the capstone of the temple was in position.  The workers then assembled the roof and finished the interior and plans were set for a formal dedication in April 1846.  The Relief Society sisters had pledged to each contribute a penny per week for glass and nails, while those of means contributed large sums without which the project would not have progresses.  Rooms in the temple were dedicated as they were completed so that ordinance work could begin as early as possible.

    In the fall of 1845 mobs arose against the Saints.  To save bloodshed, the authorities of the Church agreed that the Saints would leave the state of Illinois, with the understanding and privilege of remaining until spring.  The evacuation from Western Illinois was originally planned for April 1846, but new threats prompted an early, hasty exit.  A committee was appointed to dispose of all property and effects left behind including the temple and the Nauvoo House.  The decision to leave was made February 2, 1846 and the first group crossed the Mississippi River on February 4.

    Nauvoo was a hive of activity as the Saints began to prepare for their exodus and to complete the Nauvoo Temple as the same time.  It seemed like a race of time to fulfill the Lord's work before they were stopped by the evil powers that surrounded them.

General Conference in the partly finished Temple

    Erastus and Lucinda Bingham were no doubt in attendance at the General Conference, which convened in the partially finished edifice in October 1845.  Brigham Young opened the services of the day by a dedicatory prayer presenting the temple, thus far completed, as a monument of the Saints' liberality, fidelity and faith concluding, "Lord, we dedicate this house and ourselves, to thee..."

    The attic story of the temple was dedicated for ordinance work November 30, 1845.  President Young prayed that the Lord would sustain and deliver his servants until they accomplished his will in the temple.  The rooms were soon prepared for ordinances, and Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball began giving endowments to faithful Latter-day Saints on the evening of December 10.  On December 11, 1845 endowment sessions were continued until 3 a.m.  By the end of 1845, over a thousand members had received these ordinances.

In January, Brigham Young recorded:

    "Such has been the anxiety manifested by the Saints to received the ordinances of the temple and such the anxiety on our part to administer to them, that I have given myself up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week."

    There were many others among the brethren and sisters who gave freely of their time by washing the temple clothing each night so the work could continue unimpeded the next morning.

    The Nauvoo Temple endowment records of January 1, 1846, proudly lists the names of Erastus Bingham and Lucinda Bingham among those who took out their endowment on that day.  Maria Louisa and Thomas performed their endowments on January 24, Mary is listed as January 28 and their two brothers, Sanford and Thomas chose January 30, 1846 as their endowment date.

    On February 3, 1846 the Brethren planned to stop the ordinance work, and Brigham Young left the temple to make final preparation to leave the next day for the West, but seeing a large crowd gathered to receive their endowments, he compassionately returned to serve them.  This delayed his departure for another two weeks.  According to temple records, 5,615 Saints were endowed before going west.

Exodus to the West

    From the family historical records we find that Erastus Bingham Jr. was called in January, 1846, to go ahead with some of the leaders of the church to make roads, build bridges, and plant crops at various points.  Traveling westward, averaging about eight miles per day, Erastus Bingham and company reached Mount Pisgah, Iowa, about mid-summer and found fine growing crops which had been planted by the selected group which were chosen according to the instructions of the Twelve Apostles through Brigham Young, their president.

   Leaving Nauvoo was an act of faith for the Saints.  They departed without knowing exactly were they were going or when they would arrive at a place to settle. They only knew that they were on the verge of being driven out of Illinois by their enemies and that their leaders had received revelation to locate a refuge somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

    Over two thousand Saints left Nauvoo by mid-March 1846, and additional hundreds left in both April and May.  The date of departure for Erastus Bingham and his family was May 6, 1846 five days after the public dedication of the Nauvoo Temple.  Wilford Woodruff, Orson Hyde and about twenty others dressed in their white temple robes dedicated the house of the Lord on April 30, which was followed the next day May 1 with a public dedication. 

    The mob violence, which compelled Erastus and Lucinda to sacrifice their farm for a meager sum to buy a team of horses, caused the family great distress and sorrow.  With this team and other livestock and wagons stocked with a few personal possessions and a scant supply of food, he and his family escaped from the violence of the infuriated mob by leaving Nauvoo on May 6, 1846.  The weather in May 1846 was cold and stormy and the family suffered greatly from exposure and lack of proper food as they traveled toward Winter Quarters.  In their haste to leave, many of the departing Saints had failed to follow the counsel to be prepared before leaving.  Brigham Young noted that the Saints "were patient, and endured all their privations without murmuring."

Testimony, Faith and Courage

    The faith and courage of Erastus and Lucinda had been strengthened in Kirtland, when they met the Prophet Joseph Smith and knew him personally and in the Nauvoo temple where they received their endowments.  A history of Lucinda Gates tells of her testimony and strong belief in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

    She met the Prophet Joseph Smith while in Kirtland Ohio, and knew him personally, loved him and her religion and she was willing to undergo great sacrifices for the religions cause she had accepted and knew to be the TRUTH.

    She was privileged to receive her endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.  She passed through all of the trying days of the assassination of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the operation of the Church by the 12 apostles.  During this time apostasy, hardship and disruptions occurred, in many ways, but none of these disturbed her faith or knowledge in the divinity of the Gospel and the testimony she possessed concerning its truthfulness.

    Traveling westward averaging about eight miles per day Erastus Bingham and company reached Mount Pisgah, Iowa about mid-summer and found fine growing crops which had been planted by the selected group which were chosen according to the instructions of the twelve Apostles through Brigham Young, their president.

  

     The Bingham family left Mt. Pisgah in a company of about two hundred wagons in command of Bishop George Miller.  Erastus Bingham was made captain of one hundred.  They traveled westward until they reached Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Prior to their arrival at Council Bluffs, Captain James Allen (from the United States Government), came to talk to Brigham Young, and asked for 500 volunteers to fight in the war with Mexico.  Two sons and a son-in-law of Erastus Bingham volunteered. 

Mormon Battalion

    In the process of annexing Texas in 1845, the pride of Mexico was wounded and war broke out after a skirmish between Mexican and United States troops in the disputed territory.  President James K. Polk Congress authorized the enlistment of fifty thousand men.  To the surprise of many Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young immediately reacted in favor of the requisition.  President Young and other leaders recognized the advantages of government service in terms of monies that would be earned and assurance that the Mormons could remain on Indian lands.

    Two sons and a son-in-law of Erastus Bingham volunteered:  Erastus Jr., Thomas and Elijah Norman Freeman, husband of his daughter Mary.  They were recruited into the Mormon Battalion in July 1846 and the care of their families became the responsibility of Erastus and Lucinda.

    Church leaders promised that the families of the volunteers would be carefully provided for.  Brigham Young selected the officers over each company and counseled them to be fathers to the rest of the men.  He also counseled the volunteers to be faithful soldiers, keep the commandments, and abide by the counsel of their leaders.  He promised that if they conducted themselves properly, they would not have to fight.  They began their historic march on Tuesday, July 21, 1846.

    Thomas Bingham had contacted ague and fever sometime before he enlisted in the battalion.  The illness returned during the march, making it impossible to keep up with the company and he was sent to Pueblo, Colorado with the 2nd detachment of sick men.  He returned to his family in Salt Lake, as did his brother Erastus Jr., but Elijah Norman Freeman, who left his wife and baby son to serve in the Battalion died in New Mexico on November 28, 1840 after he took sick while working among the sick.

More Persecution for Saints left in Nauvoo

    When opponents of the Church realized that not all the Saints were going to leave Nauvoo by summer, persecution began anew.  Men and women harvesting grain were attacked and some were severely beaten.  This type of harassment lasted all summer and into the fall of 1846.  Rescue teams were sent to their aid in time to save them from starvation and winter exposure.

    Two companies were organized in Council Bluffs and started traveling westerly according to the directions of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham being President, to find a place for the Saints to dwell.  They traveled up the Platt River until they came to Loop Fork, a messenger on horseback brought word from the president of the Twelve, Brigham Young, that they should not venture farther for fear of deep snow or hostile Indians, but should locate a good camping ground for the winter.

    The captain, Bishop Miller, was not in favor of obeying this order.  He was anxious to push on, as the prospect of several months delay in the journey was not a pleasing one.

    They remained three days considering and discussing the problem.  At this juncture a number of Indian chiefs of the Ponca Tribe passed by on their way home from an Indian Council.  They were very friendly and invited the travelers to go with them to their camping ground to a place called Swift Water near the Missouri River about 150 miles above or north of winter quarters, now known as Council Bluffs, Iowa.  The Indians said the camping ground was good, with plenty of water and wood and feed for the animals which the whitemen were welcome to share.

    Erastus Bingham stood up on his wagon wheel and talked to the Saints, telling them that he proposed to obey the council of President Brigham Young, that he and his family would remain until spring and invited all to join them in accepting the invitation of the Indians to share their camping ground.  About one-half of the company remained  with Erastus Bingham; the others decided to attempt the journey westward with their commander, Bishop Miller.  They pushed on westward but met with a great many losses.  The Indians stole some of their animals; and they suffered considerably from cold and lack of food and were finally compelled to return, some of them camping near Erastus Bingham's camp.  The Ponca Indians were very kind to the families who were sharing with them their camping ground, even bringing meat for the most destitute families.

   Church History in the Fullness of Time prepared by the Church Educational System, page 330 gives us this additional insight:

   

    George Miller, a headstrong leader, argued with Brigham Young over prospective travel and settlement plans.  Miller did not agree that the Twelve Apostles held supreme authority in the Church, therefore, he took a small group of Saints to live among the Ponca Indians on the Niobrara River in northern Nebraska.  President Young, realizing that dissension in Church leadership was dangerous, sought the will of the Lord on how to deal with Miller and his followers.  On January 11, 1847 he related a dream he had the night before, where he discussed with Joseph Smith the best method of organizing the companies.  Three days later he presented to the Church "the Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeying to the West "D&C 136.

    In 1847, George Miller refused to be governed by Brigham Young, so he joined Lyman Wight in Texas.  Both Lyman and George separated from the Church.

 In the spring of 1847 Erastus Bingham and his family returned to Council Bluffs where he was chosen a member of a committee to go into Missouri and secure wagons and supplies for the journey west and across the plains.  He bought provisions to last his family eighteen months.  On June 11, 1847, they left Council Bluffs; and after getting across the Elkhorn River, they started on their journey westward. They traveled up the north side of the Platt River in a company of 666 wagons consisting of Daniel Spencer's group of 100, Ira Eldridge's 50, Jedediah M. Grant's 50 and Erastus Bingham's 10, together with other groups.  The company was so large that it was organized with captains of tens, fifties and hundreds to maintain and guarantee the best order.  Yet it was very unpleasant because it would be so late before the last wagon could start from camp in the morning and so late at night before it could get into camp.  Two wagons traveled abreast, making two roads.

    The company divided near Laramie, Wyoming and Erastus Bingham and his family were with those in the lead.  They had suffered the hardship of storms and early snow fall, but they successfully overcame these inconveniences.

 They arrived in Salt Lake Valley on September 19, 1847, much sooner than some of the others.  Erastus built a log house and made preparations for the winter.  In the spring of 1848 he was allotted a farm, in the Holiday district; and in addition to the farm, he acquired a grazing permit in what is now known as Bingham Canyon, Utah.

   In 1949 a monument was erected in Bingham Canyon to the memory of Erastus Bingham and his two sons, Sanford and Thomas.  August 1, 1949 the dedicatorial service was held at the monument with members of the Bingham Family Organization, officers of the Kennicott Copper Company, the Mayor of Bingham, Howard M. Driggs of New York City, formerly of Utah, and Norman F. Bingham, son of Sanford Bingham, participating in the program.  The monument was dedicated by Raymond Bingham, a great grandson of Erastus Bingham and President of Bingham Family Organization, and Lucinda Fife Thompson Slater, member of Bingham Family Organization Temple Committee.

     In April, 1850, Erastus Bingham and his family moved to Ogden and located on the property where the City and County building now stands, farming the property as far south as 28th Street and north to 22nd Street.  They grew a crop of grain and potatoes, the first potatoes they had grown since they  left Illinois.  During this same year President Brigham Young came to Ogden and laid out the city.  As the Bingham property was in the area desired for the central portion of the city, Brigham Young bought their claims and paid them for the buildings and improvements which must be torn down.  In the fall of the same year, after they had sold their property, they moved to Farr's Fort, North of Ogden River.

     Sunday, January 26, 1851, President Brigham Young and party held meetings in the South Fort of Ogden, Utah, and on this date the Weber Stake of Zion was organized.  On this occasion Ogden was divided into two wards, north ward and south ward.  Erastus Bingham was made Bishop of the North Ward with Charles Hubbard and Charles Perry as counselors.

     In the Spring of 1851 a farm was laid out in what is known as the Lynn District and Bingham's Fort was established.  It was here a log house was erected, and the entire family of Erastus Bingham moved to this location.

     Bingham's Fort was situated about three miles north of what was then in 1851 Ogden City.  It was located north of 2nd street and west of Wall Avenue.  The east line of Bingham's Fort was about 130 rods west of the present Washington Boulevard. Bingham's Fort was situated about three miles north of what was then in 1851 Ogden City.  It was located north of 2nd street and west of Wall Avenue.  The east line of Bingham's Fort was about 130 rods west of the present Washington Boulevard.  The fort enclosed an area 120 rods long and 60 rods wide.  Its walls were built of rocks and mud, principally mud.  Each family who lived in the fort was assigned a portion to build.

     The Fort walls were erected about four rods from the houses, with corrals taking up the space between.  Thomas Richardson, a pioneer boy who lived in Bingham's Fort, tells how the walls were constructed.  "We did not have lumber to put up to hold the mud, so we placed upright poles tapering from about eight feet at the bottom and three feet at the top.  We set stakes between the poles and wove willows in like a willow fence, then filled the space with mud.  We made a ditch nearby to run water down to make the mud, while wet, we threw it in with shovels, spades or anything we had.  We wove the willow forms as the walls went up.  The wall was about 12 feet high.  The fort had an entrance of the west side large enough to drive a team through, with a gate constructed of heavy timber which stood as high as the wall.  Had it been completed, there would have been a similar gate on the east."

     Here at the Fort, as in other undertakings directed by the Church authorities, there was a working plan.  The farms were adjacent to the fort; and as the men worked them, they were continually on the alert for Indians.  The cattle were herded on the meadows but were all brought into the fort for protection at night.

     A school was established, and as the spirit of education counted for more than the equipment, slab benches served as seats.  There were no tables or desks and very few books.  An alphabet was secured from scraps of newspaper and old books; and the letters were pasted on wooden paddles.  One of the first teachers was Amanda Snow Bingham, wife of Willard Bingham.  The women of the Fort kept up the industry of the home, spinning, weaving, rearing children, doing all the things for the building of good citizenship.

    "On March 3, 1852, Weber County was organized with Ogden as the County Seat.  In October of that same year, the first municipal election was held in Ogden, resulting in the election of Lorin Farr as mayor, and Charles R. Danna, Erastus Bingham and ten other individuals as city councilmen."

     At the close of 1854 Bingham's Fort had a population of 732."

     Erastus Bingham and family lived in Bingham's Fort until 1854, when they were counseled by President Young to move back to Ogden City.  Erastus still retained and operated his farm in Lynn, but also acquired property located at 23rd and Madison, where he built a home.  He served as a member of the first Territorial Legislature which convened December, 1854.

     In 1856 the Ogden Tabernacle was erected, and Erastus and sons helped in its construction.  In 1856 Ogden was divided into four wards with Erastus Bingham as bishop of the First Ward.  He continued his activities in these localities until the approach of Johnston's Army in 1858, when the order came for a general move South; and Ogden was almost deserted.

     Erastus Bingham served as Bishop of the First Ward until 1868, when he was released as Bishop and from other religious and civic activities on account of ill health.  He was the husband of three wives; Lucinda Gates, to whom he was married March 21, 1820, and who was the mother of six sons and three daughters; Mehitable Sawyer Hall, to whom he was married September 11, 1857;  Emma Nye Wilson, to whom he was married December, 1862 and who was the mother of one son, Warner Bingham.

     Erastus Bingham lived a noble and exemplary life and passed away May 2, 1882 at the age of 84 years, one month, 21 days.

Letter to Erastus Bingham from Brigham Young

                                  WILLARD BINGHAM

Willard Bingham, Dean Bitton's Great Grandfather
Son of Erastus Bingham and Lucinda Gates Bingham
Father of 36 children.
Our ancestor is his daughter Rebecca by Amanda Melvina Snow.

Willard Bingham, born in Concord, 19 February 1830; died 19 March 1913 in

Smithfield, Cache, Utah; buried in Ogden, Weber, Utah.

He married Jennet [Genet] Gates in Salt Lake, 29 April 1853. Born 12 January 1836, she was the

daughter of Samuel and Lydia (Downer) Gates.

By her, Willard had fifteen children:

 (1) Flora Genet, born in Ogden, 16 May 1854, married Levi J. Taylor in Salt Lake, 3 February 1873; died in Harrisville, Weber, Utah, 9 or 10 August 1940;

 (2) Willard, born in Ogden, 30 October 1855, married Cynthia Ann Melissa Shurtliff in Salt Lake, 5 November 1876, and Elizabeth McFarland in Salt Lake, 28 February 1878; died in Wilson, Weber, Utah, 26 June 1884; had four children by each of his two wives;

 (3) Josephine born in Wilson, 9 May 1857, married Levi J. Taylor, Sr., in Salt Lake, 30 November 1874; died in Harrisville, 11 July 1920; Flora and Josephine gave Levi twenty-two children

altogether;

(4) Jedediah Grant, born in Ogden, 6 October 1858; married Margaret McCormick Peterson in Salt Lake, 8 May 1879; died in Ogden, 19 January 1889;

 (5) Parley Pratt, born in Ogden, 30 December 1859, married Margaret McFarland in Salt Lake, 8 May 1879, and Isabelle McFarland in Mexico, 15 April 1896; had twelve children by the first wife, ten by the second; died in Smithfield, Cache, Utah, 11 April 1933;

 (6) Ida, born in Slaterville, Weber, Utah, 9 February 1861; married William Lake, 27 March 1879; died in Ogden, 13 August 1881;

(7) Elijah, born in Ogden, 2 June 1862, married Jennie Lind Wilson in Salt Lake, 17 January 1884; died in Blackfoot, Bingham, Idaho, 27 July 1940;

(8) Elisha Gates, born in Slaterville, 2 June 1862, married Emma Bonnerud in Salt Lake, 13 January 1881; died in Ogden, 12 May 1942;

 (9) Ezra, born in Ogden, 7 July 1864, married Annie Shurtliff in Logan, 18 March 1885; died in Ogden, 24 February 1900;

 (10) Erastus La Grand, born in Ogden, 17 February 1866; died of accidental shooting, 28 July

1875;

 (11) Lydia Maria, born in Huntsville, 29 February 1868; died 27 September 1869; (12) Lucinda, born Huntsville, 13 March 1870, married Peter Stephenson in Logan, 2 February 1887; died in Ogden, 9 November 1926;

(13) Zilpha Isadore, born in Huntsville, 14 October 1871; died 20 September 1879;

 (14) Nancy Jane, born in Wilson, 19 April 1876; married David Rawson in Salt Lake, 26 September 1895; died in Oakland, Alameda, California, 13 March 1957;

 (15) Emmaretta, born in Wilson, 16 July 1878; married Joseph Horace Rawson in Salt Lake, 15 December 1899, and Charles William Hancock in Salt Lake, 7 December 1915; died in Oakland, California, 15 February 1966.

By his second wife, Amanda Melvina Snow, daughter of Willard and Amanda (Harvey) Snow, Willard had ten children:

(1) Willard Eugene, born 3 October 1856, married Hannah McFarland;

(2) Amanda Melvina, born 30 August 1858, died 25 April 1862;

(3) Wilford, born 14 October 1860; died 23 September 1862;

(4) Rosetta, born 23 September 1862, married Philip Dance;

(5) Susan, born 1 December 1864, married Charles Gates Cazier;

(6) Mary Ellen, born 25 November 1866; married Louis Kendall Bitton;

(7) Rebecca, born 13 April 1869; married George James Bitton;

(8) Florence Adelaide, born 19 April 1871, married Nels Peter Lee;

(9) Tyler, born 1 October 1873, married Christina Thompson; and

(10) Isabel, born 4 December 1875, married Carl Erickson and Philip Dance.

 By his third, Clara Elizabeth Smith, he had eleven children:

(1) Clara, born 25 November 1890, married Ernest Deppi;

(2) William, born and died 30 April 1892;

(3) Willard, born 28 June 1893; married Mary Bright;

(4) Leroy, born 6 January 1895, married Frances Christianson;

(5) Adella, born 26 December 1896, married Hazen R. Hurst;

(6) Thomas, born 8 May 1899, married Esther Baker;

(7) Uvada, born 21 September 1901; married Archie Jarrard;

(8) Hyrum S., born 23 March 1904; married Nellie E. Hoffer;

(9) Viola, born 9 January 1908; married Vernon Scrowthers;

(10) Leah, born 12 January 1908; married Vernal Horn; and

(11) Eldon S., born 21 March 1910; married Helen Baker.

Willard was in the goldfields of California in 1849 with his brother Erastus and Albert King Thurber. While on a mission to California in 1857, he was sent into the goldfields again to raise money for printing the Book of Mormon, but was recalled to Utah in 1858 to opposed Johnston's Army. He returned to the goldfields with his brother Thomas in 1859. On his return from California in

1860, Willard took up residence in Weber County, first in Huntsville, where he operated shingle and lumber mills with his brother Thomas. Having purchased his brother's share of the mill, he moved in 1878 to Monte Cristo. About that time, he sold his interests in Huntsville and acquired land in Wilson, four miles west of Ogden, and in the Cache Valley, near what is now Trenton. In 1890 he married his third wife, Clara Smith of Smithfield, and took her to Mexico. When he returned to Utah, he sold his property in Wilson and settled in Smithfield.

Source: http://www.familyhistorypages.com/Bingham.htm#ErB

LEVI SNOW 

LEVI SNOW (and Lucina & family) 
compiled by Donna Hansen Woodward 
and submitted by Michael Jefferies

Levi Snow was born July 22, 1782 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.  He was born to Captain Zerubbabel Snow who was born August 12, 1741 in Rutland, Massachusetts, and Mary Trowbridge who was born February 25, 1745 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Levi was the eighth child of Zerubbabel and Mary Trowbridge Snow.  Their were ten children in the family.  Levi had six sisters and three brothers.

Levi's parents lived on the boundary line of the two states.  The Connecticut river became the dividing line between the two new states in the Union Levi's parents lived in Chesterfield, New Hampshire all of his growing up years.

Levi met Lucina Streeter, his future wife, through Jemina Streeter, an aunt of Lucina.  When introducing Lucina to Levi's mother, Jemina said, "Mary, this is a daughter of my husband's brother, William Streeter.  I told her about the many books you buy for your son Levi and nothing would do but she must come to see what you have that she hasn't read."  "Levi was known as the boy who would rather read than dance."  Lucina stayed with her aunt Jemina so that she could attend the Academy in Chesterfield one winter so that she could have extra lessons in French.  It was during this time that Levi and Lucina became real friends because of their love for reading.

After accompanying Lucina home to Cumberland, Rhode Island on a months visit, Levi said to Lucina, "Oh, Lucina dearest, we grow so slowly, that years drag wearily by.  You know that I love you without my speaking the words, that you are as much a part of me and I of you as if made from the same clay.  So you are young and I am young, but we both know how to work, and God will help us.  Would you dare marry me now and not wait any longer?"

Levi married Lucina Streeter on November 29, 1801 in Chesterfield, New Hampshire.  They lived in Levi's mother's home until after their first child was born, where Levi helped his brothers in the sawmill and grist mill.  After Levi and Lucina had their first child, they moved first to Lunenburg but after one years lease they decided to clear some virgin land and so they settled in the St. Johnsbury, Vermont area with approximately twelve other families and here they had their remaining children while they lived there.  Levi and his older sons farmed their not over fertile acres and managed a respectable, but frugal living.  Levi and his sons also built their own furniture and the home they lived in.

Levi and Lucina had eleven children.  They were: Levi Mason who was born in 1803; Lucina who was born in August 1804; William who was born December 14, 1806; Zerubbabel who was born in March 1809; Willard Trowbridge who was born November 6, 1811; Mary Melvina who was born July 30, 1813; Shipley Wilson who was born in 1816; Erastus Fairbanks who was born November 9, 1818; Charles Van Rensselaer who was born in August 1821; Lydia Mason who was born in 1823; and Mellisa who was born August 20, 1826.

In 1826 Levi and his sons finished a new barn for their farm.  While Lucina and the girls where helping clean up the newly completed barn, Lucina laughingly remarked, I think, girls we should move into the new barn and let the cows and horses live in the old house."  A few weeks later the Snow home burn to the ground.  With the help of their neighbors most of their furniture and books for their children were saved and the new barn became their home for the rest of that summer until they were able to finish a new home late that fall.

Levi was a devoted and God fearing Christian although he never belonged to any organized religious group.  He did however, study the scriptures intently and encouraged this amongst his family members.  The Snow family was known as "Seekers" or those who were seeking after God's truths.

In 1832, while Levi's sons, Zerubbabel and William were working in Charlestown and living with their cousin, Winslow Farr they were blessed to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ from Elder Lyman Johnson and Orson Pratt.  After hearing the Elder's message they returned home very excited to tell the rest of the Snow family.  It was not long before Orson Pratt came to St. Johnsbury and taught the many interested families in the area in the Snow's new barn.  Levi's son Erastus was 15 years old at the time and on the evening of the first meeting he asked his father, Levi if he could be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ.  Levi's reply was, "Wait awhile son.  Study your Bible still more.  Be sure you have been converted by the Lord and not by Elder Pratt's persuasion.  Wait al least six months.  Can you do that?  You will have six months for your ardor to cool.  If you are really converted, it won't be hard to wait that long."  Erastus was baptized February 3, 1832, approximately six months later.  Early in May of the same year, 1832 all the rest of the Snow family was baptized, all but Levi and his son Shipley.

Some years later, Levi and the remaining children that were at home, sold their farm in Vermont and went to Kirtland to be with the saints.  Levi knew that there would be no happiness for Lucina until she too could make her home among the saints.  The Snow family only stayed in Kirtland for a week or so and then moved on to Far West,Missouri in order to help build the capitol of Zion.  Besides they thought it would be foolish to buy land in Kirtland and then have to move again soon.  Levi and Lucina suffered the persecutions that the saints endured in Far West and were included in the expulsion of the saints from Missouri.  At the time the mobs came to Far West to evict the saints, Levi's son, Erastus was home visiting his family and both Levi and Erastus had the "shakers" as Levi called the chills and fever of malaria.  While in this terrible condition, Levi's son, Charles came home shouting, "Oh, father, the mobocrats are camped on our pasture!  I think they have butchered our cows for I couldn't see anything of them and I surely could smell meat sizzling in their camp vessels."  Levi and Erastus rose from their sick beds and ran to their place with the Mormon militia.  Levi's son, Erastus testified that as he ran, he prayed to be healed and his prayers were immediately answered.  The chills and fever instantly left him."  Levi not being a Mormon had not given up his arms to the mobs, so as he ran with his son to join the Mormon militia he being too weak to fight, handed his gun to Erastus and he grabbed a pitchfork.  The mob scattered this time but Levi and his family stayed up all night to guard their place not knowing what was ahead of them.  It was not long after this that the saints were forced to leave Far West.  The family left Far West without selling their home which was true in most cases for the escaping saints.  They were however able to sell just enough furniture to buy a team and wagon to get them across Missouri and were glad to get away with their lives.

Levi took his family to Quincy, Illinois where they found safety.  They arrived in Quincy having traveled 200 miles in about twelve days.  Levi fought the chills and fever of malaria all across the state of Missouri which made the trip quite miserable.  On arriving at Quincy, the Snow family moved on to Lima where they set up residence in a fairly comfortable house on a farm that they bargained for.  Some time after this, Levi began to build a new home for Lucina.  Levi had about two years to enjoy Lucina after leaving Missouri, without all the persecutions they had endured in Missouri before he passed away.  Levi died on November 2, 1841 in Montrose, Lee County, Iowa.  Montrose is just across the river from Nauvoo and many of the saints were in the Montrose area.  Levi was 59 years old when he passed away.  It was recorded through family information that he died of malaria.

It was said of Levi, by his son Erastus, "Father was such a wonderful father, honest and true.  He was the personification of kindness.  He was way ahead of his time in his thinking."

It is not known why Levi never joined the church, but what a tribute of love he has shown to Lucina, to have endured so much persecution while they lived among the saints. 

LUCINA STREETER SNOW

By

Nathan H. Gardner

Additions and Editing by

Donna Woodward

Lucina Streeter was 16 of October 1785 at Chesterfield, Cheshire Co., New Hampshire the oldest child of 

William Streeter and Hannah Mason. Her parents were both born at Cumberland, Providence Co., Rhode 

Island. William and Hannah had gone from Cumberland to Chesterfield soon after marriage and their first five children were born there. About 1797 they moved back to Rhode Island, where they had seven more children. The deaths of three of these children were recorded at Smithfield, Rhode Island in 1820.

Lucina was just 16 years old when she married 19 year old Levi Snow on 26 November 1801 at Chesterfield. The marriage was performed by Abraham Wood, Town Clerk. Levi and Lucina’s first child, Levi Mason was born 15 July 1803 at Chesterfield, New Hampshire.

Many of the neighbors were moving north where new lands were being opened up. Levi and Lucina 

wished to be to themselves and to acquire their own home and farmland. Because the home and sawmill in Chesterfield, Levi had inherited, along with his brother John, Levi sold his half to John. Soon Levi and Lucina with baby Levi Mason, set out for Lunenburg, Essex Co., Vermont, a hundred and twenty-five miles north, up the Connecticut River Valley, on the Vermont side of the river. While in Lunenburg, Vermont Lucina’s second child was born on the 26th August 1804 and given the name Lucina. This farm they were swindled out of.

Lucina and Levi then move to St. Johnsburg, Caledonia, Vermont in the northeast section of the township, known as the Chesterfield district. Levi and Lucina, though heartsick and homeless, poor of material things, began anew, and with the help from old friends they had met again, they cleared there ground, made a home and settled among kind, helpful neighbors. While living here a third child, William was added to the family on the 14th of December 1806.

Through typical Vermont frugality, hard work, and untiring energy, the farm was expanded, the home 

furnished and added to as needed. Eight more children were born here: Zerubbabel, 29 Mar 1809; Willard, 6 November 1811; Mary Minerva, 30 July 1813; Shipley Wilson, 5 Feb 1816; Erastus, 9 

Novermer1818; Charles Van Rensaeler, 20 August 1821; Lydia Mason, 7 December; Melissa Diantha, 20 

August 1826. All eleven children were healthy, robust Vermont stock and lived to marry and raise families of their own.

Lucina was a very industrious wife and mother. She owned her own loom and spinning wheel and one can only imagine the labors that were required to use these important household items in those days. Lucina studied and knew the stars and constellations. Education was primitive, but not neglected. Schools only functioned two or three months of the year. The three “Rs”, Reading, Riting, and Rithmatic, were the principal subjects. Schools were free but the parents furnish wood for heating and board for the teacher.

By the spring of 1826 a fine new barn had been constructed and was in use. During the hot summer 

their house caught fire and was burned. The fire started in a pile of firewood stacked on the north side

of the house. All of the men were out in the fields working. They were able to save only a few pieces of 

the furniture and a box of books. The fine new barn became their home for several months. With the 

help of the neighbors a new house was built. Lucina is quoted as saying, “since the barn was built 

between plantings, a house could be built between harvestings” and it was done.

There was a strong religious conviction among all of the Vermonters at St. Johnsbury. By 1809 a church 

house was built and services were held regularly. For only two years was it headed by an ordained minister. The Snows were regular in attendance. Lucina joined the Wesleyan Methodist Episcopal Church and was very active in it’s affairs. The others, including Levi, were living good Christian lives but felt that it was not necessary to join any church.  Erastus, at the age of nine, wished to join with his mother but Levi insisted that he wait until he was fully ready before joining.

On the 4th of May 1832, Orson Pratt and Lyman E. Johnson came to Charleston, Vermont and held a meeting. They explained that a new Prophet had been called by God and that the Gospel had been restored. They talked about a new book, “the Book of Mormon” and other important truths. Lucina’s sons William and Zerubbabel were working in the neighborhood and attended the meeting. They were favorably impressed and sincerely interested. The conclusive testimony came when they witnessed the miraculous healing of Olive Farr, wife of Winslow Farr. William was baptized 19th of May 1832 and Zerubbabel soon after.

These Mormon missionaries went about the area preaching and visiting. William joined forces with them and many converts were made. On the 3rd of February 1833, William baptized his younger brother Erastus, age 14. On the 18th of June 1833, Lucina and three more children were baptized. Soon the whole family except Levi Mason, Shipley Wilson and father Levi were members of the Restored Gospel. These three never joined.

The Levi Snow barn became the Mormon meeting house and regular meetings were held. Lucina was 

overjoyed with the truths of the Gospel and did everything in her power to bring it’s blessings to all she knew. Levi was really converted but couldn’t bring himself to accept the discipline of a church so was never baptized.

As the Snow children grew older they began to leave home. Levi Mason and Shipley Wilson married and 

moved away from the family, but they always defended the Mormon Church, but never joined them. Two of Lucina’s sons, Zerubbabel and Willard and one son-in-law, Jacob Gates (Mary Minerva) went with 

“Zion’s Camp” to Missouri with the prophet Joseph Smith.

Lucina and Levi left St. Johnsbury in the summer of 1836 and went to Kirtland, Ohio. They were accompanied by their daughter Lucina and her husband and three children. By the fall of 1836, Levi and 

Lucina had gone on ahead of their family and were in Far West, Caldwell Co, Missouri. They took up land 

½ mile north of Far West, built a home and prepared to stay.

Prior to the coming of the Snows in Missouri the Saints had been driven out of Independence. They were 

gathering in Clay County where they had been befriended. Some took up land and built homes. As their numbers increased the older settlers of Clay County became somewhat alarmed and by mutual agreement were asking that the Mormons move to the north where there was enough unoccupied territory to support a large influx of settlers. As this was new territory, unorganized, the Saints were permitted to organize the area as Caldwell County in December of 1836. During the winter of 1836-37, Far West was founded and laid out as a city. The Levi and Lucina Snow family were early settlers of the area.

Persecution became rampant in all of Missouri and the Saints suffered mobbings, burnings, and all of the inexplicable indignities heaped on them by the depraved society among whom they lived. While the Snows were still in Far West the engagement known as the Battle of Crooked River took place. Captain David W. Patten led his forces against the mobsters’ forces on the 25th of October 1838, and was mortally wounded. He died during the night. At the funeral Lucina reports the words of the Prophet, “There lies a man who has done just what he said he would. He has laid down his life for his friends.”

Finally the infamous “Extermination Order” of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs was issued on the 27th October 1838. The Snow families were among the last to leave Far West they left on 15th of April 1839 and arrived in Quincy, Illinois in the 27th. At this same time Joseph Smith had escaped his captors and arrived in Quincy on the 22nd of April.

The Saints were now homeless and anxiously searching for a place to settle. The hamlet of Commerce in 

Illinois was purchased which later became Nauvoo, and permission granted to take up land on the HalfBreed Tract, across the Mississippi River at Montrose, Iowa. There were some old unused Army Barracks at Montrose which were used for some time as shelter. Levi and Lucina then moved on north to Lima, Illinois for a short stay and by June they were in Montrose, Iowa where they built a home.

On the 2nd of November 1841, Levi Snow died of Pleurisy at Montrose, Iowa at the age of fifty-nine as a 

result of hardships he had undergone, and he was buried there. Lucina was left with her three unmarried children still at home.Little is known about Lucina during the Montrose and Nauvoo period of her life. She cared for William's 3 ½ year old daughter, Abigail while William was away serving on a mission. Abigail’s mother had died, leaving William alone to care for her. Lucina made a trip to Rhode Island to visit Levi Mason where she remained until after the Martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

After the death of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, in 1844 the Saints rallied and with increased effort finished the Nauvoo Temple. It was opened in December 1845 for ordinance work. During this time all of the Faithful Saints received their Endowments. Lucina received her endowments on Saturday the 17th of January 1846.

By February 1846 the Saints living outside the city of Nauvoo in Illinois were almost completely driven into the city, their homes and crops burned and their cattle stampeded. The mobs were threatening the city to complete destruction. It was decided to evacuate and move to the west. On the 16th of February, Lucina’s son Erastus took part of his family across the river on a ferry boat. Through carelessness the boat capsized and he lost much of his goods. He went west as far as Garden Grove with his family and then returned alone to Nauvoo in and effort to sell his property and settle his affairs. He succeeded in trading it for about one fourth its’ value. On the 5th of July he again set out for the west accompanied by his mother, Lucina, William and Willard and their families and others. They overtook the earlier group at Mt. Pisgah where they remained a few days before proceeding on to the gathering place at the Missouri River.

Lucina’s son William was asked by Brigham Young to remain at the river for two years and grow crops and to assist those who would outfit there for the trip further west. Consequently he took up land at Council Point and built a log cabin. Most of the Snows remained here on the east side of the Missouri River for the winter of 1846-47. All of the Snow families that were heading west were together for Christmas along the Missouri River.

On the 30th of June 1848, Erastus, Lucina’s son, with his family left Winter Quarters in the Willard Richards Company. He was a captain of ten in the 5th company. His family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley the 19th of October 1848 and spent the first winter in the fort. It is reasonably certain that his mother, Lucina, and Melissa and Jeter Clinton were also in this group, but in a company arriving a few days earlier.

After leaving the fort Willard Snow and Jeter Clinton were assigned lots in the thirteenth ward in the vicinity of First South and Second East Streets. When William came in 1850 he also had his lot in the Thirteenth Ward. When the 1850 Census was taken in the spring of 1851, Lucina was living with Jeter and Melissa. As Melissa taught the first school outside of the fort in the Salt Lake Valley and her husband was called on a mission to the States, it is only logical that Lucina should make her home with her youngest daughter and care for the Clintion children. Later when her son Willard was called to go on his mission to England and Denmark she was saddened by his death on the North Sea.

As stated before it is not known where Lucina lived when she arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, but it is likely that she lived in her children’s homes. We know that she live with her son, Zerubbabel sometime between 1851-1852 and she was living with her son, William in 1855.

Lucina died at the home of her daughter in Salt Lake City of pneumonia the 9th of November 1858. Her 

obituary was published in the Deseret News of Wednesday November 24, 1858, Vol. VIII No 38: Died, From cold and lung complaint at Dr. J. Clinton’s in this city on the 9th inst., LUCINA SNOW, widow of Levi Snow and mother of Erastus Snow, on of the Twelve Apostles, age 74 years and 24 days. She was the oldest daughter of William and Hannah Streeter. Her mother died in the vicinity of Woonsocket, Rhode Island, in the fall of 1854, near which place also died many of her ancestors of the Mason family at very advanced ages. They were remarkable for their activity of mind and body up to the last. She was born in Cumberland, Rhode Island, October 16, 1784 and married to Levi Snow, November 29, 1801 by whom she raised seven sons and four daughters, Viz: Levi Mason, born Feb 15, 1803; Lucina, Aug 20, 1804; William, Dec 14, 1806; Zerubbabel, March 29, 1809;Willard, May 6, 1811;Mary Minerva, July 30, 1813; Shipley Wilson, April 7, 1815; Erastus, Nov 9, 1818; Charles Van Rensaeler, Aug 21, 1820; Lydia, Dec 7, 1823; Mellisa, Aug 20, 1826.

When their first two were yet only babes, they were swindled out of their farm and hard earned possessions in Lunenburg, New Hampshire and removed to St. Johnsbury, Vermont where they opened a new farm and reared the balance of their family being among the first settlers in that part of the state. Deceased was a prominent and active member of the Methodist Episcopal Church for many years previous and at the time of hearing the fullness of the Gospel.

In the summer of 1832, when Elders Orson Pratt and Lyman E. Johnson bore the glad tidings to that 

people, she welcomed them as Angels of the Lord. She was baptized by Orson Pratt in June 1833 and removed with her family to Kirtland, Ohio in the spring of 1836 and the same fall proceeded to Far West, Missouri, where she shared the persecutions of the Saints and sacrificed another comfortable home for the Gospels sake.


She was next located temporarily in Lima, Illinois and afterwards at Montrose, opposite Nauvoo where her husband died in Oct 1841, and where she continued to live until the exodus of the Church in 1846, where she moved with her children and sojourned near two years at Winter Quarters and finally arrived in this city in Sep. 1848, where her soul rested happy and continued in the sweet enjoyment of the spirit of the Gospel, 

surrounded by her numerous friends, children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, to all of whom she was a bright example of industry, economy, frugality, and faith. May they be able to emulate her 

virtue and rejoin her in celestial glory.

Lucina was buried in the Salt Lake City cemetery between her grandson Erastus, son of William, and the spot where later her son Erastus was buried. Several others of the Snow family are buried nearby.

Source: http://woodifer.blogspot.com/2007/04/lucina-streeter-snow.html