History of Salt Lake City, Part 124

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194

USA > Utah > Salt Lake County > Salt Lake > History of Salt Lake City > Part 124

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

"The original manuscript of the revelation on plural marriage, as taken down by William Clayton, the Prophet's seribe, was given by Joseph to Bishop Whitney for safe keeping. He re- tained possession of it until the Prophet's wife Emma, having persuaded her husband to let her see it, on receiving it from his hands, in a fit of jealous rage threw it into the fire and destroyed it. She triumphed in the wicked thought that she had thus put an end to the doctrine she so feared and hated-as though the parchment upon which it was written, the ink with which it was inscribed was all that made it valid or binding. But she was doubly deceived. She had not even destroyed the words of the revelation. Bishop Whitney, foreseeing the probable fate of the manuscript, had taken the precaution before delivering it up, to have it copied by his clerk, Joseph C. Kingsbury, who is a living witness that he executed the task under the Bishop's personal supervision. It was this same copy of the original that Bishop Whitney surrendered to President Brigham Young at Winter Quar- ters in 1846-7, and from which "polygamy " was published to the world in the year 1852.

" Passing by the horrible tragedy which deprived the Church of its Prophet and its Patriarch, and the almost incessant storm of persecution which raged until it culminated in the exodus of the Saints from Nauvoo across the frozen Mississippi, in the winter of 1846, we next find the subject of our memoir at Winter Quarters, officiating as presiding bishop and Trustee-in-trust for the Church. To the latter of these offices, he, in conjunction with Bishop George Miller, succeeded at the death of President Joseph Smith. Bishop Miller apostatizing, the office continued with Bishop Whitney until his death. From Winter Quarters in the spring of 1847, two of his sons, Horace K. and Orson K., went west with the Pioneers. He himself remained where his services were most needed, until the year following, when he led a company of Saints across the plains to Salt Lake Valley, ar- riving on the eighth of October. As his wagons rolled into the settlement, the General Conference of the Church was just closing.

" But one more incident remains untold. It was the morning of Monday, September 23, 1850. An anxious group was gathered about the doorway of an unpretentious abode on City Creek, in what is known as the Eighteenth Ward. There are women and children weeping, and strong men struggling to control their own feelings, while administering consolation to the weaker ones and urging them to calm their fears and hope for the best. Presidents Brigham Young, Heber C. Kim- ball and others are there, exerting all their faith that God will spare the life of one who lies within stretched upon a bed of pain and suffering. Two days before he had returned home from the Temple Block, where the labors of the bishopric occupied much of his attention, complaining of a severe pain in his left side, of a character different to any he had ever felt before. It was pro- nounced billious pleurisy. He never recovered, but grew rapidly worse through the remaining thirty-six hours of his mortal existence. Eleven o'clock came, and as the final sands of the hour passed, the immortal spirit of Newel K. Whitney, freed from its coil of clay, soared upward to the regions of the blest.

"From a post mortem tribute in the Deseret Weekly News of September 28, 1850, we take the following : 'Thus, in full strength and mature years, has one of the oldest, most exemplary, and useful

HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

members of the Church, fallen suddenly by the cruel agency of the King of Terrors. In him the Church suffers the loss of a wise and able counselor, and a thorough and straightforward business man. It was ever more gratifying to him to pay a debt than to contract one, and when all his debts were paid he was a happy man, though he had nothing left but his own moral and muscular energy. He has gone down to the grave, leaving a spotless name behind him, and thousands to mourn the loss of such a valuable man.'"

BISHOP HUNTER.

Edward Hunter, the late presiding bishop of the Mormon Church, was born in Newtown, Del- aware County, Pennsylvania, June 22d, 1793. He was the son of Edward and Hannah Hunter, of the same county and State. His great grandfather, John Hunter, was from the north of England and served under William of Orange, as a lieutenant in the cavalry, at the battle of the Boyne.

Edward Hunter, sen., the father of the Bishop, was a man of standing in the State of Penn- sylvania, holding the office of justice of the peace in Delaware County for forty years.

On the mother's side was Robert Owen, of North Wales, who, on the restoration of Charles II., refused to take the oath of allegiance, for which he was imprisoned. He subsequently came to America, and purchased property near Philadelphia. His son George was early in life called to the public service, being elected to the Legislature of his native State, and during his lifetime holding many posts of trust, among which was that of sheriff of Chester and Delaware Counties. The Owen family were Quakers, and from them the Mormon Bishop inherited many of his religious and character traits.

He was brought up as a regular farmer, and given a thorough farmer's education. His father was in the habit of causing him to read, as a constant lesson in his education, the Declaration of Independence, which so impressed his imagination that in his ardent enthusiasm he would affirm to his father that it was surely written by the inspiration of God, and his father would reply, with something of prophetic solemnity, " Edward it is too good for a wicked world." Among his father's constant instructions to him were the admonitions that he should sustain the principles of worship- ping God according to the dictates of conscience, that men should rise in life by merit only, that he must never fail in business to the putting of himself within the power of wicked men; and, as a comprehensive rule in life, to "be invited up but never ordered down ;" all of which he aimed to regard most religiously.

Edward Hunter, sen., was, for many years, a justice of the peace, and in his native State was known as a man of marked character and integrity; and on his death his son, though only twenty- two years of age, was proffered his father's office, but would not accept it on account of his youth. He was also offered the certain election as representative in the Legislature of Pennsylvania on the popular side-the old Federal-but refused, he being a Democrat, which political preference he faithfully maintained till his death.

When about thirty years of age he removed to Chester County, where he purchased over five hundred acres of farming land, about thirty miles from Philadelphia, which he brought under the highest cultivation, and became noted as one of the best graziers in that country. Here, in 1839, he was visited by three Mormon elders, but though they made their home in his house, he did not come into the Mormon Church until the succeeding year. Both himself and his father before him had maintained a conscientious independence of the sectarian churches. Going, however, one evening, a distance from the neighborhood to a place called Locust Grove, to affirm in behalf of a certain Mormon elder the sacred right of liberty of conscience, he made a decided stand in defence of the new faith. The trustee of the school having first challenged the elder for his views on the gospel, and then essaying to crowd him from the stand by his local influence, the honest farmer in-

WILLIAM B. PRESTON.

dignantly arose and maintained the elders' right to preach the gospel uninterrupted. As it was known that Hunter employed a good lawyer, and had the best character and most money of any man in the country around, he carried the day for the Mormon preacher. At night, however, sleep was interrupted by the question uppermost in his mind, "Are these men the servants of God?" Addressing the question to heaven, immediately a light appeared in his room, from the overpower- ing glory of which he hid his face. This was his first testimony to the Mormon work.

Soon after this, the Mormon Prophet, -having visited Washington to invoke President Van Buren's protection of the Mormons who had just been driven out of Missouri,-returned by way of Pennsylvania, and stopped at Mr. Hunter's house. While there his host, who had been for many years interested in Swedenborgianism, asked the Prophet if he was acquainted with that doc- trine, and what was his opinion of its founder, to which he replied: "I,verily believe Emanuel Swedenborg had a view of the world to come, but for daily food he perished." This visit was in 1839, but Mr. Hunter was not baptized into the Mormon Church until October of the following year, when the ordinances were administered to him by Apostle Orson Hyde, who was then on his way to Jerusalem.

The summer after his baptism he " gathered" to Nauvoo, and purchased a farm of the Prophet. His wealth did much to endow the Church, for he donated thousands to the " Trustee-in-Trust," and for the assistance of the poor. He assisted the Church to the amount of fifteen thousand dol- lars during the first year.

Bishop Hunter was with his people in their exodus from Nauvoo, and entered the Valley with the first companies after the Pioneers. Soon afterwards, on the death of Newel K. Whitney, he became presiding bishop of the Church.

Bishop Hunter died October 16th, 1883, at the age of over ninety years, beloved and respected by all.

WILLIAM B. PRESTON,

The present presiding bishop of the Church was born in Franklin County, Virginia, November 24, 1830. His family branch belongs to that stock of Prestons who have figured with distinction in Congress for Virginia and North Carolina. William Ballard Preston of Virginia and W. C. Preston of North Carolina were cousins of his father. When he was a boy, hearing of the gold fields in California and of the rush of men of all nations to the "Golden State," he was prompted with a great desire to see this wonderful gathering and fusion of many peoples and races. As he grew older his enthusiasm increased with the comprehension of the national importance of this. marvelous migration to California ; and at the age of 21, in the year 1852, he also migrated to that State, which had already become famous in the growth of our nation. After his arrival, his early enthusiasm still predominating, he took more satisfaction in beholding the people of many nations gathered together in the founding of the new Pacific State than he did in the exciting pursuit of gold hunting ; so he turned his attention to the more healthy and legitimate life of a farmer and stock- raiser, settling in Yolo County, California. Father Thatcher's family located also in Yolo and were his adjoining neighbors.

Father Thatcher was in one of the first companies of the Mormon Pioneers. He was not, how- ever, of the special pioneer band, but was in the company of pioneers under P. P. Pratt. With his family, he went from Utah to California, where he formed the acquaintance of Wm. B. Preston, who subsequently married his daughter, Harriet A. Thatcher.

Having become acquainted with the Mormons, through his association with neighbor Thatcher, Wm. B. Preston was baptized by Henry G. Boyle, in the year 1857. As soon as baptized, he was called to the office of an elder and sent on a mission by George Q. Cannon, who was then presiding over the Pacific Coast mission. He was sent to labor in Upper California. Here he continued in his ministry until President Young called home all the elders and Saints in consequence of the Utah war. This was in the fall of 1857. It being too late to cross the plains that season, they traveled 6

HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

from Sacramento down the coast, by way of Los Angeles and San Barnardino, into Southern Utah, and thence to Salt Lake, at which place they arrived January Ist, 1858. The company consisted of W'm. B. Preston, John B. Thatcher, A. D. Thatcher, Moses Thatcher, II. G. Boyle, Wm. H. Shearman, F. W. and C. C. Hurst, Marion Shelton, David Cannon, Mrs. Elizabeth HI. Cannon (wife of George Q.) and her infant son, John Q. Cannon. There were also several families from Aus- tralia and a few families from Upper California. H. G. Boyle, who was one of the Mormon bat- talion and knew the road, was the leader of this company.

W'm. B. Preston married Miss Harriet A. Thatcher, on the 24th of February, 1858, He was in the Utah exodus and went south as far as Payson.

Early in the Spring of 1858, as soon as they could travel, President Young called a company of 23 of the " boys," among whom was Wm. B. Preston, to go to Platte Bridge and bring on the goods and merchandise which had been cached there. These goods, freighted by the " Y. X. Com- pany," belonged principally to Nicholas Groesbeck. Some of the goods also had been consigned to a mountaineer to be commercially disposed of, and in the settlement with the trader a fair and honorable account was rendered of them.

One of the reasons why I'resident Young called this company was to give assurance to General Johnston and his army, that the Mormons intended to keep the treaty which had been made with the Peace Commissioners, which President Buchanan had sent to conclude the Utah war. But the ariny and its officers were suspicious, which was itself proof of the wisdom of Brigham's policy in sending out this company thus early after the conclusion of the treaty. This fact, however, was the cause of the expedition running considerable personal risk ; but after some narrow escapes from the soldiers at Bridger, the company which was under Captain Groesbeck, with his efficient assist- ant, Abram Hatch, succeeded in effecting a passage to the Platte; and on their return the advance of Johnston's army had gone in, and they met no further difficulty.

After his return, during the summer of 1858, Wm. B. Preston built himself a house in Payson, making the adobes and shingles with his own hands.

In consequence of the war, the people of Utah were still short of clothing and merchant goods generally. so Wm. B. Preston, with a company of others, went into California in the winter of 1858-9, and he brought in two wagons of goods for Father Thatcher. In this necessary mercantile trip into California, Wm. B. Preston had quite an eventful winter's work in crossing and recrossing the desert. He got back in the spring of 1859.

Finding they had not sufficient land to cultivate of their own in Payson, the Preston and That- cher families resolved to remove into Cache Valley.

In 1860 61, there was a new apportionment made by the Utah Legislature, by which Cache County was entitled to two representatives and a councilor. At the next election Bishop Preston was elected one of the representatives, Peter Maughan the other, and Ezra T. Benson councilor. The winter of 1862-63 was spent in the Legislature.

In the spring of 1863, President Young called for 500 ox teams to go to the Missouri River to bring the poor across the plains. Cache Valley was called on for fifty of those teams, and Bishop Preston was appointed their captain. This emigrational business filed up the Bishop's labors dur- ing the principal part of the remainder of that year. In 1864 Bishop Preston made another emigra- tional trip to the Missouri River, he being appointed to take charge of the teams from Cache, Box Elder and Weber Counties. In the winters of 1863-4-5 he was in the Legislature.

At the April conference of 1865, Wm. B. Preston's name was among the forty-six missionaries called on missions to Europe. He was appointed by President Young to take charge of this com- pany of missionaries as far as New York. They started from Salt Lake City on the 20th of May to cross the plains in the usual manner, there being as yet no railroad any portion of the way this side of Omaha. On arriving at New York he decided to go into Virginia to visit his father and mother, whom he had not seen for thirteen years, and of whom he had heard nothing during the civil war. He found them, with hundreds of other families, broken up in their property by the devastations of war, scarcely knowing where to get their bread. After making a short but pleasant visit with his relatives, he proceeded on his mission to England.

He arrived in Liverpool Wednesday, August 23d, 1865, and was appointed to preside over the Newcastle and Durham conferences. At a conference held at Birmingham, in January, 1866, he was called to the business department of the Liverpool Office, under the direction of l'residents Brigham Young, jun. and Franklin D. Richards. President Young, by letter, had instructed his son to place the business management of the mission in the hands of Bishop Preston. For three years he labored in the office. In the fulfilment of his duties, he did the correspondence and the general

FERAMORZ LITTLE.

business of the European mission, including that of the emigration. During his stay in England, in company with Elder Charles W. Penrose, of the Millennial Star department, and A. Miner, missionary, he visited the Paris Exposition, in August, 1867.

After being on a three and a half years' mission abroad, he returned home. He left Liverpool July 14th, 1868, and arrived in Salt Lake City in September, bringing with him a company of 650 Saints. As soon as he came home he went out into Echo Canyon to assist in building the U. P. R. R , as one of the contractors under President Young, during that winter. On his return, he resumed his labors as bishop of Logan, and at the next election was again sent by his county to the Legislative Assembly.

In 1872, John W. Young and William B Preston organized the company for the building of the Utah Northern Railroad. John W. Young was president, and Bishop Preston vice-president and assistant superintendent. (See chapter on Railroads.)

In the organization of the Cache Valley Stake by President Young, in May, 1877, (it being the last stake the President organized) Wm. B. Preston was appointed first counsellor to President Moses Thatcher. This position he occupied until Moses was called into the quorum of the Twelve, when he was appointed in his stead. He was ordained President of the Stake under the hands of Apostle John Taylor and others of the Twelve. After the death of Bishop Hunter he was chosen and ordained Presiding Bishop of the Church.

FERAMORZ LITTLE.

Feramorz Little, fourth mayor of Salt Lake City, was born in Aurelius, Cayuga Co., New York, June 14th, 1820. On his father's side he is of Irish descent ; on his mother's, American, she being the sister of Brigham Young. James Little emigrated from Ireland when he was about sixteen years of age, and settled in Cayuga County, New York State. About the year 1815 he married Susan Young, who bore him four children, namely-Edwin, Eliza, Feramorz, and James A. Little. He was killed in the fall of 1824, by his wagon going over a sand bank as he was coming home in the darkness of the night on a narrow road, the sand bank having caved in since he last saw it.

After the death of her husband, the widow Little, with her children moved to Mendon, Mon- roe County, where grandfather Young and several of his sons lived. At this time, however, her brother Brigham Young was living in Aurelius, Cayuga County, where for twelve years he followed the occupations of carpenter, joiner, painter and glazier. John Young, Phineas Young and Lorenzo Young followed other branches of trade, working with their hands, while Joseph Young, who was after- wards president of all the quorums of the Seventies of the Mormon church, was a Methodist preacher.

After a time widow Little was married again to William B. Stilson, and in the year 1828, her family moved from Mendon to Springwater Valley, Livingston County. In the spring of 1829, Feramorz, at his own option, went to live with a Mr. Chamberlain, while Mr. Stilson, his mother, and a portion of her children returned to Mendon.

In the spring of 1829 Brigham Young removed from Aurelius to Mendon, where his father re- sided, and in the spring of 1830 he first saw the Book of Mormon, which was left with his brother Phineas Young by Samuel H. Smith, brother of the Prophet. Thus began the connection with the Mormon church of the Young family, of which Feramorz Little, on his mother's side, is its most prominent living representative.

In January, 1832, in company with Phineas Young and Heber C. Kimball, Brigham visited a branch of the Church at Columbia, Pennsylvania, and returned with his mind deeply impressed with the principles of Mormonism. In this state of mind he went to Canada for his brother Joseph, who was there on a mission preaching the Methodist faith. The brothers returned to Mendon and the Young family, in the spring of 1832, joined the Church of Latter-day Saints, including Feramorz Little's mother and his elder brother Edwin.

In the fall of 1833 Brigham and his father, brothers and sisters gathered to Kirtland to the .

HISTORY OF SALT LAKE CITY.

body of the Church, but previous to their removal west Mr. Stilson visited his step-son at Spring- water to offer him the privilege of going to Kirtland, Ohio, with the rest of the family ; whereupon Mrs. Chamberlain harnessed up and drove the boy to Mendon to see his mother. The result of the visit and consultation was that his family gave him the option of going with them or returning with Mrs. Chamberlain, and he chose the latter. Thus was Feramorz Little separated from his family for twelve years, until he himself came west to Illinois in the Spring of 1842. His younger brother, James A. Little was also separated from them, he like Feramorz being left in service to another mas- ter in the State of New York ; and before James .1. joined his family in Utah he had served as a subordinate officer in the regular army under General Taylor in the Mexican war.

Feramorz Little remained in Springwater and its vicinity till the spring of 1842, when, with three companious he started west to seek his fortunes, St. Louis being his objective point. At this time he thought nothing of joining the Mormon Church, although his uncle Brigham was President of the Twelve Apostles ; his motive was simply to go west to work out his business career in life. The companions journeyed on foot, seventy miles, to Olian Point, on the Alleghany river ; there they bought a skiff and went down the river to Pittsburgh, and from there by steamboat to Cincin- nati. At this point the travelers separated, Feramorz and a companion by the name of T. J. Irish continuing the journey together. They stopped at Shoney Town, and next went out twelve miles to the town of Equality, the county seat of Gallatin County, Illinois. "There they both tarried and taught school till the fall of 1843, when they struck across the country-then uninhabited-on horseback to St. Louis.

Having reached the city for which he started the year before, Feramorz Little pushed into bus- iness with that pluck and energy which has so markedly characterized his life, commencing with his stall at a convenient corner of one of the business streets of St. Louis, where he sold such articles as butter, eggs, etc. His industry, push and economy attracted the attention of a wealthy customer. who owned at that time much of the real estate of the city, numerous stores, and employed many hands. This patron offered the enterprising young man one of his stores and a fair stock of mer- chandise ; so our cx-mayor became a small merchant in the fast-growing city of St. Louis, where, undoubtedly had he remained to this day he would have become one of its principal business men, and perhaps served that city in similar capacities in its municipality as those which he has filled in our own, for Feramorz Little is eminently a self-made man.

In the spring of 1844, his brother, Edwin Little, and Charlie Decker came down from Nauvoo to St. Louis to hunt up Feramorz, whom they found ; and in the fall of the same year he went up with them to Navuoo, and met his mother and his uneles whom he had not seen for twelve years. He staid with them a week and then returned to St. Louis. Soon after this his mother, his brother Edwin and wife, Harriet Decker, who was afterwards the wife of Ephraim Hanks, well known in Utah history, and her sister, Fannie M. Decker, came to live at St. Louis, where they remained a year and then returned to Nauvoo ; for their people were about to make their exodus to the Rocky Mountains. During this visit of the family to St. Louis, Feramorz Little and Fannie M. Decker became en- gaged ; and in February, 1846, he again went from St. Louis to Nauvoo where he arrived on the 12th, and on the same day he was married by his uncle Brigham, at his house, to Fannie M. Decker. Three days later, Sunday, February 15th, Brigham Young with his family, accompanied by Willard Richards and George A. Smith and their families, crossed the Mississippi from Nauvoo and proceeded to the " camps of Israel," which waited on the west side of the river, a few miles on the way, for the coming of their leader. Feramorz Little crossed on the same boat with his uncle Brigham, and with his wife returned to St. Louis, where they remained until the spring of 1850. It is here worthy of note that Clara Decker, wife of Brigham Young and sister of Feramorz Little's wife, and Harriet Decker, their mother (married to Lorenzo D. Young), were two of the three women who accompanied the pioneers on their famous journey to the valley of the Great Salt Lake.

Need help finding more records? Try our genealogical records directory which has more than 1 million sources to help you more easily locate the available records.

History of Salt Lake City, Part 124

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock Publication date: 1886 Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company Number of Pages: 1194

Author: Tullidge, Edward Wheelock
Publication date: 1886
Publisher: Salt Lake City, Star printing company
Number of Pages: 1194