A “burying ground committee” was instructed to quickly find a location
for a cemetery. During the week three‑week‑old
Young Brigham Carrington, infant son of Albert and Rhoda Carrington died. Midwife Patty Sessions helped deliver three
babies during the week.
On Thursday, Eliza R. Snow spent an enjoyable
time at the home of Elder John Taylor.
She wrote: “His conversation
very interesting. He compared our
getting along in this kingdom to going down the Missouri River on a raft, where
the snags before beheld at a distance, seemed thick & impassable but a way
was found to row past them as they approached them one by one & when it
became dark he always tied up his raft & lay still till the day dawned.”
On Sunday Thomas Kington arrived from the Garden Grove settlement, in
Iowa. During the past year there had
been problems in the settlement.
Brother Kington met with the Twelve and it was decided to send Lucius
Scovil and Elisha Groves to go back with Brother Kington to Garden Grove, to
settle some further problems.
On Wednesday a case came before the High
Council involving the Emmett company.
In 1844, James Emmett led a company of 150‑200 Saints out of
Nauvoo toward the west. They had faced
many hardships, visited from time to time by messengers sent by Brigham
Young. Eventually they were brought
back to the main body of the Saints.
During much of this time they attempted to live with all things in
common. James Emmett had put them under
covenant that when they reached their journey's end that all the property would
be divided equally. Brigham Young
wrote: “I advised that all of Emmet's
company have the property refunded to them as soon and as far as could be; and
told them that the covenants made by Emmet and his company were not valid,
having been dictated by a false spirit and that no man had a right to make a
covenant binding the people of God, except he had the keys of the Priesthood
and that covenant was dictated by revelation from God.” The council decided that any property that
was in dispute should become property of the Church.[1]
On Friday a feast was held for the Twelve and
their wives. Samuel Woolley prepared
two large fat wild turkeys and other wonderful food. Wilford Woodruff wrote:
“We had an interesting feast & conversation upon a variety of
subjects among which was the spirit of God and Holy Ghost. It was remarked that the Spirit of God
enlighteneth every man that cometh into the world. And when a man was baptized for the remission of sins & hands
laid upon him for the gift of the Holy Ghost, that blessing was sealed upon him
& tarried with him if he was faithful & as light would receive light
& truth embrace truth the more of the Holy Ghost A man had the more power
he would have & the more of the Holy Ghost would still cleave unto him.”
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 17, p.99; Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:307‑08; Harwell, Manuscript History of Brigham
Young, 1847‑1850, 83; Brooks, On the Mormon Frontier, 294‑95;
Smart, Mormon Midwife, 105‑06; Beecher, The Personal Writings of Eliza
Roxcy Snow, 216
On Sunday the High Council made plans to build a pole fence for the
herd. “Decided to begin at the Fort
with a pole fence and build all we can till crop time and keep at it between
times till it is finished. After
leaving the city plot, the fence to be pole and ditch.” On Monday they discussed where further farm
land would be assigned to the emigration divisions. They decided that the farm land should be located to the south
and southeast, as near to the Fort as possible. Water rights were discussed and a plan put in place have the
bishops regulate the gardens.
Lorenzo Dow Young wrote on Monday: “This day finished sowing winter wheat; the
weather is warm and pleasant; the grass is growing finely.”
On Saturday Parley P. Pratt requested that
President John Smith allow Hazen Kimball to take his (Brother Kimball's) family
to California with Captain Walker.
Brother Kimball was granted permission but was told to not lead any
other families away from the valley.
On Monday the Twelve wrote an epistle to the Saints on the eastern
banks of the Missouri River, asking them to donate provisions for the
police. In the letter they wrote: “It is well known to many of you, the
circumstances underwhich the great body of the Church located here [in Winter
Quarters]; the many inconveniences & privations we have suffered through
being huddled together in such large numbers, having the great majority of the
poor, and the destitute thrown on our hands ‑‑ the many families of
our [Mormon Battalion] brethren to take care of . . . also, the large amount of
able bodies and expert men drawn from this Camp to be Pioneers, in search of a
home for all the Saints . . . and the many heavy losses we have sustained
through Indian depredations, and destruction of our cattle. . . . One of our Bishops has 301 individuals
dependent on him for their daily bread.”
The Twelve stated that $800 was due the police for their service, but
the Church did not have the funds.
Donations of clothing, provisions, cattle, and waggons were
requested. “The Brethren in making this
petition to you, realize that the comparatively advantageous circumstances
which surrounds you, will warrent you in being liberal and benevolent.”
On Wednesday, Wilford Woodruff wrote: “I took my family out to ride in the
carriage. I rode through the great corn
field ‑‑ 2 1/2 miles through it.
Saw large flocks of prairie chickens.
I shot one and brought it home.”
The Twelve wrote several letters. Brigham Young wrote to Elder William I.
Appleby in Philadelphia [actually still on the way], instructing him to send
twenty German spelling, grammar books, and dictionaries to Winter
Quarters. They would be used by elders
to start learning the German language.
Heber C. Kimball wrote a long letter to Emma Smith and her son, Joseph
Smith III. A letter was received from
Indian Agent John Miller, prohibiting the Saints from moving their log cabins
at Winter Quarters across the Missouri River.
On Saturday, Brigham Young crossed over the
river to attend a Jubilee feast planned by the Seventies for the coming week at
the tabernacle in Miller's Hollow. In
the evening a house that belonged to the Cutler family burned down.
Amasa Lyman and William I. Appleby on their way to missions in the
south and east were in St. Louis. They raised money from the Saints their for
their travel costs and to print 3,500 copies of the “General Epistle of the
Twelve” which had been penned during December, 1847. It was printed in the office of the “St. Louis Republican.”
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 17, p.100; Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:308; Harwell, Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1847‑1850,
84; Brooks, On the Mormon Frontier, 295‑97; Diary of Lorenzo Dow Young,
Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:164; Bennett, We'll Find The Place, 308
The captains of hundreds reported to the High Council that they had
measured off land to be used for farms.
Each group had 450‑900 acres.
Lorenzo Dow Young wrote: “From
the first of this month till now, the weather has been warm and pleasant. It seems like April in the east.”
A wonderful series of meetings started across the Missouri River from
Winter Quarters. On Sunday Wilford
Woodruff wrote: “I took my wife &
children into my carriage & crossed the river on the ice and rode to the
Log tabernacle to attend the meeting.”
At 11 a.m., a five‑day “Seventies Jubilee” commenced in the log
tabernacle. Elder Woodruff spoke on
“being one in all things” and the building up of Zion. President Brigham Young taught the people
that the Holy Ghost could teach any member of the Church, but would never tell
a member that they should dictate and direct their file leader in the
Church. He warned the people that they
should always attend to their Church duties.
“If this people holding the priesthood should settle down and go to
cultivating the earth and entirely neglect the preaching of the gospel, the
earth would open and swallow them up and hide them from his sight.”
On Monday the meetings continued in the
morning. President Young spoke on the
subject of dancing. He taught that
dancing was not an ordinance of the gospel or of the House of the Lord. But he said that dancing was good in its
proper place. “Everything that is
calculated to fill the soul with joy is ordained of God and proper for the
Saints if they acknowledge God in all things and do not sin.” He added, “You will never see any music or
dancing in Hell, neither joy or gladness will be there but these things will be
in heaven.” The afternoon and evening
was spent in dancing. Elder Woodruff
wrote: “The old gray‑headed man,
with the young man, maiden and children went forth in the dance together &
praised the Lord in the dance and all was peace and harmony.”
On Tuesday some business was conducted. Two petitions were drawn up. The first would be presented to the
Legislature of the State of Iowa to obtain a tract of land (probably for the
future site of Kanesville) and organize a county ‑‑ Pottawattamie
Country. This petition of 1,805
signatures would be delivered by Andrew H. Perkins and Henry W. Miller. The second petition was a request to the
postmaster general to start a post office near the log tabernacle. It was proposed that a semi‑weekly
mail service be started, with a connecting route to Austin, Missouri. The afternoon and evening was again spent in
singing and dancing.
On Wednesday a new congregation gathered at
the tabernacle. Because so many people
wanted to attend these meetings, different branches were given permission to
assemble and take their turn participating.
The afternoon and evening were passed away with singing and dancing. Several officers from Fort Kearny attended
the festivities.
The “Jubilee” was concluded on Thursday. Elder George A. Smith counseled the Saints
to not settle on the Missouri River bottoms, but rather locate their families
on the bluffs, where there was plenty of timber. He also advised the Saints to pay their tithing. In the evening, at the conclusion of the
usual singing and dancing, President Young asked that the dancing stop. “For if you get up parties all over the country
here and go to dancing, sin and iniquity will grow out of it.” He commended them for their good behavior at
the dances held during the previous week.
He said, “the Spirit of the Lord has been here.”
The brethren and their families returned to
their homes in Winter Quarters on Friday.
They met Almon W. Babbitt and others who had arrived from Nauvoo with
newspapers from the East. They also
received word of Emma Smith's marriage to Lewis C. Bidamon.
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 17, p.101; Diary
of Lorenzo Dow Young, Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:164‑65; Wilford
Woodruff's Journal, 3:311; Harwell, Manuscript History of Brigham Young, 1847‑1850,
84; Bennett, We'll Find The Place, 294
During the fall, John A. Sutter, of Sutter's Fort, hired about eighty
discharged Mormon Battalion Soldiers for various projects. One project was to
build a sawmill in the mountains at Coloma, on the south fork of American
River. Work began on September 29, 1847 under the direction of James Marshall.
The Mormon Battalion workers at this site included: Henry Bigler, Azariah
Smith, Alexander Stephens, James S. Brown, William Johnstun (he was away during
this week). Also working at the site were LDS members William W. Barger and the
Peter Wimmer family.
On Monday, January 24, 1848, Henry Bigler
wrote this historic journal entry: "This day some kind of metal that looks
like gold was found in the tail race." Azariah Smith added: "This
week Mr. Marshall found some pieces of (as we all suppose) gold, and he has
gone to the Fort, for the purpose of finding out. It is found in the raceway in
small pieces; some have been found that would weigh five dollars."
James S. Brown later recorded:
Mr. Marshall came along to look over the work
in general, and went to where the tail race entered the river. There he
discovered a bed of rock that had been exposed by the water the night before. .
. . Mr. Marshall called me to him as he examined the bed of the race, and said:
'This is a curious rock.' Then he probed a little futher, and added: 'I believe
it contains minerals of some kind, and I believe there is gold in these hills.
James
Marshall arose early the next morning at the site. The other men ate their
breakfast and joked about Marshall's hopes of finding a gold mine. But later,
Marshall showed them the contents of his old wool hat. James S. Brown wrote:
"On looking into his hat I discovered ten or twelve pieces or small scales
of what proved to be gold. I picked up the largest piece . . . held it aloft
and exlaimed, "Gold, boys, gold!" At Sutter's Fort, it was confirmed
that indeed the metal was Gold. Sutter asked Marshall and the workers at the mill
to keep the discovery a secret until the land could be secured. Marshall
returned to the mill and shared the exciting news. The men had been gathering
gold throughout the week and collected about one hundred dollars worth.
On Sunday, Charles C. Rich reported to the High Council that
mountaineer, Joseph R. Walker wished to raise about twenty‑five men from
among that Saints to help him make a new road to California. Captain Walker was
currently on the Green River, heading toward the valley. He believed that a new
route could be made to the San Francisco Bay area that would only require
twenty days of travel time.
President John Smith said that there were a number of brethren that had business to conduct in California, so if a company of volunteers could be raised, they would be allowed to go. The Bishops would see how many wished to volunteer and the property that they wished to take with them would be examined.
On Tuesday an ordinance was passed by the
High Council to keep loose animals off the fields of winter wheat. On Saturday
Alanson Eldredge was given permission to establish a tanning site on Big Canyon
Creek.
On Sunday evening, Elders Orson Pratt and Wilford Woodruff spoked to a
large assembly. Elder Pratt shared some thoughts about astronomy. He was of the
opinion that God did not create things out nothing. "That matter is
eternal & infinite without end." He advised the brethren to devote
their leasure time to reading and study "and fulfill the commandments
which says we should treasure up wisdom and knowledge by faith and by study out
of the best books."
Elder Woodruff exhorted the people to hold
meetings every Sunday in the various wards. In addition, a prayer meeting
should be held on a week night. He taught that the Spirit of the Lord and the
spirit of the devil could not dwell together in a person for very long. After a
short time, one would govern the person and the other would leave. He warned
the people against quickly judging any matter without hearing both sides of the
issue.
On Monday a case was heard before the Twelve
and High Council involving Edwin D. Woolley vs. the Winter Quarters Police. The
police charged that Brother Woolley had been using seditious language against
the Church authorities. Brother Woolley didn't agree with a few policies
including allowing the police to carry hickory clubs, that no party could be
held without a bishop presiding, and that the police would not allow a man to
let his own cattle into his own crops. The brethren determined that while
Brother Woolley had strong feelings on some of these matters, he did not have
the spirit of sedition in his heart. Brigham Young explained that these laws were
for the unruly and the duty fell on good men to keep order. Brother Woolley
made a confession that he had spoken improperly, in a moment of passion. He was
forgiven by the Council and the matter was settled.
Wilford Woodruff, Orson Pratt, and Levi Richards
visited Brother Lyman Hinman's family to administer to them. Elder Woodruff
wrote: "The whole family was sick & had been troubled with evil
spirits. We prayed with this family & laid hands upon 7 that were sick of
the Household. The spirit of the Lord was with us & we rebuked the sickness
& commanded the evil spirits to depart & [pronounced] a blessing upon
the family.
During the day on Tuesday, the police clean
all the public guns. Hosea Stout wrote: "The Council House looked more
like a gun smith establishment than anything else." In the evening the
Twelve met together to discuss matters taking place in Nauvoo. Brigham Young
said that he no longer wished the temple to be sold.
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 17, p.101‑02;
Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:311‑15; Brooks, On the Mormon Frontier,
1:300; Henry W. Bigler Journal in Carter, The Mormon Battalion, 48; Bigler, The
Gold Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith, 108‑09; Brown, Life of a
Pioneer, 96‑101; Ricketts, The Mormon Battalion: US Army of the West, 197‑99
The High Council authorized Archibald and Robert Gardner to build a
sawmill on Mill Creek. They were cautioned to not interfere with irrigation. A
committee was appointed to report on the timber that was cut for logs, poles,
fuel, and other purposes. Because of a shortage of logs, an order was issued that
no man would build with logs without permissions from the authorities.
Eliza R. Snow recorded some feelings about
selfishness she observed: "Alas! that Saints of God can be so full of
selfishness as to sacrifice the source of others' happiness to gratify their
own enthusiastic notions. Strange that any should seek to shorten the arm that
has been extended to lift them out of affliction."
On Sunday Wilford Woodruff recorded in his journal: "We had one of
the most terrible storms we have had for several years. It has been exceedingly
warm for many days. The wind blew hard from the North, commenced raining &
freezing, then snowing & exceeding cold & the storm lasted through the
day and night which blew snow into many houses. It was also tedious upon
cattle." The storm lasted until late in the night.
On Thursday a feast was held at the home of
Curtis E. Bolton for those who defended Nauvoo in the "Battle of
Nauvoo" which took place on September 12, 1846. During the battle, though
significantly outnumbered, the band of brave defenders held off the mob, and
only three of the defenders lost their lives. On the day of the battle, the
defenders wore a red badge on their left arm. The same badges were worn at this
feast. Heber C. Kimball spoke to the gathering, following by Colonel Johnson.
Then it was a time for feasting, music, singing, and dancing. The Saints
thanked the Lord for their deliverance from the mobs.
William Clayton was preparing to leave for
St. Louis to publish his "Latter‑day Saint's Emigrant's Guide from
Council Bluffs to Great Salt Lake City." This important pamphlet would be
an important source to guide pioneer companies to the valley. Brigham Young
wrote a letter of introduction for him to the branch president in St. Louis,
Nathaniel H. Felt.
Mary Richards wrote on Friday: "About
noon today I left Sister Goddard's for home, having spent two weeks with her
and never was I more kindly treated. It seemed to me that the good Spirit of
the Lord continually dwelt under that roof and blessed us with its cheering
presence. I was contented and happy for all around me seemed happy and I could
not be otherwise. I rode home with Brother Perry. We crossed the [Missouri]
River on ice which cracked and was broken in many places, but through the
goodness of God, we arrived home in safety and found the folks all well."
On Wednesday, John Sutter arrived at the mill to see for himself the
gold mine that had been discovered. Before he arrived, the Mormon been seeded
the area with gold they had already found, in an attempt to make sure that
Sutter was pleased. He was, and offered them all gifts.
Wilford Woodruff's Journal, 3:315‑16;
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 17, p.102; Harwell, Manuscript History of Brigham
Young, 1847‑1850, 86; Ward, Winter Quarters, 189; Bigler, The Gold
Discovery Journal of Azariah Smith, 109‑10
[1]James Emmett was no longer in Winter Quarters and had
been disfellowshiped in November, 1847, shortly after Brigham Young returned
from the valley.