Hearts of the Fathers
Hearts of the Fathers
S1E1: Captain Edmund Ellsworth
Edmund Lovell Ellsworth was the captain of the first handcart company to emigrate to the Salt Lake valley in 1856. In many ways, he was a "pioneer's pioneer". This is his story.
Show notes are available at heartsofthefatherspodcast.com.
Hi everybody. Welcome to the first episode of the hearts of the fathers podcasts where we tell the stories of pioneers and pioneer ancestors and then we connect those stories to living descendants and relatives. I am your host Derek rolly. Now, this podcast is truly amateur night. I mean, I write, edit, produce, record, this thing, and I don't really have any experience or qualifications to do it. So thanks for listening. I really hope to get better as I go and hopefully I get a little faster at production. But if you like what you hear, you can really help me out, but I need you to be proactive about it first. And this is the biggest thing. Go to iTunes and leave a review telling other people about what you think about the episode. Hopefully as good. There are a lot of podcasts out there, and the best way that you can help others find this podcast is by giving it a great review that has a big impact on where it shows in the podcast rankings. Uh, you can also share this podcast with your friends on Facebook and Twitter, which should really help. The podcast has its own webpage. You can go to hearts of the fathers, podcast.com that's all one word and there you can find the show notes to each episode where we link to a lot of other resources and detail that we can't fit into the show. There's also a link to a patrion account if you feel so inclined to give the podcast any financial support that would really be appreciated. Season. One of hearts of the fathers tells the stories of 12 different handcart pioneers who were among the 3000 or so people who immigrated from Iowa to the Salt Lake Valley in one of 10 handcart companies between 1856 and 1860 these pioneers walked 1300 miles carrying all their possessions, all 17 pounds worth in handmade hand carts that were typically built from green uncured lumber back in October of 1855 the first presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints issued the 13th General epistle dealing with the immigration of British and European converts cost was a big issue and in the Epistle, the perpetual immigrating fund was announced, which was designed to provide a way for even the poorest of the latter day Saint Converts to come to Zion, let them come on foot with handcarts or wheelbarrows. The epistle said, although I don't know anybody tried wheelbarrows. The Perpetual Immigrating Fund company was a corporation established by the church in 1849 to provide assistance by way of both church assets and private donations to help more than 30,000 converts move West. Because the funds were limited, the conference qualified for their assistance by having useful skills and by the duration of their church membership. The perpetual part of the fund required that once converts were established in their new communities, they were expected to repay the company usually in labor or commodities with the cost of their trip. This way others could also afford to receive help. Later in episode one, we tell the story of Edmond Ellsworth, the captain of the firsthand card company to make the trip
Speaker 2:we were talking about, we had a lot of fun reading about different Maryann that you get married. It's fun to realize that life was a little different back then, but people still stayed the same that we're all still trying to do the best we can in the best way we can and realize realizing through our connection to God and our closeness to God is what makes it happy and successful.
Speaker 1:18 he was the town of Paris tonight account in New York. Paris, New York is located about 10 miles south of Utica and 115 miles east of Palmyra, New York, the birthplace of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints. Paris was founded in 1789 in named after a merchant from Fort Plain who won over the hearts of the locals during the severe winter of 1788 and 89 by generously providing them with all the essential supplies on liberal credit while taking repayment in whatever produce the residents could supply when they can supply it. This occurred during the same harsh years that famine in Europe triggered the French revolution. His name was Isaac Paris, the major employers in Paris Worthy Empire Woolen Company, which made 150,000 yards of fancy cashmere annually. There was a steam powered gristmill, two manufacturers of agriculture equipment in the Paris furnace company. The residents of Paris included many patriots of the American revolution and they were described in the annals of Oneida county as a sober, moral, religious and industrious people, and their social life seems to be centered around the Paris Hill church. A small Episcopalian church formed by five members as was required at the time under New York law, Reverend Eli fell at Steele was the pastor of the church than he was known to be a very orthodox plainspoken man. He was described actually is having what they called the savor of bluntness to speech. There's a story of a young preacher arranged by the United Association, which was a Utopian community that believe that Christ had already returned and they were responsible to bring about the millennial kingdom themselves, which required perfection, not just in heaven but also on earth, and it also included some other interesting practices like group marriage. For example. In any event, reverend steel heard this young preacher teach what he felt to be questionable doctrine and he admonished the young preacher by him this. He said, I'll do my best preacher imitation. Hi Young Man, you do not know more than half as much as I do and I do not know more than half as much as I think I do. The United community eventually dissolved and they became the giant manufacturer of tableware and colors that we know today. By 1835 the local seem to think that the community had begun to become somewhat crime ridden, at least according to the history. There was burglary, counterfeiting, shoplifting in a variety of other petty crimes that were being commonly committed by groups of young men roaming around the streets. At this time, Edmund would have been about 16 years old.
Speaker 3:Hello. Hi. I'm looking for it. There you have me. This must be German.
Speaker 2:Hi Michelle. How are you? Good. How about you?
Speaker 3:I'm well, thanks.
Speaker 2:My full name is Jody tabor Hannon, but it was elsewhere, um, from my married name is[inaudible]. I wrote them elsewhere. My Dad is in Ellsworth and my dad is Jeff Ellsworth and my grandfather's Harry, Linda Ellsworth. And my great grandfather is Lloyd h Ellsworth and then her father, Terry Ellsworth. And then his father is Edmond
Speaker 3:level elsewhere. So I wanted to ask you, what is the first memory that you have about learning about your hair, your pioneer heritage through Edmond Ellsworth. And how did that happen?
Speaker 2:My mother has always been really involved in genealogy. And I remember one year she made us, when we were kids, she made all of us, I want of seven. Did you make a follow binder? And it was performed the days of printing out picture, they go eat right. So she cut by hand just hundreds and hundreds of pictures of my ancestors. And I remember coming across at my level and reading in, I think it was even a friend magazines printed or something that they had printed about him being the first time companies. Oh cool. And I just thought that was the greatest thing and it was so fun to just to cover, I don't know. My great, great, great grandfather.
Speaker 1:Let's talk about him and his family for a moment. It means Father Jonathan was a carpenter and a tradesman when he was 33 years old. Jonathan went with his brother up the Saint Lawrence River to Quebec, Canada to bring down a raft of lumber for his trade. Oh, his wife, Sarah Galley, who was only 19 at the time and pregnant with Edmund, stayed behind shortly afterwards. They received a letter from Edmonds uncle reporting that Jonathan had apparently died of yellow fever and to make matters worse, the uncle was claiming that Jonathan had in his dying moments mysteriously and unexpectedly willed all of his property, most of which was attractive development land in Paris to his brother. According to family records, the uncle never produced any documentation for any of this. It was all based on his word alone. At this time, Sarah Galley Edmund suddenly found herself to be the young widowed, destitute and mother of newborn Edmond. Going back in history, the Ellsworth family appears to come from Cambridge sharing land. The family arrived in America around 1646 when John Ellsworth, the captain in the English navy, settled in Windsor, Connecticut. His brother's emigrated also and settled in Rhode Island in New York. These brothers all established prominent and highly respected families. In fact, Edmund Ellsworth's was second cousin twice removed to Oliver Ellsworth, who was one of the framers of the u s constitution. He was also a US envoy to France and served as United States senator from Connecticut. He was also the third chief justice of the United States Supreme Court having been nominated by George Washington, Israel. Ellsworth Edmonds grandfather was a sergeant and captain in the Continental Green Mountain boys during the Revolutionary War, serving in Virginia in Vermont, Edmunds, maternal grandparents where James Galley, who was born in a small fishing village of Gamery Scotland, now known as gardens town, and Rebecca Hall, who came from a long line of Rhode Islanders. So let's go back to Edmonds life. That's okay
Speaker 2:with a lot of the immigrants
Speaker 1:in 1822 admins, mother Sarah now almost 22 years old, remarried to a man named Thomas Merit, who only lived a couple of years before dying in 1824 of what they call dropsy, what we might now call congestive heart failure. Edmund was about five years old at the time. Four years later in 1828 Sarah again remarried two men named Abraham Hendrickson, who was evidently a very stern man. She would've been about 27 years old and Edmund would've been about nine at the time. We don't know much about the relationship between Abraham and Sarah, but Edmonds relationship with his stepfather was probably described as poor. And here's an example of that. A year or two into their marriage, Edmund, along with several other boys, went into town to have some fun and maybe caused a little trouble seeing the small mob of boys coming into a store. One of the merchants quickly hit a box of shoe buckles, which was a popular accessory at the time because he was afraid they might suddenly disappear into the boy's pockets, never to be seen again. According to the story later, the merchant realized the buckles were missing and perhaps forgot that he had hidden them. So he angrily visited the homes of all the boys making accusations and searching for his missing shoe buckles. Edmond's home was the last one he visited. So in the presence of his step, Father Edmund stood accused of being a thief that Edmund stiffly proclaimed his innocence. Apparently Edmund step father didn't believe in and after the shopkeeper left, Abraham took Edmon out to the dusty, would shed and savagely whipped him until his back was striped with bleeding welts. Finally, his mother interceded and took her son in her arms telling your husband if he whipped the board more, you have to strike her first. She took the boy to the house and nursed his wounds, but within hours admin disappeared. Abraham apparently thought the boy had gone into the woods and died. Instead, Edmund had gone to the home of a neighbor a mile or two away who were kind and they made a home for him there. Edmunds mother knew where he was, but the secret was apparently kept from Abraham Edmunds. Resentment towards Hendrickson, left deep physical and emotional scars in time. He left the area completely and traveled down the Mississippi River as a day laborer that vowed his revenge on Hendrickson for the abuse he suffered when he was about 19 or 20 years old. Edmund received a letter from his mother telling him that she and her husband had joined a new church called the latter day saints or Mormons, Edmund, who had not strayed far from his religious upbringing, had heard a lot of rumors about the Mormons from the people he met traveling up and down the Mississippi, and none of it was good. So fearing that his mother was making a serious mistake that could risk not only her temporal welfare, but also her spiritual salvation. He said he felt it was his duty to try and save his mother from this delusion. Edmond immediately left to his mother's home to deal with the problem, but he decided that he should take a quick detour to go on a fact finding mission about the Mormons on his way. It would come in handy. He thought when he had to have the hard conversation with his mother that was coming. So Edmond traveled to Palmyra, the birthplace of the church, and formerly Joseph Smith's hometown to conduct his research of this expedition. Edmond later wrote,
Speaker 3:I took all pains to collect all the evidence that I could against the people instead of obtaining anything against them. I found much in their favor. When I arrived home, I learned the truth relative to the Gospel.
Speaker 1:When Edmund arrived at his mother's home, Abraham Hendrickson was away on errands while celebrating his reunion with his mother and looked out the window and down the road. He saw Hendrickson on a horse coming up
Speaker 3:to the house. Edmund. Now a strapping, powerfully built man, stop cold and went out to meet him. Are you Abraham Hendrickson? He demanded get off the horse. I'm going to give you a beating like you gave me.
Speaker 1:Abraham was shocked to find himself face to face with Edmond. Was it a ghost? It had come to haunt him after all, he had thought Edmund to be dead, but no. Edmund was very much alive, very much alive and angry. Abraham's slid slowly from the horse and filled his knees, pleading with Edmund for mercy for a long moment, nothing happened. Sarah, watching silently from the house whispered a quick prayer. I could not punish him. Edmond later wrote in his journal the years of bitter resentment dissolved in a single act of mercy and grace together reconciled at long last they walked into the house. They're over the coming days and weeks. Edmund learned from his mother and stepfather about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, the book of Mormon, the Prophet Joseph Smith. In the gathering of the saints on February 20th, 1841 Edmond was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints by Liman Heath along with his sister, Charlotte and her husband William Cogswell. Seven months after joining the Church, Edmund traveled with Mr and Mrs Marcella's Bates to Nauvoo arriving there on October 7th, 1841 Edmund promptly join the elders quorum and immediately went to work at the temple quarry where he spent the winter of 1841 while in Nauvoo Edmond met Elizabeth Young, a beautiful, clear eyed and strong willed young women who also happened to be the eldest daughter of Brigham Young. They were married on July 10th, 1842 and Edmund was rebaptized and reconfirmed by the Prophet Joseph Smith himself. Something that wasn't uncommon at the time.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:In August of that year, Edmund was ordained to the office of 70 by Elizabeth's brother, Joseph Young and went to work for William Law for the next year, running a saw mill. Elizabeth gave birth to their first child, Charlotte on July 1st, 1843
Speaker 4:yeah,
Speaker 1:the following spring, Navu had grown to be the second most populous city in Illinois with over 12,000 residents, but the persecution of the latter day saints in and around Nabu was running rampant, outpacing even the growth of the city. Edmund was called by Joseph Smith to go with about 20 other men on an expedition to the rocky mountains. They were to explore the possibilities of finding a suitable permanent settlement for the saints. Meanwhile, in 1844 Joseph Smith was campaigning for president of the United States along with his vice presidential running mate, Sidney Rigdon with the elections scheduled for November 1st through December 4th of that year. The April general conference of the church coincided with Edmunds return from the west and he, along with many others, including Wilford, Woodruff, Franklin, d Richards, Hebrew. See Kimble and others were called on electioneering missions to campaign for the profit. Edmund was sent back to New York where he combined campaigning with preaching, proselytizing, and visiting members. While in New York. He received a letter from his father in law, Brigham Young telling him that Joseph Smith and his brother Hiram had been murdered by a mob in Carthage, Illinois. The campaign was over in it. Yeah.[inaudible] who was called home. Edmond was present at the meeting in Nauvoo on August 8th, 1844 where the members voted to determine who had the right and responsibility to leave the church. The choices were on the one hand, Sidney Rigdon, the first counselor in the first presidency who had claimed to receive a revelation appointing him as guardian of the church or on the other hand, the quorum of the 12 who as a corum had been given all the keys of the priesthood. Many of the core members were still scattered in Europe with Brigham young who had just returned from his mission at their head. Rigdon and young both spoke to the assembled church. Rick and disputed Sydney's claimed to be the protector of the church and claim that Rigdon had been estranged from Joseph Smith for some time. In the course of two meetings held that day. Many in attendance received a divine witness that the quorum of the 12 led by Brigham young should lead them. Many of the saints and attendance later said that they witnessed a remarkable transformation in Brigham. As he spoke for many. He took on the appearance, demeanor and speech patterns of the beloved Prophet Joseph of this event Edmund wrote, I plainly saw the mantle of priesthood fall upon president young with its power and spirit. The citizens of the region became increasingly afraid of an uncomfortable with the growing economic, political, and religious presence of the latter day saints and increasingly saw the Mormons as a threat. Meanwhile, Illinois Governor Thomas Ford was sending troops into Navu to enforce arrest warrants against the saints. All of this culminated in a toxic environment of threats towards the people in the temple and increased mobbing of the saints. Edmund called it a spirit of jealousy under the direction of Brigham Young. The saints went to work as Edmond described as one to complete the temple as quickly as possible
Speaker 5:in poverty. We watched and worked and prayed,
Speaker 1:convinced that the Mormons would never find peace in the United States. Brigham young made the bold decision to follow through on Joseph Smith's plan to move the saints to the wild territories of the Mexican controlled southwest before the attacks against the St spiraled out of control. Instead of leaving in the spring to departures begin in winter, there were about 35 seventies corms organized and assigned for this purpose. Although Brigham had little knowledge of the geography and environment of the West, Edmund certainly did. His experience on the exploratory expedition four years earlier had prepared him well for this task. Trusting in God, Edmund and the others began to prepare the people of Navu for a mass exodus on a scale that perhaps had not been attempted since the Israelites left Egypt. The winter exodus began on February 4th and for three weeks nearly 500 wagons carried in Fareed about 3000 across the Mississippi River. At first, the wagons varied the river, but the temperatures plummeted to sub zero and the river froze over allowing many to cross over the top of the river on the frozen surface. They traveled only seven miles at first to a temporary refuge along sugar creek in Iowa where the campfires burned so constantly that one pioneer recorded that when the wind blows, one can hardly get to the fire for the smoke. In early March, after about a month on the trail west, the saints made an extended stop at Richardson's point located 22 miles west of Bonaparte, Iowa. They're Edmonds close friend Edwin little, the son of Susan's Stilson died. This was a tremendous loss to Edmund in a cause for great personal morning. Brigham had planned to make the westward trek in stages and he determined that the first major stopping point would be along the Missouri River Opposite Council bluffs, Iowa. He sent out a reconnaissance team to plan the route across Iowa, dig wells at camping spots and in some cases plant corn to provide food for the hungry immigrants. The mass of Mormons made the journey to the Missouri River and by the fall of 1846 the winter quarter's we're home to 12,000 Mormons, Brigham young sent Edmund back to Nauvoo with the span of horses and a carriage to trade for auction and wagon as well as to acquire many things that were needed in camp. Edmund wrote that he was greatly blessed in obtaining everything he had been sent for, including bringing Brigham's wife Harriet Cook back to camp. When he arrived in camp, he reported that he was shaking with og, which was a malaria like fever. Soon, however, it had been recovered and was helping mow the winter hay in the winter of 1846 in 1847 Edmund was put in charge of the cattle that belonged to President Brigham young and Hebrew. See Kimball. He traveled over a hundred miles up the Missouri River to deliver them to a mister Lathrop who took them from there while he was there and went hunting for wild Turkey reporting that he shot over 40 wild Turkey by moonlight off of the trees where they roosted entertainment and social life was always important to the saints and it was certainly an important part of keeping their spirits up in winter quarters at the instruction of Brigham Young Edmund, along with William Pitt, James Smithers and James standing reorganized the Nabu brass band, which had stayed together as far as garden grove. It fragmented among the various traveling parties west. During that difficult winter, the band played at dances up to six times a week when the vanguard company left for the Salt Lake Valley in the spring of 1847 Edmund was part of the company. He reported that upon arriving at the banks of the Platte River, they were so short on supplies that they had to cut bark off of the cottonwood trees in order to feed the horses at Fort Laramie. They crossed the Platte river and they went through the Black Hills to the EPR crossing of the river only to find that the river was so swollen that they couldn't afford across it, so Edmond and others found some timber and hewed out three large canoes, which they then flashed together to form the base of a ferry boat that could carry the wagons across the river. By the time they finished ferrying, the saints wagons across other immigrants on the Oregon trail began to arrive, so Brigham appointed Edmond and nine other men to stay and operate the ferry and collected toll with the promise that they would share equally in the honors and accomplishments of the mission. With those that went ahead into the Salt Lake Valley, these 10 men expected to stay with the ferry until their families arrived, hopefully within two weeks. In the meantime, they operated the ferry in exchange for flower, Bacon and other supplies that were collected and stored for the saints that would follow them on the journey west.
Speaker 5:We soon arranged is that a part of both groups should start back to meet our families. While the rest remain to maintain the camp, no one thought that we would be gone more than up to five days. We took provisions to last only three days. When we arrived at Fort Laramie, the Indians reported that wagons were coming up the Plat, but they gave us no idea of the distance to them. Provisions could not be purchased, so we traveled on for 175 miles with only one envelope and one rabbit for the entire company. This amounted to less than one half of a meal for each of us in seven days. I never expected to witness greater excitement and prevailed when we be held at a distance. A group of wagons camped for the Sabbath. Our horses did their best to carry us on to breakfast where several of us found our families. Truly my soul was filled with joy at meeting my wife and two little ones in company with the saints moving to the Salt Lake Valley
Speaker 1:that night, Indian store, 52 head of horses from the company Admin and his family finally arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on October 12th, 1847 it's Derek here again and I want to introduce you to the sons of the Utah Pioneers. Sup is a terrific organization that dates back to 1928 it's a nonprofit organization that is dedicated to preserving the memory and the heritage of early pioneers as well as honoring modern day pioneers around the world. Sup has over 2000 members in 47 local chapters in Utah, Idaho, Arizona, California and Pennsylvania. The website for Sup is sup 1840 seven.com so check that out now. I've been a member of sup since 2013 and I love it. I am a bit of a history buff and I come from a long line of pioneer ancestors. I mean I'll talk more about them in some future episodes. That's one of the perks of doing my own podcast, but the reason I decided to do this podcast at all is to try to spread the message of Sup. So while you're listening to this podcast, why don't you check out the webpage for the sup online chapter. You can see that@suponline.org as sup, online.org all one word there. You'll find a boatload of historic resources, stories and videos with fresh new material several times a week along with forums, a growing database of historic sites and markers and a whole lot more. Those of you who are into pioneer history, you'll love it and I think the rest of you who like it too. Now my favorite thing about belonging to sup is that membership includes a subscription to pioneer magazine. Pioneer is published each quarter and it is beautifully written and beautifully produced. We're putting decades of pioneer magazine articles on Sup online.org which really makes online membership to sup worthwhile. So check it out and think about joining. We'd love to have you life in the Salt Lake Valley was certainly not easy. Provisions were scarce and they were poorly equipped for winter at 4,300 feet above sea level. Edmund planted crops. The following spring only defines that the first frost wiped out the harvest in early September. He described their home is a shanty and Charlotte now five years old, froze her feet, causing her a great deal of pain. So do you have any, you know, family stories about Edmond Ellsworth that, that you know of or remember that you could share?
Speaker 2:I'm trying to remember because my grandfather, my great grandfather, grandfather and my grandfather he's in and, but the stories he tells her of his father and his grandfather. So it doesn't quite go back that far. So the stories that we know of, we read through family search or online. I haven't heard them passed down through my family. Actually. I found them out. I with my kid, it was a big deal for me to pass on stories about their ancestors and we had a long drive to school, um, a few years ago. And so I would dig up a story and I would pass my phone to my son, but I would have them read us stories about my grandfather. How about any environment, any of our ancestors that we could find a story on. Re read the one in the morning and then we'd say, okay, how can we be like grandpa elsewhere? And they would say, oh, we can be brave like he did by doing this.
Speaker 3:I was always impressed doing, you know, reading about the stories that I, that I have found about how admin ELLs were seems to have been such a, of course he was a son in law right. To bringing me on,
Speaker 2:right. Yeah. First Place.
Speaker 3:And He seems to be such a trusted right hand to Brigham young then whenever Brigham young really needs to have something done of importance that that Edmund is clearly on the short list.
Speaker 2:Yeah. Pretty new here with going to be willing to sign that when he was called
Speaker 6:[inaudible]
Speaker 1:eventually Brigham Young asked Edmund to build a home for himself and his family and live near the young home on the hill in Salt Lake. And so we did during this time. Edmund was involved in many of the Indian skirmishes that occurred during this period. He served under the command of General Daniel H. Wells, who is leader of the remnant of the Nauvoo Legion. He was involved in the notorious and controversial battle of Fort Utah, although there's a lot more to the stories that I want to get into here. It could be a completely separate podcast episode by itself, but you can Google the battle of Fort Utah and read all about it. Historians think that somewhere between 30 and 100 Timpanogos Indians were killed and there were some very troubling aspects to the story and the events leading up to it. It's one of those sad and tragic episodes in Utah history that's difficult for us to understand why and how it happened.
Speaker 6:In any event,
Speaker 1:Edmund was there and he was injured on the fifth and bloodiest day of the battle. After the battle of Fort Utah. The problems with the Indians eased up for awhile, allowing the saints to establish settlements in the areas of Provo, Oram Linden and pleasant grove. They planted crops on all the land that they could water, even though just as today, water was a very scarce resource. Over time, they learn how to raise crops in the climate of the Wasatch front and food became more abundant. In 1852 Brigham young called Edmund in five young men to open the north fork of Immigration Canyon for lumber operations, which he did until the onset of winter. In the fall of that year, at least according to Edmonds account, there was an accident at home. His oldest daughter, Charlotte, was tragically killed in a fire. However, the records on family search show that her death occurred on Christmas eve of 1853 which possibly, and I'm speculating here, connects the deadly fire with either a family Christmas celebration or possibly an anniversary celebration because that date was also the first anniversary of Edmonds marriage to his second wife, Marianne Dudley in a marriage that was performed by Brigham young himself. Can you think of any experiences back going through you're the line of grandfathers, you know, back to and including Edmond where they had experiences that had a real impact on your life?
Speaker 2:Yeah, like especially my grandpa's, let's see, so my, my dad's dad that, so he, he fell on a power line when he was 15 and he locked the, the town doctor, she was burned really, really badly, made this at the contacts. We've got a practitioner that let him die, please don't let him live. And he was so determined. And so, I don't know if the word is Henriquez or stubborn, but he was determined to live and he did. And he went on to do really amazing things. He could rope cattle and saddle a horse and he could do anything that anyone else could do. In fact, I read several articles and things about him that said he could do on faster than normal people could, people with both arms and both legs, but clearly for meeting. And My grandpa's talks a lot about him still. And we asked a story cause we knew him so well and still alive. So it was fun. I mean my grandfather still light by his mother. He was the one and he was in fact one day he was um, on a tractor and he was thinking the tractor from one place to another in his life was behind in the car. But something happened in a car hit him while he was on the road and he fell off because he couldn't hold on as good. And it gave him a, um, a brain injury and it became a little more hard and rough after that. But the, just the tenacity and the grit strength of that man really has gone down in our posterior. It's something that my grandfather constantly talks about and that we constantly think about. And I think that's a great story to my children to pass.
Speaker 1:March 29th, 1854 in Manila was, began his service as a missionary to England call. That would be formally announced a week later at general conference.
Speaker 2:It seems like, was he on his mission? I believe when he had that vision,
Speaker 1:he was crying bro
Speaker 2:with the it came across with the seat and then ended up doing the hand Kirk company after
Speaker 7:he came,
Speaker 1:it means missionary companions on his journey to England included Franklin d Richards of the quorum of the 12 who had been called to preside over the mission in England. George D. Grant, William Kimball's, James, a young James, a little WG young judge, read Frederick Hessler and George Holiday. It took them three weeks of fording streams and wallowing through snowdrifts and mud to reach Fort Laramie where they stayed for two days before continuing on. They finally arrived in Liverpool, England on June 3rd of 1854 on June 7th he arrived in Hertfordshire where he was assigned to Labor staying in the home of Thomas Hewlett Shoemaker. The field was white already to harvest when these elders arrived in England. Just as the words of revelation to Joseph Smith had predicted back in 1829
Speaker 5:the spirit of the Lord was poured out upon us with much profusion.
Speaker 1:By the end of June, he found himself in London where he visited the Tower of London, the Crystal Palace, the armory tames tunnel, and the monument to the great fire of London. By mid July, he reported having Baptized 15 new converts in Wales. On one occasion, Edmund was with a brother Giles, who is the president of the Welsh Monmouth. Sure Conference. The two missionaries stayed the night with a brother who's wife had apostatized from the church over the doctrine of plural marriage and was very bitter against the saints when they're separate was served, although Edmund was very hungry, has appetite abandoned him, and he ate nothing. Although his companion rather Giles made up the difference with enthusiasm. That night, brother Giles woke Edmund groaning in agony. Edmund figured out that brother Giles had been poisoned, so we made him take a swig from a bottle of consecrated oil and then he laid his hands upon him and rebuked the poison brother Giles vomited and rose to his feet and the pain left him immediately. Edmund wrote that the power of God was quote greatly manifested through my administration closed quote and it was said that he had a special ability to heal, a to take, which resulted in many people being willing to be baptized. In April of 1855 the Desert News newspaper published a letter he wrote to his family from the mission field.
Speaker 5:My dear family, I am happy to inform you that I am comfortably well. Although I've been afflicted with Kohl's almost ever since I came to this country. The climate is so damp and foggy that it is almost impossible to keep clear of colds and asthmatic complaints. Yet I am. I'm thankful that I've been able to travel and preach continually. I am happy to say that my labors are being blessed in this country for many are baptized into the church and many who on account of plurality left the church when it first came out are being baptized again into the church and the saints are increasing in faith and good works. I am now comfortably closed for the winter and daily expecting to get an appointment in some other place. Though I am now getting so well acquainted with this part that I'm almost sorry to go away from here, but it will all be for the best. We have just been baptizing eight persons in this place and I expect that we shall organize a branch here in a few weeks. Some of the people here heard father preach in Keyson Street 15 years ago and have been believing ever since and some are still out of the church. Tell father that I have the honor of preaching in some of the same houses and to the same people that he did in company with brothers, Richards and Woodruff or indeed I feel it an honor and I'm trying to represent them the best I can. I am enjoying myself here just as well as is possible for any man under similar circumstances and the time seems to be on the wings for I can hardly see what has become of it since I came here. I've almost forgotten that I have a family yet. Do not be jealous. Four. I will think of you when I have time and forgive me for I am about my master's business and I have no time to think of anything else. I hope you will pray for me that I may do a good work and then be permitted to return again to you or my heart Sikkens at the abominations of this land. Give me the home of the saints. Remember me kindly to all friends and especially to father and my dear children. Yours truly Edmond Ellsworth.
Speaker 2:Well one that comes to my mind is this the one where he had received image as the handcart and I remember Brigham young calling him the d, The pretend part company and he kind of knew what was coming and picking them back West.
Speaker 3:I think that that role is, that's such a great story because you know, in the, in the context of church service, one of those very common stories that we hear repeated even today is when people have calls extended to them that they have had either some premonition or some feeling, you know, that the Lord was preparing them so that when the call came, it was just a confirmation,
Speaker 2:you know, to them that they were really being called by the Lord. Lord, let them know ahead of time. All right. Yeah. Can you do that? What was coming accredited? Yeah, that's right. We know what we're doing.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 1:Edmund obviously had a very close relationship with his father in law. Brigham young and seems to have been one of Britain's most trusted associates, one of Edmonds missionary companions and elder Galloway wrote in his diary that he was awakened one night by Edmund, who told him that he dreamt dream three times that night in which he was at home. Having a conversation with Brigham young who said to him, we're thinking of having a company of saints crossed the plains next year with handcarts. We would like you to take care of the company. Will you do it if you say so? I will. Elder Galloway told Edmund to write to experience in his journal to see what came of it. So we did. About six weeks later, Edmund received a letter from Brigham young asking him the very same question using the very same words he recorded in his journal. Although handcart travel had never before been used as a method of immigrant transportation, Edmund began advocating it as an inexpensive method to allow the faithful pour together design can you began organizing the converts at the same time. Church leaders in Salt Lake, we're officially adopting this scheme to help bring perpetual immigration fund passengers into Salt Lake City.
Speaker 2:I just remember him also coming across from the scenic train. I remember he should not. It's kind of interesting and I remember seeing that next train at the church that to them up in salt lake and thinking, Hey, one way he came across
Speaker 1:on March 21st of 1856 Edmund was released to return home. He left a Linda board, his ship Enoch train, which was the first shipload of immigrants traveling under the perpetual immigration fund. That season, the ship sailed with 534 passengers, including 431 saints in returning missionaries from March 23rd and arriving in Boston. On May 1st Edmond served as a member of the presidency of the company along with older James Ferguson and Daniel d MacArthur passengers included missionaries returning from England, Switzerland, South Africa, Denmark, India. In Gibraltar, the saints were organized in five wards. There were a number of births onboard in a few deaths. The journey though was generally described as pleasant. Edmond arrived with the Enoch train saints at Iowa City and he was placed in charge of the first handcart company. From there, the immigrants traveled by rail to Iowa city where they can't for over a month awaiting completion of their carts. Finally, on June 9th the great handcart experiment with buoyant spirits and enthusiastic sendoff. They set out across Iowa with about 280 people, including a 71 year old man and the youthful Birmingham brass band. Each traveler was only allowed 17 pounds of luggage, clothing, bedding, utensils, and if they had additional baggage, they had to pay for it to be transported later by ox train. Those who couldn't afford the freight costs sold what they could and simply abandoned the rest wagons were assigned to the handcart company to haul supplies. There was a tent for each 20 people. The first day the immigrants traveled only four miles. Then they had to remain idle for the next day while the men had to search for some straight oxen with the animals recovered the company again set out only to have to have the poorly constructed handcarts breakdown. Repairing cars became a frequent necessity on the trail. On June 14th a young boy died soon to be followed by the desks of other children and adults. The company passed through Newton, Iowa, and near Fort De Moines. On June 23rd the company was exposed on the planes and repeatedly racked by wind and rainstorms. They finally arrived at and ferried across the Missouri River on July 8th they then went to the camp ground at Florence and the Nebraska territory where they spent 10 days repairing carts and getting ready to continue. Initially, their progress had been slow, but eventually their pace increased. They average seven miles a day, the first week, almost 13 miles a day the next week, and then they hit their stride before reaching Florence, at which time they were covering about 20 miles a day. A few members of the company dropped out along the way while others decided to stay in Florence. At Florence, there were 30 Italian saints who joined the company. Also, much of the time in Florence was spent making major repairs to the handcarts. They had been built with green lumber. They had no scans on the axles and no boxes in the hubs, so to minimize where the workman installed tin boxes in the hubs and thick iron hoops around the axles. Finally, they left Florence on July 20th with 55 hand cards. Each laden with up to 500 pounds of supplies and luggage. There were also three wagons, three mules, the horse and six yoke of oxen. They ferried across the Elkhorn River and follow the loop fork river for two days before crossing it using a rickety ferryboat. After that, most of the streams had to be forded. Prairie thunderstorms were terrifying. On July 26 lightning killed one man knocked down to other adults and burned a boy. The road was sometimes muddy, often sandy and hilly. The men carried the carts across prairie creek. Even the wagons had a difficult time crossing it and later they crossed the wood river on a good bridge. Hunger fatigue, fainting in illness were commonplace. Daily food rations for adults where between one half and one pound of flour plus two ounces of rice, three ounces of sugar and one half pound of bacon per week. Children got less. At Kanesville Iowa, they purchased two more wagons and some additional livestock at the Platte River. One of the auction died that was used to pull the wagons. Captain Ellsworth asked the brother and what could be done and suggested that they place a cow in the team. One of the man looking past the others cried out and said, look, brother Ellsworth at that steer on the hill there stood a large powerful stair looking down at them. Captain Ellsworth declared that the Lord had provided the animals so they can move on to the mountains. The animal pulled just as well as the others, but when they were within two days of Salt Lake City and had finally met the wagons that had been sent from the valley with provisions, the steer was gone. After searching for several hours, Captain Ellsworth declared the Lord loaned him to use as long as we needed him once they waited more than an hour for a buffalo herd to cross the road. Can you imagine hunters killed some of the Buffalo for food? Occasionally they slaughtered one of their beef cattle on the plains. They cook with buffalo chips and they want us drank water from a Buffalo Walla, which caused widespread diarrhea and dysentery in the camp. On August 8th 65 year old Walter Sanders turned up missing and he wasn't found until the next day, five miles ahead of the company. After traveling on the north side of the Platte river. They forwarded it at Fort Laramie on August 26 then they crossed the north Platte to the north side, near present day or in Wyoming and recrossed it back to the south above Douglas. On August 31st they reached deer creek near present day Glenrock, Wyoming, where they met five supply wagons that had been set up from the valley on September 3rd they afforded the Plat for the last time below the upper crossing at present day, Casper, Wyoming. But the next day the weather turned cold that day and the next day it rained and snowed, keeping the company in camp and make it impossible to start fires then to make matters worse, 24 head of catalyst trades so the men spend a day recovering them. The company reached Devil's Gate and passed by the old Fort Seminar Trading Post on September 8th on September 11th they took the seminar cutoff and alternate route that track south of Rocky Ridge by passing it and for other crossings of the Sweetwater river. Edmund had taken this cutoff in 1854 when he was traveling east to serve as mission in England after traveling nearly night and day to overtake them. Daniel Macarthur's handcart company in at almost 11:00 PM in camp beside Ellsworth's company at present day Alkali Creek on the cutoff on September 13th at Pacific Springs, they found John Bangs, his wagon train. It had left Florence 10 days ahead of them. Handcarts regularly. You arrived in camp long before company wagons in handcart. Captains often complain that the wagons slowed them down. On September 18th they afforded the Green River and eastbound missionary company saw them there as they were descending the ridge to the river. It must've been an impressive site. They got out of their wagons and they formed a line for the oncoming hand. Cars to pass through, cheering them with the Hosannah shout. Three days later, Ellsworth's company camp at Fort Bridger, even through the mountains where they fought cold and thunderstorms, they averaged over 20 miles a day proving their fitness. They climbed up and over big mountain in less than three hours. They camped at the foot of little mountain and the next day, September 26 entered the Salt Lake Valley. They're a welcoming committee headed by Brigham Young, met them and treated them to a and party. Well. Ellsworth's group feasted on the melons, Macarthur's handcart company pulled up and the two handcart groups joined the first presidency, the Nabu brass band, HB Clawson's company of Lancers, and the many local citizens in grand parade into the city. Hundreds of citizens joined them and spectators cheered. Marianne Jones, who was a member of the company and a future wife of Edmund later wrote this.
Speaker 8:We were met in Immigration Canyon by the first presidency, the brass band and hundreds of people on foot on horses and encourages, it was a day never to be forgotten. We had reached our goal traveling on foot all of the way. I'd never left my hand cart for day and only wrote over two rivers. We waited, stream, crossed high mountains and pulled our carts at times through heavy sand. We had left comfortable homes, fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters and friends. All for our testimony of the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. And for the privilege of hearing it profits, voice and to live with the saints of God. I have never regretted the trip.
Speaker 1:16 purses in total died. Some had questioned the ability of women and children to travel by hand card. Numerous children walk the whole way and Ellsworth said that the women Wister the rigors of the trail better than men have a comparable age. The arrival of the first handcart company was major news in Salt Lake City in Edmond became a bit of a celebrity. On October 10th, 1856 the newspaper printed the text of Edmund speech at the Salt Lake City Bowery where he recounted in detail his story of the journey. A link to that article is found in the show notes in less than a week. The tone of discussion surrounding the handcart companies shifted dramatically is Franklin d Richards arrived in the valley and reported that there were still two companies out on the plains without any support or supplies. The theme of the Church has general conference held on October six was the rescue of the handcart companies. Edmund Ellsworth played an important role in delivering the message and the afternoon session of conference. Edmond offer the invocation and saying the song hand carts rolling. In the evening session he gave the benediction the next day, October 7th he was one of the main speakers for the rest of his life. Edmund was honored as one of the original pioneers fulfilling the promise made by Brigand when Edmund was asked to stay behind the vanguard company and operate the ferry at the Platte river. Not long after arriving in the valley, Edmund was set apart to be the senior president of the third quorum of 70 and he was elected to the city council as well as serving as major of the second battalion of infantry of the Nauvoo Legion. On top of that, he served as a first counselor in the bishopric of the Salt Lake City first ward in 1857 he went into the lumber business with Joseph, a young one of Brigham sons. He sold his home in Salt Lake and in 1860 he bought a saw mill and Mill Creek Canyon, which Jaak rated for six years. When he finally sold that for a large tract of land in West Weeber where he moved his family. In 1866 he built a bridge across the weaver river and two years later, he drove the piles for the bridge across the Ogden River. He contracted with the Union Pacific Railroad to provide the railroad ties, which were cut cutting weaver canyon. This was prosperous work for Edmond. He reported that he made$3,000 that year and paid$300 in tithing. That was the equivalent of making over$91,000 today, the next year, he drove the piles for the railroad bridge over the weaver river, and he took charge of laying the track for the Utah Central Railroad from Ogden to Salt Lake City. He also drove the piles for roads and was the superintendent for the construction of a narrow gauge railroad from Ogden north to hot spring. In 1879 Edmund found himself at the center of a murder trial that scandalized salt lake city. Henry Wadman had been killed by Joseph Dudley after five years of what the newspaper called criminal intimacy between Wadman in Dudley's wife in the heat of an argument, Wadman told Dudley that in fact he was actually the father of Dudley's children. Dudley confronted his wife who confirmed the whole affair and worn Dudley that Wadman intended to kill Dudley and bury him in the sand in order to keep him from telling the story of her shame. Edmond knew Dudley and he was a distant relative to Wadman. He was the last person to see them together and he testified that Wadman showed him at pistol the of the murder and he'd had a conversation with Wadman about the whole affair. Edmund informed Wadman that Dudley intended to take his wife back, which enrage Wadman. Edmund left him about three 30 that afternoon and reported seeing the pistol in his hip pocket. Shortly afterwards, Dudley confronted Wadman and Dudley was shot to death. Edmunds testimony was key to the prosecution and it was reported breathlessly in the local newspaper in 1880 at the age of 61 Edmund, like so many present day, retirees decided to head for warmer weather and he moved his family to show low Arizona where he purchased a 40 Acre ranch a little more than four years later. On December 1st, 1884 he was arrested for unlawful cohabitation, which was the legal term for polygamy, and he was taken to Prescott, Arizona under a bond of$2,000 he appeared before Judge Howard and he later wrote down the following conversation. How old are you? 66 when did you marry your last wife?
Speaker 5:In 1856 do you cohabit with two women at present? No, sir. Have you during the past three years, according to the judge's interpretation? Yes sir. How old is your second wife? 51 how old is her youngest child? Well, of years. Do you believe it is right to disobey law, not Constitutional Law, your honor,
Speaker 1:are you to be the judge? Yes, sir. If not, who is, do you believe the Edmunds law unconstitutional? Yes, sir. From what standpoint?
Speaker 5:The constitutional amendment number 10 your honor,
Speaker 1:do you propose to break this law?
Speaker 5:No Sir. I have no occasion for so doing.
Speaker 1:Will you teach others to break this law?
Speaker 5:I do not propose to answer if I break the law. I am amenable to the law without respect to promise.
Speaker 1:I says after much discussion, the judge said, as a man, I'm in favor of releasing you, but as a judge I must obey my instruction. I'll be as lenient as possible if you will play as your counsel advises,
Speaker 5:your honor. If you require anything of me that forces me to compromise my faith, my religion, or my honor, I will not plead guilty.
Speaker 1:The judge promise not to do so and Edmund follows lawyer's advice, pleading guilty to a single count of unlawful cohabitation. The judge asked if he intended to obey the law in the future and Edmund responded.
Speaker 5:As I understand it, your honor,
Speaker 1:he was sentenced to pay a fine of$300 within 24 hours or else served 60 days in the territorial prison in Yuma. Since he didn't have the money available, he accepted prison sentence. He kept a daily journal during his imprisonment and wrote of the poor food, the sleepless nights, the noisy clanking of chains in gates in the horrible odors and of the oppressive heat. It paints the picture that you might expect of a 19th territorial prison in Yuma, Arizona in June and July, while in prison, Edmund made himself as useful as possible, spending his time repairing sewing machines and clocks. After his release, he became captivated by the fine fruit and beauty of the city of Mesa, Arizona.
Speaker 3:So at the end of Edmonds life, he settled in show low Arizona. And I'm told that, um, the Ellsworth name is, is or was to some degree, relatively prominent name like in and around Mesa that he, that he really fell in love with Mesa, the Mesa area. Yeah. Um, so have, have you ever, ever been down to Arizona visit any of the family heritage sites or anything like that?
Speaker 2:Yeah. Well really I grew up in snowflake. Quiches right maestro though. Huh? Okay. So, um, and my grandfather still lived and nobody can tailor, which is on the way to um, show low. Um, his whole family is down and make that and a lot of my cousins and aunts and uncles are in Mesa and so our family has kind of stayed in that area except for us. We ended up traveling due to my dad's job, but um, yeah we go, I just went down a few weeks ago. I was hit Campion break, burn bigger that all my family down there on the far as the heritage site, I have spend two OCU. We moved into town with my family and back in 2013 and we were good in pipe, but I also found my other side of my family there too. So we did a lot of respect on both sides of the family on Merrill Fight Ana elsewhere side.
Speaker 1:He moved his family to a 40 acre site located one mile northwest of the town center where they raised four acres of grapes, four acres of fruit trees in 28 years of Alfalfa. They lived in Mesa for six years. We're Edmund taught Sunday school until 1893 when they traveled to Salt Lake City for the dedication of the Salt Lake temple on April 6th of that year. Having witnessed the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple Edmund return to show low deliv the remainder of his life after many years of heart trouble in the lingering illness of about six weeks, Edmond Ellsworth died of heart failure at the age of 74 on December 29th, 1893 today it's estimated that Edmund Ellsworth has over 10,000 living descendants with many living in Idaho, Utah, Arizona, and southern Nevada.
Speaker 3:So what, what was it like when you visited those sites? What kind of feelings did you have?
Speaker 2:Oh, it was so fun. It's fun to find their name on a plaque or, right. You've got to excited. They'd go and look, they go and see, okay, what are we looking for and where are we going? What are we going to do? And we've done a lot of phone looking at has done two and they've gotten into looking. I'm trying to find our ancestors and cemetery and that's been super fun. That's kind of a treasure hunt for them. And when they find that they feel so proud and they feel they feel a connection, I really feel like they feel a connection to their ancestors and we talk about what they did and what they were like. And I really appreciate being able to find their name and history and be able to tell my children about it. And if, I don't know, it's fun to look it up and read the stories about it.
Speaker 3:Yeah, learn about it to me. You haven't burned half the infant. Can you think of any other traits or characteristics that would kind of define the family?
Speaker 2:I think another one that comes to mind is their cowboy. That's kind of what we, as I think of my grandfather here, the cowboy food through human forces. And he did a lot of Ranchi and he talks a lot about ranching and doing farms. And still my grandfather, he's almost, I think he's almost 85 anyway, somewhere in there. And He, it's still trying to build a cattle ranch on his own by himself. Um, so he'll call down here. He felt down probably twice a week. No, I'm just totally beat yourself up and he's out the next day building this ranch and tough, I mean, he was a dreamer. He always has a vision of something and he just goes for it. He is, I don't know what they're, I would just say they're cowboys and farmers and lovers of land and nature in my crumble with only one arm, one one lake. You tried to become a school teacher at one point and you just couldn't handle it. He just couldn't handle being inside. You want us to work with the Lens and be outside this though? He got a job. I think I was on a cattle ranch. Be An outworking. Love to be. So it's definitely in our blood to be out and I think that carries on with me and my siblings tier. We really enjoy being out in nature, getting in the dirt and growing things and having animals.
Speaker 3:Um, Jody, who were some of your heroes?
Speaker 2:Oh, right here. Yeah. Well of course the stager is my number one he wrote. And then after that I really do look up to my family. My mom and dad are really amazing people and I think it's due to their parents who are really amazing people. So my dad's side that this pioneer heard, heard it and thought, and my mom's side, her parents were found by missionaries. So I love coming from both sides and having the rich heritage of both. And I love hearing the stories of both sites that are, can be quite different. And yet both were really great people. Both sides were, had really great people in them. I just think anyone who in our end, in my history and my ancestry that has lived a rich life and passed on great things to their children is my hero because I recall you can, we are, you can clearly to that. I have a lot to learn still.
Speaker 1:That's okay. That's okay. But so let me ask you this. Sorry. You grew up knowing that you had this pioneer heritage, right?
Speaker 2:Yeah, for the most part. Like I said, little girl, I don't know how much they recognize it, but they, I didn't know that I have her pioneer heritage. Yeah.
Speaker 1:Okay. How do you think that, that, um, that growing up with that understanding of your, your family roots has influenced your life in your family, in the major who you are?
Speaker 2:I think it had a lot to it and to do it, but I think I remember thinking, well, when things are tough, I had pioneers that had had it rougher than I have had it and I could, I could do it. Also having moved 14 times, I felt like the party and I felt like I would, I would just say here's our pioneer trek and remembered my grandpa x. Truly what I just think, okay, well this is, they just picked up and moved everything they have and they may do and they were happy and if they can do it, so can I. And I tried to pass it on to my children and that's what we would say before they get out of the car. Okay, how are we going to be like, Grandpa so and so? And they would, they would say, we're going, we're going to be tough. We're going to realize that is not as hard as we think it is or, anyway, we are. One of my, um, Ellsworth GRANDPA's only had one arm and one leg until that was one that we talked a lot about also. Okay. How we could be tough like GRANDPA oak worth food. The Ellsworth line to us is tough. I think they all came from really tough dot. I think Edmund was tough and I think all of his sons after him, including my grandpa and my dad have been tough people, tough men that are willing to work hard, really hard and to not give up and to do the best that they can. Well, I don't know. I don't know what I'll take the tell you about the families that I feel honored and blessed to be one of the admins, granddaughters and it'll be really fun to get to know him and see him again. I clearly ever going to have to study up a little so I'm not. That was the first one I talked to him, but I think it will be really fun to talk to them and to tell him thank you for all that he's done.
Speaker 1:This episode of hearts of the fathers was narrated, written and produced by Derek. Thanks to Tanner Ipsen who is my hardworking research assistant production intern and my favorite Nascar Fan. I couldn't have done it without him. Special thanks also to my friend and neighbor Terry, do Weise as well as my wife and sweetheart, Janine Rollie for doing the voiceovers. Jody Ellsworth baboon was so patient and gracious to give me her time to be interviewed for podcast she'd never heard of before, so thanks Jody. Music was by the seasons and special effects was by sound stripe. If you have any questions or comments, please drop me an email@heartsofthefatherspodcastatgmail.com remember, we invite you to share this episode with your friends using your favorite social media platforms. Please go to iTunes and give us a positive review. That will really help a lot and check out our webpage@heartsofthefatherspodcast.com where you can check out the show notes and participate in any online discussion. We really would appreciate your, your comments and participation. See you next time.