Martins Handcart Company 1856 1856 ROGERSON No 10 I finished our chapter No 9 Sunday Dec 1 I with the arrival of the majority of the members of our handcart com company company pany in Main street and around and in inthe Inthe inthe the tithing yard That scores of ot friends and relatives and I know of fathers of or families had been waiting for weeks with the most mORt intense solicitude and anxiety for tor the arrival of our train tram is isa isa isa a matter of history past pam half halt the dec decade decade decade ade and md the expressions of fear and doubt as to the existence of the sought for were written on many marly countenances ances ances Dead in the Wagons I The wagon I rode in this morning from tho the head of Emigration canyon was driven by b Elder Joel Parrish of Sessions or Centerville settlement in Davis Dais county and as we stopped for a afew afew afew few minutes near the block since then of ot the Walker Valker brothers residences a alady alady lady Jady asked Please where is Father Waugh Vaugh and my mother of his Ills death dealt the day before pointed to the next wagon north where she could find the veteran She was there instantly and nd found her father wrapped in a sheet and dead I shall not tell of her grief and tho the scene that followed The aged Scotch worthy had braved and weathered the tho storms of the Rocky mountains from the tho Platte bridge and when within eighteen to twenty miles from tho the valley vaney and the Zion he wor worshiped and to which he le was returning after a three or four tour years yearS mission to Scotland his native land succumbed to the hardships of the Journey be between between between tween the Big and Little mountains and was brought Into the city for tor in interment Interment interment One more instance of ot this kind will suffice but I could record a dozen and then thon I shall hasten to the conclusion of my narrative for It has been anything but a pleasant task for tor several weeks past Dast DastAn An old English farm hand coming to Utah Uth in the tho early went down to Iron county Utah and as he worded it St wrought for two or three years in inthe Inthe inthe the building of the works of ot and the experimenting in treating iron ores In that county The wife of ot his youth Your four daughters and two sons still back In England in the fall faU of 55 65 or spring of ot 66 the father walked with sis sack lack of ot provisions on his back nearly every mile of the 6 miles to Salt Lake City and striding into President President President dent Brigham Youngs office and showing show showing showing ing his Iron work scrip for his labor performed entreated that he would re receive cohe that as pay and send for tor his fam lam family famIly ily fly to come out that season They were sent gent for tor sailed salted and the sir came through safe Rate and sound the stalwart sire meeting them the Sunday morning pf our arrival His sons and daughters j are located near Parowan and In the settlements of Arizona and his name was James Williamson The majority I of or our company were taken in and cared for in Salt Lake Davis Weber and andI I Utah counties that winter and when I II think of all this and the mountain of I service rendered by the rescuing and re relief relief relief lief party without one dime of ot remuneration in what class of humanity do you place v the Mormon people But little has been written in these annals as to the sayings and doings of President Brigham Young when he learned about the of October 1856 1566 from President Franklin D Richards and others of or the returning missionaries ries how far back the handcart and wagon companies were at that date on the plains and I will not close without a to few more paragraphs on this important important tant point In this history I Church Historian Jensen tt having thumbed the pages of ol the Deseret News for that year and nearly every oel docu document document document ment In his archives bearing on that subject will be good authority and in interesting interesting In the Contributor of March 1893 ns as to the church emigrations of 1856 6 Historian Jensen says Relief trains On Saturday Oct 4 1856 Apostle Franklin D Richards and his company of missionaries arrived in Salt Lake City They reported to President Young the progress of the different companies towards reaching the valley vaney and that they were more or less In dan danger danger danger ger of ot snowstorms in the mountains before they could reach the city as it was getting so late in the season The mere more thought that the handcart companies might be exposed to lo the cold blasts of ot a mountain storm was enough f to 10 arouse the brethren in the valley to immediate action In the general assembly of the Saints In Salt Lake City the next day dayN N which was Sunday Oct 5 President BrIgham Young called upon the bish bishops bishops bishops ops and people generally to raise im immediately Immediately immediately mediately sixty mule and nd horse teams twelve tons of flour and forty extra teamsters to help In the immigrating trains some of ot which were being han ban handled handled bandied died by inexperienced men and even some by women and children Also a quantity of vegetables was called for fort together gether t with bedding clothing and andi I i wearing apparel of all aU descriptions to I clothe and keep warm the emigrants I Tho who general conference convened In Salt Lake City on Monday the After the opening exercises exercise President Young stated that the first business that must be attended to was to send I I II assistance forthwith to the emigrants I backon back on the road He then called those who were willing to go or send teams comp como to the stand and report saying that if it a sufficient number of teams teamsters etc did not volun volunteer volunteer volunteer teer he would close the conference and together with Brother Kimball start back to help the companies and President Kimball then requested the blacksmiths in the congregation to re retire retire retire tire as they were wore wanted to shoe the horses and repair the wagons of the j brethren who were preparing to start out to help the emigration The hearty response to this call for fori teams men and provisions clothing J Ii i etc is characteristic of that brotherly love and warmth of or feeling which dis distinguishes distinguishes distinguishes those who love their fellow fellowmen fellowmen fellowmen men It must be born In mind that at this time It was not known In the valley that the companies on the road were in any immediate danger but this timely call for teams to send back was a pre precautionary precautionary precautionary cautionary measure to guard against possible calamities Most of the teams called caned for got ready and started on the of Octo October October October ber in charge of George D Grant one of the brethren who three days previously previously previously had returned from a foreign mis mission mission mission sion The Tho relief company had no snow to contend with till they got to the Sweetwater There on the and of October they encountered a severe snowstorm When they met Captain Willies Willie s handcart company on the the snow was from six to eight inches deep and tho the emigrants were truly in ina Ina ina a bad condition but the relief brethren rendered thorn thom all the assistance In their power Brother William H Kimball and other brethren from the valley yaney were selected to return with them and as assist assist assist them with wi h counsel and work and previous to this Captain Grant had sent an express east to ascertain if possible the and hereabouts thereabouts of the emigrant companies farther back and report to him but thinking It unsafe for f r theta them to go farther than Independence rock Jie he advised them to wait watt there for the main company compan When the main company overtook the express at Independent rock the brethren composing it had heard noth nothing nothIng nothing ing from the rear companies but had themselves traveled through snow from eight to twelve Inches inch s deep deeD all an anthe the way from Willow creek to Devils Devila Gate GateAs As the brethren had only a little feed for their animals the horses were now running down dowel very ery fast and not hearing anything from the companies Captain Grant and the brethren with him began to think that perhaps they had taken up quarters for the winter consequently he dispatched Joseph A AYoung AYoung AYoung Young Daniel W Jones and Abe Garr Garras as an express farther east in search of them These brethren traveled on till the of October when they met Cap tain Martins company com pan six Bix sixteen sixteen teen miles above the Platte bridge I Captain Hunts company was en encamped encamped encamped camped ten miles below Martins hand handcart handcart handcart cart company compan Captain Martin in informed informed informed formed the brethren that fiftysix had died on the Journey up to that date The express then pushed on to meet the wagon companies Passing brief narrative as to our company in his bis Rocky Mountain Saints and which was not furnished him by one of our members but by one of the members of the two wagon companies we find a paragraph even there that has the ring of sterling truth in defense and praise of President President President dent Young as to his unceasing energy and anxiety for our rescuer rescue He says When the news reached Brigham Young as already alread stated he did all that man could do to save the rem remnants remnants remnants nants and relieve the sufferers Never Neverin in his whole career did he ho shine so glo glorious glorious glorious rious in the eyes ees of ot the people There was nothing spared that he could con contribute contribute contribute tribute or command In the tabernacle tab he tie was the lion of the Lord and his fierce language was kindled against those whom he supposed were the cause causo of the calamity And the Deseret News says in its pages of ot Dec Dee 3 1856 Never have we witnessed such alac alacrity alacrity rity in answering to the calls of the first presidency in turning out at such sucha a time of ot the year with animals pro provisions provisions visions and clothing in abundance to rescue brethren and sisters whom the most o 0 og those who went forth to save had never seen On Dec 2 56 after alter Martins Marlins company com company company pany had come in sixty relief horse and mule teams left Salt Lake City with two span to a wagon with sup supplies supplies supplies plies and provisions to help bring in inthe Inthe inthe the remainder of ot Hodgetts and Hunts companies and by Dec 16 all an the mem members members members bers of the two wagon companies and relief party were in Salt Lake City and that years emigration finished