I h Martins u Handcart Company 1856 BY JOSIAH JOSIA ROGERSON No 3 Article No 2 concluded with our ar arrival arrival arrival rival and ana making m camp on Friday Au August August August gust 22 near the old Mormon sawmill of ti Winter lInter Quarters and near Flor Florence Flornce Florence ence nce Neb where we remained In camp till tilt the afternoon of ot Monday the I During the three days rest r St here of the members of Martins handcart V company Hodgetts and Hunts Inde Independent Independent Independent pendent wagon companies the former now consisting of ot souls and the lat latter latter latter ter of to t the question of our proceeding farther this tIti season ason on ac account account account count of the lateness was tho main maln and nearly the only one of dally daily dig dis j by President Franklin D Richards and a score of returning mis missionaries from the British Isles Scan Scandinavia Scandinavia Scandinavia India and other points including Including ing members of the Mormon battalion who had crossed the plains several times before Recorder Bleak has haa only onO one on short entry e try In his journal of Sunday Aug two meetings and partook vartook of the sacrament His data Is Invaluable and as a shorthand pupil of Ben Pit Pitman Pitman Pitman man he will wUl write up a digest of what one in particular and both of at those meetings were Meeting M That Decided Our Journey J urney The first meeting was wac in the he morn mont morning ing or afternoon when the sacrament was administered It was not lengthy nor hon reference made to any extent as asto asto asto to our onward journey but buE spiritual and encouraging with the announce announcement ment that at 6 or 7 1 p m another r meeting be held on the same ground and that every member then In Inthe inthe inthe the camps of he handcart and wagon companies was requested to be present I was advised many years ago that President Richards had met with the returning elders and ana missionaries In private council and that two meetings had been held on the evenings of at the and of August when the ad advisability advisability of ot our not going on and un undertaking undertaking more inane than a lO mlle jour journey journey ney at that date was discussed at length and resulted In an agreement that It be left to a vote of the members of the handcart h company first and then the wagon companies There was wasa a tull full attendance at a t the time called and such men as James G Bleak John Jaques John J hn Toone Jesse Haven Haveri John T D McAllister General George GeorgeD D Grant David C Dunbar the un unselfish selfish and Joseph A AYoung AYoung Young President Brigham Youngs old oldest oldest I est st son eon Cyrus H B Wheelock General James Ferguson one of ot the most dis dig distinguished soldiers and orators of the Mormon battalion batt liol Brother Webb W bb the father of ot Ann Eliza the latter the au author author thor of Tell It All AU celebrity and who It is said was the most opposed to our starting so late These were all there therewith therewith therewith with Captain Edward Martin and his captain of the guard Daniel Tyler both members of the Mormon battal battalion batt l llon tan lon with such Mormon Monnon stalwarts from England as Professor Thomas Dur Durham Durham Durham ham a resident since for tor fifty years of Parowan Iron county Utah Fran Francis Francis cis Webster a resident of Cedar City Utah for the same jubilee of years ears that had made tho journey journe from Lon In London London don to Australia and return and from London to California and returned by bythe bythe bythe I the Isthmus of Panama before he I pulled tho tim cart from fr m Iowa City In la to Winter Quarters John Parkinson pre previously previously referred to In fn paragraph 1 of our Article No 2 Captains Peter Mayo Wm Win Robert Holt Thomas Ord and John Bailey of Nephi for tor tho the last fifty tifty years and by no means ordinary men In any community communIty community ity and last but not least the and Sam and Albert Jones and Wat Watkins Watkins kins of Provo the Dob sons Eons Jacksons and scores of others oth rs still sUll living Jiving were there at that very Important Important important tant meeting President Richards Position I can hear hEnr even now the voice of President Richards as he stood there and reasoned with us In his fatherly and gentlemanly manner as to the lateness of the season ason as ns to the possibility possibility possibility of the tho storms coming on earlier than usual usua lIsua that no doubt many many of at the infants and aged might fall tall by the way and some others through disease and from th Impurities of the water In tn the streams stream fatigue and exhaustion exhaustion exhaustion tion and that It was left for us now to decide whether wo we would go on and take the risks and chances of at these possible and probable fatalities or remain there and around Florence Council Bluffs and other villages In the vicinity till an earlier date for starting the next year that if It we chose and decided to stay we could have what provisions and supplies were In the store or warehouse there and ready for loading lo Into our wagons for the jour journey journey journey ney that he would purchase for us what more mere he could with means still In his hands and assist us in every other way for our remaining there thero till I next spring and about the only en encouraging encouraging encouraging words we remember as to I our not staying and going ahead were when ho said that as it had been one of ot the largest seasons reasons emigrations that had ever over been shipped from the British Isles since he had presided at Liver Liverpool Liverpool Liverpool pool that It contained hundreds of the first converts to from 1837 1831 to 1850 and that the majority of the latter had never been able to emi emigrate emigrate grate themselves after their eighteen years In the faith and doubtless never would have been able that they were I thus far on their way to Zion he would be gratified by the tho help and favor tavor of I god to see all aU reach there In safety that season 1 I know that the survivors of these companies and their children and grandchildren will wilt not say that I have havo been be n too voluble v in the tM above para pam paragraph paragraph graph for tor that meeting has never be before before fore tore been written of ot or put into print with accuracy or until now Vote Vot Is Taken T ken Elder John T D B McAllister the au an author author anthor thor of or the handcart song spoke aft afterward erward cra rd at that meeting for going on and Cyrus H Wheelock General 1 George D Grant and others but Brother Webb urged that we should not start but stay there for the win winter wInter winter ter His remarks were Webbs alone Somo Some others spoke and then President Franklin D I Richards arising at last advised all aU to vote ote with their thir free tree agency and responsibility The vote was called and with uncovered heads and uplifted hands to t heaven h find an nn almost unanimous vote It was decided to 10 go on If Webb or any others voted vot d to tile the contrary I do not remember r It nor ilor the number V Now who was wW responsible or to blame for tor the fatalities and the results of ot the Journey President Franklin D B Rich Richards ards or the thO members of ot the companies and the missionaries This has mis been beert In question for years yea Leaving the above paragraph tor for an another another another other touch or two later In our narra narrative narrative narrative tive and mindful that this shall be beas bens beas as ns accurate a history of data and unities as possible I wish to correct in para l 2 of the second column c lumn of ot t VV V V our Article No 2 to read Crossing the Iowa river Iowa between 2 and 3 p m on the day d y of July 1856 aa as a written with four wagons wagers etc and near the close of the same paragraph read and till the guarding and the thc snow had burled many of his nightly platoons instead of mighty platoons plat ns After Atter describing the size and md make makeup up of the open and covered handcarts provisions wagons etc for too the th jour journey journey journey ney we shall commence again with the diary di ry and journal leaving the Flor Florence Florence Florence ence camp ground Monday Aug ug 25 How Handcart Was Made The open handcart was made of It Iowa hickory or oak the shafts and amI side pieces of the same material but buthe the he t axle generally of hickory In length l the side pieces and shafts sh were about six fix or seven feet teet with three or tour four f our binding crossbars from the back hack part to the fore part art of the body of ot the he t cart then two or three feet t et from f rom the latter bar to the front bar or Singletree for tor the lead horse or Wad Mad boy of ot the team The carts were the he usual width of the wagon so s st o as to t fit the wagon tracks across the he t meadows me dows V of Iowa and the th buffalo pastures p of ot Nebraska N br and Wyoming W oming Across the tM bars of the bed ed of the th ih cart we generally sewed a i strip of ing i ng or a counterpane and on this wood wooden woodom en om cart of or a axle axie with bout about a a two and sh she ul UI der d er and point were loaded on o n many man a tart cart or pounds of flour lour f bedding extra clothing cooking utensils etc and a tent How Hov the flimsy f Yankee hickory structure str held up u p the tho load for tor hundreds of ut miles ml eJ has been b een a wonder to us since then but my brother rother b Bill and I and Tom Dobson and WIllard and hundreds of Others other pulled p similar loads lo ds from froni roam Florence to Ash Allow Wyoming and miles far farther farther farher ther her t west We felt feU it a generous re ye release release lease l ease of our burdens when Captain would come and say to the commissary c 1 Jonathan Clegg Cle Take a sack from this cart today and amI a sack from f rom another cat cart tomorrow to be dis distributed distributed t one pound to W adult to toach each ach e member of his company that evenin c The Family Cart The covered or family cart was simi similar similar lar l ar In size and construction with the exception e that it was made stronger with an Iron fron axle about an inch In thickness t at the shoulder and three quarters of an inch at the tae point a small mall s wagon box three to four feet feel long l ong with side and end hoards boards about eight ight e inches high This cart as will willbe willbe willbe be seen was made more mora for the th carry carryIng c r rIng Ing l ug of children than the open cart Two persons were assigned to the pulling of each open cart and where a father and son of age and strength were found In one family with smaller chil children children children dren they were allotted a covered cart but In many instances the father had to pull the covered cart alone Our six provisions wagons loaded to the bows with two and three yoke oke of oxen oxen to the wagon one team which was utilized for carrying the tents and poles picking up the fee feeble feeble feeble ble aged and children as they became bec mc tired on the way one light spring wagon with two mules and one riding pony formed the advance part of at our train The members of tho the com company company company pany now were divided Into six com corn companies panics of ot each with Wm captain capt ln of ot the first lCD and Peter Mayo Thomas Ord John Toone Rob Robert Robert Robert ert Holt for tor many years ears previous pres president president president ident of the Manchester conference and I think a man named Robinson completed the list of the six captains c I find from other records that in ina audition addition a to the number of provision w wagons gons as just above re recorded orl e J we had another wagon agon loaded mostly with church goods and a loose herd of fifty tit head of at cows and beef cattle c Th lat hit latter latter hitter ter were in charge of and driven 1 by byman y a aman aman man named d Rothwell who reached Utah with us the last of November Nov it b r and settled d In Nephi Utah minus s the cows and the few beef beer cattle Which were sl slaughtered at the foot of ot Devils Gate to save them perishing In that severe winter Hitter V Now again to our oui diary d a and ant journey journ y Monday Aug 25 3 a woman oman name not nol nolIn in the Journal was was cut ut ort oft the church hurch t 1 tV a meeting of ot the whole whale camp c mp for adultery adulte Our handcarts were packed jacked and loaded to the bows bow as at a the th wagons with pounds bf flour flout anti and every cart where there were two tw able ble bodied men father and son rOEm or two brothers and pounds of or o flour on every other tart cart art except the children were numerous in th the family Then Themi the bedding bedIng extra l con consisting of clothing etc co cil water casks or can and on the cart where whOre the two were harnessed the tIme tent tOOt for tOn ten t n persons with the wooden tent teut pins attached atta hed It was a load for tor the carts and arid a load Indeed for tor the drawers dra the tho writer remembers re reme well as brother broth r Bill Billand Billand Billand and me rue pulled that tonnage up tho the steep hilt hill leading westward from Irom Our dur Ut camp amp c at Florence Neb that day dayI I Details of Diary We Vo traveled three miles today and passed a cluster of ot Martins graves the pioneers from Nauvoo in 1845 1816 Wednesday Aug 27 21 Traveled seven n today V Wednesday Aug 27 21 traveled four tour miles Thursday Aug 28 23 Traveled seven seventeen se seventeen en enteen teen miles to the Elkhorn river Saw a afew afew afew few Indians Mr r Bleak further re ye records records cords My sons Richard and Thomas only onty 4 and 6 C years old have walked all the tha th way frOm Florence Neb The writer remembers remember fording the Elkhorn river which was not more than knee three or four rods wide and the town consisted of three or four los log loA cabins and rooms a few Indians and half halt a dozen frontiersmen Friday Aug 29 Traveled four miles after crossing the Elkhorn On this date we find the two wagon companies heretofore mentioned and the rear rearguard rearguard guard of or this seasons emigration still at Florence Neb Joseph A Hunt says sa s In Sn his journal We are taking In provisions for the Journey today toda Flour FlourIs Is and cornmeal per pounds sugar 12 and 15 cents per pound and very little bacon to be ob obtained On Sunday Aug Auf 31 21 Hunts company broke camp and by evening had moved out three miles On WP WAil Wed I Sept SepU 3 they crossed the Elk Elkhorn Elkhorn Elkhorn horn and camped in Rawhide R greek creek Tho The reason for Inserting the above record as to Hunts wagon company will be seen and connection made here hereafter hereafter after Saturday Aug 30 0 Traveled twelve twIVe twelvemile mile mlle through st ii level country coun ry Sunday Sunda Aug 31 Traveled thirteen miles today This morning Captain Martin said ald we were miles from Salt Lake City CIt Monday Sept 1 Traveled nineteen teen miles today and slept without raising raisins the tents as it was late when we WD reached camp AVe We had a fine view vl iv v of the prairies on fire In two places Tuesday T Sept 1 2 Traveled three miles before breakfast then hen nine and anda a half miles to Loop Fork fairy which we se crossed then traveled one mile to toa camp campI a rip ripI I remember when we got to the thet ferry t rry that the roie was w s broken br ken the te e southern side of the tl e rope being In the water waler I was detailed d with three other swimmers to cross the fork get gel the broken end which was soon con connected connected connected with the ferry side of the th rope ropp and anti then themi we were ferried across Wednesday Sept SOFt 3 Remained in camp all day Thursday Sept 4 Traveled fifteen miles Friday