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William
Henry Hill, Sr. - Life Story
Son
of James and Charlotte Timms
Hill.
Husband of Isabella Brigett
Wells.
[This story is not yet complete
on this site.]
Other
Hill Family Histories
Stella
Cora Hill
The
Autobiography of William H. Hill
Started December 26, 1910
My
Father’s name was James Hill,
who was the son of Joseph &
Susannah Champlain Hill. My
Father married Charlotte Timms
and their family consisted of
six children, namely Joseph Hill
born June 11th, 1840
at _______, Myself William Henry
Hill born April 25, 1842, Jane
Ann Hill born June 21, 1844,
Louisa Hill born October 16,
1947, Charlotte Hill born April
6, 1850, John James Hill born
August _________.
My
Father was a mason by trade and
in the early years of my life,
times were very hard in England
and my Father was under the
necessity of traveling around
the Country a great deal in
order to obtain sufficient
labour to secure means to
sustain his family with the
necessaries of life and was
therefore unable to give his
children the advantages of an
education.
My
Parents were very much of a
religious turn of mind and tried
to live an honest upright life
but could not bring themselves
to accept of any particular
faith or belief leaned more to
the Methodist than any other,
and would see to it that his
Children strictly attended their
Sunday school, and was very
particular to see that his
Children never desecrated the
Sabbath day, and was careful to
see that we were strict
Observers of the Sabbath and
after Supper on Sunday evening
He would have his Children sit
around the table and he would
read to us from the New
Testament about the Lord Jesus
and his teaching, till we almost
learnt it of by art, for he
would read and then explain it
so that we could understand it
in a measure, so much so that I
have never forgot it for it was
the cause of my thinking a great
deal upon the condition of the
people of the world for with all
the meetings I attended I had
never heard any of the Ministers
preach the Doctrine that I
understood the Saviour of the
world taught in his day, and
when I was ten years of age I
was able to read the Scriptures
for Myself and I used to think
what a difference there was in
the teachings of those I went to
listen to, and the teachings of
our Lord and Saviour Jesus
Christ.
And
just at this time came a change
in my life, for it was then I
had to start to labour to
contribute to my mite to the
sustenance of the family by my
daily labour, I started to work
with my father to carry bricks
and mortar to the masons at the
large sum of 25 cents per day
and I laboured four years with
my father in that capacity. In
the meantime I was studying the
teachings of our Lord and Master
and the more I read the more I
was convinced in my own mind
that there ws something wrong
with the teachings of the
religious sects of the day, and
try as I would to be one with
any of them I would find some
thing to deter me from doing so.
For I had been taught by my
Parents to always revere and
reverence the name of God and
his son Godly Jesus Christ and
everything and this Influence
has followed me through my life
thus far.
As
I said I laboured with my Father
four years then at that time
being 14 years of age another
change came in my life. My
father desired that I should go
to learn the Carpentering
Business so I was put out as an
apprentice to learn that trade
with a Mr. Richard Dunsmore
about 2 miles from where my
Parents then lived and the
Indentures were made up and
sworn to before the Chief
Justice that I should remain
with him until I was 21 years of
age. But I demurred very much at
this, as I had heard so much
about America and its advantages
for working men. I had a great
desire to come to that country
when I should become a man. But
had not mentioned it even to my
Parents until this time. Then I
told them that the course they
were taking would be of no use
as I should be in America before
I was 21. Not knowing at the
time what would be the cause of
my being willing to leave My
Native Land and my Parents
Brothers & Sisters and all
that was near and dear unto me,
To come to that land that I had
hears do much about, But
Notwithstanding my thoughts in
that direction, I started in my
labours in the New Business I
was to learn, and they were
onerous, As my principle labours
consisted in doing chores, such
as milking and taking care of
two cows and one horse and what
spare time I had I was expected
to spend in the workshop
learning to handle the various
tools which I will say I took
great pleasure in doing. And
thus 2 years past by and I had
kept up my studying the
teachings of our Saviour in my
spare moments. And with the
small amount I had learnt of the
Business I began to think that
it would take me a long time
before I would be able to earn
my living at the business I had
come there to learn, for my Boss
had become very much Addicted to
Drink and was beginning to lose
his custom and it seemed as
though he would not be able to
get any work either for himself
or me for long. And just at this
time another great change in my
life occurred, My Father called
on me and told me that some
Mormon Elders were going to
preach in a village about 4
miles away from where I lived
and that he was going to the
meeting and ask me if I would
like to go. This was the first
time I had ever heard the name
of Mormons, so more through the
spirit of curiosity I told my
Father that I would very much
like to go and listen to what
they had to say, so he went and
ask my Boss to let me off to go
with him so we went together and
arrived there all in good time
for the opening of the meeting
so we took our seats, and in a
few minutes two gentlemen came
in and took seats on a temporary
stand. And they soon opened the
meeting by singing the Hymn
commending, The Morning Breaks
The Shadows Flee Lo Zion’s
Stand is Unfurled. And while
this Hymn was being sung a
feeling came over me such as I
had never experienced in my life
before. It was a Spirit of Peace
and satisfaction it permeated my
whole being, And after the
Singing was over Prayer was
offered by one of the men and
with such power though in simple
language that it seemed to me he
felt fully assured that his
petition would be heard and
answered by the God whom he
worshiped upon the heads of
those present.
They
sang another Hymn, And then one
of the arose, He toughed on the
principles of Faith repentance
baptism and the laying on of
hands for the reception of the
Holy Ghost, And he spoke so
plain and in such simple
language that I thought of the
words of the Saviour when he
said, a wayfaring man though a
fool, could not but understand
it, For I though a young boy
felt the truth of his word in
every fiber of my being, and was
fully convinced that they were
in accord with the teachings of
the Saviour himself while
dwelling in the flesh, as I had
already learnt from the
Scriptures. And when he sat down
the other one arose and spoke
upon the Apostasy from the
Primitive Church. And also the
restoration of the Gospel to the
earth again in our day, with the
same blessings and Gifts to
follow the believer as they did
in the days of Christ. I was
filled with joy in my very soul,
Because they spoke with such
convincing power and with
authority that I was truly
converted to the truth of every
word, which they had uttered.
And felt in my heart that I
would be willing to cast y lot
with them Notwithstanding the
finger of Scorn that might be
pointed at me for so doing.
The
meeting closed and My Father and
Myself with my older Brother
started on our way home and as
we walked along, we began
talking about what had been said
at the meeting, Me wondering
what effect it had had upon them
and to my great joy and
satisfaction I soon found that
they too had concluded to cast
their lot with that faith do
with this determination in our
hearts, we became anxious to be
baptized into the Mormon Church
as it was called, So the
following week we went to the
place where the two Gentlemen
were staying and applied for
Baptism, And our request was
granted and in the Evening of
the 14 day of June 1856 we were
baptized members in the river
Witham at Colsterworth
Lincolnshire England. And thus
became members in the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter Day
Saints. And although fifty years
and over have past away since
that time I here want to bear my
Testimony that I have never had
a Doubt cross my mind with
regard to the Truth of the
principles of the Gospel I then
espoused for I know that they
are calculated through the law
of obedience to bring about the
eternal salvation of mankind.
In
the meantime I was still staying
with Mr. Dunsmore, striving to
do my duty in performing the
labours devolving upon me to the
best of my ability and attending
strictly to my prayers But still
things were going from bad to
worse, and it was not long
before he had no work in the
carpentering line either for
himself or me, And I became very
much dissatisfied for by this
time I was most anxious to learn
the business but now he had no
work at all in that line, so one
day I ask him to set me at
liberty and let me go home, or
turn me over to some one else
that would learn me the
Business, But he replied, I will
do nothing of the kind. You will
have to stay with me until you
are twenty-one. Well then I said
I must go home this morning and
consult My Father about it. And
I went home and staid there two
days, And then started to work
with my older Brother at the
Mason work, at a farmstead away
from any village in quite an out
of the way place, thinking my
Boss would not be able to find
out where I was we started there
on a Thursday morning and early
Friday morning just after we had
started to work for the day, My
Brother discovered a Policeman
coming toward us. And he tried
to persuade me to run away
before he got there, But I said
no I won’t do that, As I have
done nothing I am ashamed of, So
in a few minutes the Policeman
came up to us and told me I
would have to go off to court
with him, I said alright Sir And
I accompanied him a distance of
six miles to where court was
then in session. We arrived in
due time and my trial soon came
on. And the Justice asked me why
I ran away. And I told them the
true state of affairs as they
existed, But there was no one
there to vouch for the truth of
my statement. And as the Boss
had stated to the contrary, the
case was settled in his favour
that I was to go back and remain
there until I was 21 years of
age, So I went back but still I
was dissatisfied more than ever
for since I had joined the
church, The Spirit of gathering
to Zion had taken possession of
me, and I felt more determined
than ever that by the help of my
Heavenly Father I would still be
in America before I was twenty
one, so I prayed to God in the
sincerity of my soul to overrule
things for my benefit in that
direction. So I stayed about 3
months performing the labours
required of me trying all the
day long to give the best of
satisfaction to those for whom I
laboured, not forgetting my
prayers every night and morning
and many times during the day.
And after I had been there 3
months it really seemed as
though I couldn’t stay any
longer, for the Boss was drunk
the greater part of His time so
that it was impossible for him
to learn me the Business. So I
ask him for the privilege of
going home to see my Parents,
who had moved to another town 10
miles away, a town called
Grantham where there was a
branch of the Church and where
they could have the privilege of
attending meetings. But he would
not grant my request. So I
simply told him I should go
anyway, and so at four o’clock
the next morning I arose very
quietly and got all ready to
start with the door open, I went
to the foot of the Stairs and
called Master I’m going. And
he said no get dressed and get
down stairs I presume I was half
a mile away. And when I arrived
home I held a consultation with
my father and he decided to take
me and consult a Lawyer. So we
went and the Lawyer questioned
me and I stated the facts of the
case as they existed And the
Lawyer decided to summons the
Boss before the Court, and said
he believed he could get me my
freedom but he said I better go
back that night as though
nothing had happened and he
would attend to the whole
business. But I was to call upon
the Chief Justice who lived in
the same village as my Boss. So
I returned that night and the
folks would not speak to me only
the Mrs. said O you have come
back have you. The next morning
I went to the Justice and
delivered my message to him from
the Lawyer which was that when
he went down to court on the
following Thursday he was to
take with him My Indentures the
Papers binding me to remain with
Mr. Dunsmore until I was 21
years of age and while I was
with him he told me that My
Master had been up to see him
telling him that I had run away
again, and wanted him to make
out a summons against me but he
had persuaded him to wait a few
days, promising him that he
would in the meantime see my
Father and see what could be
done in the matter, and asking
me if I had come back to my
place, And I told him I had and
he told me I had done quite
right in so doing.
I
returned to my place and
attended to my duties. And on
the following Wednesday the
Justice came to the house as we
were sitting at the dinner table
and he said, Mr. Dunsmore I
suppose you understand that you
will have to attend court on
Friday and he said no Sir I have
not heard a word about it for
the Police had not as yet served
the summons on him. Well said
the Justice such is the case, so
there will be no need of my
seeing this young man’s Father
about the matter and he left and
as soon as he was out of sight
they drove me out of the house
and would not give me any more
to eat, so I got a meal or two
with my neighbours until Friday
morning when I started to court
with some people in the village
who was going to the town and
arrived there all safe I went to
my Parents and found them all
well and Father waiting for me
to go to the court room so we
went together and were on time
and my case was second on the
Docket and they were in the
midst of the first case when we
arrived. We did not have to wait
long before the first case was
settled then they called my name
and I went up to the front and
the Magistrate ask me to state
my complaint which I did and
they ask me if I had my witness
and I said I did not only My
Father who could witness that I
had made complaints to him quite
often. Then they ask me if my
Father was present and I
answered Yes, then they called
him up and he explained the case
telling how I had complained of
the way Mr. Dunsmore was acting
toward me. They then called up
Mr. Dunsmore and he swore that
he always had plenty of work,
but I was too lazy to do it, and
there they rested the case and
the Justices consulted together
for a minute or tow, then one of
them got up and calling to me
said Young Man your Indentures
are canceled you are free, I
thanked them very kindly and
went our free to go where I
pleased I was now eighteen years
of age. And I still had a desire
to finish learning the
carpentering, so My Father
searched all around to find a
place where I could go to but
his searching was in vain, So I
started to work with my Father
to finish my education in the
Mason trade. I worked with him
several months at low wages
before I could command a man’s
wage. And Oh how Proud I was
when I could draw five shillings
per day, for that was the
Highest wage then paid to any
man in that line of Business. I
worked along until the Spring of
1861 and attended my meetings
and endeavored to perform my
Duties to the best of my
abilities and about this time I
was ordained to the Office of a
Priest in the Aaronic Priesthood
and acted in the capacity of a
Teacher in the Grantham Branch
and also my Older Bro was making
preparations to leave home to go
to America. And he finally set
sail on the 13 of May 1861 but
before leaving he made me
promise that I would labour with
the rest of the family to bring
them into the Church and follow
him the following year For I am
sorry to say that my Father had
been cut off from the Church
unjustly for not paying his
tithing every week as was
ordered by the President of the
mission. My Father was a
contractor at this time and didn’t
draw his pay weekly but when
ever he drew any money he would
first pay his tithing out of it,
in full up to date, then it
would probably be a month before
he would draw any more but this
didn’t suit President Babbit
so he had him cut off from the
Church and my father didn’t
like it and said if that was the
rule of the Church he wanted no
more to do with it, and seemed
to lose all interest in it, But
I laboured constantly with him,
and called upon the Lord to
assist me in my labours in that
direction, And every time I went
to meeting I would invite him to
go with me, But I could not get
him to go, and it went along in
this way until 9 months out of
the 12 had past away. But I
never lost faith in the power of
the Lord to open his eyes to his
condition And I prayed earnestly
to the Lord for His Holy Spirit
to guide and direct my
conversations with my Father
that I might be enabled to say
something that would touch his
heart so that his eyes might be
opened to understand more
clearly the principle of tithing
as that seemed to be his
greatest trouble. And in about a
month from that time There was
to be a conference to be held at
Nottingham 24 miles from where
we were And I began pleading
with my Father to attend that
conference with me feeling in my
very soul that if I could
accomplish this His eyes would
be open to his condition And the
nearer the conference drew, The
more I called upon the Lord I
his behalf until I gained his
promise to go with me, And when
the day arrived and I arose in
the morning I still plead with
the Lord that my Father might
not change his mind about going
with me, And while we were
eating breakfast I asked him if
he would be ready as I wanted to
be there for the opening
session, And he told me he didn’t
care about going And I felt very
much grieved that I arose from
the table and went up to my bed
room shut the door and there I
supplicated the Lord again to
cause that he might go with me I
went down and ask and pled with
him to go with me. My Mother
also plead with him to that end,
But he still said No he didn’t
want to go, I went to my room
again and for the third time I
knelt down and prayed earnestly
to the Lord from my very soul,
and the Spirit of peace came
upon me and something seemed to
say to me he will go, I got
myself ready and went down
stairs and as quick as I opened
the door, My Father jumped up
out of his chair and said Well
my Boy I think I’ll go with
you, And Oh the joy and comfort
those few words brought to my
soul I cannot express. He was
soon ready and we started for
the Station arriving there we
found quite a number of the
Saints there to accompany us And
soon the train came along and we
all jumped aboard and soon
arrived at our destination, and
the Presidency of the European
Mission George G. Cannon,
Charles C. Rich, and Amasa M.
Lyman. And the Hall was filled
to its fullest capacity.
President Cannon being the first
speaker and his Subject was
Tithing, and he explained it to
the people in all of it various
forms with such power and
simplicity, and with authority,
he spoke for one hour upon that
one principle alone, he seemed
to be impressed with a Desire
that every person in the Hall
should clearly understand it.
And after the close of the
meeting, My Father said to me,
Well my Boy it is alright, I am
ready to be Baptized. And I
could not keep the tears of joy
from flowing down my cheeks. And
Oh how I felt to thank God for
answering y prayers in my
Fathers’ behalf, and during
that memorable conference the
Spirit of God was poured out
upon the people in a great
measure and all felt amply
repaid for their trouble in
attending. We returned home in
great joy for the good things we
had heard And on the next night
my Father was Baptized and
before I left in the following
Spring my Father was ordained to
the Office of an Elder and was
appointed to act as the
President of the Grantham Branch
of the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter Day Saints. And through
my efforts I had the pleasure of
seeing my 3 sisters come into
the fold of Christ and being
Baptized as members in the
church, And my heart was full to
overflowing for the great
goodness of God toward me in my
labours in my Father’s family
then my next efforts were in
gathering together sufficient
means to pay my fare to New York
where my Brother had been
staying until I should arrive
there so that we could go to
Salt Lake together as I had
promised him when he left home
the year before, And he had
wrote me that If I could obtain
means to take me to New York he
would pay my way through the
country to Winter Quarters And
from there I could work my way
through to Salt Lake City, But
it seemed as though the Evil one
was edging up my way for some
time, But I called upon the Lord
to aid me in my efforts and he
did so that I was enabled to
leave my home and the land of my
Birth with all that was near and
dear unto me, And set forth on
my journey across the deep
waters on the good ship
Manchester on the 6th
day of May 1862 just 12 days
after my 20th
birthday Thus fulfilling my
prediction that I should be in
America before I was 21 years of
age as I said when I was 14
years old.
We
left Liverpool about half past
five in the evening And we made
fair headway for a few days And
thin it became quite
tempestuous, and the winds
carried us wethersoever it
listed, and we began to
encounter mountains of waves,
and the winds increased and
drove us first one way and then
anther. And it appeared as
though the poor sailors were
working both night and day xxx
about, trying to gain a little
headway and in the meantime the
most of the passengers
discovered that they owed Jonah
a bill, and he was demanding
payment forthwith. And as the
Saints claimed to be honest,
they were paying him with double
interest. But notwithstanding
they were relieving the vessel
of a considerable amount of
Ballast she did not increase her
peed, but kept veering towards
the north as though she thought
we wanted to go to the Artic
region for She drifted so far to
the north that we encountered
Mountains of Ice and for days
were in danger of coming in
contact with them, or with other
vessels that might be in the
same condition as ourselves for
the fog was so dense we could
see but a very short distance
away from our ship, so the fog
horns were blowing and the Bells
were ringing day and night but
we finally got clear of the
icebergs and the fog lifted and
the winds abated some so that
the sailors could handle the
ship better so that they soon
got nearer the line of travel
but not for long for the shortly
another storm came on worse than
the first and the waves washed
over the Deck of the ship so
much that the Captain ordered
the people all below and the
hatches all to be fastened down,
And there we were for the space
of 48 hours, And it really
seemed at times as though the
ship would go U. I was going to
say under but she did that quite
often during those two days, for
the waves would cover the Deck
completely but the ship would
straighten herself and the water
would run off the Deck. But
notwithstanding the danger we
were in, we continued our daily
meetings and our prayer meetings
and sang the songs of Zion, just
as though the sea was calm and
the [sun was] shining. For we
had faith in the God of heaven
and knew we were there by his
command and knew that he was
able to deliver us from all harm
and danger. So we rejoiced
together in the knowledge we had
received of the power of God and
the truth of the principles of
the Gospel We had espoused, and
after the 48 hours of darkness
for we were not permitted to
have a light, the storm spent
itself out and we had fair
sailing and made good headway
and at the close of six weeks
and five days on the waters with
very little sickness aside from
sea sickness and two births and
one wedding we were permitted to
once more set our feet on land
and that the land of Zion, so
feeling in our hearts truly
thankful to our Heavenly Father
for his preserving care that had
been over us we gathered up our
belongings and went on shore to
castle Gardens, And there we had
to wait some time for
arraignments to be made for our
transportation so I began
looking around expecting my
Brother to be there to meet me,
But all that day I looked for
him but He never came, And I did
not know his Address but I
thought surely he will be here
early in the morning. But
morning came but no Brother and
the afternoon came and Still he
did not come. And I began to
feel quite anxious and watching
the gateway the main entrance
from the city about 5 o clock in
the evening I spied him coming
toward the gate And I ran to
meet him and we were soon
embracing each other and the joy
we felt in the meeting is
indescribable and he soon told
me that he did not hear of the
arrival of the vessel until 2
hours before as he lived in
Brooklyn and had made all haste
to come to me then indeed I
thought my trouble was over, he
also informed me that he had
taken to himself a wife, and
that they and two friends that I
knew was staying with him and
that they were all ready to go
along with our company as soon
as they were ready to start, the
name of these two friends were
Richard and Hester Jessop, that
belonged to our conference the
Brother came out with my Brother
and the Sister came out just
before me and we had a fine time
together going around seeing the
sights of both Brooklyn and also
New York until the proper
arrangements were made for us to
start on our journey. Then we
all got aboard the train with
all the saints that crossed with
me and quite a number from New
York. But nothing of importance
occurred on the way until we
were traveling through the State
of Illinois, there one of the
cars that was loaded with the
Saints baggage took fire and
instead of them uncoupling the
car from the rest and pulling it
a short distance away and
letting the people save what
they could from the fire, they
took the car six miles away to
the next station and when the
Engineer returned back to the
train, he swore that he would
drive all the damned Mormons to
Hell. So putting on all Steam he
jumped from his Engine and let
her come full force into the
train, But thank God there was
not one that was hurt, but 2
cars were smashed into Splinters
and it took some time to clear
away the wreckage so that when
we arrived at the place where
they had taken the burning car
there was nothing left of it,
but there were hundreds of
people around there who no doubt
had saved lots of the things
that were in the car and carried
them off. But the people that
had suffered the loss and that
in many instances was all they
had in the world but what they
stood upright in, and not one of
them got any redress from the
railroad co. And so the Saints
had to bear the burden
themselves, we were soon on our
way again, But with sorrowful
hearts for o one in the company
could tell at that time whether
their luggage was in that car or
not, nor did we find out until
we left the cars, took passage
on the steam boat, and arrived
at Florence or Winter Quarters,
on the opposite side of the Old
Missouria river from Counsel
Bluffs, so when all the luggage
was carried ashore, then it was
soon discovered who had been the
losers for their trunks could
not be found, But myself and
Brother found all that belonged
to us while the Brother and
Sister Jessop that were
traveling with us lost their all
as not even one parcel belonging
to them could be found any
where, but nevertheless we were
truly thankful, that things were
as well with us as they were, in
that our lives had been
preserved, and that the Lord had
permitted us to read this far on
our Journey, And thinking at the
time that we would only have to
stay there a day or two, before
we would again resume our
journey across the plains, but
we soon found out that the teams
that were expected to take us to
the valley of the great Salt
Lake had not yet arrived from
there and as there was no means
of them communicating with us
nor us with them, we could not
tell when they would arrive, So
we all had to make the best of
the circumstances with which we
were surrounded, And even if
they came in the course of a few
days, they would have to lay
over for some time before they
could make the return trip as
their cattle would have to rest
for some time to recuperate and
gain strength sufficient for
their homeward journey and in
the meantime we were all camped
in tents ten persons to each
tent and these tents were places
from sixteen to twenty feet
apart each way, and there was
near three thousands of saints
all there at this time, so that
when we were all housed in our
canvass tents we formed quite a
large city, but we soon were all
organized with a head overreach
ten or tent, whose duty it was
to look after the interests ad
comfort of those who were placed
under their charge. And we held
our regular meetings and all met
together for prayers night and
morning that is the occupants of
each tent and on Sundays we held
our general meetings where all
assembled together, and good was
handed out each morning from the
commissary to the head of each
family for the day, and thus we
lived for some time before the
teams began to arrive but there
was plenty of good feed around
us as far as the eye could seem
and the cattle soon became in
good condition for traveling. SO
the first train was loaded and
everything put in order for
starting and the teamster
rounded up their cattle and the
next morning they started on
their long journey to the valley
with fifty wagons and 10 persons
to each wagon and tent, besides
the teamsters but it was made up
and loaded for a start after the
one that had gone and in the
meantime we spent our time in
any way we chose, and one day me
and my Brother and another young
man, went down to the banks of
the old Misouria river to bathe,
and we selected a place, that
had backed in from the main
Stream that we thought would not
be too deep as neither of us
knew how to swim, at least we
thought so, so we all walked
into the water, And I a little
in advance of the of the others,
and as I was going along all at
once I stepped into a hole, and
down I went, and thought I never
lost the presence of mind, it
seemed to me hours before I
started upwards and then I had
not reached the bottom, but I
finally reached the surface of
the water, the boys had a log of
wood, that was laying by the
bank in the edge of the water,
and they pushed it toward me,
but just as soon as I touched it
I went down again calling to the
Boys to pull the log away And
not to come in after me, and it
seemed to me I didn’t go half
as far down as I did the first
time before I again began to
rise and when I reached the
surface again I started to swim
across the hole, but away from
the boys and after getting my
feet on the ground I rested a
minute or two, I then turned and
swam to where the boys was
standing and this was the first
time I had ever tried to swim
and it was also the last even up
to now, then I had just passed
my 20th birthday and
I am now nearing my 68th
birthday, and as soon as I
reached the boys we all
concluded we had had quite
enough for the day, so put on
our clothes and went to camp
feeling fully satisfied that the
preserving hand of God my
eternal Father had saved my life
from drowning. And I felt in my
innermost soul to acknowledge
his hand in my narrow escape
from death, and as the teams had
kept coming in at short
intervals and as one train had
started out with Mr. Kimbel as
the Captain and the second also
under Captain Murdock and a
third was ready to start under
the direction of Captain Haite
now as soon as another could be
loaded it was to start out under
the direction of Captain Miller
and in this train my Brother and
his wife and my Friends the
Jessops were to travel and as I
said in the beginning My Bro
was only to pay my way to this
point Winter Quarters, So I
began to look about me for a
chance to work my way to the
Valley And so I went to see a
Mr. Blackburn the one who had
charge of the emigration for
that year 1862. I found him in
his tent where he transacted his
business and I said to him, If
you please Sir, would there be
any chance for me to pay my way
by driving a team to the valley,
He turned o his stool and faced
me and sized me up from top to
toe, and said nothing for a
minute to two, and then he said,
Young man did you ever drive a
team, and I said No Sir, that
was not in my line of Business,
Well he said if your team should
happen to get stuck in a mud
hole, do you think that you
could put your shoulder to the
wheel, and help lift it out, And
looking straight at him I said
If you please Sir, did you ever
do the like, and he smiling said
Yes many times, then I said Well
Sir, if you have done it I think
I can, Oh he said I thought you
looked more like a counter
jumper than a Bull Driver, and
he smiled again and in a minute
or two he said, Well Young man
what is your name, and I said
Wm. H. Hill and he said where
did you come from and what was
your business. I told him I came
from England, and my business
was bricklaying. Well he said I
guess you’ll do, Yes you can
get a team to drive to pay your
way as you go, but he said you
will have to wait until all the
emigrants have left, And you can
drive a team in the last train
that will cross the plains this
season, I thanked him and told
him I would be on hand any time
And he said I will have to
remain behind a few days after
you leave to finish up my
business here, but when I catch
up with you, I shall make
inquiries of your Captain, to
find out what kind of a Bull
driver you are. And I told him
that would be all right as I
didn’t think that he would
have anything to complain of, so
it was not but a day or so, when
the train in which my Bro and
friends were going to travel in,
started out, leaving me all
along as far as friends
relatives or acquaintances were
concerned, the Captain of the
train in which my Bro traveled
was named Miller. Now when they
had started there were but few
remaining and they were all to
go in the train in which I was
to go in and we had to wait near
three weeks before we could
begin to prepare to load up as
neither wagons, cattle, nor
freight were there and
everything had to be bought and
gathered together. We were to
load up with church freight and
our train was called the church
train. The wagons, thirty in
number, were all new and the
cattle were all three and four
year olds all wild as they were
driven off the range they had
never been handled, and the way
we had to do to catch them was
to corral them then lasso them
with a long rope and then get up
to them and put the yoke over
their necks, and slip the bow up
under their neck, and put the
ends of the bow through the yoke
and key it so that it would not
slip back, and then we would
catch the one that was to work
with him, and get him up to the
one we already had in the yoke
and put the other end of the
yoke over his neck coming up on
either side and through the yoke
and fasten it the same as the
other then take off the ropes
and let them go to get
acquainted with the yoke and
with each other, and we were to
have 7 yoke of cattle to the
wagon and thirty wagons in all
so we had quite a time to get
them all yoked up and as soon as
we got a pair yoked together we
turned them out to eat on the
range.
Now
twelve weeks have passed since I
first arrived in the camp, and I
began to feel anxious to be on
the move, And was pleased to see
the wagons and freight arriving,
as we now had the cattle, I
began to think we would soon be
able to start on our way,
neither was I much disappointed
for we went right to work
loading up the wagons, and in
five days we were ready to
start, so our Captain said we
would start next day, so the
next day we started to hitch-up,
And when I got my seven yoke
hitched to the wagon they ran
away and the night herder
started after them on Horse
back, and they ran five miles
before he could get them under
control so as to bring them
back. I had on thirty hundred
weight of freight, but it was in
the shape of sheet iron, just
the size of the inside of the
wagon box And they lay so solid
so that no matter how much the
wagon might jolt, they could not
upset or injure it in the least.
And when they returned, I
thought it was the best thing,
that could have happened to
them, for really they were more
than half broke, so that I didn’t
have but little labour to make
them quite tractable, for as
quick as they got back Captain
Wm H Dame gave orders to start,
so the train started out, and we
traveled eighteen miles our way,
and then camped for the night,
and as my cattle had traveled
eighteen miles and had become
quite docile while all the
others had only gone eight
miles, I took their yokes all
off before I turned them out for
the night, while all the rest of
the teams had their yokes on,
And some of the boys said I
never would be able to catch
them in the morning, but when
morning came, I had my cattle
all caught yoked up and hitched
on to the wagon, about as soon
as any of them, and was already
to start with the rest without
much trouble And that day we
made twenty miles. Besides the
church freight I had in my wagon
I also had five passengers with
their luggage. They were Swedish
people, and after stopping for
the night, I again unyoked my
cattle and turned them out, and
all the others followed my
example this time, so as to let
their cattle eat and rest better
than they could with their yokes
on, but the next morning I had
caught mine and got hitched up
over an hour before some of the
boys had caught theirs, for they
had to lasso them, as they could
not get anywhere near them, for
all the time they were on the
travel, the day before they were
whipping and slashing at them
with their whips, that their
cattle were afraid of them,
while I would pet and fondle
mine, so that it was not long
before I could do anything with
them, And before we had been on
the road two weeks, I could go
into the corral call them by
name, and they would come to me,
and I would put the yoke on, and
then go and call another and so
on until I got them all yoked up
in their places, while most of
the boys would have to lasso
their cattle every time they
wanted to yoke them up, and some
of them had to do that all the
way to Salt Lake City, And when
we had been two weeks on our
journey most of the boys went to
Captain Dame and ask him to let
them have another whip each as
they had worn out the first he
gave them before they started on
the poor cattle. And yet mine
was as good as it was when he
gave it to me, And I had the
most tractable team in the whole
train, so much so that the
Captain came to me and wanted to
know if I wouldn’t let one of
the boys have one yoke of mine
and me take a yoke of his, as he
couldn’t get along, his cattle
was so wild. I told him Yes he
could take a yoke, and he did
so, And in two days I had his
wild ones so that I had no
trouble with them and in a few
days the Captain came to me
again and wanted me to let him
have another yoke and then I
told him that he could have
them, but if he wanted any more
after I had had the trouble to
make them tractable he could
take them all, for the other
boys had the same chance to
break their cattle that I had.
So after that exchange, I was
not bothered any more, And thus
we went on our journey day by
day. We were up in the morning
by five o clock and cooked our
breakfast of what we called Flap
jacks and sow belly with the
buttons on and coffee And this
was our diet day only when we
got a chance to kill a buffalo
then we would feast on fresh
meat for a few meals, and when
we had been traveling twelve
days, the Brethren we left
behind when we started out,
caught up with us as they
traveled much quicker than we
did for they had horse teams
with light wagons. They arrived
in camp after we had stopped for
the night, and next morning Bro
Blackburne, the person who hired
me to drive a team, came and
stood by my wagon as he had been
making inquiries of the Captain
what kind of a driver I was, And
the Captain told him to come and
see for himself how I handled my
cattle, so he came and stood by
my wagon until I had finished
yoking up and had got them all
hitched to the wagon and then he
came, and shook hands with me
and said, Well, Bro Hill, I see
you understand how to take care
of cattle, and handle them too
and he said, I must admit that I
have never seen a lot of wild
cattle become so tractable in so
short a time, and I can but
wonder how you have accomplished
it, and I smiled at him and said
Well Bro Blackburne I found out
that the same spirit which the
driver possessed would be
transmitted to the cattle, and
so by using the spirit of
kindness, I have been enabled to
bring them into the condition
you see them in this morning,
and I showed him my whip and
then told him to examine the
other boys’ whips and then he
would be able to see just as
much difference in them as there
was in the tractableness of the
cattle. Well he said I shall
always remember the lesson you
have given me this morning and
he again shook hands with me
bidding me good bye, and shortly
the teams being all hitched up,
they started on the journey. And
during the forenoon the Horse
teams past us, and they were
soon out of sight and that was
the last we saw of them as they
traveled much faster than we did
with our cattle, for we only
aimed to travel fifteen miles,
on an average per day, but some
days we would make more and some
days less, owing to where we
could get water and feed for our
cattle and wood for cooking,
many times we camped where there
was none, then we would gather
dry Buffalo chips or dried
cattle dung to cook with. And
thus we kept on our journey for
the valley and each day we would
pass one or more pieces of
boards pointing us to where some
poor soul had been laid away by
the road side tired and worn out
by the hardships they had
endured on their journey. And I
heard that my Bro had been taken
quite sick with what they termed
mountain fever, which caused my
mind to be much troubled and
fearful least he should die on
the way, and I should discover
where they laid him by the road
side, as I was unable to hear
any further from him or about
him. But I prayed earnestly to
my Heavenly Father for his
preserving care to be over him
day by day, And he recovered and
got through alright, And after
being on the travel for the
space of twelve weeks we finally
got to the mouth of what they
call immigration canyon, where
we could see Salt Lake City, and
we all thought it was the most
pleasant sight that our eyes had
ever beheld, and then it was
different to what it is now for
where we stood we could have
counted every house there was in
the city at that time and that
was on the twenty-ninth day of
October 1862 making it six
months and twenty-six days from
the time I left Liverpool,
England. The Captain took the
lead down from the mouth of the
canyon and we followed him and
he took us into President Young’s
yard, and there we all unhitched
our teams, and all the
passengers with the Captain and
all that had any place to go
left, But me and eight others
that had no relations or friends
to go to, stayed by the wagons,
built our camp fire, cooked and
ate our supper, ad were sitting
around the fire when a Gentleman
came up to us And shaking hands
with all of us Asked if we had
any relatives in the country,
and how we had fared while
crossing the plains, and where
we came from. We answered these
questions. Then he ask us if we
had anything to eat, and we told
him yes. Well he said I want you
Boys to stay right here and make
yourselves as comfortable as you
possible can, until you each get
a place to go to, we thanked him
very kindly and promised to do
as he requested and then he told
us who he was and that his name
was Brigham Young. And we
continued sitting around our
camp fire talking about our good
fortune in having the privilege
of meeting with the President of
the Church, and how kind he had
been to us and so on, until it
became bed time, when we all
knelt down and had prayers and
then retired for the night, and
all slept soundly during
the night until six o clock,
when some one in the crowd awoke
and awoke all the rest, so TO
all got up and cooked our
breakfast, and after we had all
eaten we cleared away our traps,
and started out to see what Salt
Lake City looked like each
promise in that we would be back
for dinner, which we were, and
in the afternoon we all went out
' again agreeing to be back to
the wagons by six o clock or
before, so we strolled about
seeing what there was to see
around the city, until we got
tired, and then we wended our
way back to camp, and started to
cook our supper early as we were
expecting that perhaps somebody
might be their in the Evening to
hire some of us to work for
them, and we were not
disappointed, for we had no
sooner eat our supper, and had
got located around our camp
fire, than there was five or six
Gentlemen came and entered into
conversation with us, and
shortly one of them selected me
out from the rest and asked me
if I wanted to hire out I said
les Sir, he then ask me what my
business was, I told him that I
was a bricklayer by trade, and
he said Oh I am a bricklayer
too, but I don't want to hire a
bricklayer, I want some one that
can take care of a team, and ask
me if I had ever done that, I
told him I had not but I could
soon learn I thought alright he
said I will give you the chance,
And if you -will come-with me I
will give you twenty five
Dollars per month from now until
Spring. And I said alright Sir
I111 come and try it with you,
so he said you can come in the
morning, Instructing me what
direction to take to find his
home, telling me that he was
Bishop of the nineteenth ward
and he said that his name was
Raleigh I said alright Sir I111
be there some time in the
morning all being well, he
directed me to go so many blocks
west, and so blocks north, and
that he lived on the south east
corner of the 19th ward, there
was also five others of the boys
which had got places to go to,
making six with myself leaving
two that yet needed places, and
the next morning other men came
and the remaining two secured
places to go to, so after
Breakfast we all gathered up our
belongings and bidding each
other goodbye, we all shook
hands, and wishing each other
success for the future we
separated each going in a
different direction. And I have
never had the pleasure of
meeting with any of them again
to my knowledge from that day to
the present, but I wended my way
the best I could toward the
South east corner of the 19th
ward, but not knowing the points
of the compass, I could not tell
which was the North or which was
the south at that time, but I
kept walking first one way and
then another and at last I
inquired of a man I met in the
street and from his direction I
soon pulled up at the south east
corner of the nineteenth hen I
finally arrived there 1
discovered it was dinner time,
and the folks had begun to think
that I had changed my mind and
was not going as I had agreed to
and has dinner was just ready,
the first thing I did was to eat
dinner, and when the family all
got around the table, I
discovered that the Bishop had
six wives all living in the same
house, and that each wife had
two or more children, and all at
the one table, it was something
I had not seen the like of in my
life before, And it seemed to me
as though they were having a
party, and me being somewhat
bashful, I didn’t have much to
say, and after we were through
eating the Bishop went out with
me to the stable and showed me
what I would have to do, so I
entered upon my labours on the
first day of November 1862 and
when night came they made me a
bed in a wagon box under a shed,
and for the first few days, I
tended to the team cut wood, and
done other chores that was to be
done around the place And as it
was a nice open fall, with no
snow as yet, he had not started
to get up his vegetables, this
was now Saturday and the next
day being Sunday I attended
meeting in the Old Tabernacle
which stood on the ground were
the Assembly Hall now stands,
and for the first time, I there
saw the President with his
Counselors, and most of the
twelve Apostles, and Oh how my
heart burned within me to listen
to those that spoke, this was on
Sunday afternoon and in the
Evening I attended meeting in
the nineteenth ward meeting
Hall, the next morning we
started to dig and haul beets,
and were at it for more than a
week, and after completing the
beets and getting them all home,
we gathered in all other
vegetables he had, and secured
them for winter use And then we
started to make molasses by
grinding up the beets we had
gathered and then pressing out
the juice, and then boiling the
liquor down into molasses, this
taking us about four weeks then
I was hauling manure, and doing
other labour to prepare for the
approaching winter, until two
days before Christmas when
during the following night,
there fell all of two feet of
snow, which closed up all out
door labour, then as I was in
the stable, feeding the horses,
next morning, my Boss came to
me, and he said Well, Bro Hill
winter has come at last And I
said les Sir, this is the
heaviest fall of snow, I have
ever seen in my life and he said
indeed, and then he said Well
Bro Hill, how do you like your
place I told him I liked it very
well, and ask him how he liked
the way I had done his work, and
he replied I have been very much
pleased with it, he then ask me
if I calculated to stay with him
during the winter, and I said
certainly wasn't that the
understanding when you hired me
and agreed to give me twenty
five dollars per month until
Spring, Well he said winter is
here now, And has there will be
nothing to do but the chores I
don’t think
I will be able to pay you
anything as we reckon an
emigrant does well, if he can
get his board for doing the
chores during the winter, and I
said what do you expect me to do
all your chores through the
winter for just -what I can eat,
he said yes, and I ask him if he
was willing to pay me at the
rate of twenty five dollars for
a time I had been there. I don’t
think I will be able to pay you
anything as we reckon an
emigrant does well, if he can
get his board for doing the
chores during the winter, and I
said what do you expect me to do
all your chores through the
winter for just what I can eat,
he said yes, and I ask him if he
was willing to pay me at the
rate of twenty five dollars for
a time I had been there and he
said yes And I told him to
please let me have it for I
never had worked simply for my
board alone, and I never would,
even if I had to go up in the
mountains and starve to death,
so he paid me what was coming to
me, and I left him and I went
out to Coalville or Hoytsville
near by, and me and my Brother
made a dugout and lived in it
all winter, and our principle
diet was beans with no meat only
as we could kill a jackrabbit
once in a while we could get but
very little bread to go with
that. But we got along very well
and early in the month of April
1863 I went back again to the
city, and when I arrived there,
the first thing I did was to go
to the temple block and there I
secured work cutting granite for
the temple at three dollars and
fifty cents per day next I went
and secured a place to board
with a sister Smith the widow of
Don Carlos Smith the Brother to
the Prophet Joseph Smith, and
with her I had a very
comfortable home for four
dollars per week and then as I
had the remainder of the day to
my self.
I
thought I would visit the family
of my old Boss, as they had all
been very kind to me while I
stayed with them, as any of them
were always willing to do
anything for me to make me
comfortable And I would wait
upon them all I could So I once
more wended my way down to the
south- east corner of the
nineteenth ward And has it
happened I arrived there just as
they were sitting down to dinner
and I found that the Bishop was
there, And when I went in, he
came up to me and shook hands
and invited me to have dinner
with them, so I eat with them
and after dinner, the Bishop
said, well Bro. Hill you were
the very young man that I wanted
to see, and I said Oh indeed and
he said Yes, I want you to come
and work for me, I will give you
fifty dollars a month, and I
told him I could do better than
that, Well he said I will give
you sixty, and I said you would
have to give more than that, and
he said I will give you sixty
five, and I said Bishop you
haven't means enough to induce
me to come and work for you a
man that would take the
advantage that you did of me
last fall, just as quick as the
first snow fell. If you was the
only man there was in the
country I would pick up my traps
and leave, before I would work
for you again, And I left him,
But many times I met him in the
streets of Salt Lake City after
that but he would never speak to
me, but that didn't hurt my
feelings in the least, And next
morning being the twenty fifth
day of the month of April 1863
and my 21st birthday as well, I
started to work on the temple
block cutting stone for the
temple the boss lending me a kit
of stone cutting tools, until
such time as I could get some
made, there were ten stone
cutters there at work, and most
of them were men that crossed
the plains the year before as I
had done, and all of us worked
together under a long shed, so
as to shield us from the burning
rays of the sun, and we soon got
acquainted with each other, and
got along fine together, And we
were all depending upon the
tithing office for our pay, as
it was brought in by the people,
especially [sic] those in the
country, we first had to get an
order on the tithing office,
from the Presidents office, And
then when there was anything in
the tithing office such as
butter eggs meat potatoes
cabbage squash carrots molasses
flour or any thing that was
brought in as tithing, we then
had to present out order to the
Clerk and take what he had a
mind to let us have, we could
sometimes get a little, and
sometimes we could not and it
was hard to get enough each
week, to pay my board bill for
the first few weeks, But after
we got more acquainted, we were
enabled to do better, I
continued to work there for
about five months, and had not
been able to get anything in the
shape of clothing or any thing
that would purchase any and
about that time, the clothing
that I brought with me were
badly worn and needed renewing,
so I was thinking of leaving
that job. And going somewhere [sic]
to get [sic] a little money to
get myself out with what
clothing I needed, when one day
Bro Daniel H. Wells came on the
block, and came and entered into
conversation with me and ask me
were I learned the stone cutting
I told him with my father in
England he wanted to know when I
came from England, and how I
liked this country and whether
my Father was here and so on and
then he said Bro Hill, I want
you to stay right hear, until
this temple is completed, so
then I told him my condition and
that I had been thinking of
leaving so that I could get some
clothing that I very much
needed, And he ask me what I
most stood in need of at that
time, and I told him I needed
some shirts the most, so he said
you come over to my house this
evening and I will see what I
can do for you in that line, I
thanked him very kindly, and
promised him I would do so, So
when evening came I went to his
house, and he had got me nine
yards of check shirting, enough
to make me two shirts, and told
me to keep at my work, And when
I needed any thing else, to let
him know and he would do his
best to get them for me, I
thanked him, And took the
shirting to the place were he
told me, And the Sister soon had
one of them made so that I could
wear it, and promised that she
would let me have the other by
the time I would want change
which she did, And then I worked
along until the fourteenth day
of October when I went to him
again, to try and get a pair of
shoes, as my old ones gave out
on me, But he could not get them
for me And as there was a train
of thirty wagons about to start
out for Austin Nevada 480 miles
from Salt Lake City freighted
with vegetables, And they were
offering fifty dollars per month
for teamsters, I concluded that
I would try and get a chance to
drive a team, So I went and saw
the Captain of the train, and he
hired me, So I left the temple
Block and went out with the
train driving seven yoke of
cattle, But owing to the fact
that they had all crossed the
plains that season, they were
all poor and almost worn out
when we started and as we
traveled along, they began to
give out, and when the night
herders would bring them into
camp in the morning they would
bring in the report that quite a
number of them had died during
the night so not withstanding we
had seven yoke to each wagon
when we started, we did not
average two yoke to each wagon
when we arrived at our
destination, and when we were
all unloaded, the Boss told us,
that as there was not enough
cattle to take the wagons back
to Salt Lake City, He would give
each of us fifty dollars apiece,
and we could either stay there
or go back to Salt Lake, just as
we choose So the most of the
teamsters said they would stay
there for the [missing
text]
with
the train driving seven yoke of
cattle, But owing to the fact
that they had all crossed the
plains that season, they were
all poor and almost worn out
when we started and as we
traveled along, they began to
give out, and when the night
herders would bring them into
camp in the morning they would
bring in the report that quite a
number of them had died during
the night so not withstanding we
had seven yoke to each wagon
when we started, we did not
average two yoke to each wagon
when we arrived at our
destination, and when we were
all unloaded, the Boss told us,
that as there was not enough
cattle to take the wagons back
to Salt Lake City, He would give
each of us fifty dollars apiece,
and we could either stay there
or go back to Salt Lake, just as
we choose So the most of the
teamsters said they would stay
there for the winter, but there
were nine who wanted to get back
to Utah, and I was one of that
number, so the Boss said he
would furnish a team and light
wagon, to haul our food and
bedding, But none were to ride
unless it was really necessary,
so we got every thing ready, and
the next morning we bid goodbye
to all those that had concluded
to stay, and started out on our
four hundred and eighty miles
trip to Salt Lake but the
weather was fine to start with
but of course we could not tell
what kind of weather we might
encounter as we went along, we
traveled twenty five miles the
first day and then camped for
the night, and the boys thought
they had done well.
The next day we got over
the distance of sixty miles, And
I was not as tired as I was the
first night And the teamsters
said that he would bet me five
dollars that next day, he could
drive the team further than I
could walk, And I bet him that
he couldn't do it, so next
morning we started out early.
The roads were good, and the
weather was fine and all the
forenoon he kept ahead of me,
and at noon we made a stop for
dinner and I was but a short
distance behind we prepared and
eat our dinner, and at one
o'clock we all started out
together He taking the lead for
a short time, but by three o
clock, I caught up with and some
of the boys being about worn
out, there feet being in such a
condition that the blood came
out of there shoes, most of them
got on the wagon to ride, for
our team was composed of two
span of the fattest and
prettiest mules I ever saw, and
we did not think that it would
hurt them for the boys to ride
once in a while, so as we
traveled along, they kept
changing, four of them would
ride for a spell, then they
would walk and the other four
would ride for a short time
tine, And when four o’clock
came, I was taking the lead, and
from then one he commenced to
use his whip to urge them along,
but with all his efforts he
could not catch up with me, And
thus we traveled along, me
gaining on him and putting a
greater distance between us hour
by hour until night came, and he
could not get his team any
further then they all at once
called after me to come back to
were they had camped but it was
some time before I could hear
them, as I was about half a
miles ahead of then, But I
finally did hear them and walked
back to them, and when I got
there the driver said Well Hill
you certainly have beat me so
here is your five dollars and he
said I will never again say
anything about a team going
further in a day than a man,
especially such a devil to walk
as you are, and when we had eat
our supper, we found out that we
had traveled eighty miles,
making a little more than seven
miles each hour for the eleven
hours we had been on the road
And after that I scored a little
more than eighty miles a day,
until I arrived in Salt Lake
City, covering the four hundred
and eighty miles in six days,
and arrived in Salt Lake City
two days before Christmas day,
and that without encountering
any storms, and the best of it
was, I had money enough to pay
my board bill for the winter
months, as well as supplying
myself with all the clothing I
needed, But I must here say that
I was the only one in the
company but what had to ride on
the wagon, and most every day I
would have as many has three and
sometimes four of the boys that
I would help along, one would
take hold of one arm and one
hold of the other, and two hold
of my coat behind, and I would
have to put them along, toward
the end of each day, while the
other four would be riding on
the wagon, and they would change
about, so we were all very
thankful to get back to Utah and
spend the winter in Salt Lake
City, were we could have the
privilege of attending to our
meetings and keeping in touch
with the saints And when spring
came, I got a situation with
General O'Conner who was then at
Fort Douglas, and a Mr. Carlton
who was superintendent of the
Western Union Telegraph Co. who
then lived in Salt Lake City.
They had been out to Coalville
and located a coal mine, and
they hired me to superintend the
development of the mine at
ninety dollars per month and
board so on the ninth day of
April l864 I started out for the
place, and in the course of two
month, we had drifted (?) a
tunnel into the mountain
something over four hundred feet
and found a good body of good
coal.
And we began bringing it
out to the surface. Then I went
into Salt Lake City with a
sample of the coal for the
inspection of my Bosses, and
they both highly elated at there
success, so they purchased
twelve wagons with two yoke of
cattle to the wagon and sent
them out to me with orders to
haul the coal into camp Douglas,
so I hired teamsters and started
hauling, and during the season
delivered fifteen hundred tons
of coal at that place, making
two trips a week and from thirty
six to forty tons at a trip And
I must here say that during the
time I lived in Salt Lake City I
became acquainted with a young
Lady that who crossed the
plains.
The same year I did but I
had not known her until 1363 her
name was Isabella B. Wells and
when I became acquainted with
her, She was living in the 9th
ward with the family of Ira
Hinkley. He had two families in
the same house but he also owned
a ranch in or near Coalville,
And early in the Spring of l8xxx
he moved one of his families out
on his ranch, and Miss Wells
went with them, And I being out
there all summer too, we
naturally renewed our
acquaintance, And we were quite
often together during the
Summer, and when fall came, I
quit the coal mine and was
staying with an old
acquaintance, one whom I had
traveled from England with, and
as he wanted me to stay with him
for the winter, I finally
persuaded Miss Wells to agree to
stay with me, And change her
name from Wells to Hill, and as
she was expecting her mother to
arrive from England in a short
time for she was then on the
plains, and in a few days the
train in which she was traveling
arrived at Coalville, And the
daughter went to meet it and
found the mother very sick
indeed, so when the train got up
to the place were the daughter
was living, she had her mother
carried into the house, so that
she could nurse and take care of
her, but in a short tine the
people with whom she was living
began to complain, that the girl
spent too much time with her
Mother, so I hurried and put up
a log room, and had her and her
Mother moved into it, and in a
short time me and the daughter
concluded to be married right
away, so that I would have the
right to look after them,
so I went to the Bishop and
talked the matter over with him
and he agreed to come and marry
us, and on the following Sunday
he came up and married us it
being the thirty first day of
October l8 xxx, But with all our
care and attention we could see
no improvement, for she seemed
to get worse all the time, and
on the 15th day of December she
died, and we buried her in the
Coalville Cemetery.
There
was a family by the name of
Dickinson that had arrived that
fall from England. There were
the Father & Mother and
eight small children, and they
stayed with us in another log
room that we had built and me
and him and my old acquaintance
went up into the mountains and
located a place were we could
get some good logs that would do
to saw into lumber and we found
just the place we wanted, and
went to work and dug a large pit
seven feet wide and sixteen feet
long and six feet deep and cut
some small logs and framed them
all round the top of the pit to
roll our saw upon so that we
could work a seven foot saw, one
man standing on top of the log
and one man standing down in the
pit.
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