Almon Draper

A sketch of the life of Julia Hansen Hall Written by herself in 1934 I was born near Glenwood, Mills County, Iowa on January 28, 1860. The following year I came to Utah with my mother, brothers, and sisters in the David H. Cannon company. An older brother, William Crawford (son of my mother by a former husband), a young man then of about 18 years, shared the responsibility of bringing the family across the plains with our team. My father, Nils Hansen, having left the Mormon church, went to California, taking with him a brother, Andrew Jackson (A. J.), a boy of 10 years which nearly broke my mothers heart. She never heard from him again until he was grown. He came to visit mother and the rest of us in Rockville in the year 1879, after he was married and had a little daughter 10 months old. He was very anxious to take me to California with him where he would give me a good education, but I declined as I thought too much of mother and my religion. In fact, it caused me to think more of my religion than I had ever done before. I have never seen him since, now a period of 53 years when I am 74 and he is nearly 84. His daughter, with her husband, professor Etchavarry, called on me recently, however a fine appearing woman of 54 years. On arriving in Utah, we settled in Draper, Salt Lake County. My mother's family consisted at that time of brothers William, Sister Amy, Brother Lafayette, sisters Sarah and Hannah, and myself. Brother Lafay died in Draper at age eight years. The rest all came to Dixie and shared in the hardships of pioneer life. In due time they were all married. William married Cornelia Gifford, to whom a large family of sons and daughters were born. He was honest and upright no better man ever lived. Amy married Almond Draper. She was the one most like father. A hard worker and good manager. She had nine children. She died in Springdale of pneu¬monia when quite young. Sarah, our peace loving, patient sister, married Alpheus Gifford. She had a large family of children, reared in poverty. Her husband died quite early in life. She lived a widow for years and years, then she moved to Delta and after her children were all married, she married Nelson Terry, when she was 71 years old. They were very happy together. Her last days were her best days. She also died of pneumonia. ¬ Hannah, the sister with the congenial, affectionate disposition, made friends of everyone. To know her was to love her. Her friends were numbered by her acquaintances, which were many. She married Cyrus Jennings and, like the rest, had a large family of children. They moved to Arizona where she died after a number of years. Her husband also died a few years later. And last, I was the scrapper of the family. If anyone tried to impose on me, they had a fight on their hands right now but I overcame that as I grew older. The first thing in my life that I remember was when I was about three years old. There was a log lying in the yard. I would climb on it with difficulty, raise my hands as far above my head as I could reach and say, "I’m as big as anybody and I suppose I kept on thinking that until I was older and got some of the conceit taken out of me. However, I still think I have as much right on the earth as anyone else be they rich or poor. This is a characteristic that has gone with me through life. My slogan has always been to speak the best you can and never repeat gossip. I was the youngest of a family of seven children; never very strong or robust. I was naturally spoiled as the youngest usually are but my mother was very firm with us that we be strictly honest and truthful. We would be punished for telling a lie quicker than for almost any other offense. We were also taught the principles of tithing, which she carried out to the letter. The chances for education were very meager in those days, but the people did the best they could under the circumstances. Sometimes teachers were employed who knew but very little more than the children. Schools were not free or compulsory in those days. Parents would be required to pay about $3.00 per quarter (12 weeks), two quarters would usually be held. Although in poverty mother would manage to send us to school each winter. Our school¬ing did not amount to much however, until I was about 18 years of age and my sisters were all married. When David Stout married and brought Henreitta Cox of St. George to Rockville then we had a real teacher. All that I ever learned in school was due to her wonderful ability. I always loved school, would be glad in the fall when it began and sorry in the spring when it closed. I kept on going to school until the winter I was 22, when I was married and a school of a different nature began that of helping to make a home and raise a family. But I must go back to a few of the things I remember of my childhood. One time when I was quite a small girl, my aunt Clarrisa Terry told me if I would get lucerne for her pig all summer; she would weave me a dress. Every day when I would go to take the pig feed I would torment her by asking, "is that my dress?" She kept me waiting until the last of the piece, then came out a many colored-stripped cloth for a dress. Was I proud? Well, I think that was the first thing I ever earned. There was another circumstance that happened in my life that made a lasting impression on me, and I am sure has been a great lesson to me. One time when I was quite a good sized girl, one of our neighbors had a job to be done. I think it was pulling weeds. He told me if I would help his children do the work, he would buy me a circle comb, which in those days was considered quite an ornament. So I pitched right in working with all my might. But I never heard any more about the circle comb. It certainly taught me a lesson that has gone with me through life never to make a promise, especially to a child that you don't expect to keep. You may forget it, but the child never will. Another lesson I learned from a dear Old Danish lady neighbor of ours was about borrowing. She said, "always see that your supply of groceries, etc., are replenished, just before you get out; it will cost you no more and will save you the trouble and time of borrowing and your neighbor the inconvenience of getting it for you and putting it back when you return it. I have tried to remember that and put it into practice. All my life I have been blessed with the gift or ability to make friends, which I consider one of my greatest achievements, as good friends go so far in smoothing down the rough places through the journey of life. I do truly appreciate good friends and neighbors, of course, there are always those who don't like you, but I am leaving them out of the picture. In my early life I never did things by halves in my work as well as in my play. I put all my energy into the things I was doing. At one time bishop Smith remarked that I put more pep into dancing than anyone he had ever seen. Mother often said I was either away up or away down. Full of fun and gaiety or down at the mouth with the blues. I have tried hard though to keep the up grade and cut out the blues as it is a waste of time and nobody likes to be around one that is down in the dumps. So much has been written about Indian raids in early days. I will just say the Indians around Rockville were mostly friendly, bringing berries, pine gum, pine nuts, and other things to exchange for food. President young always advised the people it was cheaper to feed them than to fight them. However, there were Indian raids occasionally of a very serious nature which kept the people ever on the alert wondering when or where the next outbreak would be, but when we consider that they were being crowded off their hunting grounds, one can hardly blame them for retaliating. Probably the most serious thing the early settlers of Dixie had to encounter, was the irrigation problem. You will know, it was then as now, nothing could be raised without irrigation. The people had emigrated from different countries where irrigation was unnecessary; many of them knew nothing whatever about farming. They had no engineer to survey their ditches in order to get the necessary fall to bring the water onto their land, but they went to work trusting in the Lord and using their own best judgment, until finally they got their ground watered and crops planted. Even so, there were difficulties to encounter. When the summer showers came, the chances were the head of the ditch would be taken out, besides floods would pour down the side washes, filling the ditches full of dirt and rocks which must all be cleaned out before crops could be watered again. There being so few in number, it worked a real hardship on them. Then I remember one summer it looked like the crops were all going to be destroyed with grasshoppers. They came in swarms and settled on everything green – fields, gardens, orchards, and everything. Everyone men, women and children turned out to fight them. Trenches were dug and we drove what we could into them, where they were either burned or covered with dirt. But it looked as if everything would be destroyed. Then one day when there was a celebration being held in the old bowery, I think it was the 24th of July, we noticed what looked like a cloud over the sun. On looking closer we found it to be the grasshoppers taking their leave, and what rejoicing there was, for the crops were saved. Then finally there came better times for Dixie. Fruit trees began to bear fruit in abundance of the very choicest flavor, which were dried and shipped to Salt Lake City and other northern parts by team and exchanged for clothing, groceries, hardware, etc., until Dixie began to be on the map. It required four or five weeks to make the round trip to Salt Lake City and back, and now the distance can be covered in less than twenty four hours. Our time was not all spent in tilling the soil. We had our amusements such as social gatherings, 4th and 24th of July celebrations, dances, spelling matches, debating teams, and many other forms of amusements, besides Sunday School and meeting, with an occasional visit from our church authorities from St. George or Salt Lake City. The style of dress in early days was very different from now, no glove¬ fitting dresses in those days. Ten yards of material, 26 inches wide was re¬quired, six widths being gathered into a tight fitting waist. One could stand straight, take hold of the hem of the skirt and raise it to the top or above the head. Large hoops were also worn at one time. Then later, we had the long train where the skirt dragged about six or eight inches on the ground, picking up dust and dirt from the street. This style was short of duration however, and was followed by tight basques and plaited skirts which were very pretty the back being draped in folds. A great amount of work was put into these dresses as the pleats were sewed onto the lining. Buttons were sewed all down the front of the basque only one inch apart, with a buttonhole worked for each button. That was in my time when I made dresses for $.50 each I was married to Alfred Lorenzo Hall, January 18, 1882, in the St. George Temple. Our start in life consisted of him having a small farm across the river from Grafton, where he raised lucern hay, sugar cane, and other crops. He also had a little plug team. I had a cow that mother had given me when it was a calf, also 12 quilts that I had made, having begun to make quilts when I was only 12 years old, a 20 pound feather bed costing $420.00, a good supply of dresses and other clothing, all of which I had earned drying fruit, sewing for people, and working in their homes. We both went to work with the determination to get the necessities around us. We both worked very hard, were careful in our expenditures and lived within our means. We always made it a point not to spend out last dollar, but keep a little in reserve in case of sickness or other necessity, although there were a great many things we deprived ourselves of, we seldom spent out last cent. Our first baby was born April 1, 1883. We named him Alfred Lorenzo for his father. He was an extra bright child, and brightened our home with his childish prattle and cute sayings. He was only permitted to remain with us a short time; our heavenly father took him away. He died the 19th of April 1886. Other children were born to us, ten in all, which grew to man and womanhood. Roy, the second son, died in Lexington, Kentucky, while filling a mission, on the 29th of April 1908. He was a good boy and a hard worker always on hand to help lighten my load when he could be spared from the farm work. His body was shipped to Rockville where it was interred in the cemetery. The inscription on his casket read "In memory of Leroy Hall, who died with the harness on." We were blessed with a good family of children with whom we took a great deal of pleasure. We tried to make home attractive for them by reading a good interesting story or book to them at night so that the noise of children in the street would have no attraction for them. Our neighbor's children too, the Jennings, who were early left without a mother, took pleasure in coming to our place to play with our children and listen to me read. Having no mother of their own, I tried in my weak way to be a mother to them. I still look upon them as next to my own, and they have not forgotten those days, showing their appreciation by calling upon me whenever convenient and often reminding me of the lessons taught them in their early life and the fact that no relative seems nearer to them than aunt Julia. In addition to our own we took an orphan girl to raise, Della Wright. We took her when she was 10 years old and she stayed until she was 18, when she wanted to see more of the world, and went to Cedar City to work. After staying there for some time, she went to California, where she got married. She was a very bright intelligent girl and a good student, always getting high marks in school. She was well respected and we thought a great deal of her. When she heard of uncle alf's serious illness, she came at once, but too late to see him. He had passed away before she arrived. Our children were all married in the temple to good honorable companions. They in turn are raising families that are a credit to them. There has never been any criminals or lawbreakers in our family. Not one was ever arrested on the slightest charge. Four have filled good honorable missions have each filled responsible positions in the organizations at different times and altogether looking through a mothers eye, I feel that we have raised a family of which we can be proud. I think the most happy and enjoyable time in our married life was spent at our summer mountain home at Crystal Ranch where we had our family together, Nora crystal our youngest having been born there. To be sure, there was plenty of hard work to do as there always is in making a new place but we enjoyed it and was one with our children in their amusements. That was before they started going away to school or on missions. Then we came to Hurricane where we helped pioneer this place and build a new home, and our children began to be scattered. Some were married, some went to St. George to school, and others were going on missions. And one, Harvey, went into the army in the 1st World War. Until now I am left in the big home alone, my husband having passed to the great beyond on the 4th of January, 1934. We had spent fifty two years of married life in love and devotion. I am now waiting the call to come where I can meet him with my children and other loved ones that have gone on. In the latter years of our life we have done considerable work in the temple for the salvation of the dead. We have enjoyed the work greatly, his whole soul being thrilled with the work. We kept it up together as long as he could stand the trip. I am still going once each week, accompanied by our good friends brother and sister LeBaron. Note: Mother passed away very peacefully of heart trouble at Hurricane, August 12, 1935.

Almond Draper, (also known as Ab) By his daughter Nellie Draper, assisted by Nora Lund My father Almond Draper was born October 28, 1846, in Pottawattamie County, Iowa. His parents, William Draper, Jr. and Martha Weaver Draper, were early converts to the Church from Eastern Canada. They went through all the hardships incidental to the mob violence and were driven from their homes in Nauvoo. They were anxious to move west under the guidance of President Brigham Young, so they could live their religion as they pleased. Records show that the Draper family, with other saints, reached Council Point on the Missouri River in May of 1847. The next spring, 1848, they started for Salt Lake City and arrived September 20, 1848. The family moved into the new Fort until the spring of 1849, then they moved out and established themselves in the new city. The late Church Historian, Andrew Jensen, related how in November, 1849, Ebenezer Brown and his sons brought a herd of cattle and horses out southeast of Salt Lake where a lovely little stream flowed out of the mountain, watering lush grass and fertile soil. Brown brought his family out there in 1850. Then in 1851 William Draper Jr., his brother Zemira Draper (husband of Amy Terry Draper), Jacob E. Terry, and others followed. They were organized into a ward with William Draper Jr. as bishop. They called their settlement South Willow Creek. In 1854 the population numbered 222 souls. A post office was established and the name of the town was changed to Draperville in honor of my grandfather William Draper Jr. I don’t know when my grandfather and his families moved to Moroni, but that is where my father was raised as a boy. Grandfather had seven wives and fifty-seven children. My father was the only child of his mother, Martha Weaver. In the San Pete County History write-up of the town of Moroni, it mentions William Draper Jr. as one of its important citizens and pioneers. I wish I knew the circumstances under which my father established himself in Rockville. It might be that he came with his uncle Zemira Draper. Nevertheless, he fell in love with Amy Hansen, oldest daughter of the widow Marilla Terry Hansen. He was but twenty years old when he got married and Mother was only fourteen. Two years later, their first child, Elzina Jane, was born and at two or three year intervals other children were added until their family numbered nine. Once, in Rockville Mother was so frightened when Father had to go with the other men after some Indians on the war-path. She was so afraid that word would come any minute that he had been killed. She was very much relieved when he came back safe and sound. In about 1880 my parents moved from Rockville to Springdale. They had five children then. Father enjoyed trading and moving around. He seemed to like changing his possessions. Mother was of an entirely different nature, and it irked her terribly to have to put up with this trait in her companion. The Dixie country was crowded and the farms were small, with no nearby cash jobs available. People began to move out to find greener pastures. Oh, how Pap longed to dispose of his property and go somewhere else.--to Arizona or Mexico, but Mother absolutely would not go. Mother was a very hard worker but never took very good care of her own health. When pneumonia struck her in April of 1889, she was unable to combat the disease, and she died on the 23rd of April. Cecilia, Elzina, and Sophronia were all married. This left Martha, age 14, Erastus Allen, age 3, and I was 8. The other three babies had died in infancy. Occasionally Father and Mother had made trips to Salt Lake City. One of their stopping places was in Paragonah, at the home of Joseph Barton and his second wife, Lucy Butler Barton. They had a beautiful daughter, Phebe, to whom Father was very much attracted. Mother used to tell him that if she died before Phebe was married, he had her consent to marry her. Father was quite a sport in his day. He was a large, well built fine looking man. His average weight was around 160 pounds, and he stood 5 ft, 10 in. He had beautiful wavy brown hair and brown eyes. He was quite an entertainer at parties and dances, because he was a good singer and was really fleet-footed in the popular jog dances. He “called” quite frequently for square dances also. After Mother’s death, in due time, he went to Paragonah and married Phebe Barton. Not long after that, he married his third wife, Mariah Durffey of Springdale. About this time families who were living with plural marriages were taking off for Old Mexico. We got as far as Taylor, Arizona, where Mother’s sister Hannah and her husband Cyrus Jennings lived. We lived there about a year. Father decided not to go on to Mexico and thought he could do better back home. We started out and came as far as Lee’s Ferry on the Colorado River. I don’t know what attraction he found there to keep him, but I remember that we stayed there about a year before coming back to Springdale. We stayed home for a few months, then he moved us to Duncan, farther on down the Virgin river. We stayed there three or four years, then we came back to Springdale for a few more years. In all of these places Father used to work at different jobs to try and make a living for us all. One incident that Will (my husband) likes to tell happened about this time. A group of men were going to the sawmill at Mount Trumbell to get lumber. There was quite a caravan of Springdale men traveling together. They just had the running gears of the wagon with their grub, bedding, and horse feed on the back parts of the wagon. Will’s place in line was just back of Father. Pap was quite a cut-up and used to cause quite a bit of sport for the crowd by performing rodeo stunts with the wild range cattle along the way. They were moseying along one day when a bunch of cattle were startled at the sight of the wagons. Pap grabbed his red blanket and started to put on his act. As soon as the cattle saw this strange spectacle, a man bedecked in red and making strange noises, they took off like scared coyotes. One old cow, however, thought she would investigate this strange performance. She stopped, turned, snorted, bellowed, and charged. The men were in hilarious laughter as the smart cow turned the tables on Pap. The men yelled, “Run, Ab, run, she’s going to catch you.” Her wicked horns just grazed his britches as he jumped clear on over his wagon to safety. This stopped his pursuers and ended wild west performances. Will said he kept teasing him every time they saw a herd of wild cattle until Pap got kind of peeved. Will said he backed and didn’t want to get him mad because Pap had a pretty little daughter at home that he was keeping company with and might want to marry. About two weeks after Will and I were married, Father took his families and again was on the move. It was now April of 1898 and their new place of abode was the Beaver Bottoms near Milford. About a year after that, or August of 1899, they were living in Konash, Millard Co. Then in 1902 Provo was their home. The next move was a few miles north of Provo. In 1911 he was living at Lemington, Millard Co. Then on to Hinckley. It was here that he died in 1920 but he was taken to Lemington for burial by the side of his wife, Phebe. He was 73 years old. His life was certainly one of varied experiences and getting acquainted with new people and circumstances. By his wife Phebe he had a large family. After Phebe died, one of the children, May, came back to Paragonah and was raised by her grandmother, Lucy Barton. Pap had four children by his wife Mariah, but they all died in infancy. Mariah died in Duncan when they lived there.

"Meanwhile...Back at Camp" A thousand miles east of the weary marchers of the Mormon Battalion, life went on for Franklin's widowed, remarried and expectant mother and her family. At that time, with their beloved Prophet dead and with the Saints scorned by their enemies, unwelcome in any state, Church leaders determined to leave Nauvoo for a place in the Rocky Mountains where they could establish homes in peace. But in 1846, all looked bleak and ominous. Nevertheless, the exodus from the nauvoo area by the Mormons produced a monumental effect on the lives of all concerned, and it continues to have a lasting impact on the lives of today's Latter-day Saints everywhere. 1846-1847 - Winter Quarters Life was hard at best at camps along the Missouri River, and although most of the Saints were strong enough to pull through, sickness and death were common. Across the river from Council Point in the winter of 1846-47 there were 334 sick people and 75 widows. As bad as it was for Martha Weaver Draper and her family, there was yet a contingent of people too poor or sick to leave Nauvoo who were expelled from that city in circumstances far worse than hers. The Mormons in Nauvoo and its dependencies along the Mississippi River had been numbered the year before at over twenty-thousand, now had been reduced to less than seven hundred. 28 October 1846 - Pottawattamie County, Iowa Almon "W" Draper was born to Martha Weaver and William Draper at Kanesville, also called Miller's Hollow, and since called Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, on the east bank of the Missouri River. 21 July 1847 - Conneaut, Crawford County, Pennsylvania Back in Pennsylvania, unbeknown to the Weaver's on the frontier, Franklin's grandfather, John Weaver died and was buried in Baldwin-Snyder Cemetery of Conneaut township, Crawford County, Pennsylvania. Both of his children who had joined with the Mormons (Ann and Edward) had preceded him in death. One can only wonder about the mail service between Conneaut and the temporary camps near Winter Quarters. Life was so hard for the exiles in Winter Quarters that perhaps a fourth of them died as a result of exposure, bad water, and/or lack of adequate nourishment. "Martha would have been one that would have given her food and blankets to others. She always sacrificed for those around her." 1848 - (exact date not available) - Winter Quarters Martha Raymer Weaver Draper died at Council Bluffs, Iowa and was probably buried at Winter Quarters. She was only forty years old. Her infant son would be raised by other remarried widows. That William Draper had his share of sickness and widows cannot be doubted. At least there were widows in his little community for he married two of them as plural wives after Martha's death. They were Mary Ann Manhardt and Marial Thompson Crosby. "This proved to be fortunate for the children of Martha Weaver, for Mary Ann who was young and vigorous and without children 'adopted' them as her own and successfully reared both (Carrie of the Drapers)." Martha Weaver Draper left three little girls and an infant son, and this reference is confusing as it only mentioned two children. It is unclear if "Carrie" was Miranda Bridget Weaver, or Julia Cecelia Weaver. Cecilia would have been about seven years old when her mother died; Miranda would have been about ten. In the history written by Ida Rachel Weaver Haycock she says that "When William Draper reached the valley with father's three sisters, they all lived in Provo for some time. Then he moved and settled the community of Draper and that separated the family again." 1848 - Winter Quarters Without their mother and with their two oldest brothers away in the Mormon Battalion, the children of Martha were bereft. Young Gilbert stowed away in his cousin Guernsey Brown's wagon. He was not discovered until the wagon train was a long distance from Council Bluffs. Gilbert Weaver..."was fourteen years old at the time of his mother's death. Like most boys of that age, disappointments were hard to take. With the loss of his brothers and now his mother he was desperate so he made up his mind to hide in one of the wagons,...and was not discovered until they camped the first night. Brown sent back word to Council Bluffs that the Weaver boy was with him and that he would take him on to Salt lake. [Gilbert] was ever grateful to him and helped all he could by driving the teams and taking his turn driving the cattle. He told this story many times and of his love for Guernsey Brown. Gilbert is listed among the First Division of the Emigration of 1848. 1848 - Winter Quarters Yet another account of Martha's eldest son: "Horace [Racio Weaver] with a family who did not go to Salt Lake, but went into the Dakotas. [He first went to Wisconsin.] Years later, Mormon missionaries from the Bear Lake area contact him. His son, Franklin joined the Weavers at a reunion."What we know about Horace is that he did eventually go west settling in Boise, Idaho. 1848 - Salt lake Valley Franklin and his new bride Rachel would have arrived in the Salt Lake Valley sometime in late March or early April of 1848. Miles Weaver had been in the Salt Lake Valley since July of 1847. So, when news reached the valley of a pioneer party that promised to number the Weaver's among them, Miles and Franklin set out to meet them. "When the Weaver boys met this company imagine their sorrow on finding that their mother Martha was not there and learning of her death! There was no mail at that time. But, they were glad to meet their brother Gilbert and their sisters." Franklin "then took charge of the family and accompanied them back to Utah." 1847-1848 - on the trail with the Clark family Sarah Clark, future bride of Miles Weaver and later widowed wife of Franklin had been born in Ohio and had traveled with her family and other Saints to the nauvoo area, then trekked across the plains to the valley of the Great Salt Lake. "The Clarks had buried three daughters in Ohio and one, Rebecca, was buried in Nauvoo. They crossed the Mississippi River on the ice and suffered the hardships with the rest of the Saints...They traveled nine miles and camped at Sugar Creek the first night. Many came with only a few provisions and those who had plenty had to share with the needy. They stayed in this camp until March 1, 1846. From there they traveled on for one hundred and sixty-five miles and made another camp which they called Garden Grove. Some of the Saints pushed on twenty-seven miles farther and called this camp Mt. Pisgah. On June 14th they arrived at Council Bluffs on the banks of the Missouri River. While here a call came to President Brigham Young to furnish five hundred men to go fight with Mexico. They called this the Mormon Battalion. Sarah's brothers, Joseph and Riley Garner Clark and her lover Miles Weaver and his brother Franklin all enlisted. Now our dear and beautiful Sarah was very sad when she saw her loved ones march away to the tune of "The Girl I Left Behind Me." Her beautiful grey eyes would always grow misty when she rehearsed this story. With two older boys away, part of the responsibility for the family's welfare fell on Sarah and John, as Rebecca had a small child in arms. The Clark's decided to stay over at Winter Quarters the winter of 1847 and in June of 1848 they commenced their journey to Utah in a company of over 600 wagons and nearly 2,000 souls with their accompanying goods and chattels. Sarah drove a yoke of oxen all the way across the plains and her mother Rebecca, rode with her. As they traveled along they would milk their cows morning and night. They would then carry the milk in a stone jar and in the evening there would be a lump of butter in the jar. The roads were so rough that the motion of the wagon churned the butter! John drove another wagon while Mary drove the loose stock. While traveling on the way they encountered a herd of buffalo which stampeded their oxen. The oxen ran and ran and finally stopped on the brink of a deep ravine. Sarah was always excited whenever she rehearsed the episode. Grandfather Samuel walked alongside the oxen with a gun in hand so as to be ready for an attack from any Indians who may decide to do just that. When they came to the Platte River they caulked their wagon boxes and floated them across. Some of the oxen and horses swam, but the people and their belongings were ferried across on a ferry boat. The Clark family escaped a lot of the hardships that so many of the Saints endured. as they had adequate supplies and were well equipped with food and clothing. Samuel provided well for his family." 24 September 1848 - Salt Lake Vally The Heber C. Kimball company of pioneers, with over 200 wagons, arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. Among them the sweetheart of Miles Weaver - Sarah Clark. Of course Miles, "was made very happy to meet once again the beautiful Sarah Clark," and "he married his former sweetheart [almost] immediately." 23 December 1848 - Salt Lake City, Utah Franklin and Rachel Weaver's first child Franklin Edward Weaver was born in the city whose population then exceeded 5,000. 24 December 1848 - Salt Lake City, Utah The very next day, Sarah Clark and Miles Weaver were married. They lived in the old fort for a few months. "The first homes in Salt Lake City were simple cabins built within a stockade. The original adobe fort was expanded twice in 1848 to make room for new arrivals. "There was always he fear of the Indians, as they were on the warpath much of the time. Miles Weaver was called as in interpreter to the Indians in war and also in missionary undertakings, as he had mastered their language quite well and in addition had been a great friend to the Indians. Miles and Sarah spent a fairly peaceful winter in the old fort, but Sarah had the scare of her life one day when most of the men of the fort were away trying to recover lost cattle that the Indians had driven away. Two young men came galloping their horses into the fort and gave the Indian war whoop, firing their six-shooters. Grandmother Sarah, thinking them to be Indians, collapsed, falling to the floor. The boys were none other than Brigham Young Jr., and John Taylor. They were very much chagrinned when they saw the effects of their practical joke." March 1849 - the beginning of Colonization In March 1849 President Brigham Young called 30 families to form a settlement on the Provo River in Utah Valley, directly south of the Salt Lake Valley. Among these colonizers listed by the church historian were fifteen Clarks and Weaver's. They included Samuel Clark, Rebecca Clark, Sarah's parents; Joseph Clark, Riley G. Clark, John Clark, her brothers; Mary Clark, Jane Clark, Ann Clark, her sister; Samuel Clark and Ellen Clark, her brother and his wife; John and Catherine Conover, Sarah Conover who would later wed Gilbert Weaver and the two Weaver families. "The settlers took with them provisions, seed, implements and livestock...mostly oxen and cows. After three days' travel, they arrived at Provo River about March 12, 1849. Three miles from the place where they later built their fort they were met by the Timpanogos Ute Indians who were greatly excited by the advance of the whites in the Indian country. The colonists were ordered to stop and were not allowed to advance further until they had entered into a treaty with the Indians." "It was very hard going to this desolate country with so little to do and nothing to buy. They helped each other to build and they bartered with each other. Their village was named Provo." Despite increasing Indian hostility the colony grew rapidly...The first wheat 'was a cause of rejoicing by the colonists, as they had been out of bread for about four months.' James Bean and the Clarks tapped the Provo Rover [for] the first irrigation ditch...Samuel Clark built the first tannery and commenced tanning hides for shoes. The need for shoes was so great that most of the leather was used before it was properly tanned." 18 March 1849 - Provo, Utah Almost immediately the entity which worked so well in transporting the outcast Mormon from the United States to the Rocky Mountains instituted to organize the settlers of the new valley. The Provo Branch of the Latter-day Saints was formed, with John S. Higbee as president. 3 April 1849 - Provo, Utah Territory The Settlers began building Fort Utah. The fort... "...consisted of a stockade, 14' high with log houses inside, and an elevation in the center called a bastion, on which was place a cannon, commanding the surrounding country. The fort ran east and west, its dimensions being about 20x40 rods. There were two windows for each room, one to the front, and the other to the rear. As the settlers had no glass, a coarse cloth was used as a substitute at the windows. There were gateway at the east and west ends of the fort and at the southeast corner was a large stockade corral in which the cattle were kept at night. Within the corral was a guard house. The logs for the fort were obtained from Box Elder Island, a forty acre tract lying between two channels of the Provo River about a mile west of the fort. Box Elder was preferred to cottonwood as building material...For many months the Indians were friendly to the settlers but were a source of great annoyance as they were great beggars and the pioneers supplies were meager. In September travelers on the way to California traded guns and ammunition to the Indians for horses. This proved to be unfortunate for the settlers at the fort...[the Indians]...became less friendly, stole cattle and wheat from the fields and molested the men and boys while they were getting woods from the river banks. The settlers relationship with the Indians had deteriorated into open warfare." When relations resumed normalcy, life went on as usual, Miles and Sarah lived in the adjoining dwelling at the old fort next to Franklin, Rachel and their baby. "The children of Miles and Sarah were all born in Provo. They were two happy families, and both worked for Brigham Young caring for the Church's cattle. It was hard going - building and moving with little or no provisions - with gold in their trunks but nothing to buy. My grandmother Sarah said there was a lapse of three months when they had no flour and cornmeal was rationed in small portions. There also was a scarcity of sugar. The Saints prayed as they always did and there was a dew from Heaven that fell on the willows and it was like icing. They rinsed it off and boiled it down and had sugar. They endured many hardships but stood faithful through them all." 24 July 1849 - Salt Lake City, Utah Territory Two years had passed since Brigham Young had raised himself from the sickbed of his wagon and beholding the valley of the Great Salt Lake which lay below, declared "This is the place!" The celebration of the second anniversary of this event is described by Washington Cockle, editor and proprietor of the Peoria [Illinois] Democratic Press, in an article he send back from the Salt Lake Valley that appeared November 28, 1849: "We have had a delightful time since we have been here, the Mormons treat us with great hospitality and friendship, and in fact, though they have been here only two years, they seem to have all the comforts of life around them and are living very happily. There are about 5 or 6 thousand inhabitants in the valley, and their crops look fine...The first day of October last, there was not a house built outside the fort, an enclosure of about twenty acres, and now the city is about ten miles square and there is a comfortable house on almost every lost of 1 3/4 acres, made of Spanish brick and adobes; they are all small, to be sure, but they really present a neat and comfortable appearance. Yesterday was their great anniversary. Two years ago, yesterday, the pioneers first pitched their tents on this ground. We had an invitation from Mr. Hayward to take dinner with them. The whole affair was got up with a good deal of taste. In the morning, at sunrise, a salute was fired, bells rung, flags hoisted, etc. At 7 o'clock the people assembled at the bowery, an immense shed some 200 feet square where they held meetings, a salute was fired, bells rung, and the people called to order under their respective bishops...The escort, consisting of a band of music, 24 old gray-haired men carrying long staves, white with a red ball and white ribbons on it, next 24 young ladies, dressed in white, with broad white scarfs over their left shoulders, and wreaths of flowers on their heads, they were led by two beautiful banners with appropriate inscriptions; next came 24 young men, dressed in white with white bishop caps, led by a large magnificent banner; then came the 20 bishops who were wardens of the city, each bearing the banner of his respective ward...The exercised of the day commenced by prayer then music by the band, then signing a song written for the occasion - the 24 men would first sing, the young ladies joining in chorus. The 24 young ladies would then sing a response, the young men joining in chorus. Then the Declaration of Independence was read, then music, then an oration, singing, speeches, etc, until dinner time. The dinner was called a feast, and a feast it was. There were 25 tables set averaging 175 feet in length. Each ward had its tables furnished by the ladies of the ward. Such an abundance of good things to eat I never saw before: meats roasted, boiled and baked; puddings and pies of all descriptions; cakes too numerous to mention, all kinds of vegetables, potatoes excepted, green corn, sweet meats, pickles, etc. I never ate so much at a meal in all my life and victuals never tasted so good. The ladies sat on one side of the table and the gentlemen on the other...I had the honor of carving a beautiful saddle of roast lamb and waiting upon the ladies..." November 1849 - Ft. Utah, Provo, Utah Territory "When Parley P. Pratt passed through the settlement...on his way to explore southern Utah, he found '57 log houses built on 17 acres of ground, 100 rods from the Provo River.'" 7 November 1849 - Ft. Utah, Prov, Utah Territory Miles Joseph Weaver was born to Miles and Sarah Clark Weaver. 31 January 1850 - Ft. Utah, Provo, Utah Territory Miles Weaver was sent, with Captain Peter W. Conover by 'express', fast horses from Provo to Salt Lake City to alert President Brigham Young to the settlers plight in regards to their strife with the Indians which had flared again. "The forty miles trip was made in four houses..." Miles and Franklin had excellent rapport with the Indians. Miles learned enough of the Indian language to act as interpreter on occasion. He even "adopted" a Native American son. February 1850 - Ft. Utah, Provo, Utah Territory "Conditions were so serious at Ft. Utah that military aid was sought from the Provisional State of Deseret, which by this time had been organized. After serious consideration by the government agents and church leaders, it was decided to send 100 military men to assist and protect the settlers at Ft. Utah and other new communities...The Indians and soldiers had several encounters [and] several battles were fought...a peace parley was held with the Red Men who survived. The parley was long and the Indians were slow to make peace. After the Indians' wrath was somewhat appeased, the white boys divided their dinner with the Redskins and smoke the pipe of peace. A large ox was given to the Indians and peace declared. The Indian troubles were finally settled. Both Brigham Young and Garland Hurt, Indian Agent, expressed the conviction that less money spent for troops to quell the Indians and more spent for presents, farm implements, seeds, teams and agents would go far in solving the Indian problem" April 1850 - Ft Utah, Provo, Utah Territory The stockade and houses of Ft. Utah were moved to the northwest corner of what was afterwards known as the "Adobe Yard" and is not Sowiette Park in Provo, Utah. May 1850 - Ft Utah, Provo, Utah Territory Not all the settlers' relations with the Indians were hostile. Fun and games were sometimes the order of the day. Although there is no evidence that Franklin and Miles were in any way responsible for troubles with the Indians, they were sure to have witnessed plenty of 'action.' "President Young was much displeased with the spirit of levity and the gambling propensities of the colonists a the fort, especially the younger men, who delighted in wrestling, running foot races and horse races with the Indians for a shirt against a buckskin or a coat or a pair of pants against an elk skin. Sometimes disputes arose and bad feelings were manifested on both sides. On account of these conditions, President Young did not attempt to negotiate a peace treaty, feeling that he could not ask the Indians to promise to do better when the settlers themselves set a bad example." 15 July 1850 - Farmington, Davis County, Utah Territory Christiana Martha Weaver was born to Franklin and Rachel Weaver at Farmington, Davis Co., Utah and named after both her grandmothers. None of the family histories explain this temporary move to David County. Most likely it was in connection with his work with the Church's livestock herds. It was later that they moved to Antelope Island with the herds. In 1852 Franklin's family is listed in a bishop's report registry as living in Ogden City Ward. 1851 - Provo, Utah Co., Utah Territory Evidently they were back and forth between Farmington and Provo several times. The United States Federal census enumerates Franklin Weaver, age 22, with Rachel, age 20, Edward, age 2 and Christiana M., 9 months old, all living in Provo. Also in the same dwelling is Evert H. Hansen, age 15 born in New York. The census reports that Franklin had a household of five and real wealth of $100, and that his occupation was that of interpreter. The Federal Census is a unique tool in providing a "snapshot" view of families and family structure. There is always much that can be gleaned from analyzing data provided in the census. Living in the next dwelling, according to the census is Miles Weaver, age 24, Sarah 20, Miles Jr. 1, and Zelnora 2 months old. Also in the Miles Weaver household additional Weavers are listed: Gilbert 16, born in Pennsylvania; Miranda 12, born in Missouri; Miles' brother and sister, respectively. Living in the Miles Weaver household is an Ezekiel Weaver age 20 born in New York. Miles Weaver stated that his occupation was a cabinet maker and had a real wealth of $200. In the same census for Utah County, we find James Casteel age 18 living in the household of his parents Jacob R and Sarah Casteel. He would later marry Miranda Bridget Weaver, Franklin's sister in 1855. John R. Stoddard age 23 born in Canada, the future husband of Martha Elizabeth Weaver lived alone in a household next door to the Samuel and Rebecca Clark home. The Clarks were the parents of Miles Weaver's wife Sarah. It is also interesting to note that in the 1851 census of Salt Lake County, at the community of Draper - Guernsey Brown age 26, Franklin's cousin, is enumerated with Phoebe Brown, age 53, John Brown, age 13, and Martha W. [Weaver] age 12. Martha Elizabeth Weaver, Franklin's sister was in the same town, but not in the same household as her sister "Carrie." Her brother Gilbert, who had stowed away with the Guernsey Brown family, was now living with his brother Miles and family in Provo. In this territorial frontier the openness of the immediate family circle was balanced within a tighter but larger circle of kinship. It is also interesting to note that the census used the term "Deseret" for a place of birth of the children born in the Utah Territory. The provisional State of Deseret, which existed for two years, was replaced with the Territory of Utah by the federal government. Undated "When William Draper reached the valley with father's three sisters, they all lived in Provo for some time. Then he moved and settled the community of Draper and that separated the family again." Mary ann Manhardt Draper "adopted" the Weaver children as her own and reared them to full maturity. Other family members also settled in the area, among them Franklin's uncle, Ebenezer Brown. "It was in 1849 that Ebenezer Brown with his two sons recognized the splendid cattle feeding grounds offered by the area surrounding Willow Creek and settled there, naming their homestead after the stream. Later it was renamed Draper in honor of a prominent pioneer, William Draper...the community is approximately twenty miles [south] from Salt lake City. In the 1850 [actually April or May of 1851] census of the Great Salt Lake County, which included the community of Draper, however, William Draper and his wife Elizabeth do not have any of the Weaver children enumerated with their family. In the 1860 census William Draper is enumerated in the town of Spanish Fork, Utah County, while some of the Manhard relatives are still living near three young Draper families in Draper, Utah. William Draper was again listed in Spanish Fork in 1852. Late in 1851 - Draper, Utah Ebenezer Brown, Franklin's uncle... "...was called, together with many others, to form a settlement in Iron county [in southern Utah], and thus became one of the founders of Parowan...Later he filled a mission to Carson Valley, where he remained until 1858, when the Carson Valley missionaries were released on account of the Johnston Army troubles, and Brother Brown then returned to his former home in Draper, where he spent the remainder of his days and where he died January 25, 1878. Brother Brown was numbered among those who through the vicissitudes of an eventful life never faltered in his faith in the principles of the gospel. He was alive to the interests of the Church of Christ and always ready to do whatever was necessary on his part to sustain it. He left a large family and a very wide circle of friends." 2 February 1851 - Provo, Utah Territory Zelnora Weaver was born to Miles and Sarah Clark Weaver. 21 February 1851 - Salt Lake City, Utah Territory Franklin Weaver and Christiana Rachel Reed were sealed husband to wife. Since the temple in Salt Lake City would not be completed for forty years, evidently this ceremony took place in the Old Council House, the first permanent public building erected in Salt Lake City. The structure, begun in February of 1849 and completed by December 1850, served as headquarters for the Church as a state house for the provisional State of Deseret, and it was also used for sacred purposes. The sealing ceremony itself, as one of several sacred ordinances, "gave the Saints new insight into their relationship with God, their eternal destinies, and their earthly responsibilities." 22 April 1851 - Salt Lake City to the southern settlements President Brigham Young and a number of others left Salt Lake City to visit the southern settlements of Church colonists and to explore the Sevier Valley and other places in the heart of Utah's wilderness. The part considered of five carriages, 15 wagons, 63 horses and 8 mules. The group proceeded to Utah Fort and thence proceeded along a southerly route, stopping in Provo to enlist the services of Miles Weaver. Miles, along with Elijah Ward and George W. Bean served as interpreters to facilitate communications between the Indians and the President's party. 6 March 1852 - Salt Lake City, Utah Territory Miles and Sarah Clark Weaver were endowed and sealed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. 10 May 1852 - Provo, Utah Territory Elmina Ann Weaver was born to Franklin and Rachel Reed Weaver. Franklin and family moved from Davis County back to Provo earlier in 1852. 19 May 1852 - Provo, Utah Territory In a community petition from the citizens of Provo to the Church authorities in Salt Lake City, it was made known that the Provoans were unhappy because not one Church authority was living in Provo at that times, except for Bishop Blackburn. "Your petitioners are desirous for the welfare of this place and...we should be heartily glad if Brother George A. Smith could be appointed to take the lead of matters here, and if so...and we feel disposed to contribute...towards building him a house and other improvements provided that he would come..." Among the many (over 125) subscribers whose signatures appeared on the petition were Franklin Weaver, Miles Weaver, Samuel Clark, and Riley Clark. 28 July 1852 - Salt Lake City, Utah Territory Both Franklin and Rachel Reed Weaver were endowed at the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Following their endowments, they were sealed as a couple on the same day. 2 December 1852 - Provo, Utah Territory Sarah Jane Weaver was born to Miles and Sarah Clark Weaver. She lived less than five months. 14 February 1853 - Salt Lake Valley, Utah Territory Sarah Elizabeth Holmes, daughter of Marietta Carter and Jonathan Harriman Holmes, and future second wife of Miles Weaver, and consequently third wife of Franklin Weaver, was married to John Porter Barnard. Arlen Clement, in his book, "The Valiant Ones, the Clement and Weaver Families," wrote: "Sarah Elizabeth Holmes had been sealed to John Porter Barnard February 14, 1853 and much later divorced. They probably never lived together or consummated the marriage. The family account says that Sarah Elizabeth, barely fifteen years old, was taken by 'old Barnard,' sealed as a plural wife and then taken ti his home. He pushed Sarah Elizabeth inside his house while he stood in the doorway sheepishly telling his wife he had brought someone home to help her with the housework. Sarah Elizabeth sized up the situation in a flash and knew she had made the wrong decision when she had submitted to being sealed to this 'old buzzard.' She didn't ask him to move out of the door[way] so she could leave and go home, she just jumped out the window and ran home to Jonathan and Elvira." February 1853 - Provo, Utah County, Utah Territory "On the second Monday in February, the city election occurred and the following named persons were elected: Mayor: Evan M. Green, Counselors: Miles Weaver, Samuel Clark. 27 September 1853 - Salt Lake City, Utah Territory Writing in the Deseret News, President George A. Smith said: "Provo contains over two hundred families, three sawmills, one gristmill, one shingle machine propelled by water, one carding machine and fulling mill, and one manufactory of brown earthenware. There is also a turning lathe for turning wooden bowls, one thrashing machine, propelled by water power and two cabinet shops. A meetinghouse 80x47' to be finished with a gallery and steeple tower has been commenced. Last week I let the brethren who are newcomers have fifty town lots, which cost them only the expense of recording and surveying - $1.50 each. Bishop Blackburn is about finishing a tithing house, 36x24' with two stories high with good cellar underneath. Provo River affords a great amount of water power for machinery. We occasionally get a taste of trout from Utah Lake, which are very fine." 13 October 1853 - Salt Lake City, Utah Territory Franklin's sister Martha Elizabeth Weaver married John Rufus Stoddard. "He was born in Canada, January 15, 1827 and immigrated to the United States when a small boy with his parents Nathaniel Stoddard and Jane McMann Stoddard. His father died leaving his wife with four boys to rear. The mother and sons started for Utah,, but when they got to Council Bluffs, John Rufus joined the Battalion...He stayed in California a year after he was released from service; came to Utah, but returned to San Bernardino for about three years, after which time he and his family returned to Santa Clara, Utah. He died in Vernal, Utah.' John and Martha Weaver Stoddard's first child was born in San Bernardino, California in 1856 and all their other children born in Santa Clara, Washington County, Utah. 4 March 1854 - Provo, Utah Rebecca Weaver was born to Miles and Sarah Clark Weaver. 16 November 1854 - Salt Lake City, Utah Cancellation of the sealing of Sarah Elizabeth Holmes to John Porter Barnard took place on this date. She would soon wed Miles Weaver, becoming his second and plural wife. December 1854 - Utah Valley, Utah Because of lack of forage on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, the church moved its herds to Utah Valley in December 1854. John Clark Dowdle relates that he... "...bgan [sic] work for Miles and Franklin Weaver, who were engaged at that time in herding stock for the church. They proferred giving me fifteen dollar per month which offer I accepted...riding on horseback in coold [sic] rain, snow, sleat [sic] or wind enduring many hardships from cold and storm...spending our evening in song, singing and many other inocent [sic] amusements, our company was not made up of roughs, our associates were of such as the Weaver Bros., two or three of President Youngs sons, Heber C. Kimball, Garr boys, [and] the Sisters Weaver." 1855 - 1859 - Provo, Utah "Few years have been more eventful for Provo than those between 1855 and 1859. The grasshoppers of '55 scourged the country bare, and the bitter cold and high-drifting snows of the winter completed the work of devastation. Cattle died everywhere of cold and starvation. The year that followed was a famine year. The people of Provo lived largely on roots, greens and fish. Flour sold for a dollar a pound, yet some traded it to their fellows at the standard tithing price of $6 a hundredweight. Privation was great, but nobody started; the people retained their humane integrity, [and] the fellowship by which they had builded their community...They knew that a better time would come. They had around them the fruits of their six years' labor; a solidly built, partially walled city of some 2,000 inhabitants, networked by canals and bulwarked by broad farms, proud in the possession of a town hall, a church and bowery, a tithing office, five schools, two hotels, a number of mills, a public library, a musical society, and a dramatic association." 15 December 1854 - Provo, Utah Mary Jane Weaver was born to Franklin and Rachel Weaver. 7 January 1855 - Salt Lake City, Utah Miles married Sarah Elizabeth Holmes as a plural wife. "At that time, many men in the church were taking plural wives, usually pursuant to instruction from the brethren. And, Miles Weaver was advised to do so." Of course, this had an impact upon his wife, Sarah, but wisely she made the following comment: "When I see another woman with whom I can live polygamy properly, and with love and respect, I will give my consent." Not long after that when Miles and Sarah were at a dance, she met Sarah Holmes. She told Miles that if he could win THAT girl, she would be willing to give her consent. Thus strengthened by his wife's approval, Miles married Sarah Elizabeth. However, before the year was out, both Sarahs would become widows. Sarah Elizabeth Holmes..."...was born January 24, 1838 at Kirtland, Ohio, the daughter of Jonathan and Marietta Carter Holmes. Her father was a bodyguard for the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sarah was raised [after Marietta's death] at the Mansion House by Elvira Cowles, a wife of the Prophet. Her first memories were of life there. She remembered seeing the Egyptian Mummies and the Urim and Thummin, and she was a friend of Porter Rockwell. She never forgot the last words of the Prophet to her: "God bless my little Sarah, you shall grow up and live to testify to my name in Zion." Miles Weaver and Sarah Elizabeth Holmes were sealed by proxy after his death. From the union of Miles Weaver and Sarah Elizabeth Holmes were no children. 19 January 1855 - Salt Lake City, Utah The Territorial Assembly [of Utah] granted the Weaver brothers and the entire west shore of Utah Lake as a herd ground. "President Young was very fond of the Weaver boys and kept them in his employ. At one time he pointed Miles out and said, 'There goes a man that will be one of the wealthiest men in the church.' Then he hesitated and said, 'If he lives.'" Antelope Island, an island mountain separated from the Wasatch Front by the Great Salt Lake, was the site that Brigham Young commissioned Fielding Garr to build a ranch headquarters for the Church's cattle. The Weaver brothers also maintained the Church's tithing herd of cattle pastured on the island. The Weaver house was about three miles from the Garr house. (Antelope Island hosted more than 5,000 visitors during Pioneer Days in 1995). "At one time Miles and Sarah lived on an island in Great Salt Lake and they cared for the church cattle, milking some of the cows. Grandmother churned cream to make butter. They saved the milk in wooden homemade tubs as that was the best they could o. I think they lived on the island only in the summer. They called it Church Island." March 1855 - Salt Lake City, Utah Some of the proceeds from the sale of the Church's cattle were used for the Perpetual Emigrating Fund which helped to provide funds for immigrants from the eastern United States and from overseas. In a circular from the First Presidency, Church members are urged to assist the Church by delivering cattle to Miles and Franklin Weaver at the Jordan Ranch which was located about two miles west of where the city of Lehi is now situated: "...We request the Presidents and Bishops, in their respective locations, to ascertain what amount of means, and kind, whether money, cows, or oxen can be obtained, and forward the information to us immediately; and all means collected should be delivered here by the first of May next. Our herd is kept by Brother Miles and Frank Weaver, on the west side of Jordan, in Utah County, near Lehi City, on Dry Creek, where cattle coming in from any place south of this city can be delivered and appraised. All north and west may be delivered and appraised at this place. Brethren, lend us your aid, and be energetic in assisting us at this time in behalf of our brethren, that the blessings of Heaven may continue with us, and also be extended to others in their necessity. BRIGHAM YOUNG, HEBER C KIMBALL, JEDEDIAH M. GRANT 6 December 1855 - Lehi City, Utah County, Utah Miles Weaver received his patriarchal blessing at the hand of Patriarch Emer Harris. Emer Harris was an ordained patriarch, selected to give worthy church members a blessing according to the old Biblical manner that began with Jacob, who gave blessings to his twelve sons, predicting what would happen to them and their posterity after them. Although the actual blessings are held in the Church Historian's Office and are confidential, the card index to each name can contain valuable data. Miles Weaver's patriarchal blessing reads: "No. 178; Lehi City, Dec 6, 1855. A Blessing by Emer Harris, Patriarch, upon the head of Miles Weaver, son of Edward and Martha Weaver, born May 22, 1826, supposed to be in Alagaina [Allegany] County, State of N.Y [N.] A." and there the blessing stops. It was not recorded beyond this heading. This page is blank with only a few ink stains upon it. Occasionally blessings were given that were not recorded by the patriarch. The fact that Miles died the following day may have had a bearing on Patriarch Harris's neglect to record it. Or perhaps he only proceeded that far with the actual blessing, due to Miles condition, whatever it was. 7 December 1855 - Lehi City, Utah County, Utah Miles Weaver died. He was only twenty-eight years old. Funeral, burial, or cemetery data is not available as of this writing. His brother-in-law Joseph Clark, "helped to wash and prepare him for interment and assisted in his burial." Many of the graves near the old fort in Provo were moved or abandoned at a later date and the records are very incomplete. Miles left two widows, one Sarah Clark Weaver with four children ages six to one. The other wife, also a Sarah, married to Miles less than a year, had no children. "Miles received a medal from the government for fighting in the Indian war. He mastered the Indian language and was sent by the church as an interpreter both in trouble and in missionary work among the Indians. He was loved very dearly by them. Once Solomon H. Halve [a local resident] was captured by the Indians. They bound him and as they tried him for his alleged offense he told them he lived with Miles Weaver. He was immediately released. Miles had at one time befriended an Indian chief and the Indians always remembered that. Solomon Hale met Anna Clark at the Miles Weaver home where she was staying with her sister Sarah. He later married her." To enlarge this story about the Indians, D. Gary Christians wrote that: "Both the Weaver brothers were known to the Indians. And Miles particularly was known as respected by them. He was known to the Indians as 'Sadiodes.' Around the time of Miles' death, the Indians were causing a great deal of trouble, and it became necessary to take the women and children to Provo for safety...'The Indians kept getting worse all the while,' Sol [Solomon Hale] wrote, "and by the spring of 1856, they had killed young Hunsaker and the Carson brothers. In spite of our watchful care, they slipped in one night and drove away our band of about 26 saddle horses, which left us in a rather serious situation. The boys at the ranch began praising me and saying how brave I was and what a young hero I would be if I should recover our saddle horses. They finally offered me a pistol and a pair of new spurs if I would undertake the venture. Sol was not quite 17 years old at the time, and unmindful of the hazards of the undertaking, saddled his pony...and struck out on the search...he went south from the ranch scouring the country as he proceeded...when morning finally came...he came upon the tracks of a large number of horses leading into a canyon...He could distinctly hear the sound of the bell on the 'bell-mare' of his string of saddle horses. As he looked up into the thickly timbered canyon, he could see columns of smoke climbing into the stillness of the morning air... As he stood there musing upon the risk of further pursuit of the horses and the thieves who took them, an Indian stepped from behind a nearby tree...He came forward with his arm extended, his bow taut, and a feathered shaft notched in the string. Sol, recognizing that accommodation was the better part of prudence, especially at arrow point, rode ahead of his 'host' into the Indian encampment. The Indians instructed him to dismount, which he did. They immediately began to appropriate the riding accoutrements from his horse. Just as it appeared to him that all might be lost, including his life, the old chief came out of his tent...What was said between the two was recalled years later by Solomon Hale: Chief: "What you come here for?" Sol: "I come for Sadiodes' horses." Chief: "You lie! Sadiodes dead." Sol: "Yes, Sadiodes dead; but he has squaw and four papooses. They sent me for horses." Chief: (to his men) "Let him have horses." The Chief began to talk loudly and harangue his men, swinging his body, and gesticulating freely with his hands. Sol understood that he was telling the other Indians how "Sadiodes" had befriended the Chief and saved his life." Before he died, Miles had requested Franklin to take his wives and families and care for them. This request must have seemed almost overwhelming to Franklin, not only because of the additional responsibility, but also because the burden of grief over the loss of his brother and best friend. It was a shattering blow to Franklin and to the others. 8-9 December 1855 - Provo, Utah That Franklin and others in the Weaver family felt the need of spiritual comfort and assistance at this time is evidenced by the Patriarchal Blessings given by same Priesthood Patriarch Emer Harris, that had blessed Miles just prior to his death. Blessings were given to Franklin Weaver, Christiana Rachel Weaver, Julia Cecelia Weaver, Franklin's fourteen-year-old sister, and Gilbert Weaver, his brother age 20. The three blessings that follow are No's 179, 180, and 181, given in Provo City to Sarah Weaver, Sarah Elizabeth Weaver and Franklin Weaver, respectively, and were dated December 8th and 9th of 1855. Because these blessings support the establishment of Dec 7 1855, as the date of death of Miles Weaver they are included here: "No. 179; Provo City, Dec 9, 1855. A Blessing by Emer Harris, Patriarch upon the head of Sarah Weaver, daughter of Samuel and Rebeca Clark, born January 24, 1831, Clinton County, Ohio, N.A. Sister Sarah, I lay my hands upon your head in the name of Jesus of Nazareth and confer upon you a father's blessing. Thou are a daughter of Sarah of old and by lineage a descendant of Ephraim, the son of Joseph, who was sold into Egypt by his brethren; and are a legal heir of the Priesthood in connection with thy companion and are entitled to the fruits of the earth, which shall be given unto you even until you shall be satisfied therewith, and they posterity shall become numerous upon the earth and thou shalt be called a holy Mother in Israel, and thy children shall rise up and call thee blessed; although thou are afflicted and art a widow yet the Lord shall be thy husband and will see that thou are provided for; and his spirit shall be a comfort and consolation unto you in your lonely moments and because of the integrity of thy heart innumerable blessings shall be given unto you, and thou shalt also have power to administer to the sick of thine own family and they shall be healed and by the authority of the Holy Priesthood I seal this a father's blessing upon thy head, and in the name of Jesus Christ, I seal thee up unto eternal lives. Even so, Amen." "No. 180; Provo City, Dec 8, 1855; A Blessing by Emer Harris, Patriarch upon the head of Sarah Elizabeth Weaver, daughter of Jonathan Harriman and Marietta Holmes, born January 26, 1838, Kirtland, Chicago County, Ohio, N.A. Sister Sarah Elizabeth I lay my hands upon your head in the name of Jesus of Nazareth and confer upon you a father's blessing; thou art a descendant of Ephraim of old which was the son of Joseph which was sold into Egypt by his brethren; therefore thou are entitled to a portion of the Priesthood in connection with a companion. Thou also shalt become a mother in Israel and like Sarah of old, thy posterity shall become numerous on the earth and the good things of the earth shall be given unto you; thou arty a widow and thou are sorely afflicted. Be comforted my daughter, for the Lord will not leave thee nor forsake thee inasmuch as thou shall put thy whole trust in him. Call upon the Lord often and he shall bless thee above thy expectations and thou shall stand upon the earth when the Savior cometh. And by the authority of the Holy Priesthood I seal this a father's blessing upon thy head together with all former blessings which hath been placed upon you through the Holy Priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ I seal you up unto eternal lives. Even so, Amen." "No 181; Provo City, Dec 8, 1855; A Blessing by Emer Harris, Patriarch, placed upon the head of Franklin Weaver, son of Edward and Martha Weaver, born May 28th, 1828, Allegany County, Stake of New York, N.A. Brother Franklin I lay my hands upon your head in the name of Jesus of Nazareth and place upon you a father's blessing; thou art an orphan, but thou shalt now have a father; thou art an Ephramite by descent and therefore thou are an heir to the Priesthood which hath come down through the lineage of they fathers even unto thee, the blessings of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. I confirm upon your head which is a numerous posterity, and a plenty of the fruits of the earth, which shall be confirmed unto you and thy children shall bear off the Priesthood after thee and magnify it and make it honorable and glorify God thereby, and thou shalt have the manifestations of the Spirit of God to direct you in all your ways inasmuch as you shall seek it with all your heart and keep all the commandments of God and continue in the faith the powers of earth and hell shall not have power to take them fro you without your own consent thereunto; not a hair of thy head shall fall [by] an enemy. And by the authority of the Holy Priesthood I seal this a father's blessing upon they head together with all former [a portion of the blessing was destroyed by fire] which thou hast received through the [?] in the name of Jesu Christ [I seal you up unto] eternal lives. Even [so, Amen.]" Franklin sought the counsel of Brigham Young, and heeded his advice to marry, both of his brother's widows. This religious precedent of 'raising up seed unto his brother' is noted in the Bible, both Old and New Testaments. For a young man not yet thirty years old it must have seemed quite an awesome responsibility.

Jesse L. Raymer, 1802-1876, was a brother of Martha Raymer Weaver Draper. He named his youngest son Almon C. Raymer. Actually Almon had a twin named Allen B. Raymer. The twins were born 27 December 1836. Allen died in 1892 at age 56, but Almon was only 19 when he died on 20 August 1856, in Rensselaer County, New York. So he was still living when Martha named her son Almon; she was the widow of Edward Weaver when she married William Draper. Draper was named executor of the estate of Edward Weaver, who died in Nauvoo, Illinois while working on the temple construction there. Edward Weaver and William Draper had been great friends ever since the time that William Draper was rescued by Edward and helped back to health by Edward and Martha. Edward Weaver and Martha Raymer were the parents of eight children, five sons and three daughters. After she was a widow, a mob came to their home in Pike County, Illinois, south of Nauvoo, and demanded that she renounce Joseph Smith and Mormonism. Otherwise they would burn her home. "Burn it and be damned!" was her staunch refusal. She was given twenty minutes to vacate her home. She and the children gathered what they could, hurriedly threw it all into the wagon, hitched their single oxen and drove off, looking back to see their log home going up in flames. She later accepted Draper's offer of marriage, much as other widows had done the same. Two of her sons went off with the Mormon Battalion (Miles and Franklin Weaver), one son went to Michigan (Horace Weaver) another son had died young, so that left Martha with the youngest son (Gilbert Weaver, age 11) and the three young girls (Martha, Miranda and Julia). The girls and Gilbert accompanied the Draper family in the trek west after Martha's death (unknown date at Winter Quarters), her infant son Almon, being lovingly cared for by [Mary Ann Manhardt Draper]. See: FRANKLIN WEAVER, A TIMELINE 1828-1884 by Ellen Claire Weaver Shaeffer, 1996.