| Joseph F. Smith Autobiographical Manuscript (2) |
| Family dispersed | I now return to the Spring of 1848. As I have remarked, we were anxious to go with the church to the valley. Part of the family, my Aunt Mercy R. (who after the death of her husband Robert B. Thompson, was sealed on the 11th of Aug. 1843 /by the Prophet Jos. Smith/ in the presence of my mother, to my Father for time) and her daughter, M. J., James Lawson, George Mills, and Margaret Brison, had gon to the valley the year before, George, being one of the Pioneers. | M. J.: Mary Jane | ||
| Mary's resources | Many of our cattle and horses having died during the winter
we were in a very helpless condition in regard to travelling. But notwithstanding,
mother was determined to make a start trusting in God for help, for it was
out of the power of the Saints to do it. Accordingly we loaded up our old
wagons, 7 in number, including a large family carriage or Spring wagon,
which, with most of if not all of the wagons, was made at the wagon shop
at Nauvoo, out of green timber soaked or boiled in brine, and fastening
two wagons together, and yoaking up the cows and calvs, or young
stears, and what oxen we had, we hitched up and commenced to roll out towards
Elk Horn where the companies were encamped, making the distance 27 miles
in three days. Here we camped for some little time, as we had to send back
to hire and buy (on credit) cattle for the Journey. |
Joseph Fielding's
February 1842 recollection: |
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| Cornelius P. Lott: Go back to Winter Quarters | Here a circumstance occurred I shall
never forget and have not yet even forgiven. President Kimball, one
morning, brought Cornelius P. Lott to
my mother and informed her that she would travel in his "fifty,"
provided she could get teams to go on with the companies. Bro. Lott enquired
as to the number of our family, wagons and teams, and on being informed,
replied in the presence of bro. Kimball that it was folly for "Widow
Smith" to attempt the Journey, and said he, "Go back to Winter
Quarters and remain till another year so that you can get assistance, for
if you start out in this manner, you will be a burden on the company the
whole way, and I will have to carry you along or leave you on the way." |
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| Mary: I will beat you and will ask no help | To this disconsolate harangue Mother calmly replied, "Father Lott, I will beat you to the valley and will ask no help from you either." At this he seemed qu[i]te nettled and said sharply, "You can't get there without help, and the burden will be on me," and turned on his heel and went away. | |||
| Joseph's reaction | I was then a little boy, and I felt greaved and hurt at the
harsh and disencouraging manner of "Father Lott," and the cold
bluff he gave my mother, who was struggling against hope as it were, and
the most implicit faith in God, for deliverence from the jaws of death,
for Winter Quarters was a most sickly hole at that time, and was being deserted
by the Saints. |
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| Additional oxen | In course of a few days by dint of untiring perserverence Mother succeeded in bargaining for a number of yoaks of oxen, some being hired for the trip and others bought on time, so that when the companies were ready to roll out for the plains, we were prepared to go along. | |||
| Jane Wilson | With the family was one Jane Wilson who was a subject of charity in the family. She was afflicted sorely with fits, and fever sores, and was very fond of Snuff. Her Mother, a very nice old lady, was in the family of Bp. N. K. Whitney, in Prest Kimball's company. | |||
| Jane moves | All went smoothly untill we reached north
fork of the Platte. Here we came in sight of Prest. Kimball's company, and
Jane, being out of Snuff, started out ahead to overtake her mother
and get some Snuff, expecting to return to our train in the evening,
as, being so near, she supposed we would camp together. But Capt. Lott concluded
to stop at noon and camp for the afternoon & the next day, do some washing,
hunting, and rest the teams. |
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| Lott calls camp together | Sometime in the afternoon Capt. Lott came into the center
of the corrall, and called the camp together, and when all had assembled
Capt. Lott enquired in an excited and noisey manner "Is all right in
the Camp!" Which he repeted many times. Every one—my mother with
the rest—replied "All is right with me." |
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| Mary: Jane is safe | When mother spoke, he exclaimed, "All is
right, is it, and a poor woman lost!" Mother replied very mildly, "Father Lott, Jane is not lost. She has gon to see her mother, and is quite safe." |
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| Lott's rebuke | At this the Capt was very much enraged and replied, "I rebuke you widow Smith, in the name of the Lord! She is lost and must be sent for at once." | |||
| John retrieves Jane | Mother replied, "All right she shall be sent for."
Accordingly my brother John, only a boy, was sent off to overtake the company ahead, travelling in the night through droves of ravenous wolves, fierce for the flesh of dead cattle strewed along the road, howling and even snapping at him on every hand /side/, their eyes gleaming in the dark. And when he did reach the camp, that had made a good half-days travel, he found Jane all snug and comfortable with her mother. |
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| Ox near death | After this we moved on smoothly until we
reached a point about mid-way between the Platte and Sweetwater, when one
of our best oxen laid down in the yoak as if poisened and all supposed he
would die. Father Lott now blustered about as if the world was about at
an end. "There" said he "I told you /you/ would have to be
helped, and that you would be a burden on the company." |
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| Administer
to ox Healing repeated |
But in this he was mistaken, for after praying
for the ox, and pouring oil upon him he got up and we drove along only detaining
the company a very short time. But we had not gon far when another fell
down like the first. But with the same treatment he got up, as the other.
I believe this was repeated the 3rd time, to the astonishment of all who
saw and the chagrin of Father Lott. |
Joseph's
cousin Rachel, six months older than he, recalled one healing of the ox
blessed by her father, Joseph Fielding. ¶
Rachel Fielding Burton Reminiscence. Joseph Fielding's diary recollection does not mention blessing an ox. |
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| Old ox dies | On reaching Rattlesnake bend on the Sweetwater, one of our oxen, "old bully," from Shear old age and exhaustion laid down and died. He was hardly missed however as he had been able to render but little Service for Some time. | |||
| Lott loses animals | On reaching the last crossing of the Sweetwater, to the best
of my recollection, three of Capt. Lott's ablest oxen and his best mule
laid down near the camp-ground and died. This was a sore trial to the old
man, and a very great loss, as he was obliged to get help in order to proceed.
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| Insinuates Mary's plot | I heard him say, "It looks Suspicious that
4 of my best animals should lie down in this manner all at once, and die,
and everybody's cattle but mine escape!" and insinuated that Somebody
had poisened them through spite, all of which was said in my presence and
for my especial benefit, which I perfectly understood, altho' he
did not address himself directly to me. |
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| Cost the old man dearly | It was well for Father Lott I was only a stripling of {10} /9/ years of age, and not a man, even four years latter, Such an occurrence would have cost the old man dearly, regardless of his age, and perhaps been a cause of regret to myself. | |||
| Temper beyond boiling | My temper was beyond boiling, it was "white hot," for I knew his insinuation was directed or aimed at my mother, as well as I knew that such a thing was beyond her power even had she been capable of such a deed, all of which he knew as well as I, and all the camp. | |||
| Resolves
on revenge Rid the earth |
At this moment I resolved on revenge for this and the many other insults and abuses this old fiend had heaped upon my mother, and should most certainly have carried out my resolution had not death come timely to my releaf and rid the earth of so vile and despicable an incumbrance while I was yet a child. | |||
| Joseph not allowed to perform night duty | One cause of his spite at mother was that She would not allow
me to stand guard of nights, and purforme all the duties
of a man, to which she had no objections, and which I did faithfully in
the day time, for I yoked, un-yoked and drove my own team and took my turn
of day guard with the men, and was equal to the best, which was more than
reason could demand, or than any /other/ child in camp of my age did. |
Because Mary would not let him perform night duty, Joseph "was, therefore, frequently sneered at as being ‘petted by his mother,' which was a sore trial to him." "Noble Woman," 27. | ||
| Lott's
false alarm Mary's not tricked |
One night, while he was on guard, he raised a false alarm
of "Indians," coming directly to the big carriage where Mother,
my little Sister and myself slept, Shaking it terriffically and in a loud
hoarse whisper Shouting Several times in quick succession, "Indians,
Indians! Get up quick widow Smith! We'r beset by Indians!!" Mother replied, "Why don't you arouse the men. I don't see what I can do, father Lott." At this he went to the next wagon where some of the family were asleep, shaking it rather milder, and sneaked off, not wishing to carry the alarm any farther. |
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| Manuscript ends at the bottom of the page, but succeeding pages are empty. |