Amasa Potter (1833 - 1911) Profile

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Amasa Potter

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Amasa Potter journal

Amasa Potter journal.

Amasa Potter reminiscences and journal

Amasa Potter reminiscences and journal.

Amasa Potter reminiscences and journal, January 1857.

June 1st 1859 I made Ready &amp; in company with L[ouis]. R[ice]. Chaffin &amp; Thomas S. Johnson[.] I left sacramento city to go home to Utah[.] We had Perchased a Light Spring Wagon &amp; a span of Horses &amp; with this out fit we started[.] we had stayed in calefornia [California] 8 months &amp; had worked hard to get means to go home[.] We came to the scerinevada [Sierra Nevada] mountains &amp; crossed them safely to carson valley then came on to the sink of the Humbolte [Humboldt] &amp; crossed a Desert 45 miles &amp; came up the Humbolte River three hundred miles &amp; crossed the Goose creek mountains &amp; came on into Utah north of Salt Lake &amp; came to Salt Lake City having traveled this trip eight hundred miles with out any accident by Indians, we met many Emegrants going to the Golde mines &amp; they had met with great los[s]es of stock &amp; several People had been Killed by Indians &amp; they warned us to be on gard continuly but we did not see any Indians. We came on to Provo city Utah county &amp; here I parted with Elder Chaffin &amp; Johnson . . .

Transcript for Amasa Potter reminiscences and journal, 1857 January-1910 January, 112

We worked here at Town called Savanna but when spring came[,] we had not Earned means safissint [sufficient] to take us all through so Father canclnd [canceled] to stay untill the year 48 so we worked untill the spring of 48 by this time we had got a yoak of oxen &amp; wagon &amp; 2 cows[.] We hiched the cows on lead &amp; started out for the West[.] We joined Lorenzo Snows company on the Elk horn River &amp; we traveled in Ezra Chases ten all the way through



Bishop Hunter hired me to drive his sheep acrost the plains and gave me 6 dollars per month[.] we would start about 4 oclock in the morning with the sheep &amp; the train would catch up to us at noon &amp; then we would start &amp; travel to the next camping place &amp; stop untill the company came up &amp; so we traveled 4 long months on the plains—



I carriade [carried] a rifle on my sholder moast all the way &amp; have killed many Antilope [Antelope] &amp; Buffalo near our sheep as we wair traveling &amp; have meat ready for the company when they came up[.] the Indians came to us many times but was always friendly to the mormons[.] This year they did not want to kill our sheep for thare was thousand of other game that they like better[.] We came in to Salt Lake Valley in September in 1848.

Transcript for Amasa Potter reminiscences and journal, 1857 January-1910 January

"Arrivals," Deseret News

"Arrivals," Deseret News, October 10, 1855.

ARRIVALS.--Hon. G. P. Stiles, U. S. Associate Justice in the Third Judicial District, Joseph L. Heywood, U. S. Marshal, and their guard, together with Capt. Judson Stoddard and company arrived from Carson Valley on the 3rd inst. Mr. Chadwick and son, a Mr. Davies, Amasa Potter and a Mr. Morgan came through at the same time.



Hon. Enoch Reese, Representative from Carson, Bishop N. V. Jones, late President of the mission in Hindostan and the Birman Empire, O. P. Rockwell, Jefferson Edmunds and two other persons arrived from the West on the 4th inst. They left Carson on the 22nd ult., and came through in 13 days.



Since writing the above we have learned that Mr. T. D. Pitt piloted the company, is familiar with the country between here and Carson, and is ready to act as guide for any persons wishing to travel the nearest route. He is stopping at the Great Salt Lake House on East Temple st.



On the 7th inst. br. W. S. Godbe came in ahead of a train of 22 wagons which he left on Green River, October 4. All the Indians on the route were very friendly. He met the last missionary company at the 5th crossing of Sweetwater on the 23rd of Sept.; they were all well and getting along finely. From all that he could learn, br. Godbe supposes that all of this year's immigration, including goods' trains, is this side of the South Pass.

Transcript for "Arrivals," Deseret News, 10 October 1855, 245

"Arrivals," Deseret News, July 20, 1859.

ARRIVALS.—Elders L[ouis]. R[ice]. Chaffin, T[homas]. S. Johnson and Amasa Potter, who left here on a mission to Australia, in May, 1856, arrived in this city on Saturday evening the 16th inst. from California, by the northern route. They left Placerville on the 10th and Genoa the 13th of June.
Elders Chaffin and Potter arrived at San Francisco last fall on their way home, but not having the means to come any further then, they had to go to work and earn it, and remained in California during the winter. Elder Johnson arrived there in March with a small company that intended to come through this season, but subsequently resolved to remain on the Pacific coast for the present, some to get an out fit and others to diminish their substance so that they can come, if ever, with less expense.
They report that the feed between here and Carson is excellent, never better, and that between the junction, at City Rocks, and Genoa the road was literally filled with emigrants from the States, the majority of which having taken the route by Soda Springs came into the Salt Lake road at that point. They met many droves of cattle which, together with the emigrant's teams, were generally in good condition, and all getting along first rate.
They met Major Lynde's command between the Humboldt and Thousand Spring Valley, conveying a company of nine wagons, and not one hundred and fifty as has been reported, no accessions having been made to the number after they passed through this city on the morning of the 15th of June. The company of infantry, whose special duty it was to guard the emigrant train, not being pleased with the laborious service, were cursing it as a species of humbuggery of which they had become the victims. Crisman's train was met near Haws' ranch and Godbe's this side of Goose creek.

Transcript for "Arrivals," Deseret News, 20 July 1859, 4

"Arrivals," Deseret News.

Companies of 10, schedules, circa

Companies of 10, schedules, circa, February 1848.

Companies of 10, schedules, circa.

MS 14290: Camp of Israel schedules and reports, 1845-1849

MS 14290: Camp of Israel schedules and reports, 1845-1849, June 1848.

MS 14290: Camp of Israel schedules and reports, 1845-1849.

Our Pioneer Heritage

Our pioneer heritage, Vol. 18, Page 165-166.

Our Pioneer Heritage.

Potter, Amasa, Reminiscences and journal

Potter, Amasa, Reminiscences and journal, January 1857.

Bishop J. B. Fairbanks came to me this winter & said to me it was his council for me to go in to the Patarical [Patriarchal] order & take me an other Wife[,] so to be obediant to council & knowing that this was a step to Exaltation in the Kingdom of God I said that I would try to fill that Law[.] So I comenced casting about Payson to see if thair was any good girl that I could get to come in to my family, but young Wimmen [women] was scarce & hard to pleas, so I volenteared to go to Omeha [Omaha] this spring with my team & meet the Emegration from Europe & bring up a Load of Emegrants & perhaps I may finde a good mormon girl that will be sealed to me & com in to my family, 
so on the 24[th] day of April this year [1863] I started with 4 yoak of oxen &amp; a wagon with 9 others &amp; Wm. McClelian [McClellan] was our captain from Payson &amp; we joined John R. Merdocks [Murdock's] Company of 65 wagons &amp; 460 yoak of oxen + 75 men comprised our company &amp; we traveled up Provo Canion [canyon] to the Webber &amp; through Ecco [Echo] canion &amp; so on acrost the Plains through the Hills to Larmey [Laramie] &amp; down the Plat[te] River to Omeha[,] Everaging 20 miles a day making 50 days in the trip down to the Masouri [Missouri] River[.] The Emegrants ware waiting in camp for us to arive as they had got thair a week before &amp; they wair nearly all scandinavians &amp; moast of them could not speak of word of English, so when all of the Wagons was Loaded but mine[,] thair was left 24 sweeds to go with some wagon &amp; murdock said the only chance was for me to take them all in my wagon &amp; that was twice as many as the others had, so they stoed [stowed] them or thair goods all in &amp; Piled the Wagon full to the Bowes &amp; our company started out for the mountains[.] I had 2 Invileads [invalids] in my Wagon that had to Ride all of the time &amp; the 2 Weighed 4 hundred pounds &amp; I found at the first night's camp that my Passengers could not talk a Word of English &amp; I felt very sick of them at first, but as I was cook of our Payson ten &amp; had to sit up long Evenings to Boil Beans &amp; Bake Bread the girls would help me to do my cooking for thair was 5 large young Wimen in my Wagon &amp; they ware ancious [anxious] to Learn the English Language &amp; I was ancious to Learn the sweedish so I gave them words to Learn &amp; they gave me words of sweedish to Learn &amp; by the time we got up the Plat[te] River I could talk very fair Sweedish to them &amp; so we got along much Better the Latter part of our Journey[.] Thair was one young Lady that formed an attachment to me &amp; I in turn to for hir[.] Hir Name was Scelia [Cecelia] Parson &amp; when we came home she stoped at cottonwood to visit some Reletives &amp; I came on home &amp; all of our Emegrants scattered out in to the country &amp; now we had made the trip to the Mosouri River &amp; back home in Less than 4 months[,] it lacked 8 days[,] making about 20 miles per day with ox teams &amp; nothing Sirius [serious] had happened to any of us on the [w]hole Journey.

Transcript for Potter, Amasa, Reminiscences and journal 1857 Jan.-1910 Jan., 113-14

Amasa Potter

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