Chester Southworth III (1842 - 1910) Profile

Individual

death-date-qualifier-death

Chester Southworth III

birth-date-qualifier-birth

Baird, Alexander, Autobiography of Alexander Baird, 23

Baird, Alexander, Autobiography of Alexander Baird, 23.

I had a great time on the plains, I can tell you. When we got to Florence, I asked the captain I was to come to the valley with for a team to drive, as we had some extra wagons coming along. They were new wagons. They were loaded with dried fruits. I got one to drive and three yoke of cattle. This was a job for an old sailor, you bet. I had never seen a yoke of cattle in my life, and knew as much about them as they did about me. In fact, they probably knew more. But my brother Peter and the young man helped me to herd them along. I got along alright after I got the yoke up, but you bet that was a job and no mistake. Many a time I got them head and tail and it was a job to get them straight again. Sometimes the pin would work out on the road and one of us had to carry the yoke and trudge along for miles in the sand. Oh, I tell you, we were pictures.
We had a couple of guns in our wagon, one, an old English musket my father gave me before I left Glasgow. It would hold half a pound of small shot. So we always had something extra to eat. My gun never missed if you had it loaded with small shot. It held so much and scattered, it broadcast. I have killed as many as forty blackbirds in one shot. All you had to do was let drive east, west, north, or south and you were sure to hit something.
When we got to the Indian country the captain would always want me to stand guard at night around camp. This was fun for me as I had been a man o'war so long and I liked excitement. And if I do say it myself, I knew not what fear was. Captain Rex [Ricks] was good to me because I was always willing to obey orders.
We arrived in Salt Lake City the twenty-fourth of October, 1863. I had made lots of friends on the road with the valley teamsters. One of them was Chester Southworth a jolly fellow like myself, fond of his bitters and always in good humor.

Transcript for Baird, Alexander, Autobiography of Alexander Baird, 23

Southworth, Chester, [Autobiography], in B. Glen Marble, comp., Mormon Marbles: Roots and Branches [1979], 87-88

Southworth, Chester, [Autobiography], in B. Glen Marble, comp., Mormon Marbles: Roots and Branches [1979], 87-88.

About 200 left Kanesville, 5 July 1852, mostly members of the McOlney Branch in Pottawattomie, Iowa. The McOlney Branch was located about one and a half to three miles north to Kanesville at a place called Bluff city. The company was supposed to number 250 families each. This company was called the 14 company or the John B. Walker Company.
Myself and wife [Mary Byington Southworth] and four children were assigned to Captain Daniel Mark Burbank. My four children were: Chester, Joseph, Laura and Sarah. In this Walker company was another Southworth, Cragun and wife. The three Capts. as I remember, John Myers who settled in Panguitch, Utah, Davis McOlney who settled in Lehi. The other two I have forgotten. All were men with families. The organization was completed the 25th of June 1852. 
We crossed the Missouri river the 30th of June 1852 but did not all get together until the evening of July 3rd/ 1852 and spent the 4th of July celebrating our National Holiday. We were a company of devoted Christians, having prayer morning and evening, putting our trust in the Lord each day and thanking him at the close of the day for our day of safe travel.
Elkhorn river is where the actual treck began. We crossed the Elkhorn river by rafts pulled by oxen, some of the horses swam across. Beginning at North Platte we established camping proceedures. The mules and horses were tied inside the wagon circle at night. No one was to leave the camp without permission. The indians set pra[i]rie fires all around us, they were so close our faces and clothing were black from the flying ash.
Register Cliff was a resting place with good water and good grass. Farson is where we crossed the little Sandy.
Fort Bridger, an army post. Here the Pioneers spent a day repairing wagon wheels and making general preparations for continuing the treck. Here we caught mountain trout, enjoying the opportunity to clean up and rest.
Our oldest daughter Susannah, who had married John Palmer at Oregon, Holt Missouri, had a daughter born 22 Sep 1852 at Black Fork in the Sweet water, Wyoming.
Sarah our second daughter married Captain Daniel Burbank as he had lost his wife near Sweet Water Nebraska along the Platte river. We were unfortunate enough to have cholera break out among our members, we lost 13 with cholera. Sarah was just a young girl but was unafraid to render help. She prepared the boy as best she could. Abigail Burbank died 20th July 1852 and was buried not far from the trail. Sarah and Daniel Mark Burbank were married by Capt. John. B. Walker the 10th of September 1852. Capt. Burbank had three children, one boy and two girls.
The John B. Walker Company entered Salt Lake Valley the 5th of October 1852.

Transcript for Southworth, Chester, [Autobiography], in B. Glen Marble, comp., Mormon Marbles: Roots and Branches [1979], 87-88

Saints: The Story of the Church of Jesus Christ in the Latter Days

Prophets of the Restoration

Global Histories

Revelations in Context

Women of Conviction

Joseph Smith Papers

Church Historian’s Press

More

Publications

Church History Museum

Historic Sites

Church History Library

Visit

Church History Catalog

Missionary Database

Pioneer Database

Treasures of the Collection

Pioneer Resources

Research

Church Historic Sites

Quick Links

Church History Biographical Database

/chd/landing

company-arrived

joined-company

with-pioneer-activity

Chester Southworth Jr.

Mary Byington

Joseph Stephen Southworth

Sarah Zurviah Southworth

Laura Salina Southworth

pioneerCompanyReferenceIdValue

Default List Title

The Church History Biographical Database is a powerful research tool that contains biographical entries on over 100,000 early Latter-day Saints, such as pioneers who traveled to Utah and missionaries who served throughout the world from 1830-1940.

Name

Presided Over

Sources

Title

Chester Southworth III

Birth Date

Death Date

Gender

Sources