Christopher Merkley (1808 - 1893) Profile

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Christopher Merkley

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Biography of Christopher Merkley, Written by Himself (Salt Lake City: J. H. Parry & Company, 1887

Biography of Christopher Merkley, Written by Himself (Salt Lake City: J. H. Parry & Company, 1887.

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959, Vol. 1, Page 40, Line 1698.

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959, Vol. 1, Page 114, Line 149.

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959, Vol. 1, Page 3, Line 91.

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959.

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959, Vol. 2, Page 43, Line 1698.

Missionary Department missionary registers, 1860-1959, Vol. 2, Page 122, Line 149.

Allen Taylor's 100, report, circa

Allen Taylor's 100, report, circa, October 1849.

Allen Taylor's 100, report, circa.

Christopher Merkley, Biography of Christopher Merkley (Salt Lale City: J.H. Parry & Company, 1887), 28-30

Christopher Merkley, Biography of Christopher Merkley (Salt Lale City: J.H. Parry & Company, 1887), 28-30.

I remained and ferried until July 5th, 1849, when I ferried myself across the mighty Missouri, and bid farewell to the home of the white man and started across the great plains in a company of fifty, over which Enoch Reese was captain. We traveled to Elk Horn, where we overtook the other company, over which Allen Taylor was captain. They had been detained through the raft being water soaked. The rope broke and let the raft go down stream about a quarter of a mile.



When our company arrived Captain Taylor, knowing that I understood ferrying, called the people together and had me appointed by a unanimous vote to take charge of the ferry. I took a survey of the surroundings, selected the place for the ferry, called for twenty yoke of cattle and drew the raft up stream to the place I had selected. After placing it in position we ferried one company over and they started.



The next day we ferried all across, and again started on our journey. We traveled until we reached the Platte River, where we found the first company, who were again at a stand still, as they could not find a ford. Captain Taylor again appointed me to look for one. I started up stream to find it, judging the water to be shallow by the ripples. I carefully went in until I got to deep water, when I would swim back. I was occupied all day seeking a ford, but found none;



and the next day I was sick through being wet so much the day before. Captain Taylor, however, insisted that I must go. He furnished me a horse to ride, and told me not to get out of the saddle, but direct the others how to proceed. I went to the place where I started from the day before. On looking at the river I told the captain I believed there had been a ford made in the night. I directed the men and they found I was right, for they went across. We then hitched up and crossed by doubling teams, and all of both companies got across except two wagons.



The next morning part of the ford had gone, but by going down a little way, we found it, and got the two wagons across, and start on our journey. When we got opposite Grand Island we came upon a lot of oxen that had stampeded. We secured them and took them with us.



Several days after we came up to a California company who had lost all their cattle. They had been stampeded several nights before. They were very thankful to us for bringing them on. Some time after, our own cattle had a stampede in the night. They went about one and one-half miles, where there was another camp. They heard them coming and all hands went out and succeeded in stopping them. Soon after we got there and took them back and herded them the rest of the night.



In the morning when we went to drive them into the corral, half of them had gone in when suddenly they again stampeded. As I was in the midst of them, I had a narrow escape, but being fleet of foot I ran with them and watched my chance, and got out from among them. The horsemen finally stopped them, and we brought them back. After we got them quieted, we drove them into the corral, yoked them up and sat down to breakfast. While we were eating they started on another stampede and in getting out of the corral, they upset a wagon in which was an old man. They broke the axle-trees in their mad flight, crossed a slough and then ran against a big wagon loaded with sixty hundred. Two of them broke their shoulders, and several got their horns broken. We found them sticking in the ground. The horsemen again headed them and brought them back. We fixed up and started on our journey. Soon after this we divided the company, and traveled in two separate divisions. After we had separated, the other company had another stampede, in which one sister was killed, and several of the wagons broken.



Nothing particular happened to us until after we had crossed the Big Mountain. We camped in the road late in the evening. The night was very dark.



The next morning we found nearly a foot of snow on us. The next day, being October the 3rd, we arrived in Salt Lake City.

Transcript for Christopher Merkley, Biography of Christopher Merkley (Salt Lale City: J.H. Parry & Company, 1887), 28-30

David Moore writings, circa 1860, 45-54

David Moore writings, circa 1860, 45-54.

June 27—I crossed the Missouri River with Captain Allen Taylor and R.N. Allred, selected a camp ground and returned to camp about 6 o'clock P.M. Tied our cattle to our wagons and to some trees for the night.



June 28—Ferried over our wagons and swam our cattle, and camped about half a mile from the old Winter Quarters, where we remained until the 30th waiting for the company to all get over the river.



Sunday July 1—Still in camp, went in company with some of the Brethren and sisters to view the town, found that a large amount of labor had been expended here by the saints the summer of 1846. They wintered there the following winter and was ordered back into Iowa the spring of 1847 by some U.S. Officials. I also went on the hill back of the town and saw many graves where the worn and exhausted saints had found a last resting place.



My reflections were anything but pleasant when I reviewed the labor, patience and suffering of the saints through all the trials and persecutions which they had passed.



Monday July 2—8 o'clock Captain Allen Taylor gave ordered [orders] to the camp to move out about half a mile and form in cor[r]al for the purpose of receiving farther [further] instructions from Pres. George A. Smith and others. They arrived about 1 P.M. They exhorted the Brethren to be humble and prayerful and obedient to the officers. The following officers were then elected: Allen Taylor, captain the hundred; Reddick N. Allred, captain of 2nd Fifty; Enoch Reese, captain of 1st Fifty; Andrew H. Perkins, President of the camp, on motion of G.A. Smith, Isaac Allred and Absalom Perkins were chosen and elected his counselors. David Moore was elected clerk of the hundred on motion of Geo. A. Smith.



Reuben W. Allred elected clerk of R.N. Allred's 50; Franklin M. Perkins elected clerk of Captain E. Reese's 50 on motion of A.H. Perkins. Reuben W. Allred elected marshall of Allred's fifty; Lorenzo Clark elected Marshall of Reese's company of fi[f]ty; Samuel Snyder elected Sargeant of the Guard in Reese fifty; Daniel S. Thomas elected Sargeant of the Guard in Allreds fifty; Joseph Egbert, Daniel S. Thomas, George W. Hancock, Daniel Corbet[t], James Standing, and Charles Lambert were elected Captains of tens in Allred's fifty.



The following are the names of the Captains of tens in Captain Reese's fifty, Lorenzo Clark, David Moore, Samuel Snyder, Absolam [Absalom] Perkins, George Snyder.



After the camp was organized Pres. George A. Smith said in as much as Bro. Allred's camp was all ready to move on he would propose that his company be called the first company, accordingly the numbers were changed and Captain Allred's company was formed as the first fifty and Captain Reese's was designated as the second fifty. Pres. Smith then counseled the Brethren to be humble and faithful on their journey to the valley of Salt Lake. He returned to Kanesville after the close of the meeting.



Tuesday July 3—Commenced to get the number of Captain Allreds company and found the number to be as follows: Total number of persons 246; number of males 127; number of females 119; number of wagons 72; number of oxen 254; number of cows 184; number of yearlings 37; number of horses 6; number of mules 2; number of sheep 120; number of pigs 20; number of dogs 34; number of cats 41; number of turkeys 12; number of ducks 4; number of chickens 34; number of doves 3; number of hives of bees 5; Males over 12 years of age 82; Females over 12 years of age 81; Children under 12 years of age 83.



Captain Enoch Reese's company numbered as follows: Males over 12 years of age 77; Females over 12 years of age 60; Children under 12 years of age 62; total 199.



No. wagons 65; no. of oxen 292; No. cows 127; No. yearlings 34; No. horses 21; No. mules 1; No. sheep 148; No. pigs 9; No. dogs 25; No. cats 15; No. geese 2; No. turkeys 5; No. ducks 14; No. chickens 31; No. doves 2. The returns of the above Companies were mate [made] to Bro. Orson Hyde at Kanesville July 6, 1849.



Thursday July 5—The company of fifty under Captain Allred being ready to move, they left their camp ground near Winter Quarters and started on the great journey towards Salt Lake Valley.



Friday July 6—The second fifty under Captain Reese started out on their journey. We did not come in sight of Captain Allred's company until we had traveled towards Salt Lake Valley some 18 or 20 miles.



Saturday July 7—All arrived at Elkhorn River the first company arriving about 11 A.M., the second company arrived about 3 P.M. All in good health and spirits. A boy had a wagon run over him, was not much hurt. Christopher Merkley had his foot injured by his wagon running over <s>and</s> it, and a wagon run over a sheep and killed it.



The Elkhorn was not fordable and a man by the name of Compton having purchased the ropes to the ferry came on to ferry us over, but finding the ropes to be insufficient as well as the raft too small he took three dollars for the use of said ropes and raft and returned home again. We then cut and hauled some more logs, enlarged the raft and added some more ropes to it and crossed all of our wagons without any accident by 4 o'clock P.M., Tuesday the 10th.



Tuesday July 10—The second fifty crossed their 65 wagons in 8 hours.



Wednesday 11—Captain Taylor called a meeting of the hundred, Pres. A. H. Perkins offered the opening prayer, at which Captain Taylor presented the several officers to see if any of the tens or fifties wished a change. All expressed their satisfaction with the organization. Captain Taylor then said that as they felt to sustain all of their officers he expected that they would obey them in all things and that we would now continue on our journey.



Two letters were wrote and left here on the bank of the Elkhorn, one by the clerk of the one hundred and one by the clerk of Captain Allreds 50, for G.A. Smith stating the progress of the camps. We took a good sized pole and bored a hole in it and put our letters in, then pluged up the hole and set the pole in the ground close by the road so that it could be seen by the company that was coming with Pres. G.A. Smith. This was called our post office.



10 o'clock A.M. all the trains were in motion once more, all things went off well with the exception of a horse which took fright and broke loose from a wagon where he was fastened and running by some teams frightened them causing them to run also, one man and one woman was injured during the fright. Camped on the banks of the Platte River near where a liberty pole was standing, passed the remains of some Indian camps and a number of bones lay scattered about, could not make out what was the cause of their death.



Thursday July 12—Traveled until noon, Captain Allred's company laid by on account of the heat, Captain Reese's company traveled on till night. Camped on banks of the river again, made about 7 miles this afternoon.



July 13, Friday—Had an axel tree to make this morning, made 13 miles today and camped on the west side of Shell Creek, all in good health.



Saturday July 14—Passed many bad sloughs, broke a wagon tongue and lost a cat on the way, Reese's company traveled 14 miles today.



Sunday July 15—Made 11 miles, no accident.



Monday July 16—Made 11 miles, lost one sheep, camped about 2 o'clock P.M. by request of Captain Allen Taylor, to settle a difficulty in Captain Allred's camp. The companies of tens were traveling in order of number, causing the rear tens much inconvenience in comming into camp at night, bringing them sometimes far behind in time. These claimed the right to travel ahead in turn according to the rules of travel in 1848; Captains E. Reese, L. Clark, President Perkins, the clerk of hundred and several others went back about two miles, called a meeting and arranged the affair to satisfy some of the parties at least.



Captain E. Reese's company corralled their stock, some not having ropes to tie them, all had to follow suit. About 2 o'clock A.M. the cattle took fright and rushed from the corral, breaking two wagon wheels and one axel tree killing and injuring seven head of sheep, and breaking the horn off of one cow.



Tuesday July 17—Repaired the wagons during the day and moved a short distance, and formed a new corral and put the cattle into it; all seemed quiet once more until about 11 o'clock at night, when they took another stampede in the corral, but the guard stopped them and only a part of the cattle got out, some of the men got out of their beds and drove back the cattle into the corral again. But the cattle were not more than safely inclosed before a dog ran at one of the animals and all took fright again rushing out of the other opening of the corral hurting some more of the cattle. They were then herded on the prairie until morning.



Wednesday July 18—The cattle were drove in and yoked up and some of them hitched together and taken out of the corral when some sheep took fright at a dog and ran among some of the cattle which started them off on a stampede again, running over three men, George Snider, a man named Dye, and a negro called Old Frank. Dyes back was nearly broken, the other two was only slightly injured. The cattle were brought to a stand on the prairie when it was found that several of them were injured, one steer having his leg broken.



A council of the Captains was called by Captain Reese, and after some consultation it was decided to separate the companies of tens and travel separate for a while until the cattle was over their fright. My ten being ready to travel Captain Reese gave his order for us to move on which we did. The other tens following suit. Captain Perkins ten stayed a short time behind to fix for carrying Mr. Dye in a more comfortable position (this Mr. Dye was an emigrant on his way to California) at night. The camps of tens were scattered from near Looking Glass Creek to Beaver River. Captain Lorenzo Clark had much trouble with the cattle of his company on account of the dogs in his camp frightening the cattle continually, so much so that he had to kill the dogs after losing four cows, which ran off so far that the Indians got them, as was supposed.



The 19 and 20 was passed without much progress.



Saturday July 21—R.N. Allred's Co., 6 tens and a part of Reese's Co. arrived on the bank of Loop Fork, found four graves, two were deaths by C[h]olera, one killed by Indians, and one drowned. One of the men that was buried here was named McCarty, a member of the L.D.S. Church. During the afternoon search was made for a ford, none found.



Sunday July 22—Search was made again today for a ford which was found and staked.



Monday July 23—Captain R. N. Allred's company all crossed over but two or three wagons.



Tuesday July 24—Captain E. Reese's company of 50 wagons commenced crossing and were all on the opposite bank by two o'clock P.M.



In the evening a general meeting was called of all the camps at 7:30 P.M. Prayer by President A.H. Perkins. Captain Taylor then addressed the meeting, said as Captain Reese's company had been traveling in separate tens on account of the wild condition of their cattle from the recent stampededs [stampedes] but as many of them seemed quiet at present he thought it best to unite again as we were in an Indian country and liable to an attack from them.



Captain Reese said that he had been consulting with some of the Captains of tens on the subject and found that they were not in favor of uniting again as they were much hindered in travel by being in such large companies, and that the cattle would soon be stampeding again if we got so many together, for some of the cattle <s>would</s> was still wild and showed signs of being easily frightened.



Captain L. Clark said that he would rather stand his chance among the Indians than to have another stampede. Captain Samuel Snider said his views were with Captain Clark, that it was more dangerous traveling among stampedes than among Indians. Said that as an Irishman in his company had remarked that cattle in a stampede had no respect of persons and would run over a Captain as quick as any one else. Captain Absalom Perkins said he was thankful that we had come thus far as safe as we had, after so much stampeding. The camps then separated and traveled in companies of ten until the cattle became quite tame and easily handled.



Arrived in Salt Lake <s>Valley</s> City, Saturday, October 20, 1849.

Transcript for David Moore writings, circa 1860, 45-54

"Died," Deseret Weekly

"Died," Deseret Weekly, May 13, 1893.

"Died," Deseret Weekly.

Historical Department journal history of the Church

Historical Department journal history of the Church, 1830-2008. Supplement after 31 December 1849: Page 4.

Historical Department journal history of the Church.

Merkley, Christopher. Biography of Christopher Merkley. (Salt Lake City: J. H. Parry & Company, 1887), 39-40. (M270.1 M563m

Merkley, Christopher. Biography of Christopher Merkley. (Salt Lake City: J. H. Parry & Company, 1887), 39-40. (M270.1 M563m.

"Names of Persons Who Volunteer to Go as Teamsters" in Offerings for the assistance of the P. E. F. immigrants

"Names of Persons Who Volunteer to Go as Teamsters" in Offerings for the assistance of the P. E. F. immigrants, October 1856.

"Names of Persons Who Volunteer to Go as Teamsters" in Offerings for the assistance of the P. E. F. immigrants.

Christopher Merkley

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