Martha Banford (1849 - 1936) Profile

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Martha Banford

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Banford, Samuel, [Interview], in "Utah Pioneer Biographies," 44 vols., 4:51-52

Banford, Samuel, [Interview], in "Utah Pioneer Biographies," 44 vols., 4:51-52.

". . . . From Boston we went on a cattle train to Iowa where we outfitted for the journey across the plains.		
 "In the party were my mother, myself and my brothers and sisters, John Banford, Richard Banford, William Banford, Martha Banford (who later married Charles Cole), Job Pingree and Mrs. Mary Anne McCarty Madden. This Job Pingree was the father of John Pingree. James Pingree, Frank Pingree and the Job Pingree who is living in Ogden now.		
 "While crossing the plains my brother John was killed when the oxen stampeded one day. His back was broken when he was run over.		
 "My brother Richard died of a disease called the black canker. Both were buried in rude graves along the trail.		
 "We saw the prairies black with buffalo. The great herds numbered tens of thousands. The hunters killed some and we had lots of excellent fresh meat.		
 "I helped drive the oxen, because I was then 12 years old and had to help my mother, who was a widow. We were in a Captain Martin's company.		
 "While we were crossing the plains we met up with supply trains of freight wagons and columns of soldiers belonging to General Albert Sidney Johnston's army. The soldiers were on their way to Utah and they used to try to scare us by saying they were going to subdue Utah. But we didn't scare.		
 "Further on the supply trains were stopped and destroyed by Lot Smith and the soldiers had to go into camp for the winter at Fort Bridger. We came on into Utah and reached Ogden on my birthday, September 22, 1857."

Transcript for Banford, Samuel, [Interview], in "Utah Pioneer Biographies," 44 vols., 4:51-52

DUP Pioneer History Collection

Life of Job Pingree

"Life of Job Pingree", DUP Pioneer History Collection, Page 3-4.

We camped there awhile and bought a wagon, four oxen and a cow and left there in Jesse B. Martin's company. . . .


The country between Florence and Utah was not settled then; it was a wild and barren country and the settlers were wild Indians.


We had singing and prayers every night and morning in our camp. Very often we would sing "Come, Come Ye Saints". At the Missouri River we met some apostates who told lots of bad things about Utah. We also met some missionaries from Utah. Seymour B. Young was one of them. They came with hand carts from Utah, and the chorus of their song was "Cheer up Ye Elders, we to the world will show that Israel will be gathered soon, and Oxen are too slow!" Apostle John Taylor passed us here on his way from New York to Utah. Some of the elders went with him as a guard for several days.


I walked all the way from Iowa City to Utah and every other night had to be on guard half the night with the cattle. We got along pretty well until we came to the Platte River bottom where there was lots of buffalo. Then we had trouble with our cattle stampeding and running off. Several of the cattle were lost and one of ours happened to be lost so we had to work a cow from there to Utah. When we camped at night our wagons were put in the shape of a horse shoe, only left narrow so we could drive the cattle in to catch them. One morning when we were yoking them up and hitching them to the wagons they stampeded—running over people and one old man was killed. My Mother had a little boy killed and her daughter Martha's hip was broken so she had to be hauled in the wagon all the way to Utah.


At this place Elder Latey and several others left the company and went back to Omaha and lived there. At this place we could see the land black with buffalo for miles. We also saw many small herds of deer grazing in the distance. In our travels we crossed many streams of water. On account of the loss of cattle the ladies had to walk and to save them wading streams, I carried many of them over. I also helped get feed for the cattle carry water and wood or buffalo chips to cook with.


There was a hand cart company which caught up with us; sometimes they were ahead of us and sometimes behind, until we got to Salt Lake City and we both reached there the same day,—September 12, 1857. On the trip our cattle's feet got tender and we had to throw them down and shoe them. Robert McQuarrie and I always helped the blacksmiths who did this work.

Martha Banford

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