Mary Ann Payne (1819 - 1895) Profile

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Mary Ann Payne

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DUP Pioneer History Collection

Louisa Mellor Clark, reminiscences

"Louisa Mellor Clark, reminiscences", DUP Pioneer History Collection.

By the time we landed in Hasten my mother was getting better but not able to do anything, so I had nearly the entire care of the family. After landing we all took shat might cattle cars, which was thought good enough for Mormons, 'till we reached Iowa. There we stayed three weeks waiting 'till they got the handcarts all made which made it the last of July when we again started on the plains. It seems a pretty sight to see 500 saints out with handcarts singing, "Some may push and some pull as we go marching up the hill, A merrily on our way we go until we reach the valley and long before the valley reach we will meet with music sweet, and friends so dear which supply our hearts with cheer."


One thing happened that convinced me that we put our trust in Heavenly Father He will answer our prayers when we were in need in Iowa. We had to burn or sell our things because we could not haul them so as we were two miles from the city, mother and I went to town to sell a few things in the shape of clothes, so we walked from house to house before we could sell them. And as we were so long when we got back to camp they had had dinner and started again and the captain came back and met us. My poor mother was sick after that but the Lord protected us from wild beasts and gave us food to eat.


Mother was put in the wagon for a while. We traveled 20 miles a day. Then my father took sick. He got so weak he could not pull his handcart so I had to help him. We had two handcarts, my sister and I pulled one and father and my younger sister pulled the other one. But father got weaker so we had to lighten our load again, and as seventeen pounds was all that was allowed for each adult we had but little to spare, but a box of books and records which father valued very much. But what could we do but let them go? So as we were going through the town we stopped and I helped carry them in a house and we got the privilege to leave them 'till we sent for them but we never got them again.

Transcript for "Louisa Mellor Clark, reminiscences."

A Record Given at Spring Lake

Louisa Mellor Clark, "A Record Given at Spring Lake", DUP Pioneer History Collection, Page 1-2.

<center xmlns:its="http://www.w3.org/2005/11/its" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">March 26, 1881</center>


A Record given at Spring Lake.—I Louisa Mellor Clark, oldest daughter of James Mellor and Mary Ann Payne. I was born May 23, 1840 in the town of Leister England. When I was about 4 yrs. old my father and mother joined the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and in a few months after the prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyram [Hyrum] was mur[d]ered. I lived at home and went to Sunday school, but only about 6 months day school in my life. I went out to work at times to various kinds of work. Attended meetings regularly untill I was convinced of the true gospel. Then I was baptized at about 14 years of age by Elder Newton in Leister conference. Then in May 23, 1856 my father and mother emigrated to America, was 5 weeks on the sea then landed at Boston. Then traveled 2 weeks in Missouri there we were organized into the second hand-cart company. About 500 souls in all and away we started full of faith and singing hand-cart songs and feeling well untill the cold weather set in and storms came and we had traveled about 20 miles per day. We were about the Black Hills when the first hailstorm come and snowed untill it was 2 feet deep and we began to feel nervous. Then provisions got scarse and we were put on half rations ½ lb. flour per head man per day. This seemed to be to[o] trying and if any cattle died they were all eaten even to the hides and heads.


A little incident I well remember accured [occurred]. A cow died that was in calf and mother got the calf head and they had a great feast of it, that is to say father and mother. she roasted it in the camp fire and next day packed along and eat it. So we traveled until a great many died mostly old people. For we had to wade through streams sometimes up to our waists and when we reached camp and made a fire to thaw out. At last the snow got four feet deep after we had to shovel a road before we could move. Thus our traveling was very slow and our provisions gave nearly out so the captain called a meeting and told us there was only one more days provisions left in camp and asked if we would have it all or divide it into three days.


We all agree to devide it and then we sang the hymn, "If We Die Before Our Journeys Through Happy Day All Is Well." The camp then gave up to die and at this feeling it brought a lamentation struggles. At this time the Lord knew our situation and he sent us deliverance. A hurrah burst upon the camp and three messengers came riding into camp Bro. L. Weelback [Wheelock], Joseph A. Young and E. Hawkes. They told us to cheer up as there was 10 wagons loaded with provisions for the next day breakfast and by night we could get to the train camp. We done some shoveling and hard work and at night we got to their camp. They had a large fire and a good supper prepared and most over whelming feeling cannot be described. They had traveled 200 miles to meet this company sent by Pres. B. Young and the saints in Salt Lake. But it seemed a goodly number was almost to far ex[h]austed to recover as some died every day, some was badly frozen and some to death. Only about ½ got thru. My folks all got thru though. Most of us had frozen feet or hands. My brother James, the oldest, was the worst and I was the least frozen of all. We arrived in Great Salt Lake the latter part of November 1856. Being 6 months from England on the trip. We was received in the city by the saints some with joy to see us as we were for it was a pitiful sight to see.


President Young met us but was so melted down he had to go home sick but blessed us on this journey witnessing some heart rendering [rending] scenes. Sometimes as many as 13 I have seen burried [buried] in the morning before we started. But it seemed we had lost some of the feeling seeing so many die.

Transcript for Louisa Mellor Clark, "A Record Given at Spring Lake", DUP Pioneer History Collection, Page 1-2.

Daughters of Utah Pioneers. DUP Pioneer History Collection.

Historical Department journal history of the Church

CR 100 137: Historical Department journal history of the Church, 1830-2008, November 30, 1856, Page 61.

Historical Department journal history of the Church.

Perpetual Emigrating Fund, Financial Accounts 1849-1886, Ledger B

Perpetual Emigrating Fund, Financial Accounts 1849-1886, Ledger B, Page 298.

Perpetual Emigrating Fund, Financial Accounts 1849-1886, Ledger B.

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James Mellor Jr.

William Charles Mellor

James Mellor

Clara Althera Mellor

Emma Marintha Mellor

Louisa Mellor

Charlotte Elizabeth Mellor

Mary Ann Mellor

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Mary Ann Payne

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