Transcript

In the month of February I returned to Montrose to assist my brother Homer to the Bluffs that we could journey in company together to the West. Brother Hyde returned my oxen in the spring of 1848, as he did not need them. When I started from the Bluff my stock was two of oxen two cows two yearlings two calves. I was obliged to go to Missouri to work for coin. I went on one honey hunt got with eight gallons, this made our sweetning. Carriage tipped over coming down the garden mountain. Wagon tipped over in soap creek not much harm done and on other accidents.

Traveled in Amasa Lyman’s Company to this place Great Salt Lake[,] started from home 7th of June[.] left the Horn 7th of July, arrived here Oct. 17th 1848. It was part of camp duty to take care of the sheep morning and night, boys driving in the day about 100 sheep. We saw many Indians and buffalo. We saved some meat for winter.

I went to work and dug in the bank of the ford of Big Cottonwood. Covered it over with in connection with my brother for our families for a shelter from rain and the wind. Then we got logs out of the mouth of little Cotton canyon and put up a house on Little Cotton and moved both families. We entered in one room 16 ft. by 18. Did no labor but pack our wood on our backs and look after our stock. The winter was very hard on stock.

I was Captain of a ten in A. Lyman’s company of 25 Wagons. . . .

. . . The following pages is a copy of the record kept during Chapman Duncan’s first westward trip over the plains to Great Salt Lake Valley. Chapman Duncan tells us he left home, traveling in Amasa Lyman’s company, on June 7, 1848, and arrived in Great Salt Lake on October 17, 1848. This group consisted of twenty five wagons. The men were divided into groups of ten (approximately), and Chapman Duncan tells us he was captain of a ten. This record shows the organization of the group into “tens” with a captain appointed over each. The possessions of each family head is clearly recorded in the following:

1st Capt. H. Duncan, 2 in family, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 4 cows, 4 calves

C. Williams, 12 in family, 2 horses, 2 wagons, 3 oxen, 8 cows, 4 calves

W. Robinson, 10 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 3 cows, 4 calves, 20 wheat, 1360 corn

Chapman Duncan, 2 in family, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 1 cow, 1 calf, $600 cash

Melvin Ross, 7 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 2 cows, 720 corn

Wm. Vanansdale, 2 cows, 400 corn

W. Gaugh, 5 in family, 2 horses, 3 cows, 30 corn

Alvin Stewart, 2 in family, 1 cow, 10 wheat, 80 corn

Land Lance, 7 in family, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 2 cows, 80 corn

W. Daniels, 4 in family, 2 cows

W. Owens, 4 in family, 2 cows

Geo Scofield, 2 in family, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 150 corn

3rd Capt. Chas. Hopkins, 2 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 2 cows, 800 corn, 100 oats

Ezekiel Hopkins, 10 in family, 1 wagon, 1 cow, 520 corn

James Dack, 6 in family, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 1 cow

Wm. Maxwell, 5 in family, 1 ox, 1 cow, 14 sheep, 200 corn

David McKee, 10 in family, 1 wagon, 5 oxen, 3 cows, 6 sheep

Thos. McKee, 3 in family, 1 wagon, 1 ox

Jonathan McHee, 2 in family, 1 horse, 1 cow

Lewis Whiteside, 5 in family, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 2 cows, 2 calves, 400 corn

Thos. Hamilton, 3 in family 300 corn

4th Capt. David Dixon, 4 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 3 cows, 1 calf, 30 wheat, 240 corn, 600 oats

Alex Kelley, 8 in family, 1 horse, 1 cow, 4 calves, 5 sheep, 150 corn

Andy Ross, 8 in family, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 3 cows, 3 calves, 10 sheep

Chas Eddy

Thos Kerron, 7 in family, 1 ox, 2 cows, 3 calves

Widow Thompson, 2 in family, 1 cow, 1 calf, 25 corn

John Lewis, 8 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 3 cows, 2 calves, 200 corn, 100 oats

Ephrin Lewis, 2 in family, 2 horses, 2 cows, 3 sheep, 200 corn, 100 oats

P D Harper, 4 in family, 1 ox, 2 cows, 4 sheep

John Ross, 7 in family, 1 ox, 2 cows, 150 corn

Amos Tabbs, 9 in family, 3 horses, 2 wagons, 4 oxen, 2 cows, 6 sheep, 50 wheat, 520 corn

John Bannon, 5 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 1 cow, 3 calves, 11 sheep, 20 wheat, 280 corn, 40 oats

Willis Smith, 3 in family, 1 ox, 2 cows, 2 calves, 50 wheat, 150 corn

Alvich Phelps, 5 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 2 cows, 2 calves, 200 corn, 50 oats

5th Capt. Herman Mott, 10 in family, 4 horses, 1 wagon, 3 oxen, 4 cows, 200 wheat, 300 corn, 200 oats

Alex Strotter, 3 in family, 1 ox, 1 cow

Wm Bedford, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 1 cow, 400 corn

Isaac Davis, 11 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 5 cows, 15 sheep, 125 wheat

C. J Raymond, 3 in family, 1 cow, 10 wheat, 100 corn

Hilan David, 7 in family

Nathan Hining, 6 in family, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 2 cows, 2 calves, 6 sheep, 30 wheat, 200 corn

Francis Case, 7 in family, 2 cows, 20 wheat, 80 corn

Ezra Tylor, 7 in family

Wm Hawk, 7 in family, 2 horses, 2 cows, 3 calves, 12 wheat, 300 corn, 200 oats

A[llen] Burke, 3 in family, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 5 cows, 4 sheep, 20 wheat, 150 corn

Anthony Shaw, 8 in family, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 1 cow, 4 sheep, 200 wheat, 200 corn

I L Martin, 12 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 4 cows, 10 calves, 30 sheep, 300 wheat, 150 corn

Coto Mead, 2 in family, 1 cow, 1 calf

Allen Birk, 3 in family

Wm Smith, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 1 cow, 1 2 year old [cow]

Lyman Mott, 7 in family, 2 oxen, 2 cows, 7 sheep, 50 wheat, 240 corn

6th Capt. Stephen Chapman

Jon Pugmire, 6 in family, Claim $50.00, 1 ox, 2 cows, 70 potat., 40 wheat, 100 corn

Elkanah Hoskins, 3 in family, 1 horse, 1 colt, 1 ox, 2 cows, 1 2 year old cow, Claim $50.00

Nicholas Remien, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 2 cows, 2 calves, 7 sheep, 40 wheat, 100 corn

Land Brown, 10 in family, 1 wagon, 4 cows, 20 wheat

Elijah Shockley, 6 in family, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 8 cows, 2 2 year old [cows], 7 sheep

Wm Shockley, 1 cow, 1 calf

Benj Hendrix, 1 colt, 1 wagon, 1 ox, 2 cows, 25 wheat

Dan Shoemate, 7 in family, 1 cow, 2 2 year old [cows], 1 calf

Wm Pomeroy, Claim $50.00, 2 cows, 25 wheat, 100 corn, 50 oats

7th Capt. B C Ellsworth, 5 in family, 1 cow, 8 sheep

Thos R Ring, 10 in family, Tools $20.00, 3 cows, 1 2 year old [cow], 4 calves, 250 corn

Peter Robinson, 3 in family, 2 cows, 1 calf, Tools $282.00

Davis Maggard, 10 in family, 1 horse, 1 wagon, 2 oxen, 3 cows, 2 2 year old [cows], 4 calves, 14 sheep, 20 wheat, 300 corn, 25 oats

Orang Warner, 7 in family, 2 horses, 1 wagon, 2 cows, 10 sheep, 300 corn

Rufus King, 100 lbs. potatoes, 1 calf, 200 corn

John Akerly, 2 in family, 1 cow, Property $60.00

W. H. Jordan, 10 lb[s]. potatoes, 2 oxen, 200 corn

R P Baldwin, 1 wagon

W Baldwin

G N Taylor

8th Capt. Chas Chapman

9th Capt. Wm Sulye, 5 in family, 2 horses, 1 cow, 120 corn

Henry Wilson, 2 in family, 2 horses, 1 cow, 160 corn

Jonathan Sleeper, 4 in family

W King

Jos Murphy, 3 in family

Henry Blackburn, 9 in family, 1 cow, 1 calf, 120 corn

David Young, 5 in family, 2 horses, 4 cows, 1 2 year old [cow], 240 corn, 50 oats

Reason Bain, 3 in family, 1 oxen, 1 cow, 60 corn

I Sulye, 2 in family, 1 cow, House 2 lots Claim 50 acres

I W Sulye, 4 in family, 2 horses, 1 colt, 1 cow, 1 sheep, 680 corn

James Young, 10 in family, 1 oxen, 4 cows, 100 wheat, 600 corn, 100 oats

James Whaley, 6 in family, 2 oxen, 2 cows, 2 2 year old [cows], 160 corn

Harmon Sampson, 6 in family, 1 wagon, 1 oxen, 2 cows, 100 corn

Three widows, 2 cows

10th Capt. Andrew Hamilton, 9 in family, 1 horse, 2 colts, 1 wagon, 2 cows, 2 2 year old [cows], 2 calves, 1 sheep, Double set Harness

G G Akes, 2 in family, 1 wagon

John Winn, 3 in family

Alvin Bennis, 4 in family, 3 horses, 2 wagons, 1 ox, 2 cows, 1 calf

Jepe Mason, 4 in family, 1 wagon, 5 oxen, 2 cows, 1 2 year old [cow], 15 sheep

German Ellsworth, 6 in family, 1 wagon, 1 oxen, 2 cows

Ira Ellsworth, 8 in family, 1 oxen, 1 cow

Alonzo Michan, 3 in family

D D Leach, 3 in family

11th Capt. Rufus Steward