Patience L. Archer reminiscences, undated, 57-92.
- Source Locations
- Church History Library, MS 6218
- Related Companies
- Rescue Companies (1856)
- Edward Martin Company (1856)
- Related Persons
- Sarah Ann Ashton
- William Albert Ashton
- Sarah Ann Ashton
- David Blair
- Sarah Ann Jones
- Amy Loader
- Sarah Minnie Squires
- James Ferguson
- Mary Ann Greening
- Ephraim Knowlton Hanks
- Flora Loader Jaques
- John Jaques
- Zilpah Jaques
- Albert Jones
- Samuel Stephen Jones
- William Henry Kimball
- George Lawley
- James Loader
- Jane Loader
- Patience Loader
- Robert Loader
- Sarah Loader
- Tamar Ricks
- Maria White
- Joel Parrish
- Echo Levinia Squires
- Henry Augustus Squires
- Jonathan Stone
- John Toone
- Daniel Tyler
- Robert Whittaker
- [Baby] Wilson
- [Mrs.] Wilson
- Joseph Angell Young
. . . then Started on our Journey for Iowa city[.] when we ar[r]ived there we was told that the Mormon Company was camped two Miles out of town[.] we girls all walked out[.] My father [James] and brother had to look after our bagage and get some one to take it to camp for us[.] when we a[r]rived in camp we was furnished a tent for our family[.] the weather was dreadfully hott[.] No shade whatever[.] here we staid for three weeks before the company was ready to start[.] in the day time we went into the woods as we was camped not far from there and the river run through the woods[.] So we Made afire and did our cooking and washing there as it was most convenient for us[.] after we had been in camp a few days Br in law John Jaques and family arrived[:] My two sisters Zilpha & Tamar and My sister Zilpha Jaques and little Flora her little girl then two years old[.] this was a happy Meeting[.] when we left Liverpool we left My Sister Tamar with Bro jaques to help My Sister to get ready to leave by the end of June or as early in June as they could get ready[,] as My brother in law was released from his labors in the office w[h]ere he had been engaged for many years[.] he could not leave to come with us so father and Mother concluded to let My Sister Tamar stay with them untill my brother was released from the ofice[.] we would have liked to all come from England together but brother Jaques could not leave the of[f]ice to come with us in December 1855[.] he had to Stay there in Liverpool untell the following summer[,] so we parted in Liverpool and did not meet again untill July 1856[.] then we traveld alltogether across the plains to Utah[.] I can as[s]ure you this was avery hard journey[.] I forgot to Mention I said we all traveld together but My Eldest brother John remained in Iowa also his wife and young son Harrey Loader by name[.] My brother did not want to continue the Journey that year as his wife was nearing her confindment and he thought the journey would be to hard for her and he said that he did not want to pull a hand cart so he got employment in Iowa and remained there for Many Years before coming to Utah and when the War borak [broke] out in 1861 he Joined volunteer reg[i]ment in Iowa and served three Years in the War[.] was wounded in the arm[,] went to the Hospittle and then went home[.] after he left the hospittle and lived in Iowa for Several years[.] here I well return to my Journey across the plains[.] Many hard and severe trials we past through at the first part of our jurney[.] we seemed to endure the days travel pretty well for the first hundred Miles[,] then My poor dear fathers health began to fail him and before we got to Florance he became very weak and sick[.] his legs and feet began to swell[.] some days he was not able to pull the cart and when we arrived at Florance we put up the tent[,] Made the bed and he went to bed[.] we did not think he could live. Franklin Richards came into the tent to see him[.] My father said he wished to be adminsterd too and brother Richards and three other breathren adminesterd to him and blessed him and told him that he should get better and continue his journey and get to Salt Lake City[.] this seemed to give him new strength and currage[.] we rested there for a few hours untill three o clock in the afternoon[.] then we Started on our Journey again to Camp at Cuttlers park seven Miles from Florance[.] My dear father got up and came to the cart to commence to pull with me[.] I said father you are not able to pull the cart to day[.] he said yes I am My dear[.] I am better[.] the breathern blessed Me and Said I should get well and go to the valley and I have faith that I shall[.] Oh he said if I can only live long enough to get there and see My dear daughter Ann again[,] she shall never go so far away from me again[.] My sister Ann left England one year before we left[.] she came the Journey alone with her little boy[.] she was so anxious to come to the valley that she had currage [courage] to leave and came without any of our own family with her and My dear father fealt to greive about her so Much and when he was so sick at Florance she seemed to be his great trouble that he would never see his dear girl Ann again but after the breatheren adminestered to him he fealt better and we started on our journey to Cuttlers Park to camp for the night[.] My father and Myself use to be on the inside of the shafts of the cart and My sisters Maria and Jane pulled with arope tied to the shafts and Sarah pushed behind: that afternoon we had not traveled far when My poor sick father fell down and we had to stop to get him up on his feet[.] I said father You are not able to pull the cart. You had better not try to pull[.] we girls can do it this afternoon[.] oh he sais I can do it I will try it again[.] I Must not give up[.] the breatheren said I shall be better and I want to go to the valley to shake hands with Brigham Young. So we started on again[.] we had not traveld far before he fell down again[.] he was so weak and waurn down we got him up again but we told he [him] he could not pull the cart again that day[.] So My sister Maria came and worked with me inside the shafts and Jane and Sarah pulled on the rope untill we got into camp: that night my Sister Zilpha Jaques was confined at twelve o clock and My sister Tamar was very sick with Mountain fever[.] My sister got over her trouble quite well but another poor sister [Sarah Ann Barlow] Ashton died there that night as soon as her child [Sarah Ann Ashton] was born leaving the new born babe and three other children and her husband. The next Morning the company got ready to start[.] the captain came to our tent and told us to be ready to start as soon as we could get ready[.] there lay My Sister Zilpha on the ground[,] just gave birth to achild [.] She was lieing on some Quilts in one corner of the tent and my sister Tamar liing on quilts in the other corner of the tent[,] neither of the poor things able to moove[.] the Captain Edward Marten sais put them up in the wagon as there was a wagon for the sick that was unable to walk[.] I ask can one of us ride with them to take care of them[.] he Said No thay will have to take care of themselves: then I said thay will not go[.] we will stay here for a day or two and take care of our two sick Sisters[.] so we was left there all alone as the company started about seven o clock that Morning[.] we was there all day alone with our sick and when night came My poor father and brother in law John Jaques had to be up all night to make big fire to Keep the wolves away from us[.] I never heard such terrable hawling of wolfs in my life as we experenced that lon[e]some night[.] we was all very glad to see daylight[.] early in the Morning at day break came from the camp at Florance brother Joseph A[.] Young on horseback riding in great speed to our camp to see what was the cause of the big fires[.] they had watched the light all night[.] he said he was sent to see what was the Matter as he Knew the company was to leave that place the Morning before[.] when he came into the tent and Saw My sister with her new born babe lieing on the ground on some quilts he was overcome with sympathy[.] the tears ran down his cheeks then he bless[ed] my sister and tryed to comfort and cheer her by saying well Sister Jaques I suppose you will name Your boy handcart having been born under such circumstances[.] No she Said I will want a prettyer name than that for him. then he turned to see My sister lieing in the op[p]osite corner of the tent sick with Mountain fever [.] he ask[ed] us what we was going to do and No one to help us [or] ac[c]ompany us to overtake the company[.] we told him we expected to start that Morning as we could not Stay there any longer as we would not catch up with the company and we could not travel all the way alone[.] he bid us good Morning and left us[.] we got breakfast and attended to the sick and then Made ready to Start on our Journey again[.] we packed our handcart[,] st[r]uck our tent[,] packed it on My hand cart[,] then lay My sister Tamar on that[,] then Br Jaques packed his cart and put his wife[,] My Sister and her two children on the cart[.] we tied the tent poles along side of the cart our cooking utencels we tied under the cart with our days proveseons. we again started on our Journey[.] this was very [hard] on my poor dear sick father after having to be up all night[,] no rest or sleep as I have allready stated[,] thay had to Stand guard to Keep the wolves away from us[.] it Surely did proove to us that God was with us for My poor father seemed better that day than he had been for a week past[.] surely God gave him new strength that day for we traveled 22 Miles before we came up with the Company[.] after we started in the Morning when we left camp we did not expect to have to travel so far before we overtook the company[.] I thought perhaps captain Marten would send Some little help to us: but no in this we was desapointed[.] he did not trouble anything about us after he left us at Cutlers Park with our sick. After we left camp that Morning we was overtaken by Brother William Cluff[.] he came riding very fast to overtake us after Joseph A Young got back to there camp at Florance[,] he told the Breathren who it was that Kept the fires up all night[,] said we had Sickness in the family and could not go on with the company[.] Br Cluff said that he would ride out away and overtake us and try to help us a little way[.] he fetched arope with him and tied it to our handcart then to the pum[m]el of his Sad[d]le and gave us a rest[.] first he helped brother Jakes away[,] then he help[ed] My dear father and us girls for which I was very thankfull more on the ac[c]ount of our dear sick father than for us girls because we was young and healthey in those days[.] nevertheless this was ahard Journey on booth Young and old[.] Bro cluff said he was sorry to leave us but he had to return to his camp at Florance[.] we thanked him very Kindly for coming to help us and we reluctantly bid him good bye for we truely fealt that we would have liked to had his company and help untill we caught up with the company but this could not be[.] it was not safe for Indians for a Man to travel alone[.] Br Cluff had not left us very long[,] we hardly was out of sight of him when five great Indians came out of a cave in the Mountains[,] got on there horses and came to Meet us[.] they was all painted[,] bare naked[,] except there brick [breech] cloth[,] had there tomahawks and hatchet[,] bows an[d] arows[.] they stopt us in the road[,] talked but we could not understand them[.] when they saw our Sick and My sister with her New born babe thay mooved out of the road and motioned for us to go on[.] I think this was so near to beign [being] killed by Indians as I wish to be[.] thay was quite impodent in there Man[n]ers to us and Made fun of us pulling the handcart[.] we was some what afraid of them and I daresay thay could See we was afraid of them[.] at the same time we put our faith and trust in God our Father that he would take care of us and not let those Indians hurt us or do us harm[.] I know it was nothing but the power of God that saved us from those Indians that day we was all alone traveling in the Mountains and hills all that day[.] after the Indians left us we traveled On for an hour or more[.] we came to aplace w[h]ere some folks had camped[.] the fiors [fires] was still burning and we thought it was whare our company had camped but not know then that Indians had been camping there[.] we had dinner there[.] I warmed Some grewel [gruel] for my sick sisters[.] after dinner we girls thought we would take a little walk out from camp while father and Mother rested alittle: we had not gone far from camp when we came to four or five newly made graves and we picked up awomans green sun bonnet which we recanized as belonging to sister Williams who left with Mr[.] Babet [Babbitt] three days before we left the camp at Cuttlers Park[.] Mr Babbet was a man that had come out from Salt L City to the states to purchas[e] good[s.] he had a train of some five or six loaded wagons with teems and teemsters[.] he came into our camp he sais if we had any letters to send into the City to friends that he would take them for us as he would reach there long before we would[.] he also said that he could take two pirsons along with him[,] free of charge[,] as he had plenty of room in his light spring wagon and this sister Williams husband had allready gone to Utah the year previous and She had ayoung baby she told Mr Babbet that she would like to go with him[.] he waited in camp untill Morning[.] Many wrote letters and gave to him to take to there friends in Utah and Mrs Williams started with Mr Babbet for Utah with the Antisipation of getting to the valley before the cold weather came[.] poor dear woman never dreaming of the sadd fate that awaited her and Mr Babbet and his Men teemsters: at the very place we came too camp for dinner was w[h]ere this Murder was committed by the Indians[.] may be those Indians we Meet was some of those that had helped in the murder and rob[b]ery of Babbes train of good[s.] We Saw whare wagons had been burn[e]d as there was wagon tires lieing around near the graves[.] there was only one Man teemster left to tell the sadd news[.] he said Babbet was shot in his wagon[.] the woman the Indians put on a horse and took her away with them but he did not know what became of her child and we found the green sun bonnet[.] it was good for us that we did not [know] all this when those Indians stopt us in the road[.] we would surely have thought that we would have to share the same fate as Babbet and his company shared but thank God our lives was spared and again I will acknowledge the hand of God to have been over us that day[.] we will now leave this camp and travel on in persuit of our company[.] we traveled rather quietly along as the night began to draw in on us and we was geting tiard of pulling our loaded carts all day and my poor dear father feeling sick and weak and tiard and my two dear sisters so sick and tiard[.] never will I forget that terrable loanly night[.] for Miles we was sur[r]ounded with prary fires[.] it looked as though the fires was geting so near us on booth sides that the fire would overtake us before we could find the company[.] we traveled on[,] the Moon was shining[.] that was in our favor[.] at length we saw which we thought was atent with alight in it but when we got near to it we discovered it to be an Indian wick[i]up[.] there was a very large dog lieing at the enterence of the tent[.] we began to feel afraid less the dog should come at us and that would have aroused the Indians[.] thay Must have been asleep dog and all