James Mellor Part 2

They reached Council Bluffs August 21, and went up the river in the vicinity of the ferry over the Missouri. They made their camp on Pigeon Creek for the night. The next morning they ferried across the Missouri and made camp below the old Mormon sawmill (Winter Quarters near Florence, Nebraska.) There 200 members of Captain Toone’s company joined them, making 622 members of their company. They deliberated the question of whether they should pursue their westward travel, or if it would be advisable to go into Winter Quarters and remain until the following spring. Elder Levi Savage, returning from a mission to Siam and Ceylon, advised them not to attempt such a perilous journey so late in the season. He advocated going into Winter Quarters for he had been over the route they must travel and was well acquainted with the dangers. Elder Savage’s admonitions were overruled. When he perceived they were determined to continue the journey regardless of a few dissenting voices he said:

What I have said I know to be true; but seeing you are to go forward, I will go with you; will help all I can; will work with you, will rest with you will suffer with you, and if necessary, will die with you. May God in his mercy bless and preserve US.

The decision had been reached, and regardless of the lateness of the season, they elected to push on and travel the remaining 1031 miles rather than stay there on the plains through the approaching winter. Footsore and weary, they left Florence, August 25, and plodded on, braving the still blazing heat. They prayed in their hearts that God would be merciful and temper the inclement weather so they could reach their destination prior to the onset of winter. That day their traveling was very difficult for they were pulling up hill. They progressed only three miles, then made camp for the night.

The loads seemed heavier as they plodded along. James was too weary to pull his cart alone, and young Mary Ann helped him, while Louisa and Charlotte Elizabeth tugged at the other one. As they grew more weak they were forced once again to part with their rapidly diminishing supplies. One day when the company was camped within two miles of a town, Louisa and her mother slipped away from the camp before & others had awakened and walked into town to sell some of their clothing. They walked from house to house before they were able to sell it, and since they were gone so long, the company had already departed when they arrived back to the camp. They hurried along, hoping to overtake the other Saints. Mary Ann finally gave up, and saying she could go no farther, sat down on a rock, and gave vent to her utter despair, Louisa went a few yards away and knelt down to pray, asking God to help them in their moment of need, to protect them from the wolves, and help them to have the fortitude and strength to reach the camp in safety. In her words, she stated:

As I was going back to where. mother was sitting I found a pie in the road. I picked it up and gave it to my mother to eat, and after resting awhile, we started on our journey, thanking God for his blessings. A few miles before we reached camp we met my father coming out to meet us. What a joyful meeting that was! We arrived

in camp at 1woo p.m. Many times after that, Mother felt like giving up; but then she would remember how wonderful the Lord had been to spare her so many times, and she offered a prayer of gratitude instead.

The two handcart companies, followed by the Hunt and Hodgett Wagon Trains, pressed ever westward with all possible speed; but the trail was becoming rougher in the rugged terrain, and constant repairs were necessary for the hastily constructed handcarts. These light carts, made of unseasoned wood, began to disintegrate, and the Saints’ progress was delayed, for it took considerable, valuable time to make repairs.

Saturday, September 6, the Saints passed some more Indians of the Pawnee Nation who were traveling eastward. This made the company uneasy, and for days they were wary of every little sound or movement in the bushes around them.

Sunday, September 7, the Martin Company traveled sixteen miles. just west of Loupe Fork they were overtaken by Elder Franklin D. Richards and fifteen or twenty other missionaries returning home to Salt Lake City. When Brother Richards saw the Martin Company’s impoverished condition he promised to hurry on to Salt Lake City and dispatch some relief wagons.

While the Saints were at Cutler’s Park, A. W. Babbitt, Secretary of the Territory of Utah, visited, their camp Later, he and a number of his were killed by the Cheyenne’s.

From the Loupe Valley and over the hills to the Platte River the company had a “dry march,” and on September ii, they came upon the graves of two men and a child, members of the A. W. Babbitt Company who, had been killed by the Cheyenne’s who were on the warpath. This made the Saints more wary than they had been, and they cautiously quickened their step, wishing they were out of the Cheyenne territory. They reached the Platte River by the middle of September, and there they encountered the first frosts of the season. These frosts increased in severity every day, adding to the suffering of the weary Saints.

On September 23, the Martin Company had their first taste of buffalo meat; and on September 24, they passed the place where the Thomas Margetts Company had been massacred by the Indians. It was about this time they passed the Platte River on the South side.

Long before the mountains had been reached the supplies were dimishing, and restrictions were placed on food. At first they cooked biscuits, then pancakes, and finally porridge. They witnessed many heart-rending scenes as they continued to walk westward. Prior to commencing their. long day’s trek, they sometimes saw as many as thirteen bodies being buried in the early morning. One day, fifteen persons who had died from hunger and exposure during the night were buried in the snow, for the ground was frozen too hard for graves to be dug.

At one time a cow that was going to have a calf died, and Mary Ann got the calf’s head and roasted it in the campfire. The next day they took it along with them and had a delicious meal.

William Charles, who was only five years old when his family made their epic journey, often related how they had some rawhide thongs with which they tied some of their belongings to the cart. When they became so hungry, they decided to cook the thongs and see if they would amount to something to eat . They boiled them for three or four days whenever they had a fire burning, and they went into a gluey mess which they drank. Charles supposed they gave them some nourishment.

On October 8, when they were within a mile of Fort Laramie, they encountered a “fine-looking, finely-dressed” Indian who gave sweetmeats to the children in the company. They camped in sight of the fort that night, and the following evening they left Fort Laramie. From there to South Pass the Hunt and Hodgett’s Wagon Trains traveled in close proximity with them. When they arrived at the fort they sold their watches, and even their clothes, in exchange (or the vitally-needed food and provisions which were necessary in order for them to continue their journey. They left Fort Laramie on October 10 on to the Black Hills. Now the feed became scarce for their animals. After leaving the Black Hills, the Saints waded through more creeks, reaching Deer Creek on October seventeenth.

The Martin Company left Deer Creek on the afternoon of October 18, and the
evening, assisted by the two wagon trains, they crossed the North Platte River for the final time. Again there was frost in the air, and it was a bleak, miserable day. There was a piercing north wind that peppered them with snow, hail, and sleet. It continued to snow for three days, and the Saints deemed it advisable to wait and rest for a few days.

It was hoped the snow and cold would prove only a foretaste of winter and would soon moderate, but that hope proved delusive. Here the flour ration fell to four ounces per person per day. They removed more articles &in their carts souvenirs and treasures brought from all over Europe, clothing, presents, bedding all were burned on the Indian meadow camp ground. James reluctantly parted with some of his family’s bedding and clothes for they were too heavy to be hauled through the impeding snow.

The first storm had deposited about two feet of snow on the ground, and the group was beginning to feel very uneasy. James tried to cheer his family and continually encouraged them not to lose faith or to give up. They waded across icy streams, sometimes up to their waists and when they reached the other side, their clothes would freeze on them until they were able to set up a camp and thaw out around the campfires. The snow piled deeper, hindering their direct passage through the mountain passes. Often they had to shovel a road before they could move forward. Thus, their traveling was slow and tedious, I and their provisions were nearly depleted.

William told about the time his father caught a large turtle; he thought it would make a good soup for his family. His children gathered around while James tried to kill the turtle. He couldn’t break the shell. The amused youngsters were bobbing up and down, shouting their mirth. This was fun, and they had so few diversions during their long trek. James finally became so enraged with the turtle that he plopped it, still alive, into the kettle of boiling water, William chuckled as he recalled how James had to hold the lid on to keep the turtle from plopping out of the kettle. William said “The soup sure was good!”

Meanwhile the Saints in Utah were assembled in Salt Lake City for October
Conference where they learned of the dire plight of the handcart companies. President Brigham Young rose to his feet in conference and said:

My subject is this: On the fifth day of October, 1856, many of our brethren and sisters are on the plains with handcarts, and probably are now 700 miles from this place; we must send them assistance. The text will be “To Get Them Here.” This is the salvation I am now seeking for, to save our brethren.”

The Saints in Salt Lake Valley were moved to compassion for their unfortunate brethren in the faith and they rallied to their president’s plea to send assistance to those who were suffering as they plodded the snowy trail. Pioneer families took stock of their supplies, and by October 7, the relief train, in charge of George D. Grant, was ready to commence its mission of mercy. Before the end of the month, 20 teams were bucking the piled winter snows in the high mountain
passes, endeavoring to reach the suffering brethren, who, with undaunted courage, defying howling winds and sub-zero temperatures, were ‘inching slowly forward,
straining to the utmost to pull their carts through the ever deepening snow.

The relief trains were also having difficulties. They finally reached the struggling Willie Company on October 20 after having battled a fierce blizzard on October 19 and 20. Some of the relief wagons remained to assist this company and the rest hastened eastward to save the Martin Company and the two wagon companies behind them. Joseph A. Young and Stephen Taylor, along with others, were sent on ahead in a light wagon to inform the exhausted, stricken company that help was on the way.

Meantime, the Martin Company pushed its way through the heavy snow. The weather became increasingly cold. Now the company desperately needed the articles of clothing and bedding they had to discard along the way to lighten their loads. At this time they were improperly clad, lack proper shelters and warm bedding, and the piercing, relentless wind cut through their skin, causing their very bones to ache. Both of James’ feet were frozen, and William’s shoes were tattered and worn.

Several discoveries were made on the journey. The way to have a warm sleeping place was this: sweep away the ashes of the campfire and lay your bed on the spot where the fire was built. In the morning the same spot was found to be the most available for another use -it was the easiest place to dig a grave. Thus, in this severe winter traveling and camping, the hearths served three separate, distinct and important purposes.

The outlook was very discouraging. Captain Martin called a meeting and informed his followers there remained only enough food for one more day. They were given their choice whether they would divide it into three more days or eat it all at once. They all elected to divide for three days. They had finally reached the very “depths” of their deprivations. Even so, their spirits remained buoyant, and their hopeful voices swelled, carrying out into the frosty air as they sang round their campfire:
And should we die before our journey’s through,

Happy day! All is well! We then are free from toil and sorrow too;

With the just we shall dwell.
But if our lives are spared again
To see the Saints, their rest obtain
o, how we’ll make this chorus swell

All is well! all is well!

For the next four days snow fell constantly, blowing in their faces all the way to Red Bluffs. On October 28, the advance wagon train carrying Joseph Young, Dan Jones, and Able Carr reached the Martin Company with the encouraging news that help was hurrying to their rescue. They had battled the deep drifts for over twenty two miles in order to bring this news to the despairing little band. A mighty “Hurrah!” burst from the throats of the weary travelers as they heard this heartening message. They were instructed to continue some thirty miles west toward Devil’s -Gate where the relief wagons from Utah would meet them with provisions and supplies. Many handcarts were discarded, and all surplus baggage was left in charge of Captain Dan Jones and the relief party. There James Mellor also discarded one of his handcarts so time could be expedited in getting to the relief wagons.

Four days later the new snow was over one foot deep, and the ground was frozen too hard to even drive tent pegs into it. The Saints could continue no farther for they were snowed in. The relief train found them huddled in a ravine on the thirty-first day of October, and James uttered a fervent “‘thank God!-The Saints were so overjoyed that many an icy tear glistened on their haggard, toil-worn faces. The food and other provisions which the wagons carried were hastily distributed among the families. The following day the wagons were stowed with the sick, the infirm, and the children. Both twins were suffering from frozen feet, as was Charlotte Elizabeth, and they were placed in the wagon alongside their father and mother; and so, the ill-fated party commenced the last lap of their long trek as they once more headed west.

An express was dispatched to Salt Lake City to bring back more wagons and to report that the company was determined to come even though they may be forced to shovel their way the entire distance through the deep snow. More wagons were hastily dispatched, and every few days a few more were rounded up and hastened on to meet the struggling Saints along the trail. Their rescue was only partial, however, for the bodies Of 135 of this courageous group marked the trail which they had traveled.

Sunday, November 23, they were camped near the fort at Fort Bridger. It was here that they spent one of the most severe, cold nights of their entire journey. They huddled around their camp fires and still shivered in the sub-zero temperature. That night Louisa had cuddled Clara Althera in her arms while they slept on the frozen ground. Next morning Louisa found that her beautiful long
braids were frozen to the ground. The braids had to be cut from her head before she could be released from the ground.

The ensuing day they progressed eighteen miles west of Bridger and made their camp; and by November 11-7, they were camped on the east side of the Weber River, just below he mouth of Echo Canyon. Snow was falling fast on November 29 when they crossed Big Mountain, they passed over Little Mountain and camped in the head of Emigration Canyon that night.

Finally, on November 30, they were approaching their destination Zion, in the valley of the towering Rockies. News of their approach came during the Sunday morning church session. President Young hurriedly dismissed the congregation with this declaration:

When those persons arrive I do not want to see them put into houses
By themselves. I want to have them distributed ‘in this city among the families that have good, comfortable houses; and I wish the sisters now before me, and all who know how and can, to nurse and wait upon the newcomers, and prudently administer medicine and food to them. the afternoon meeting will be omitted, for I wish the sisters to go home and prepare to give those who have just arrived a mouthful of something to eat and to wash them up and nurse them up. Prayer is good, but when (as on this occasion ) baked potatoes and pudding and milk are needed, payer will not supply their place. Give every duty its proper time and place. I
Thus these Saints from foreign lands were cared for by the loving hands of the members who had come before them. Their hearts were warm with gratitude; their indomitable sufferings had not been in vain; they had cheated death itself They were glad they had come!

On that memorable day, November 30,1856, James and his family, as well as all the other members of their epic group, shed tears of joy and humble gratitude for their miraculous rescue from that snow-filled ravine where the rescue wagons had come upon them.

The wagon in which the Mellor family was riding rolled to a stop in front of the comfortable dwelling of the widow Susannah Roper who had arrived ‘in Salt Lake in 1848. Sister Roper saw the wagon stopping in front of her door and instructed her handsome young son, Henry, to go out and help the young lady to whom she had offered shelter, into their home. When Henry approached the wagon he was informed they had a young lady whose feet were frozen and she was unable to walk. Henry years later, told his grandson, V. Lloyd Bartholomew, that Charlotte Elizabeth Mellor was only 14 years old and light as a feather in my arms. And as I carried her into my mother’s home I looked into her dark eyes and saw love at first sight. And there our romance began. We were married February 4, 1857, (Charlotte was now 15) and moved to Hogwallow (now known as Gunnison) the same year the Mellor family moved there.

There seems to be no recorded information as to where the rest of the Mellor family were deposited that bitter cold Sunday. But Brothers Cyrus Wheelock and James Goddard were in the crowd to meet the Mellor’s when they arrived.
They asked for James Mellor. When they saw him they were stunned! A man of 38 years of age with hair as white as the driven snow! Indeed, the trials and tribulations, the hardships and deprivations they had suffered from England to Salt Lake Valley had taken its toll.

Gone was the familiar head of black hair their dear friend had when they last saw him in England. James stood looking at them and blinked away the tears that brimmed his large dark eyes.

They took him in their arms and wept! They also greeted our mother, to whom they had promised life and that she would see Zion. We were received by the Saints, some with tears in their eyes and some with joy. We were a pitiful sight to see, and for weeks this company was not allowed to eat much at a time nor see themselves in a mirror. President Young met us, and when he saw us he was so melted down with grief at sight of our condition he had to go home sick, but he blessed us first.

James and his family remained in Salt Lake City for approximately three days then started south.

They lived at Provo for the rest of that year, then moved to Springville, Utah. Here James engaged in farming pursuits. While they were living in Springville their youngest child, John Carlos Mellor, was born on February 1, 1860. The Elders’ prophecy had been fulfilled; Mary Ann did live to see her seed in Zion’. Louisa tells that On the journey south from Salt Lake I was left at the home of Sister Roper in Provo, Utah, to do housework for a few weeks. She wanted me to marry one of her sons but I did not like him for a husband, and also did not feel I wanted to be married at that time, so I made it a matter of prayer to God to know if it was right to marry him and it was made manifest to me that he was not the right man. But God showed me my husband and his family in a few weeks. Edward Watkin Clark came to ask Sister Roper if I could wait on his wife who had just been confined with a new baby. She agreed to let me go for two or three weeks. So I went to live at Brother Clark’s home and was treated very well…. After awhile I was invited to come into his house as his plural wife. We were married by President Brigham on February 3, 1857 in Salt Lake City.

In the spring of 1861 President Young called some families to leave Springville and journey south to effect a new settlement. The group was comprised of the families of James Mellor, Sr., Joseph Bartholomew, Sr., Jacob McCurdy, Ira Draper, and Wellington Wood. They journeyed south in their covered wagons and arrived at the place now known as Fayette, April 8, 1861, and immediately planted their crops. Later in the season, three of the families became disheartened and left. The Mellor family built their dugout south of the stream, and the Bartholomew’s built theirs on the north side, a short distance west of where the highway now runs. The main creek bed ran approximately through the center of the present town site. They called the settlement Warm Creek, because the water came from a warm spring in the foothills about one mile east.

It wasn’t warm, however, living in the dugout shelters, and when the Mellor’s first came to Fayette they lacked adequate bedding, and what they did have was ragged. They nearly perished with the cold. To try to alleviate their suffering,
James put some cowhides over the children’s beds which were made on a pile of straw on the floor. Since the cowhides had not been tanned, they were stiff, so they didn’t help much.

The two families worked unitedly together. They had many things in common, being nearly the same ages. Both families were large and of English descent. There was a set of twin girls in each family: Emma and Clara Mellor were seven years old, and Eliza and Elizabeth Bartholomew were six when they first came to Fayette. On the journey from Springville to Fayette the Mellor twins were permitted to walk part of the way and help the boys drive the cows. This made the Bartholomew twins feel bad for they had to ride in the wagon all the way.

Since the Indians claimed ownership to the spring and to the surrounding meadows, James and Joseph bargained with chief Arropene for their purchase. Arropene accepted two fat oxen for the sale of the spring, and they traded him some sheep for the meadows.

Although the Indians and the whites enjoyed peaceful relations, the Indians couldn’t be trusted whenever they had a numerical advantage. The families had to remain constantly alert to the dangers of theft, and even murder, from the Indians of the area. That autumn they were counseled by the church authorities to quit “Warm Springs Creek” and build six miles south in “Hogwallow,” the section lying southeast of the “Rocky Point.” (Because of the swampy condition of this location, the settlement was later moved to a site farther east, now known as Gunnison, where the fort was constructed). During the winters of 1861 and 1862 no one lived in ‘Warm Creek.” In the spring of 1862 the place was resettled and the farming operations began in greater earnest than in the previous year, and a pretty good crop was raised.

The men and boys were great trappers and hunters. This provided meat for their families. They sold beaver pelts for a good price to help meet expenses. They initiated the raising of cattle and sheep in the community.

In the spring and early summer of 1862 additional families arrived to settle Fayette. That same year, under the supervision of the Gunnison Ward Bishopric, a branch of the church was organized at Fayette with Branch Young serving as president.

In 1863 Brigham Young called John E. Metcalf to leave Springville and move his family to Fayette in order to build and operate a grist mill there.

The first homes built in Fayette were known as dugouts. The roof was of poles covered with willows, straw and then dirt. All poles were held in place with wooden pegs driven in 3/4 inch auger holes. The floor was of dirt, packed smooth. The bed occupied one corner of the 12×18 foot room, and was built by setting four posts securely, and mortising a small frame into the posts. Then green rawhide was laced back and forth crosswise and lengthwise, and this, when dry, made a fine bed.

Even though they lived in dugouts, Mary Ann Payne Mellor and Polly Benson Bartholomew took pride in their housekeeping. They would sprinkle water on the dirt floor, then tamp it with a wooden tamper until the surface was smooth; and –
then, when it had dried, they would mark artistic designs on it with charcoal and limestone.

The Metcalf family hauled rock from the hills nearby to use in building their dugouts and the mill. They chiseled the millstones (burrs) out of some large granite boulders which they hauled from Cedar Ridge area approximately twelve miles north of Fayette, Soon the mill was grinding the grain into flour every day. Some of the meal and flour was taken as far as the settlements in Sevier Valley.

They erected their first meeting house, a small log building, in 1862. It was used for all their public gatherings, even school up to 1866, when trouble with the Indians developed. The church was then moved to Gunnison and re-erected in the fort. After the Black Hawk War had ended, the meeting house was moved back to Fayette and used until the new rock meeting house was built in 1875.

In 1866 some of the settlers grew worried over the Indians who were becoming quite hostile, and they moved away. The rest of the settlers were directed by president Hyde to return to the fort in Gunnison until the danger was over. The men and boys would return to Fayette in large groups during the day and herd their cattle. It wasn’t until 1869 that the Black Hawk War ceased.

Both James Mellor and his sons James Jr., and William helped in quelling the Indians. They were in active service from April to November, 1866.

It was in 1868 that many hordes of grasshoppers infested the area, destroying most of the crops ‘in Sanpete County. These later pioneers were not so fortunate as those earlier ones in Salt Lake Valley no seagulls came to save their crops. Though their crops were destroyed, by careful planning and economizing they survived this ordeal. The determined little Englishman, bolstered by the cooperative efforts of his wife and children, buckled down and worked all the harder to raise a bumper crop the following year. James, in his later years, said it seemed his entire life had been a continuous time of beginning anew. Every time his family solved one problem, some new challenge would come.

In 1869 James Mellor, Sr., influenced by the suggestion of George D. Watt, organized a society to start a silk industry and had started a mulberry plantation. A few of the mulberry trees are still growing in the area. The industry was short-lived however.
This same year, 1869 at a session of the Sanpete County Court held at Manti on June 21, in answer to a petition, Fayette was organized into a precinct and school district; and at the next meeting on September 6, 1869, its boundaries were determined. James Mellor, Sr., was appointed magistrate, Anthony Metcalf, constable, and John Bartholomew, road supervisor.

James Mellor, Sr., built the first brick house in Fayette in about 1870. It was a two-story house built on the lot just South of where the Fayette store now stands. It faced east. There were two large rooms in front with an entrance hall in the center. Beyond the doors leading to the two front, rooms, the hall divided, the north half was a passageway leading to the rooms to the west, a kitchen, a pantry, and a small bedroom. The south half became a stairway, edged with a banister which led to the rooms upstairs.

The family moved directly from their dugout to this fine new home. Many of the floors in this house were covered with homemade carpets, and those that weren’t were bleached white from the frequent scrubbings they received. Mary Ann Payne Mellor was a meticulous housekeeper, so much so, that she was dubbed “crazy clean.” She had a stove in which she did her baking, but she did most of her cooking in little pots in the fireplace; the treasured stove in which she vested her pride and her glory of possession-was kept polished until it shone like a mirror. One of her granddaughters, said, “I sure learned how to scrub floors while I lived with grandmother; they were white, and they had to be kept that way. She was a very proud woman and she liked nice clothes.”

Mary Ann’s past experiences reflected themselves in her present attitude and behavior. In England she had elected to part with all but the most cherished of her worldly possessions and accompany her mate to an alien wilderness because he was a proud little man who wanted to rear his children in a place where they could occupy a position of dignity rather than one of pauperism. Then, again, during the harrowing handcart experience, she was compelled to part with the balance of her worldly possessions and continue on her way in clothes which became worn and tattered. Those first years in Fayette, Mary Ann hoarded every little scrap of cloth she could get hold of and used it to patch tattered clothes and worn-out bedding; hence her pride in the new home, new stove and her love for nice clothes.

James Mellor was also a well-groomed person who enjoyed attractive clothing and well-tended surroundings. He exhibited a great deal of pride in his animals and in his land, and took very good care of all his property. It hadn’t been his privilege to own a farm in England, but in Fayette he enjoyed tilling the soil and watching things grow.

By practicing strict economy and laboring diligently, James Mellor and his family, in just nine short years (two of which had been spent in the fort at Gunnison), had prospered and had been able to acquire a sizeable amount of land; and their herd of sheep and their cattle were growing rapidly.

On May 25, 1872 James Mellor, Sr., was appointed postmaster at Fayette. He held the position from 1872 to 1887. The post office was housed in his home. He made a letter slot in the front door and attached a box on the inside with a a lock on it. The little back bedroom served as the mail office, and the townspeople called for their mail at the west kitchen door.

After moving his family into their new brick home, James Mellor breathed a sigh of accomplishment. This meant the culmination of his ambitions-an end of his family’s privations. Now he could face those rapidly-approaching older years with the calm assurance that he had provided well for his wife and family. Now he and Mary Ann could enjoy the happy results of all their past struggles.

James and his family worked hard to plant the huge lot surrounding their fine new home. The north half of their lot was an orchard. They raised the best apples of all kinds, winter apples, summer apples, early sweet red, crabs, some pears and