Stillman Pond 1803-1878
Stillman Pond, an early Utah Pioneer, was born on the 26th of October, 1803, at Hubbardston, Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the son of Preston Pond and Hannah Rice. Stillman Pond lived with his parents until he was twenty years of age, during which time he received a common school education corresponding to the first ten grades of our present day educational system. On the 22nd of December, 1825, he married Almyra Whittemore who bore him five children, four girls and a boy. Almyra Pond died of Yellow Fever on the 25th of July 1833 and was buried at Hubbardston, Mass.
On July 4, 1834, he married Maria Louisa Davis. In 1841, Missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints came to New Salem. He and his family accepted the Gospel and were baptized on the 28th of December, 1841 by Elder Elias Harris. On the 7th of July 1843, he sold his land and prepared to settle with the Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois.
In the fall of 1843 the Pond family reached Nauvoo. Stillman purchased a tract of land about three-fourths of a mile east of the temple, and directly across the street from the cemetery. On this land he built a red brick house, two stories high, in which he established a store in the front part. He took an active part in the Church and was rewarded for his faithfulness by being ordained an Elder in July 1844. He received his Patriarchal blessing under the hands of John Smith on the 1st of January, 1845 and on May 17, of the same year was ordained a Seventy, becoming a member of the Second Quorum. On the 30th of December 1845, Stillman and his wife entered the Temple of the Lord at Nauvoo where they received their endowments, and on the 4th of February, 1846, he was sealed to his first two wives, by the authority of the Priesthood. Maria stood as proxy for the first wife, then deceased.
He and his family were among the last to leave Nauvoo in September 1846. Having already endured much persecution and harassment from the enemies of the Church, the Pond family was ultimately driven from their Nauvoo home at the point of a bayonet. Without adequate preparation for their trek, they were left without proper food, clothing, and shelter. Their trek across Iowa to Winter Quarters was fraught with almost unimaginable suffering and heartache.
Snow came early to the Iowa territory that year, making travel extremely difficult. Weakened from trudging through the deep snow, Stillman's pregnant wife, Maria, who had already been afflicted with consumption, then contracted malaria. She, along with every member of her family, suffered greatly from this sickness. Bowed down with grief and aching from the pain and fever of malaria, Maria could no longer walk. Amidst these grim circumstances she gave birth to twin boys who were named Joseph and Hyrum. They both died only a few days later. The deaths of these children coming across the plains from Nauvoo to Winter Quarters were only the beginning of the sacrifice and trials of Stillman Pond.
With all of the members of the Pond family sick with malaria, Stillman, who was unable to walk or even sit up, lay on his stomach in the bed of his wagon. Bracing himself with one arm and extending his other over the dashboard to hold the reins, he drove his team the last 150 miles. On October 16, 1846, they arrived at Winter Quarters. During the winter there the Pond family continued to suffer. In the space of five days, three more children died. A sixth died a few weeks later:
Laura Jane Pond, age 14, died of "chills and fever" on December 2, 1846.
Harriet M. Pond, age 11, died "with chills" on December 4.
Abigail A. Pond, age 18, died "with chills" on December 7.
Lyman Pond, age 6, died with "chills and fever" on January 15, 1847.
Having survived the heartache of burying all of her children, the hardships of the trek across Iowa, and the hunger and privations of a long, hard winter, Stillman's beloved wife, Maria, finally succumbed to her sicknesses on May 17 at Winter Quarters. Yet despite all this, Stillman Pond journeyed onward in the pioneer company led by Elder John Taylor, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in the early fall of 1847. His testimony of the gospel, his faith in the Lord, and the fire of the covenant that burned in his soul gave him the strength to go on. "I am perfectly satisfied with the authorities of the Church," he wrote in February 1846, "and consider it my indispensable duty to give heed to all things."
He traveled to Utah with his daughter, Almira Elizabeth. They crossed the plains in the Abraham O Smoot-George B Wallace Company. 223 individuals were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post on the Elkhorn River about 27 miles west of Winter Quarters, Nebraska on 18 June 1847 and arriving in the valley 25, 26, 29 September.
He married Abigail Thorn in 1849 after her husband ran off to the California Gold Rush, and adopted her daughter. Together they had eight more children. Stillman later married four other wives. They moved up to Richmond where Stillman was a farmer until he died 30 Sep 1878 at the age of 74.
Stillman's Temple Work
Baptized 28 Dec 1841
Endowments (30 Dec 1845)
in the Nauvoo Temple
Sealed to Spouse (8 Feb 1849)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (14 October 1938)
Abigail Thorn 1821-1901
Abigail Thorne was born April 2nd, 1821, at Larpromis, Cayuge County, New York . Curiosity actuated Abigail Thorne, then a young woman, to attend a religious meeting conducted in the Community by two Mormon Elders. Both the songs sung and the message proclaimed made deep impressions upon her soul. Because of an outstanding spiritual experience she was converted and baptized upon that occasion, thus becoming the first proselyte to the Mormon faith in that section of the country. Abigail soon experienced the urge to join with the Saints and in due time reached her desired destination. Under date of, March 7, 1843, at the age of 22 she received her Patriarchal blessing at Nauvoo under the hands of Hyrum Smith, just fifteen months before his martyrdom at Carthage. A special feature of this blessing was the gift of dreams and visions by the Holy Spirit. It was her special privilege also to be present upon the occasion of the transfiguration of Brigham Young. It was on Thursday, Aug. 8, 1844.
Abigail was married to Major Samuel Russell in 1645. During the trying time of the Saints at Winter Quarters their first child, Frances, was born in a covered Wagon, Oct. 1946. The following year they joined with the second company of pioneers and came westward under the direction of John Taylor. Major Russell officially acted as a captain often, and his wife, Abigail, walking by his side carried her baby, Frances, practically the entire distance from the Missouri River to the Salt Lake Valley. Upon reaching the valleys of the mountains Major Russell tried to convince his companion to continue westward with him to the gold fields of California. Her immediate reply to this suggestion was both curt and poetic. "Samuel Russell", she said, "I came here for the sake of the Gospel and not for gold". The Major took his departure with others but his wife remained with the Saints.
About a year later Abigail married for the second time, Stillman Pond, also a pioneer of 1847. For a few years they made their home in Salt Lake City, during which time four children were born, Mary, Charles Stillman, Brigham and Lewis Sumner. In 1855 Stillman moved his family to the point of the mountain west of Salt Lake City, at about the same location of the present town site of Garfield. The year Johnston's army made it's entrance into the Salt Lake Valley, in 1857, the family moved a second time, going south, thus becoming pioneers of Spanish Fork. To them, at this new location, two more children were born; Abigail in 1857, and Joseph Thorne in Sept. 1859. They then moved to Richmond. The two younger members of the Pond family were born at this location: Martin, May 21, 1862, and Zina, June 7, 1864. a five acre City lot was allowed the family near the fort and subsequently a modern home for those days, was erected one block north of the old People's stores and Creamery Co. This new home was the first frame home to be built in Richmond. For a few years after arriving in Richmond, times were very strenuous and hard for the family.
Following the death of her husband in 1878, the widow Abigail maintained her home in Richmond for a short time. She succeeded Almira Merrill as President of the ward Relief Society in which capacity she served ably and well. Some time in the late eighties she moved to Lewiston where her sons had established themselves in business. As is the case with the normal mother her outstanding accomplishment in life was her family of boys and girls who were anxious constantly to provide for every possible convenience through the remaining years of her life. They bought a home on the land owned by her boys where she lived until late in life, finally establishing living quarters at the home of her son Martin. During the early spring of 1904 she contracted an illness that led up to her death on March 7th. The last week or two were moments of intense physical suffering almost beyond her power to endure, which invited the tenderest sympathy of her children who had gathered at her bedside.
Abigail's Temple Work
Endowments (20 Jan 1846)
in the Nauvoo Temple
Sealed to Spouse (8 Feb 1849)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (25 May 1916)
in Logan Temple
Mary Ann Armstrong 1784-1856
Mary traveled to Utah with her children and grandchildren in the Daniel A Miller/John W Cooley Company of 1853 leaving 3 Jun and arriving in the Valley 3-17 Sep. 282 individuals and 70 wagons were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at Six-Mile Grove, Iowa.
Mary died 7 Mar 1856 and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.
Mary's Temple Work
Endowments (20 Jan 1846)
in Nauvoo Temple
Sealed to Spouse (3 Jun 1908)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Parents (24 Aug 1948)
In Salt LakeTemple
Alexander Harris 1834-1889
Alexander Harris, Sr., born March 25, 1834, in Wilson County, Tennessee, was a son of McGee Harris and Mary Givens of Kentucky. His father was born near Lebanon, Wilson, Tennessee. Mary Givens was born in Kentucky. McGee Harris and family owned a plantation in Tennessee with Negro servants. When the family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and immigrated west, the servants loved him so much they wanted to come with him. As the family moved west, they must have settled in Nauvoo, as we understand they lived in the home of the Prophet Joseph Smith for a while. Alexander was the fourth child of his parents' eight children, and the first son. The children were born around and in Wilson County, Tennessee and Nashville.
His father, with a family of six or seven children, crossed the plains in 1848, in Captain Kimball's Company (according to family records). Alexander was 14 years of age when they arrived in the valley in September 1848. As a young man, Alexander Harris herded cows in and around Salt Lake City, Utah, as the fences had not yet been built. Times were hard and food was scarce so he took a sharp stick and dug the sego root for his noonday meal. Later he was one of the young men who President Brigham Young called to go meet the handcart company who were stranded in deep snow out in the mountains. Their provisions were exhausted and they were dying from cold, hunger, and Cholera. He took teams, wagons, provisions and bedding, saving many lives.
Daniel H. Wells married Alexander Harris, Sr. to Harriet Ann Craner in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 21, 1855. He was a brother-in-law to Alexander. (Sealed June 6, 1856 by Heber C. Kimball). He was a colonizer and one of the early settlers of Utah. The children of Alexander Harris, Sr. and Harriet Ann Craner were: Alexander Harris, Jr., Harriet Ann Harris, Mary Elizabeth Harris, Martha Caroline Harris, George McGee Harris, Emily Deseret Harris, John Walter Harris, William Frederick Harris, Emma Arminta Harris and Gertrude Harris. The twins, George McGee and Emily Deseret died early, one being two days old, and the other, not quite one month.
Alexander and his son Alexander Jr., ran a train of freight wagons from Corrine, Utah to Butte, Montana. The train consisted of four wagons with one wagon trailing the second, pulled by 16 head of mules to each of the two wagons. They were driven with a jerk line. It was a strenuous trip over poor roads, watching for Indians behind each rock. It was while he was away on one of these trips that his beloved wife, Harriet, died on September 15, 1874, at Richmond, Utah. She left a six-week old baby girl (Gertrude) and seven other children. There was no way to carry news except by pony express. A runner was sent to bear the news, which almost overwhelmed the husband. Young Alex was not with his father on this trip. Frank Christensen related that he was the person to break the news to the son, as young Alex had gone for a load of hay. Young Alex was just 19 years old at that time and never quite recovered from the loss of his devoted mother. Harriet drove a fine span of horses and surrey with a fringe on top, (so the story goes) and when the neighbors saw that surrey out, they knew Mrs. Harris was out for a ride.
Alexander Sr. remarried his wife's widowed sister, Martha Craner Tanner. Both wives were the daughter of George Benjamin Craner and Elizabeth West. They were born in Maxstoke, Warwick, England, and journeyed to America on the ship Windermere in 1854. At the age of 14, Harriet had saved enough money to pay her own way and the rest of the family was financed by their son and older brother, George Craner. Harriet was a loving mother and an immaculate homemaker.
After marrying Harriet's sister, Martha, they moved to Gentile Valley, now called Thatcher, Idaho, permanently in the year 1875. Alex had been there at times before. Martha had four children by her former husband George Tanner: Mary, George, Thomas, and John Tanner. Alex raised a large family, having ten children by his first wife and six by his second, plus four Tanner children. Three children died in infancy, all of the others grew to adulthood. As a husband, Alexander, Sr. was a good provider and a kind and loving father. He had been out with his sons shooting at a mark an hour before his death.
He died at the old home in Mound Valley, Idaho and was buried at Richmond, Utah. Funeral services were held there in the Church house February 26, 1889. Consoling remarks were made by Bishop Lewis, an old-time friend of the family, by President Marriner W. Merrill and Solomon H. Hale. He was buried along side of his wife, Harriet Ann Craner, who preceded him in death by 14 years. He was the brother of Martha Harris Wells, the mother of Governor Heber M. Wells, the first Governor of the state of Utah.
Alexanders' Temple Work
Baptized Mar 1848
Endowments (5 Jun 1856)
In the Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Spouse (6 Jun 1856)
in the Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (13 Jun 1889)
in Logan Temple
Harriet Ann Craner 1834-1874
Harriet was born 26 April 1834 in Maxstoke, Warwickshire, England. She is the eighth child and third daughter born to George Benjamin and Elizabeth West Craner. She was christened 25 May 1834 in Maxstoke, Warwickshire, England. The family lived in Hall End in Maxstoke. Her father was a laborer.
In 1845, Harriet’s family listened to the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Her mother was the first to be baptized, 5 June 1845 followed by her brother, George, 1 January 1846, and then Harriet, 6 January 1846. She was only 11 years old at the time. Her father was baptized 10 March 1846. Her two sisters, Ann and Martha were baptized in 1852 and another brother, Abraham Frederick was baptized in 1856.
At the age of 14, Harriet had saved enough money to pay her own way and the rest of the family was financed by their son and older brother, George Craner. On 22 February1854, Harriet and her family set sail from Liverpool, England on the ship Windermere for America.
They arrived at New Orleans 23 April 1854. A few days later they boarded a steam boat and journeyed to St. Louis, Missouri. The journey then continued on to Kansas City. Harriet’s father died on the Kansas plains en route to Salt Lake. Her mother and four children arrived in Salt Lake City on 1 Oct 1854.
Harriet met Alexander Harris, who courted her. Daniel H. Wells, who was a brother-in-law to Alexander, married Alexander Harris, Sr. to Harriet Ann Craner in Salt Lake City, Utah on June 21, 1855. (Sealed June 6, 1856 by Heber C. Kimball). Harriet and Alexander were the parents of ten children:
Name: Birth Date: Death Date:
1. Alexander Harris, Jr. 4 Sep 1856 20 Mar 1937
2. Harriet Ann Harris 18 Mar 1858 11 Sep 1906
3. Mary Elizabeth Harris 31 Dec 1859 21 Mar 1893
4. Martha Caroline Harris 27 Sep 1862 1 Feb 1946
5. George McGee Harris 10 Jan 1864 12 Jan 1864
6. Emily Deseret Harris 10 Jan 1864 2 Feb 1864
7. John Walter Harris 25 Apr 1868 23 Feb 1926
8. William Frederick Harris 27 Jun 1869 29 Dec 1935
9. Emma Arminta Harris 2 Sep 1872 6 Aug 1959
10. Gertrude Harris 9 Aug 1874 20 Oct 1960
1. Alexander Harris, Jr. 4 Sep 1856 20 Mar 1937
2. Harriet Ann Harris 18 Mar 1858 11 Sep 1906
3. Mary Elizabeth Harris 31 Dec 1859 21 Mar 1893
4. Martha Caroline Harris 27 Sep 1862 1 Feb 1946
5. George McGee Harris 10 Jan 1864 12 Jan 1864
6. Emily Deseret Harris 10 Jan 1864 2 Feb 1864
7. John Walter Harris 25 Apr 1868 23 Feb 1926
8. William Frederick Harris 27 Jun 1869 29 Dec 1935
9. Emma Arminta Harris 2 Sep 1872 6 Aug 1959
10. Gertrude Harris 9 Aug 1874 20 Oct 1960
Harriet was an excellent housekeeper, mother, and wife. She drove a fine span of horses and surrey with a fringe on top, (so the story goes) and when the neighbors saw that surrey out, they knew Mrs. Harris was out for a ride.
Alexander was an industrious early Mormon Pioneer. He came west with his family at the age of 15, in 1848. Alex was willing to do any task that was asked of him by his leader, and was appointed to help the suffering Saints of the Handcart Company when they were stranded in the snow. He took blankets and food, and helped save many lives.
The Harris’ went to Richmond when that community was settled, and lived in the old log fort.
During the Indian battle near Preston, Alex hauled some of the wounded soldiers to Salt Lake City.
Alex and his oldest son, Alexander, Jr. operated a freight train of wagons from Corinne, Utah to Butte, Montana. They each had two wagons. They trailed behind one other, with 16 head of mules to each train. This was a strenuous trip over rocks and creeks. There were no roads. At that time there were many Indians and outlaws roaming the country, and they were always on the alert. It was on one of these trips that Harriet passed away, 15 September 1874 in Richmond, Cache, Utah. She was 40 years old. There was no way of carrying news, save by pony express, so a runner was sent to tell Alexander the sad news. His eldest son, Alex Jr.,(age 18) never quite recovered from the death of his dear mother.
She left a family of seven children, the oldest being 18 years of age and the baby only 5 weeks old. Her oldest daughter, Harriet Ann, was 16.
Baptized Mar 1848
Endowments (June 5, 1856)
in the Endowment House
Sealing to Spouse (June 6, 1856)
in the Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (Nov 7, 1895)
in Salt Lake City Temple
Harriet's Nauvoo Land and Records file Click Here
George Benjamin Craner 1799-1854
For several generations, the Craners lived in the villages of Maxstoke, Fillongley and the town of Coventry, Warwickshire, England. George Benjamin was born in Coventry 3 June 1799. He was the oldest of two children born to George and Elizabeth Robinson Craner. He was christened twice, once in Holy Trinity, Coventry, Warwickshire, England 13 June 1799 and again at St. John’s, Coventry, Warwickshire, England, 13 September 1802. His parents had both been born in Coventry as well as his grandparents, William and Elizabeth Moore Craner.
Elizabeth West, George Benjamin’s wife, was born 1 March 1799 in Fillongley, Warwickshire, England. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Ranger West. She was christened 17 March 1799 in Fillongley, Warwickshire, England. She was raised in the village of Fillongley. All of these villages and towns are only three to four miles apart.
George Benjamin Craner and Elizabeth West were married 8 Feb 1819 in Fillongley, Warwickshire, England. Neither one of them could write their name. George Benjamin worked as a farm laborer. The family was very poor and when the children were old enough, as early as 13, they worked as servants or in the case of the son, Joseph; he was apprenticed as a tailor.
They were the parents of twelve children:
Name: Birth Date: Death Date:
1. Elizabeth Craner 2 Jul 1818 Jan 1864
2. Mary Craner 1 Apr 1820 16 Jan 1846
3. George Benjamin Craner, Jr. 16 Apr 1822 bur 8 Feb 1824
4. Joseph Craner 17 Nov 1824 3 Aug 1898
5. Thomas Craner 9 Apr 1826
6. George Craner 1 June 1829 17 July 1904
7. William Craner 1 Jul 1832 bur 8 May 1838
8. Harriet Ann Craner 26 Apr 1834 15 Sep 1874
9. Abraham Frederick Craner c. 3 Apr 1836 bur 23 Feb 1902
10. Ann Craner 15 Jul 1838 25 Apr 1906
11. John Craner 8 Jul 1842 4 Aug 1903
12. Martha Craner 16 May 1844 19 Sep 1916
1. Elizabeth Craner 2 Jul 1818 Jan 1864
2. Mary Craner 1 Apr 1820 16 Jan 1846
3. George Benjamin Craner, Jr. 16 Apr 1822 bur 8 Feb 1824
4. Joseph Craner 17 Nov 1824 3 Aug 1898
5. Thomas Craner 9 Apr 1826
6. George Craner 1 June 1829 17 July 1904
7. William Craner 1 Jul 1832 bur 8 May 1838
8. Harriet Ann Craner 26 Apr 1834 15 Sep 1874
9. Abraham Frederick Craner c. 3 Apr 1836 bur 23 Feb 1902
10. Ann Craner 15 Jul 1838 25 Apr 1906
11. John Craner 8 Jul 1842 4 Aug 1903
12. Martha Craner 16 May 1844 19 Sep 1916
Two of the children, George Benjamin, Jr. (age 2) and William (age 5) died in their youth.
In 1845, the Craners listened to the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The gospel must have given the Craners new hope and vision. Elizabeth West Craner was the first to be baptized, 5 June 1845, followed by their son, George, 1 January 1846, then Harriet, 6 Jan 1846. George Benjamin followed on 10 March 1846. Three other children were baptized in England: Ann and Martha 1852, and Abraham Frederick 1856. The Saints were encouraged to come to Zion in America when they were able. So, that became the “Craner Dream”.
In 1845, the Craners listened to the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. The gospel must have given the Craners new hope and vision. Elizabeth West Craner was the first to be baptized, 5 June 1845, followed by their son, George, 1 January 1846, then Harriet, 6 Jan 1846. George Benjamin followed on 10 March 1846. Three other children were baptized in England: Ann and Martha 1852, and Abraham Frederick 1856. The Saints were encouraged to come to Zion in America when they were able. So, that became the “Craner Dream”.
In 1851, their son, George (age 21) emigrated to the United States. In the next few years, he established a home and a prosperous farm in Tooele, Tooele, Utah. He sent money back to England for his family to come to America. By this time, Elizabeth, Mary, Joseph, and Thomas were all married or out of the household.
On the 22 February 1854, George Benjamin (age 54) Elizabeth (age 54), Harriet (age 19), Ann (age 15), John (age 11) Martha (age 9) set sail from Liverpool to the United States on the ship Windermere with a total of 477 Latter Day Saints. You can read a record of the voyage HERE.
Joseph and Abraham Frederick planned to immigrate later. Eventually, Frederick emigrated in May 1862, but Joseph, his wife and family stayed in England. George and his family arrived in New Orleans 23 April and took a steamer up the Mississippi River to Kansas City.
At Kansas City, George Benjamin Craner died on the 18th of May 1854* (age 54) from an attack of cholera. He was buried “on the plains of Kansas” in a grave with two others, a young lady and a child, who had died of the same disease. Elizabeth and the four children continued the journey to Salt Lake City, Utah in the Fifth Company 1854.
George's Temple Work
Endowments (24 Nov 1886)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Spouse (10 Sep 1859)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (13 Nov 1895)
In Salt Lake Temple
Elizabeth West 1799-1869
Elizabeth West, George Benjamin’s wife, was born 1 March 1799 in Fillongley, Warwickshire, England. She was the daughter of William and Elizabeth Ranger West. She was christened 17 March 1799 in Fillongley, Warwickshire, England. She was raised in the village of Fillongley.
After her husband, George, died, Elizabeth West Craner and her four children continued on to Tooele, Tooele, Utah where her son, George, had a home and farm to welcome them. What a welcome this must have been! After many years of preparations and finally to be here in Zion! One can only imagine the sorrow it must have been for Elizabeth in losing her husband and having to convey this news to her son, George. Elizabeth’s strong faith and love of the Savior must have buoyed her up many times. The sacrifice that this family made in joining the church and the desire to be obedient in obeying the prophet’s commandment in coming to Zion shows much courage and faith.
Elizabeth continued to live with her son, George and his family, in Tooele, Tooele, Utah until her death 8 April 1869. She was 70 years old. She is buried in the Tooele Cemetery.
Elizabeth's Temple Work
Endowments (10 Sep 1859)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Spouse (10 Sep 1859)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (13 Nov 1895)
In Salt Lake Temple
McGee Harris 1800-1863
McGee was born and raised on the frontier of American civilization, and it was the role of the frontiersman he lead most of his life. About in the year 1837 he moved his family to Marion, Williamson Co., Ill. where he was in possession of a large estate. McGee was a farmer and a blacksmith by trade. In 1844 he became a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He became enthused with what he called the "doctrine of Joseph Smith". He proceeded to sell and to give away his property in order to join the saints a Nauvoo. Although his parents and other relatives were critical of his action and ostracized him, yet, he left them most of his earthly possessions. He had 1280 acres of land, which he had intended to divide among his eight children. His two eldest children remained a Marion, Ill.
McGee was counseled not to go to Nauvoo because of persecutions, so he went on to Council Bluffs. The family left Illinois in the spring of 1846 and arrived in Council Bluffs in September. They crossed the Missouri River to Winter Quarters, where they stayed until the spring of 1847. About 50 families went up the river about twenty five miles, built a fort, and raised a crop to help the emigrants the next spring. Along with the other saints they suffered privations and illness. At one time the entire family except a son, William, was stricken with chills and fever. Later in life, William often recounted the hardships of this experience, telling of how it kept him busy carrying drinking water to his family.
Late in May, 1848, McGee and his family left Winter Quarters for the westward journey. They were members of the Heber C. Kimball Company, which consisted of 662 people and 226 wagons. They traveled by ox teams. McGee's daughter, Martha, said the company crossed the Elkhorn River on 1 June, 1848. The company arrived in Salt Lake Valley on 28 Sept 1848. McGee and his family settled in Salt Lake City. Their first home was a wagon box, later replaced by a one room log house.
When the Latter Day Saints arrived in Salt Lake Valley a survey of blocks and lots was made, and the lots were distributed to heads of families as an inheritance. Distribution was by drawing, and property could be used for business or domestic purposes only, and could not be disposed of for pecuniary profit. McGee drew one of these lots consisting pf 1-1/4 acres located on the north side of Fifth South, 1-1/2 blocks west of Main Street, where the Deseret Inn now stands.
Two years after their arrival in Salt Lake Valley, McGee moved his family to Farmington, Utah, where they encountered many hardships. The scarcity of water, grasshoppers low food supply, and Indian trouble all added to their problems. The snakes were so abundant that it was often necessary for the children to help their mother remove them from their beds before they could retire.
In 1853 McGee was called by Brigham Young with about 20 other families to settle and build up Fort Herriman, a settlement located in the extreme southwest part of Salt Lake Valley. The families of Henry Herriman, a member of the First Council of Seventy, Thomas Butterfield, John F. Stocking and Robert C. Petty, who settled the area a year earlier, welcomed these reinforcements numbering 71 people. The houses were constructed very close together in order to make it convenient to build a fort if necessary. In 1854 a mud-wall enclosing 2-1/2 acres was erected as protection against Indian raids.
On 11 Feb. 1855 McGee Harris was sustained as President of the Fort Herriman Branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, with William Kidd and Thomas Levi Whittle as Counselors. They served under the direction of the West Jordan Ward Bishopric until the spring of 1858. The settlement was then temporarily abandoned because of the Utah War. McGee moved his family to Springville, Utah, until the Johnston's army affair was settled. He then returned to Salt Lake City until his death. He established his home at the corner of Second South and Sixth East, where the Prescott Apartments are now located.
McGee died 26 Aug 1863 and is buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery. There is not a grave marker.
Endowments (21 Jun 1851) in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Spouse (13 Feb 1853)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (28 Jul 1951)
In Logan Temple
Mary Polly Givens 1802-1873
As a girl Mary was taught thrift and industry. She helped gather flax for making linen, then spun and wove the flax into yarn. She made her own table linen and bed linen for her trousseau. She made a bed spread and embroidered it before she was sixteen. When she married her mother asked her how many sheets and pillow cases she had. When she indicated she had eighteen sheets and twenty pillow cases, her mother shook her head, went to her own linen closet, and came back with two sheets. She said, "I have counted my sheets and have 62, so I think I can spare you two of them."
Mary was a very popular young woman and had many young men come to court her. She chose McGee Harris for her mate. They settled on a plantation, and with the help of several slaves raised cotton and tobacco. Mary was happy when her husband moved to Marion, Ill, a free state. Mary did not like the slave labor in the South.
When the missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints visited the Harris family at Marion, they were most welcome. McGee readily accepted the gospel, but Mary was slow to accept. McGee was anxious to join the Saints. Their oldest daughter Sarah was married. Mary was determined not to leave her alone in Illinois, and she insisted that their second daughter Margaret remain with her sister.
Crossing the plains to Utah and pioneering was an ordeal for Mary. She had been used to a good home, and gentle care of a maid. She walked all the way across the plains, and sometimes carried her youngest child, Emily Caroline. Mary and her husband thought they were well supplied with food and clothing when they started their trek. After sharing with others, the various items reached a minimum point before they reached Salt Lake Valley.
One night on the plains Mary heard a noise in one of the wagons and it was discovered to be a few Indians. After helping themselves to food, they departed in peace. On another occasion Mary noticed a herd of buffalo in a hollow. The men were able to kill a cow.
One night on the plains Mary heard a noise in one of the wagons and it was discovered to be a few Indians. After helping themselves to food, they departed in peace. On another occasion Mary noticed a herd of buffalo in a hollow. The men were able to kill a cow.
Mary and her family lived for two years in Salt Lake City, and then moved to Farmington. Here the family had trouble with Indians. On one occasion the men were away after wood. Mary was making porridge in an iron kettle over the fire. An Indian called Limpy Sam came and demanded the porridge. Mary would not give it to him, telling him it was all she had for her family. He went over to the kettle, and poured it into his dirty blanket. Mary was not to be out done, she reached for some sticks McGee was drying to make single trees for his wagon, and hit Limpy Sam on his back and wrists. Sam ran spilling the porridge. Mary had to clean it up, but she had the satisfaction of knowing he didn't get it either.
Mary and her family moved to Fort Herriman for a few years, then to Springville, Utah, and finally settled in Salt Lake City. Her husband died in 1863. When her daughter, Emily Caroline, and family moved to Pleasant Grove, Utah, in 1870 Mary went to live with them. She wanted something of her own to raise now that she was in the country, so she was given a pig. She often said that the pork in Utah did not tasted like it did in the South. So Mary had her pig. She was given her choice of a litter, made a pen for it, and fed it chopped corn from the granary and milk from the cows. When it was slaughtered it was smoked with corn cobs. The pork was put into a separate barrel, it was her pig. Once in a while she would say to her daughter, "Emily, get a little of my pig for dinner today."
Mary worked with the ladies in the Relief Society. She was a very fine seamstress and assisted in many projects for the poor. She was a wonderful cook. Many women came to see how she made corn bread and grits but somehow they never tasted like Mary's. She had trouble getting used to the high Wasatch Mountains. She always felt like she was hemmed, and wished she could climb the top of the highest peak to get a breath of good air. Mary was loved by her children and grandchildren, and the people of Pleasant Grove admired her.
Mary's Temple Work
Endowments (21 Jun 1851)
Endowments (21 Jun 1851)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Spouse (13 Feb 1853)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Parents (22 May 1952)
In Idaho Falls Temple
Mary's Nauvoo Land and Records file Click Here
Martin Pond 1862-1935
Martin Pond was born 21 May 1862 in Richmond, Utah to Stillman and Abigail Thorn Pond.
Martin died 12 Jun 1935 of angina pectoris in Logan, Utah and was buried 16 Jun in the Richmond Cemetery.
Martha Caroline Harris 1862-1946
Martha Caroline Harris was born 27 Sep 1862 in Richmond, Utah to Alexander and Harriet Ann Craner Harris.
Martha died 1 Feb 1946 of a cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertension. She died in Logan, Utah and was buried 5 Feb in Richmond.
Stillman Harris Pond 1892-1966
Martin Pond was born 21 May 1862 in Richmond, Utah to Stillman and Abigail Thorn Pond.
Martin died 12 Jun 1935 of angina pectoris in Logan, Utah and was buried 16 Jun in the Richmond Cemetery.
Martin's Temple Work
Baptism 9 Jan 1902
Endowments (8 May 1902)
Baptism 9 Jan 1902
Endowments (8 May 1902)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Spouse (8 May 1902)
in Manti Temple
Sealed to Parents (BIC)
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| Martin and Martha Harris family headstone |
Martha Caroline Harris was born 27 Sep 1862 in Richmond, Utah to Alexander and Harriet Ann Craner Harris.
Martha died 1 Feb 1946 of a cerebral hemorrhage due to hypertension. She died in Logan, Utah and was buried 5 Feb in Richmond.
Martha's Temple Work
Baptism 2 Sep 1880
Endowments (8 May 1902)
Baptism 2 Sep 1880
Endowments (8 May 1902)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Spouse (8 May 1902)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Parents (BIC)
Stillman Harris Pond 1892-1966
Stillman's Temple Work
Baptism 12 Mar 1900
Endowments (22 May 1913)
Baptism 12 Mar 1900
Endowments (22 May 1913)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Spouse (16 Jun 1920)
in Manti Temple
Sealed to Parents (8 May 1902)
In Logan Temple
Chloe Judd 1896-1926
Chloe Judd was born 10 Dec 1896 in Manti, Utah to Joseph and Margaret Moffitt Judd.
She died 15 Apr 1926 of myocarditis. She was 29 years old.
Edythe Leontine Chandler 1908-2000Read Lee's obituary HERE.
Joseph Judd 1849-1929
Margaret Moffitt 1862-1937
Chloe Judd was born 10 Dec 1896 in Manti, Utah to Joseph and Margaret Moffitt Judd.
She died 15 Apr 1926 of myocarditis. She was 29 years old.
Chloe's Temple Work
Baptism 14 Jun 1910
Endowments (11 Jun 1920)
Baptism 14 Jun 1910
Endowments (11 Jun 1920)
in Manti Temple
Sealed to Spouse (16 Jun 1920)
in Manti Temple
Sealed to Parents (13 Apr 2010)
In Mexico City Temple
Edythe Leontine Chandler 1908-2000
Lee's Temple Work
Baptism 25 May 1941
Endowments (2 Apr 1969)
Baptism 25 May 1941
Endowments (2 Apr 1969)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Spouse (2 Apr 1969)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Parents (22 May 1952)
in Logan Temple
Joseph Judd 1849-1929
Joseph's Temple Work
Baptism 15 Sep 1861
Endowments (4 Apr 1870)
Baptism 15 Sep 1861
Endowments (4 Apr 1870)
in Salt Lake Endowment House
Sealed to Spouse (20 Nov 1884)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Parents (31 Jan 1963)
in Los Angeles Temple
Margaret Moffitt 1862-1937
Maggie's Temple Work
Baptism 20 Nov 1884
Endowments (20 Nov 1884)
Baptism 20 Nov 1884
Endowments (20 Nov 1884)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Spouse (20 Nov 1884)
in Logan Temple
Sealed to Parents (BIC)
