Chapter XI October 1893 I accepted the call to teach school in Fort Hamblin, commonly known as the Mountain Meadows, fifteen miles south from Hebron, our present home. It had been said “what is there in a name” and I soon discovered that much meaning was attached to that name at least as in answering a letter from my brother John in New York which called for an early reply, I incidently mentioned “Mountain Meadow” that was the last of our correspondence he never wrote again. In England I had been daunted with that same stigma as though I had any connection with the massacre seven-hundred miles away. I was now in a position however to state that not only my pupils but their parents were innocent of that or any crime connected with it as thirty-six years had passed and not one of the former inhabitants now dwelt there. I learned to love those dear children and in our comparative solitude that winter passed peacefully and very agreeably although the snow was quite heavy most of the time. As usual I spent Christmas holiday with my family. Miss Eva Canfield, one of my pupils being an honored guest. The weather and social conditions being favorable an enjoyable week was spent. Not so however with our return trip as snow had fallen quite deep in Meadow Canyon making it difficult to travel for about a mile so that we had to take it on foot each foot breaking through the snow that was not frozen hard enough to hold us up. Snow remained from one to three feet deep for some time but with warm hearts and cheerful dispositions we turned darkness into day and as one happy family we bided the time until spring. Never can I forget the last day in school how cutely those children arranged a surprise for me that spoke volumes of the regard they had for their teacher, not in grandeur with blast of trumpet, colors flying martial music or ostensible appearance, but quiet dignified honor and delight that won for them a warm place in my heart that bore fruit in after years. That was my eleventh and last term in school and after sowing our wheat in Sheep Spring field May 1894 I felt anxious to launch out in some other branch of usefulness or find employment in a more settled form than heretofore. While inwardly debating what course to pursue Julia Barnum asked if I would drive her team to Cedar City as she was going to visit with her parents Brother and Sister Tate who resided there. This was just the kind of trip I needed. After staying there one night I decided to go to Parowan and visit with our old English friend Caleb Orton and by invitation I rode to Enoch as far as they were going so I must take the road on foot with my kit of tools weighing many pounds but the road was fairly good. When I reached Summit I was pretty tired and sat down on the old mud wall to rest or wait until a conveyance of some kind might come along, which it did but the best they would do was to take my tools and I followed that much lighter. They stopped in the Lane and taking my load I shall never forget the salutation of the children at play, “there goes an old tramp,” and I could have responded Amen had I given way to my feelings but I tramped along that lovely evening with a determination to make a change one way or another. A hearty welcome awaited me in the Orton family which compensated me for my arduous journey and on the morrow I was introduced to Morgan Richards Supt. of the Co-op store and shoe shop and forthwith I commenced to work in the shop in company with other brethren from England. Prospects appeared fairly good and thus that summer passed with the way opening for my family to join me and make their home among many friends, new and old. In the fall I went to Hebron and disposed of some of our property and with our two youngest sons Francis Joseph and George Hebron we moved to Parowan where we purchased a home but rented one from Brother Donald McGregor for that winter. The management of the shoe department was given to me by the
confidence of the leaders and request of the patrons and during the five years sojourn with good saints in Parowan we had the best of health and our married children paid us a visit at intervals and we were granted a week vacation each summer to visit our loved ones. I was reelected Justice of the Peace and it being the County seat my judicial experience was amusing, in some cases but not in others. It was my pleasure to join in the bonds of wedlock a few happy couples but in criminal cases my sympathy or disdain was felt according to the merits or demerits of the case before me. Two instances here may suffice, one of each character, late one Friday evening I was called to the courthouse and there found a couple from Kanarraville who had traveled all day in a snow storm and upon asking the bride to be her age she answered seventeen sir. The County Clerk and I exchanged glances and informed her that eighteen was the proper age but she proved equal to the occasion by producing a note from her mother and when the knot was tied she said, “Is that all?” and the next day they traveled as they came in a snow storm. The opposite case was that of a man about as near seventy as seventeen who had stolen a cow and I had to commit him to the district court of course. Our home consisted of two lots and twelve acres in the field, the latter I offered to the city if suitable to build the Branch Normal School, but it was built in Cedar City. I ordered ten thousand brick but my wife desired to move to Gunlock and dwell near our children.Our lad Harry H., the oldest son was herding sheep and appeared to enjoy that as did the shepherds of old for a time but finally he settled at Sheep Spring, the place I mentioned before going to Parowan. Our tanner, William Prichard was also trying to operate a tannery in Saint George, and I was invited to go down and start a shoe shop, on my way I went through Gunlock and purchased our old home there from John F. Laub. For nearly a year I thed to make that shop a success but the leather was so poor that it proved a failure, as I had tried to make them understand it would. That being the first time in my life that I felt a complete failure and I was compelled to quit an undertaking of any importance while trying, against odds to make it a success. However I was hastily called home on account of sickness that for a time held life and death in the balance and I therefore concluded that I was needed at home, my wife recovered and appeared to be perfectly contented , as she stated she was now where she wanted to be near her children. Our oldest son Harry and our son-in-law Josiah Leavitt were called on a mission to the Southern States and in June 1900 I was appointed Census Enumerator, traveling about four hundred miles in the saddle. During those twenty-six days I met with some of the best people to be found in business transactions and excepting the arduous horseback ride I enjoyed the duty very much, remuneration being six dollars per day, with over time also.
Our visits with my sister Mary Ann became quite frequent and our work in the Temple of the highest order for the living and the dead, “Thy will 0 God not mine be done,” appears before my mind as the trying events that followed will show. December 15th 1900 after a very brief illness my dear wife Matilda passed to the great beyond her only murmur being that she was tired and the breast plate on her coffin read “AT REST.” I was thankful then that I had complied with her request by purchasing our old home so that all our children excepting our son that was on his mission could attend her funeral. So lonely did I feel that I prayed that I also might go to my final rest but I was made to realize that I was needed even more than before as our two youngest sons still needed my care. To add to my trouble shortly after Christmas our little granddaughter was burned so badly that she also was taken from us. Her father still being in the mission field and it seemed almost past human endurance but my constant prayer was to be faithful to the end. I felt strongly impressed to join our brother Henry Hill in his new enterprise in Honolulu but a few words pathetically spoken by our son Francis was sufficient to bring me to fully realize my paternal duty and I went to Saint George to visit with my sister and while there my wife appeared to me, in vision and told what was best to do. Our son-in-law Josiah Leavitt returned from his mission and was taken down with small pox and after staying with him through that dread disease I went to Parowan seventy-five miles on a trusty horse and visited with my former friends who thed to share my trouble with the kindest words I had ever heard, or so it appeared to me then. Upon my return home I took a trip with a prospecting party passing through a strip of Arizona into Nevada, the most desolate country I had ever seen in all my many thousands of miles I had traveled which was considerable but the mine was of but little value anyway as it proved to be too far from the railroad. Our two youngest sons married two of Bishop Holt’s daughters and it appeared as though I must be left alone a condition quite foreign to my anticipation which I felt almost deserted for a time. I made it a matter of prayer that I might be directed aright and my prayer was answered by being directed to Sarah Canfield a widow with two children, David and Edna aged respectively nine and twelve or nearly so. It was Christmas again and our son Harry returned from his mission and soon after took to wife Miss Hattie Canfield in the Saint George Temple and then it did appear that I was too lonely so I asked Sarah E. Canfield to share our earthly prospects and we also were sealed, for time in the Saint George Temple which was a blessing to both of us under existing conditions. Being still choir leader our organ was in use quite frequently and our —girl Edna became so anxious to learn to play it that she progressed so well that she was chosen our Ward Organist a position she held for years, or until she was married to William H. Jones who then resided in Enterprise , Utah. The boy David worked alternately with me on the farm and in adjacent settlements as opportunity and inclination directed until he married Miss Almira Burgess who resided in Mesquite, Nevada, where they made their home. With our nine surviving children there soon appeared a large increase in grandchildren, the Lord was watching over us for good and directing us in a path of truth. May 1904 I received my Commission as Post Master in Gunlock which together with other duties, Justice of the Peace, Superintendent of Sunday School, President of Mutual Improvement and Choir Leader kept me fairly employed. In June 1910 I was again commissioned Census Enumerator for this district which embraced Gunlock, Indian Reservation, Santa Clara, Bloomington and Atkinville not covering so much territory as in 1900. I anticipated a pleasant time but was disillusioned when the Indians refused to answer questions needed to fill our government reports. Had it not been for the assistance of the agent and one Indian named Shem, who acted as Bishop of the tribe I should have been compelled to summon an interpreter which I was anxious to avoid as my time was limited to the twenty-six days in June. One week in Santa Clara was a very pleasant experience and especially so in the home of Adolph Hafen with whom I stayed and enjoyed so much during those few days, they seemed almost like my own family. I did just finish my report in time to file it in the office of the County Clerk on Saturday afternoon and then return home in so much pain that I could scarcely retain my seat in the saddle. Whether the change of water or the heat and dust was the cause I could not tell but for a week I suffered day and night until there appeared to be no hope left. Our oldest daughter and family, also our youngest son and family moved to Mesquite, Nev. the first to homestead, the other to teach school where later he became Principal, both families making a success for years.
In my correspondence with relatives in England I discovered the address of my dear cousin William Burrows of Dry Pot Lodge, referred to who like myself had raised a large family and lost his wife and communication soon commenced with them, the dear old boy, I had given up hope of ever seeing or hearing from him in this world. More anon. My dear friend Arthur Winter came to Saint George with President Joseph F. Smith and company to conference and when I learned that I was not long in joining them my horse seeming to the twenty-three miles did not amount to much that day. My but I did enjoy the few hours spent on that occasion with Arthur who I had not seen for a number of years nor have we met since that day.
I bought a home in Enterprise thinking to move there but conditions changed so that we remained in Gunlock and I concluded to let well enough alone, for the present any way. At our family reunion held in Gunlock nearly all being present, Bishop Thomas S. Terry congratulated me in the course pursued since coming to Utah and encouraged us to remain united as heretofore that we may progress in every good work and deed. In the year 1916 we numbered over one-hundred souls and at this writing we nearly have one-hundred grandchildren and about half that number of great grandchildren. Praise God from whom all blessings flow. The Lord had blessed me with a good clear voice and musical talent that has been applied in singing His praise and also enabling me to train many to follow in my footsteps to the honor and glory of our Heavenly Father. On many occasions my heart has been made to rejoice in the manifestations of kindness shown me by youth and age in inviting me to social parties to show their appreciation of my services with them.
I should here retrace to my first home missionary trip to Pine Valley in the year 1882 to show how service is appreciated by the Latter-Day-Saints in Utah. Snow fell so deep the first night that Elder Orson W. Huntsman and myself had to stay a few days in Grass Valley with Brother John Gardner and family. A family loved and respected by all and a bond of friendship was formed that will last between us forever. Another item I had overlooked that should be inserted here is when our son Harry was herding sheep and we had not heard from him for several days only that he was supposed to be alone but where was the question. Without waiting to consult the trustees I left school and as quickly as my horse would carry me to Gunlock, back to Chadburn Ranch, on to the Foster Ranch, to the Hunt Ranch but no one seemed to know where the boy was and finally about midnight I saw the shadow of a fire at the distance and there he was camped under a ledge of rock. He had heard the report of my gun and started a fire or I could not have found him that night but we laid down tired I surely was and at dawn we were under a foot of snow. It was not so bad the next night in Cotton Wood Canyon, but we were thankful it was no worse, and that I had found the boy.
The trite remark that three moves are as bad as a burn out” and that “a rolling stone gathers no moss” may be questioned here when I state that we moved from England to Hebron then to Salt Lake City; back to Hebron; thence to Panaca; back to Hebron; thence to Gunlock; back to Hebron; thence to Parowan; back to Gunlock where the sign Gunlock Post Office now marks the old familiar spot. A number of years having elapsed we will take a retrospective view of events during that interval. Our Edna was my assistant in the Post Office until she was married, a responsibility faithfully discharged after which the many pressing duties at home have kept me well occupied. A thp to St. George, Parowan, Littlefield, Mesquite, Bunkerville and our neighbor towns Central and Veyo make the limit of my wanderings during the last few years. To be sure we have not been strictly stereotyped in our sphere of action. In addition to responsible positions before mentioned, that of Ward Clerk and care of Telephone business have claimed my time and attention in no small degree and affording much pleasure and satisfaction withal.
The hand of death has been laid upon us quite heavily too. First our bright intelligent, faithful missionary grandson Ernest Pulsipher was laid to rest in Mesquite, Nevada, leaving wife Juanita and babe Ernest and parents to mourn his loss. My poem “Peaceful Sleep” has appropriate place. Less than two months later our daughter Mary Ann Leavitt was called to her reward in Bunkerville, Nevada, March 13, 1921. Annie as we always addressed her was the mother of 17 children, 14 of whom survive her. This bereavement weighed heavily upon me the more so because my health at that time would not permit me to attend either of their funeral services. My poem for Annie, “Mother” is descriptive of her true maternity and I trust may be kept in loving remembrance for all time. It has often been remarked by those who knew her best that Annie Leavitt filled a wonderful mission here on earth. Our son Francis Joseph has held the responsible position of Bishop of the Gunlock Ward for a number of years and has the same number of children that we had, the eldest, Erma, has her diploma and may teach our district school. Our oldest son Harry has a homestead a mile above town and with his family enjoy the quiet surroundings during the summer season returning to their town residence during the winter. Their oldest daughter, Golda, choosing to make her home temporarily with old time friends, Brother and Sister Adams on the desert near Newcastle. Our son John and family own the Bigelow Ranch and other property which makes them comparatively independent of outside resources. Our daughter, Florence Matilda, and family occupy a similar situation a mile or two further so that most of our immediate family reside within a few miles distant from us. Ann Elizabeth and family residing in Mesquite are very comfortably situated; Walter Wallace and numerous family reside in Enterprise engaged in the sheep industry and our youngest son George Hebron and family are somewhat divided in homes and interest.