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| Condensed from the book "A Journey Back in Time" by Mary Olson Almond | ||||||||||||||||||||||||
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THE TWITCHELLS In about 1787 General Putnam of Massachusetts Militia petitioned George Washington to grant a tract of land to officers and other men who had served in the Revolution. This plan was to attract settlers to help develop newly acquired Federal lands. It was done in the form of grants. The Ohio Land Company was formed and the development of Ohio began. Joshua Twitchell Sr. then decided to move his family to these richer farm lands in the Ohio Valley. They settled in what became Meigs County. New settlers always located on land near rivers, for there were no roads at that time, and the rivers provided transportation and communication. These new settlers farmed for their living in the spring and summer, and cut trees and rafted the logs down the river to a saw mill in the fall and winter. The men who ran the saw mill would cut the logs into lumber on shares, to be paid to them out of the final sale of the lumber. This was hard and hazardous work because of flash floods and rapids--sometimes destroying their whole investment. The Twitchells came from Holliston, Middlesex, Massachusetts, moved to Fitzwilliam, Cheshire, New Hampshire, then to Dummerston, Windham County, Vermont, and then to Salisburry, Gallia County, Ohio. They lived in Ohio for many years. It was in Gallia County, Ohio that Joshua Twitchell Sr. died October 13, 1816, leaving Joshua Jr. age 22 to take on much more responsibility. Young Ephraim was only 13 years old. The Knights came from Norwich, New London, Connecticut, moved into Tolland, Massachusetts, then into Salisbury, Gallia County, Ohio. Both families, the Knights and the Twitchells, had moved to Ohio at about the same time and knew each other, and worked together. I know their young people must have had fun together, and I can just imagine, as in the song, Beautiful Ohio, that they might have drifted down the current of the river in the moonlight, in a canoe just built for two; that their love found a spark which grew into real love, for two Twitchell brothers, Joshua Jr. and Ephraim, married two Knight sisters, Ursula and Melissa. Another Knight sister, Harriet, found her love and his name was Hysell. Anyway, these are my visions of what used to be. Joshua Twitchell Jr. and Ursula Knight were married first. He was 22 years old and she was 19. They were married on June 24, 1816, only about 4 months before Joshua Sr. died. Ephraim Twitchell and Melissa Knight were married much later on March 1, 1824 in Pomeroy (where the Knights lived then, close to Bedford) Meigs County, Ohio. He was 21 and she was 20. The other daughter of the Knights, named Harriet, married Mr. Hysell. They all lived in Ohio for a long time. All of these families lived close to each other, and eventually traveled all the way to the West together. (However, Harriet and husband came to California a few years after the Twitchells did.) After their marriage, Ephraim and Melissa spent a short time in New York, then made their home in Bedford, Meigs County, Ohio where their first three children were born. Anciel was born January 7, 1825. Celestia Ursula was born February 24, 1827. Eunice was born February 19, 1830 and died the same day. Melissa's parents, Silas and Eunice Knight, died in Ohio in 1839, and Melissa received one hundred dollars from the sale of land from her father's estate. Ursula received the same. These two couples, Ephraim and Melissa, and Joshua and Ursula, stayed together, traveled together, loved each other, suffered together, and helped each other. In this story I am writing, you will hear much more of both of these families, and their children's families, as well as, of many others of the Twitchell families. Joshua's and Ursula's children, Corinthia and Jasper were both married while they were still in Ohio. THE QUEST AND NAUVOO After they were married, Ephraim and Melissa lived in Bedford, Meigs County, Ohio for at least six years. While they were living in Bedford, they heard of a place in Springcreek, Illinois that sounded good to them. Because Ephraim was a farmer and stockman, he bought the farm in Springcreek, McDonnough County, Illinois and left the Ohio Valley. Their next five children were born in Springcreek. They were Eunice Celinda, born April 15, 1832, James Ephraim, born October 19, 1834, Edwin, born May 23, 1836, Orin, born September 19, 1839, and Joshua, born May 20, l842. Some of Joshua and Ursula's children were now grown and married, but they all moved to Illinois also. The family of Ephraim and Melissa had now heard of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from missionaries. In the spring of 1842, about JULY, they and all their children, joined this restored church and were baptized. Their son Anciel, and daughters Celestia Ursula and Eunice Celinda were old enough to be baptized but James Ephraim was not eight years old until October of that year, so he had to wait. Their 8th child, Joshua, was born that same spring on May 20, 1842 in Springcreek, Illinois. As you may already know, the word "Mormon" excited people and made them very suspicious. When it was learned the Twitchells were Mormons, they were shunned by their neighbors, and persecuted by renegades and others around the Springcreek area. They felt uncomfortable, so they decided to leave this place and move to Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois to be with the main body of the saints. Here in Nauvoo, their next child, Amanda, was born, November 29, 1844. 1844 was the year that our grandparents, Ephraim and Melissa had their patriarchal blessings by John Smith, brother of Joseph Smith Sr., the Prophet's uncle. This same John Smith was the Justice of the Peace who married Ephraim and Melissa back in March 1, 1824--just 20 years before, in Meigs County, Ohio. Although Joshua's family, and the other Twitchells, didn't belong to the Church, they always stayed around close to each other and close to Ephraim's family, and had close ties with church members. The Twitchell families still loved each other and helped each other. Joshua and Ursula's children were: Corinthia, Jasper, Sanford Lorenzo, Silas, Julia, and Jane. They were all born when they lived in Ohio. Many of Joshua's children had grown up and were married with children of their own. Jasper married Sarah Rutledge. On January 19, 1841, the Lord commanded the saints to build a temple in Nauvoo where He could reveal His sacred ordinances to those worthy to receive them. They worked with enthusiasm and had the basement finished with a font ready for baptisms for the dead. It was dedicated by Brigham Young, and on that same day 49 baptisms were done by Heber C. Kimball and John Taylor, with Willard Richards, Wilford Woodruff, and George A. Smith performing the confirmations. The saints called their wonderful city "Nauvoo the Beautiful." Travelers came from the East just to see it. It was so well organized in every way--so clean and neatly cared for. When they first arrived there, it was just a plain and a swamp. With faith and much hard labor they built this beautiful city with many thriving businesses. The economy was very good and growing. At this time, the population of Nauvoo was between 11,000 and 12,000. There were many new residences built every few months--there had been a big building boom, and soon there were approximately 13,000 in the city of Nauvoo. Almost all families had an acre where they built their house, and in their yard were gardens, fruit trees, vegetables, and grapevines. On the outskirts of the city were big fields of wheat, oats, rye, corn and potatoes. Many kept cattle, sheep and hogs there also. Many learned good house building, and construction became Nauvoo's principal industry. For recreation, there were theaters with live actors on the stage. There were lectures, there were balls and dancing schools and brass bands. They played ball, had wood cutting contests, quilting bees, classes in braiding and weaving, and house construction. They had good schools for small children as well as the older children. Some were home taught, and then there was the University of the City of Nauvoo. There were over 1800 students enrolled in school. The largest public school (taught and directed by Eli Kelsey) was more than l00 students. About 81 men and women made their living teaching in Nauvoo. Our grandparents, Ephraim and Melissa and their family spent time in Nauvoo helping in the Church all they could, all the while believing and hoping that this could be their home forever. They hoped to have the beautiful Temple so close by, that they could see it and some day work in it at any time. The other Twitchells were close around, although they had not joined the Church yet. But it seemed this good life was not to be, for their enemies grew, and things got harder to endure. As they suffered persecution with the other saints, their faith grew stronger, and made them more determined than ever. Freedom was harder to come by all the time, but they remembered their quest for freedom and knew they would never give up. They never did. Peace was hard to gain in those times and soon those who disagreed with the "Mormons" living in that place began to persecute and drive them out. Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred at this time, and the saints were forced to leave their homes and head west. SUGAR CREEK The trek all across Iowa was the hardest of the whole journey. However, ferrying across the Mississippi River, breaking a trail to Sugar Creek and setting up camp was almost hopeless. There was toil, sacrifice and death. Delays, miserable weather, difficult terrain, untrained guides and inadequate preparation made it almost impossible. It is almost unbelievable how they suffered from the extremely cold weather, with ice and freezing rain, and 4 inches of new snow. There was much suffering--so many had left unprepared. Those with tents had it hard because their tents kept blowing down. Those, and there were many, who had no tents were still worse off. Many became ill and died. Several mothers had to give birth under these conditions out in the open in this makeshift camp. Their clothes were wet and their bedding drenched. How sad was their plight. They all suffered, but think of those women who had to give birth in that cold wet bed with no protection. During these hard times was when Ephraim and Melissa's oldest daughter, Celestia Ursula Twitchell, died on February 20, 1846, just 4 days before her 19th birthday. This was while the Saints were leaving Nauvoo. Remember, the first group left on February 4, 1846, and the next group with Brigham Young left the middle of February 1846. It was during all this unrest that Ephraim and Melissa had to bury their grown daughter in Nauvoo the last part of February. We have no exact record of how Celestia Ursula died, or exactly when they left Nauvoo, but it was said the Twitchells left with some of the very first pioneers. They left Nauvoo without knowing where they were going, only that they would arrive at a place to settle. They had been told a refuge would be found somewhere in the Rocky Mountains. It was so hard to leave their wonderful Temple and the city of Nauvoo. It had grown from a small plain and swamp to a beautiful thriving city of such economic growth. Nauvoo was a place where they had hoped for such happiness. But now they had hopes that in a far distant place in the West, they could grow without interference and oppression. They helped each other all they could; there were many prayers that were said, and many prayers were answered. They went on with faith in their hearts. In spite of all these harsh conditions there were some who tried to encourage and motivate those who were so downcast. William Pitt's brass band played and there was dancing. Around the campfire they sang songs of faith, and other songs. They made up one song, "Upper California." Upper California referred to a large undefined area (by the Mexicans) which comprised Utah, California, Nevada, and Colorado.
Upper California, oh, that's the land for me
It lies between the mountains and the great Pacific sea.
The saints can be supported there
And taste the sweets of liberty.
In Upper California, oh, that's the land for me.
Everywhere they were, the main body of saints was called the Camp of Israel. Chariton Camp was where Brigham Young regrouped them into three companies. The melting snows, the constant rain, high creeks and mud, with a violent wind, made it very hard to travel. Brigham Young described it well when he said, "We passed through only one mud hole today, and it was 6 miles long." They were so mired in the mud that they would become stuck going downhill. They could travel only one-half mile each day. With this determination they pressed on. It is a little hard for us to imagine how they suffered, and when we do it brings tears to our eyes. Are we grateful they did not give up? Many of them died, of course, before their journey was through--several thousand souls. I wonder if we could have that much faith. It seems the saints planted and raised crops every place they could for those who would follow. Ephraim Twitchell and his son, Anciel, planted and raised many acres of potatoes and corn. Ephraim made several trips back to other camps to take food to those without. Many saints were running out of food. William Pitt's brass band would give concerts for the local people for money to buy food. Some of the men were able to get work in the various vicinities to provide food. Many saints who thought they could bring some of their valuables and things they would need, had to sell them for food. THE MORMON BATTALION On May 12, 1846, the War with Mexico was declared. At the very beginning of the War with Mexico, President Polk authorized the recruiting of 500 Mormon men. They were to be enlisted immediately and called the Mormon Battalion. Polk sent word to Colonel Stephen W. Kearny at Fort Leavenworth and he, in turn sent Captain James Allen to the Mormon Camps in southern Iowa, namely, Council Bluffs. Anciel Twitchell, the oldest of Ephraim and Melissa's children, joined the Battalion. (He had married Louisa Samantha Hitchcock from New York before they had to leave Nauvoo. They had a son, Ephraim, born October 10, 1845 in Nauvoo who died September 9, 1846 as they went through Iowa.) Now in the Battalion, Anciel with the others marched first to Fort Leavenworth to be sworn in and outfitted, and then began the longest march in military history--over 2,000 miles. All those in the Battalion were mistreated most of the way. The main Battalion marched on to Sante Fe, to Fort Tucson, and to San Diego Mission. Some of them became ill and had to turn back at Sante Fe, to get with other pioneers at Pueblo, and later with their families at Fort Laramie. The main Battalion marched on. Their commanding officer, Colonel James Allen became ill and died. The members of the Battalion were saddened--they had learned to admire the good officer that he was. Captain Jefferson Hunt, a ranking Mormon officer took temporary command. They were hopeful that Captain Hunt could continue, but President Polk appointed a First Lieutenant, A. J. Smith of the regular army to lead them. Smith was very hard on all of them, taking them much faster than necessary, and the military doctor was worse. He disliked the Mormons, and made them swallow calomel and arsenic. They called him the "mineral quack" and "Dr. Death." The lack of water and food plagued the remaining 350 officers and men. The soldiers were either pulling long ropes to help the teams get through the deep sand, or they were walking double file in front of the wagons to make firm trails for the wheels. On their way toward Tucson, they were attacked by a herd of wild bulls that had been abandoned by Mexican ranchers. The bulls stampeded into the soldiers. Three of the soldiers were wounded, two mules were gored to death, and fifteen bulls were killed. This was the only fight during the Battalion's long journey, and was called the "Battle of the Bulls." Beyond the Colorado River lay over a hundred miles of trackless desert, where water was obtained only by digging deep wells. Here were the heaviest sands, the hottest days, and coldest nights. Weakened animals were butchered for food and all parts were eaten, including the hide, which was boiled until it was tender. They wrapped rawhide around their feet to protect them from the hot sand. They transported wagons through the narrow mountain passes of the coastal range with ropes and pulleys. Finally on January 29, 1847 there were 350 very tired and worn men who reached Mission San Diego at the end of their 2,030 mile march. They arrived in San Diego with bloody and torn feet. They reported to General Kearny, and found he had been named governor of California by President Polk. Since California was already in the hands of the United States, the Battalion men signed on again for another year and served as occupation troops with garrison duty in San Diego. They gained the respect of the local citizens, because they built a court house and other houses, prepared brick and dug wells--contributing to the building of the community. They had learned these skills in the building of Nauvoo. At the end of that year, on July 16, 1948, the Battalion members went to Los Angeles where they were discharged. Most of the discharged men left for northern California, intending to travel east to join the saints in Salt Lake Valley. Anciel Twitchell, Ephraim's son, was thrilled to find, as he passed through to northern California, valleys about one hundred miles wide, of fertile soil, plenty of water and a wonderful climate with long seasons. He and other soldiers went on to Sacramento and were there when gold was found in l848. When Anciel and others arrived in Sacramento area, they were met by Captain James Brown, pioneer, with a message from Brigham Young, asking those without families to stay in California to work during the winter of 1847-48. Most of them did. They spent the winter at Sutter's Fort, and assisted in the discovery of gold in January of 1848. The Mormons had recently been driven from their homes in Nauvoo, and the government had given them no help. Now they were asked by their leaders to serve the government that they had reason to believe had "wronged" them. This was a manifestation of unselfishness and a demonstration of their loyalty to their Church and country. This statement was made by the Battalion's commanding officer, Lt. Col. Philip St. George Cooke, who was not a member of the Church, when they arrived in California. He praised the members of the Battalion, enumerating their hardships and citing their courage as they met these adversities. WINTER QUARTERS AND THE PILOT (PIONEER) COMPANY After the Battalion had gone from Council Bluffs and Winter Quarters, it left the rest of the saints quite short-handed for crossing the plains. It took away the youngest and strongest men, and many who had young families. At first many of the Saints thought this request to be another plot against them. But with determination and faith they pushed on. On July 24, 1847, Brigham Young and the rear group arrived at the mouth of the Emigration Canyon. Wilford Woodruff turned the carriage so that President Young could see the whole valley. While gazing upon the scene, he was in a vision for several minutes. He had seen the valley before in a vision. When the vision had passed, he said, "It is enough. This is the right place. Drive on." Some men got so excited they actually plowed a few rows of soil, and planted some seeds they had brought. BACK TO WINTER QUARTERS This first pioneer company spent only 33 days in the Valley in 1847. On August 16 they started back to Winter Quarters to prepare the other families to come to the valley the next year. The winters of 1846 and 1847 at Winter Quarters are hard to describe because there was so much suffering, but we must try to remember how it was. The Twelve Apostles selected a sight for a temporary settlement which became Winter Quarters. It was divided into five-acre blocks. They planned 41 blocks with 594 lots and named 16 streets. Each block could have about 20 houses on it. Wells were dug and bridges were built across the small streams. Many houses were built of logs. A few homes were large two-story dwellings, with solid floors and oak shingles. But some were one-room cabins or shanties without doors, with a dirt floor and a half of a roof made of poles and dirt on top. Some families lived in tents and covered wagons which were very cold. Some lived in dugouts or caves which were probably warmer. There was a shortage of provisions--a lack of fruits and vegetables. In their weakened and exposed condition, it made them vulnerable to many sicknesses caused by malnutrition. Pneumonia and tuberculosis were common. Then in the summer mosquitoes from the Missouri River led to malaria. A great number of deaths occurred and very often it was difficult to get their bodies interred--sometimes without a coffin or box, but just a blanket. In spite of all the sickness, death and hardship, these wonderful people did not give up. They squared their shoulders and did their best to cheer each other. They organized choirs, makeshift schools and dance classes. They had songfests and musical concerts. The most regularly attended were the Sunday worship services. Each ward bishop had worship services every Sunday. These meetings were new in the church history and were the beginning of the kind we have today--our sacrament meetings. They conducted business, blessed babies, blessed and passed the sacrament and gave sermons. The Twitchell families along with others had stayed at Winter Quarters, continuing to build and farm. They left many acres of potatoes and corn for the saints who were to follow. The Twitchells planted and harvested about 1000 bushels of corn alone. LEAVING WINTER QUARTERS In the early spring of 1848, Ephraim and his family and brothers and their families took part in the most remarkable religious emigration of modern times. They were with the Heber C. Kimball Company, Second Division. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley late in September, (the 27th ) 1848. They accomplished the long and hazardous journey across the plains with ox teams. When they did not reach water, they traveled at night. James Ephraim, my grandfather (son of Ephraim) was a boy 13 years old, still he drove an outfit of two yoke of oxen and took his turn, like his father, standing guard against the Indians during the night. He had his own gun. He also shot a buffalo they NEEDED for meat. He had been ill with scarlet fever. He was a little shaky the day he got that buffalo, but because he was such a "good shot" they didn't want to take a chance with anyone else shooting. They steadied James against a tree and BOOM he got the buffalo. The Twitchells stayed in Salt Lake but a short time and settled in "Brown's Settlement," (now Ogden, Utah). Ephraim and Melissa Twitchell and family built about the first real house in Ogden. There had been trappers and hunter's shacks, and lean-tos there before, but no real house. This is where their 10th and last child was born on October 22, 1848. They named her Sarah. The brothers of Ephraim Twitchell and their families were there also, and built at least four more log houses. I know Joshua Twitchell Jr. and wife, Ursula and their families were there. Jasper's wife, Sarah Rutledge Twitchell, had died coming across the plains to Utah, at a place called Chimney Rock, leaving their little boy, John Newton motherless. Ephraim's brother, William Twitchell had died in Vermont, but some of his children were with them. All together they were a very large group. It wasn't easy through that winter, but they helped each other. Ephraim Twitchell History cont.... |