I told him when he got home that day that there was someone he needed to meet.
I had printed a picture of him and put him on his desk. Then I read the story to him.
I think he his strengthened by a ancestor who knew and defended the prophet Joseph Smith.
Our Pioneer Heritage
Volume 15
Eight Pioneer Biographies
William Reynolds Terry, He Answered Every Call
The diary from which this was taken was retrieved from the debris after
the flood at St. George. (aubmitted by Minerva Deseret Terry Andrus)
I, William Reynolds Terry, born June 2, 1812 at Exeter, Washington
County, Rhode Island, to Moses Terry and Sarah Reynolds, lived with my
parents until one year old, thereafter was raised by my grandfather,
Stephen Reynolds, until I was thirteen years of age, when my grandfather
died at the age of seventy-six. During this time I was sent to school
one year and seven months, the remaining time working on grandfather's
farm.
My father having sons, William Reynolds, Stephen, Seth, Burgess,
Elliott, Silas W. and Barber W., didn't call for my services and left me
to shift for myself. I went to live with a man by the name of Avery
Browning, who joined farms with my grandfather. When eighteen years of
age I went to Volinton, Connecticut to work in a cotton factory. At the
age of twenty-two I was made overseer of the cotton factory in South
Kingston, Rhode Island, owned by Thomas and Jonathan Hazard, where
thirty men, women and children were employed. Here I became acquainted
with Mary Allen Phillips, daughter of John Phillips and Polly Allen,
whom I married December 20, 1835.
The following October 5, 1836, our first child, Albina, was born. Early
in April we moved to the house of James Dixon. Here on April 13, 1838,
our second child, Dorcas, was born. I made preparations to leave my
family and explore the western frontier states of North America. After
procuring provisions, food and house room for my family and settling my
affairs, I left my wife and two babes April 23, 1838. In company with
Stephen A. Wright, we headed for the state of Illinois traveling by
train, canal boat and steamer thru New York, Pennsylvania, down the Ohio
River to the Mississippi; thence to St. Louis, arriving there the 12th
of May 1838, a distance of 1500 miles. Thence to Rockland, Illinois. We
spent two weeks viewing the country and bargained for a claim two miles
from a town on the Mississippi by the name of Port Byron, three miles
from the Rock River in the fork of the two, for which I paid ten
dollars.
We commenced the journey homeward by way of Chicago, up the lakes to
Buffalo, visited Niagara Falls, thence to Albany and New York City,
arriving home June 20th after a journey of five thousand miles in a
little more than two months, and the payment of $100.00. I devoted the
time from June 20th till fall selling my household furniture, settling
my business and visiting my relatives. On the 2nd of Sept. 1838, I, with
my wife and children, left our native land destined for the state of
Illinois. After many hardships and exposures, we landed at Pittsburg,
October 1st.
The river being low and no boats running, I was under the necessity of
building a flat boat, along with two other men bound for the same place.
As we were about to go aboard, Mr. G. P. Stedman found his brother
Christopher of Rhode Island bound for the same place. He prevailed upon
us to sell our boat and all build another large enough to accommodate
him and his family, which we did. It was thirty-two feet long, eleven
feet wide, decked over twenty feet, and cabined off four berths. We left
Pittsburg, November 1st, floating down the Ohio for three weeks without
any serious mishap. At Marietta, Ohio, we landed and waited a few days
for the river to rise. Took a steamer for St. Louis, and landed there
the last of November, where my wife and children were taken sick with
measles, which detained us under very heavy expense, until the 1st of
January 1839. Boarded a steamer again for Quincy, Illinois, where I
rented a room and left my family and started out on foot on a scouting
trip in the surrounding country. At that time there were few settlers
and the country was open for making claims. Two miles east of Columbus,
Iowa, I bought a claim of eighty acres for $200 for which I got a
warranty deed.
I then returned to Quincy to my family. There I saw some Latter-day
Saints and I bought a yoke of oxen and a horse from them and left in
February for Iowa, my new home. We landed at Columbus, remaining there a
few weeks until I built a cabin on my uncultivated land. We had traveled
2500 miles in six months, costing five hundred dollars. This was April
1839. I went to work, fenced, broke and planted forty acres. Built two
log houses, a two-story log barn, crib, sheds and other buildings needed
for chickens and pigs. Transplanted apple, peach sugar, butter-nut and
black walnut trees. Sunday the 12th of July, the third daughter, Mary
Abbey, was born.
In August 1841, two Mormon Elders named Truman Gillett and James T.
Ball were sent from Nauvoo, Illinois, to Van Buren County, Iowa. They
came to the house of John Lucas, whose farm joined mine. There I, with
my family, attended their meetings and for the first time heard the
Gospel of Jesus Christ by those who were sent and qualified under the
direction of God. The discourse that fell from the lips of those two men
that day penetrated my heart, that I feel to thank the Lord for this
day. The following December 1841, my wife embraced the truth, and the
20th of March, 1842, I was baptized in the Des Moines River and
confirmed by Truman Gillett. They organized a branch in the neighborhood
by the name of Bentonport, and by the unanimous vote of the members I
was ordained an Elder by Brother Truman Gillett and James T. Ball.
On Monday, June 6, 1842, Joseph, our fourth child and first son, was
born. Soon after this, I had the spirit of gathering with the Saints, so
I traded my farm for one-fourth interest in a mill and forty acres of
timber land on the west fork of Crooked Creek, Deahean Mill, Hancock
County, Illinois, eighteen miles east of Nauvoo, October 1842. On
January 1, 1843, for the first time, I had the privilege of seeing the
Prophet Joseph and Apostle Brigham Young at Macedonia. February 2, 1844,
William, our second son, was born. He was blessed February 12th by Uncle
John Smith, the Patriarch. This child departed this life May 10, 1844,
at age three months and ten days, and was buried at Macedonia, Hancock
County, Illinois, twenty miles east of Nauvoo.
June 20th the Prophet Joseph, seeing that the Saints were in danger,
called for all the men to gather at Nauvoo to defend the city for the
mobs had sworn to destroy the people and burn the city. I left my family
and traveled through the mud, wading creeks and sloughs all night and
arrived there at nine o'clock in the morning. There we were under
martial law for three days expecting the enemy to attack us. The last
time I ever saw the Prophet was before the Nauvoo Legion's Parade on the
banks of the Mississippi. A day or two after that Joseph and Hyrum
delivered themselves into the hands of their enemies on pledge of the
governor of safe delivery to Nauvoo. The governor had them put into
prison with the Apostles Willard Richards and John Taylor.
The governor caused the Church to give up their arms, which they held
legally as citizens of the state. Then the governor, with his men, made
their way to Nauvoo and delivered a very abusive speech to the Saints.
This was to excite our attention and the plan concocted with another
portion of the mob to murder the Smiths at Carthage, for it was carried
into effect at the same time. Both Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed,
and John Taylor receiving several shots was near death, June 27, 1844.
At the time of the murder, I was five miles northeast in the open
prairie and heard the discharge of a number of small arms. Two men being
with me, I exclaimed, "That report was from Carthage." Soon after I
visited Carthage and saw the ball holes in the door that killed Hyrum.
He fell backwards by the east window. The blood stains were plain to be
seen on the floor. There were many of the bullet holes in the plaster.
Brother Joseph jumped out of the window and was shot.
In the month of August I moved on a patent claim, built a cabin and
fenced and broke twelve acres. April 15, 1845, our sixth child and third
son, Benjamin Franklin, was born. In the middle of May 1845, I traded my
mill property to Joel H. Johnson for two lots and a story and a half
brick house, a good well of water and a back stone house (cellar) in the
town of Macedonia for $500. In the month of September, the mob began to
burn wheat stacks and turn the Saints out of doors, sick and well, old
and young. We were on guard day and night, and moved most of our goods
to the city of Joseph for safety, so we suffered very much at night for
need of beds and clothing. My wife tied the children's bonnets and shoes
on at night expecting our houses to be burned to ashes by the mobs.
I, with my wife and children, Albina, Dorcas, Mary Abbey, Joseph,
Benjamin Franklin, Sarah Marie and Silas, arrived in Salt Lake Valley
September 9, 1852. We camped several days in Mill Creek above Brigham
Mill, then traveled south about twenty miles to Draper, then known as
Willow Creek, September 18th. On the 20th we camped on the south side of
the settlement on a piece of land selected for a farm; went to work and
made 4500 adobes and built a one-story house 16 by 26 1/2 feet. Several
heavy snows fell before it was finished. My wife was expecting to give
birth to a child, and she and the children were suffering much from cold
and exposure. The house had a willow roof and cloth was used as windows.
It was the first adobe house built in Draper. Leah Ann was born the
night of the day that it was completed, December 13, 1852, our ninth
child. The same day I commenced teaching school with twenty-five pupils,
being the first schoolmaster of Draper. Also planted fruit trees. After
building our house, clearing and planting a farm of twenty-four acres,
the Indians became so troublesome that I and others of the settlement
built a fort where we moved our families for protection. Here we lived
for three years. Our tenth child, Rosiana Phillips, was born July 7,
1856.
On November 24, 1856, I was ordained a High Priest at Bishop Hunter's
house in Salt Lake City. February 14, 1857, I was set apart as first
counselor to Bishop Isaac Stewart of Draper by Brother Parley P. Pratt.
March 1857, I deeded my property to Brigham Young and succeeding
officers in the Church at Salt Lake City. Helped to build roads, bridges
and canals, acting as Superintendent for the Cottonwood Canal, over
twenty-four men.
When Johnston's Army came I moved my family, cattle and three hundred
bushels of wheat to Pleasant Grove, then known as Battle Creek. Ten
years after our arrival in Draper, we had made a comfortable home and
were prospering, when I was called by Brigham Young to go to St. George
to take charge of a cotton mill, having been superintendent of cotton
mills in Rhode Island before coming west. Here once again, we built a
home, when everything we possessed was washed away in a flood that came
upon us in the night. We barely escaped with our lives.
Note: Wm. R. Terry died of pneumonia in St. George, Utah, May 30, 1868,
and was buried there. His family returned to their home in Draper, where
his wife, Mary, lived until her death, October 9, 1898. The diary from
which this was taken was retrieved from the debris after the flood at
St. George.?Minerva Deseret Terry Andrus
- The trip across Iowa and the stay in Winter Quarters for 1-2 years preparing for the journey to Salt Lake City is omitted. It is recorded in his diary. I will add this info later. Boyd E. Terry
