Newsletter 2 and John Carter Headstone Project

Yesterday a short newsletter went out to all the family members for whom we have records. If you didn't receive one please message me with your email so we can add you to our list. Our big announcement is that we are now accepting donations for the creation of a tombstone for John Carter. The newsletter has more details but here are drawings of the front and back of the proposed stone. Donations toward the cost of the stone (about $2500) may be made by check to: Carter Family Organization C/O Val Dunn 6645 Southfork Provo, UT 84604 We will send out updates on the progress of this project on a regular basis. Our goal is to have a memorial service for John in the Nauvoo area as part of our 2019 family reunion.

Survey about our 2019 Reunion

Our first newsletter was devoted to discussing our purchasing a headstone for John Carter to be placed in the Fletcher Cemetery where we believed he was buried. It also broached the subject of having our next reunion in Nauvoo in 2019 when we could dedicate John's tombstone. We wanted to place a short survey about this in the newsletter but that didn't happen. Please take this short survey regarding the above topics:
https://goo.gl/forms/eJoKAGlPTHnm3uLl2

1923 Carter Reunion Photo

I had a photo of the 1923 Carter Reunion passed to me this week. I have a better copy from Lindsay Layne Carter so here it is. Does anyone have a copy with people named? Do you know who any of these people are? Let us know. I have numbered the people on the picture. You may need to download the picture so you can view it better and see the numbers.

Place a comment to this post if you know someone. We are keeping a record of the names.

Newsletter Update

We have found more email addresses and have finally sent our first newsletter out to all our known contacts.  If you haven't received an email from Andree Swanson entitled "John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Family Organization" then you don't have our newsletter.  To receive it please sign up at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016Carter

Our Newsletter Has Been Sent Out

The John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Family Organization has published our first newsletter in the past several years.  If you haven't already received it in your email please go to the following link and sign up for it.
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/2016Carter

William Furlsbury Carter's Original Mission Journal Digitized

Most of us have heard about and read transcriptions of William Furlsbury Carter's missionary journal. Thanks to newly released information about early Mormon missionaries here is a small portion of his journal for when he got to Illinois and visited with the Tripps, Dooleys and his brother, Phillip Libby Carter. For a older, sick guy his handwriting is very good.

The whole journal can be viewed by going to this link: https://history.lds.org/missionary/individual/william-foulsberry-carter-1811?lang=eng

Then click on "William F Carter Journal..." - it is all there thanks to his granddaughter, Margery Ann Kinder Wing who brought it in to the Church History Department in 1966 and allowed them to Xerox it and then took the journal back. Who has this journal now? That is a BIG question.

CARTER REUNION - DAY 2 - June 17, 2017

Day two of the reunion dawned beautiful again with the temperature that never quite hit 80.

We started out at the Carterville Park - named for John H Carter who farmed to the south of the park on the Provo Bench.  This is a beautiful park and a most fitting place to meet.  At 10 AM we held our business meeting.  Val Dunn gave our financial report.  We then brought the group up to date on the Carterville Cemetery situation back in Iowa.  The group elected to not do anything at this time with regards to attempting to purchase this property.  We will discuss this further in future communications with the group.  We did discuss the possibility of placing a headstone or memorial in the Fletcher Cemetery in Tioga, IL for John Carter.  Robert Givens said he would talk to the cemetery people and find out if this is a feasible project.  The Charter for The John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Family Organization was amended as proposed with two minor additions.  Next we elected the officers of the organization. The slate of previous officers, since they were willing to continue, were elected to serve for the next two years (with the two new positions added.)  The list is as follows:

Robert Givens - President
Cody Carter - Vice President
Val Dunn - Treasurer
Dr. Andree Swanson - Secretary
Charles Carter - Webmaster
Glenda Wright - Genealogist
Scott Allen - Publicist
Todd Robbins - Social Media Specialist

Our last item of business was to discuss where we want to meet in 2019.  Two years ago the group that met in Omaha chose San Diego to be our next reunion site so we could recognize Richard Carter, who died on the Mormon Battalion march.  There was a real division in this group between that site and Nauvoo.  We chose to table this decision for a short while and will get back to the group as a whole to find out who would be willing to attend our next reunion at either site.

We then adjourned to the Provo City Cemetery for the highlight of our reunion - the recreation of the 1941 dedication of Hannah Knight Libby Carter's headstone.  A little history is needed here for those who might not know the whole story.

Hannah died on October 20, 1867 in Provo probably at the home of Dominicus Carter, her son, since she appears to have lived with him.  She was shortly buried on a cold winter day in an old pioneer cemetery not far from Carterville Park.  This cemetery, Grandview Cemetery, was located at the point that three pioneer land grants met.  It was started about 1860 when one of the land owners needed to bury a child.  From that others asked to bury they family there too - including our Hannah.  About 1879 these farmers were unhappy that this little cemetery had grown to over 60 burials and decided to allow no new burials and requested that the families of those who were buried there remove their departed loved ones at the family's expense.  Hannah was then moved to the Provo City Cemetery.

About 1940 or so a former Carter family organization decided the headstone on Hannah's grave needed to be replaced and this was done in 1941 with a ceremony that we created last Saturday.  We were helped by finding a letter describing the event and obtaining a copy of a movie film of the actual event.

Hannah's stone with the children's roses

So on Saturday, June 17th, 2017 (150 years after her death and 74 years after the present headstone was dedicated) we again met as a family at her grave.   (I need help here and will edit this post as i am given the names I don't have.)  Robert Givens giving an abbreviated version of the life of Hannah.  Gary Carter, the grand son of  John F Carter who sang two songs at the original dedication, sang one of the songs - An Angel from on High   Children in the group were given roses to place on the headstone just a the children had 74 years ago.  ???? the oldest descendant in attendance also was given a rose to place on the stone.  ??? closed our simple ceremony with a touching prayer.   

Some of the group at Hannah's grave

We also recognized Charles Carter who was instrumental in forming this organization and has worked tirelessly on its behalf for over a decade.  He gave a short talk about the granite bench that the organization placed here a number of years ago.  It recognizes all the pioneer children of our family buried here and across the plains and nation who lie in unmarked graves.  It is shaped as a bench so family members may come here and sit and reflect on our family's history and the sacrifice of those who came before.

Grandview Cemetery Marker

Yummy Luncheon

After this ceremony the family adjourned back to Carterville Park for a luncheon provided by the organization.  We had chicken, potato salad, regular salad, rolls, and cookies with ice cold water to drink.  Many hung around for a couple of more hours to visit with their new and old friends.  Near the end of our afternoon meal those that wanted to took a short trip over to the Grandview Cemetery site to see where Hannah was originally interred. 

Again we want to thank Layne Carter and any others that took the time to prepare and put on this excellent reunion. Recognition needs to go to Michael Lambert for his outstanding photographs which were used to illustrate this blog entry.

CARTER REUNION - DAY 1 - June 16, 2017

Well it was time for the biannual John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Reunion again.  This year we chose to meet in Provo.  For day one we were at the LDS Church Pavillion at 350 East 2950 North, in Provo.  It was a delightful setting and the weather was wonderful - the high was right around 80 degrees.

Part of the group at the pavilion

Our goal was to share and record lost stories of our ancestors - our attempt to fill out the family tree with people that recorded life stories.  Several people brought their stories for us to copy and I for one prepared PDF versions of this blogs life stories of John and Hannah.

Boards were provided that showed all of John and Hannah's children and each of their marriages with children.  Attendees were asked to record their line back to the child of John and Hannah on the chart. This helped us know who was represented.

Dr. Andree Brown Swanson recording her line

This is an example of out charts.

This allowed us to determine who descended from whom.  It was a great attention grabber and many people spent a pleasant time talking to their cousins (many whom they had never met.)

Many attendees  brought life stories and pictures to share.  This was just an enjoyable time getting to know one another.

We were excited to announce our announce our new effort - a YouTube Channel called The John and Hannah Knight Libby Family.   It can be found at  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_sr85X-ns6q8ndsOd8DqQ

You can subscribe and be told when we add new videos. Currently we have two -

1) Carters of Maine Conversion Story - This tells the story of Hannah's conversion with some new twists.
2) Memorial for Hannah Knight Libby - This highlights the video of the 1941 dedication of the headstone that is on Hannah's grave - which ceremony we recreated today.

Thank you to Layne Carter and his son, Skyler for their efforts on doing these two short videos.

This final image is a chart Layne created to help show all the inner-connections between the Bean family and the Carters that surely led to Dominicus and later Hannah and several more of the kids being converted.  The missionaries what came to the door of Hannah's house on July 4, 1834 were not just missionaries but Daniel Bean was actually a relative on multiple levels.

Web of relationships leading to Hannah's conversion

ANNOUNCING: THE JOHN AND HANNAH KNIGHT LIBBY CARTER FAMILY YOUTUBE CHANNEL

Our family organization is going to begin branching out in our efforts to educate the descendants of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter in the history of our family.  In addition to our web page - Carterville.com, this blog and our family group on Facebook - we are proud to announce our own channel on YouTube.

Check us out at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCN_sr85X-ns6q8ndsOd8DqQ
You can subscribe and be told when we add new videos.  Currently we have two -
1)  Carters of Maine Conversion Story - This tells the story of Hannah's conversion with some new twists.
2)  Memorial for Hannah Knight Libby - This highlights the video of the 1941 dedication of the headstone that is on Hannah's grave - which ceremony we recreated today.

There will be many more to follow.

PROPOSED CHANGES TO FAMILY ORGANIZATION CHARTER

When we meet on June 17th in our family organization business meeting the Board would like to propose the following changes to the John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Family charter.

The changes pertain two to areas:
1)  Article II - We want to rename this Mission Statement where we more clearly state what we are about and to add a Vision Statement paragraph describing that the board will at least bi-annually develop a working plan of what we need to do (a vision statement) and publish this to the organization as a whole.
2)  To help facilitate this we want to formally add to the charter board member list two positions: Publicist and Media Specialist.  Their titles and duties along with a couple of edits to current positions are listed in the document.

The strikeouts in the document are those items to be removed - the red type face is the material proposed to be added.

Here is the document:

CHARTER OF THE

JOHN AND HANNAH KNIGHT LIBBY CARTER FAMILY ORGANIZATION

ARTICLE I                 NAME OF ORGANIZATION

The name of this organization shall be the JOHN AND HANNAH KNIGHT LIBBY CARTER FAMILY. 

ARTICLE II               PURPOSE OF THIS ORGANIZATION

The purpose of this family organization is to promote awareness of and to strengthen the family bonds between the many descendants of John CARTER and Hannah Knight LIBBY. These members may be either direct descendants or related through marriage.

It is not our intention to exclude anyone who can trace their roots back to

our progenitor, Richard CATER I, born between 1598-1611 in Devon, England and died between 1677-1679 in the Colony of New Hampshire. In fact you are most welcome to join and highly encouraged to do so.

Members are encouraged to be involved in the following specific purposes of this organization.

a.  Continue to search out our ancestry back as far as it can be done by collaborating and sharing of our information.

b. To make available known accurate information about descendants of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter.

c.  Foster a kinships between the descendants of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter as we seek them out and provide a way for them to interact.

d. To educate family members and others of the history and family traditions within the genealogical lines of the membership.

MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Family is to provide a platform for all the descendants of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter to be able to communicate with each other, develop stronger inter-generational ties, learn more about their family, and preserve their heritage for future generations.

VISION STATEMENT

To more fully accomplish the mission of this organization the officers shall, after being elected, create or rework the organization’s vision statement.  This organization’s vision statement shall include details of how the board intends to strengthen family bonds between the descendants of John & Hannah Knight Libby Carter, coordinate research efforts for the ancestry and descendants of John & Hannah Knight Libby Carter, and make available accurate information concerning John & Hannah Knight Libby Carter, their ancestors, and their descendants.

ARTICLE III              MEMBERSHIP

Membership shall be opened to the descendants of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter their husbands and wives.  Membership shall be accepted in written or electronic form.  Individuals applying for membership shall provide their basic information such as full name and known ancestry, current address, and a way to contact them via phone, or email.  An associate membership (without voting rights) will be extended to others who descend from our ancestor Richard Cater I but don’t come through John and Hannah.  Both membership and associate membership shall have an account with www.carterville.com.

ARTICLE IV              OFFICERS

Officers shall consist of a President, Vice President, Treasurer, Webmaster, Family Genealogist and , Secretary, Publicist and Social Media Specialist.  Officers shall be nominated and voted upon by the members of this organization at the close of the biennial meeting.  Their terms shall begin at the close of the annual meeting and end upon the election of the next annual meeting. 

ARTICLE V               BOARD OF TRUSTEES

The property, business, and affairs of this organization shall be managed by the Board.  The officers elected shall make up the Board of Trustees with the President being the Chairman of the Board.  The officers shall meet at least yearly either in person or via phone, instant messaging, or email.  The Board shall appoint such ad hoc or standing committees as may be deemed necessary for the conduct of business and other activities of the organization.

ARTICLE VI              FINANCE

Membership to this organization shall be free.  Financing shall be governed by the Treasurer.  All money asked for from the membership shall be through donations.  It is suggested that a ten dollar donation be made upon the request for membership and a minimum ten dollar donation be made at each biennial meeting.

ARTICLE VII            AMENDMENTS AND VOTING

Amendments to these articles or to the By-Laws shall be submitted to the active membership and will require for acceptance a majority vote of those attending the official meeting open to all the membership.  Any matters of organization business submitted to the active membership will require for passage a majority of all votes cast at the official meeting. Members not in attendance shall be able to cast their votes either by mail, or email.  Review of the Charter and By-Laws shall be done by the Board of Trustees at least every ten years.  Changes shall be voted on by the membership.

BY-LAWS OF THE

JOHN AND HANNAH KNIGHT LIBBY CARTER FAMILY ORGANIZATION

SECTION 1

In addition to the meeting open to the membership, special meetings of the Board of Trustees may be called.  Adequate notice shall be given prior to the time the meeting is called.  All matters shall be determined by a majority vote of those attending either regular or special meetings, or if determined by email, then by a majority of those responding.

SECTION 2

Requests for donations shall be established by the Board of Trustees. Donation monies shall be used to finance this organizations website, reunions, and other projects approved by the membership.

SECTION 3

The duties of the Officers of the organization shall be:

(1)  The President shall preside at all meetings, shall have the authority to call special meetings, shall appoint ad hoc and standing committees as may be needed or approved by the Board, and generally supervise the activities of the organization.

(2)  The Vice President shall assist and counsel the President.  The Vice President will serve in the absence of the President.  If for any reason the latter cannot serve or if the office of President is vacated, the Vice President shall assume the President’s responsibilities with the help of the past president.

(3)  The Treasurer shall handle all finances of the organization, keeping careful records of all transactions, issuing proper receipts for all contributions, and making certain that all expenditures are duly authorized and recorded.  They will report to the Board annually with an audit of the year’s transactions. 

(4)  The Webmaster will be responsible for maintaining and updating the organization Carterville.com website.  The Webmaster shall also prepare notices and other communications which go to the membership, and will see that the Board of Trustees and the officers are duly notified of all meetings.

 (5)  The Family Genealogist will be responsible for gathering genealogical data on all of the descendants of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter and sharing such data with the members of the organization through the Carterville.com web site. 

(6) The Secretary will be responsible for recording and documenting activities conducted by the organization. The Secretary shall help prepare notices and other communications which go to the membership, and will see that the Board of Trustees and the officers are duly notified of all meetings. The Secretary shall also keep minutes of all meetings and will be responsible for seeing that a mailing list is maintained.

(7) The Publicist will be responsible for maintaining the organization’s web page which will be part of the Carterville.com web site; correspond electronically or otherwise with the membership on a regular basis; promote reunions and other activities of the Association.

(8) The Social Media Specialist will be responsible for developing a social media presence in various mediums (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, YouTube, etc.) that will reach out especially to our younger members and engage them in the activities of the organization. 

John and Hannah's Life Stories

It has been my pleasure to compile on this blog the lives of John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter. These stories have been compiled into PDF documents and will be available to those that attend the family reunion next month.  Please bring your laptop or a flash drive so you can secure a copy.

So where shall we go from here?  What life stories would you - the reader - like to see?  Let me know and I can plan for the future.

Carter Family Reunion Coming UP

Specifics on our upcoming reunion:

June 16th Day of History Gathering at the LDS Church Pavillion at 350 East 2950 North, Provo UT? We will be doing an activity that involves sharing and recording of "lost" family histories and making a mural. Time will be from 1:00 to 4:00 pm.

"Evening of Food (BYO), Games and Stories" on June 16th at the LDS Church Pavillion at 350 East 2950 North, Provo UT. Time will be from 4:00 to 6:00 pm.

The Family Meeting on June 17th at Carterville Park in Orem at 10:00 am. The address is 2400 N Carterville Road, Provo.

The re-enactment of Hannah Knight Libby Carter's Memorial service. This was done exactly 50 years ago on Memorial Day. We will do this re-enactment at the Provo City Cemetery at her marker. Time will be from 11:00 am to 12:00 noon.

A family BBQ at Carterville Park in Orem from 1:00 pm to 3:00. The main dish will be provided by the family organization.

Please let us know if you can make it.  Hope to see you there!

HANNAH KNIGHT LIBBY - Part 26 - Life in Utah and Death

At this point of Hannah’s life we truly reach a black hole as virtually nothing is known about her between her arrival in Utah in 1851 and her death in 1867.  Most references about her during this period of her life state that she lived with Dominicus in Provo.  This writer has found one reference to her that seems to disprove several things mentioned in this narrative. 

The Overland Travel site at https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/41831/hannah-knight-libby-carter states:  “Birth date is confirmed by Manti Ward records at the time of a rebaptism on 29 June 1851. She is listed in that record with the surname of "Morley." (Manti Ward, Record of Members. CR 375 8, Reel 3954.)  This roll of microfilm needs to be studied to see what else it might tell us about Hannah.  Was she in fact already in Utah in June 1851 and living in Manti? One warning about the family of Isaac Morley is that he did have a polygamous wife, Hannah Finch – which can also confuse people as you search for Hannah Morley.

We are left with basically no record of what Hannah’s life was in Utah.  With the exception of the Manti Ward record mentioned above, it is assumed that Hannah lived in the Dominicus’ big house in Provo.  In Chapter 9 of this narrative is found four firsthand descriptions of Hannah in her later years. Rather than reprint them here we will just quote from them.  Clara Melissa Carter, Dominicus Carters’ daughter, remembered Hannah as living in their home.  What specifically she did can only be guessed.  She surely helped the wives of Dominicus in household chores and with the dozens of children.  She was not young.  In 1851 she would have been 65 years old.  Francis Carter Knight, another granddaughter, stated, “…She did not look as old as she really was. Her hair was grey when I knew her. She wore a little lace cap. She had a good education and was always very industrious, keeping her knitting close by, and working when she was what might be considered too old to work.” Probably a later remembrance was from a great-granddaughter, Sarah York Tiffany, who remembered, “She sat in the chair or on the bed and pieced quilt blocks, and her sewing was neat. She was childish and would cry when left alone very long.”  That last comment would lead one to think that possibly in her later years she suffered some form of dementia.

Whatever the case, we are left only to guess what her life was like.  Did she hold Church callings?  Did her children travel to see her or did she ever travel and visit with them?  Over the years it appears that things that were known about her have been lost to our knowledge.  In a 1941 memorial to her entitled “Mother Hannah Knight Libby Carter” they recorded: 

“In June, 1852, Hannah Carter dictated the following message to her son, Dominicus, showing her deep interest in temple work for her kindred dead:

By request of your mother I am writing to you. She wishes to communicate to you some of her wishes with regard to her deceased relatives. She is well at present as common, but as life is uncertain, if it is not her privilege to live in this world to do the work for her parents and relatives that have gone the way of all the earth, she wants to leave this work so that it may be done and done right. She wishes to be ready to go when she is called. This is the way we all should leave.

Then followed a detailed list of relatives she remembered for whom temple work was to be done.

She remained at Provo during the time of the Echo Canyon War and when the body of the Saints moved south to Provo and adjoining towns. She lived in her later years at the home of Dominicus Carter.” 

One other letter of Dominicus opens a small window on Hannah’s last days.  On March 5, 1867 Dominicus wrote his brother, Philip Libby Carter of Illinois: “Mother is alive but very feeble.  I don’t think she can live long.  She is getting old rising eighty.  If you should want to see her before she should die you better come this spring and not wait til the railroad is finished.  Mother wants me to say to you that she does not expect to live long on this earth and she wants you to prepare to meet her in the world to come.  She says the path she has pursued for the last 30 years is the only path by which you can enjoy her society in the world to come and be accepted of the Lord.”   

Besides giving us a glimpse of the ravages of old age working on her body, this letter includes a strong final testimony of a longtime member of the church.  Thirty-three years had passed since her conversion but she still was strong in the Faith. 

Hannah Death Notice

Seven months after the letter to Philip was penned Hannah passed away.  For one hundred and fifty years we were in the dark as to when Hannah actually died. We have never known the exact date, only that on Nov. 2, 1867 a letter was written by Mary E. Whiting from Springville to a relative in Manti stating, "Mother Carter is dead."  And that is where things stood until February 2017.  At that time Virginia Bright (the wife of a descendant of Isaac Morley) contact the Carter family with a newspaper account of her death. The reason we had never found this document was that she was called “Hannah Libby Morley.”  The newspaper article is actually a letter from Apostle George A Smith.  At the time he had responsibility over the communities in Utah county and the news article was actually a letter he wrote detailing some of his activities.  The article reads: 

CORRESPONDENCE

Provo City

Sunday, Oct. 19, 1867

Editor Daily Telegraph:

     Dear Sir:  This city was visited with a cold storm yesterday, the mountains being covered with snow.

     There is considerable sickness among children; the whooping cough is prevalent, several deaths of late have occurred.

     I delivered two addresses in the new meeting house today also visited the Sunday School, which is making satisfactory progress.

     We are also called to mourn the death of a Mother in Israel, Hannah Libby Morley, who died this morning, the widow of the late Patriarch Isaac Morley.  She was born in the State of Maine, October 9, 1786.

     When 17 years of age she married John Carter, with whom she lived 43 years, and to whom she bore seven sons and four daughters.  She has upwards of 100 grandchildren, and 30 great grandchildren.  She is the mother of Dominicus, W. F. and John H Carter, prominent citizens of this county.

     One of her sons, Richard Carter, died in the Mormon Battalion.

     She was baptized in Newry, Oxford county, Maine, in 1834.  Prior to her baptism, she was taken dangerously sick, and was given up to die; in the meantime a Mormon Elder called in, whom she desired to pray for her, which was complied with, and she straightway arose, walked one half of a mile, was baptized, and became strong in the faith from that hour.

     She passed through the persecutions in Missouri and Illinois.

     She kept the faith, and lately expressed to her children that she desired to depart this life and join a "sweet rest in Heaven,"

Geo. A. Smith

It is interesting that Smith called her Hannah Libby Morley.  He had known the family for many years and had many dealings with both Dominicus and William Furlsbury at least.  It is interesting that he used Morley instead of Carter in describing Hannah, but she had been sealed to Isaac, and as such she was considered one of his wives and would probably be known to many by the name of Morley.  This comes as a surprise to many of us in our generation but actually helps to point out how far removed from her day we are today.

We need to address the date of her death – as the article leaves us questioning the exact date of her death.  It is titled “Sunday, Oct. 19, 1867.”  The problem with that is that Oct 19^th was actually Saturday and Sunday was on the 20^th.  It seems logical that she died either on the 19^th or 20^th.  Since her death is mentioned as happening “this morning” right after he mentioned attending a Sunday school – it would seem most likely that her death date is 20 Oct 1867.

Sign at Provo City Cemetery

Shortly after her death, the body was originally buried at the Grandview Hill Cemetery. This was where three farms converged and is no longer in existence. She was moved along with her head stone to the Pioneer Cemetery in Provo, Utah.  On Memorial Day, May 30, 1941, 155 years after her birth, 90 years after she crossed the plains, and 74 years after her death, 90 members of her posterity held a memorial service in her honor, sang again the songs that were sung at her funeral, and listened to a sketch of her rich life story. Then once again they gathered at her graveside (in the Provo City Cemetery) and dedicated a bronze marker as a lasting memorial to her name and noble character. It bore this inscription (beside the motif of a covered wagon):

                Hannah Knight Libby Carter

                October 9, 1786-November, 1867.

                “Faithful in the day of Trial.”

Hannah's 1941 Marker

Bench to remember Carter children that have no headstones.

With this we end this account of her life.  May her ability to overcome trials and adversity be an example to us.  Also might each of us embrace truth with the strength that she demonstrated.  Hannah was a great example to her posterity of how to live an honorable life.   

HANNAH KNIGHT LIBBY - Part 25 - Crossing the Plains to Salt Lake

The years 1850 to 1852 saw the Carter families cross the plains from Winter Quarters/Kanesville to Salt Lake City in three groups.  The first to cross were William Furlsbury, John Harrison and their sister, Hannah Carter York and their families.  They crossed the plains with the William Snow Company, leaving on 21 June 1850 and arriving in Salt Lake on 1 to 4 October 1850.  The last sibling to come was Eliza Ann Carter Snow who traveled in her husband, James C. Snow’s Company.  They left Iowa on 5 July 1852 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 9 October 1852.  In addition to her family they also brought the Richard and Hannah Parker Carter orphans – Franklin Fitzfield, Mary A and Samuel Parker Carter.

This leaves us with Dominicus, who by several accounts brought his mother Hannah along with his family in 1851.  The Church is developing a comprehensive database of the pioneers who crossed the plains called “Pioneer Overland Travel” – see:  https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/  It is a database that is incomplete and constantly being updated.  The irony is that 1851 is the biggest weak line.  The Brethren encouraged all that could travel to come to Utah that year.  In response there were many groups that crossed the plains that year but they were poorly documented.  Not one group has yet been fully accounted for at this time. So this leaves us to surmise the best we can what transpired in Hannah’s crossing the plains.

So the question becomes when in 1851 did Dominicus and Hannah cross the plains.  Most of the accounts of Dominicus life state that he arrived in Utah in June, 1851.  To do that they would have had to leave in early spring before the snows had melted.  That just seemed to this writer to be too early for them to arrive.  After much futile searching it was decided to locate Dominicus’ obituary – which is located at Familysearch.org in his memories in Family Tree.  This obituary states "From Nauvoo he migrated to Boniplat, Iowa, and resided one year at Mount Pisgah, he removed thence to Council Bluffs, whe he resided two years.  He left the latter place on the 20th of June, 1851, and arrived in Salt Lake City on Sept. 25 of that year.  Two months later he came to Provo (Nov., 1851) where he has resided ever since." ("A Veteran Gone," Published in the Territorial Enquirer, 5 Feb. 1884. Seen in Journal History of the Church, Vol 5, Feb. 1884, page 7.) This is the only place where this writer has found absolute beginning and ending dates for their journey.

There is one other source that provides an extra tidbit of information.  Dominicus crossed the plains in 1851 according to the record in Frank Essholm’s book published in 1913 at Salt Lake City—a 4500 copy by subscription edition—Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, page 281. This record shows his picture and states “Dominicus Carter a native of Maine came to Utah in 1851 with Captain Homers Co.”  A search for Captain Homer’s Company has located no further references to the supposed wagon train.  There was a supply train that arrived in Salt Lake in late September what was lead by a Captain Horner.  In looking closely at a copy of Essholm’s book Homer could in fact be Horner, which would explain the non-existence of Captain Homer. 

Typical Wagon

Without any absolutely related documentation of their travels the following will have to suffice to help us to picture what this trip must have been like in 1851 (or thereabouts.)  To go west by wagon and teams was not cheap. People had to obtain their own outfits or pay to go with someone else. President Hyde reported in 1850 that outfits that year cost about $600 each, equivalent in today’s dollars to about $13,000.  It was not wise for any to head for Utah unless they had “team and wagon sufficient to come through without any assistance from the valley,” the First Presidency instructed from Utah in June 1849. “And they should bring breadstuffs sufficient to last them a few months after their arrival.” (The Ensign Magazine, August 2002 – “Pushing on to Zion: Kanesville, Iowa, 1846–1853” By William G. Hartley)

Ironically the year 1851 was a year of low emigration.  With the Mormons, Oregonians and Gold Rushers 1848-1850 had been boon years.  There was a significant drop off in 1851 but things picked up significantly in 1852.  The latter year (1852) was significant for Mormons as the First Presidency essentially told all remaining Saints in the Kanesville area to pack up and move to Utah and abandon all holdings in the States.  Four letters detailing this shut down of the settlements in Iowa were sent from Salt Lake during the 1851 year – at the time Dominicus packed up and left.  (See:  BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol 52, Issue 3, Article  - 10-1-2013 - The Closedown of LDS Iowa Settlements in 1852 That Completed the Nauvoo Exodus and Jampacked the Mormon Trail by William G. Hartley.  Online at http://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=4463&context=byusq)

The initial cost of the outfit was just the beginning of the costs.  You then had to pay for food to keep you alive and to pay to cross rivers (on bridges or on ferrys.) Since it was impossible to carry enough food to feed your family during the whole trip, it was essential to have funds to resupply your stores as your traveled.   Prices for foodstuffs varied widely from year to year and trading post to trading post.  The following demonstrate this from 1850 and 1852 since no figures could be found for 1851.  In 1850 prices at Fort Laramie were as follows:  Flour $.12 to $.50 per pound; Sugar $.50 to $2.00 pound; Coffee $.50 pound; and Bacon $.50 pound.  In 1852 before Fort Laramie: Flour $.20 pound/$15.00 per 100 pound; Sugar $.50 to $.60 pound; Coffee $.50 pound.  At Fort Laramie in 1852: Flour $10.00 to $10.50 per 100 pounds; Sugar $.50 to $.75 pound; Coffee $.40 pound; and Bacon $.15 pound. (The Plains Across - The Overland Emigrants and Trans-Mississippi West, 1840-60 by John D. Unruh, Jr. [University of Illinois Press – 1979] pp. 276 and 283.)

Ferrying the Platt River

Crossing rivers was an expensive process if they couldn’t be forded.  With 1851 being a high river year the use of ferrys and bridges was essential.  Cost ran anywhere from $1.00 to upwards of $10.00 per wagon and often $1.00 per horse.  Bridges were an extra bonus as they cut down the wait that often occurred at ferry crossings as wagons would back up for days at many ferry passings.

The modern roadmap was not in use in the early days of travel across the plains.  There were maps but they were expensive and in short supply.   Instead there were guide books that were produced to help travelers in their journey.  Perhaps the most famous of the guidebooks available to the Mormons and other emigrants was Lansford Hastings’s The Emigrants’ Guide to Oregon and California, which was written in 1844 and published in Ohio in 1845. Hastings is best known for forging the trail through Emmigrant Canyon into the Salt Lake Valley that the Saints so benefitted from.  He is forever linked in infamy with the Donner Party whose demise was partly due to following the “Hasting’s Cutoff.”  Of more value to the Mormon emmigrants was a guide written by William Clayton.  Clayton was charged with keeping a journal of the first pioneer wagon train of 1847.  His notes were later published as “The Latter-Day Saints Emmigrants’ Guide” which became an instant success with the Mormons and the Gold Rushers headed to California.  (William E Hill, “The Mormon Trail” [published by Utah State University 1-1-2006] see:  http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1098&context=usupress_pubs)  Mr. Clayton, the original publisher of this Guide, is justly entitled to much credit and great praise for his diligence, care, perseverance and untiring industry in measuring the distances from point to point on this route, in describing the country, in pointing out the streams and springs of water, showing the distances in English miles, from one camp ground to another, so that the traveler may always know, when he starts in the morning, how far he has to go before he finds another suitable stopping place. ("Emigrants' Guide to Salt Lake and California," Frontier Guardian, 7 Feb. 1851, 2. See: https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/sources/6644/emigrants-guide-to-salt-lake-and-california-frontier-guardian-7-feb-1851-2)

Wagon Train Crossing the Plains

In researching this part of Hannah’s life one detailed account of a wagon train crossing the plains in 1851 was located.  It is found at FamilySearch.org  in the Family Tree attached as a memory for Elizabeth Carson Griffeth (“On the Trail With the Carsons in 1851” contributed by Nyla Skinner).  The Carsons traveled in what came to be called the Garden Grove Company as they left Garden Grove, Iowa on May 17^th and left Winter Quarters on July 3^rd (about 3 weeks after Dominicus left) and arrived in Salt Lake City on Wednesday, September 24 (the day before Dominicus arrived.)  Thus their two wagon trains surely shared the trail and probably were in communication with each other.  The experiences of the Carson group probably parallel what happened to the Carter wagon train to some extent.  The following excerpts from the Carson article follow.

In 1850, an article in the Frontier Guardian stated that the average fully loaded wagon weighed about 1,850 pounds. For each person, old or young, it was recommended that one hundred and twenty five pounds of flour be taken, "plus bacon, sugar, coffee, tea, rice, dried fruit and other necessaries in proportion." … Each family would also have stocked their wagons with clothing, household goods, cooking utensils, tools, farming equipment and seeds.  The article in the Frontier Guardian also recommended that for each wagon, the family should have "two good yoke of oxen and from one to three yoke of cows." If those traveling in the company have even four or five oxen, or cows with them, it means they are moving at least three hundred head of livestock. Most families also have several horses. Herding this large group of animals, finding food for them, and keeping them safe from the Indians is a daunting task that requires a good portion of the labor each day.

Winter Quarters had been abandoned since 1848 and was virtually a ghost town falling into ruins.  By the time the Carsons left Winter Quarters on July 2 the Elkhorn River had rose so high they had to make a 100 mile detour to travel to the head of the river so they could cross it.  A day into their journey they met the party of Brother Orson Hyde traveling east from Salt Lake.  Surely Dominicus’ group probably passed him on the trail too.   The Carsons described their early challenges in getting their oxen teams to travel the route they desired and how it took quite some time to train the animals and drivers on how to accomplish this task.  They then encountered Indians along the Elkhorn that drove off cattle and horses.  They also endured more than one spontaneous stampede of their livestock which lead to a couple of the party being trampled to death.  One day they crested a hill only to find gigantic herds of buffalo heading their way.  It took hours for the beasts to pass them. 

By late July the wet cool Spring had turned to a dry, hot summer.  Mountain Fever, or malaria, became a problem on the trail thanks to the wet spring conditions.  The disease is spread through water. None of the pioneer accounts I have read have described how they washed and bathed while on the trail, nor how they took care of other basic needs. They had no toilet paper, and I doubt they carried a four month supply of "corn cobs." It was customary at the time to make use of small pieces of cloth. These, naturally, were washed frequently in the streams. This is why it was possible for the disease to spread so rapidly.

Wagon Ruts in Wyoming

The pioneers passed several natural landmarks such as Chimney Rock, Lone Tree and Devil’s Gate.  Heading into Fort Laramie (or Fort John in those days) the landscape changed drastically from grasslands to dryer vegetation, sage and cactus.  This meant that livestock would now need more feed to survive.  Fort Laramie was a trading establishment of 12 houses enclosed in a wall 11 feet high.  He buildings were built of adobe – which the pioneers would see much of in the coming months.  Wagon trains would stop here to trade, to use the blacksmith shops to make repairs and generally rest up.  This fort was approximately half way between Winter Quarters and Salt Lake City.

The pioneers tried to keep spirits up with dancing, songs and story telling in the evenings.  These activities were important to break the monotony of the days and give the travelers something to look forward to.  This was often a 7 days a week journey with only part of the day on Sunday’s taken out to worship.  The trip was always arduous at best.  It was hard to keep everyone happy.  Discontent seemed to raise its head in every wagon train.  The trail included loose cobble stones, ravines and creek beds to pass.  Wagons were forever having souse wheels.  Every company needed a blacksmith traveling with it to help keep the wagons in repair.  (Dominicus would be very helpful to have around in this case.)

By late August the company spent a week traveling through a bleak and dangerous landscape of mineral springs, alkali beds, and poisonous swamps. It was remembered that many of the families lost cattle to the alkali during this portion of the trek.  The only good thing about this alkali land was the women could gather “salaratus, or soda, since this was the only source of this mineral on the trip. It could be used in place of yeast in baking.   Upon reaching the Sweatwater River they passed Independence Rock.  On August 31^st they reported that three companies were traveling together – the Garden Grove Company captained by William Walton, “Captain Brown’s” Company, and “Father Allred’s” company.  These companies would have been in competition for good camping places and for feed for their livestock.

As they passed from Nebraska into Utah their trials were not over.  The land was still dry and oxen died daily from exhaustion, lack of adequate nourishment and water.  This problem wasn’t resolved until they finally reached the Green River.  By this time they were only 120 or so miles out of Salt Lake but the teams were giving out and provisions were growing short.  The companies were throwing away all they could possibly spare in order to lighten the loads. It appears that all of the companies that were nearing Utah at this time were experiencing the same difficulties - shortages of food, and livestock dying nor near death from exhaustion.  On Tuesday, September 16^th 1851 the company arrived at Fort Bridger and drove pass it a mile or so and camped.  There they divided their teams up in preparation for crossing the passes of the Rocky Mountains that were ahead of them as it would take cooperation of all the families to make this last crossing.  They were just 112 miles from Salt Lake but the challenges were not over.

In the mountains east of Salt Lake City

The final week of their trek was not described – probably from the extreme exhaustion everyone must have had in crossing the mountains.  Others described the beauty of the scenery and the comfort of not having to breathe dust all day like they had done for months. On Saturday, the 20st of September, the Carsons were about seventeen miles from the valley. Here, the pioneers probably had their first view of the Salt Lake Valley. From the summit of a mountain which the Emmigrants’ Guide described as being 7245 feet high, it was possible to see in the distance the south part of the Valley. Here they met several men with teams ready to assist those who needed help. ... The descent of the mountain was awfully steep and dangerous for about four miles. The next two days saw them travel a whole 4 miles over the roughest, most treacherous landscape they would pass on the entire trip.

On Wednesday, September 24, 1851 the Garden Grove company had breakfast and then moved up and over the last hill and entered the Salt Lake Valley with 60 wagons.  The next day it is reported that Dominicus arrived.  Hopefully this account gives the reader a taste of what the journey for Dominicus and Hannah was like.