Wednesday, August 19, 2020

Richard Harrison Carter - Mormon Battalion Pioneer

 

Richard Harrison Carter – Mormon Battalion Pioneer

By Robert Givens (August 20, 2020)

With the 200th anniversary of Richard Carters birth approaching, this is an appropriate time to revisit his life in an attempt to construct an accurate depiction of his life and times.  Until now there was only one compilation of his life written by his great niece, Almira T Bethers, and filed in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers collection.  On reading this account of his life it was easy to identify several instances where recent research has proven statements in that account of his life to be inaccurate.  That being said, this account of his life will still rely heavily on the earlier biography when possible. 

Birth and His Family 

On 20 August 1820 a son named Richard Carter was born to John Carter and Hannah Knight Libby Carter in Newry, Oxford, Maine. (Office of Town Clerk, Newry, Maine, Town Records, 1805 - 1846, Family History Library film #11589, pages unnumbered) John and Hannah were in their mid to late thirties and this was the ninth child born to them and Richard was their sixth son.  In a time when there was high infant mortality the Carter family was fortunate in that they had only lost one child previously, John Harrison, who had died on 11 April 1815 in Newry at just short of three months of age.

John Carter and his wife were both from families that had been in the Americas since at least the mid-1600’s.  John Carter’s parents, Richard Carter and Jane or Anne McKenney Carter lived in Scarborough, Cumberland, Maine.  The farm on Broadturn Road had been in the family going back to at least John’s grandfather, Benjamin Carter.  Richard had inherited the farm from his father and had purchased several tracks of land in the vicinity increasing his holdings significantly.  It was surely this Richard Carter, his grandfather, that the baby born in 1820 was named.

Hannah Knight Libby was also born in the Scarborough area quite close to where John lived.  Today the old Libby farm is located on Watson Mill Road in Saco, Maine and is just a mile or so to the west of the land owned by John Carter.  Hannah’s parents, Zebulon Libby and Lydia Andrews had inherited this land from Zebulon’s father, Thomas, who had accumulated a large tract of land, of which the Zebulon Libby farm was but a portion.  Zebulon was a patriot having served three years in the Revolutionary War, and was afterward a captain in the state militia.

Little is known of John Carter’s early life until in 1804 a remarkable deed is found that describes his purchase (with another man) of a home in Portland, Maine. John is described as being a “mariner” on[RG1]  the deed. Family lore has always said that he was a sea captain at one point in his life and that rumor, at least, has some substance as the 22-year-old John was living in one of the main seaports of New England in 1804.  Unfortunately for John, by 1806 the prosperous trade business in Portland virtually shut down as the British passed the Non-Intercourse Act that essentially said any American ships not trading with the British could be confiscated and their crews held.  This act would be one of the main actions that would lead to shortly to the War of 1812.

John did not long remain in Portland.  On 7 Nov 1805 John purchased 72 acres of land that was between the farms of his parents and Hannah’s parents and on 2 March 1806 John and Hannah married.  It was on this farm that their first three children – Dominicus, Almira and Hannah – were born.  By 1809 John had sold half of his Scarborough land and was purchasing land in upstate Maine in Newry.  This was undeveloped land and it apparently took him some three years to clear and develop it sufficiently to actually move his young family to this remote community.  But move they did, and it was on their farm in Newry that the rest of their family were born.  Before Richard was born, they had five children in Newry – William Furlsbury, Philip Libby, John Harrison (who died in 1815), another John Harrison and Eliza Ann.  After Richard two more children would be born here, Mary Jane and Rufus, who died on his second birthday in 1827. 

Early Life 

It is true that we know very little about Richard in his early years but we can assume many things base on what we know about life in Newry and nuggets of information found in the town records.  The first thing we learn is that when the family registered their children in the town records he was recorded simply as Richard Carter.  He was not listed with a middle name.  It doesn’t mean that he wasn’t born Richard Harrison but it wasn’t until the Nauvoo time period that we find him with a middle name.

By 1820, when Richard was born, the Carters had been in Newry for about a decade and were firmly established there.  Life in Newry was close to being at a subsistence level. Farms had to be as self-sufficient as possible as this northern forest land required great effort to clear and the growing season was short. Most of the arable land was used to grow foodstuffs for the family or to produce forage for their animals. Hunting, trapping and fishing was important for food and for the skins that could be traded for needed food. The forest, which was everywhere and plentiful, was a source for logs and cut timber. Still the bottom line was everyone needed food so food was king. John Carter had an extra skill that would help them in this time of resettlement. He had learned the blacksmithing trade since his marriage to Hannah. He probably learned this from Hannah’s father Zebulon Libby who was a farmer-blacksmith back in Scarborough. John most likely plied his trade on the side accepting barter in commodities which his family would need. (Life Story of Hannah Knight Libby Carter, p. 36 at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWVM-MGY)

From 1820 to 1827, few or no details about the family are known. The family farm seems to have done well. For the most part John tilled 1.5 acres, though some years just a half acre. He consistently mowed 2.5 acres to provide food for his livestock and finally had about one acre of pasture. His livestock usually consisted of two oxen, a horse, between 2 and 4 cows, between 2 and 8 cattle, and between 2 and 5 swine. Assuming that John was probably earning extra income from blacksmithing, the family was probably doing fine by Newry standards.  (Life Story of Hannah Knight Libby Carter, p. 39 at https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWVM-MGY )

These were the formative years of Richard’s life.  His older sisters Almira and Hannah probably played a big part in helping their mother in raising the young Richard.  The education he did receive was probably from his mother while sitting at her knee.  It was likely that from his early days he was trained in working on the family farm and by age seven he  was being given chores to do to help the family. 

1828 – 1833 

The dynamic of the John Carter family began to change in 1828 and with this Richard must have had to take a more important role in helping run the family farm and business.  In 1828 and 1829, when Richard was just 8 and 9, his three oldest siblings married and left the home.  In May of 1828 Dominicus married Lydia Smith.  In January 1829 Almira married Alvin Baron Tripp and in December of the same year Hannah married Aaron Mereon York.  When Richard was just 12 William married Sarah York.  Thus, by the time he was 13 the family living at home consisted of Philip age 21, John age 16, Eliza Ann age 14, Richard 13, and Mary Jane 10. 

With the family shrinking Richard’s role in the family probably grew rapidly.  Richard and his brothers, John and Philip, would have had plenty to do with clearing land and probably helping their father with his blacksmith work.  In any case, this was the way of life in the 1800’s – the sons helped on their family farm until they were old enough to marry and go out on their own. 

1834 – 1838 

There are often seminal events that change the course of a family’s experience.  This event could be natural disaster, an accident or a war.  The event that changed the course of the life of the entire Carter family was the sickness of Richard’s mother, Hannah, in early July 1834.  This event would have a lasting impact on each and every member of the John Carter family.  It was on 4 July 1834 that Mormon missionaries, Daniel Bean and John F. Boynton, appeared at the Carter home and while healing Hannah of her sickness also brought the message of the restoration taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 

Daniel Bean was a first cousin once removed of Sarah York and Aaron M York, spouses of William F Carter and Hannah Carter – older siblings of Richard.  Daniel was baptized in 1833 and lived some 15 miles from Newry.  He was paired up with John F. Boynton, who had joined the church in Ohio.  They had been traveling through towns in the backwoods of Maine having much success converting people to the Gospel.  It appears that they had actually baptized Richard’s oldest sibling, Dominicus and his wife, Lydia just days earlier on 30 Jun 1834. 

Thus, we come to 4 July 1834.  John probably had sent one of the children living at home to make the short trip to the homes of his married children informing them their mother’s grave illness and possible impending death.  Fortunately, we have one account of that day thanks to the then 15-year-old Eliza Ann Carter Snow who wrote of that day in a short diary recorded in 1892.  In her own words here is her account of that day: “I first embraced Mormonism in 1834, in the town of Newry, Oxford County, State of Maine.  The first Mormon elders I ever heard preach were John F. Boynton and Daniel Bean.  They came to my father's house, and my mother lay very sick.  The doctors had given her up.  The elders told her they were preaching a new doctrine and they told her that she could be healed if she could have faith, that they would hold hands on her.  They did lay hands on her and said, 'In the name of the Lord Jesus be thou made whole.'  And she was made whole and arose and called for her clothes and said I must go to the water.  She walked one-half mile and was baptized in the river called Bear River and confirmed.   And there was a large branch raised up in that place."   (Eliza Ann Carter Snow, Autobiographical Sketch, 1892 April 10, LDS Church History Library, MS 9676 – microfilm of the original handwritten record transcribed by the author, 14 Feb 2012.)  The quote of the day was John’s comment on this event, “That beats doctor bills.” (Ibid.) It should be noted that the date of the baptism is not recorded by Eliza Ann, or anyone else in the family for that matter but is recorded in the records of the Church.

The joy that Hannah experienced surely led her to want her other children to partake of this new faith of hers.  Along with Dominicus, who appears to already be a member, Hannah was joined in baptism by her children John H (age 18) and Eliza Ann (age 15) on the day their mother was baptized.  The exact baptism date of the subject of this sketch, Richard Harrison (age 13), appears to have been about 31 Oct 1834.  Two other married children William F (baptized 17 Nov 1834) and Hannah (who appears to have waited until 1844 to be baptized) shows the effect of the married children having a harder time to convert.  Her oldest daughter Almira, who was already married in 1834 never did join the church.  The then 21-year-old son, Philip Libby, soon left home for Massachusetts and didn’t join the church either, though he and Almira and their families joined the family in Tioga, Illinois years later.  Lastly, the youngest daughter Mary Jane, just 11 in 1834, never joined the church but lived with John and Hannah until her marriage in Missouri in 1840.

On 15 August 1835, Brigham Young and Lyman Johnson visited Newry.  They held a conference at the home of David and Patty Sessions, and Brigham Young crossed the Androscoggin River to preach at the Middle Intervale Meetinghouse, in Bethel, which at the time was without a settled pastor.  At the meeting in the Sessions home, Young spoke of “establishing Zion” somewhere in the west, a place where Saints could live together and practice their religious beliefs without fear of persecution.  He encouraged the local Saints to sell their farms and travel to Missouri to join others in this endeavor.  On August 21 of the same year, the Sessions were visited by another Mormon elder and missionary, William McLellin, who recorded in his journal that he had preached about two hours at a “bro Cessions… Brigham Young and other members of the Twelve Apostles visited Newry again in August 1836, and once more preached in at Middle Intervale.  He again urged the members of the Newry branch to sell their farms in Maine and travel to Missouri where the Saints were gathering.”    (Mary E. Valentine, WESTERN MAINE SAINTS, [Part 2] - A Newry Family Who Joined the Latter-Day Saints in Seeking a Home in the West, The Courier, Volume 29, No. 2 (2005))

The year 1836 witnessed the beginning of the division of the Carter family as the Latter-day Saint members began to heed the call of their Church leaders to gather in the West.  The two married sons, Dominicus and William, did heed this call and left for Kirtland, Ohio in 1836 (probably in the spring.)  At this point Richard’s mother Hannah faced a difficult dilemma. She had two single children, John approaching 20 and Eliza 18, who if they stayed in Newry, would find it difficult to find someone of the faith to marry.  Surely it was their mother, Hannah, who was behind the fact that these two unmarried children left with their married siblings that spring and traveled to Ohio.  Hannah would be vindicated for this move as both John and Eliza found mates and married within the Mormon faith during the short time they were in Kirtland.  This left just four members of the family in the Carter home in Newry – John, the father, Hannah his wife, Richard, who would turn 16 in 1836 and Mary Jane, who was 13.  At this point Richard’s role in the family grew as he was the only son left to help his father in his farming and blacksmith work. 

1838 – 1841 

In the short biography of Richard (Treasures of Pioneer History – Stories of the Mormon Battalion, pp. 456-7) it is stated that Richard, along with the rest of the John Carter family, traveled with the Saints to Kirtland, Ohio and Far West, Missouri.  This just isn’t so.  The evidence for John and Hannah being in Kirtland is that there was a John Carter in the Kirtland Company that traveled to Missouri.  The problem with that fact is that the John Carter of the Kirtland Company was in a party of 2 so this has to be John Harrison Carter and his young bride, Elizabeth Runnels Sweet whom he married in Kirtland in April of 1838.  The Kirtland Company left the Ohio gathering place between July and October of 1838 for Missouri.  At this time Richard, Mary Jane and their parents were still living in Newry.  The town records of Newry do give us an approximate time of the family’s departure for the west.  There is a notation in the Newry town records that on 10 Sep 1838 that John Carter called the meeting that month and was paid $1.50 for calling meetings that year.  This is the last mention of John while he lived in Newry. For on 25 October 1838 we read that Andrew N Stowe was chosen in Newry as collector of taxes to fill the vacancy of John Carter.  At the same time Stephen E Frost was chosen to take John’s place as highwayman and surveyor. (Town and Vital Records, 1805 - 1891; Newry, Oxford, Maine, FHL Film #11589, pages unnumbered.) Since John was in attendance at the meeting of 10 Sep 1838, we can narrow the date that John and Hannah left Newry to between mid-September to late October 1838.  Since the rest of the family had left Kirtland on July 5 of that year, they had a large head start but were making very slow time.  The Kirtland Camp groups were financially strapped and had trouble obtaining supplies and therefore had to stop to work to earn money to buy supplies.  Their progress was extremely slow and they would not reach their destination at Far West, Missouri until October 2nd.

The trip to Missouri for Richard and his family was accomplished in a very short time when compared with the part of the family who left Kirtland around July of 1838 and didn’t arrive in Far West until early October of the same year.  Richard and his family left Newry between 10 September and 25 October and on 10 November 1838 Richard’s father John purchased 40 acres of land in Monroe County, Missouri. (Monroe County, Missouri, Deeds, Book E, p. 574 - Family History Library Film 975063) It is significant that Monroe County is three counties east of where the rest of the Latter-day Saints were settling in the Far West area. 

Richard spent the winter of 1838 through early 1841 in Monroe County, Missouri.  His father, John, had not been willing to move to the Far West area, which was a wise choice as by the time Richard and his family reached Missouri, the Saints were already being driven from their land and were making a winter pilgrimage eastward which would culminate in their settling in the Commerce, Illinois area, which in time, would be called Nauvoo.  Richard and his family laid low during this time farming their land in northcentral Missouri.  It was here on 27 Aug 1840 that Richard’s sister, Mary Jane, married Jacob Dooley. (Ancestry.com. Missouri Marriage Records, 1805-2002 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2007. Original data: Missouri Marriage Records. Jefferson City, MO, USA: Missouri State Archives. Microfilm. Marriage date – 27 Aug 1840 – Monroe Co., Missouri.) This left Richard as the last child living at home.  His presence in the home as his parents who were growing older (his father turned 58 in 1840) must have been a great comfort to them.   It is not an accident that Richard and his parents were keeping their distance from the main body of the Saints.  Richard’s father, John, was not interested in getting involved in the mob actions directed towards the Saints.  He surely had had communications with his Latter-day Saint children and he appeared to not want to be involved in that kind of life. 

1841 – 1846 

As Richard’s immediate family continued to live in Monroe Co., Missouri, most of the rest of the family had left Far West back in the winter of 1838 under the direction of Isaac Morley and would ultimately settle some 33 miles south of Nauvoo along the Hancock and Adams County lines near modern-day Tioga, Illinois.  It appears that John Carter was not interested in getting his family into the middle of the “Mormon” issues but along the way his wife, Hannah, must have convinced him that moving to where the children settled would be safe because of its distance from Nauvoo.  For whatever reason, we do know that by May of 1841 they had moved to Morley Town or Yelrom settlement.  At that time John purchased a tract of land, of not quite 23 acres, from Richard’s brother William Furlsbury Carter. (Hancock County, Illinois Deeds, Book I, p. 227 – 228 (FHL Film 954,598). Transcription found in Susan Eaton Black, et. al., Property Transactions in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois and Surrounding Communities (1839 – 1859), Vol. II C-F, p. 749.)

So fully five years after the family had been split due to the westward migration of the Saints, Richard was reunited with most all of his family.  In fact, except for his older brother Philip, who wouldn’t arrive in Morley Town until the mobs were driving the Saints out, virtually all the family was now living within a short distance of each other in southern Hancock County or across the county line in northern Adams County.  It is not known for sure exactly where Richard lived at this time. Richard left no record of land dealings so it should be presumed that he probably continued to live with his parents. 

One can’t help but think that Hannah had pushed to move to be near her children for more than to just be in their company.  By 1840 Richard was 20 years old and surely Hannah hoped that he would marry someone in the Church.  Living in central Missouri would have made that dream virtually impossible.  They wouldn’t want to send him to Illinois to live with his siblings as then they would be without any help with their farm and other business.  Thus, it is likely that the move to Illinois was motivated by a hope Richard could find a good Latter-day Saint young lady to marry while still helping his parents.

If the goal was to have Richard marry in the Church, then they were successful as on 29 Nov 1840 in Lima, Adams, IL Richard married Hannah Parker. ("Illinois, County Marriages, 1810-1940," database with images, FamilySearch at https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:KFK3-XCJ : 5 November 2017), Richard Carter and Hannah Parker, 29 Nov 1840; citing Hancock, Illinois, United States, county offices, Illinois; FHL microfilm 229,486.) Hannah Parker was born in York County, Maine on 24 June 1822 to Samuel Parker and his second wife, Molly (Mary) Bracey Trueworthy.  Samuel Parker was an early convert to the LDS Church in Maine.  Hannah’s mother died in Quincy, Illinois in 1839.  Her father would live to die in Council Bluffs, Iowa in 1846.  Unfortunately, nothing else is known about her life prior to 1840.  With no land records known for Richard it is possible that they lived either with Hannah’s family or with John and Hannah Carter after their marriage in 1840.

While living in Illinois, Richard and Hannah had two children who all the family have traditionally recognized.  If the place of birth for their first-born child is accurate, they were possibly in Hancock County when their first child, Mary Trueworthy Carter was born 23 Sep 1841.   There is some discrepancy with the births of Mary Trueworthy Carter and the next sibling, Samuel Parker Carter, as family tradition and his death certificate give his birth as 10 Feb 1842 which is too soon after Mary’s birth to be accurate.  Without any evidence the family has changed Samuel’s birth to 1843 so the dates now work.  Family tradition gives Samuel’s birth place as Lima, Adams, Illinois which is the home of Alvira Carter Tripp, Richard’s sister.  It is possible that they had moved down there to live with her family or possibly the Parker family may have lived there.

In addition to Mary Trueworthy and Samuel Parker, it appears that Richard and Hannah had a third child born to them in Illinois, Angelina Carter.  Little is known of her and in fact no primary sources can be found to document her birth in this family.  That being said there is substantial secondary evidence to support her placement in the family.  In recent years the BYU Center for Family History and Genealogy has tried to document all the Latter-day Saints that lived in the Nauvoo area in their “Nauvoo Community Project, 1839 – 1846.”  They have Angelina Carter as born in 1845 in Lima, Adams, IL and died in 1848 in Mt. Pisgah, Union, IA the daughter of Richard Carter and Hannah Parker.  (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QL3Z-G94C)  Her half-brother, Franklin Fitzfield Carter mentions her in his family record, and Hannah Parker Carter’s last husband Cornelius Brown, after Hannah died,  told his subsequent wife that followed Hannah that he had buried Hannah and two children on the prairies of Iowa.  In Union County, Iowa today is the Mount Pisgah Cemetery State Preserve which contains a 12-foot high white obelisk whereon are inscribed 60 of the presumed 300 people who were buried in the cemetery there.  On the north side of the obelisk is inscribed Angelina Carter.  This is the only record outside of family tradition to actually prove that she lived and died.  For what it is worth, Franklin Fitzfield Carter had her sealed to Richard and Hannah in the Salt Lake temple in March of 1918.  We should be grateful that Franklin didn’t want this little girl to be forgotten or we might not know of her today.

Richard and his young family passed through the persecutions in the Nauvoo area but absolutely nothing has been found regarding their specific experience.  We know they were there as Richard and Hannah were the last of the Carter clan to take out their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.  They attended the temple to receive their endowments on 7 Feb 1846.  The evacuation of Nauvoo was in process having actually begun 3 days before Richard and Hannah attended the temple. Since there is no record of their being sealed together in the Nauvoo Temple after 7 Feb 1846 it must be assumed that they left Nauvoo shortly after that date. 

1846 – Exodus to Iowa 

Richard and Hannah left Nauvoo during the Mormon Exodus of 1846 as mentioned above sometime after they were endowed on 7 Feb 1846.  There are no family records describing the crossing of Iowa during that winter and spring.  The travail of the Saints as they fled west is well documented.  Depending upon when they actually left, they either had to plow through snow drifts or later, after the spring rains, through mud making the trek miserable and exhausting.  It was this journey that inspired William Clayton to pen his song “All is Well.”  We do not know for a surety if Richard and his family traveled with other family members or separately.  All we know is that Richard and his family arrived at the Grand Encampment east of the Missouri River in and around modern-day Council Bluffs.  The only thing we know for sure is that they had to have arrived sometime prior to July 13 as later events will show.

1846 – Mormon Battalion

 Shortly after arriving at the Grand Encampment, the Richard’s life took a sudden and ultimately fatal turn as the call went out from Brigham Young for young men to volunteer for service in the United States military.  It is hard to imagine how the Saints first reacted to this news as they were fleeing from United States land because of the government’s refusal to protect them and now the government wanted their service against the country of Mexico. 

Following the 1845 annexation of Texas by the United States, tensions with Mexico grew until on April 26, 1846 fighting broke out between the U.S. and Mexico.  On May 13th war was officially declared. At this time the Mormon refugees were in the midst of crossing Iowa.  While crossing Iowa Brigham Young and the rest of the Quorum of the Twelve, through Jesse C. Little, President of the Eastern States conference of the Church, had petitioned President Polk seeking assistance from the Federal Government.  On June 2nd President Polk authorized Col. Stephen W. Kearney to recruit a few hundred Mormons to help in the war but also “to conciliate them, attach them to our country, and prevent them from taking part against us.” (Polk, James K. (1929), Nevins, Allan, ed., Polk: The Diary of a President, 1845–1849, London and New York: Longmans, Green & Co., p. 109) This was an unusual symbiotic relationship, as the Church members as a whole had very negative feelings towards the government after receiving no redress from being driven from their homes, and the government who wasn’t willing to support the Saints in their time of need turning to them for help.  Young and the other leaders of the Church did see this as an opportunity for some much-needed financial help and ultimately agreed to the arrangement. One author suggested that the Battalion’s enlistment would be a public relations victory for the church, demonstrating additional evidence of its loyalty to the United States. (McLynn, Frank. Wagons West: The Epic Story of America's Overland Trails. Grove Press. pp. 386–7.)

The men were given a clothing allowance at Fort Leavenworth, Kan., of US$42 each, paid in advance, for their one-year enlistment. The men generally used their own clothes so they wouldn’t spend all their pay.  Ultimately about a quarter of these funds were sent back to Council Bluffs, some to their families, some to the Church, and some for the poor still in Nauvoo. The infusion of cash given to the Church was used to purchase food, wagons, teams, and other necessities for the Church exodus. The actual wages paid over the next year to the Mormon Battalion totaled nearly $30,000 of which about $6,000 sent back to Council Bluffs. ("The Pioneer Story: Pioneer Trail Map", LDS.org, archived from the original on March 5, 2012.) The reason more money was not sent back to the Saints was that the Battalion members still needed to provide for themselves so clothing, shoes and any personal gear that the Army didn’t furnish.  The one added benefit to the Saints left in Iowa in addition to the funds that were sent, was that, thanks to the Army, the Saints had 500 less people to feed.

Richard Carter, Hannah’s youngest surviving son, was one of the early volunteers as he was enrolled in Company B of the Battalion.  On July 13th an “All Camp” meeting was arranged at the Council Bluffs bowery where a call was made for volunteers.  Captain Allen expressed to the Saints that the Battalion, as it was later called, would probably see no battle action but would instead fill a supporting role. What Captain Allen failed to tell was the extreme conditions that the Battalion would encounter in their trek – over a trail that was much more challenging than the Mormon Trail route the bulk of the Saints would take to Utah.  The Battalion route was through deserts where food and water were scarce, they had limited rations, and struggled with their wagons through sand and hilly unimproved paths.  Considering the arduous nature of their travels, it is amazing that more Battalion members didn’t succumb during this trek. In any case, the volunteers began to sign up with Captain Allen’s dragoons acting as clerks.  Some officers were selected and three companies and part of a fourth were organized.  Approximately 250 to 350 men signed up that day. That evening they held farewell dance in the Bowery at the west end of the Grand Encampment.  The Carter family probably attended the dance with heavy hearts.

On July 14th and 15th the recruitment continued and four full companies were raised suggesting that Captain Allen now had approximately 400 volunteers.  July 16th was formally Muster Day – the day the recruits were officially accepted into service.  At mid-morning Captain Allen accepted the 4 and a half companies into service and assumed their command.  He thereby was elevated to the rank of Lt. Colonel of volunteers.  His first official order was to formally name this unit the “Mormon Battalion.”  On the afternoon of the 16th the command marched about 5 miles south to Peter Sarpy’s Trading post at Trader’s Point where they established their temporary camp.

July 17th and 18th were taken up by the men outfitting as they drew some supplies (blankets, cups, plates, etc.) from Sarpy’s stockpile.  The 18th, being a Saturday, a dance was organized in the afternoon at the Soldier’s Camp near Sarpy’s at 1 pm.  At 5:30 that evening President Young and others gave them "their last charge and blessing," which included a promise that their "lives should be spared and [their] expedition result in great good, and [their] names be handed down in honorable remembrance to all generations." (William Hyde, The Private Journal of William Hyde (privately published, 1962?), 19; spelling standardized. Cited at:  https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/historic-sites/journey-of-the-mormon-battalion?lang=eng 

On Sunday, July 19th most of the men were given furlough for the day.  Many hiked back to the Bluffs to see family again.  It is assumed that Richard most likely did this so he could see his wife and young children and parents one more time.  The day was given to much preaching in the Bowery as the now Lt. Colonel Allen was still filling out his 5th company of volunteers.

The plan was to leave and head south on the 20th but the volunteers were not ready yet.  More men actually enlisted that day.  The 21st began with rain in the morning.  This caused a further delay and they finally pushed off that afternoon and only made 3 or 4 miles to Mosquito Creek and had to encamp there for the night.  On the next day (the 22nd), the last of Co. E left Sarpy’s and joined the main command and they all proceeded towards Ft. Leavenworth. (Ironically the first Battalion death occurred that night of the 22nd/23rd when Pvt. Boley died in camp.) Thus, it was on July 23rd Richard finally marched off towards Ft. Leavenworth and to his destiny.

Nineteen or twenty members of the Mormon Battalion died during the march.  All died from diseases or accidents - as the Battalion never had to engage in any military actions, though they did skirmish with Indians a couple of times in California.  The 2000-mile trek from Council Bluffs to San Diego was arduous and two different sick detachments were sent back to Pueblo, Colorado and then on to Utah or in a few cases to Iowa.  Richard was a member of Lieutenant Willis's Pueblo detachment of the sick. He and Pvt Elijah Freeman, also of Co B, both died on 19 Nov 1846 as the detachment was traveling north along the Rio Grande. Lt. Willis in his letter (transcribed below) reported the graves were four miles south of Sacora on the Rio Grande.  No grave marker memorializes his last resting place.  The modern-day spelling of the earlier Indian village is Socorro, New Mexico, and can be found on the western side of the Rio Grande River on maps of the region. (See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Socorro,_New_Mexico

(Much of the detail above and edits to the information from Lt. Willis’ diary below was graciously provided by Kevin Henson, a historian for the Mormon Battalion Association.  They have an interactive map of the Battalion route at https://www.mapntour.com/viewer/?c=487  Their recent research has narrowed the last resting place of Richard as being between ¾ and 1 ½ south of Socorro.)

To try to provide the family with some feeling of what this journey was like in the last days of Richard’s life the following excerpts are from a letter dated 6 Aug 1869 written by Lt. William W. Willis found in the Church Historian’s Office correspondence files.

(see: https://catalog.churchofjesuschrist.org/assets?id=3442a609-08a3-41f4-ad8b-5c4629b96c58&crate=0&index=0) It must be noted that his account was written many years after the fact and without his original journal to refer to, so that are some inaccuracies which will be noted.  

The narrative begins with page 4 of the letter as Lt. Willis leaves Santa Fe.  “I think, on the first day of Nov. Col Cook issued marching orders accordingly the Battalion marched with 40 (actually 60) days rations being the only outfit deemed sufficient for that mighty march. His mules and oxen being in very low condition having made the trip from the States our road lay down the Rio Grande passing through the principal settlements of New Mexico to a place called Sacora at this place Col. Cook took the right-hand side of the river no wagons ever having traveled on that side.  His route lay over a rough rocky and sandy country so the Colonel attached ropes and pull and so walk that the wheels of the wagons would follow in their track.  This labor was so hard that men were daily dropping under the excessive fatigue on the morning of the 10th Nov (I think) (actually Nov 3) the sergeant reported James Hamilton (Hampton) fit for service and before night he was dead he died in the wagon the team stopping about 20 minutes to let him depart as it were in peace in the evening where we camped we buried him.

We continued our march till about the 12th (9th) when Col. Cook called a halt… On that portion of the Rio Grande over which we traveled fruit and vegetables were abundant and we all eat freely of both then the hard and excessive toil and labor that we had to perform under the scorching heat of  an almost tropical sun and the frequent use of the old iron spoon out of which all kinds of medicine was freely administered produced so much sickness in the ranks that the Col. Was obliged to order a halt and issued the following orders viz: …

iii That Leiut W W Willis assume command of the invalids and that he call upon Capt Berguin (Bergwin) at Alberquerque for assistance and report to the commander at Santa Fe and for orders… Active operations now commenced to carry into effect the forgoing orders and by 4 o’clock of same day we had collected fifty six invalids one big government wagon, four yoke of poor cattle, five days rations and two dressed sheep as a luxury for the sick Our bedding for the one wagon consisted of the clothing blankets cooking utensils tents and tent poles and their knapsacks(?) fifty six in number which surly made load enough, there on the top of all that must be placed those that were unable to walk.

With some difficulty I got a spade or two and a shovel but was provided with no medicine or other necessaries for sick men and only five days rations for a journey of three hundred miles.  Thus provided we commenced our lonesome march back to Santa Fee we traveled about two miles and camped and were visited that even by Capt Hurst (Capt Jefferson Hunt, Co A’s senior captain) and others who spoke words of comfort to us & blessed us administering the Church ordinances to the sick and bidding us God speed they left us.

Next day we resumed our march, in the evening camped near some springs of water, one yoke of our oxen got mired in the mud we took the yoke off and one got out the other we undertook to pull out but unfortunately broke his neck, our team was then too weak to pull our load, in the night Bro John Green died and we buried him by the side of Bro. Hampton (Nov 15th), what to do for team we did not know this was a dark time and many were the earnest petition that went up to our God and Father, to our joy the next morning we found with our oxen a pair of splendid good steers which cheered our spirits for we looked upon it as one of the kind providences of our Father in Heaven.

We marched two days more without meeting with any accident.  The night of the 15th Nov.(16th) we camped as usual. Bro Elijah Freeman was to night taken very ill, we hauled him next day (17th) in our wagon, he suffered extremely this night camped as usual, lay by next (18th) day for the benefit of Bro. Freeman whose groans and lamentations could be heard throughout the entire day it was a very cold and snow day Next (19th) day we resumed our march.  This day we halted for Bro. Freeman to die after which we continued our march till the usual time of camping we then buried his corpse To night Bro Richard Carter died next morning we buried him by the side of Bro Freeman, their graves are four miles south of Sacora on the Rio Grande…”  (Note: spelling and punctuation are as written.  Paragraphing is provided to help break up the narrative.) As to Richard’s cause of death, it was probably due to exposure and fatigue.  No one will ever know for sure.

Richard had turned 26 on 8 Aug 1846 and died three months and 11 days later.   Thus, ends the all to short life of Richard Harrison Carter.   It is fitting to end this short biography with two quotes.  The following is from President Brigham Young at the first reunion of the Mormon Battalion on 6 February 1855 where he stated:

The Mormon Battalion will be held in honorable remembrance to the latest generation; and I will prophesy that the children of those who have been in the army, in defence [sic defense] of their country, will grow up and bless their fathers for what they did at that time.  And men and nations will yet rise up and bless the men who went in that Battalion. ...As the Lord lives, ...you will never be forgotten, worlds without end, but you will be had in honorable remembrance, for ever and ever.  (Report of the First General Festival of the Reknowned Mormon Battalion, Which Came Off on Tuesday and Wednesday, Feb. 6 and 7, 1855, in the Social Hall, G.S.L City, reported by J. V. Long, reported by T. S. Williams, Deseret New Office [1855], p 17.  Copy in Historian’s Office Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Vault P, M273.42, R-425, 1855. https://ia800500.us.archive.org/14/items/reportoffirstgen00unse/reportoffirstgen00unse.pdf.)

Lastly, on 1 Nov 1997 at the rededication of the Mormon Battalion monument on the grounds of the State Capitol in Salt Lake City, President Gordon B. Hinckley stated: “I think our people generally don't know much about the Mormon Battalion. They know a few broad brush strokes, that's all. In my judgment, with the exception of the sufferings of the handcart pioneers of 1856, the Mormon Battalion suffered more than any other body of our pioneers. That's saying a very great deal, and I believe it with all my heart…Tremendous was their contribution!" he exclaimed. "Great was their suffering. Their loyalty can never be questioned. Their dedication, I think, was equal to any in all of the history of our people."  (Held 'in honorable remembrance,' by R. Scott Lloyd, Church News, 8 Nov 1997.)

Note:  To learn more about what happened to Richard’s family after his passing please see The Life of Hannah Parker (Wife of Richard Harrison Carter) by this author. It can be found at: https://www.familysearch.org/tree/person/memories/KWV3-YWX).

 Again, more can be found about the Mormon Battalion at http://www.mormonbattalion.com/


Saturday, August 15, 2020

Carter Family Reunion August 2019


Carter Family Reunion
August 2, 2019 (Day 1)

     Thank you for all who traveled across the continent to be with us and to those who helped with the arrangements.  To me it was like this day would never come and then            suddenly it came and was over in a blink of an eye.  The goal was to have a fun, educational and touching experience for all.  Hopefully we accomplished this.
 

We started the day with our first stop along County Line Road between Hancock and Adams Counties about 2/3 of a mile to the east of IL-96.  This is a significant location as we were stopped directly south of the properties owned by many of our relatives.  Sadly, there are no buildings remaining from the time that the Carter family lived in this part of Illinois.  Though nothing can be seen of their homes, in what is known as Walker Township, we can give general location for their lands.










This is a view from the gate along the north side of County Line Road.
  The land on immediately in the foreground is land that was purchased by Philip Libby Carter after the Mormon side of the family moved out.  Immediately north of this location – between a quarter and three quarters of a mile would have been where John Carter Sr., John Jr., Dominicus and William had land that they had purchased.  A little to the left would have been the property of Mary Jane Carter Dooley.  Actually the land on the opposite side of the road was owned by john Carter.
From this location we continued east on County Line Road until we reached County Road 850 and headed towards Tioga.  Along this read we stopped at the historical marker for Morley’s Settlement.
The story of the Carter family in Illinois was intertwined with the story of Isaac Morley and the settlement named after him. 
The Carters first became acquainted with Isaac in Kirtland, Ohio and again in Missouri.  Upon arriving in Illinois following being driven from Missouri, the Carters settled in the settlement founded by Morley some 25 miles south of Nauvoo. 
While we were at this site, I gave a brief history of Morley Settlement and our family’s time there.  Unbeknown to me Scott Allen recorded this short talk and shared it with us.  Click on the following link to view his recording.  https://youtu.be/7GxaNmT_Qno

 It is hard to visualize that this empty field today once housed the “downtown” village of Morley Settlement.  The tree line you see in the far background which is about a half mile from where this picture was taken was where our Carter clan had their lands. When the mobs came to Morley’s Settlement, they didn’t just burn the homes in the downtown, but they went from farm to farm destroying the homes of virtually all the families in the settlement. It was a miracle that during all this mobbing only one person, Edmund Durfee, lost his life. 
From the Morley’s Settlement sign, we traveled north into the village of Tioga and made a left on County Road 100 which runs along the north boundary of Walker Township. We didn’t actually stop along this road but if we had after we crossed the large power lines and came out of the woods, we would have been about due north of our first stop and could look south into the Carter Family properties.  Immediately on the south side of County Road 100 at this point would have been the larger of two pieces of property that were owned by Mary Jane Carter Dooley.  It was here that we suspect John spent the final few years of his life.  Further west on County Road 100 where it meets IL-96, on the southeast corner of that intersection is the larger of two tracks of land that William Furlsbury Carter owned. The large white house on that land has nothing to do with our family but is located on his former land.  From here we continued west on County Road 100 a little over a mile to the Fletcher Cemetery.
Over the years there has been much controversy over where John Carter was buried.  There are no written records stating his burial place and several suggestions have been put forward over the years.  Thanks to our cousin, Joe Conover, who descends from both Philip Libby Carter and Amanda Carter Tripp, we finally have come to agreement that John most surely was buried in the Fletcher Family Cemetery.  Joe was born on the land of Philip Libby Carter, were we had stop one this day.  His grandmother, Dora Carter Bolt, always stated that she was taught by her father that John was buried in Fletcher Cemetery.
  
Once it was determined where we believe John was buried the family organization conducted a fund-raising project to collect funds to buy a proper tombstone for John.  In 2018 we finally reached our goal and were able to purchase the stone in the photo above.  While at this location we discussed how we came to choose this location and I gave a brief life of John for the family.  Again, Scott Allen came through with a video of this activity.  The recording is found at: https://youtu.be/pZUongswp5k  .

                Following a dedication of the grave, we adjourned back to Tioga to the fellowship hall of the Bethany United Church of Christ where the Bethany Bells treated us to an excellent lunch.  This also allowed us time to sit and visit in a nice, air-conditioned environment.  Cousin Joe Conover and his collection of family memorabilia was the other focus of this stop.  As stated earlier he was born on the property of Philip Libby Carter and through is Grandmother Dora Carter Bolt he has come into possession of many items of early Carter family history.  For the first time ever the actual portrait of Hannah Knight Libby Carter was on display for all to see.  Joe, it should be known, personally paid for the restoration of this invaluable piece of our family history.  He also is in possession of many other family items.  There is a old, deerskin box probably made for Hannah by her father that houses many letters and documents dating from the 1840’s related to our family.  This was a very special treat for all who attended the reunion.  It should be noted that Joe is in the process of working with the Church History Department to transfer to their archive those items of historical significance, so these items can be permanently preserved for future generations to view.


                The party didn’t end here.  After our leisurely luncheon and artifact viewing, we adjourned to return to Nauvoo.  A few of us took in the Nauvoo Brass Band presentation that afternoon at the main Visitor’s Center in one of their meeting rooms.  This was historically important as William Furlsbury Carter did belong to the Nauvoo Marching Band back in the day.  It was reported in a newspaper article on him that as the Saints left Nauvoo, William and the rest of the band would be at the departure point, where the Saints crossed the Mississippi, and played the Nauvoo March.  I have long wanted to know if that music still exists.  The director of the Nauvoo Brass Band was very knowledgeable about the subject of early Nauvoo music and sadly reported that only two pieces of music unique to that period of the history of Nauvoo exist today and unfortunately the Nauvoo March is not one of them.

                We had dinner reservations for the group at the Nauvoo Hotel.  The buffet was enjoyed by all as we enjoyed the excellent buffet that they serve.  After partaking of the meal, we were able to enjoy an unhurried trip to the site of the Nauvoo Pageant down near the banks of the Mississippi thank to another local cousin, Jeff Zenk, who had reserved seats for us early in the afternoon so we could all sit together.  The evening ended on a high note with the excellent presentation of the British version of the Pageant.

               
Carter Family Reunion
August 3, 2019 (Day 2)

                Day two of the reunion was a less intense that the first day.  Many in attendance had been to Nauvoo in the past and had already viewed the sites that were suggested so they just did what they wanted.  For those who were new to Nauvoo we spent the morning checking out several sites in the far south end of the community that had ties to our Carter ancestors.

                We started with the properties owned by the Community of Christ known as the Joseph Smith Historic Site.  That was a proper place to start our day as Joseph Smith was well known to our family and it was to here that at least Dominicus and William helped bring the bodies of Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum.  We took tours of all the buildings and it was very enlightening to hear of the stories of the trials the Smith family (and their church) had in keeping possession of these properties.  As it turns out Joseph and Hyrum’s bodies were so well hidden over time that when they were interred in their final resting place it isn’t known for sure which body was Joseph’s and which was Hyrum’s.

Our group at the Joseph Smith family home site.

Below are the graves of Joseph, his brother Hyrum, and Emma.



           From this location we went north one street to Parley Street and followed it down to the banks of the Mississippi at Water Street.  There is a pioneer memorial naming many of the Saints who died on the trip west to the Rocky Mountains.  This is the point where the Saints either crossed over the ice of the river or used ferries to cross over to Iowa.  This would be the last place many of our family would ever be in Illinois.





Looking Westward Monument depicting Joseph Smith and Brigham Young.  They overlook the site where the Saints crossed the Mississippi to get to Iowa.







               This is the view of the Mississippi River from Parley and River Streets with Iowa in the background.


This is the pioneer memorial at this site.  It has inscribed the names of many of the Saints who died while crossing the plains.  It isn’t complete as the only family member mentioned here is Richard Carter, John and Hannah’s son who died while serving with the Mormon Battalion in New Mexico.






          The next stop of the morning was at the Seventies Hall.  William Furlsbury, Dominicus and Richard Carter were all set apart as Seventies.  The calling of a Seventy was to preach the gospel, and both William and Dominicus were called on multiple missions.  The records of their calling as Seventies is found here.

    
           The last formal stop of the morning was to the wheelwright and blacksmith shops which were the next building on Parley Street.  This stop was significant as so many of our family were in fact blacksmiths.  It isn’t often that you get to see operating shops like these today.

Wheelwright shop where they explained how the wheels were made for the wagons the Saints used to cross the plains.  They helped describe the making of the wagons and how they were made with inner changeable parts so broken-down wagons could supply parts for wagons that continued on the trail. 

               This is a typical blacksmith shop.  The missionary is an experienced blacksmith and he explained how a blacksmith shop operated and actually used and forge and anvil to create a miniature horse shoe so those in attendance could see how this process worked.

                Most of the Carter men were blacksmiths.  Some of William Furlsbury’s blacksmith tools are found in the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers Museum in Salt Lake City.

               All good things have to end and that evening (again thanks to Elmer Zenk roping off seats for us) we were able to meet together one last time and enjoy the Nauvoo version of the Pageant.  We wish all of you could have been there with us but we know that those that attended were treated to a great experience.







The following are comments about the reunion from some of those who attended:
For us, the Carter reunion in Nauvoo was absolutely wonderful!  We enjoyed everything!  It was well organized and very informative.  It was a delight to meet and visit with extended cousins especially those who live in Illinois, Joe Conover and jeff Zenk.  I especially lived seeing where my Carter ancestors lived and learning more about them. It was a special and sacred esperience to witness the dedication of Grandpa John Carter's grave site marked with a new beautiful headstone. Joe's treasures, including the portrait of Hannah Carter, were awesome to see and the luncheon provided by the ladies of the Bethany United Church of Christ was simply delicious.
While in Nauvoo, we took advantage of seeing all the restored sites as well as the shows at both pageants.  The pageants were magnificent and we really appreciate Jeff Zenk who saved seats for us both nights.
This was a perfect opportunity to remember and honor my Carter ancestors, and doing so left a special place in my heart for them. Since returning home, I have been reading the history Bob wrote about John and Hannah Carter found on FamilySearch.  They are very interesting.  Bob, thank you so much for all you have done.  We really appreciate your time and effort!
Our pioneer ancestors provided a heritage of faith, courage and sacrifice for all of us - these are lessons from the past and a unifying force for the future.  We will never forget this reunion and look forward to the next one in two years.
Nancy Gamble Jensen (Descendant of Dominicus and Mary Ette Durfee Carter)
Jay Jensen

This is the first extended Carter family reunion that we have attended. The fact that it was in Nauvoo was a draw. Just a few of the things we enjoyed most about the reunion were: having time at lunch to meet so many cousins that we never knew we had and would never have met in any other way. It was also wonderful to be taught about our ancestors and to see where they lived and the burial site. Without all of the research that Bob and others have done it would never have been possible for us to find those sites or have that kind of learning about our ancestors. The heirloom items that Joe brought were also choice to see. We are really happy that we were able to participate in this terrific reunion!
Reese and Eva Jean Carter
Mantua, Utah

Ahoy all:  What a wonderful experience we have shared! It is a pleasure to respond to the “Assignment.”
For me the highlight of the reunion was friendship—both making new friends and renewing contact with old friends. And among the second of these, in addition to living friends who I’ve come to know in earlier reunions, I include renewing and expanding my appreciation and love for deceased friends such as for my great great grandfather John Carter (thanks, Bob, for teaching us more about John and for doing such a wonderful job of planning and organizing the reunion!).
Cheers, Cody Carter

The highlight for me personally was leaning more about our family.  I was great to learn more about our faith-filled ancestors and the other early saints in direct, first hand experiences and stories.  Some highlights were visiting the family land area, the grave dedication, Joe's box of treasures, etc.  Another highlight for me was meeting several new family members and getting to know them and to see everyone's appreciation for our ancestors.  I am excited to get to know each other better and to work on family events and family history going forward.

My family enjoyed increased faith through the many testimonies that were shared through histories & stories, performances & re-enactments.  We especially liked the British Pageant with its powerful & personal stories of faith and sacrifice.  My 10-year-old daughter left thinking that we might be wasting the last two weeks of her summer, but ended up saying how she loved the trip and that she felt a special Spirit through these experiences.

Thanks for organizing such a great event!  We look forward to the next one here in Utah.

Warm regards,
Sam & Jaycie Robinson & kids & Lauraine (Carter) Snow


Just one more item for now:  The officers for the Family Organization going forward were elected by those attending the reunion.  For the next two years the officers of the John and Hannah Knight Libby Carter Organization are:
Robert Givens - President (regivens1120@gmail.com)
Cody Carter – Vice President
Val Dunn - Treasurer
Kathy Robbins Wise - Secretary
Glenda Wright – Family Genealogist
Charles Carter - Webmaster
Scott Allen - Publicist
Todd Robbins – Social Media Specialist