Pioneer Memories As Related by C.W. Anderson ~ from the Johanna Madsen Hafen Collection

C.W. Anderson wrote this as second person version.  The red marks made on the original manuscript changes it to "first person".

In the year 1854 a company of people set sail from Scandinavia.  It took them nine days to cross the North Sea, with their sailing vessel.  This same distance with distance now with steamers can be traveled in less than three days.  On their way to Liverpool they were nearly ship wrecked.  They left Liverpool on Christmas Eve.  That same night they were driven on dry land on the other side of the English Channel (France).  Here they had to wait til the tide came in to carry them off the land.  They found their ship was damaged and had to go back to Liverpool for repairs.  On the way back, when in the middle of the channel, they collided with another ship and almost went down. After arriving at Liverpool, they had to stay at a boarding place for six weeks, waiting for another ship.  It took them nine weeks to go from Liverpool to New Orleans.
They were then driven by the tide as far south as the Isthmus of Panama.

On their trip they buried fourteen people in the ocean.  They were followed three days by pirates, who were at times so close that their faces could be seen.
The people on board got their guns, knives and four cannons on board ready for use, if needed, should an attack be made.  For some reason the pirates changed their minds.

In crossing the Gulf of Mexico there was a man who fell overboard.  When they arrived in New Orleans, the people were having a sale or trade on negroes.  In going up the Mississippi River in a steamer to St. Louis there were five people who fell overboard, but no attention was paid to them.  It took two weeks to make the trip up the river.

At St Louis the cholera broke out among them, and during the two weeks while the went by boat from St. Louis to Fort Leavenworth there were a great many that died.

While crossing the plains they saw buffaloes by the thousands.  The pioneers had to corral their cattle at night.  This was done by driving their wagons in a circle with the cattle inside the circle.  Sometimes in the day the buffalo were so thick that they would stampede their teams.  But they were not allowed to shoot them for fear they would fight.

The party reached Salt Lake on the 27th of September 1855.  During the winter of 1855-1856 it was very severe. The snow was three feet deep in Brigham City.  Many of the cattle starved to death, and their meat was all the people had to eat because the grasshoppers had taken their crop.  Therefore, when ever an animal died their meat was eagerly taken.  In the spring and summer about all there was to subsist on was sego roots and thistle stalks. One day mother, by mistake ate a poisonous sego, and results was convulsions and almost death.  They had no bread whatever from Christmas until the 24th of July.  The second year after arriving in Utah, however, was a better one, and they thought the crop was a good one.  It is strange to remember that they had been almost three years before a pig was seen.

One morning, during the first year, the mother and son of this family went out into the fields to look at their wheat and found it frozen.  They had started for home in dismay.  They became very hungry having not had anything to eat all day, and very little for previous days.  They came to a small spring of cold water, but before drinking, they blessed the water, and when they drank it, it satisfied their hunger, so that they were not hungry the rest of the day.

In the early spring of 1859,or March 20th, 1859, this family were among the original pioneers to Mt. Pleasant.  And since that time  have always had plenty and been happy and content.  Up to this time the men were mostly dressed in buckskin, both shirt and pants, and in many instances mostly bare footed.

The first construction in Mt. Pleasant was the fort which was built of rocks located on the block where the old Union Store and Opera House now stands (Madsen's Store) (2013 Recreation Center).  The first adobe house was built first house south of where the Armory Hall now stands (Wheeler's Drive In 2013).  The second house was where Mrs. Wise now lives (?), and the third by Nils Widergreen, on the block now owned by Wasatch Academy.  The adobies were made by John Waldermar.

Sometimes when people didn't have access to a cradle, they pulled the wheat up by the roots with their bare hands, and when this was done, the stacks would be as black as the ground.  The women and the girls always helped in the fields.  The Indians  often caused a great deal of trouble to the pioneers.

Plowing was done with ox teams, sowing by hand, reaping with a cradle, binding of bundles by hand, threshing was done by oxen stepping on the grain, and cleaning was done by the wind.

One particular plow, and that was a good one, was made entirely by wood, with the exception of about 5 percent iron. Iron was very scarce..

At the first celebration in Mt. Pleasant 1860, an oxen was killed and a public dinner was given in the bowery, built just east of the now social hall. A pitch pine arch in  each corner of the bowery furnished light for evening, many dancing barefoot on the dirt floor.  Music was furnished by John Waldemar and James Hansen.  Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves.

(The family referred to was the Niels Widergreen Anderson Family)

PIONEER OF THE MONTH = MAY 2009 ELIZA CUSWORTH BURTON STAKER

ELIZA CUSWORTH BURTON STAKER was born January 19, 1824 in Lockwood, near Huddersffield, Yorkshire, England. Her parents were John and Martha Brook Cusworth. They were well-to-do farmers. Eliza was one of four children, two boys and two girls, one brother and one sister having died. She attended the schools of England getting a common education for that time.

At the coronation of Queen Victoria, Eliza was a flower girl. There was a large number of small girls who acted in this capacity, carrying flowers and singing "God Save the Queen".

She married Joseph Burton June 8,1846. The lived very happily for a few years during which time two children, a son Frend Burton (known as Joseph Friend) and a daughter, Martha Ann were born to them.

About this time Mormon Elders, Joseph E. Young and Cyrus Wheelock, came to that part of England. Joseph attended their meetings, heard them explain the Gospel, believed it, and purchased a Book of Mormon, which he started reading. Soon there were bad stories going round about these Mormon Elders. Eliza hearing them worried a great deal. She coaxed her husband not to read the book or have anything to do with these elders. He told her not to worry and kept on. She felt very badly about it.

After retiring to her bed one night, she could not sleep. It was very dark and as she lay there thinking and praying about her trouble, the room suddenly began to get light and the light increased until the room was light as noon day. Then the light disappeared as it had come until all was dark. After seeing this she could never say a word against the Mormons and it was a testimony to her that their Gospel was true. Soon after this she and her husband were baptized, and then began saving money and making prepartations to emigrate to Utah. Joseph Burton joined the church, and traveled around as a local Elder during the time they were preparing to come to Zion.

Joseph was what they called in England, a carrier. He delivered goods from the depot to the stores, and while working he lifted too heavily and broke a blood vessel. In a short time this caused his death. His dying request was that Eliza gather with the Saints and do their work in the temple, and raise the children among the Latter Day Saints in Zion. She promised him she would do this.

Sometime before this her father had died, and her mother and brother, who did not believe in Mormonism were very much opposed to her going and tried every way possible to persuade her not to go. They promised to take care of her and the children and that they would never want for anything as long as they lived if they would only stay with them. Her husband's people, who were in the mercantile business, were also very much opposed to her leaving and tried hard to get her to give up her foolish journey, as they called it. They promised to care for her and the children and give her any amount she would name, to live on with them, but not one cent to help her leave England.

These were trying times for Eliza, but she knew the gospel was true. She had made promises to her dying husband and was determined to fulfill them. So in the spring of 1856 she packed her trunks and left her home, relatives and friends, and started on a journey of six thousand miles with her two little children. The only one of her relatives who would go and see her off was Benjamin Burton, he husband's brother, who carrried her little girl, Martha to the depot and bid them good-bye. This was the last she saw or heard of her relatives for twelve long years, during which time her mother died.

The first part of the journey was accomplished by train to Liverpool and here they took passage on the good ship "Horizon", a sailing vessel, and were seven weeks on the ocean. This was considered a good trip at that time. She suffered a good deal from sea sickness. For about ten days she was unable to even care for her children.

They went by train and boat from New York to Council Bluffs, Iowa. When they arrived there, they found they were too late. The last wagon had gone and there was no other way, but to wait for handcarts to be made and go that way.

I do not think they realized the great distance it was nor the time it would take them to get there, it being 1300 miles from Council Bluffs to Salt Lake City, and it was late in the season to undertake such a long journey.

On July 15, 1856, Captain James G. Willie and a large company of hand cart immigrants left Iowa City for Salt Lake Valley, and about two weeks later Captain Edward Martin led a similar group out toward the West, despite the fact that both had been warned that the season was too far advanced for such a lengthy journey. With hearts filled with high faith, eager to reach Zion, the promised land, the Saints could not be dissuaded from the journey. In the middle of July with the sun scorching hot, who could picture severe winter weather three months away? Besides, was not the Lord with them, their vanguard and their rear guard? With eyes set upon the western horizon the handcarters began their journey in joy. In most part they were converts from Europe who had pictured for weeks their great adventure.

The Martin Company, which Eliza and her friends were in, started from Iowa City on July 30, 1856. The handcarts were hurriedly made and had wooden axles lined with leather. For this reason the had to stop very often for repairs and did not reach Salt Lake until November 30, 1856.

When the handcarts were ready, the people were told they would have to leave most of their belongings, as they could only bring necessities on the hand carts. Her trunks containing silverware, linens, bed sheets, and lots of her valuable clothing had to be left behind and she never received a cent for it. Eliza pulled the cart and her little boy, Frend (Joseph), aged seven walked all the way, and helped his mother pull the cart part of the time. The little girl, Martha, four years old, rode.

The company was composed of five hundred men, women and children, one fourth of whom died on the way. The first part of the journey, they got along quite well, but after awhile their food began to give out. The women stood it better than the men. Thus they plodded on day after day, and month after month, trying to encourage one another. At night they would gather around the camp fires after supper and sing songs. Come, Come Ye Saints was one of the favorite sings.

Eliza waded the Sweetwater River three times in one evening. First she took her boy across on her back. When she reached the other shore she put him down, but he was frightened and tried to follow her back. She was forced to tie him to a nearby tree while she went back to get his sister. She then had to make the third trip to get her handcart. She spent part of the night drying her clothing and it was freezing weather.

They were advised not to travel on Sunday, but on account of it being late in the season they did not heed this advice. But when they traveled on Sunday, they nearly always had some trouble and many of them felt that they were doing wrong by not obeying counsel. Towards the latter part of their journey they were told their food was almost gone and were put on very short rations, one fourth of a pound of flour for each person a day. Mother had gold in her pocket, and she and her children were starving. At one time there were nine persons who died in one night of cholera, caused by drinking alkali water.

When Wyoming was reached they ran entirely out of food. They would still have to travel one month to reach Salt Lake City. The ranchers would sell them no food, but sold them some pelts of deer and mountain sheep that were dry and old. These were soaked, scraped of hair and cleaned the best they could be and cooked. The soup was thickened with their last remaining flour. Eliza and her children suffered greatly. Her little son Joseph carried the marks of their perilous journey to his grave, as his foot was frozen and he lost two of his toes.

President Brigham Young heard of these poor handcart people marooned in the snow at Martin's Cove and immediately sent teams and food to assist them to Salt Lake City. Martin's Cove was a small valley between the mountains and a small rolling hill in front. There was a stream running through the cove and it was somewhat protected from the bad weather. But they did not have sufficient food and many of them died here in this cove.

When Eliza reached Salt Lake, she made inquiry for William Cusworth, a cousin who had gone there earlier in the season with an ox team train and with whom she intended to make her home for a while. She found he had become discouraged and apostatized, and had taken his family back to Iowa where he located. She was taken to the home of Isaac Laney where she was taken care of and stayed for a few weeks.

Then she and her children were taken to Pleasant Grove, Utah. Here she met Nathan Staker, a widower with several children. The bishop had introduced them and advised Nathan to take her as a wife. The bishop had said that the marriage would mean a home for Eliza and her children and a mother for Nathan's children. So they were married February 18, 1857. Nathan was considerably older than Eliza, a difference of twenty-three years. But they got along well together and were happy and she was a good mother to his small children and he a real father to hers.

Their first child, James Benjamin Staker was born February 7, 1858. In 1859 they came to Mt. Pleasant where the helped pioneer Sanpete County. They went through the Indian Wars, grasshopper war, and passed through many hardships incident to pioneer life. Later four girls were born to them, Cornelia, Eliza Jane, Josephine, and Elizabeth Ellis. Eliza was a stepmother to Nathan's children.

Nathan Staker died May 29, 1883 at 83 years of age. He was buried in Mt. Pleasant, Utah June 2, 1883.

Eliza lived until 1914. She was visiting a daughter, Eliza Jane Day, in Fairview when she took very ill and died three weeks later, April 9, 1914. She was buried in Mt. Pleasant beside her husband. She was ninety years old and had been a widow for thirty one years.

Eliza was a faithful Latter-Day-Saint. She always attended her meetings, paid her tithing, was a good Relief Society worker. She taught her children to be honest Latter Day Saints. Her living descendents at the time of her death numbered ninety six: two sons, four daughters, forty five grandchildren, and forty five great grandchildren.

Written by Eliza Jane Staker Day - a daughter
Written in Fairview, Utah May 14, 1924

James Burns ~~~ Pioneer of the Month - December 2008

WHO WAS SHERIFF JAMES BURNS?

James Christopher Burns was the son of John and Lydia Ann Porter Burns. He was born in Linden-Rock Port, Atchison Missouri in September of 1849. His parents were headed for California in the Great Gold Rush of 1849.
At the place known as “the Last Crossing of the Sweetwater”, in the State of Wyoming, two-month old baby James Burns was found by a company of other travelers. He was lying at his mother’s breast. Both parents lay cold in the embrace of death. They had succumbed to the deadly disease of cholera. Deadly cholera is a very contagious disease. One brave soul from the company by the name of Milton Dailey risked his life to save the baby, if possible. The kind-hearted people of the wagon train did what they could for the baby, and they put forth efforts to find any relatives.

Arriving in Salt Lake City, they found the Saints gathering for conference, and Milton Dailey, gave the baby to Brigham Young who held him in his arms before the conference gathering, told of his parents tragic death and asked for information. The baby’s aunt, his mother’s sister, was among the saints and claimed the child.

He was then taken to the home of his grandmother at Provo, Utah. His early boyhood and manhood was spent in Mt. Pleasant, where he was educated and grew to the type of man that earned the love and respect of all who came in contact with him.

He fell in love with Matilda Josephine Anderson. It was thought by many to be “love at first sight”. James Burns often remarked that when he gazed into Matilda’s eyes of blue, he knew she was the one being in the world to make him happy. They were married on the 22nd March 1869.

After the Blackhawk War, he made friends with the red men, allowing his children to play with them, learn the Indian songs and dances, and many of their phrases.

James Burns prospered and progressed and became the Sheriff of Mt. Pleasant, and later served the people of Sanpete County in the same capacity.

Then on the 24th of September 1894, he received a telegraph notice from Scott Bruno, asking him to meet him in the morning at Moroni, as there had been a sheep stealing case.

The following is taken from the writings of Niels Heber Anderson:
‘Bill Brewer, Scott Bruno, Niels Heber Anderson and Sheriff James Burns confronted sheep rustlers at Reader’s Ridge back of the Horseshoe Mountain. Evidence of the changing of the ear marks and brands made it quite clear that certain sheep had been stolen.

Sheriff Burns made an attempt to place the rustlers under arrest without first disarming them. As he approached them, they shot and killed the sheriff, then warned the other men that if they did not stay out of the affair, they would receive the same treatment as had been given the sheriff.

Bill Brewer and Anderson brought the news to Spring City and Mt. Pleasant. Thomas Braby, with the Mt. Pleasant Militia, was soon on the scene of the shooting, and the body of James C. Burns was taken to Mt. Pleasant. Although the Militia searched and guarded for a couple of weeks in the ledges and dense timber, the murderers were never apprehended.
“James Burns’ life was short but some there are who do not have to live long to accomplish big things. He was killed in the performance of his duty.” Olivia Burns – daughter in law and author of James Burns History