David Norton Jr.

• Name: David Norton Jr.
• Born: October 23, 1796 Pendleton, Kentucky
• Died: After September 28, 1860 Lehi, Utah
• Related through: Dan's grandfather Heber Langford 

David Jr. was born 1796 in Pendleton, Kentucky near Falmouth. This was during his father's (David Sr.) first move into upper Kentucky. The family was hardly in Pendleton County long enough for David Jr. to be born before they moved on to Ohio and Indiana. Then in 1810 David Sr. acquired 3,000 acres in the western part of Pendleton County, Kentucky. They developed this land until this father’s death in 1814.

David Jr. and his brother, Henry Norton along with their cousin William Norton, signed on in the Kentucky Mounted Volunteer Militia commanded by Col. William Mountjoy to fight in the War of 1812. David was 16, Henry 22, William 20.

The Volunteers left Kentucky Aug 31, 1813 and rode to Canada for the Battle of the Thames where Chief Tecumseh was killed and the British were defeated. David's group was in the thickest part of the battle and it appears David lost his horse in the hand to hand conflict. On October 5 The British commander formed the British regulars in line of battle at Moraviantown and planned to trap Harrison on the banks of the Thames, driving the Americans off the road with his cannons. Tecumseh's warriors took up positions in a swamp on the British right to catch the American's in the flank. Despite the Indians' flanking fire James Johnson broke through; the British cannon having failed to fire. Immediately the British turned and fled the field, many of them surrendering.

Chief Tecumseh remained and kept up the fighting. Colonel Richard Johnson who commanded the Kentucky cavalry charged into Chief Tecumseh's position to draw attention away from the main American force. David must have been in the thick of the fighting and David lost his horse in the battle.

Tecumseh and his warriors answered with a volley of musket fire that stopped the cavalry charge in its tracks. Fifteen of the men were killed or wounded and Johnson himself was hit five times. Johnson's main force became bogged down in the mud of the swamp. Tecumseh was killed in this fighting; The main force finally made its way through the swamp and James Johnson's troops were freed from their attack on the British. With the American reinforcements converging and news of the death of Tecumseh spreading quickly the Indian resistance dissolved.

On November 5, 1813, they mustered out of the Mounted Volunteers. They had traveled all the way to Canada and back. He was later reimbursed $50 for a horse he had lost while in this militia. Six months after David was mustered out of the Kentucky Mounted Militia David's father died. David was only 18 and most of the family was still very young. With the death of David Sr. the family must have gone in separate directions. Samuel Norton the oldest brother was married and living in Bourbon, KY. Henry Norton only recently married was in Grant, KY.

David married Elizabeth Benefield February 10, 1820 in Fayette, Indiana and their first child (John Wesly) was born just nine months later on 6th of November 1820 near New Lisbon, Henry County, Indiana. The family moved to northern Indiana soon thereafter and the next two children (twins James Wiley and Melissa Isabell) were born in Stuben, Indiana which is in the North East section of the state.

March 10, 1825 David Norton Jr. purchased land in the town of Dudley, Henry County, Indiana. This is very close to the National Road pushing west from Pennsylvania. There is a John Norton who also bought land in Dudley about a mile from David in July of 1823. Perhaps this is David's younger brother. Three children were born to David and Elizabeth in Henry County. Henry b. 1826, Hyram Fletcher b. 1829 (Hyram Fletcher our ancestor is possibly named after Capt William Norton's brother Fletcher Norton.) and Isabelle b. 1836.

David is listed in the 1830 census in Henry County, Indiana with his wife and 5 children. Also listed is John Norton, with a wife and three children.

In 1830 a new religion was organized in upstate New York called the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and commonly referred to as Mormons. On October 1, 1831 David Norton records that he joined this church. If so he was a very early convert indeed. The Mormon Church had barely established a center at Kirtland, Ohio in the spring of 1831.

In the Church Conference of April 1831 Joseph Smith announced that the elders of the church would travel to Independence, Missouri to organize the church there. But he instructed the elders to travel to Missouri by different routes preaching and baptizing as they went. Since David Norton's home was very close to the National Road which was a main conduit to the West, it's likely that the Mormon Elders stopped by on their way to Missouri and their return. It is certainly during this period that David Norton was introduced to the Mormon Church. He records being baptized Oct 1, 1831 which coincided nicely with the return of the Elders from Missouri. The Norton home on the National Road was certainly a rest stop for the Mormon travelers going between Kirtland, Ohio and Missouri.

In August of 1838 David moved his family to Missouri. He bought 160 acres of land just three miles from Haun's Mill, near present day Catabwa in Caldwell County. Just three months after David bought land in Caldwell County one of the most horrific incidents of the Missouri persecution of the Latter-day Saints took place.

As tensions grew in northwest Missouri following the Battle of Crooked River in October 1838, the Prophet Joseph Smith asked Jacob Haun, leader of the Haun’s Mill residents, to remove his people from the remote site to the relative safety in numbers at Far West. Jacob Haun returned to his mill and his small community, feeling safe in spite of the Prophet's warning.

Late in the afternoon of October 30, 1838, a band of approximately 240 armed Missourians under the command of Colonel Thomas Jennings rode into town, slashing and destroying all in their path. The sisters took the children and ran for the woods, many of the men and boys sought shelter from the hail of gunfire in an unfinished blacksmith shop. It was butchery as the renegade militiamen fired through the unchinked logs into the shop, killing or wounding all present, including ten-year-old Sardius Smith, who was murdered by a point-blank musket shot.

Eighteen of Jacob Haun's people were killed, and another fifteen were wounded that afternoon. The survivors hid in the woods through the night, fearing further action by the marauding militia. The bodies of those who died that day were gathered and buried in a mass grave that had started out as a well that was unfinished when the mob came into town. The survivors fled to Far West, telling the Saints there of what became known as the Haun's Mill Massacre.

From the obituary of David’s daughter Melissa Norton Allred we get a picture of how the Norton family fared in the massacre.

"Melissa with her parents joined the church in an early day and moved from Indiana when twelve years old to the state of Missouri in President A.0. Smoot's company; settled near Haun's Mill; shared in the persecutions of the Saints and came near being in the Haun's Mill Massacre. Her father and family gathered to the mill for protection on the night before the massacre.

Father Norton had a premonition that trouble would occur and that if he remained he would be slain. His home being in a rather secluded place he returned with his family and consequently they escaped injury. The day after the massacre, David Evans and others of the survivors took refuge in a thicket on Brother Norton’s farm. To them in the company of her mother, Melissa carried provisions until peace was restored."

The Norton family fled the persecution in Missouri and went to Iowa (perhaps Pikes Co.) where they purchased a farm in the spring of 1839. In 1841 David Norton moved the family to Nauvoo, Illinois and purchased a farm four miles east and two miles south of Nauvoo. The City of Nauvoo became the largest settlement in the West and anyone who has been to Nauvoo, knows how the Mormon's built a great and prosperous city. The Norton's also participated and helped build the temple there. David, Elisabeth and their oldest son John Westly received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple on February 3, 1846 and the temple was closed four days later.

David Norton was also indicted as one of those involved with the burning of the Expositor. This is same event that sent Joseph Smith to the Carthage Jail.

By May of 1846 the Norton family had moved to Winter Quarters in Iowa. In the spring of 1847 it was time for the Mormons to begin the trek west. The two eldest sons of David Norton Jr, John Westly and James Wiley, were appointed by Brigham Young to come with the original group. But when Brigham Young found that the wife of James Wiley was expecting a child he released him to stay with her. John Westly was among the first group to leave. He was a member of the 12th Company of ten and was assigned to gather wild game for the party. This 1st group entered the valley of the Great Salt Lake on July 24th, 1847. Within a few weeks of reaching Salt Lake Valley, John Westly started back to Council Bluffs, Iowa for his wife and family. Because of insufficient funds he had to find work in Missouri during the winter of 1847 and spring of 1848 to earn enough for the family to travel west.

When John Westly and the first group left for Salt Lake Valley in 1847, David Jr. was 51. He was ordained a High Priest by Heber C. Kimball in December of 1847. He and Elisabeth remained in Winter Quarters till John Westly returned and traveled to the Great Salt Lake with John Westly and his wife. The Nortons came to Utah with the Heber C. Kimball Company in 1848. They left Iowa in June and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September.

That same year Sam Brannan began the Gold Rush in California. By the summer of 1848, Brannon’s camp had over a hundred men. Samuel Brannan, the "Spiritual Guide and director for the Mormon population of New Helvetia and other districts of California" opened a store there. The camp was called Mormon Island because the early miners cut a channel across one edge of the gravel bar there, forming a small island. The town quickly outgrew the small gravel bar.

David and Elisabeth Norton and family went to the gold fields of California in 1849. One of the most unusual developments involving Mormons and California gold took place in the fall of 1849, Brigham Young, going against his better judgment, permitted a few older leaders to "call" young men of their choice on a "mission" to California to mine for gold. Prominent among these men was Henry Bigler, whose diary set the accepted date of the original discovery of gold at Coloma, and George Q. Cannon, who later became an influential counselor in the church's First Presidency.

Bigler joined a company of about twenty gold missionaries, with James M. Flake as captain. They left Salt Lake Valley on October 11, 1849 and arrived at Colonel Williams's Ranch (near present-day Chino) on December 11, after a difficult journey during which they temporarily became part of the "Death Valley" group that attempted to take a short cut to the California mines. This train of gold missionaries traveled with the train that gave Death Valley its name. They turned off north of Moutain Meadows and traveled through Panaca, Nevada.

Captain Jefferson Hunt who was the leader of the Mormon Battalion, settled in Salt Lake City in 1847. Soon thereafter, Hunt proposed traveling back to California to bring food and supplies for other recent Utah arrivals. Mormon authorities approved this proposal, and Hunt undertook this journey with Porter Rockwell, several former Mormon Battalion members, and two of his own sons. Later he guided several parties of gold prospectors from Utah to California. One of the groups he led to California became impatient at his slow progress, and many of the party members elected to abandon Hunt's group, and follow their own route to California. They became the infamous Death Valley '49ers. Those staying with Hunt made the journey without serious incident.

I am not sure which group the Norton family traveled with into California or if it both of these accounts were all about same group. But the family is listed in the 1850 census in El Dorado, California. David listed his occupation as a hotel keeper. There is one interesting family legend about their trip to California about David's youngest daughter. Allegedly on the way to Sacramento the wagon train was attacked by Indians. David's youngest daughter held a Book of Mormon in front of her chest for protection and a bullet pierced the book in her hands. Her family is supposed to still have the book.

The Norton Family returned to Utah in 1851. We get this account from someone in their party. "In September 1851, we sold out our store and freighting teams. Buying an outfit of saddle horses and pack mules, we joined a party of Mormons and headed for home. Our company consisted of thirty-four men with pack outfits and three light wagons belonging to the Norton family. They were the only women and children in the outfit. We were delayed some time by the reports that the Indians were on the warpath and very bad. We finally got started and everything went along all right until one morning when we were camped on the inside of a horseshoe bend of the Humboldt River. I didn't like the place because the willows lining the opposite bank surrounded us on three sides. The others preferred it because of the good pasture and the ease with which the horses could be herded inside the bend. Having seen no sign of Indians up to that time, we were getting careless. There was one man who was very anxious to get back to his girl in Salt Lake City "Before the bishop ran off with her," he said. He always got up just before daylight, lighted the fire and put on the coffee pot. For a week we traveled only at night, lying by in the daytime to let our animals feed and rest. We could see by their signal fires along the mountain sides that the Indians, no doubt hoping for a favorable chance to attack, were watching us. But we had grown cautious. As it was late in the fall the grass was dry and scarce. Our animals got very poor and some fell out every few miles. This made traveling so slow that our grub gave out while we were still two hundred miles from the settlements. Leaving five of us boys to stay with the poorest horses and get them along as best we could, the rest took the more able animals and pushed on ahead. I thought John had outgrown his fear of Indians but the first night of this separation while he and I were getting into our bed he said, "Tommy, I thought the Indians would get me back on the Humboldt. Did I look scared?" I had no time to answer for just then an Indian dog came trotting up to the fire. We took this as a warning that the Indians were still on our trail and very close. So, leaving a large fire burning, we very quietly saddled up and traveled all night. This practice we kept up for the rest of our journey to Box Elder, the first Mormon settlement. There we left all but our saddle horses and rode on to Salt Lake City."

After returning to Salt Lake where they purchased lots where the Denver and Rio Grande depot now stands. In 1855, they moved to Lehi and were active in building that town.

David is described as a small, blond, quiet and kind man. Elizabeth, his wife, is mentioned as large, brunette, and ambitious. Many of her family were in the South during the Civil War and she was constantly inquiring after news of the war and her family. In fact it is mentioned that the last thing she requested before she died was news of the South. Both are buried in the old Lehi Cemetery.

Thanks to Scott Norton for doing so much research and placing this history and maps on his nortonfamily.net webstie. His info on David Norton Jr. can be found here

Stephen Chase and Orryanna Rowe

• Stephen Chase 1799-1847
• Orryanna Rowe 1784- ? (after 1851)
• Related through: Dan's grandfather Lynn Crookston

Stephen, the son of Phebe and Barry Chase, began life April 11, 1779 in Frederickstown, Dutchess, New York. Orryanna, daughter of David Rowe and Mary Thomas, was also born in Dutchess County, about twenty-five miles further north. She was born on June 1, 1784 at Sharon, near the town of Amenia. It was an agricultural area settled by families of poor to modest means.

By 1790, the Barry Chase and David Rowe families had both taken up new land at Providence, Saratoga, New York. Stephen and Orryanna married May 12, 1799, probably in Providence.

Families of that time were often moving west in search of new opportunities. Stephen and Orryanna made their way to western New York where the new county of Jefferson had been created. They were among the earliest settlers of Ellisburg and stayed there for fifteen years. Seven of their twelve children were born in Ellisburg, located near the mouth of Sandy Creek and Lake Ontario.

When the United States declared war on England in 1812, Jefferson County became the scene of active military and naval operations. Sackets Harbor, an important shipbuilding center, became the headquarters for the army and navy on the northern frontier. Many volunteers were recruited to defend the area against British and Canadian forces. Stephen Chase became a private in the 11th Regiment, 715th Infantry. For his service in the War of 1812, he was later awarded a land grant in the newly opened military tract in Illinois. A document signed by President James Monroe in 1817 granted him 160 acres in what was then Pike County.

Stephen, Orryanna and eight of the children began a difficult and remarkable 2,000-mile boat journey to the Illinois frontier on September 10, 1820. Their daughter Asenath, who had recently married David Wallace, remained in Jefferson County. According to son Eli, the family entered the water at the mouth of Sandy Creek and crossed Lake Ontario to the Niagara River. They entered Lake Erie, crossed into Lake Chautauqua and entered the Allegheny River at the town of Warren in Pennsylvania. The journey took them many miles down the Allegheny to Pittsburgh and then down the Ohio River to Cincinnati where they spent the winter. Baby Stephen, who had been but a few weeks old when they left Ellisburg, died at Cincinnati and was buried there.

In the spring of 1821, the family resumed their travel down the Ohio until it met the Mississippi. From there, they went up the Mississippi and into the Illinois River. Two more children died along the way. The long river journey had cost them three children.

The Military Tract of Illinois included all of the land in the west central part of the state between the Mississippi and Illinois Rivers. Over three million acres were set aside as bounty lands for volunteer soldiers in the War of 1812. When Stephen Chase arrived to claim his 160 acres, he joined about twenty others who had come to the same immediate area for the same reason. Together they formed the settlement of Lewistown, which is now located in Fulton County. It was frontier wilderness area, covered with large trees and wigwams of friendly Indians. The family had to build a log house and then clear land, fence it and plant crops. It was plentiful country, abundantly filled with deer, game, fish, wild fruit and wild potatoes.

More settlers began to arrive and in 1823 the county of Fulton was formed from Pike. Stephen served as a judge in the first election held at Lewistown and was appointed by the Legislature to help select the location for the county seat. Stephen and Orryanna resided in Fulton County for ten years, during which time there were changes in the family. Two more children, Hiram and Mary Mariah, were born. Three of the children married (Orpha to Elijah Henry, Silas to Patsy Harris, and Orryanna to Ferdinand Van Dyke). Stephen and Orryanna were also converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and decided to make a move to Missouri where many members of the church were gathering. Leaving Orpha and Silas in Illinois, they set out on another difficult journey.

The Chases arrived in Jackson County, Missouri in the spring of 1832 and built a house in the Whitmer Settlement (located in present-day Kansas City). Shortly after, Stephen was ordained an Elder, serving under Bishop Edward Partridge. Many of the citizens of Missouri did not welcome the arrival of the Mormons and began to threaten their safety. Anti-Mormon violence in Jackson County began with an attack on the Whitmer Settlement on October 31, 1833. A mob tore off roofs and partially demolished ten houses, including that of Stephen Chase. Some of the men were beaten and women and children were pelted with rocks during the night of terror. Within a few weeks, most of the Whitmer settlers were driven out of the county. Many fled across the Missouri River into Clay County.

Stephen Chase took his family across the river into Clay County and set up emergency quarters for the winter. Other families joined them and the Chase Branch of the Church was established with Stephen directing the spiritual activities. In 1834, the refugees in Clay County petitioned the president of the United States for protection and for the return of their lands in Jackson County. Among the one hundred and fourteen signatures were those of Stephen Chase and his sons Eli and Darwin. When it became apparent that the Mormons would not regain their lands, citizens of Clay County asked them to move on to avoid conflict.

The legislature had just created a new county of Caldwell in an unsettled part of Missouri. The Church was able to obtain land there and established the city of Far West in 1836. A list of names of Far West residents on March 25, 1838 includes Stephen and Orryanna Chase and their children Eli, Darwin, Hiram and Mary. Stephen was ordained as president of the Far West Elder's Quorum on October 6, 1838. By then, Far West had a population of about 5,000 with another 5,000 throughout the county. Local Missourians feared the growing population and the influence it might have on slave issues and Indian relations. Members of the church were harassed and persecuted.

In order to protect families, homes and land, a Caldwell County Militia was formed. Ensign Stephen Chase and Sergeant Eli Chase were both listed in Captain Seymour Brunson's company. Conflicts eventually led to the Battle of Crooked River, a skirmish between the militias of Caldwell and Ray Counties. Two of Stephen's sons were involved in the battle in which four men died and a dozen were wounded. Eli was shot in the leg. His younger brother, twenty-two year-old-Darwin, was one of five men arrested and charged with murder for a death in the battle. He was released after spending five months in the dungeon of Richmond Jail. Shortly after that, Governor Boggs issued an Extermination Order and the Mormons were forced to abandon their homes and land and flee to Illinois.

In 1839, the refugees appealed to the federal government for compensation for their losses in Missouri. Over 600 individual affidavits were filed. Stephen Chase filed a sworn statement May 5, 1839 in Adams County, Illinois, asking for $1,500 in damages for loss of home, land, crops, animals, furniture and tools. Later, a 50-foot scroll petition was prepared and presented to Congress with over 3,000 signatures, including those of Stephen and Orryanna Chase. None of the appeals were successful.

Many members of the church gathered at Commerce, Illinois on the Mississippi River where they planned to create a city of peace. A conference was held there on 6 October 1839 for the purpose of organizing the people. After a stake and high council had been appointed for the new city of Nauvoo, it was voted to establish the Zarahemla Stake on the west side of the river in Iowa Territory. Elder John Smith was appointed President and Stephen Chase was appointed to the High Council along with eleven others. He later became a member of the Nauvoo 4th Ward. Records show that Stephen owned Lot 1 in Block 121 of Nauvoo. He also leased eight acres of farm land in Hancock County in partnership with Jeremiah Mackley. In addition to his farming and church work, Stephen served as a 1st Lieutenant in the Nauvoo Legion.

After a two-year mission to Canada and New York, Eli returned to Nauvoo bringing a new wife and child to join the family. Having lost most of their possessions in Missouri, life was a struggle in Nauvoo. But the family was blessed by the building of the temple and all of the family members were able to participate in ordinances there. In just a few years the Mormons had turned swamp land into one of the largest and most productive cities in Illinois. Hard work and sacrifice had provided a refuge, but it did not last. People from surrounding areas feared that the Mormons would soon dominate the county, even the state. They were suspicious of the friendly relations with local Indians and resented the solidarity of the group. Conflicts escalated until leader Joseph Smith was murdered by a mob in 1844.

Hoping to escape persecution and find peace in the Rocky Mountains, the Latter-day Saints began moving out of Nauvoo. The Stephen Chase family joined the exodus in March of 1846 and made their way across Iowa, arriving at Council Bluffs on June 17. Shortly after their arrival, the call went out for 500 volunteers to go to California, aiding the army in the war with Mexico. Hiram Chase, age twenty-three, joined the Mormon Battalion and was able to send some of his pay back to help support the family. The Chase family did not stay at Council Bluffs that winter. Many settlements were spread down the Missouri River. From a description given by Eli, it appears that they went south into what is now Fremont County, Iowa. Stephen did not make it through that difficult winter. He died February 11, 1847 at the age of 68.

In the spring of 1847, Orryanna, now 63 years old, had no choice but to move on. In the company of her children, Eli, Darwin, and Mary, she moved closer to Council Bluffs. As William Sperry was leaving to go west, he gave his cabin at Highland Grove to Orryanna. The Chases stayed there for two more years, planting crops and preparing for the trip west. They were finally ready by June of 1849.

After a difficult journey, the extended Chase family (a group of eight), reached the Great Salt Lake on August 25, 1849. Orryanna's son, Hiram, was still in California. Two months later, Darwin was called to go to California with the James Flake Company. She was left in the care of Eli, but within a year and a half, Eli died prematurely from consumption. The women were left on their own. In 1851, Mary Mariah married Henry Packard who had served with Hiram in the Mormon Battalion. When the census was finally taken that summer, Orryanna at age 67 was living in Salt Lake with Mary and Henry. From there, the picture fades. So far, no record of her death has been found. Several different dates have surfaced, but none have been verified. It is hoped that future research may bring suitable closure to the life of one who sacrificed so much for her family and religion.
 
Thank you to Colleen Helquist who provided this history on her RootsWeb page.

Heman Hyde and Polly Wyman Tilton

• Heman Hyde 1788-1869
• Polly Wyman Tilton 1786-1862
• Related through: Dan's grandmother Elvira Wilde Langford

Heman Hyde was born on June 30, 1788, while his parents, James and Betty (Pennock) Hyde, were living in Manchester, southern Vermont, but while he was still a baby they moved to Strafford, in the northern part of the state. Heman was raised there, being the oldest of a large family of brothers and sisters. Indications are that Heman received a fair amount of schooling as he grew up.

On the December 5, 1810, Heman married Polly Wyman Tilton, a girl he had known ever since he could remember. Polly was the daughter of Phillip Tilton and Tabitha Prescott, an Indian woman. She was born January 20, 1786, in Moultonborough, New Hampshire. Polly was proud of her part Indian heritage. While Polly was still a small child her mother moved to Strafford, Vermont, and there married a widower, John Bullock. To this union were born seven children, half brothers and sisters of Polly.

The first child of this marriage, Heman Tilton Hyde, was born in Strafford in June 1812. Sometime during the next two and a half years the young father departed to serve in the war of 1812, and also moved his family to York, Livingston Co., New York. Records show Heman was in the New York State Militia as a Lieutenant in the Genesee Co. 164th Regiment of Infantry and a Captain in the Genesee Co. 77th Regiment of Infantry. In York, four more children were born including our ancestor Rosel (named by his uncle, Roswell Hyde, who purposely abbreviated the name.)

In the year 1825, Heman and Polly, with their children, left York and settled in Freedom, Cattaraugus Co., New York. Since that was wilderness, Heman cleared the timber from the land and developed a large farm. He also carried on a heavy business in wool carding and cloth dressing. He was well situated and much respected by all.

Adjoining the family farm was the farm of Warren A. Cowdery, an early convert to "Mormonism," and it was from him, during the early 1830's that the Hyde family first heard of the restored Gospel and learned of the Book of Mormon. Warren obtained from his brother Oliver, some of the proof sheets to the Book of Mormon, some of which the Hyde family "had the privilege of perusing, and we did not peruse any faster than we believed." Heman's son William records in his journal that "early in the year 1834 Joseph Smith and Parley P. Pratt came to my father's house. They preached in the neighborhood two or three times, and conversed much in private. Before they left, my oldest brother was baptized."

Of this incident Elder Parley P. Pratt, who was the Prophet's traveling companion on this mission, says, “We visited Freedom, Cattaraugus County, New York; tarried over Sunday and preached several discourses, to which the people listened with great interest; we were kindly and hospitably entertained among them. We baptized a young man named Heman T. Hyde (son of Heman and Polly); his parents were Presbyterians, and his mother, on account of the strength of her traditions, thought that we were wrong, and told me afterwards that she would much rather have followed him to an earthly grave than to have seen him baptized. Soon afterwards, however, herself, her husband, and the rest of the family, with some thirty or forty others, were all baptized and organized into a branch of the Church -- called the Freedom Branch -- from which nucleus the light spread and souls were gathered into the fold in all regions round. Thus mightily grew the word of God, or the seed sown by that extraordinary personage, the Prophet and Seer of the nineteenth century”.

The following is the story of Polly's conversion, as related by George Tilton Hyde, who said that his father, Rosel told it to him more than once. Rosel said that the Prophet Joseph Smith was visiting at their home in Freedom, New York, and told them the thrilling story of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. “Mother said to him, ‘Mr. Smith, if what you say is not true, hell is too good a place for you.’ The Prophet replied, ‘I know it, Mrs. Hyde, I know it; but the testimony I have borne to you is true; I know it is true and you may know it.’ The words of the Prophet cut her to the heart, and before retiring that night she sought the Lord in humble prayer — her petition was answered -- the next morning she applied for baptism."

The journal of Orson Pratt states that he and Brother John Murdock were at Mr. Hyde's home on March 30, 1834. On April 7, Heman Hyde and William Hyde, among others, were baptized and confirmed. On April 11, Polly Hyde was baptized and confirmed. Other members of the family soon followed their example, except for Rosel ("because of a sort of shyness on my part, being at that time but a young man and never having joined myself to any religious body.")

In February of the year 1836 the family (including young Heman Tilton Hyde with his bride, Eunice Sawyer, whom he had married in October 1835) moved from Freedom, New York, to Kirtland, Ohio, at that time one of the gathering places of the Church, and the site of the first temple being built by the saints. Construction was nearly complete on the temple by the time the Hyde family made residence in Kirtland, and it was dedicated a month later. The family attended the dedication of the temple, except for the Rosel, who still had not been baptized. William Hyde, in his journal, says of the dedication meeting: "This was, by far, the best meeting I had ever attended. The gifts of the gospel were enjoyed in a marvelous manner and Angels administered unto many."

The people outside the temple heard a strange noise like the rushing of a strong wind and they beheld a bright light resting above the sacred building." In later years when George Hyde asked his father Rosel why he delayed asking for baptism, Rosel said that his father told him not to be in a hurry, but to wait until he was sure it was the right thing to do. Rosel told George further, that the evening of the dedication of the temple at Kirtland, Ohio, from his father's home on the farm near Kirtland, that he saw a bright light like a pillar of fire resting above the temple. After what he saw and also heard at that time he needed nothing more to convince him and soon after, he was baptized.

The Saints were commanded to gather in Missouri, but they were meeting with opposition from the other settlers. Heman and Polly and family left Kirtland in September of 1838, intending to go to Far West and settle. When they had traveled as far as Huntsville, Missouri, about one hundred miles into the state and almost to their destination, they remained a few days in the woods where they were discovered by a mob, and for no other reason than that they were "Mormons,” were compelled by the armed mob to leave the state. They retreated to Quincy, Illinois.

Three more of their children married while Heman and Polly lived in the vicinity of Quincy -- Rosel in December 1839 to Mary Ann Cowles; Mary Ann in March 1841 to Isaac Bullard; and William in February 1842 to Elizabeth Howe Bullard, sister of Isaac. Charles undoubtedly desired also to marry, but was crippled and probably felt that he would never enjoy the companionship of a wife. But his parents were happy to have him, with his kind disposition, remain at home with them.

Heman Tilton Hyde died in May of 1842, not quite thirty years of age, leaving a widow and two small children, with another child born seven months after his decease. His death can be partly attributed to the persecutions and hardships which he had endured along with the rest of the Saints. His parents and family were greatly saddened by his death.

Heman and Polly, during the summer of 1842, moved into Nauvoo, Illinois. Here they, along with their son William, built a comfortable brick home for themselves. In October of 1842 Mary Ann's husband died, a mournful occasion for this bride of eighteen months. She later married David Grant in September 1843.

The family was part of the dramatic events at Nauvoo. They enjoyed its growth and prosperity under the direction of the Prophet Joseph Smith, whom they knew well. (Their son Rosel commented many times about their friendship with the Prophet, and he made special mention of the Prophet's unusual eyes -- that to look into them was to know that he was not an ordinary man.) They grieved at the tragic martyrdom of their beloved Prophet. They were there when the mantle of Joseph fell upon Brigham Young. They worked diligently to help complete the temple at Nauvoo so that they and the other Saints could receive their temple ordinances. It was a time of rejoicing when these temple blessings were finally realized.

But the "anti-Mormon" presence was becoming more pronounced and more vicious. As Rosel told it, he and his family and friends "passed through those bitter scenes of persecution so well understood by those acquainted with the history of the Church. We suffered the most heart-rendering persecution that a cruel mob, actuated by the spirit of devils, could inflict upon us in the shape of burning houses, burning standing grain, etc." On May 18, 1846, Heman and Polly, with their children and their families, and what earthly possessions they could haul in their wagons crossed the Mississippi River, and started their long journey in search of peace in an unknown and desolate wilderness. The Hyde families reached Council Bluffs on July 12. The two months had been hard and long, but others shared their plight and all buoyed each other’s spirits.

Only four days after arriving at Council Bluffs, William Hyde was mustered into the Mormon Battalion, leaving his wife and two children in the care of his parents in "this unsettled camp in the midst of an uncultivated, wild Indian country." Heman settled at what was called Council Point and he was appointed to the High Council to help govern the camps of the Saints at this temporary place of gathering. Heman and Rosel built crude homes for themselves, for Eunice (widow of Heman Tilton Hyde) and her three children, and for William's family. They also cultivated land during the summer.

Fall came and Eunice's baby died. Rather than suffer further, she returned to her family home in Freedom, New York, taking her two remaining children with her. In February 1847, Mary Ann Hyde Grant died after a lingering sickness caused by exposure, as had many of the Saints in their inadequate circumstances. She left a husband and two children without their dear wife and mother. Heman and Polly then cared for their motherless grandchildren. The next summer Heman and Rosel toiled to raise all the crops they could, for the benefit of themselves and for all those that might have need of food as the winter season advanced.

In December 1847, William returned from his march with the Mormon Battalion, amid much rejoicing by all. He had been absent seventeen months. Spring arrived at last and preparations were made for Heman and household to travel on. William and Rosel assisted their father and mother, so that they, with their son Charles and also Mary Ann's children, were able to leave Council Bluffs with the Saints that spring for the Rocky Mountains. They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in September 1848, and settled there. It had been an arduous and seemingly endless trek across the plains, during which journey Heman acted in the capacity of a Captain of Fifty. William worked the farm at Council Point that Heman and Rosel had opened, and Rosel hired to drive a team for the government. William, Rosel, and their families made the journey to "Zion" in 1849. Heman was able to secure land and build an adequate home. He felt grateful to the Lord for the blessings his household now enjoyed, after the diverse hardships they had undergone.

In 1851, Heman and Polly, after due consideration and prayer, decided to invite a friend to join them in the bonds of plural marriage. Consequently, a widow woman by the name of Prudence Bump, became Heman's second wife. He later married two more wives, Elizabeth Lane and Catherine May Griffiths, both immigrants from Wales.

In February 1852, their son Charles married Sarah Taylor, and remained in Salt Lake City. Charles was the last child to leave the family home. Rosel was called to settle Kaysville. William lived in Lehi, then Cache Valley, where Hyde Park was named after him. These sons were all a wonderful credit to their parents through their example and teachings. All three of them became Patriarchs of the Church and as they lived their religion to the fullest, they were known for their spirituality and faith.

Heman and Polly were ever considerate of others' needs, serving their Church, family and fellow-men in every way that they could. Heman was a member of the High Council for several years after his arrival in Salt Lake Valley. He and Polly, in addition to Heman's plural wives, made a home for their granddaughter, Mary Ann Grant, until her untimely death at the age of seventeen, after she caught cold while attending a party.

Polly Wyman Tilton Hyde died September 13, 1862. She was a woman of strong will, but gentle and kind, proud of her part-Indian ancestry, admired and loved by her family. Heman died on June 11, 1869. He died in Salt Lake City, Utah, his home of twenty-one years. His strong, fervent testimony which carried him through his years of trials is a permanent legacy for those of us who are his descendants.

This history was written by Myrtle S. Hyde in 1964. The original can be found here.