Life Summary
(Continued from the life story of Thomas Humphrey, George's father...)
Trials and Tribulations in St Louis In the words of George Sudbury Humpherys: "Here our funds became depleted and we were forced to remain in St. Louis until more funds could be secured to make the long trek across the plains to the promised land." (There may have been some restrictions on the amount of assets that they could take out of England but in any event, they just barely had enough funds to reach St. Louis and they apparently planned on finding work in St. Louis, at least everyone that could, to earn enough money for the family to complete their journey across the plains.)
Every family member did what they could to earn money to complete their journey. Thomas found work on the docks, loading and unloading barges and river boats. Mary, in addition to caring for the two youngest children, did cooking, washing, ironing, cleaning, mending and caring for the sick. John James worked in a foundry, 11 year George Sudbury worked in a boarding house doing dishes and waiting on tables, 13 year old Sarah Jane and 9 year old Harriet worked as "live in" nannies in wealthy homes, and even 7 year old Samuel had a job in a wealthy home washing dishes and carrying them to the dining room. The plan was that in several months, they would have the funds they needed to complete their journey.
The money the family had accumulated for their journey west had been spent on medication and doctor bills. The sorrowing mother and the seven children were left to shift for themselves. Even with their renewed efforts to earn the money they needed for their journey to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake, without the wages of Thomas, it was barely enough just to pay for their living expenses in St. Louis. For two years they worked and prayed every night that a way might be opened up whereby they could complete their journey.
The answer to that prayer is best described by George Sudbury in his autobiography: "The years we remained in St. Louis were filled with hardships and many disappointments, but Mother, her faith unshaken and trusting in the power of Almighty God to assist her, was more determined then ever to win. She always had comforting assurance to her children that some day, in some manner, the way would be opened for them to reach their ultimate goal. The mission headquarters were very near our home and she washed, ironed, and mended clothes for the missionaries, besides nursing and cooking for them."
"A Latter Day Saint Elder, Orson Spencer (father of Aurelia Spencer Rogers) came to know Mother and our family very well, by our many kindnesses to the missionaries and mother's wonderful motherliness. Elder Spencer was stricken ill and though Mother did all in her power to nurse him back to health, he knew it was the end. He would not live to see his loved ones again. Elder Spencer asked Mother if the greatest desire of her heart was to go to Zion. She replied that it was. He then asked her if arrangements were made if she would assume the responsibility of taking his remains back to his loved ones. She gave her solemn promise that the Lord willing, his wish would be fulfilled." The agreement was that if she would take his remains back to Utah: he would provide all of the necessary funds for the family to complete their journey to Utah. Orson Spencer died on the 15th of October 1855. His body was placed in a metallic casket, a zinc box lined with charcoal, and sealed. The casket was then buried.
Early in the Spring of 1856, a call went out from Brigham Young for all of the Saints in the St. Louis area to make arrangements to go west. Mary was ready to respond to the call. The supplies; wagons, oxen, hand carts, food, livestock etc., that would be needed for all of these pioneers to cross the plains were ordered and was to be waiting for them in Florence, Neb. when they arrived. The casket of Orson Spencer was dug up and placed on a riverboat with Mary and her family and many other Mormon pioneers. They left St. Louis on the 3rd of June, traveled about 500 miles up the Missouri River and made their way to Florence, Nebraska. The trip took about two weeks and the supplies were waiting for them when they arrived.
Florence was a beehive of activity with hundreds of pioneers making preparations to go west. The casket and some of their supplies were placed in the wagon. Because of the space taken up by the casket in the wagon, however, it was necessary for them to pull a handcart which would carry the remaining supplies and the rest of their personal belongings. After a couple of weeks of preparation, the family finally departed from Florence in the John Banks Company on the 3rd of July 1856. The company consisted of about 40 wagons, at least one handcart, livestock and about 300 pioneers. In addition to their wagon and handcart, the Humpherys family also drove a small herd of sheep and goats. Mary and Jolm took turns pulling the handcart and driving the wagon. Most of the time the older children walked (wagons without springs are not very comfortable). The children helped drive the small flock of sheep and goats all the way across the plains. Each night the bed for the two girls was on the casket of Orson Spencer.
On Oct. 2nd-1856, the five divisions of the Johm Banks Company had regrouped and entered the Salt Lake Valley together. Brigham Young, a brass band, and hundreds of residents of Salt Lake City came out to greet them as they pulled their wagons and handcarts into Union Square (where West High School now stands). The families all praised their "Father Above" for all the help he had given in guiding them to die end of their journey.
The casket containing the body of Orson Spencer was given to the Spencer family, for a memorial service and burial in the Salt Lake City cemetery. Mary and most of the children settled in Ogden for a period of time. In the Spring of 1858, Mary and her younger children moved to Springville where Mary worked for Nicholas Groesbeck as a storekeeper. (The Nicholas Groesbeck family was with Mary and her family in the John Banks Company crossing the plains.) In 1864 the Humpherys family was called to settle in the Bear Lake Valley. The older boys went there and settled in Paris, Idaho in 1864. Mary moved there with the younger boys in 1866 and remained there the rest of her life. She died in Paris in May of 1876.
From the autobiography of George Sudbury Humpherys covering the years 1856 -1864:
After we arrived, (in Salt Lake City) I (age 14) went to live with a family named Gates on Mill Creek. Brother George Gates had gone on a mission to England and I remained with the family all Winter working for my board and room. In 1857 I was placed with a Mr. Cahoon for two months without pay. Brother Sommers was my next employer (George was now 15 years old). He lived on a farm owned by Brother Barney Adams of the Sugar House Ward. October 6, 1857 found me with clothes so ragged, I was ashamed to be seen in the daylight. Learning that Mother was in the city (Salt Lake), I went to Brother Groesbeck's home to find her. She didn't know me in those scarecrow clothes. She dragged me, I say dragged because that's what it was I did not want to be seen in the house, into the light and cried, "why it is George my son." I stayed with the Groesbecks that night. The next morning, an old suit of clothes belonging to one of her boys was sent to me. Sister Groesbeck furnished everything free. I also had a good pair of shoes and a hat.
Mother told me I better go to Ogden, for that was the place she was still residing at the time. It was after dark when I got close to the city, and not knowing where to find my brothers and sisters, I took lodging in a haystack. The wolves howled all night. Several times I arose and drove them away. Early the next morning I found our home. Our boys (an Army of Utah boys) were drilling (military training) every evening at Camp Echo Canyon. My brother, John, was among this group. U.S. Soldiers (Johnston's Army) were coming to Utah.
I stayed with Mother in Ogden and in January, 1858,1 was very ill. Mother sent for Brother Farr (later to become the Farr Ice Cream people) to administer to me. He told Mother not to fret, but have faith in God and his servants promising her in the name of the Lord that I would get better. The pain left right away. In the Spring of 1858, President Brigham Young sent word to all the saints to move south (to Utah Valley) so as to avoid any conflict with the U.S. Soldiers (Johnston's Army) when they entered the valley.
John was in Echo Canyon, (with the Utah militia, where the militia would make one last attempt to prevent Johnston's Army from entering the valley). So it fell my lot to move the family. Having no team, I made three trips from Ogden to Salt Lake (as a teamster on a freight wagon) to earn funds to move my own folks. One trip was with James H. Hart. I worked also for Mr. Groesbeck, herding his cattle and horses until they were ready to move south to Springville. I then drove the (Mr. Groesbeck's ) loose cattle and they (Groesbecks) moved my Mother and family in early June (to Utah Valley). Here (in Utah Valley) I worked on the Provo Canyon (road) for a dollar a day. (In late June, 1858, Johnston's Army came into the Salt Lake Valley but with the help of Col. Thomas Kane, a friend of the Mormons, a military confrontation had been avoided.)
(The Army marched through the Salt Lake Valley and way over to near present day Fairfield, about 10 miles west of Utah Lake, where they established Camp Floyd.) In the Fall (1858) the people moved back to their homes (in Salt Lake and Ogden). (However) We remained in Springville. (George, now 16, left his family in Springville and found work at Camp Floyd.) Here work was found under Brother Gardner (who had an Army contract to construct buildings with adobe bricks) in the adobe (brick) yard for $1.50 and day and board. It was truly big wages for a small boy. The job was just as big. Many a night I had gone to bed and could not sleep for hours. My arms ached so bad, but I became used to it by die time the job was completed.
Brother Groesbeck opened up a store in Springville and Mother went to work for him. (He bought goods in Salt Lake and sold them in his store in Springville) He left Mother to sell what goods he had left when he went to Salt Lake City. In ten days he came back with a load of goods and wanted Mother to keep the store going. Here I stayed (through the winter of 1858/59) doing chores for my board. Brother, Hyrum, was also with us. In the Spring of 1859,1 went to work for C.H. Wheelock for 18 months. (In the early Fall of 1860, Mr. Wheelock got George, now 18, a job with the Miller-Russel freight company.) Through him a job of a team driver to Denver and back was secured for Miller-Russel. We were to load the wagon with flour from Provo and take it to Denver. L.Wines was the Wagon Master and John Vance his assistant.
They (Miller-Russel) agreed to bring us back to Salt Lake City (after we had completed the trip to Denver) and pay us for the round trip. When we got to Denver, however, we were told if we wanted to get back to Salt Lake City we would have to walk. We were to have $35.00 per month for the trip, but (their offer was) they would pay us $60.00 per month and discharge us there. Most of us took our discharge. (They probably arrived in Denver in late October of 1860 and apparently George decided he did not want to spend the Winter there.)
Mr. William Brown and myself paid our passage to Omaha. We went by mule team. I desired to go to St. Louis to Winter, but the first day out of Denver I lost every cent I had. I had changed my pants and foolishly threw them into the wagon. My money was in the pocket, $80.00. That was the end of pants and money. It seemed to be the greatest calamity that could happen to me. I lived to see the day I thanked God for it. It was truly a blessing, for had I gone to St. Louis, I would have enlisted in the Civil War the Spring of 1861 when the war broke out between the North and South. (It is assumed by that comment that he felt he would have got "caught up" in the excitement of being a soldier and going to war and would have enlisted on the side of the North.) God does move in a mysterious way his wonders to perform. Ten chances to one I would have been killed.
When the men taking us to Omaha found out I had lost my money, they offered to have the camp searched. The 25 men were willing to be searched and said they would hand over the man that had stolen the money. I told them to let the money go, for I didn't want any man to lose his life on that account. About half way to Omaha I ran out of provisions. Whenever we came to a ranch I would try to get work. We laid over one Sunday at a place called Fellows Bluff. Not to keep the Sabbath day holy but to work and hunt for food. I had been without food for two days and felt very humble. I went about one half mile from camp to a patch of brush and called upon the Lord. I told him just how I was without anything to eat and asked him to open the way hereby I might get work and something to eat.
I had just left the brush when I met one of the men in our group. He had been out hunting and asked me to go to dinner with him. I was so foolish I would have starved to death before I would have asked for any. As we got through dinner, one of the men came to inform me that there was a man at the ranch close by that wanted to hire a boy. (So he left the mule train to Omaha). I found myself working for $40.00 a month. He was drunk when he hired me and for two weeks after. (With that money he bought more provisions and made his way to Omaha.) I learned that God does hear and answer our prayers when we ask in faith. I arrived in Omaha with $5.00 in my pocket. This was the latter part of November 1860. (He had departed from here on a wagon train going west only four years earlier). After asking God to open up the way for me, I started looking for work.
It was late in the afternoon before I obtained any work, a job setting up ten pins in a bowling alley, $8.00 a month and board. (Not much of a job but it was an answer to a prayer and a start.) It was a small wage. After two weeks the bar tender was taken sick and I was placed behind the bar. After six weeks, (early January 1861) a man came into the bar by the name of Morgan. He found out my name was Humpherys and asked if I came from Utah. I replied "yes". He was from Ogden. He married a woman by the name of Smallwood. She had been looking for me. She was a very dear friend of my mothers. I visited at their place. Mrs. Smallwood did not want me to work in a saloon. Mr. Smallwood secured a job for me, putting ice up from the (Missouri) river. (Blocks of ice to be stored in sawdust until it was needed the following summer). I received $1.00 a day for this work. (At his old job) I had labored for Mr. And Mrs. Morgan for $2.00 a week. Mr. Aleck Miller, whom I worked for, was a Mormon and most of the men working for him were Mormons.
I soon left (living with) Morgans and lived with Brother Miller. I must say that Mrs. Morgan would not allow her husband to say one word against Mormons or their leaders. They were good friends to me. The early part of March, 1861, found me with a freighter job driving a four horse team from Omaha to Denver. (After he arrived in Denver) The first part of May I hired out to James Clayton to drive to Salt Lake City, (driving a freight wagon hauling the supplies for a crew putting poles in the ground for a telegraph line between Laramie and Ft. Bridger). We were working on the telephone (telegraph) line when we received word that the (Civil) war had broke out.
We had been on the road three weeks when one of our men broke out with small pox. Our captain was so careful no one else contracted the disease. Ten days after this we were driving along , I was talking to the assistant Wagon Master and driving the lead team, when we heard a terrible yell. Looking up we saw a large band of Indians coming toward us. I was told to start a corral, (circle the wagons) which I did as quickly as possible. I had to leave the road to make a half circle, and by the time I had circled around to the road, I was looking into the barrels of a number of guns and any amount of bows and arrows drawn at me. One of the Indians could speak some English. He told us to stop or he would kill me. This was not needed because I had stopped when they pulled the guns on me.
We chained our cattle and wagons together, got our guns ready, each man a revolver and a rifle, 47 men in the group. During this time Mr. Clayton was talking to the Chief. They were very modest in their request, for they demanded; 10 yolk of oxen, 1,000 lbs. of flour, 300 lbs. of sugar, 100 lbs. of Coffee, 100 lbs. of bacon and if we didn't give it to them we would have to fight and then they would take what they wanted. There were between three and four hundred Indians to our 47. Some of the men wanted to fight. Our Wagon Master said if there was no other way out we might have to, but to try and get along with them if possible. We were prepared for the worst. After talking to them for some time, Mr. Clayton remembered the sick man with the small pox. He told the Chief to go with him to the wagon where the sick man lay.
A number of Indians followed their Chief, thinking they were going to get all they asked for. When they were within 25 yards of that wagon, Mr. Clayton called to the man to look out of the wagon, for he wanted to see him. He rose and looked out. The scales were falling off his face. The Chief gave one look and cried out "small pox. He turned his horse and without looking around yelled for his men to follow. It was almost two miles to the Platte River and they rode as fast as they could without looking around. At the river they gave us only a glance and rode off again. We concluded that small pox was a very good thing to have close by. (After the Indians left, the crew went back to work and finished the job.) We put the telephone (telegraph) poles from Laramie to Ft. Bridger.
Late in November, (1861) I arrived in Salt Lake City, thankful to the Lord I was back safe to my own home after an absence of 15 months. I remained in Salt Lake one month working for Alick Duff, then returned to Springville where Mother was still keeping the store . The following winter (1861/62) was spent with my brother John. In the Spring of 1862,1 found Huntz and Bringhurst (freight company) my employers, for whom I drove an ox team hauling grain west over the Overland Mail Route. We made two trips with grain and the last one we brought freight back to Camp Douglas for the government.
The Spring of 1863, (age 21) found me in Salt Lake City looking for work. I went to Camp (Fort) Douglas (he found work there and his job was) to drive a 6 mule team. The first month was spent around the camp. Then (we went) out to Carson City, for supplies for the troops, with about 30 other men and teams.
The Indians were very bad. That was the reason the troops accompanied us as far as Ruby Valley. Every once in a while we would hear of some one being killed by the Indians. The soldiers were thought to be more cruel than the Indians. At one station the Indians killed four men. One of them was burned to death. He had been wounded with the first volley. Those who took the horses and left were all (caught and) killed. (The one man at the station that was wounded) William Riley was his name. His parents were members of the Church. He had kept one shotgun. He killed 3 or 4 Indians before they took him, tied him to the wood pile and burned him to death. We had passed there just the day before. One soldier rode on every coach with the driver but they (the Indians) kept killing. One Indian had killed three before he was wounded and the soldiers caught him, tied him behind the coach and dragged him to death.
At a place called Shell Creek (or Well Creek) we saw a company of soldiers. They said they had a fight with 60 or 70 Indians. I call it a massacre for they came upon them before daylight. There were men, women and children. They were all killed except one little child. The doctor took that to save its life. They took scalps. At Ruby Valley, the troops left us or we left them and went on to Carson City. Our loading had not arrived from California so we returned to Ft. Churchill on the Carson River. We laid over for six weeks at Ft. Churchill with the troops.
Then on (back) to Carson City, loading supplies for the troops and (then we) returned to the Fort (Churchill). (Then on their return trip) There were four companies of troops that accompanied us to Ft. Ruby. We had 60 troops, 3 cannons, 30 more wagons, besides a lot of carriges. (After leaving Ft. Ruby) We traveled down the Ruby Valley and struck the Humboldt road (to the "City of Rocks" and around the north end of the Great Salt Lake) then on to the north end of the Salt Lake Valley. Here I worked (probably at Camp Douglas again) until the first of December then on to Springville.
n the Spring of 1864, (age 22) I was called to go to the Missouri River for immigrants. (The "Down and Back" boys also known as "Church Trains". Single young men, who were skilled teamsters with trail experience, were called to take wagons back to the Missouri River to pick up immigrants and bring them back to Salt Lake. The young men liked the assignment because it gave them a chance to meet all of the new young lady immigrants before they got to Salt Lake.) We went to a small place called Wyoming, Nebraska. (About 40 miles south of Florence, Nebraska. From 1864 to 1866 it was used as an alternate debarkation point for pioneers going west.)
It was reported to be a good place to camp, plenty of grass for cattle, but when we arrived, (this was his second trip back to the Missouri since he had left in 1856) everything was dried up from the drought and farmers were discouraged. A number of them came to our camp the night we arrived , telling us they were afraid their crops were a failure for want of rain. One of our boys told them not to worry for there would soon be rain in plenty. "How do you know this?" they asked. "It rained on us on an average of every other day since we left Salt Lake, why we even camped tent in from 2 to 10 inches of muddy material down the Platte River." And we did, for we had to throw up mounds of earth to make fire to cook our meals on. "It will rain inside of a week", they told them. "If you bring rain, we will surely say, God bless the Mormons."
(Sometime later) It rained for about two hours. If the farmers had not had enough rain, we surely had. The next day the farmers all had great smiles on their faces. After a six week stay, waiting for the Saints from the East, (the immigrants finally arrived and) we were ready to return. The next morning I saw one that I thought I knew. "Is not your name Eaton, I have been at your home many times." I thought she would hug me to death. If it had been her daughter, I would have liked it a great deal better. (This was their former neighbor in England, Zillah Wain Eaton, and her 19 year old daughter, Sarah Ann. Sarah Ann was no longer the little seven year old girl he remembered but was now a beautiful young lady.) I enjoyed the return trip first rate.
End autobiography.
They arrived in Salt Lake City on the 20th of September 1864. There was undoubtedly a joyous reunion with Sarah's sister Elizabeth whom they hadn't seen for seven years. Elizabeth was now 27, unmarried and still living in Drapersville. Less than three weeks after their arrival , Sarah Ann and George were married in the Endowment house in Salt Lake City on October 9, 1864.
Call to the Bear Lake Valley Within days of their marriage, George and Sarah Ann responded to a call from President Brigham Young to settle in the Bear lake Valley. They left Sarah Ann's mother, Zilliah, with Sarah Ann's sister, Elizabeth, in Drapersville, while they went ahead to Bear Lake. They traveled in the John Bird Company with George's brother, John James, and his wife and two children and George's brother Samuel. They arrived in the Bear lake Valley near present day Paris, Idaho on the 31st of October 1864. The next morning there was 6 inches of fresh snow on the ground. The valley was a forbidding looking place to the family; no trees, roads or houses, just dry grass and sagebrush, But there was no turning back, they had been called by their church leaders and here they would stay.
The first winter was extremely severe with the entire group living under very difficult conditions in a 12 X 16 ft. dugout. In midwinter the snow was so deep the shovel had to be taken in at night so they could shovel their way out the next morning. It was so cold that seven milk cows and a horse froze to death. A steer that fell through the ice and drowned was skinned and divided among the families. Although the meat was black it certainly tasted better than boiled wheat. Bread made from frozen wheat was dark and soggy.
The next spring logs were brought out of Paris Canyon and a two room log cabin was built. George & Sarah Ann, Samuel, and Jolm & his family all lived in this two room log cabin for some period of time while they were building other log cabins. One of the cabins they built was a home for Sarah Arm's mother.
George, in a public meeting, drew for a lot, 5 or 10 acres, on which he and Sarah Ann built their own cabin. George also donated part of his time in building the community of Paris. These projects included irrigation ditches, fences, a gristmill and a community canal for the livestock. George also worked on the Paris Tabernacle and the Logan Temple.
George worked at farming and after a post office was established in Paris in 1867, he also carried the mail back and forth between Paris and Montpelier. In the Spring when the water was high he made the journey in a rowboat. After several years of these endeavors, he went to work as a clerk in J.R. Shepard's general store. The children in town used to bring eggs into the store to trade for candy and other things and they always liked to do their trading with him because they said he gave them a better deal. In later years he worked there as a night watchman. After the family outgrew the original Log cabin, George and Sarah built a red brick home.
Over the years George served in many positions in die Church and in 1896, at the age of 54, he was called to return to his native England to serve a two year mission. (As he traveled by train on the first leg of his journey from Ogden, Utah to the Missouri River in perhaps 24 hours he surely must have reminisced about the five times he covered that same distance when it took three months. Elder George Humpherys arrived in Liverpool on the March 5,1896 and was assigned as a Traveling Elder to serve in the Nottingham Conference (district). He was given an honorable release on 10 March 1898.
Sarah Ann Eaton Humpherys died quietly at her home on the 27th of January in 1919 in Paris, Idaho where she had lived for 54 years. George Sudbury Humpherys died on the 19th of May in 1922, at the age of 80, in Paris, Idaho, where he had lived for 58 years. He is buried there beside his wife.
From "Humpherys Heritage" by Larry W. Humpherys (2006), displayed in Documents below |
