"Biographical Sketch
of the Life of Luman Andros Shurtliff."
To read his full autobiography (1807-1884). Click on this link: http://www.boap.org/LDS/Early-Saints/LShurtliff.html
The following is his life's sketch from 1845-1846:
On the 25th of November [1845] I
married Altamira Gaylord, my first wife's sister. Brother Samuel Bent married
us. Mother Gaylord, being unable to take care of herself, we moved into her
house and bargained with her that we should have all of her property and take
her with us wherever we went and take care of her as long as she lived. She had
good household furniture and clothing, a cow, brick house, two lots, carpenter
tools.
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| Luman Andros Shurtliff |
The (Nauvoo) temple now was nearly finished. On the
25th of December, 1845, Christmas, my wife and I received our endowments. On
the 20th of January, 1846, my wife and I were called to labor in the temple in
giving endowments and labored three weeks. On the 27th we received our
sealings, my second wife acting as proxy for my first wife.
I worked hard this winter in order to get
my family away, but how I should accomplish it I did not know. Most of the
authorities left Nauvoo in February.
We were left to carry on the
wagon shop and get away the best we could.
This spring, Thomas Gaylord, my
wife's brother, not a member of the church, came to Nauvoo and persuaded his
mother to go east with him instead of west with us and took her things with
her. She soon died and her children had to bury her at their expense.
My company was ready to start but I had no
oxen or provisions. I went early one morning to my cousin Vincent's and told
him how things were. He bought me some groceries and counted me out nearly 70
dollars which he said would buy me a yoke of oxen. I started home, thanking God
and Vincent for what he had given me.
I bought a fine yoke of oxen for 50
dollars and proceeded to leave Nauvoo.
On the 6th of May, 1846, we
crossed the Mississippi and camped on Devil Creek. Here we organized our
company by choosing John Murdock, captain, and Levi Murdock and myself,
counselors. From here we took a westerly direction without regard to road or
path. Our way led through a prairie county and as we passed along I carried a heavy
heart.
I had now been a member of this Church
nearly ten years and had been compelled to move my family four times and start
anew. I had lived in Nauvoo the longest by half of any other place since I
belonged to the Church. This place was endeared to me for the sweet association
I had enjoyed with the Prophet, patriarch and the apostles of the most high.
Here I was leaving the body of my dear wife and child, never to behold those
places again in the flesh. I turned my back to the west and took a last look at
the Nauvoo Temple and its surroundings and bade them goodbye forever. Nothing
of importance occurred on the journey and we arrived in Garden Grove, June 6,
1846. This is 170 miles west of Nauvoo and is the first stopping place of the
Saints.
We stopped in the edge of the timber land
and here we agreed to put in a crop and if any of the company went west before
the crop matured, the crop should fall to those that were left behind. We
prepared our plows and harrows and planted part of our seeds. We cut and drew
out the trees and made a tree fence around our field.
While here, my wife, being somewhat out of
health, thought they could not eat victuals cooked by my girls and wanted to
eat with me alone, so I had to eat part of the time with her and part with my
children.
At this time Brothers Murdock and Nebeker
thought they would go on to the Missouri River and join our brethren. They soon
moved out and bequeathed unto us their part of the crop. Before Brother Levi
Murdock left he gave me leather to fix up my family's shoes for the winter and
a rifle. For this and many other favors I felt to bless him.
Our camp appeared to be breaking up and I
thought it best for me to build a house and prepare for winter. Accordingly, I
went into the timber and commenced building a house. This was the month of
August, the second day [1846]. I built my house of rough split logs. We had no
lumber, glass, or nails. I had for my floor the earth, for carpet, hay and
bark, for a door, split wood, for windows, holes between the logs, and for a
partition, a wagon cover.
Just as I finished my home, we got a
letter from Brigham Young asking us to go back and bring away the poor Saints
on the west bank of the Mississippi, having been driven from Nauvoo at the
point of bayonets across the river in September.
We furnished 18 yoke of oxen and wagons
and teamsters. I was chosen to go as captain. A horse was furnished me to ride.
The next morning when we came together to start, 75 cents was all the expense
money raised to accomplish a journey of 340 miles.
This was the best we could
do so we loaded in some squashes and pumpkins for the teams and rolled out,
thus equipped to gather home the poor Saints. This was the 18th of October,
1846.
We traveled on cheerfully as though we had
been rich and plenty of money at our command. All things prospered with us.-- I came onto the highland, in sight of the river and once again saw our
lovely city, Nauvoo, I could not help weeping aloud with joy. Not that I wished
my family living in Nauvoo, no, but thankful that my life was spared to me that
I might again behold the city of the prophets.
-- I
came to the camp of the poor, sick and persecuted Saints. Many places where
there had been camps were now desolate and without inhabitants. In others, a
ragged blanket or quilt laid over a few sticks or brush comprised all the house
a whole family owned on earth.
Among the occupants lay stretched
on the ground either sick or dying, others perhaps a little better off had a
few boards laid up on something and had more sick than well. Others not well
ones, took care of the sick. While looking about among these poor helpless
people, I was not a little surprised to hear them relate the blessings of God
in the deliverance from disease, death and starvation.
-- I made up my mind to take the poorest of the poor and the sickest of
the sick and only take well ones enough to care for the sick and cook for the
company.
Early the next day I crossed the river
into Nauvoo, walked up through the thickest part of town, saw but few
inhabitants. I went to the temple and took a view of the beautiful homes of the
Saints, but are now a desolation. From here I walked to my former place of
residence, viewing the premises, shed a few tears over the grave of the partner
of my youth and mother of all my children, and bore my testimony that she was a
good woman and a kind wife and mother.
From here I walked east on Main Street to
the east part of the city where the last battle had been fought and viewed the
destruction of the mobs and the desolate, deserted village.
When I had satisfied my feelings, I
crossed the river into Iowa, and spent the next day helping those families I
intended to take west.
On the last day of October, 1846, we
loaded in our loads, nearly 60 persons and all they owned in this world, and
most of them sick. All the provisions put together would have made only one
good meal and we were now about to start in November with this poor sick
company on a journey of 170 miles through an uncivilized and mostly uninhabited
wilderness. I felt like crying, "O, God, help us" as we left. I
looked back and saw a few weeping Saints left behind; how to live through the
winter I knew not, but God knew.
The first night in camp our souls actually
rejoiced like the children of Israel after their deliverance from the
Egyptians. We had prayers morning and evening, and the Lord blessed us, and a
flock of quail was sent like manna from heaven for food, which saved our lives.
We arrived in Garden Grove, November 15,
1846. In 30 days we had accomplished a journey of 340 miles without means,
except the Lord had furnished almost without exertion on our part. Our teams
looked well and the teamsters had no sickness and the sick we brought were on
the gain except one sister who died soon after we arrived.
My wife Altamira gave birth to a son on
the 25th of November, 1846, while I was away bringing in the poor Saints. My
house was not comfortable for a sick woman and it took more of my time and
attention than otherwise.
Brother Bent, president of Garden Grove,
died; he who had married my cousin Elisha Shurtliff's widow, Cynthia, and had
four children by him and all living with their mother. Shortly before Brother
Bent's death, his wife asked him what he wished her to do. He told Cynthia that
his request was for me, Luman A. Shurtliff, to take care of her family and do
the best I could for them and when we got to the authorities, for her, Cynthia,
to be sealed to me for time, this life, and give her oldest daughter, Mellissa,
to me for time and eternity if we could agree to marry.
On examination we found that our numbers
in the (Garden) grove amounted to between 500 and 600 and only provisions enough to last
until April as prudent as we could possibly be and clothing very scant.
From April to July we should be in
suffering conditions.
-- I reviewed in my mind all the events of
the Saints and prophets and knew that I would be cast into all kinds of
company, many of whom would hate the Mormons, and I felt like no other man
could feel unless in similar circumstances. I felt lonely and alone.
Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868
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To learn further of Captain, Luman A. Shurtliff's pioneer company trail to the Great Salt Valley, read the following: Shurtliff, Luman Andros, Journal, 1841 May-1856 Apr., fd. 1, 282-91. Read Trail Excerpt http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/library/source/1,18016,4976-5462,00.html
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