Alexander and Jeanette, in Cache County, 1864-1869

The beautiful Cache Valley extends fifty miles from Paradise, Utah, north to Preston, Idaho. Alexander and Jeanette moved to Logan, Cache County, Utah about the time of their marriage in February 1864. He began at once to build a log cabin for his new bride where they were very happy in their humble home. They were both lovely singers and would sit and sing together by the light of the fireplace.³⁴ Alexander bought one of the first stoves in Logan for Janetta. She gladly shared it with her neighbors to bake bread.²

In 1865, priesthood leaders created the LDS Logan 5th ward. Members of the ward, including Alexander and the Izatt families, built a ward community center during the winter of 1865-66. Even school boys helped the men get logs from the canyon. The center consisted of one room sixteen by twenty feet. It served as a church meeting house, amusement hall and school. It was soon too small, so in 1868, they doubled it’s size.²

Jeanette gave birth twice in 1866. She had a baby boy in February who died at birth. Later that year on December 21, 1866 their first daughter, Agnes Izatt, was born. On November 4 1868, their son Alexander Williamson Izatt was born, but he died just two days later. Their second daughter, Ellen Spowart Izatt, was born on October 21, 1869.

Jeanette contracted tuberculosis and died on December 9, 1869. It was devastating for Alexander to lose his sweetheart, and the need to care for a new baby and a three-year-old child was overwhelming.

The Angel of Providence

William W. Low moved to Providence, Utah in 1868. He became the Postmaster there. Jane Angus moved to Providence with the Low Family.³⁶  There, she reacquainted with her old friends from Scotland, Little Sandy Izatt and Jeanette Williamson Izatt. They lived in Logan, just a few miles north.

When Jeanette died, Alexander’s health declined. He had heart problems, leaking heart valves, believed to be caused by the trauma of crossing the plains and working many years in the coal mines. It became so bad, he could not do a days work.⁵ Jane consoled and comforted him.

He told Jane he had to regain his health so he could take care of his two girls, and that he didn’t want to have his neighbors carry his responsibilities. He didn’t give up, and soon became strong enough to go back to work.⁵

Little Ellen Spowart Izatt was seven weeks old when her mother died. It was a constant struggle to find the proper foods for her. She would not eat and at one time they thought she had died. However, under Jane’s constant nursing and care she was restored to health and gradually grew stronger.⁵

Alexander Izatt and Jane Angus were married in Salt Lake City, on January 31, 1870. He told his family many, many times how grateful he was that Jane accepted him in his poverty, and the two small babies.^1,8

Alexander’s dream of the Logan Temple

In 1860, the population of Cache County was recorded at 2,605. More than 800 of those were children who were born in Utah.^35b Hundreds more children, who were living in the county, arrived in Utah with their parents between 1847 and 1860. Therefore, close to half the population of the valley at that time was under the age of 13.

During a visit by President Brigham Young, on August 22, 1863, Elder Wilford Woodruff spoke to the young people of the valley. He told them that “the day will come… when you will have the privilege of going into the towers of a glorious Temple built unto the name of the Most High, east of us upon the Logan bench, and from there “your eyes will survey this glorious valley filled with cities and villages, occupied by tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints”.³⁷

One day Alexander S. Izatt told his wife that he saw the Logan Temple in a dream “built on a sandhill”. He saw the plan of the structure and the brethern laying out the plans, many years before the temple was begun.⁸

Building the Cache Valley Tabernacle

In December 1864, Apostle Ezra T. Benson called a special meeting to discuss the proposed construction of a tabernacle. Benson pledged $1,200 himself, and others in attendance pledged $26,450. In 1865, the apostle authorized the project and work began on the 60 foot by 106 foot building. The basement was soon dug and a cobblestone foundation completed. Then, for reasons unknown, the project was suspended.^35a

When Logan was connected by the railways in 1873, Brigham Young believed it was time to resume work on the tabernacle. However, he wanted the foundation enlarged to 65 feet by 130 feet. He also wanted the railroad extended from Smithfield, Utah to the sandstone rock quarries in Franklin, Idaho.^35a

In the winter of 1873-74 teams and sleighs brought rock from Green Canyon, and the Utah Northern Pacific Railroad brought sandstone from Franklin. Work on the Tabernacle began again in 1874. They removed the old foundation and built a larger one.^35a

A mission to Saint George

Alexander was a master stone mason and church leaders called him on a service mission to build a temple in Southern, Utah. His group arrived in Saint George, Utah on November 23, 1874. The first thing they asked them when they arrived was: “Are there any masons along with you?”  They were happy to hear that there were quite a few stone masons in the company.

They worked for five months on the Saint George Temple. Alexander, in a letter to his wife Jane said he liked the work well, and that he believes it will be a beautiful building when completed. He liked the winter weather but thought it was not a good place to to live because of alkali soil, lack of water and poor water quality.

After he finished his assignment, he received $12 and a pair of half-soled shoes. When he arrived home, his clothes were worn out and his family was in need. He got some work and received for pay a large piece of cloth big enough to make him a coat.⁸

Working on the Cache Valley Tabernacle

They then asked Alexander to work on the tabernacle for pay of donation furniture or store script. One day he went for his pay and found there was nothing at the store for him. So, he did not return. Instead, he went to Logan Canyon to work on getting ties for the railroad. They soon offered to pay him if he would return to work on the tabernacle.⁸

They completed the basement and outer walls of the tabernacle in 1876. The tabernacle was excellent training for a larger project- building the temple.

In August 1878, before there were seats for the choir or in the balcony, the church held its first conference in the building. In 1881, the uncompleted tabernacle tower was roofed over and work ceased so work could go forward on the temple.^35a

The Logan Temple

The temple was the Church’s highest priority. Once the stone work of the tabernacle was finished, the temple excavation began May 28, 1877.

On September 17, 1877, they laid the cornerstones under the direction of President John Taylor.³⁸ Alexander S. Izatt played in the band for the cornerstone laying occasion.⁸

He worked with the masons until the temple was built up to a square. Brother Card then placed him in charge of building the temple annex and cook rooms. The names of masons who worked on the temple were placed on the cornerstone.⁸

When the temple was completed, it measured 171 feet long by 95 feet wide and 86 feet high at the square. The east tower was 170 feet tall, which was five feet taller than the west tower. True to the prophecy of 1863, it had four octagonal cornered “towers” crowned with battlements. The towers were 100 feet tall.^35c

The Logan Temple was an amazing pioneer achievement. The temple district made up of Cache Valley, Bear Lake, and Box Elder Stakes provided a work force of 144 men and 45 teams. This number included masons, carpenters, quarrymen, tenders, teamsters and lumbermen.

Most of these men were also farmers, who had to balance their immediate family survival with the promised riches of eternity. Some of their labor was donated, other times they received compensation in goods or wages.^35c

Numerous members of the Shoshone nation from Washakie, near the Utah-Idaho border, also helped build the temple. They worked in the rock quarry at Franklin, or with the Box Elder crews living in a camp near present day Romney Stadium.^35d

President John Taylor dedicated the temple on May 17, 1884.³⁸

Completing the tabernacle

After their work on the temple was completed, the skilled carpenters and wood craftsmen returned to finish the intricate and ornate interior of the tabernacle.

Brother Erastus and brother Cole built four steeples. The first one went on the courthouse, the next two went on the temple while the last one completed was placed on the tabernacle tower in 1886.

They then made dramatic changes to the exterior. The outside flights of stairs were removed and enclosed passages constructed. Twenty-six years after the first foundation was laid, the tabernacle was finally completed. President Wilford Woodruff dedicated the structure on November 1, 1891.^35e

Alexander “Big Sandy” Izatt, “The hardest thing I ever had to do”.

“Big Sandy” Izatt was also a stone mason who worked on the temple and tabernacle and many other projects.  When building didn’t provide enough work during the winter, he worked in the coal mines in Wyoming.

One winter, he had only been working in the mine for two days when he was strongly impressed to leave his work and go out of the mine. He stopped his work but then thought, “How foolish, I need this money to support my family.” He went back to his work. Once more a voice came to him and told him to leave the mine. “No, I cannot go!” he protested. The third time, it seemed he had no power to resist until he got out of the mine. He went to the cabin where he was staying. An explosion that night killed every man in the mine.³⁹

In 1886, there was an explosion at the Almy #4 mine in south-western Wyoming. The Deseret Evening News, very accurately describes the event Alexander told about to his family.

The night of January 12 about 25 minutes to 12, the people of the vicinity were startled by a loud report as of thunder, and for a few seconds the sky was illuminated for miles like a bright-yellow sunset. The noise and light, proceeding from the No. 4 mine, was caused by an explosion of gas, the force of which was so terrific as to blow all of the building’s above-ground into kindling wood, sending great timbers and rocks three-quarters of a mile. Miners’ houses were’ struck and pierced, but the people in them were not seriously injured. Two miners riding down the slope in a trip of empty cars had got down to the 3d level when the explosion broke the cars into fragments and shot them out as from a cannon. The two bodies were blown to pieces and were found a considerable distance from the portal. Eleven men and two boys were said to have been in the mine, and all were killed.⁴⁰

Alexander often said, “The hardest thing I ever had to do was to leave that mine”.³⁹

“This house was not built right!”

In addition to Big Alexander’s work on the temple and tabernacle, he worked on the old ZCMI, the First National Bank in Logan, the meeting house annex in Paradise, the McMurdy Dairy and various homes. He was also superintendent, for a while of the Green Canyon rock quarry.⁶

These projects kept him very busy and often took him away from Logan. It seemed to his wife Elizabeth that Alexander was always prompt enough when he worked on other people’s houses, but could never get around to build his own house. It was during one of these absences that Elizabeth lost her patience and had the house built.

Their grandson tells the story: “There were words, grandfather never got it out of his system. To his dying day there was nothing right about the stairway to the foundation, not to mention a few other things. Personally, I think he had some justice on his side too.”⁶

Cache Valley Square Dance

Elizabeth loved to dance. Alexander (big Sandy) didn’t dance, but that did not stop Elizabeth at all. They went to dances in the old rock school house, church, and community center. Alexander would have to carry one child on his back and one in his arms and Elizabeth would pack the baby.²⁷

Some dances started at sundown and lasted through the night. They opened and closed with prayer. A violin, an accordion and harmonicas struck up the music as the caller called out the square dance instructions.  The women served dinner at midnight and the left overs were put out for breakfast. Children slept through the din on benches lined against the walls. Christmas and New Years were always celebrated with a dance.²

Alexander and Elizabeth had ten children, 2 boys and 8 girls. They were Mary 1866, Grace 1868, William Boyle 1870, Elizabeth 1871, Jeanette 1873, Margaret 1875, Jane 1877, Annie 1879, Alexander George 1881, and Georgina 1883. The first two died in childhood.

Alexander Spowart Izatt, Sr.

Alexander Spowart Izatt, Jr. described his father as dark complexioned, wore a chin beard, medium height and weighed about 145 pounds. He was cheerful and jovial and people loved to have him at parties. Alexander and Jane were part of a group in the Fifth ward that had a party at each other’s house almost every week.⁵

In the 1870s, Bishop Hyde called him to be Sunday School Superintendent. He didn’t have any nice clothing, so he used money he was saving to buy a horse and bought a large piece of cloth to make a beautiful suit.⁸ He served in that calling for about twenty years.

Music was dear to his heart and he loved to sing. He had a beautiful voice and was often invited out in the community to sing and was very popular. His favorite church calling was leader of the ward choir.

One night he was not feeling well and stayed home to rest. Because of his absence, the bishop ask him to resign as choir leader. Alexander was hurt and offended and would not attend church for a while. Jane persuaded him to attend meetings at the tabernacle. Several other men tried to lead the choir but were not successful. Finally, the bishop came to Alexander and told him he was needed for the choir. He happily accepted the position.⁸

They taught their children to be industrious to obtain and enjoy the necessities of life. And to have a spiritual home, to keep the commandments of the Lord and to take an active part in church. They were also very civic minded. Alexander was elected to the city counsel for a while.⁵

Alexander “Little Sandy” Izatt returns to coal mining

In addition to his work on three temples and the Logan Tabernacle, Alexander S. Izatt helped build the rock mill at Franklin, Idaho and many concrete and rock homes in Cache Valley. He built his own home at 331 North, Fourth East for his growing family. It was made of the same stone as the temple.⁸ He often had to leave home for work during the winters to provide clothing and other needs for the family.¹

In November, 1883, he once again braved the dangers of coal mining in Rock Springs, Wyoming. In a letter to his wife he told her he had not seen daylight for a week. He said the work there was a sudden change “but all right if I can accomplish what I came here for, praying our Father in Heaven to preserve us all in good health, also from accident and danger.” He also advised her of his health condition, “My breast had not grumbled since I came here although the work is pretty hard for new comers.”⁴¹

At home in the winter

In the winter of 1883, Jane cared for the small children at home. Alex was 10, Jeanette 6, Margaret 5, and Catherine was a baby. They had a three room home and all the children slept in one room with chairs placed in front of a couch or sofa for part of a bed.¹

The three oldest girls had to arise early in the morning to help with the work before going to school. Agnes was 17, Ellen 14 and Mary 13. They would feed and care for the animals and chop wood in the cold, deep snow of Cache Valley winters. They washed and prepared the wool and took it to the carding mill so they could make their own fancy dresses and stockings. Ellen liked to knit, so her assignment was to knit stockings for the smaller children.

Nevertheless, it was a happy time when families worked together. They had parties in the homes to sew carpet rags, pop corn, make homemade molasses candy and play games. They had about one hour a day to skate or sleigh ride. Oh how happy they were when their father brought them a new, home made sleigh so they could coast down the hills with the other children.

All the children looked forward to Christmas and the night Santa Clause would come. They always hung up their stockings by the old chimney. In the morning, they found in them a nickel, an apple, an orange and a small bag of candy and nuts. Each of the girls also received one new dress and a new pair of shoes which had to last the entire year.¹

Sugar Cane production in Cache Valley

Alexander and Jane Izatt owned twenty acres and had a team of horses, a cow, chickens and other small animals. They had a huge garden with fine soil where they grew vegetables, berries and fruit trees.^5,8 They were blessed with good crops each year.¹

At planting time, the children would drop the seeds in the furrows while their father did the plowing. Then came the hoeing, weeding and watering. This was followed by the picking of cherries and berries and harvesting of the wheat. “Then the cutting of sugar cane and hauling the bundles to the mills for grinding into molasses.”¹

Sugar was scarce in Utah in the 1880s and molasses was the substitute. Many settlers had a small cane patch. They squeezed the juice from the sugar cane to make molasses.⁴² Samuel Clark, Sr. made hundreds of gallons of molasses in the Cache Valley every year.⁴³ His horse walked around and around to power the mill.⁴⁴ Fruit was dried or boiled and stored in five-gallon jars without sugar but sweetened with molasses.⁴³

Grandmother Williamson

Agnes Leatham Williamson Lawson owned a small notions store in Wellsville. Little Agnes and Ellen called her Grandmother Williamson. When Ellen was about thirteen, she went to live with her and help her in her store.

In the winter months, many men made her store their headquarters where they would gather around the warm stove, smoking and telling stories. They often left a mess which Ellen had to clean up. She asked her grandmother why she put up with such things. Grandmother Williamson told her that they bought candy and nuts and other things which helped her business. She said she preferred being independent and wanted no charity.¹

Children of Alexander and Jane Angus Izatt

Alexander and Jane Angus Izatt had nine children: Mary M. Izatt 21 November 1870, Alexander S. Izatt Jr. 16 March 1873, Jeanette W. Izatt 8 July 1877, Margaret A. Izatt 18 March 1878, John Izatt 2 September 1880 (died at birth), William R. Izatt 10 February 1882 (died at birth), George J. Izatt 17 April 1887 and Angus J. Izatt 6 January 1890.

When Angus Izatt was born Jane became very ill and was not expected to live. Alexander worried about her as he was trying to finish the home he started building for his family during the summer. It was bitter cold in the Cache Valley and he caught a cold. Jane recovered, but Alexander died two weeks later.⁸ He was 45 years old.

Jane outlived all her Scottish peers

William Izatt died in Logan in 1873 and his wife Grace lived with her son Alexander for a while. She died in 1890. Their daughter Janet and James B. Gallacher had marital problems. Judge Elis Snow granted Janet custody of the children in 1881. James Gallacher died in SLC in 1885. Janet Izatt Gallacher in Logan in 1895.

Grandma Agnes Leatham Williamson died in Wellsville, Cache Valley, Utah in 1888. She was 81.

Elizabeth Boyle Izatt, Alexander (Big Sandy’s) Izatt’s wife,  died in Logan December 20, 1887. Her eight children were between the ages of 4 and 19. Alexander raised the children by himself and they later wrote that he was a wonderful father and took good care of them.²⁷ He married Mary Legg in 1904. Alexander lived well into the twentieth century. He died in Logan on January 21, 1913 at age 69.

Jane lived for almost another quarter century.

The match maker

When her husband Alexander Spowart Izatt died in 1890, Jane was left to raise the young children by her self. Her oldest son, Alexander Jr, finished the house and she used her beautiful new home to take in students attending the Agricultural College as a source of income.

The home that A. S. Izatt built at 331 N. Fourth East⁴⁵ was a great match maker. Many students lived there with the family and studied in the Izatt home. Some of them married into the family.

One of her boarders, William Beers, married Jeanette Izatt in the home parler on Christmas in 1902. Catherine (Kate) Izatt, who was a singer and soloist like her father, married boarder David Edmond Stevens on June 9, 1906, and George Izatt married Charlotte Stevens, also a boarder and David’s cousin, on September 27, 1908.³⁰

When Jane was about sixty-five she returned to her native Scotland. She came back to Logan with names of her family, parents, brothers, sisters cousins, aunts and uncles. Unfortunately, she was unable to find many names in her direct ancestor line of her own family. For many years she enjoyed walking from her home up the hill to the temple. She served there regularly as long as her health would allow.³⁰

She was mindful of her community and served in numerous ways and was an assistant to Dr. Budge on many of his calls to the sick and assisted in the delivery of many babies.

Women could vote in Utah in 1870 and she always exercised her privilege. Even when she was blind at age 86 she found a way to vote. She requested her son George come from his work out of town to give her a ride to the voting place.³⁰

A tribute by her granddaughter

When her Aunt Mary was away. Eva Faye Izatt would often care for and read to her grandmother. The following was taken from a tribute written by Jane’s granddaughter, Eva Faye Izatt.

Jane Angus Izatt at 86 years old is a sweet, white haired woman whose countenance radiates the love, understanding, hardship, friendliness, and mirth that has accompanied her through the years. She is small in stature but stalwart of character, brave and valiant all the days of her life.

She now sits quietly, either knitting stitches into a sock for one of her grandchildren or just twiddling her fingers over the arm of her favorite old Morse chair. Her eye sight, now dimmed with cataracts, she needs a reader. She loves to have one of her family read from the Bible, and also certain sections of the daily news paper.

Those who know her can recall many pleasant hours spent listening to her deep and thoughtful philosophy, her rambling tales of old Scotland and her early girlhood, or best of all her love of the Gospel and the Bible. She speaks with a quick, concise, yet lilting Scottish brogue of her native land, delighting us all and we love her dearly.³⁰

Jane Angus Izatt died on January 17, 1937. She was 91-years-old.

James and Agnes Izatt Adams

Alexander and Jeanette’s oldest daughter Agnes married James Hugh Adams in Logan on January 7, 1885. His father James Adams and uncle Hugh Adams also joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Scotland before their trek to Utah.

Their children were: James I. Adams 1885-1955, Jeanette (Netty) Adams Williamson 1887-1962, Margaret (Gretta) Adams Christensen 1890-1966, Alexander I. Adams 1893-1910, Livonia Adams Barney 1898-1951, George L. Adams 1903-1973, Lyle I. Adams 1904-1968, Jessie I. Adams Ross 1907-1972, and Ernest I. Adams 1913-1977.

They build a home and raised their family at 603 E., 500 North in Logan one block from Agricultural College campus. Like Jane Izatt, they also boarded students in their home.

Archie and Livonia Adams Barney and the birth of Fay Barney

Archie F. Barney came to the Cache Valley to the Utah Agricultural College (now Utah State University). There he found board and room in the Adams home. He there met 18-year-old Livonia Adams. They were married in Logan on September 26,1917.

The great war was in progress in Europe and Archie Barney was enlisted and left for Camp Lewis, Washington on May 25, 1918. He was on his way to France on July 11, 1918 when their first daughter Agnes Fay Barney was born in the back bedroom of the Adams home in Logan.

The family cut a lock of the baby’s long black hair, tied it with a pink ribbon and sent it in the letter announcing the birth of his daughter. As he was sitting in a park reading the letter a young girl snatched the pretty pink ribbon off Archie’s knee before he had a chance to enjoy it.⁴⁶

Argonne offensive, September 26, 1918

It was Archie and Livonia’s first anniversary, the morning  of September 26, 1918. The great Argonne offensive in France had begun. A heavy artillery barrage had ousted the enemy from their trenches. Archie, with his comrades were waiting for the order to go “over the top”.

The order given, they scrambled out of their trenches through the barbed wire entanglements toward the enemy trenches. Their business was to locate and eliminate or drive back German machine gunners concealed in the trees and brush.

Thinking they could make better time, they entered a large opening in the brush and woods. The lieutenant with Barney and three others went a head. A gunner, hidden in the brush, opened fire. They immediately dropped to the ground for cover. There was little protection to be had, however, as the machine gun spit several hundred balls per minute toward them.

Only a moment on the ground and one slug hit Archie in the left side of his neck.  It coursed its way down between his spine and his lungs. It was quite an injury. He was stunned and completely paralyzed below his arms. The bullet remained inside below his right arm pit. “In an instant more, (he wrote) my throat and lungs started to rattle. My breathing came hard and I thought perhaps it was my turn to fertilize the poppies. Within a few moments more, however, I had overcome the first shock of my experience and had perfect confidence in a speedy recovery from my injuries”.⁴⁷

This assurance came to him as he lay helpless on the ground, still under fire from the machine gun. He distinctly remembers several balls striking the dirt near his head and of others cutting the blades of grass near by.

They were not held for long under this intense situation, however, before some of the Americans located and silenced the machine gun. Upon being relieved the boys of his company jumped up to continue their pursuit of the enemy.

He was injured at about 9 am and laid there on the muddy ground through the day. As he listened, he could hear the noise of battle receding into the distance as the Americans continued their advance. He laid there with the dead all night. The next day some medics collected the wounded together and covered them with blood-stained German garments to keep off the evening autumn chill. The following morning Archie was taken to a field hospital where he received excellent care from the doctors and nurses.⁴⁷

After being in several hospitals in France he sailed for the USA, debarking at Ellis Island on November 18, 1918. He was sent to a hospital in Cape May, New Jersey, where by February, 1919, he had recovered sufficiently to walk in the halls. After November 11, 1919 (Armistice Day) he was discharged from the Army.⁴⁷

Archie and Livonia Barney Family

Archie’s disability rating at the time of his discharge was 75% permanent disability. However, he persevered until he could walk with a cane and he was able to drive an automobile.

He returned to Logan and graduated from the Utah Agricultural College in the class of 1920. That autumn he moved with his family to Ithaca, New York and registered in the graduate school. He studied genetics, plant breeding, plant physiology and soil technology and received his Doctorate Degree from Cornell University.

They moved back to Utah and he got a job on May 1, 1925 as a field agronomist at American Smelter and Refining in Salt Lake City. It was satisfying work with a very good salary. He worked there for 30 years and retired in 1955.

Archie Barney was born on July 4, 1892. This year (2021) his grandchildren and their families will gather to continue the tradition of celebrating his fourth of July birthday, Granddad Barney’s 129th birthday.

Archie and Livonia had four children: Fay born in Logan, Utah, July 11, 1918; Ellen born at Ithaca, New York, October 4, 1921; Dean was born at Logan, Utah, on February 12, 1925; Carol born in Salt Lake City, Utah, January 11, 1928.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CChapter 27- Fay Barney Chamberlain: Dating and Marriage  (Fay Barney is a great-granddaughter of Alexander Spowart Izatt)

Summary Page 4- Alexander Spowart Izatt Family History

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, All rights reserved. The Chamberlain Story, 2021.

References:

1- Ellen Izatt Stoddard, A Brief Sketch of My Life. Personal family record

2- Marva Lawrence, History of William Izatt (1812) and Grace Adamson Izatt (1811) Familysearch.org, memories.

5- Jane Angus Izatt, My Dear Children, A History of Our Coming to Utah, Familysearch.org.

6- Early Mining History, http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/8.html

8- Jeanette McNeil, A Sketch of the Life of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Familysearch.org, memories.

34- Jeanetta Adams Williams, Grandmother and Grandfather Izatt, Handwritten by granddaughter, 1952.

35- F. Ross Peterson, The History of Cache County, Utah State Historical Society, 1997.

35a pages 109-112
35b page 40
35c page 114-115
35d page 116
35e pages 112-113

36- Providence History Committee, Providence and Her People, Keith W. Watkins and Sons, Inc, 1974

37- Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, The Logan Utah Temple, https://churchofjesuschristtemples.org/logan-utah-temple/

38- Latter-day Temples. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/ensign/1972/01/

39. Alexander Izatt, Compiled by Marsha Ann Lloyd Howell

40- Almy Wyoming, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Almy,_Wyoming Deseret Evening News.

41- Letter from Alexander S. Izatt to wife, Jane Izatt, December 2, 1883, Rock Springs, Wyoming Territory.

42- Franklin and Whitney Idaho, http://docshare04.docshare.tips/files/4147/41475065.pdf

43- Samuel Clark, Sr, (1798-1885) https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Clark-30879

44- Whitney, Idaho, http://franklin.idgenweb.org/franklin_county_towns.htm

45- Obit. of Jane Angus Izatt, Memories, FamilySearch.org.

46- Ernest & Fay Chamberlain Personal Histories, Recorded 25 June 1984 in England by Lyle Brent Chamberlain.

47- Selected Journals of Archie F. Barney, compiled by Deanna Fay Chamberlain Grant, pages 20-22.

Five thousand miles from home

Alexander Spowart Izatt is now five thousand miles from home and misses his friends “Big Sandy” Izatt, Robert Rankin, and certainly Jeanette Williamson. He met Jeanette in October of 1861 and they formed a romantic bond before he left Scotland. (See Part 1)  According to one report, Alexander had fallen in love with young Jeanette.⁸

He was a romantic fellow and his feelings may have been captured in the verses of his favorite poet Robert Burns:

A Red, Red Rose by Robert Burns

O, my luve’s like a red, red rose
That’s newly sprung in June;
O, my luve’s like the melodie
That’s sweetly play’d in tune.

As fair art thou, my bonnie lass,
So deep in luve am I:
And I will luve thee still, my dear,
Till a’ the seas gang dry.

Till a’ the seas gang dry, my dear,
And the rocks melt wi’ the sun:
I will luve thee still, my dear,
While the sands o’ life shall run.

And fare thee weel, my only luve!
And fare thee weel, a while!
And I will come again, my luve,
Tho’ it were ten thousand mile.

Voyage of the John J. Boyd, April 30, 1863

Jennette was soon on her way to America. She left Liverpool accompanied by her nineteen-year-old sister Marion Williamson and their mother, Agnes Lawson, on a three mast sailing ship, the John J. Boyd. It sailed with about 850 passengers on April 30, 1863. The ship record said Janet was 17, however, she was not yet 16.

Jeanette’s voyage was much calmer than Alexander’s a year earlier. There were no major storms. Yet, five died during this trip across the Atlantic.¹⁹ No one died the year before on the voyage of the Manchester.

The first burial at sea was a public ceremony. They wrapped the old man up in a blanket, head to the east, tied coal to his feet and laid him on a plank. While reading the sermon they tipped the plank and down he went into the water. Some of the people watching screamed and some fainted. They never let them see anything like that again.¹⁹

Like the passengers on the Manchester, they also saw some whales and a few icebergs. However, with no major storms or headwinds they made the trip in just 29 days instead of 38. They arrived at Castle Gardens, New York on May 29, 1863.¹⁹

Train derailed

To avoid the southern rebels, Jeanette’s train route from New York went north through Canada precisely as Alexander’s had done in 1862. However, this year, they saw railroad wrecks and destruction along the way.

When they traveled through Missouri the American Civil War became real to the immigrants. All the passenger cars were destroyed, so they had to ride in cattle cars with straw on the floor and no seats.^19,20

Near a soldier’s camp in Missouri, saboteurs placed logs on the tracks to derail the train. The train hit the blockade which threw everyone forward to one end of the car. Women and children were screaming and crying. A few were hurt.¹⁹
They placed the derailed cars back on the tracks and they continued on to St. Joseph.

The John R. Murdock ox wagon company

Jeanette Williamson, her mother and sister made the journey to Salt Lake in the John R. Murdock ox team company. We know her company, only by the story written by Ellen Izatt Stoddard. Williamsons are not recorded in the Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868. However, Ellen wrote: “My mother-in-law, Emma (Eckersly) Stoddard, came with the same company as my mother” (Jeanette Williamson).¹

The John R. Murdock company left with 55 wagons pulled by oxen teams on June 29, 1863. There were between 275 and 375 pioneers in this company.²¹ All who were old enough and healthy enough to walk, had to walk most of the way.²²

Ellen Stoddard’s mother-in-law told her that her grandmother (Agnes Leatham Williamson Lawson) and her family added greatly to the crossing.  They were fine singers and musicians and almost every night participated in the campfire concerts where the trials of the day were forgotten and strength obtained for the next day’s travels.“¹

They arrived in Salt Lake City on August 29, 1863.

The marriage of Alexander and Jeanette

When they arrived in Utah, Jeanette’s mother made her life miserable because she wanted her to marry a man she did not like. Her mother had persuaded her sister, Marion, to marry Andrew Christensen. He was not her choice. Nevertheless, they were married on October 3, 1863, one month after the Williamsons arrived in Salt Lake.⁵

Jeanette’s health was not good, and the conflict with her mother made it worse. Her mother told Alexander she was sick to discourage his pursuit of her daughter.

Alexander told her he was not worried and they were getting married. He would marry her, he said, even if she had but one day left on this earth.⁵ They were married in the endowment house in Salt Lake City on February 27, 1864.

They were very poor, having nothing but the clothes they wore. The church leaders asked Uncle William to settle in the Cache Valley, which he did. He told Alexander he would give him a city lot there. Some of the family did not like it, but his uncle knew he deserved it.⁵

William Izatt’s family back in Scotland

James Gallacher received the first letter from William in Salt Lake City on December 17, 1862. That day he wrote in his journal: “It was a good letter and breaths the spirit of the Gospel – answers a good many questions that I asked him relative to the journey”. The letter was then taken to Rutherglen and read to William’s wife, Grace. “At home, Grandma was very proud to hear the letter read and hear her husband was landed safe – so far away – 8000 miles.”¹⁰

The next day, December 18, 1862, after making plans for a big days work, James Gallacher’s plans were “knocked on the head by Sis. G. (his wife Janet) being seized with labour pains.” She gave birth on that date to a son they named Alexander Gallacher. With the birth of their grandson, William and Grace graduated in James journal from the title of “my father-in-law”, and “my mother-in-law” to “Grandfather” and “Grandma”.¹⁰

Grace Izatt’s “mental derangement”

On April 19, 1863, James wrote two letters to William in Salt Lake. One from himself and one from William’s wife Grace. The next day, when he took the letter to read to Grace, he got a very cold reception. And, she would not say whether the letter he wrote was good or bad. She then ordered him to no longer send her bread, and to no more bring her clothes to wash, as she is not going to be anybody’s drudge. James was very much grieved at her state of mind.

The mighty offence Grace felt was a mystery to both James and his wife Janet. Janet went to Rutherglen the next day to visit her mother to see what could be done. However, she was astonished that she would only hint that James said something, about something to someone. Grace could not explain the problem and James and Janet came to the conclusion that the offense was only in her mind.

They decided to have their son, Big Sandy, come often and tell them how things were at home with his mother. However, even two weeks later on May 3, Big Sandy told them that “Grandma was no way cooled down yet”.  And, on May 16, Grace came in from Rutherglen and “did some very foolish things and looked as wild as ever”.

Finally, on June 11, James took a letter from Grace’s son-in-law, John Campbell in America to share with Grace. “She seems to have nearly recovered from her mental derangement”, he wrote.¹⁰

Departure of the General McClellan

March 15, 1864 Janet Gallacher went to Rutherglen to tell her family they received a letter from the valley containing an order for 25 pounds for Grace Izatt and her children’s emigration to Utah this spring.¹⁰

A concert and ball for the benefit of Grace and her family was held on the 13th but turned out to be “a very bad affair”. Perhaps the Saints left behind in Scotland were getting burned out by fundraisers.

On May 16th James, prepared to send off his wife’s family. He worked hard and late to bring in “Granma’s” things from Rutherglen.¹⁰   James and Janet planned to bring their family at a later date. 

The General McClellan set sail from Liverpool on May 21, 1864. It was raining that day, so inspection of the passengers had to be done below deck. Not withstanding the inconvenience and discomfort, no unkind word or ill natured remark was heard from the Saints during the proceedings.^23a

Grace Izatt (53), Alexander Izatt aka Big Sandy (20), David Izatt (19), William Izatt (11), James Izatt (9) and Thomas Gallacher (12) were among the 861 passengers listed.²³

Who is Thomas Gallacher?

Thomas Gallacher age 12, listed as traveling with the Izatt family, is a puzzle. He is not Thomson Gallacher who would be age 12. Thomson was a twin daughter of James and Janet Robertson Gallacher. Thomson came to America on the “Colorado” in 1868.

Calm before the storm

The Captain of the General McClellan took the far north course to avoid confederates on the ocean. In the north Atlantic, they saw some large icebergs. One, which appeared in form of a lion, floated across their path.^23b

On June 9, the wind stopped and there was a dead calm. There was not a puff of wind to ruffle the water. It was an eerie feeling to see their ship sit powerless on the great ocean of water as smooth as a sheet of glass.^23b

Then during the night of calm, the wind commenced to blow and by 4 am the storm became a full gale. The ship began to pitch and dive. Buckets and boxes slid to-and-fro across the deck spilling their contents. The heavy sea completely engulfed the bow of the ship and torrents of water found its way down the forecastle hatchway. The man on lookout and the man at the wheel were almost swept away. The rushing sound of water and creaking timber caused the women and children cry out in panic, fearing that the vessel had stuck an iceberg and would sink in the depth of the sea. However, the fears of the people were soon quieted by the reassuring words of the first officer, who cried below, “All’s right.“^23bcde

The storm subsided by 10 am on June 11, and a peaceful breeze again filled the sails. Their experience was a vivid reminder to all aboard that they were truly in the hands of the “Master of ocean, and earth, and skies”.^23cd

The pleasure of seeing land

The ship anchored in New York on June 23. The passengers remained on the ship one day to wait for the crowds through Castle Garden to dissipate. From the deck they admired the beautiful scenery of the New York harbor.  What gave this scene extra charm, no doubt, was the pleasure of seeing land once again after 32 days of viewing only a great expanse of water.^23bd

Travel through the Civil War zone

The United States was still in the midst of the Civil War and the government was using the railroads for the movement of war supplies and troops. Also, there were many broken bridges and uptorn railways.^23c The Izatt family, among the four hundred and fifty other immigrants bound for Zion, boarded the St. John, a large beautiful steamer which took them up the Hudson river to Albany.

At Albany they got aboard the train to Rochester. They arrived early the next morning, but were delayed there until 2 pm. In Buffalo and also Port Huron, in consequence of their detention, they were kindly presented with a large quantity of biscuits and cheese. This was distributed among the Saints, a large portion of whom were needy and were traveling with little or no food of their own.^23f.

They then traveled to Chicago and to Saint Joseph, Missouri. Passenger cars often were not available, but they were fortunate to secure transportation in cattle cars when necessary.^23b

At St. Joseph, they were on alert for “gorillas”, as a hostile band of rebels attacked there a fortnight before.^23d They occupied for the night a large shed-room attached to the warehouses of the Steampacket Company. Every able-bodied man was stationed as a guard, watching the safety and property of those who slept. Some preferred sleeping in the open-air, because of the suffocating heat, the likes of which, many from the old country had never experienced before.^23f

The next morning, the company took a small river boat, the West Wind, up the dirty waters of the Missouri River. They landed at Wyoming, Nebraska on the evening of July 3, giving thanks to Heavenly Father for His protecting hand. ^23de

“Novelty and Pleasures”

They were met at Wyoming, Nebraska by teams of oxen and teamsters from Utah preparatory to their 1,100 mile journey.^23cf The Mormon boys with their big bull whips and their wide rimmed hats seemed rather odd to the new arrivals, as they had never seen anything like this before.^23b

Some slept in wagons, others under tents, and others, again, with nothing but the sky to cover them. This change in their mode of life, however, had its novelty and pleasures.^23f

The Izatts were part of the William S. Warren company of about 400 immigrants composed of English, Scots, Welsh, and a few Germans and Danes. There were 65 wagons. They began their journey on July 22, 1864.^24a

All who were able had to walk.^24b Alexander (Big Sandy) Izatt was called on to walk along and heard the cattle.²⁵

The Plum Creek Massacre

There were reports of Indian raids along the Platt River on July 17, so the four immigrant trains lead by John Smith, A Canfield, W. Hyde and W. S. Warren traveled close together “to effectually resist any hostile attack”.^24c There were about 210 wagons in all.^24b

Two small mule trains, consisting of 16 wagons heading for Denver,²⁵ traveled along with the Mormons for protection. After a while, however, they got impatient with the slow ox train and pushed ahead.^24d

On August 8, 1864, Lieutenant Joseph Bone of the Iowa 7th Cavalry at Plum Creek Station sent a telegraph message to Fort Kearney calling for help.²⁵

In response, a group of US Army soldiers, riding swiftly west from Fort Kearney, soon passed the ox train. They told the pioneers that the Indians were attacking and burning the wagons in the mule train just a few miles ahead them.^24b

Some 100 Cheyenne warriors swept down on the mule trains from the bluffs to the south. The teams began to scatter. One mule train, with ten drivers and a cook, belonged to E. F. Morton of Sidney, Iowa.²⁵ All of the men were killed and Morton’s wife Nancy, age 19, was taken captive. After, she was thrust up behind a Cheyenne rider, she noticed she had arrows in her thigh and left side.²⁶

The other mule train with six wagons was loaded with corn and machinery. It belonged to Michael Kelley of St. Joseph, Missouri. In this train, all the men were killed and a young boy, Dannie Marble, was captured.²⁵

Their 50 mules were driven away by the Indians.²⁵

As the pioneers passed the scene they saw the burning wagons and horses shot full of arrows.^24b Some saw the bodies of the men lying where the Indians had killed them.^24e Others, who were with the later wagons, saw the fifteen graves the soldiers dug for them.²⁴

They past several ranches and stations that were burned. One pioneer stopped to bury a man laying in the smoldering remains of his house.^24b

“Teeth chattering with fear”

It was a terrifying night. Homes were seen burning along the horizon.^24f There was heavy guard set up around the cattle and camp that evening. One guard counted fourteen Indians crossing the river not far from camp. As he passed by some of the wagons, he could hear people’s teeth chattering with fear.^24b At midnight, they heard them coming, shouting their war hoops. When they got about half way around the camp, the men fired on them. Finding the camp prepared for them, the Indians fled.^24e

 

“A thousand tepees”

As the ox teams started their journey the next morning, (presumably August 9), the pioneers could see, about a mile from the road, more than a thousand tepees of Cheyanne and Sioux Indians.

As they drove along, four Indians came toward the train at full speed. Every man grabbed his gun thinking it might be an attack. The lead Indian had a short shot gun. He dashed into the train and began snapping his empty gun at the women and girls, making them scream. Since his gun did not go off, they decided not to shoot him. The other three Indians grabbed him and took him away. The fellow was drunk.^24b

The Stampede

“The next morning”, (presumably August 10), they were about to start the train, “and as quick as a clap of thunder” there was a stampede. It tipped over wagons and spread goods and provisions along the road. The cattle ran about 300 yards and then stopped as suddenly as they began. Some oxen were crippled or had broken horns. Broken wagons had to be repaired or abandoned and loads put on other wagons.^24bg

Note: None of the stories I read speculate on the cause of the stampede, nor do they reference any association with the Indian troubles. However, it apparently occurred very close to the time of the Indian raids, and stampeding cattle was one of the Indian’s tactics.

Elizabeth Boyle and Alexander (Big Sandy)

George Boyle was a boot maker by trade, and quite well to do. His family, like the Izatts, had traveled from Scotland on the General McClellan. Now, they were traveling together in the same wagon company. Boyle’s daughter, Elizabeth, was not happy about leaving her good life and boy friend behind in Scotland. She often expressed an uncongenial disposition toward her father for taking her on an expedition that rivaled the journey of Lehi to the land of promise in the Book of Mormon.

Big Sandy Izatt was very attracted to the fair Elizabeth who had dark curly hair and beautiful blue eyes. His challenge was to get her to notice him. She tried to ignore him and had nothing to say to him. Nevertheless, Alexander was persistent. He coaxed her to walk along with him as he drove the cattle each day. Eventually, she accepted the offer.²⁷

They picked bull berries together near South Pass. And then down the canyons of Utah, they waded or crossed bridges over the stream forty-six times,^24b as they walked together the rest of the way to Salt Lake City.²⁷

“Gratifying assurance”

On August 24, the Salt Lake Telegraph published that the Overland Stage, coming from the east, had seen the immigrant trains. They were about 100 miles west of Fort Kearney on August 11. This was “gratifying assurance that none of them have suffered or probably will suffer from the existing Indian uprising on the Platte”.^24c

The ox train arrived in Salt Lake City on October 4. On the 5th, the SL Telegraph reported that Captain William S. Warren’s company of 400 immigrants arrived yesterday, “having made a good trip since July 22nd. One birth and twenty-six deaths occurred on the journey, the sickness was chiefly dysentery. Thirty head of cattle also died on the road.”^24a

Welcome to Logan, Utah

William welcomed his wife Grace and children to Utah and Alexander S. was glad to see his cousin and best friend, Big Sandy. They were soon on their way to their new home in Logan. A stage coach line was now operating between Salt Lake City and Logan, but they made the 80 mile trip by wagon.

In 1864, the roads and streets in Logan had recently been surveyed. There was a sawmill, a dam was built on the Logan River for irrigation, there was a general store and Logan Hall in the center of town for large gatherings.  The first school was a 40 by 60 foot log house with dirt floors and a roof. Inside the were spilt log seats without backs. It was lite by candles that were held by jack knives stuck in the cracks of the walls.²

Like many others in Logan at that time, William and Grace lived in a dugout with crude homemade furniture. It was described as “a hole in the mountain, fourteen feet square and a dirt floor”.²⁸

William’s son, Big Sandy got work as a rock mason in Salt Lake City and continued to court the girl he walked with on the trail. Elizabeth Boyle was working as a housekeeper. They got married in the Endowment house in Salt Lake on June 2, 1865, and moved to Logan in 1866.²

Little Sandy also worked as a rock mason and started going by his initials A. S. Izatt to avoid being confused with his cousin.

Alexander Spowart Izatt built a little log house for himself and Jeanette. It had dirt floors, no windows and a door built from boards. It was about as good as any in Cache County in those days.²

William Andrew Izatt, the brother of Alexander S, married Ellen McNeil in Salt Lake City on November 2, 1867. They moved to Logan and lived next to Little Sandy for a while.²

There was considerable tension at this time between the settlers and the Indians. The Shoshone gathered on the eastern hills and built great fires where they performed war dances. Settlers below trembled for their lives. Brigham Young’s counsel was to “feed them, don’t fight them”. Often they walked into homes and demanded whatever attracted them.²⁹

Jane Angus in Scotland

In 1863, Jane Angus was almost 18. She lived in Rutherglen, Scotland with her mother, and her 26-year-old sister. They were staunch Presbyterians. Jane went to Bible school and loved the Bible. Her favorite part was Jesus’ Sermon on the Mount.³⁰

When Little Sandy left Scotland in 1862, it seemed to take the life out of the old gang .⁵  He was well liked and a pretty good singer. Big Sandy and others missed him a lot.  Jane Angus knew that he went to America, but no one would tell her why he went.⁹

Jane became friends with Violet Swand and often visited her home. She didn’t know Violet was a Latter-day Saint until one evening she said, “I am going to church, do you want to come?” She went her where she heard a talk by Elder Alexander Duncan. It really impressed her. She became interested and always attended meetings after that.⁹

She knew there would be trouble at home if she told the folks, so she kept it to her self. However, some way her sister heard she was attending Mormon meetings and told her mother. Between the two of them, they turned her out in the street.⁹

A Latter-day Saint family took her in, and on Mach 11, 1865 she was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elder Daniel Burlington. He had helped her get set up in Glasgow, where she worked until 1868.⁹

Jane Angus’ voyage on the John Bright, June 4, 1868

On June 4, 1868, Jane Angus set sail for America, fulfilling her own prophecy she made as a child, “Someday, I’m going to Zion”.⁹

She boarded the John Bright in Liverpool with group of 722 joyful Latter-day Saints. At a meeting called on deck, Elder C. W. Penrose made a few remarks and gave a prayer, dedicating the vessel and those aboard to the care and protection of Almighty God. The hymn Come, Come Ye Saints was sung followed by three hearty cheers!^31a

Jane traveled with William Low and his family. Low was a tailor and the President of the Rutherglen Branch. He brought his wife, Ellen (37) and his five children, Mary (14), William (11), David (8), Andrew (6) and Jemima (18 months). I am sure Jane (23) could be very helpful to the Low family.

It was intended that this group of immigrants cross the Atlantic by steam ship. However, the price for steam ship passage was too high for those with limited means. Therefore, the voyage was made by a sailing vessel like those before.^31a

Some passengers commented on the very rough seas, however, it was a comparatively smooth voyage with little sea sickness. They arrived safely in New York on July 14.

That evening, one immigrant family went up town to get some bread and cheese. The mother saw some beautiful red fruit and bought some. Her family tried to eat them but couldn’t. That was their first experience with tomatoes.^31b

The last group of Pioneers

The next day they were on the train heading west. They passed Rochester and on July 17 arrived at the Suspension Bridge. They stopped there for four hours to enjoy the scenery at Niagara Falls.^31c They then traveled to Detroit, Chicago and all the way to Omaha on the train.

The new Union Pacific Railroad line now went from Omaha to Laramie City. The fare from New York to Omaha was $14, but to go all the way to Laramie City cost $35. The extra $21 was waved for anyone willing to stop for a while and do some labor on the railroad.^31a

At 8 am on July 22, their Locomotive passed Grand Island, Nebraska. It was now a big station and a town with many houses. They viewed from the comfort of their passenger car window, two prairie fires and a large Indian camp. At 7:00 pm they passed the river to North Platte. The next day they saw more large Indian camps, some antelope and many other animals. In the evening they arrived at the station at Laramie City. They stayed in the cars during the night.^31c

The church sent mule teams to take the immigrants from Laramie City to Salt Lake. On July 24 at 4 am they were told to get up, take their baggage out of the train and load it on the mule train. They traveled a few miles then set up camp by the river, washed their clothes and bathed. It was very pleasant.^31c

Most of the company walked along with the mule train from Laramie and arrived in Salt Lake on August 19, 1868. This was the last year the Church sent teams to bring the immigrants across the desert and mountains. The transcontinental railroad was completed in 1869.

James Gallacher’s children on the Colorado, July 14, 1868

James Gallacher’s children from his first wife, Janet Robinson Gallacher, John (18), Elizabeth (16), Thomson (16), and William (15) came to America on the steamship Colorado on July 14, 1868. They crossed the Atlantic in two weeks. The sailing ship that transported Jane Angus in June, took six weeks.³²

When they arrived in Salt Lake, John Gallacher took his two twin sisters by ox team to Logan to stay with their step grand parents, William and Grace Izatt.  John must have been very disappointed to find the Izatts living in a 14 foot square dugout, and that there was no employment for him in Logan. John helped the Izatts for a couple of days, then got some blankets and cut himself a willow staff and walked all the way back to Salt Lake City.²⁸

James and Janet Gallacher on the Manhattan, September 22, 1869

James (40) and his wife Janet (34), the daughter of William and Grace Izatt, left Liverpool on September 22, 1869 on the steam ship Manhattan. They brought the four youngest Gallachers, James Jr. (7), Alexander (4), Grace (3) and Andrew (infant).³³

Steam ship passage and the completion of the transcontinental railroad made an amazing improvement in travel. The Gallachers arrived in New York on October 7 and they got off the train in Ogden, Utah on October 16, 1869. Their entire trip took 24 days.

In 1862, just seven years earlier, William and Alexander S. Izatt’s entire trip from Liverpool to Salt Lake City took 152 days. After 24 days of travel, they were still in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.

To be continued. 

Chapter E15- Alexander Spowart Izatt, Part 3- Cache Valley

Alexander and Jeanette’s Cache Valley home. “The angel of Providence” saves Alexander and his family. Alexander’s dream and Wilford Woodruff’s prophecy of the Logan Temple. Building the tabernacle and the temple. Alexander’s home, family and garden. The unusual Utah crop grown in Alexander’s garden. How Big Alexander narrowly escaped a coal mine disaster. Why Big Alexander didn’t like his house.

Summary Page 4- Alexander Spowart Izatt Family History

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, All rights reserved. The Chamberlain Story, 2021.

References:

1- Ellen Izatt Stoddard, A Brief Sketch of My Life. Personal family record

2- Marva Lawrence, History of William Izatt (1812) and Grace Adamson Izatt (1811) Familysearch.org, memories.

5- Jane Angus Izatt, My Dear Children, A History of Our Coming to Utah, Familysearch.org.

7- Cyrus L. Clark (grandson), A History of Alexander Izatt (“Big Sandy”, son of William Izatt and Grace

8- Jeanette McNeil, A Sketch of the Life of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Familysearch.org, memories.

9- Pioneer Lady of Logan Tells story, Jane Angus Izatt, Familysearch.org, memories.

10- James Gallacher, The Journal of James Buchannon Gallacher, Part 2. Familysearch.org.

19- Saints by Sea, The story of Mary Charlotte Jacobs Soffe, LDS.org

20- Saints by Sea, Autobiography of John Lingren. LDS.org

21- John R. Murdock Company, 1863, historyofthechurchofjesuschrist.org

22- Anna O. Rigby, Life of Sophia Eckersley Rigby, memories, Familysearch.org.

23- Saints by Sea, General McClellan, Liverpool to New York, 21 May 1864 – 23 Jun 1864

a- A Compilation of General Voyage Notes
b- Journal of David Coombs
c- Autobiography of Christopher Alston
d- Autobiography of Jane L. Sprunt Warner Garner
e- Letter of Thomas Evans Jeremy – June 19, 1864
f- Letter of Thomas Evans Jeremy – July 2, 1864

24- Pioneer database, https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/

a- “Got In” Salt Lake Daily Telegraph, 5 October, 1864
b- Robert L. Ashby, Family History of Thomas Waters Cropper, p22-26, (1957)
c- “The Incoming Trains”, Salt Lake Daily Telegraph, 24 August,1864
d- Ada Alice McDuff Rampton, Called at the Age of Sixty, Davis Clipper, September 16, 1910.
e- Eliza Duncombe Fletcher, Life of Eliza Duncombe Fletcher
f- Edwin Stott, A Sketch of My Life, Utah Historical Quarterly, October,1941

25- Cheyenne War of 1864, Nebraska, LegendsofAmerica.com

26- Michael Trevis, Plum Creek Massacre, Lexington, Nebraska, forttours.com

27- Georgina Izatt Clark, Story of Elizabeth Boyle, Familysearch.org

28- William and Grace Adamson Izatt shared their Pioneer Dugout Home, by unknown, Familysearch.com

29- Joel Ricks, Logan Fifth Ward History, 1950, FamilySearch.org

30- Eva Faye Izatt,  Jane Angus Izatt, (written in the 1930s by granddaughter)

31- Saints by Sea

a- Liverpool to New York 4 June 1868 – 14 July 1868, General Voyage Notes
b- Autobiographical Sketch of Mary Ann Williams Jenkins
c- Diary of Michael Mathisen

32- Saints by Sea, the Colorado, July 14, 1868

33- Saints by Sea, the Manhattan, September 22, 1869

Alexander Spowart Izatt was born July 22, 1844 in the town of Dumfermline, a town in Fife about 19 miles across the Forth of Firth from Edinburgh.¹ His father, Andrew Izatt and Andrew’s older brother William, like generations preceding them, worked in the coal mines.

In 1840, when their father, Alexander Izatt, died, Andrew was only 19 years-old. The two were very close and William tried to look after his younger brother.²

Latter-day Saints missionaries come to Scotland

Orson Pratt came to Scotland on May 3, 1840 to supervise the missionary work for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He climbed Arthur’s Seat, an 822 foot rocky ridge over looking the city of Edinburgh. There, he offered a prayer and dedicated Scotland for the preaching of the gospel.³ The missionaries  began teaching everyone who would listen to them. The Church experienced amazing growth during its first decade in Scotland. It grew from zero branches in 1840, to 3291 members forming fifty-seven branches by 1851.⁴

Alexander was but a wee baby when the Izatt family heard the missionaries testify of Joseph Smith and the Restored Gospel. Like many others who worked the coal mines, they found spiritual, material and psychological hope in their message. It was not in the highlands of Scotland, but rather the coal mines, smokestacks and crowded alleys of the industrial heartland which echoed with the songs of Zion sung by the fast growing Latter-day Saint congregations.⁴

Opposition to the new religion also grew quickly and criticism was sometimes expressed in acts of violence. In 1842, Latter-day Saints were stoned in Kirkpatrick, mobbed in Busby and Joseph Smiths effigy was burned at the tollbooth in Clackmannanshire. A number of those who were investigating the church in 1844 were prevented from joining because their tyrannical employers threatened to dismiss persons who became Mormons.⁴ Nevertheless, one by one, the Izatt family entered the waters of baptism.

The missionaries baptized Alexander’s uncle William Izatt on February 27, 1845 and his uncle’s wife Grace in June the same year. They baptized his father and mother, Andrew and Ellen Spowart Izatt, respectively, on April 5, and  May 31, 1846. Andrew Izatt and his family were members of the Oakley Branch of the Edinburgh Conference.²

Alexander lost his mother when he was three

Andrew moved his family to Airdrie, Scotland about 25 miles east of Glasgow to be closer to the mine where he worked.² Shortly after their move, Ellen was carrying twins when complications developed. The twins died at birth and Ellen died shortly after on April 5, 1848. Andrew buried his wife along with babies, Thomas and Catherine.

The grieving family worked together to help each other. Alexander and his younger brother William stayed with their aunt Grace, while their father Andrew and uncle William worked in the mine.²

Ellen appeared to her young son Alexander after her death and sang his favorite song to him. This strengthened the boy’s faith in God.² Many years later, Alexander told his wife that the only thing he could remember about his mother was the song he used to sing to him. The words were, “Oh but you’re a long time a’ coming, but welcome when you come.”⁵

Tragedy in Airdrie

On July 23, 1850, Andrew got up early to get to the mine by 6 am. William also headed for the mine that morning but he was a few minutes late. Andrew entered the cage full of miners and promptly at 6 am, it began its descent into the mine. The cage left William standing at the edge of the pit.²

As the cage was descending the shaft broke and the cage fell.⁵ William distinctly heard the explosion. He knew his brother was in that cage. For nearly an half an hour he heard the groans and cries from the bottom of the pit. All of the men died. “I have had 30 years experience in the coal pits, and I never knew of such a fearful accident.” William said, “I was going down the pit myself, when the cage started, leaving me on the bank,”²

This terrible accident happened on the day after Alexander’s sixth birthday. Alexander’s brother William was four. They now had no father or mother. Alexander’s Uncle William and Aunt Grace tried to parent the two orphaned children, but they were struggling to raise six of their own. Therefore, another aunt, Jane Izatt Campbell, took in William.²

Alexander’s Uncle William Izatt and Aunt Grace Adamson Izatt took him in and were a very important part of his life.

“Little Sandy” and “Big Sandy”

Grace and William raised Alexander Spowart Izatt as though he was their own son. In 1851, the family still lived in Airdrie. The Scotland Census that year listed the parents, William and Grace, along with with their children Janet, Grace, Alexander, David, William, Jane, and their nephew Alexander.

Alexander was also the name of William and Grace’s third child. Therefore, Alexander Spowart often identified himself as Alexander S. or simply A. S. As a young boy in Scotland, however, they called him “Little Sandy”. He was one year younger and smaller than his cousin of the same name, who took on the title “Big Sandy”. They had a companion, Robert Rankin, and the three were inseparable.⁵

William struggled to feed the family. Alexander Spowart remembers being so hungry that he picked up pieces of bread that he found on the street and ate them.²

Working in the Coal Mine

An act of Parliament in 1606, ordained that “no person should fee, hire or conduce and salters, colliers or coal bearers without a written authority from the master whom they had last served”. This law virtually made coal miners slaves of the mine owners.⁶ All day in the mine, they rarely saw the light of day.

The Mines and Colliers Act of 1842 made some improvement for miners. It forbade all females and males under the age of 10 from working underground in the coal mines. However, boys may have started working outside the mine as early as age 8. At first they gave them easy tasks.

They assigned Big Sandy to care for the lunch pails and the pipes of the miners. The pipes were an attraction for him so he soon tried one. At first it was but a single draw, but then a second, and before long there was a pipe of his own among the collection.⁷

When Little Sandy turned ten he began to work in the mine. His task was to open and shut the trap door for the miners. This was quite difficult for the lad.⁸ At age twelve they were full fledged minors, digging coal with the adults.² They were then able to buy nice clothes for themselves and other things they needed. About this time his uncle and his family moved to Rutherglen, Lanarkshire about 4 miles south-east of Glasgow.⁸

Working in the mines took a severe toll on both of the boy’s health. They were malnourished and spent all day breathing coal dust in the damp mines.

Big Sandy became so ill that he was unable to work in the mines for a while. He had to use crutches in order to walk. He was eager to learn, so while recovering, he took the opportunity to attend night school. This was his only formal education.²

Little Sandy also became sick and developed many health problems. One day when he was very sick, he went out on the lawn and laid down to rest. “Two personages laid their hands on his head and blessed him. He did not see these men, but felt their hands on his head. From this time on he was never troubled with headaches.”⁸

Mysterious meetings in Glasgow

Big Sandy, Little Sandy and their friend Robert Rankin would travel each Sunday to a meeting in Glasgow.

Jane Angus, a curious 13-year-old lass, wondered about this. Her friend, Sarah Rankin was the sister of Robert. Jane asked Sarah, “Where do the boys go when they go into Glasgow?”

She would not tell her. “You know in those days they would not speak of Mormons”, Jane later wrote.⁵

Jane was from a very religious Presbyterian family. One day after reading a pamphlet, she said to her mother, “When I grow up, I am going to Zion!”

“What? What did you say?” her mother gasped, “Lassie, hold your tongue. I don’t ever want to hear you say that again”⁹

The three young men went into Glasgow on Sundays to learn more about the gospel of Jesus Christ from the missionaries and other members, or to share their beliefs in testimony meetings.² Jane’s friend Sarah thought it best to not tell her that they were going to join the Mormons.

Glasgow was church headquarters of Scotland for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They held two meetings there every Sunday in a large beautiful hall.²

Elder Matthew Gardener baptized Big Sandy a member of the church in 1857. William Low baptized Little Sandy on June 4, 1858 at age 14. Missionaries, at that time, went to the River Clyde to perform the ordinance.²

James Buchannan Gallacher

James Gallacher married Janet Izatt, William and Grace’s oldest daughter, on December 30, 1859. We owe our gratitude to Gallacher for keeping a daily journal and preserving a few glimpses of history of the Izatt family in Scotland.

Gallacher was 30 years old when his first wife died on November 6, 1859. After her death he depended on his house servant, Bella, to take care of domestic affairs and his five children while he was at work at his bakery.

One afternoon he found Bella drunk and not attending to her duties. A couple of days later, he noticed articles of clothing and other things missing from the home. The owner of one of the pawn shops said a lady, as he described, pawned a coat that day. He procured the services of a policeman who found 15 pawn tickets on her possession.

James was so upset about the situation he immediately went to Rutherglen. He got a friend to accompany him. “We wakened Janet Izatt out of her bed. She came out and I told her my tale with a heart so full, like to break”, he wrote.¹⁰

Janet cheered him up and comforted him. She told him she would get her cousin Maggie to help keep his house until they could arrange the celebration of their marriage. Over the next few days, Gallacher baked a cake for the coming wedding, and Brother William Izatt gave him two pounds to help him get a suit of clothes.

James Gallacher then went to President Fox and asked if he would marry him and Janet. The President’s reaction was not what he expected. He wrote about it in his journal:

The mean devil stared at me and said surely I was very ill off for a woman when I could not wait two months. I told him nothing of that kind pervaded my bosom, and I just hope Sis Janet Izatt would not entertain that idea about me. Well he said he would marry us although he did not think it was the best thing he could advise me to do. My feelings got so warm at him I sat and wrote the following lines on him.10

James then proceeded to write a two page poem in his journal which left little doubt how he felt about President Fox. Nevertheless, his poetic verse was quite entertaining, especially if read with strong feeling and Scottish brogue. Relief of his feelings was captured in the last two lines of the poem: “I feel as satisfied now, as if I had given him a good drubbing with my fists.“¹⁰

In March, 1860, three months after the marriage, President Fox asked James if he “ailed anything at him”. He felt there was a “dryness” between them for he had been absenting himself from his presence. James explained to Fox that he could not help having hard feelings for him for telling him such a thing in the midst of his affliction and trouble, and he could not forget it. At this, Elder Sands gave a dry laugh which was not appreciated at all.

President Fox told him he only meant it as a joke and asked for his forgiveness. After thinking over their discussion, he felt better and believed that this enabled him to come away a much better and wiser man.¹⁰

The Izatts and the Gallachers became very close over the next two years. The Izatts helped James in his bakery, had supper together after church at his home, and sometimes stayed over night. The families sometimes attended the Theatre Royal in Glasgow. “Sleeping Beauty in the Woods” was the first time Janet Izatt Gallacher had been in a theater. In his journal, James always referred to William and Grace as my “father-in-law” and my “mother-in-law”.¹⁰

Jeanette Williamson

On October 4, 1861, Little Sandy attended the wedding of Will Williamson, another member of the church.  After they came back from the wedding, Jane Angus listened to and enjoyed the hymns they sang. However, she was puzzled and didn’t know what they meant when they spoke of “Latter-day Saints”.⁵

At the wedding, Alexander S. met 14 year-old Jeannette Williamson, the youngest sister of the groom. Seventeen-year-old Little Sandy soon fell in love with the young lass.⁵

New Year’s Eve was one of Scotland’s biggest celebrations. On January 1, 1862 the entire family was at the Gallacher home where Janet prepared for them a New Year’s breakfast. “The two Sandys, Robert Rankin and their lasses came home at 4 am after having danced their fill.”¹⁰ The unnamed lass who danced with Alexander S to welcome in the new year was undoubtedly young Jeanette Williamson.

Eyes toward Zion

It was now 1862, and Alexander S had not seen his younger brother William for almost seven years. In 1855, William moved with their aunt and uncle Jane Izatt Campbell and David Campbell with the rest of their family to America. They crossed the ocean in a small sailing ship the “Onward” from Liverpool to New Orleans. After nine “soul searching weeks at sea” they docked on June 2, glad to be alive.¹¹

The family then traveled up the Mississippi River to Belleville, Illinois, across the river from Saint Louis. There, David Campbell found work in the coal mines so they could prepare to cross the plains to Utah territory.¹²

Most converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Scotland were from the coal mining and heavy industrial areas in the lowlands. This was the abode of Scotland’s working class. After 1851, the conversion rate and church membership in Scotland began dropping as many of its strongest members left for the land of Zion in the mountains of Utah.¹³

To many, the promise of Zion meant freedom! One convert, William Gibson, acknowledged that he was leaving Scotland in large measure because of the grinding poverty he faced and that he wanted a piece of soil that he could call his own, and to have no master but God.  When fellow miners criticized his choice he posed a challenging question: “Does your parson speak against oppression of your masters and in favor of the poor? No, they dare not for fear of losing their place and their salary but they tell you from the pulpit to be content with your lot.”⁴

I assume from this comment that the Latter-day Saint missionaries, who were not bound by the mine bosses, may have presented this argument.

James Gallacher wrote several times in his journal about his desire to go to Zion or “the Valley”. William and Grace Izatt certainly shared that desire.  William worried about the safety of his family. James wrote about this concern of his father-in law, William Izatt on November 16, 1861: “His mind is anxious about his sons as they are working in a very bad pit”¹⁰

The Perpetual Emigration Fund

Good news came to the Izatt family on March 24, 1862. A check from America for $10 worth of British money to assist them in going across the ocean, and to the starting point at Florence, Nebraska.¹⁰ Worthiness and poverty were the criteria for receiving money from Brigham Young’s Perpetual Emigration Fund. This plan helped the poor of the church in Europe immigrate to Utah. Recipients were expected to work after they got to Utah to pay back the fund so others could be helped in the future.

Departure on the Steamer Princes Royal to Liverpool

In April 1862, William Izatt sent his emigration schedule to Liverpool and began preparing for his exit to the valley. He took his nephew 17-year-old “wee Sandy” (Alexander Spowart Izatt). They would send for William’s wife, Grace, and their children, when they got established.

May 1. Gallacher described the departure in his journal: “My father-in-law and all his family came to Rutherglen, and I went down to the Steamer Princes Royal and saw the Saints going away. My father-in-law parted with his good old wife in our house and at parting they were both a little affected.”¹⁰

Manchester departure May 6, 1862

Alexander S and his Uncle William arrived at Liverpool and embarked on the ship Manchester for their voyage across the Atlantic Ocean. There were 435 passengers aboard, 376 were Latter-day Saints lead by Elder John D. McAllister.

One of their fellow passengers described the scene on the ship. “It was a cheering sight to look upon the joyful countenances of the Saints radiant with happiness and bright anticipation, while they appeared to have a fair idea of the trying circumstances they would be called to pass through. Peace, unanimity, and goodwill prevailed among them, and the Spirit of God was richly enjoyed by them.”^14a

May 6, 1862, the Manchester left Liverpool about half past 5 in the evening and made fair headway.^14b

Two big storms

May 7-8. The weather became quite tempestuous and the winds created mountains of waves driving the ship first one way and then another. The poor sailors were working night and day trying to gain a little headway.^14b The ship was rolling very much and most of the Saints were laying all around like so many cattle, helpless and sick.^14c

William Hill described his fellow travelers during the storm thus: “Most of the passengers discovered that they owed Jonah a bill and he was demanding payment forthwith. As the Saints claim to be honest they were paying him with double interest but notwithstanding they were relieving the vessel of a considerable amount of ballast.”^14b

May 12-13. Another storm came on worse than the first. The captain ordered all the people below, all light shut off, and hatches fastened down. They were in darkness for the space of 40 hours. The waves washed over and entire the deck and it really seemed at times as though the ship would go down. However, notwithstanding the danger, they continued their daily meetings and our prayers and sang the songs of Zion.^14b

The stowaway

May 15. The weather has been calm for a couple of days. Someone heard some knocking and opened a trap door. A stowaway came up. He had been below deck for nine days and had only eaten a rat and eight potatoes.^14c

The birth of Henry John Trask Adamson

May 22. Again, there were strong head winds and heavy waves. The ship was not making much headway. Several folks were falling about. One sister received a severely hurt nose, mashed up. Sister Annie Adamson was in labor about six hours and was in convulsions part of the time. At 10 o’clock she went in convulsions again for about 2 hours. Then she went off in a quiet sleep. The doctor and Elder McCallister were with her during the time. She had a son.^14d

May 23. A very fine morning. Whales spouting not far from the ship. Sister Adamson is better and the child is well. The sister with hurt nose is better. The swelling is down considerably.^14d

May 28. After some marching and singing the captain made the following remarks. “Soldiers of Zion, not soldiers yet, but soldiers in embryo who will someday be soldiers. Be firm and steadfast.” Cheers came from the audience.^14c Someone then quipped, “Since we have been mustered as soldiers in embryo, it would follow that we are all mustard seeds.”

May 30. Arrived on Newfoundland Banks. Sea changed color from blue to green. Rather calm.^14c

May 31. Very cold. Sounding 65 fathoms deep.^14c

June 1. It was a nice, but very cold Sunday morning. Church meetings were held below as it was to cold to have meetings on deck. The officers of the ship were present in the meeting to hear Elder McCallister bless and name the new arrival Henry John Trask Adamson. They named him after the captain of the ship.^14d Captain Trask presented Peter and Ann Adamson, the parents, with a congratulatory letter, accompanied with a chart of the Atlantic, indicating the latitude and longitude in which the child was born.^14e

Icebergs off Newfoundland

 June 2. Head winds all day. The sea was too rough to serve out provisions. The captain, facing constant headwinds since the beginning of the trip, took the northern route. In consequence, they were into very high latitudes, (47.4 North). This is believed to be the highest latitude yet attained by the Manchester. The ship now was amongst icebergs. The nipping cold caused some to wonder what the folks in old England would say to a June day so cold.^14cde

June 3. The weather was cold and damp and inclined to be foggy. Eleven icebergs were sighted, some were the size of large mountains. This in itself was a grand and imposing spectacle, though not very pleasant company. The anxiety on the face of the captain divulged their frightful situation.^14cde

Among the Saints were two English sailors of note who asked to be allowed to help pilot the ship through the danger. They gave them permission. About the middle of the afternoon one of the brethren discovered an iceberg ahead of the ship. It was the largest yet seen. The fog was so thick they were almost on to it before they saw it. But by the blessings of the Lord, they passed it safely.^14cdef

June 4. The fog got worse! Horn blowing. Bells ringing. Two men were on the lookout and passengers ordered to keep silence so that signals might be heard.^14c The fog was so dense they could see but a very short distance away from the ship so the foghorns were blowing and the bells were ringing day and night. Finally, they got clear of the icebergs and the fog lifted and the winds abated some so that the sailors could handle the ship better.^14b

June 5. They were now off the Newfoundland banks and the sea calmed. The passengers gave thanks and praise to the officers and crew as well as the two Latter-day Saint English sailors.^14c

Historical note: Fifty years later, the RMS Titanic sank in the early morning hours of 15 April 1912 in the North Atlantic Ocean, four days into her maiden voyage from Southampton to New York City.

Arrival in New York

June 10. A fine day. Wind fair. The Saints enjoyed themselves on deck. Whales were playing around them spouting up the water like great fountains, and showing all their backs.^14d

June 11. Land is in sight. Alexander S and William Izatt got their first view of America as the ship passed Shinnecock Lighthouse off Long Island New York at about 8 am.^14d

June 12. Head winds kept the ship beating about until land was again out of sight. The second mate ill-used a seaman for striking him. The seaman was tied up to the rigging by his thumbs. They took him down at the demand of the passengers.

The crew were very busy fixing things and preparing to land. In the evening a freshet sprung up enabling them to sail right into the harbor. They had a fine view of New Jersey and the narrows and entering New York harbor at sunset on a calm evening. All things seemed combined to make it a most beautiful site. One not easily described. They passed the quarantine officer and at 9 o’clock cast anchor opposite Castle Garden.^14cde

At the end of the voyage, William Hill, expressed gratitude, a feeling common to most of the Saints, for the safe journey across the Atlantic:

At the close of five weeks and three days on the waters with very little sickness aside from seasickness, we were permitted to once more set our feet on land, and that the land of Zion. So feeling in our hearts truly thankful to our Heavenly Father for His preserving care that has been over us.14b  (time on the waters corrected)

Castle Gardens, New York

June 13. Alexander and William Izatt secured their luggage and by noon they, along with the others, were comfortably quartered in Castle Gardens in New York City. William mailed letters to his home to tell of their safe arrival in New York.²

North to Buffalo

June 14.  At 5 p.m. the Saints who had crossed the ocean together went to the Hudson River  Station where they boarded the train along with quite a number from New York.^14d Their route to Florence, would zig zag across the country. The simple route through New Orleans and up Mississippi/Missouri Rivers, which had been traveled David and Jane Izatt Cambell and other earlier immigrants, was no longer an option. There was a Civil War now in progress. They took a train north to Albany.

June15. They arrived in Albany early and crossed the river on a ferry boat. They then went to the depot where they stayed the rest of the day.^14c

June 16. It was a nice cool morning. All were in good spirits. They boarded the 12:40 New York Central Railroad train for Buffalo. There was a great deal of crowding to get seats.^14cd

The Suspension Bridge

June 17. In the morning, their train passed some small waterfalls near Rochester, passed through Buffalo, and then crossed the Suspension Bridge over the Niagara River into Canada. As they crossed the bridge, they saw Niagara Falls in the distance.^14c

Note: The Niagara Railway International Suspension Bridge was the first railroad suspension bridge in the world. It was built in 1855, spanned 825 feet, and was quite an engineering marvel of the time. It usually was referred to simply as “The Suspension Bridge”.

On British ground

They were now on British ground again. In Canada they changed trains on to the Great Western Line for Windsor, Ontario which passed along the shore of Lake Ontario. It was very hot and close in the carriages. There was a general taking off of all needless clothing and some that was needful.^14c

June 18-19. The train pulled into Windsor at 7 o’clock on Wednesday morning. The Latter-day Saint travelers waited there until 9 o’clock then crossed the river by ferry boat to Detroit. At 2 p.m. they took a train on the Michigan Central Railroad 264 miles to Chicago and arrived on Thursday, the 19th at 4 p.m. They then boarded the train to Quincy, Illinois at 5 pm. on the Chicago Burlington & Quincy Railroad.^14d

The baggage car fire

June 20. Animosity toward Mormons was still high in Illinois and Missouri. The engineer was enraged when he learned his train was carrying a load of them. “I would drive the Mormons to hell,” he swore, along with some additional abusive language. He drove the train at high speed “a mile a minute” toward Quincy.

Perhaps from friction, or sparks from the engine, one of the baggage cars caught fire. But instead of stopping and unloading the burning car, he had the other cars uncoupled. Then he drove at a high rate of speed for six miles causing the flames to gain complete control until he reached the station. There, the burning car was thrown from the track, in a mass of ruins.^14b,15

Meanwhile, the passengers, uncoupled from the engine, were unaware of the fire. They stood still in the night on the line for four hours.^14c Why had they stopped? No one knew. As they were talking together excitedly, they were not prepared for the engine coming rapidly toward them. No signal was given to warn them to brace themselves. When the train reconnected, there was a violent an unexpected concussion. Fortunately, no one was injured seriously.^14b,15

They were soon on their way again but with sorrowful hearts for no one in the company knew whether their luggage was in that car or not.^14b They arrived at Quincy at 4 o’clock pm. At half past 5 pm, they boarded the steamer “Blackhawk” and traveled down the Mississippi 22 miles to Hannibal, Missouri arriving at half past 6 o’clock and stayed on board all night.^14d

Through Missouri to St. Joseph

June 21. Saturday at 4 am the group of Saints started on the Hannibal and St. Joseph Railway to St. Joseph. In Missouri, there were squads of Union soldiers at all the bridges to prevent the destruction by rebels. All were dirty ragged looking men.^14c Arrived at St. Joseph at 5 p.m. They found comfortable quarters in the freight house by the river.^14d

June 22. Alexander S and William Izatt and others in their company were in St. Joseph for three days. One member of the group complained that after waiting at the bakery for nine hours, he could only get half the bread he wanted, and that ham was 4c a pound, butter 10c a pound, and bacon 3c a pound. Their boat, the “Omaha” arrived during the night.^14c

June 23. Luggage was loaded onto the ship. The Civil War was going on, and they could hear guns firing down the river from St. Joseph.^14c

Up the Missouri River on the “Omaha”

June 24. The Omaha was about three stories high. A large group of New York Saints arrived and there were about 1000 on board. It was very crowded.^14c When all the passengers were finally on board and the ship was about to start, the crew struck for higher wages. John Orr Freckleton recounted his experience:

The captain, a heavy set man, with a loaded pistol in each hand came in sight. The deck hands were all together in the stern end of the boat. He spoke with a loud rough voice. “All you men who want to go up the river with the boat come here to me. And all who do not want to go, get ashore”. There was a movement among the men immediately. About one-half went to the captain and the rest went on shore and the boat started her journey.

The captain called our President McAllister and said he wanted half a dozen stout young men out of the company to help take the boat up the river. Brother McAllister called for volunteers and soon got them. I was one. My job was putting in wood to the fireman and I helped so well he got quite attached to me. We had a dollar a day and our ward.^14g

June 26. The steamship arrived at Florence, five miles north of Omaha, Nebraska at 9 pm. The weather was very hot and humid. One baby boy was born aboard the Omaha. The group of fresh pioneers were met at the landing by hundreds of Saints who greeted them with cheers and a warm shake of the hand.^14d

A delay at Winter Quarters

The Mormon Pioneer trail was now 15 years in operation and was quite well organized. Brigham Young sent teams, mostly ox teams, from Salt Lake to bring the immigrants back to Utah. A messenger on horseback sent a message that the teams were detained and would not arrive for three weeks due to considerable flooding of the rivers. Also, it would be some time before they could make the return trip as their cattle would have to rest and recuperate before their homeward journey.^14b

The captain of the Omaha steamship wished the same boys to go back down the river with the boat and bring up another load of emigrants from St. Joseph. Since they had time enough to go there and return before the trek across the plains began. They consented to go back with the boat.

John Orr Freckleton continues his story of the young men who helped on the riverboat.

After seeing my wife in a tent, I went with the other brethren back down the river. We had great hardships to endure on that trip, for the deck-hands were more numerous than we were, they ill-used, imposed upon and abused us in every way they could to get revenge for their partners whose places we took. Every annoyance they could heap upon us they did, and would have killed us if they durst. There was no one on board but the captain on our side, and he darst not say very much. But I had a friend in the fireman who made it a great deal easing for me than the other boys had it. When we got the Saints on board again at St. Joseph’s we were all right.^14g

A city of 300 tents

Back at the camp, they set up their canvas tents, the extra time they had was used to prepare for the trying journey ahead. All who could sew helped in making tents, wagon covers and other necessary things for the journey.^14f

There were about ten persons to each tent. The tents were placed from 16 to 20 feet apart each way. There were nearly three thousand Saints and about 300 tents. This formed quite a large tent city.

The “awfulest” storm ever

Occupants of each tent held prayers morning and night. On Sundays, general meetings were held where all assembled together. Food was handed out each morning from the commissary to the head of each family for the day,^14b 

A storm came up suddenly on the afternoon of July 7. William Priest described it as, “the awfulest storms that I ever saw, with thunder and lightening and rain and the wind blowed as though the very eliments was coming down.“¹⁶ (unedited)

Two men were struck by lightning and killed instantly.  John W. Young, was speaking with George Q. Cannon when lightning struck. Some wooden crates fell down on him. Young, a team leader, was severely injured. Cannon was not hurt. Many tents were blown down and, clothing and bedding soaked.^14df,17

Many in the camp were sick. Several children died of various causes including sunstroke, whooping cough, worm fever, canker, measles, and diarrhea. At least two men and one woman also died of sickness during these five weeks.^14d

Brother McCallister found names of those who could donate clothing to applicants that had their belongings burned in the fire. The train fire was investigated and the engineer was found at fault. It is believed victims were compensated about 30% of their loss.^14d,15

A family reunion

There was an exceeding joyful reunion in camp the day Alexander S, age 18, greeted his brother William Andrew Izatt, age 16. They had not seen each other for seven years.

William came with his aunt Jane Izatt Campbell, her husband David Campbell, their son William Campbell and their daughter Janey Campbell Kinghorn. They left Belleville, Illinois to join the trek to Utah. David Campbell and others of the family worked the coal mines in Illinois for preparing for this time. Some of their married children stayed in Illinois.¹¹

Campbell family history recorded that, “Eleven people had to sleep in the Campbell tent at night”.¹² Apparently, the family traveled close together, and the eleven family members in that tent were: William Izatt (50), Alexander Spowart Izatt (18), William Andrew Izatt (16), David Campbell (53), Jane Izatt Campbell (53), Jane (Janey) Capmbell Kinghorn (18), George Kinghorn (1 1/2), David Kinghorn (3 months). Jane Gillespie Adamson (46), Jane Adamson (16). The Adamsons are William Izatt’s wife’s sister-in-law and her daughter. They traveled with William and Alexander S all the way from Liverpool.²

Alexander S Izatt and his cousin Janey Kinghorn were the same age, 18-years-old. She had her two small children with her, George Kinghorn and David Kinghorn. Her husband was Alexander Kinghorn. Church leaders asked him to help prepare and drive for another wagon company. Therefore, Janey and her children traveled with her parents and the Izatts, while her husband traveled in a different company following eleven days behind.

The Ansil P. Harman team from Salt Lake City rolled into camp on July 22.^14d

Their trek begins August 1, 1862

The Harman company was the fourth train of the group to leave. The Harmon wagon train including the Izatts, Cambells, Kinghorns and the Adamsons, left on August 1. The wagon train consisted of about fifty wagons, with three or four yoke of cattle to a wagon. (This calculates to about 350 oxen in the company)

Everyone woke up to the sound of a horn blowing in the morning a little after day light. Provisions were rationed out to the families who cooked their own meals. After breakfast, they rolled up their tents, loaded them, and assembled for prayers. At noon they camped for rest and dinner, then on again till night. They traveled an average of about 15 miles per day. But, slower when traveling though sand near the sand hills, which was very hard on the oxen.^14g,16

The captain went ahead to select the camping places both for noon and for night, where grass, water and fire wood were most plentiful.^14g Wood, and water “fit to drink” were sometimes hard to find.¹⁶ William Priest recorded in his journal each day the number of miles they traveled, and rated the quality of the camp site by whether it had “Wood” or “No Wood”.

Bags of flour were picked up at certain locations along the trail, which were left by the teams that came from Salt Lake.^14g

They had a black-smith shop for repairing wagons and shoeing cattle and horses. There was a commissary wagon for provisions and a wagon for the night herders to sleeping in through the day. One wagon had to carry the baggage, tents and cooking utensils for 18 persons.

The wagons at night formed two semi-circles, leaving an opening at both ends where the cattle could be driven in, corralled and yoked up. The wagon tongues were all on the outside of this circle, as were the camp fires and tents of the immigrants.^14g

Everyone who could walk, had to walk

There were some sick, and women with small children, who had to ride. However, every man woman and child who were able to walk, had to walk.^14g

Janey Kinghorn and her mother Jane Campbell took turns. They each walked half the time and then rode in the wagon with the two small children half the time. David and William Campbell and the three Izatt men walked every step of the way.^2,18

After evening prayers there was personal time for bathing, cooking, fishing and sometimes dancing. Wild grapes, currents and plums were plentiful in some places along the Platt River. Some fishermen caught a few catfish. They also observed antelopes, wild geese, hawks and rattle snakes.¹⁶

The family’s food consisted almost entirely of flour and a little bacon. Janey Kinghorn and the other women would bake bread every night so they would have food the next day.¹⁸ Alexander S remembers there was usually food enough for only one meal a day.¹

The Harman train camped neared Chimney Rock on August 30. An Indian camp was across the river. A group of Indians came into camp the next morning and traveled with the pioneer train all day until evening camp was set up at 6 pm. These Indians were very civil to them, but hostile to their adversary, the Pawnee tribe.¹⁶

The Platt River was crossed three times between September 5th and the 8th. Women and young children were carried across in the wagons, but the men took of their pants and shoes and waded across. Very cold, and painful for bare feet.¹⁶

They passed Independence Rock and through Devils Gate on September 14.  The pioneers often heard wolves howling nearby.¹⁶

Alexander’s cousin’s baby George Kinghorn

There was much sickness, and 22 pioneers of the Harman company died along the way. Eighteen were children under the age of eight. The youngest was two days old, another was born two months ago on the “Omaha” steamship between St. Joseph Missouri and Florence, Nebraska. Some couples lost two children. Four adults ages between 25 and 57 also died.^14d

Eighteen-month-old George Kinghorn became seriously ill with an infection and blood poisoning in his foot. For several days the family didn’t know if the child would live through the day or the night. Everyday, Janey Kinghorn had someone tack a note to a tree where George’s father would find it. This was to keep him informed of the condition of his son, as he was traveling several days behind.

In an effort to heal little George, the family used some of their precious sour bread dough as a poultices, along with faith and prayer.

Alexander Kinghorn read the distressing news in a new note each day. Then, coming across a fresh grave, he feared that it was that of his son. With another note on another tree, he was relieved to learn that his son was recovering.¹⁸

Alexander’s greatest hardship

The young men of the company were appointed to dig the graves, and they buried the dead deep in the earth with due respect and reverence, where they would be left undisturbed.^14g One of those who were given this assignment was Alexander Spowart Izatt. It was one of his greatest hardships. One time, while digging a grave, he fell across it exhausted due to weakness and fatigue.⁵

Through the mountains of Utah

Nights in the mountains of Utah were cold and frosty. On the morning of September 30 they made a very steep climb to the summit, “and it was bad to get down the other side.”¹⁶

After a few more hills they could see the head of Echo Canyon. They camped for dinner at 11 am, and then onward at 1:30. Here it was “down, down, down, with splendid sights on either side of the canyon”.¹⁶

William Priest then expressed his opinion about the historical significance of this location:  “It was here where our brethren built their forts in ’57 and ’58 to stop the U. S. army, if they had been inclined to do so. Their position seemed to be very strong and to my view it would of been impossible for an army to get passed this place”.¹⁶ (Grammar edited)

On October 1, two wagons turned over into the creek. In one of the wagons, two children drowned.

Entering the valley

After traveling for twelve weeks, they finally got to the mouth of Emigration canyon. “We all thought it was the most pleasant sight that our eyes had ever beheld”. Salt Lake City was still very small in 1862. “From where we stood,” William Hill wrote, “we could have counted every house there was in the city.”^14b

It was Sunday morning October 5, and they were twelve miles from their goal. Captain McAllister felt it might not be good to travel into Salt Lake that day, it being the Sabbath. He was quickly overruled. William Priest described the feeling they felt as they entered the valley of the Great Salt Lake.

We were soon on our way down Emigration Canyon and when we came to the mouth of it, we were looking for the city. At last we could see a few small houses. Onward a little farther, the city came more in to view. At last, we could see the whole city, the desired spot we had had in our mind for so long. When near the city we halted until all were close up so as to enter the city all together. Forward onto the city at 4 pm. The city looked most beautiful when we were about 2 miles away. On our arrival into the city we camped on the public square. Distance 12 miles, total 1029. No Wood.¹⁶ (Grammar edited)

When they entered Salt Lake City, they were all black with dust, tired and foot sore. (Note: The public square where they camped their first night, is today (2021) the location of the City and County building.) The Saints welcomed them with an abundance of fruit and flour for all. It was now five months since Alexander Spowart Izatt and his uncle William left Scotland.

William Izatt was kindly received in Salt Lake by some old acquaintances and friends who provided him and his nephew Sandy work, 2 dollars a day and board for the two of them.¹⁰ William was a gate keeper and stone cuter for the Salt Lake Temple, while Alexander S worked as an assistant, learning a new trade.⁸

William wrote a letter home and told them that he and Alexander S were safe and comfortable. He is now anxious to get his wife and children across the sea and into “the valley”. He promised that he will have a home ready for them.¹⁰

To be continued…

Chapter E14- The Life Story of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Part 2- Seven Pathways to Zion Alexander Spowart Izatt greatly misses his sweetheart Janetta. She crosses America as Civil War intensifies. An obstacle blocks their romance. William Izatt’s wife in Scotland begins to act strangely. James Gallacher stops calling William Izatt “my father-in-law. Big Sandy and the Izatts cross the plains through a terrifying Indian uprising. Big Sandy meets Elizabeth Boyle and seeks romance along the journey. In Scotland a friend finally invites Jane Angus to church, which causes a problem. Jane fulfills a prophecy she made as a child. James and Janet Izatt Gallacher make the journey from Scotland to Utah in record time.

Summary Page 4- Alexander Spowart Izatt Family History

© Copyright Dennis D. Chamberlain, All rights reserved. The Chamberlain Story, 2021.

References:

1- Ellen Izatt Stoddard, A Brief Sketch of My Life. Personal family record

2- Marva Lawrence, History of William Izatt (1812) and Grace Adamson Izatt (1811) Familysearch.org, memories.

3- Wikipedia.org, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Scotland

4- Frederick S. Buchanan, The Ebb and Flow of Mormonism in Scotland, https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/, BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, Iss. 2 [1987]

5- Jane Angus Izatt, My Dear Children, A History of Our Coming to Utah, Familysearch.org.

6- Early Mining History, http://www.scottishmining.co.uk/8.html

7- Cyrus L. Clark (grandson), A History of Alexander Izatt (“Big Sandy”, son of William Izatt and Grace Adamson Izatt). Familysearch.org, memories.

8- Jeanette McNeil, A Sketch of the Life of Alexander Spowart Izatt, Familysearch.org.

9- Jane Angus Izatt, Pioneer Lady of Logan Tells story,  Familysearch.org.

10- James Gallacher, The Journal of James Buchannon Gallacher, Familysearch.org.

11- Grant Collard, grandson of David Kinghorn, The Izatt-Campbell-Kinghorn Conection, Izatt History, Familysearch.org.

12- Lola T. Wells, Life Story of Jane Izatt Campbell, From Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude. Familysearch.org.

13- BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 27, Iss. 2 [1987], Art. 4

14- Saints by Sea, Latter-day Saint Immigration to America, The Manchester, May 6, 1862

a- A Compilation of General Voyage Notes
b- Autobiography of William H. Hill
c- Journal of John Henry Humphrey Barker
d- Journal of John Daniel Thompson McAllister
e- Letter from John Daniel Thompson McAllister- June 12, 1862
f- Autobiography of Louisa Harriett Mills Palmer
g- Reminiscences and Journal of John Orr Freckleton

15- Fred E. Woods, Two Sides of a River: Mormon Transmigration through Quincy, Illinois, and Hannibal Missouri. Page 131, (Memories of Georg Isom, 10-12, Church Archives.)

16- Priest, William, “A record of my life, 1828,” Church history Pioneer Database 1847-1868

17- Smith, William, (Autobiography), in “Utah Pioneer Biographies,” 44 vol., 2:185-86, Church history Pioneer Database 1847-1868

18- Life Story of Jane Campbell Kinghorn, Familysearch.org.