james laird by roday lois laird naylor

8/14/2019 James Laird by Roday Lois Laird NAYLOR

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The saddest chapter in th e great Mormon exodus during the twenty years theywere crossing the plains with ox and horse teams from the Missouri River toSalt Lake Val ley, occurred in 1856, when several thousand people traveled by~ n d c a r t across the plains to Salt Lake City .

Three companies arrived without serious trouble. Two arrived In theval ley, on the 26th of September and a third on the 2nd of October. Two morecompanies were sti I I on the plains. They were In charge of James G. Wi I I ieand Edward Martin.

The Wi I I ie Company had left Iowa City on July 15th with 500 souls, 120carts, 5 wagons, 24 oxen and 45 beef cattle and cows.

The Martin Company started from the Missouri River on the 22nd of August,with 500 people, 146 carts , . 7 wago9s , 30 oxen and 50 beef cattle and cows .

Early snows overtook these two companies and they suffered terr ibly withcold and hunger.

A company of returning missionaries had passed these sufferers and hadtaken word to President Brigham Young that they were caught in the snow inWyoming. He a t once adjourned the October Conference and asked fo r twenty wagonsloaded with provisions, bedding, and clothing to be ready the next morning a tnine o'clock to s ta r t to meet the emigrants in their trouble. ~ I t h four goodmules hitched to each wagon and a good driver and a helper to each, theystarted on their journey of mercy on the 7th of October.

They met the i I lie Company I n the Sweetwater River where they had beenforced to camr with no provisions. On the night of the arrival of assistance,fifteen of the company died and were buried in one grave in the snow.


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James Laird, my grandfather, helped dig that grave with but very l i t t lestrength. For five days he had I ived on sl ices of rawhide cut from thetops of his boots. Not so ski I led in curing of leather in those days, somefood value was -left . Another time when they had but a half bushel of wheatleft , he gave hi.s share to his beloved wife, and his two kidd ies. She, y o U ' \ 4 ~ t-nursing a three month old baby. The o n e of those kiddies was my father.Grandfather often said i t was the blessings of God that enabled him to pul I hishandcart a thousand mi les, walking every step of the way, witnessing the manythri I I ing scenes and much suffering that accompanied that journey.

Imagine, if you can, the joy the the poor sufferers a t seeing thei rrescuers arrive. They had been out of provisions for forty-eight hours.The rescue company did al I in thei r power to save the I ives of those who weresti I I- al ive, then some of them hurried on to the Platte River to assis t theMartin Company who were in a worse condition than those whom they had found.

Teams and provisions were continually being sent out from Salt Lake Cityto assis t in bringing in the survivors.

Capt. ':Ii II ie 's Company arrived in Salt Lake City on November 9th, 1856having lost eighty-eight of their number on their journey.

The '-1artin Company were found encamped at north Plat t as they cou Idgo no further. Their campground became a veritable grave yard before helpcould reach them. Both companies lost many after being rescued because of theordeal through which they had passed.

They arrived in th e val ley November 30, 1856. Teams, men, and provisionscontinued coming to their assistance unti I th e last company reached thei rgoal on December I, 1856. This company had lost one hundred and f i f ty makingnearly two hundred and f i f ty in al I that had died. Many others were crippledthrough I ife, having been frozen and having suffered so much in other ways.


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Edward La i rd (my fatherl was the son of James La i rd and ~ a r y Ra i ny, born12 February 1852, at Anet Lodge Irwin Parish, Scotland. He was but four yearsold when his parents made that famous march of history, trudging up hi I I anddown del I , for even the chi Idren had to walk, as oxen and horses were few.Brother Anderson once told me my father was the I ife of the camp -sucha bright sunny lad.

James Laird, being cal led by Brigham Young to help set t le Spanish Fork,I ived there for a number of years. Later, he was sent to Heber City. (Just oneof grandmothers experiences before they left Spanish Fork.

Indians came to burn her house whi Ie grandfather was after wood in anearby canyon. She had six chi Idren. She put them to bed and then fixedsomething to eat for the Indians who were outside. They had bui It a f i rein her front yard. She took the food out to them and sat there al I night withthem. In th.e morning they left , saying she was a brave woman. (shame to kil i l .

They were people of great faith. One time, i t had rained for days andgrandmother was sit t ing by her fire . Some unseen power told her to move. Asshe did so, the roof caved in.

As I was giving my name at the temple one evening, a lady standing byasked me If James Laird was any relation to me. I answered, he was mygrandfather. She told me very many inspiring things. She said he was one ofthe most convincing preachers she ever had heard and i t was he wo had broughther into the church when quite young. She said when his hand came down on th epulpit you could feel what he said was true.

For many years my grandfather was a freighter from Heber City to Salt Lake.As years went on, Edward fol lowed the freighting trade, alsu his brother-in low.On one of thei r camping grounds in Park City, they found some ore. Taking i tto Salt Lake, they had i t assayed and sold their claim for fifteen hundreddol lars (which now is the Si Iver King).


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With this money they bought farms in Parleys Ca nyon (now Mt. Washington).Grandfather operated a half -way house for the weary travelers for a number ofyears . It was at this place he lost his good wife and three chi Idren withdiptheria. At th e age of 46 he died six months later, leaving two daughtersand three sons.

F a t h e r wou Id stop at Hardy Sta t ion to feed his team. I was here he metmy mother.

He often told us i t was her big brown eyes that he fel I for as she servedhim his din ners. A year later , January 15, 1872, they were married in the oldEndowment House.

Mether was the daughter of Wi I I iam FI int and Mary Jane Goodridge. Shewas born in Farmington, January 14, 1853. Her father was born at Spad fordOndago , New York, January 28, 1813 . \ ~ h e n but a you ng man, he heard the ProphetJoseph Smith preach and knew his teachings were true.

Grandfather FI in t presided over a branch of th e Mermon Church in NewYork State . He also had the privi ledge of driving Joseph F. Smith's mother'steam from Elk Horn, seventy mi le s west of winter quarters, to the for ks of sweetwater and was sent back to help other poor emigrants to the val ley.

He arrived in Salt Lake with 8righam Young and Heber C. Kimbal I 's CompanySeptember 26, 1848. Their courtship was rather short, having known M ry Janebut three weeks, but with the blessings of Heber C Kimbal I that he should raisea noble fami Iy, they were married. My mother was the second chi Id of seven. Notmuch is said of her chi "dhood days. At a young age she went to I ive with AuntHattie Hardy in Parleys Canyon at Hardy's Station. (about the middle of theresevo i r is '.here th i s s tat ion was located.

Their f i rs t home was made of logs about eighteen feet square . This hutwas roofed with wi I lows and earth, having but very I i t t le pitch. They had adoptedth e idea that the val ley was subject to very I i t t le rain and al I theirroofs were nearly f la t .


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They suffered no inconvenience from this fact unti I about th e middle ofMrch when several days of snow, sleet , and rain occurred. Father's house wascovered dee per with earth than the adjoining ones. (By the way which was hisbrother in-law ) . They soon came in for shel ter . During th e third day of therain, Aunt l izzie, father 's sister , gave birth to a baby. Water was dripping inf i rs t one p Iace, then another, and they were compe I Ied to ho Id an umbre I Ia overher. The I i t t le mother was but sixteen years old (the baby died). She late rbecame the mother of sixteen chi Id ren.

Father started in the sheep business on a sma I I scale. Graduall y hisbusiness grew, and with sheep and cat t le , he flourished, unti I he became one ofthe leaders In this industry in the west.

Father spent a great deal of his time away from home, and the rearing ofthe ch i Idren fe 11 a great dea I on mother. I ,1.\ IOne of December's coldest days, I opened my eyes, the eighth chi Id of ten.When I was but five days old, mother washed, which brought on chi I Is and fever.This together with the worry of the rest of the ch i Idren, threatened her l i fe.It was months before she was able to take care either of herself or chi Id. Sheoften said the Lord was merciful in so ordering things that made i t possible forAunt Hattie Hardy to come and take care of her for five months. (This aunt hadno ch i Idren. She was a midwife at the time of her death, and had del iveredthree thousand babies). She thought the world of my mother.

By this time a third house was bui I t , consisting of six rooms - a largekitchen , I iving room, bedroom, and three bedrooms upstairs . A front porch washid den completely by large poplar t rees, a favorite place for the birds. (some ofthose trees are st i I I al ive. Mother and father planted those trees together).Mothe r 's . old fashioned garden was the paradise of my chi Idhood and her gooseberrypies . The bushes were always loaded with dawny red berr ie s and her exquisitejel I Y served on bread and butter. (I th i nk I can st i II taste i t ) .


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used to sander amant the trees hunting the f i r s t snow drops, violets ,curley wigs, and butter cups, with thei r fragi Ie petals. They were the lovel iestof al I. Going for the cows, was one of my easiest duties. To go along was al Ithat wos necessary, for my brother Joe's dog did tne work. Showing admirableintel I igence he would round up the cows and head them home playfully hanging onto the lazy ones ta i Is . He was a black and white dog with a white ring aroundhis neck. His tai I was a plume of white. Ring had plenty to do on our ranch.Rathe r raised him as half man. Every night he would round up the sheep, and if onwas lost, he would hu nt unti I he found i t . Ring was an expert at catching youngpigs. He would hald t h e ~ n e v e r hurting any. How thri I led we chi Idren al I werewhen on one trip ' home from the sheep camp, father took the understandingdog from his overcoat pocket. How we al I loved i t . I can see that dog nowfol low ing my father .behi nd the plow, scaring seagul Is and ki I I ing snakes.sometimes had to turn the grind stone for father when he was sharpening themoving machine sickle. That blade was four feet long and required a lot ofgrinding. ( i t seemed I ike ten). Sometimes I became so enthral led by thisdrudgery that I would keep on turning if father stopped to examine the edges ofthe blade. can just see him stroking down his long dark beard, then he wouldsay, "trying to get a few turns a head."

What fun when the rai Iroad came thru the canyon. Many a time I've watchedthat train puff up old Jumbo Hi I I. (by the way, i t ' s th e cl imb just before youget to the resevoir dam. 'Sometimes a terr if ic whistle brought al I us kiddies tothe door. A hired man would tel I us a cow or horse had strayed onto the tracks.About a mi Ie u; Lamb's Canyon was a t res t le spanning a deep gorge. It wasdiff icult to walk over, the t ies being wide apart and so narrow that one fe l tas if one were wa lking on moving machine knives. ' I had never crossed i t unti loneday Val and Hattie, my older sis ter , were sent to Aunt Clara 's who I ived atBarkley's section house, where the trains stopped to take on water, before making


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th e cl imb 'over the summit. As we were ha I way across Hatt i e exc I aimed. "therethe tra in. II . Then we 'heard a fa i nt puff, puff. I n a few minutes i t wou Id have beeupon us had ' we not cl imbed down onto the cross braces whi Ie i t rushed over ourheads. We fel t the hot engine on our faces and the smoke and cinders almostchoked us. - As the train rumbled by the t res t le shook and I thought we shouldbe dashed below. With difficul ty we regained the tracks rather shakey fromour experience.

Father always kept a storehouse or a cellar of food, apples, potatoes,carrots , ~ i d e s of sal t bacon, hams, flour and sugar. A beef was always ki liedas soon as cold weather came.

A new barn, a large construction, was bui It to shelter the animals.(seems to me now I ike the airport hangers). Hay was stored on the second floor.

There was a prison break, and one night my brother Joe was throwing downsome hay to feed the an ima I s when a vo ice ca I I ed out, "come here". Instead ofhim going toward the voice, he sl id down the hay chute. Father lost no time innotifying th e officers. When they arrived the convicts had escaped.

Having to help my sister ~ - 1 a y do the mi Iklng, I had my favorite cow. Shewas the leader, always going in f i rs t , cramming and pushing into th e barn. Theirheads were fastened by" pole stanchims.

I remember, with extreme sadness, my real f i rs t scare. Father and motherand some of my brothers and sisters were ready for Sunday School. Father, the daybefore, had bought a fine horse, an extraordinaryly beautiful animal. Theteam was hitched to the ,wagon when the thing happened. The new horse reared, theplunged backward, pushing the wagon over the bank into the middle of the creek.He struck his leg somehow and fel I. I saw him laying there in the water. Thenslowly, as if in despair, his head sunk beneath the water. As quickly as possiblefather was out on th e tongue and cut the harness to free him, but he was I imp as arag.


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l haven't the sl ig[ytest recollections of any stern rules at home .. There nevewas compulsIon in the fami Iy and there never wasresistance, but there werekIndnesses every day. Mother was always doing kindnesses. She was forever in andwith food for her neighbors; With her wisdom she grew In favor with them all She was honest fn . dbfng e v e r y t ~ i n g to the best of her abl I I ty , i n d ~ s t r i o u s to anastonishing degree, fair with her neighbors, -and stainless in her character. SheI ived as a faithful wife, the exemplary mother, and Latter Day Saint.

One day when father returned from the sheep camps, he had brought home adark bay pony. can ' t bei ieve there ever was anyone more del irious with joy.When learned i t was to be my very own, I named him Jimmy. It was a grand thingfor me to have to feed that animal before I fed myself. To brush his coat andmake i t shine and ride him alone, swel led with pride, wishing for people to observme, were riches for my soul. I rode that pony one mi Ie to school.

When our household duties were done, mother read a great deal to us.How we kiddies loved th e f i rs t tiny flakes of snow. After several hours of

snowing, scarcely a feature was visible only the tops of the shed, barns, and treeWhen th e wind sprang up and the branches of the trees that surrounded the houserattled and beat against the windows, i t made you feel I ike you I ived in the midstof desolate so l itude, shut in from al I communication with the outside world.When th e sun did shine upon th e vast, white shapes, drif ts lay scattered in everydirection. Paths were shoveled through th e drif ts . Out we kiddies went bundledup snug and warm. The air stung our checks I ike f i re . The rays of the sun fel Iupon th e trees so that the twigs sparkled I ike bright diamonds. North of theresevoir was our sleight riding hi I I. That was my favorite amusement - downthe steep slopes, plunging through drif ts , leaping bumps, swooping across thefields. can feel those bumps now. We traveled during the winter in bob-sJeighsThe bottom would be deep in straw. A galloway hide covered over us. How wei 1remember that hide. I was a souven i r of my faThers, be ing the hide of one of hisprize animals that had died.


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VividlYi I remember th e gesture of parting with them al I.In 1892, our new home found us in Sa lt Lake City at 840 East 21 South .

(the old home s ti II - stands. !1y sister . 1 r s Snelgrove resides there).[ ca n feel even now the flush of embarrassment as I think of my f i rs t

appearance in schoo I. wore a coat of my sister Hatties which was way to large.[ was aware of a continuous scruting by the girls who went to school there.As the morning ~ I o w l y wore on, one girl ask me my name. She became mybosom pal and later she my sister in-law. Even my shoes as wei I as my dresswere labeled from the country.

The f i rs t show I ever attended \

james laird by roday lois laird naylor

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