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Note: George Williams and Emma Jane Stevenson 1837-1902, 1846-1911 Because of the wonderful message of the Latter-day Saints' religion which had entered the hearts of those early pioneers, they willingly left their homes, lands, and families to the care of Him who careth even when the sparrow falls. They knew in their sublime faith that all would be well with them. They also knew that they would return over the long stretch of weary miles; deep, rugged canyons; hot, dusty deserts; and without purse or script to carry the precious gospel truths to others whom they loved. Driven by that something which stirred in their own being when the Gospel came to them, they went in search of someone waiting somewhere who too would feel of the peace of the ancient religion. Along the long, weary miles they traveled, ever and always toward the East and the Old World, the preachers of truth always gave their message to any and all that would hear.
At length, they reached the shores of the great Atlantic, but as ever, they must carry on the precious message. They sailed the great deep. Far away in the Old World were many waiting, waiting for the word. It penetrated the hearts of the children of Israel. It filled the long felt want. It encompassed them with peace and an inward joy the like of which they had never known.
The message carried so long and so far penetrated the hearts of a worthy couple, the Williams family in Birmingham, England and the family of James Stephenson of Lorghbrough. They knew their Master's voice. They gladly made the sacrifice, left their loved ones, their friends, the land of their youth, their hard earned homes, and obeyed Christ's own words "Follow Me." Imagine the courage of those faithful souls, to brave with little children the long trying voyage across the Atlantic in a crowded sailing vessel--then long weeks on the tossing water, followed by rail to Iowa City. Do not imagine a passenger train of today, but think of a freight train caboose with straight backed, narrow seats, piled high with luggage. In such uncomfortable conditions, the pioneers traveled for days at a time until it seemed there was no end to the long, weary ride. When it did finally reach the train's stopping depot, still ahead laid 1500 miles of travel before reaching the goal of their undertaking.
They thought of Moses and the Israelites, but they had less than a hundred miles to trod. Here was more than a thousand people anxious to get to Utah. Few of them had money. Had they had such a possession, there were no wagons or teams to buy.
President Brigham Young thought handcarts could be drawn across the deserts by the people who were pleading for the chance to journey westward.
George Enoch Williams was born in Birmingham, England on June 25, 1837. The year he was 18 on March 22, 1856, when he with a large company of Saints sailed from Liverpool, England under the direction of Elder James Fergenson on the ship "Enoch Train." George carried his trade as a lamp maker with him across the seas. From Boston, the five hundred thirty-four Saints aboard continued their journey by rail to Iowa City. On June 9, the first handcart company under the direction of Edmund Ellsworth left for Salt Lake City and arrived September 26, 1856. On the route, thirteen people died.
Family tradition has believed that George Williams traveled with the Willie Handcart Company, but after more in depth study, it was found that he did come on the first handcart camply with Edmund Ellsworth. However, George did volunteer to return with the rescue party to help the failing Willie and Martin Companies. Follows is a brief history of the struggling story of those pioneers
In the month of July 1856, one thousand people with their homemade, two wheeled carts started westward. Up the hillside, over mountains, and down the canyons, they traveled under the charge of Captain Willie and Captain Martin. August 15 they reached Winter Quarters where Brother Levi Savage tried to persuade them to wait until spring because of the lateness of the season. He tried to explain that they would get to Utah late in November, but they were determined to go on.
On August 18 Willie and his loyal comrades started on the toilsome journey. Fifteen miles was a hard day's travel if the handcart held together which too often they did not. At Wood River, all the cattle were stampeded and twenty head were driven away by Indians. After that, they used their milk cows and even heifers to draw the wagons.
Some missionaries returning from England overtook them. They promised to send help when they reached the valley, but it would be a long time before they even reached the valley.
As they reached Wyoming and the mountains, their flour was again rationed. On the banks of the Sweet Water River, the mountain peaks loomed high above them clad in dazzling robes of white that descended to the baselines while the storm kings were collecting frigid forces of the mountains piling mighty snow drifts in the defiles of the canyon. Death was kind to many aged, sick, and afflicted who were wrapped in the scanty bed clothes around them and laid down to silent slumbers. Now the strong and brave were failing with the pangs of cold and hunger and the hard incessant labor stole their strength and left them helpless in the bitter cold to perish. With only sixteen miles to travel to the nearest frozen campground, the limit of their endurance had been reached and they would have been left to perish had not some angel of mercy and compassion penetrated the storm clouds with the brightness of his presence and the food and warmth to save them. At noon, a covered wagon reached the camp with gladsome tidings.
Joseph Young and Stephen Taylor told the people a relief train was advancing with provisions and bedding, the comforts that would save them from destruction. This relief train never did come. Joseph Young and Stephen Taylor feared that Captain Martin's exiles would be in a sad condition. They had left Winter Quarters later than this train of handcarts in the charge of Captain Willie. With their welcome news, they started on their journey eastward, leaving Willie and his comrades to continue on their journey.
The Willie pioneers used double teams hitched to wagons so the stronger could help the weaker drag along their handcarts. Cattle perished in the struggle. Snow that measured twelve inches seemed to scorn their feeble efforts to move any further westward. Five persons had perished in the night time with cold exhaustion, and the peaceful sleep of silence had released them from their hardships that continued with the living who were fighting for existence. Men with white and frightened faces cried for food as they were falling in the snow drifts where they perished. Men who had been crazed with hunger fought for food that kindly outcasts set aside for little starving children.
In the evening, storm clouds vanished and the sun in golden glory sank behind the snow clad ranges of the distant Rocky Mountains. Still no signs of covered wagons came into the field of vision. Many with the sun's declining, saw the night of death approaching--the night that peaceful sweetness would illuminated their careworn faces. It was finished! They were faithful and a better land than Zion burst upon their final vision as they closed their eyes in slumber. No more cold and wet and hunger, no more days of painful toiling over sands and snows. Death is sweet and mild and peaceful. In a moment, all was silent and the weary ones rested in the arms of blissful slumber.
Then suddenly with shouts of joy, the stronger leaping from their beds rushed forward as they saw the covered wagons of the men who had come to save them and their own dear Captain Willie who had gone ahead to rush them.
Grant and Kimball from their wagons shared the stores of their provisions and their quilts and robes and blankets; they brought grateful warmth and comfort to the worn and freezing exiles who had waited till the darkness brought despair and desolation.
Grant rushed on to Martin's exiles with the bedding and provision that would save them from destruction, but the days and weeks of toiling and the pangs of cold and hunger left too many handcart heroes in the state so worn and wasted that the rescue could not save them.
Willow Creek, a tributary of the cold Sweet Water River, is a place to be remembered by the hardy handcart heros. Fifteen corpses here were buried.
Frigid weather in October warned the Saints in Salt Lake City that a hard and bitter winter was descending from the mountains. No reports had reached the valley of the struggles of the outcasts who were moving west in handcarts. Brigham Young and others visualized the wants and hardships of the pilgrims of the prairies and prepared to send provisions for their comfort and salvation. Many wagon loads of bedding, clothes, and stores of provisions were assembled and rushed forward to the camps of the handcart outcasts.
Thus refreshed, the faithful converts fought the storm kings of the mountains with the courage and endurance that were not to be resisted by the snow drifts in the canyons and the bitter blasts of winter on the bleak and barren ridges of the mountains and western ranges.
On November 9, Captain Willie's worn out exiles came in sight of Salt Lake City, and descending from the mountains, reached at last the lovely Zion.
Of the twenty-four hundred that had started for the westland, sixty-seven fell and perished on the hard and painful journey.
When the year had almost vanished with its tortures and its troubles, the last of the handcart covered wagons reached the Saints in Salt Lake City. All had reached a place of refuge in the valleys of the mountains.
The family of James Stevenson set sail from Liverpool on February 27, 1855. The old rickety ship they boarded had sailed the ocean twenty-seven times and the captain refused to sail with her any more after this voyage. They arrived in Phillidelphia April 23, 1855. There they stayed until the summer of 1857. They crossed the plains in Captain Hoffine's Company.
They made their home in Springville where Emma Jane, a daughter of the Stevenson family, met and married George Enoch Williams in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City.
In Springville, they built their first home, a dugout in the side of a hill. In it there was one window and a heavy door with a heavier log to fasten it as a protection against the Indians during those times the Indians were very troublesome (more so in Southern Utah where more of the Black Hawk Indians roamed). They had grown desperate and treacherous preying on the Latter-day Saint people's thrift, often plundering their property, driving off their livestock, and at times killing entire families or maybe carrying off the women and girls. The Black Hawk War started in 1865 and continued for several years.
The war was principally with the Indians under Chief Black Hawk. Some of the scattered colonies were compelled to give up their land claims and move where they were nearer together and could better defend themselves from these roving marauders. The Williams were among these courageous homesteaders.
In 1866, George E. Williams of Springville, Utah was enrolled in Capt. Abe Conover's company of cavalry to serve in the Black Hawk War. He served as teamster of this same company until it was returned and honorably discharged. He received a medal of honor for his work.
Again in 1866, George with some others were called to fight these troublesome uprises. Their families were left behind to the care of our Heavenly Father; constant and sincere were the prayers of those solitary mothers and their little helpless families while they were alone. They were never sure of safety from the brutal Indians' scalping knifes. At night they sat in the dark fearing to make a light as it might attract some roaming savage. During these trying times, two fine sons were born to this courageous couple, George Enoch Jr. born 25 September 1863, and Joseph Charles born 19 August 1865. A small daughter, Elizabeth Ann was born 8 September 8 1867. She was nearing two years when baby sister Martha Ester was welcomed into their humble home.
Indian agents came into power about this time, and they in a measure restored peace and understanding with the Indians.
The calvary, of which George was a teamster, was returned home so the family could once more be together.
There was good homesteading farther south. The summer of 1869, President Young called a few dependable families to go and colonize that part of the country. At that time, baby Ester was less than a year and just learning to walk. George and Emma Jane were among the number called to leave their homes and help make another section of the country a pleasant place to live. The Saints had to be resourceful if they were to live and thrive. Though there were only logs to build a house, their love and ability made it into a home. Their cow provided milk, and butter was churned in a wooden churn with a wooden dasher. Pigs grew fat. and from the pork rinds, soap was made. To make soap they needed lye, so they made their lye from aspen ashes. They made their own candles and baking soda; and from potatoes, they made their starch. They refined their salt from the waters of the Great Salt Lake, and of onion skins and rabbit brush, they made their dye.
They were very careful that not a thing was wasted, they even followed the sheep herds and gathered bits of wool from the brushes and fences that caught the sheep's wool as they passed by. Of that wool, the entire family was clothed and bedding was provided. Yards for stockings, mittens, sox, coats, and woven cloth were made into suits for men and boys and dresses for the women and under things for all.
A son, James Thomas was born December 20, 1870, and was a wonderful Christmas gift. Little Jimmy was nearing three and quite a lad when his playmate Peter John arrived one warm summer day September 25, 1873.
The boys helped father on the farm and Ann was good help in the house. Little Ester watched over the small brothers. She would even now remember how tired little arms can ache when she tried to carry baby Peter who was getting "so big."
They could raise wheat for their flour and potatoes and other vegetables for winter. They dried beans, corn, peas, pumpkin, and apples for winter use.
It was a hard life to be a pioneer in a new country in a wilderness, but never so hard as when another baby was welcomed. On September 22, 1876, little Emma Jane made the seventh addition to this busy family. She was still the petted baby when August 19, 1878, little Agnes Hays made herself at home with the Williams family. October 19, 1881, Herbert Stanley come to stay for awhile.
During these years at Goshen, the country was peopled, and they built their places of worship. They were happy in their association with each other as Saints of God. Brother Williams was a faithful leader in the Sunday School and Sister Williams helped to make the Relief Society a success by her faithfulness as a leader. The children all attended and were benefitted by the organizations of which they were all members.
Goshen was hot in the summer and cold in the winter. Crops were not always sure and water was sometimes scarce. Reports came of good prospects for home teachers up north. After twelve years of sacrifice and hard work, Brother Williams with his splendid family started north. Arriving at Provo, they got work and there they decided to remain for a time. Mother was in poor health, and later in the summer, August 20, 1884, baby number ten arrived. They named her Lucy Christina, but she was so tiny, they called her Tina and such it was as long as she lived.
The spring of 1885, April 20, the family started for Idaho. The family of John James was traveling the same road, so they traveled together; in all there were eighteen. They had four wagons, and it was a pleasant trip of two weeks when they reached Eighteen Mile Creek in Idaho. Here were dear friends waiting with a warm welcome to greet them. Tom Higgensen and family had taken up a homestead. In his home, the Williams family stayed with their friends and built themselves a hut. In a few days, they were living in their own home.
At last they could live and enjoy a home, friends, and worship in quiet and peace. They homesteaded their lands, built comfortable log houses, raised their flocks and herds, and planted gardens of wonderful vegetables bordered with flowers and scrubs of such beauty and fragrance. Their home lingers on in memory though the years have flown and only grass grown graves marked the resting place of these splendid pioneers.
Always they were faithful supporters in the Latter-day Church. In all, Brother Williams was Superintendent of Sunday Schools nineteen years, and at different times Sister Williams labored in the presidency of the Relief Society and as a visiting Relief Society teacher. She was teacher of the Advance Senior class in Blackfoot Sunday School at the time of her death.
George Williams died December 29, 1902, in Hatch, Bannock County, Idaho and was buried in Chesterfield, Bannock County, Idaho. His body was later moved to Blackfoot, Bingham County, Idaho.
Emma Jane Stevenson died November 19, 1911, in Blackfoot, Bingham County, Idaho and was buried November 21, 1911, in the same town.
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