To deal with this challenge, I determined that I could not write the book in strict chronological order. Looking at what was happening on any given day to both companies works well in a history book, but it does not work as well when trying to tell the story through the eyes of those who experienced it. Therefore, the chronological sequence overlaps from time to time. We go forward, following the Willie Company to a certain point. Then we go back again, overlapping days already covered, to see what those in the Martin Company were experiencing. Dates are given at the head of each section throughout the novel in hopes that this will help readers keep straight in their minds what is happening.
One other note. Since this is a true story, I decided that instead of simply referencing at the end of the chapter the sources I used, I would include actual excerpts from the writings of those who were there. These journal entries and reminiscences carry great power and emotion, and I wanted the readers to experience that for themselves. Since these original writings now mostly reside in Church archives or library special collections and are not readily available to the average reader, I have chosen to cite them from more recent compilations or reprints. Unfortunately, there is not one source that includes everything, and not all of the sources I have used are still in print. It is hoped that they may still be accessible in libraries or through used-book stores.
•••
As I finish this project, I am once again taken back in my mind to those places that hold so many memories for me. Whether in the stifling heat of July or the frigid days of January, the sites along the Mormon Trail still echo with the voices of those men, women, and children who crossed them so many years before. There is a spirit out there that lifts the heart and renews one’s determination to be better, to try harder, to strive to be more faithful. That is the legacy those wonderful Saints have handed to us.
I hope I have told their story in such a way that they would say, “Thank you. We’re glad you understand.”
Gerald N. Lund
Bountiful, Utah
19 October 1999
Note: It was on October 19, 1856, exactly 143 years ago today, that the first of the great winter storms swept across the high plains of what is now central Wyoming. One hundred and forty-three years ago the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies lifted their heads, steeled their nerve, and called on their faith as they marched forward to meet their destiny.
List of Characters
Note: Ages shown are at the time the characters are first introduced in the novel.
Fictional Families
McKensie Family (Edinburgh, Scotland)
Mary—widowed mother; joined the Church with her family three years before; works as a seamstress; husband died two years before; thirty-seven years old.
Margaret (“Maggie”)—the oldest of the children; employed at a paper factory in Edinburgh; just nineteen as the book opens.
Hannah—Maggie’s younger sister; very much like her mother; three years younger than Maggie.
Robert (“Robbie”)—Maggie’s younger brother; very much in love with life; age twelve.
Pederson Family (Balestrand, Sognefjorden, Norway)
Edvard—a farmer and fisherman on one of the beautiful Nordic fjords; strong testimony of Mormonism; age forty-two.
Katya—wife of Edvard; also has a deep conviction of the Church; age forty-one.
Eric—the oldest son; with his family joined the Church some years before; twenty-two years old as the book opens.
Olaf—Eric’s next younger brother; very much admires Eric; will turn sixteen on the ship while crossing the Atlantic.
Kirsten—younger sister to Eric and Olaf; age eight.
Peder—youngest of the Pederson children; six years old.
Granger Family (Great Salt Lake City, Utah Territory)
Jonathan—father and head of the family; joined the Church in Kirtland in 1834; faithful member ever since; farms on the outskirts of Great Salt Lake City; age forty-four.
Eliza—Jonathan’s wife; joined the Church with her husband shortly after they were married; forty-two years of age.
David—born in the Church; grew up during age of persecution and exile; helps his father farm; a mail rider and member of the Salt Lake Valley “Minute Men”; turned twenty-one in May of 1856.
Eleanor—David’s sister, who is very close to him; turns eighteen in November 1856 and will shortly thereafter marry.
Alma—younger brother to David; fourteen as he is introduced in the novel.
(There are other Granger children, but they are not mentioned by name in the novel.)
Other Fictional Characters of Note
James MacAllister—Maggie’s beau; an apprentice machinist; from the Scottish Highlands; one year older than Maggie.
Ingrid Christensen—from Denmark; coming with her uncle and aunt to America; age sixteen in the summer of 1856.
Actual Historical Families
Jackson Family (Macclesfield, Cheshire, England)
Aaron—father and head of the family; thirty-one as they prepare to leave England.
Elizabeth Horrocks—Aaron’s wife; a firm convert to the faith; she has a birthday on the plains and turns thirty.
Martha Ann—age seven.
Mary Elizabeth—four as the book opens, but five when it ends.
Aaron, Jr.—two years old.
James Family (Worcestershire, England)
William—father and head of a large family; joined the Church with his entire family; age forty-seven as he is introduced.
Jane Haines—wife of William; strong mother and convert; six years younger than her husband.
Sarah—the oldest daughter; of a more serious mind; turns nineteen on the trail.
Emma—the second daughter; fun-loving and optimistic; turns sixteen years old during the Atlantic crossing.
Reuben—the Jameses’ oldest son; he also has a birthday on the ship as he turns fourteen.
Mary Ann—age eleven.
Martha—age nine when they leave England; turns ten on board ship.
George—the fourth James child to have a birthday on the ship; turns seven then.
John—age three as the book opens.
Jane—nine months as they set sail.
Jaques Family (Leicester, England)
John—converted to the Church over his father’s strong objections; became an editor at the Millennial Star; articulate writer, poet; twenty-nine years old as he leaves for America.
Zilpah Loader—daughter of James Loader; turns twenty-five while on the ship.
Flora—two years of age in September of 1856.
Alpha—born on 27 August 1856 at Florence, Nebraska.
Loader Family (Oxfordshire, England)
James—a skilled gardener; great love and concern for his family; turns fifty-seven years of age at Iowa City, Iowa.
Amy Britnell—wife of James; fragile health; age fifty-four.
Zilpah—daughter of James and Amy; wife of John Jaques.
Tamar—comes to America with her sister Zilpah and her husband; turns twenty-three years of age somewhere in Nebraska Territory.
Patience—had great concerns about going by handcart; later writes a detailed account of her experience with the Martin Company; turns nineteen about two weeks before Tamar’s birthday.
(Other Loader children are not dealt with in the novel.)
Nielson Family (Lolland, Denmark)
Jens—a well-to-do farmer and property owner in Denmark; suffered persecution after joining the Church; tall (six feet two inches) and powerfully built; age thirty-six as the book opens.
Elsie Rasmussen—Jens’s wife; a tiny woman, only about four feet eleven; ten years younger than Jens.
Jens, Jr.—the Nielsons’ only child; five years old.
Bodil Mortensen—nine years old; comes with the Nielsons to join her sister in Utah (some sources say her father).
Other Historical Characters
Johan Ahmanson, 29, subcaptain of fifth hundred in W
illie Company; later left the Church.
Reddick N. Allred, 34, rescue company; left near South Pass with wagons and supplies.
Millen Atwood, 51, subcaptain of first hundred in the Willie Company.
Mary Bathgate, 60’s, bitten by rattlesnake; second (McArthur) handcart company.
Robert T. Burton, 35, commander of Salt Lake Cavalry; assistant to Captain Grant in first rescue company; kept journal of rescue company.
John Chislett, 24, subcaptain of fourth hundred in Willie Company; wrote detailed and moving history of the Willie Company experience.
Harvey Cluff, 20, one of the Minute Men; rescue company; put up signboard at Rock Creek.
Abel Garr, 22, cattleman, rancher, and scout; member of the rescue company; member of express party sent forward to find the handcart companies.
George D. Grant, 40, Church agent at Iowa City; came to SLC with Richards party; captain of first rescue company.
George W. Grant, 18, son of George D. Grant; member of the rescue company; one of the young men credited with carrying the Martin Company across the Sweetwater River.
Ephraim K. Hanks, 29 or 30, came to the aid of the Martin Company at Cottonwood Creek.
William B. Hodgett, 24, led second independent wagon company, which closely followed the Martin Company in 1856.
John A. Hunt, 26, captain of the first independent wagon company, which closely followed the Martin Company in 1856.
Clark Allen Huntington, 25, a Minute Man in the rescue company; one of the young men credited with carrying the Martin Company across the Sweetwater River.
Daniel W. Jones, 26, rescue company; sent forward from Devil’s Gate with express party to find Martin Company; left behind to guard goods at Devil’s Gate; this is not the same Dan Jones who was in Carthage Jail with Joseph Smith and who was later a missionary to Wales.
David Patton Kimball, 17, son of Heber C. Kimball; one of the Minute Men who joined first rescue company; credited as being one of the young men who carried Martin Company across the Sweetwater River.
Heber C. Kimball, 55, Apostle; pioneer; counselor to Brigham Young in the First Presidency.
Heber Parley Kimball, 21, son of Heber C. Kimball; one of the Minute Men who joined first rescue company.
William H. Kimball, 30, oldest son of Heber C. Kimball; Church agent at Iowa City; came to Salt Lake City with Richards party; assistant to George D. Grant in first rescue company.
Edward Martin, 38, returning missionary from England; captain of fifth handcart company.
Isabella Park, 60’s, companion to Mary Bathgate; second (McArthur) handcart company.
Robert and Ann Parker, age not known; lost son, then found him again; members of second (McArthur) handcart company.
Franklin D. Richards, 36, Apostle; president of European Mission; organizer of emigration; traveled swiftly across the plains to warn President Young of additional companies.
Levi Savage, 36, subcaptain of second hundred in Willie Company; at Florence warned Saints not to go on; but when they did, went on with them.
Stephen Taylor, 21, one of the Minute Men; rescue company; member of express party sent forward to find the handcart companies; one of the young men credited with carrying the Martin Company across the Sweetwater River.
Chauncey G. Webb, 44, returning missionary; Church agent at Iowa City; came to Salt Lake City with Richards party; joined rescue company three days later.
Cyrus H. Wheelock, 43, returning missionary; came to Salt Lake City with Richards party; chaplain in the rescue company; member of express party sent forward to find the handcart companies; same man who slipped Joseph Smith the pepperbox pistol in Carthage Jail.
James G. Willie, 42, returning missionary; captain of fourth handcart company.
William Woodward, 23, returning missionary; subcaptain of third hundred of Willie Company.
Brigham Young, 55, prophet; colonizer; second President of the Church.
Brigham Young, Jr., 20, son of Brigham Young; one of the Minute Men; stayed behind and helped tramp the roads over Big and Little Mountain to keep them open for when the handcart companies came in.
Joseph A. Young, 22, son of Brigham Young; returning missionary; came with Franklin D. Richards across the Atlantic and to Salt Lake City; joined rescue company three days later; member of express party sent forward to find handcart companies; also sent forward from Devil’s Gate to find the Martin Company.
Book 1
The Call
January – May 1856
I feel like a father with a great family of children around me, in a winter storm, and I am looking with calmness, confidence and patience, for the clouds to break and the sun to shine, so that I can run out and plant and sow and gather in the corn and wheat and say, Children, come home, winter is approaching again and I have homes and wood and flour and meal and meat and potatoes and squashes and onions and cabbages and all things in abundance, and I am ready to kill the fatted calf and make a joyful feast to all who will come and partake.
Brigham Young, letter to Jesse C. Little, written from Winter Quarters, 26 February 1847
Chapter 1
EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND
I
Monday, 7 January 1856
“Let’s go, Hannah. It’s getting lighter now.”
Hannah McKensie glanced at her brother, then looked up at the gray, leaden sky. Robbie—it was actually Robert, but not even his mother ever called him that—was twelve. Hannah was sixteen. They didn’t look much like brother and sister. Robbie had dark brown hair and round brown eyes. He was stocky and had been shooting up rapidly in the last few months. In a year or two he would definitely pass Hannah up. Hannah was slender of build and was only about five feet three inches tall. She had a fair complexion, and her hair was light brown, almost blond, with just a touch of auburn in it—a gift from her father. Her eyes were green and wide set.
Though they were sister and brother, in some ways the relationship was more like mother and son. In the four years between Hannah’s and Robbie’s births, Mary McKensie had suffered one miscarriage and given birth to a little girl who had lived only two hours, so there were no other siblings between them. Then two years ago Robert McKensie had taken ill and died. To that point, though they lived a very meager life, the McKensies had determined that the most valuable thing Mary could do for the family was stay home and care for their children. When her husband died, Mary McKensie no longer had a choice. She obtained work in the garment district of Edinburgh as a seamstress. After two years there, she now worked day shift—ten hours Monday through Friday and an eight-hour shift on Saturdays.
Their older sister, Margaret, or Maggie, had obtained work at that same time at the paper mill along the waterfront, but she worked the graveyard shift, ten-thirty P.M. to seven-thirty A.M., six days a week. Her mother was always gone by the time Maggie got home, but if Maggie hurried, she arrived just in time to see Robbie and Hannah off to school. She would then sleep during the day, and finally for a few brief hours in the evening the family would have time together.
Hannah sighed. Recently they had talked about her stopping school and going to work too, but then Robbie would be alone, and Hannah’s mother would not hear of that. Sometimes Hannah wanted to just be a young woman, not a mother. Like now. She sighed again and surveyed the clouds above them. “It’s still raining, Robbie.” It was a typical winter’s day in Edinburgh, Scotland. The January wind blew stiffly. The clouds were low and scudding swiftly eastward. The rain, quite heavy earlier, had now lightened to an intermittent drizzle. “Let’s wait a few more minutes. Then maybe Maggie will get here.”
“Come on, Hannah,” he implored. “I don’t want to wait any longer.”
“Maggie promised she would be here.”
“She said she would try to come. It’s already been ten minutes.”
She finally nodded, pulling her scarf up and over her hair. She could see the anxiety in her brother’s face and understood it only too well. Every minute sh
e and Robbie waited here at the school increased the potential for problems. She started buttoning her coat, working up her courage. Maybe with the rain, the boys wouldn’t show today. Maybe they would just go home.
Robbie took three steps away from the school building. “Come on, Hannah. It’s barely enough to wet your face.”
With a sigh worthy of a thirty-year-old, Hannah pulled her coat around her more tightly and started after him. “All right,” she muttered. “All right.”
They moved off briskly, walking almost shoulder-to-shoulder. Robbie kept glancing back nervously. Hannah concentrated on the street in front of them, especially watching doorways that were deep enough to provide a hiding place. When they passed an alley, they moved as one out into the street to give it a wider berth. They didn’t speak now. In spite of her attempts to remain calm, Hannah felt her stomach knotting. She saw that Robbie kept licking his lips as well.
By the time they reached King Edward Street and turned south, the rain had become no more than a heavy mist. Four more blocks and they would be home. They had lived there for several years. Most people knew them. There would be safety there. Hannah’s hopes rose.
Then suddenly there was a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye. Her head jerked around. “Watch out, Robbie!”
Robbie jumped, but not quickly enough. The apple caught him squarely on the back of his coat, splattering upward and outward.
He gave a cry as his body spun around. Hannah instantly smelled the putrid odor of spoiled fruit and realized that some of the apple had hit her face. She whirled. Across the street there was a small vacant lot protected by a dilapidated wooden slat fence. Through the cracks she could see movement. An arm flashed and a tin can arched skyward. Even before it started downward again, a hail of missiles followed—a whiskey bottle, more tin cans, clods of dirt, sticks, rocks—some of them large enough to be dangerous.
Hannah grabbed Robbie’s arm. “Run, Robbie, run!”