Biography of Samuel Isaac Hunt
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BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL ISAAC HUNT Samuel Isaac Hunt was born 29 July 1864 in Nephi, Juab, Utah to Levi and Phoebe Louisa Fellows Hunt. His father Levi was born 21 August 1833 in Reed, Herdfordshire, England. He was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on 12 May 1852 at the age of 18. He came to Utah Territory with the Richard Ballantyne Company in 1855. He was 21, his brother Emmanuel was 24, and his brother Stephen was 20. Most people in the fourth emigrant company of 1855 were Perpetual Emigration Fund (PEF) passengers who, under Elder Richard Ballantyne,had traveled from Liverpool, England, to America aboard the ship Charles Buck. Ballantyne himself was a returning missionary (he had served in India). The ship sailed on January 17 and, after an eventful 56-day voyage, arrived at New Orleans March 14. The passengers next boarded the steamboat Michigan and traveled up the Mississippi to St. Louis, arriving there March 27.Ballantyne and about 250 of his party then continued up the Missouri to Atchison, Kansas Territory, on the riverboat Golden State,arriving April 5. From the summary of the Richard Ballantyne Company: “Atchison,the Mormon outfitting point for plains travel, was a newly established town. When Elder Ballantyne and party arrived, it did not have a boat landing or streets, and there were only six houses. The emigrants helped create streets, worked at a sawmill, and built a boat landing. Next, the company moved to Mormon Grove (a few miles from Atchison), where Church officials had claimed land. There, the travelers established a 160-acre PEF farm. By July 7, they had completed a ditch and a log fence and had ploughed and planted about 40 acres. A few crops were already growing. Cattle had to be broken and teamsters had to be trained. This was accomplished by having the men yoke the oxen and drag logs around the camp. All PEF passengers received food for the plains but, if they could afford it, they could add a few luxuries. His father William died about 2 July 1855 near Mormon Grove, Kansas Territory and his mother Mary Ann died at Mormon Grove, Atchison,Kansas. The three young men would travel on to the valley without their parents. Ballantyne and 402 Saints left Mormon Grove for Utah about July 1. The train included 45 wagons, 220 oxen, 24 cows, 3 horses, and 1 mule. Each wagon carried 700 pounds of flour, 200 pounds of corn meal, and 1,100 pounds of baggage, plus spokes and axel trees, hinges, and cooking utensils. From Big Blue River on July 10, the Captain reported, "We have had no cholera nor sickness of any kind, except what may reasonably be expected among so many people." On July 24, 20 miles above Fort Kearney, the company paused to commemorate Brigham Young's 1847 arrival in Utah-feasting, parading,and dancing to the music of the violin and dulcimer. From July 28 on,the men carried loaded guns while on guard duty. Later, Captain Ballantyne ordered all men not otherwise employed to walk ahead oft he company with their weapons at the ready; all were admonished to be minutemen. By August 3rd the train was north of the South Platte River. At Ash Hollow the emigrants gathered currants and cherries; the trees were"literally bent down with the weight of the fruit." The train was within sight of Chimney Rock on August 9th and had arrived at Scotts Bluff on the 12th. From Fort Laramie (August 15) the captain wrote: BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL ISAAC HUNT "Unity and peace prevails among us. No stampedes.The feed has been good. The roads between Ash Hollow and Laramie have been rather heavy. Our cattle stand the journey well. The Indians are peaceable." At the Sweetwater River, 16 wagons were involved in a stampede, and it took half a day to repair broken wheels and tongues. By then the train was out of provisions and the travelers faced starvation.Fortunately, a few days later, on Little Sandy, the company met supply wagons from the Salt Lake Valley. That night the people celebrated until late in the evening. On August 29 the company was at Independence Rock; by September 16 it was at Fort Bridger. On September 24 1855 the Nauvoo brass band, accompanied by many citizens of Salt Lake City, came to meet the company.” Emanuel first married Phoebe Louisa Fellows on 2 March 1857 in Nephi, Juab,Utah Territory. She was 16 years old and he was 25. They had three children, Sally Maria born 12 November 1857 in Juab, Utah Territory;William Albert born 14 January 1861 in Gunnison, Sanpete, Utah Territory; and Phebe Ann born on 4 September 1862 in Gunnison. His brother Emanuel died on 2 March 1863 in Gunnison, Sanpete, Utah Territory at the age of 31. One his deathbed he asked his brother to take care of his wife and children. He married Phoebe Louisa Fellows on 4 April 1863 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory at the age of 29. She was 22 years old. His wife Phoebe Louisa came with the Edward Hunter/Jacob Foutz Company in 1847. Her father Albert was 47; William Harlow was 18; Amelia Maria was 9; and Phoebe Louisa was 6. Her mother had died on 14 October 1845 in Nauvoo,Hancock,Illinois. They departed on 19 June 1847 with 155 individuals and 59 wagons which departed from the outfitting post on the Elkhorn River about 27 miles west of Winter Quarters, Nebraska. From the journal of Wilmer Bronson who was in the company: “When the wagons were strung out in traveling order, formed as we were in two lines abreast, they extended almost as far as the eye could see;while the face of nature clothed with all its majestic beauty and grandeur, would have furnished a scene worthy of the artist's pencil and would have inspired a feeling of sacred devotion in those who beheld it. A military organization was effected in order to protect ourselves against the attacks of hostile bands of Indians who roamed about the country in great numbers. We might with some degree of propriety be regarded as intruders. Consequently, a thorough system was entered into by which a strong guard was posted around our camp every night.In this way we had strong hopes of avoiding trouble with our red neighbors. Our progress was slow in consequence of the company being so large. The dust which would naturally arise from such a vast number of animals and wagons traveling as we were in a somewhat sandy country was very dense and suffocating. BIOGRAPHY OF SAMUEL ISAAC HUNT A few days travel took us beyond the reach of wood for fuel. So we were compelled to resort to the necessity of burning buffalo chips in order to cook our food. After a somewhat wearisome journey of thirty days duration, we arrived at a place called Fort Laramie, the only signs of civilization we had seen since leaving Winter Quarters.This was a very poor speciman, for the entire place consisted of five or six log cabins inhabited by some Frenchmen who had married squaws for wives and were keeping a kind of Trading Post to accommodate the Indians. In the month of August, 1847. We were overtaken in a tremendous snowstorm of such uncommon severity as to chill some of our stock to death. The condition of the weather necessitated a hasty exit from our uncomfortable situation. A reaction took place in our feelings as we emerged from the mouth of Emigration Canyon into a parched barren desolate looking valley whose surface was covered with large crickets whose unsating appetite threatened the entire destruction of every green vegetable with their reach. At a distance of two and a half miles was presented to our view the wagons and tents of the Pioneer company who had located themselves on a little stream which afterwards was called City Creek.”They arrived in the Salt Lake valley on 1 October 1847. Levi and Phoebe had eight children, six girls and 2 boys, in addition to the three children born to Emanuel and Phoebe. Samuel Isaac was their first child. Samuel married Laura Loraine Lott on 6 July 1887 in Richfield, Sevier, Utah Territory. He was 22 and she was 16. Laura was born 29 May 1871 in Kanosh, Millard, Utah Territory to John Smiley and Docia Emmerine Molen Lott. She was the second of six children born to them. Her father came to the Great Salt Lake with the Heber C. Kimball Company in 1848. Her grandfather Cornelius Peter was 49; her grandmother Permelia was 42; Melissa was 24; John Smiley was 22; Mary Elizabeth was 21; Almira Henrietta was 18; Permelia Jane was 15; Alzina Lucinda was 14; and Peter Lyman was 5. They had three other children that had died previously, Cornelius Carlos died in Nauvoo in 1845. Harriet Amanda died at Winter Quarters on 5 October 1847 and Joseph Darrow died on 15 October 1847 at Winter Quarters.They departed on 7 June 1848 with 662 individuals in the company which began its journey from the outfitting post at Winter Quarters,Nebraska. There were two companies which basically traveled together, Brigham Young was one day ahead of Heber C. Kimball. Peter Wilson Conover tells of their trek west: “I was in Heber's Company. The second day we came to the Elk Horn river. It being high, we had to build a raft to ferry our wagons across the river.