The Boys of Sanpete County ~ Incident at Green River

 

Delving into family history, Christopher has been taking many of the old text memorabilia (included as images or PDFs) on FamilySearch and re-typing them as word documents/stories ... much easier to read and copy as needed. Chris read about "The Green River Ferry Incident" while converting some documents, and we found that TWO of our ancestors had this story in their histories. James Anderson and Philip Hurst (Grandma Zada's Great-Grandfathers) survived this ordeal.

What exactly happened? LDS emigrants came to America and then traveled on to Utah following the  Mormon trail. A major obstacle was the Green River, which they would have to ford, float or ferry across. In 1868, a number of men from Sanpete County were called upon to meet the emigrants to help them along the way. Our ancestors Philip and James were part of the teams sent to assist.

The Green River was running very high, fast and cold and the oxen refused to cross. It was decided they would load the cattle on the ferry. Tragically, the frightened cattle unbalanced the boat and capsized it. Men, cattle and supplies went into the water together. Most of the equipment was lost, and six men never made it to the shore. Members of the surviving group composed a song "We The Boys of Sanpete County" to tell the story of this tragic event. The lyrics, and a performance on youtube are included below ...

  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NVk6T1yuIyI

We the boys of Sanpete County

In obedience to the Call

Started out with forty wagons

To bring in Emigrants this fall

Without fear or thought of danger

On our way we lightly sped

Every heart with joy abounding

Captain Seely at our head.

To accomplish the mission

We were called to fill below

Left our friends and wives and children

On the dreary plains to go.

Over hills and lofty mountains

Through the mud and in the dust

Slowly climbed the lofty mountain

Far above the snows white crust.

With the sun to set declining

glad to welcome closing day.

By some stream or gushing fountain

To refresh all night we stay.

When we reached Green River ferry

On its banks all night we stay

Next morning ferried our wagons over

Thinking soon to roll away

Next to drive our cattle over

But we found they would not swim

Though the boys were in the water

Many hours up to the chin.

While the boat was passing over

The water into it did pour

The Captain cried boys we‘re going under

We shall sink this very hour.

Some to planks and boards were clinging,
Down the swelling tide it flows;
Some by heaven seem protected,
Was driven to shore upon the boat.

Some to oxen horns were clinging,
But to them it was all o'er,
For boys and cattle all went under,
Never more to step on shore.

One had landed on an island

Clinging to the willow green

But with him life soon extinguished

Backwards fell into the stream.

Thus six boys from parents driven

And from friends whom they did love

But we yet again shall meet them

In that better world above.

In letters it was recounted "It was on this trip that Philip was in a boat which capsized in the Green River, when six men lost their lives. He was in the water 15 hours. His clothes were on one bank and he on the other. He and his companions picked up sticks all night to keep a fire going to keep warm and dry out the few clothes they had on. Philip was assistant captain to Wm. S. Seeley"

According to his his history, James was a good swimmer and was able to drag himself out a mile and half below the accident scene.

There is a great write up with additional details HERE

Radio and TV personality Glenn Rawson recounted the story of 

"The Boys From San Pete County" in one of his devotionals ...

  

Who knew that years later, Philip's baby son Walter and James's daughter Hannah Alzada (who wouldn't be born until a year after this event) would meet and marry and that they would have a great-granddaughter named Margie ...

McFarlane Erskine ~ Full Family Photo

 

Extended family photos are always a bit of a challenge. Trying to schedule a time that works for everyone, deciding on what to wear, getting everyone to look at the camera at the same time. Back in the late 1800s, I'm sure it was even more of a challenge, which makes this group photo all the more impressive. 

The photo was in the FamilySearch archives, with many of the people labeled and tagged. There, almost in the center, is the matriarch of the crew. Ann McFarlane Erskine (her husband, Archibald had passed away thirteen years prior to this picture).  Following the relationship back, Ann is Dad/Lamar's Great-Great-Grandmother. Therefore she is the "3rd Great-Grandmother" to the Westra siblings, and the 4th Great-Grandmother to the Westra grandkids. 

Here's another look at the progression from Family Search for the Westra line.

Claude Erskine was Dad/Lamar's Grandfather (Claude would have been 15 years old in this photo).

Archibald McFarlane Erskine was Dad/Lamar's Great-Grandfather.

There was a legend that had been created to accompany the photograph. 

This included when the photo had been taken (1898) and a number of names.

The handwriting here looks SO much like Mom/Margie's ... but it's not. The assumption would be it would be Grandma Lucille's, but it doesn't really match her handwriting we've seen labeling other photographs. Based on the "our father" indication, it seems it could have been written by one of Lucille's siblings? The dark circles noted above are all directly connected to Archibald McFarlane Erskine (his mother, himself, his wife and seven living children). 

You can see there are gaps in the information above though ... question marks and empty spaces. Chris did some detective work, using the Decendancy tool in Family Search. Checking to see what children existed, and trying to match them up according to approximate age, and position near parents. 

Chris also contacted others through Family Search to see if any additional information could be found. He did get a little feedback, that "Easy Erskine" (#27) was Louise Mackay Rutherford (Easy being a nickname, Erskine her married name). 

There is still a "mystery girl" (#21) ...

So after Chris's work, not only are all the individuals (aside from "mystery girl") labeled in a new legend (see it below) but the faces have been labeled and linked in Family Search.

Here's a new numbering on the photo itself ...

Front (Bottom) Row (Right to Left)

1.  Wallace John Erskine (born 1891)

2.  Laura Erskine Dangerfield (born 1890)

3.  Sidney Archibald Erskine (born 1892)

4.  Arthur Edwin Dangerfield (born 1894)

5.  Ralph Samuel Erskine (born 1894)

6.  Mayme Irene Dangerfield (born 1892)

7.  Mary E. Hunter (born 1890)

8.  Bessie E. Erskine (born 1891)

9.  Ivy Roberts Erskine (born 1889)

10. Robert Murchie Hunter (born 1893)

11.  Edna Hunter (born 1888)

12.  Ethel Ada Erskine (born 1889)

Next Row Up (Right to Left)

13.  William Rutherford Erskine (born 1896)

14.  John MacFarlane Erskine (born 1867)

15.  Peter Pieters Erskine (born 1865)

16.  Margaret Phoebe Erskine (born 1895)

17.  Annie MacFarlane Erskine (born 1859)

18.  Annie Louise Dangerfield (born 1897)

19.  Genevieve Maud Erskine (born 1887)

20.  James Park Erskine (born 1870)

21.  Girl born about 1896 - sitting on James lap. Need to find this one.

22.  Ann Jack MacFarlane (born 1826)

23.  Archibald McFarlane Erskine (born 1856)

24.  Jessie Hunter (born 1895)

25.  Jessie Erskine (born 1854)

26.  Adam Jack Erskine (born 1863)

Next Row Up (Right to Left) - second row from top

27.  Louise Mackay Rutherford (born 1870)

28.  Phoebe Evans (born 1865)

29.  Cora Amelia Erskine (born 1897)

30.  Benjamin Stephen Dangerfield Sr. (born 1858)

31.  Eliza Roberts (born 1855)

32.  Ruby Erskine (born 1886)

33.  William Hunter (born 1847)

34.  Ada Elizabeth Adams (born 1861)

35.  Archibald Erskine Hunter (born 1886)

36.  Albert Charles Dangerfield (born 1887)

37.  Stanley John Erskine (born 1884)

38.  Claude Arthur Erskine (born 1883)

39.  Ann MacFarlane Hunter (born 1883)

40.  William Erskine Hunter (born 1881)

41.  Kate Mary Erskine (born 1881)

42.  Benjamin Stephen Dangerfield Jr. (born 1881)

43.  Isabella Hay Hunter (born 1884)

44.  Jessie Pearl Dangerfield (born 1883)

45.  Ernest Archibald Dangerfield (born 1885)

A History of James Anderson

James Anderson ... he is a great-great-great-grandfather to the Westra Grandchildren, following the maternal line (Margie's great-great-grandfather, he died 20 years before she arrived on the scene). 

Born October 3 in 1842 in Scotland, James was the ninth of 10 children, five who died in infancy.  The family was converted to the church when James was young, and he was baptized when he was eight years old. Archibald Anderson (James's father) was a miner, and Agnes (James's mother) kept a small notions store. At the age of 10, James joined his father in the mines, earning 46¢ a day. Archibald left for America in 1855, and Agnes and the three boys followed in 1856 (the two girls were older, married, and stayed in Scotland) . 

After arriving in the U.S., Agnes and the boys took a train to Iowa City, then traveled the 1000 miles to Utah by handcart. The four arrived in Utah on September 27, 1856 and reunited with Archibald.  They moved around a bit, from Union Fort, to Spanish Fork then settled in Fairview in 1860. The family worked and farmed, but it was a struggle for the first few years.

It was 1864 when James met a pretty young girl named Hannah Matilda Cheney who had recently moved into the area. James was 21, she was just 15. They courted for two years, and were  married on January 1, 1866. They were re-married/sealed in the Endowment House in 1868, since temples were not available in Utah before that time. James attended the dedication of the Manti temple in 1888, and he and Matilda went to the dedication of the Salt Lake temple in 1893.

James had many adventures dealing with the Indians. Hostilities started around 1865 and lasted for several years. He served as a private in the Utah Territorial Military Cavalry during the Blackhawk War (1865-1867).  

In 1868, James was called to go meet emigrants coming across the plains, and help them on to the valley. The Incident at Green River is showcased in its own, separate blog post.  We are grateful the James survived this -  as our ancestor (Hannah, his second child) wasn't born until a year after this tragic event. 

James freighted supplies to Pioche, a mining town in Nevada. He spent a year grading road for the Union Pacific Railroad company. With these jobs, he made enough money to purchase a 30 acre farm just outside Fairview. In 1882, James and his brother John went into the sheep business. James took an active part in all the civic activities of the town. He owned shares in the Roller Mill and owned stock in the Fairview Co-op Store, of which he was president for many years. He was also president of the North Creamery, although the South Creamery forced them to close shop. The Anderson Brothers were involved in many of the affairs of Fairview.

James accumulated a considerable means, but the most important of all, as he frequently remarked, was the family born to him and Matilda. They were the parents of nine children, all but one lived to maturity. Hannah Alzada (our ancestor) was their second child, the first daughter.

Four of their children ended up having twins!

 Here's a picture of James and Matilda with the four sets of twin grandchildren. 

James loved fine horses and took pride in his animals, harnesses and equipment as well as his wagons, sleigh and buggy. He and his son Loren purchased a car to make travel easier (Matilda loved to travel), but James never learned to drive an automobile. He loved to read, but he never learned to write.

In his later years, James contracted rheumatism and his physical activity was curtailed. He was further plagued with asthma and a bad heart. In January 1916, James and Matilda celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary. More than one hundred and fifty people (descendants, relatives, friends and neighbors) were in attendance.  James lived to be almost 80. He passed away January 27, 1922.

Read more about James Anderson at FamilySearch.Org