• • • I l I L E P 'A G E PIONEER NAME CONRAD SMlTH AND ELIZA ROBISON SMITH BIRTH DATE AND PLACE August 1, 1832, Quincy, Penn. ' . QEATH DATE AND PLACE August 28, 1907. Morgan, Utah FATHER MOTHER Conrad Smith Ann Elizabeth Geesaman WHO MARRIED AND DATE Eliza Robison Jul • I YEAR ARRIVED IN ~TAH ___ _,A=u=g=u=s~t -2=2~,~1=8=6=0~-~--------~-~ NAME OF COMPANY 9th Harxicart Company WHO WROTE HISTORY AND DATE _::cB..:ec.t.h.;: ..S=.m..;:i:=th=. ..T::.u...r;:n=.:e:.::r... .----__;;;.__ ____- -J WHO SUBMITTED HISTORY AND DATE Beth Smith Turner ADDRESS 696 W. Island Road, Morgan, Utah ________________ TELEPHONE NO. 829-6386 CAMP NAME South Morgan I COUNTY NAME _ .M._o _r -gan----------------------~---Jj CAMP HISTORIAN Lucille 0. Williams ADDRESS ._"-----'--"-.-.,..------------------_a._---~ COUNTY HISTORIAN ADDRESS Barbara C. Porter JPEG-Bk13 <.... "lJ 1'11 G') I a:, "' w • • She was 90 years old. Even in her late years, Eliza had a sunny disposition and was known to have quite a sense of humor. She had been a faith.ful Relief Society worker for 30 years and died a faithful Latter- day Saint . At the time of Eliza's death, her and Conrad's posterity was numerous: 6 children, 48 grandchildren, 120 great- grandchildren, and 23 great- great- grandchildren, making a total of 197 people. It would be interesting to know how many descendants they have in 1983 when this history was written. Conrad and Eliza Smith are buried in the North Morgan, Utah, cemetery . Information about crossing the plains was t aken mostly from the history of Daniel Robison, written by his daughter Lucy Robison Turner . Information was also taken from the history of Eliza Robison Smith written by a niece, Lucy Robison Turner, and from histories of Eliza's brothers and sisters. Personal knowledge from my fa t her Conrad Alma Smith, a grandson , and my Aunt Manila Smith Johnson, a granddaughter, and Lavina Smith Chettle, a great-granddaughter. A few names of people and places were taken from the book, Mountains Conquered , a history of Morgan County . Some information on Farmington was taken from the book,~ Farmington, written by Margaret Steed Hess. Information about the Pennsylvania Dutch was taken from the book, Pennsylvania Dutch Cookery , written by F. George Frederick . Recollections of Ephraim Robison , Eliza ' s brother, concerning crossing the plains and early pioneer lif e, Ogden Standard Examiner, about 1930 . -13- • A special thanks to Dianne Chettle Samuelson for editing and typ_ing this history and researching information about the Pennsylvania Dutch. • • • A SKETCH OF THE LIVES OF CONRAD SMITH AND ELIZA ROBISON SMITH Conrad Smith was born August l, 1832, at Quincy, Franklin County, Pennsylvania . He was the son of Conrad Smi th and Ann Elizabeth Geesaman Smith . Very little is known about his early life . He had five brothers and f ive sisters : Charles Jacob, Harriett Judith, El izabeth Ann, Hettie, Daniel Meily , Thomas Goldman, Mary Catherine , James Madson, and Benj amin Franklin. (Refer to the Family Group Record of Conrad ' s parents . ) The name Conrad is a German name which was to be passed down through several generations of the Smith family . Eliza Robison was born October 27, 1835, at Quincy , Franklin County, Pennsylvania , the daughter of Alexander Robison and Nancy Ellen Wagaman Robison . She had six sisters and four brothers: Nancy , Hannah , David, William, Dani el , Catherine, Leannah, Fanny , Ephraim, and Mary Ann. (Refer to the Family Group Record of Eliza ' s parents.) My father Conrad Alma Smith told me a couple of stories about his grandmother Eliza when she was a young girl . Near the Robison home lived a neighbor who the local children thought was a witch. This nei ghbor saw a boy walk through her grainfield . By a Great-Granddaugh t er Beth Smith Turner - 1 - She became angry , and Eliza said the neighbor put a curse on the boy, saying he would never walk with straight legs again . A f ew years later he did become l ame . In the second story , Eliza had to cross a large field to get t o a store. One day a herd of cattle was graz ing there , and when they saw her, they started t o stampede, coming strai ght toward her . She ran as fast as she could to save her life . Eliza suddenly thought of the apron she was wearing . She tore it off and threw it on the ground. The cattle ran for the apron, and Eliza ran to safety. She later said, "I did not care for the apron, but I really liked one of the patches on it. " My father said his grandparents were called "the Pennsylva nia Dutch ." Bertha Smith Smith a l so used to say that her paternal grandpa rents were Pennsylvania Dutch . The Pennsylvania Dutch were mostly German (some Swiss) and are no t to be confused with the Holland Dutch. The Germans coming from the Rhine Valley f'>ot their name from their motherland which in German is called ~ CD Deutschland (pronounced Doytchland) . So it is not surprising~ that those settling i n Pennsylvania would be r eferred toast-~, Pennsylvania Deu tschlanders or "Pennsyl vania Dutch . " The Pennsylva nia Dutch emigrated from the Rhine Valley of Germany, and surrounding areas, be:;iii,. i :1g i n 1683 ,0.t the invi tc; - tion of England's William Penn and ~he Engl i sh r ulers . The people desired to leave this area o :' Ger many and envi r ons bec:rnse of the intolerance shown their r eli-;ions and because t heir lands were repeatedly the scene of battles as na t i ons and peoples fought one ano ther. It was the ances t o rs of the Penns ylvani a Dutch who at the town of Worms , Ger::ian\' , f o rmed a pro t ec tive ring , with their bodies , around Luther when he wa s cl1alle,1ged by t he Catholic Church . Ever since , most or the Pennsylvania Dut c h have been ardent Lutherans, and the many of f shoot s ec t s wer e neve r ver y far from the Lutheran standard. Mennonites , Amish, Cre f elders , Dunkers, Schwenkfelders, Shakers, i'loravians , Seventh Day Adventis t s , etc., all came about as people were s tricken to the quick, fed up with the 30 years of warring between the Protestants and Ca tholic s, not to mention all the prior wa r s . In this atmosphere, the pietist cults f lourished and made many conve rts . Neither the Catho l i cs nor the regular Protestants liked t hem . The sympathy of England was very deep for these people as England then had its own powerful pietist sects (the Puritans and Quakers) . William Penn of Engla nd made three visits to the Rhine Valley out of his s ympathy with t he people ' s religious troubles . He was a lready working out his dream of a spiritual haven in the New Wor ld . In 1681 Penn wa s gi ven his historic gr ant in Pennsylvania and then the dream began t o t ake shape. In 1683 the first group landed at Philadelphia and settled close by in Germantown , fol lowed by many others over the next centuries . • • -2- fffl Conrad a nd Eliza wer e married July 28 , 1354 , in Franklin County , Pennsylvania . (Temple I n~ex ~ecords . ) After hea r ing t11e l1umble tes =i~o~y o~ Angtrs ·., C~nnon, a '.-lornon mission~ry f r om C tah , Conr.::.d .::?.:1.d El izo. ~.:12 r e baptized anC: conf i rmed members of t he Chu rch o : Jesus Chris t of Latter-Day Saint s . Temple Index reco r ds s t ate Conrad was bapt i zed 15 Ma r ch 1854 , and El i za was baptized 6 :la:: 1854, in Quine,· . Franklin Count\', Pennsylvan i a , by Jo seph ~en t ye r . These bap ti sms t ook place a few month s befor e the ir marriage . Conrad and El iza were r ebap tized in 1360 i n Far ming t on, Jav i s Coun t y , Ctah , by Oliver Rob i nson (an early settl e r in Far::iington) , a nd again i n :[organ , clorgan County , litah , i n 1877 , by David Robison . Eliza ' s brother . In t he j ourna l of Angus :!. C2.nnon ( t he ~lo r mon missionar y fr om Utah) , he JJen tioned being with Conrad ·smith and ea ting a t his home . In one part of Elder C2.nnon's j ournal , he wr ote , "orda ined Brother Will i am Robison a teacher. When he was appo i nted to l abor in t he f irst war d with br o ther Conrad Smi t h in the pl a ce of brot her Rock who Ker e to star t t o Ioway i n a f e1-1 days allso get some of the brethr en to promise to keep the word of wisdom ." In another part of his journa l dated Sunday , December 2 , 1855, he wrote , "There was one c hild blessed a nd Brother Conrad Smith chos en a s Bro the r Daniel ' s second counsel or . " Conrad was the br other-in-l aw to Dani e l Rob ison, the Branch President. Conrad an~ Eliza resided j.n Franklin County until the 7th day of May 1860 , when preparations were made for their journey westwa rd . They , like the rest of Eliza ' s family, wanted to l i ve in a pl a ce where they coul d pract i ce their new r eligion without • • • opposition . They h.:id two children--Annie Elizabeth, five years of age , a~d ~3rriet, near ly three years of age . ~lost o f t he i\.obiSOi1 i:.J.mi ly came w·est , inclu~i:16 Eliza r s parents , Alc:..:and,21- Rob ison and ~ancy Ellen h1.:.1gan.:.l~1 Rob ison . They a r e buried in the ~orth Morgan cemetery in ~organ, ~o r ;an County, Utah . Conr ad , El iza , and two childr en l eft the ir home in Penn-sylvania and traveled s ix days on the train and four days crossing the water . On the 16th day of ~lay 1860 , they arrived in Florence , Kebraska , a dista nce of about 2 , 000 mi les from Pennsylvania . On the day they arrived, after the long hard journey , Eliza gave bir th to a baby boy, Thomas Goldman . The baby only lived six days and was bur i ed in the Florence , Nebr aska , churchyard. They rema ined in Florence until the 7th of June . Here the Charles C. Rich Handcart Company was organized with 240 persons, 43 handcarts , 10 tents , s i x wagons , and 38 oxen . Eliza ' s br other , Dani el Robison , was a ppointe d Cap t ain of this 9th Handcart Company and soon won the love and respect of the members of his Company . In the Company was a man called a "Grumbler . " All disputes which arose among the trave l ers were settled by him . The party that could t a lk the longest and the loudes t u s ually won the decision of the Grumbler . SL'< t eams and wagons were put in t he lead , the carts in the rear . They were two-wheeled carts with bows over the top · and covered with canvas . The tongue of the cart had a cross-piece about 2~ feet long fastened to the end . Two persons could stand on either side of the tongue , l eaning their bodi es against -3- • the cross-piece . They called th is "pushing , " instead of "pulling . " The carts were usualty abot1t four fe2t high , a 11d the bed of t~1e care was about nine inc i~es deep . Ihe carts haC to be greaseC t hree times a week . There were about four or five persons t o one cart , and each person was allowed about 20 pounds of bed~ing , clothing , and utensils. Some ot t hese cart s were pa i nted beautifully, which may reflect ano ther characteristic of the Penns y l van i a Du t ch . Instead of wea ring bright colors, Chev decora ted t he i r household goods , barns, fences , wagons and weather vanes. .M... ~ ID I (.!J LLJ -0,. • • When the campground was r eached a t night, the ca rt s were placed in a circle l eaving an open space of about ten feet; this was used for a corral for t he oxen. The oxen were then unyoked a nd driven abou t a half mile away to feed. They were wa tched by two men until midnight, a t which time the men we r e relieved by two others. When morning came the oxen were brought in, each man yoking up his own oxen. As soon as breakfas t was over , they were ordered to line up for another long hot day. The carts were loaded with bedd ing , cooking utensil s , and sometimes little children rode when their feet had become t oo tir ed to walk any fu rther . Most of the others were seen trudging along on th e scorching ground, sometimes barefoot, leading their barefoot young children by the hand, stopping once in a while to try to relieve the ir blistered feet. When Eliza ' s shoes completely wore out, she wrapped her feet with rags and con-tinued this way on her journey until they met a band of Indians and were able to purchase a pair of moccasins . Eliza was in a weakened condition due to recent childbirth and lack of food. Mr. Fosket, the man in charge of storing away the necessary provisions failed to store enough food for the people in this handcart company . Eliza could hardly walk so her brother William let her ride in his wagon with his son David who was very ill, suffering from dysentery . The young boy, not quite two years old, died and was buried on the plains of Wyoming. At one point on their journey, Eliza became so weak she could not continue. It wasn't po-ssible for her to ride in the wagon because the animals were getting weak . Her husband Conrad did not da re stop with her because they would be left • behind. He placed his wife in the shade of a bush and continued on with t]1e company, marking the trail as he went. As soon as t hey camped for the evening , Conrad went back t o get his wife and brought her safely to camp. Eliza did regain her strength and he l ped pu ll the handcart . Hy grea t-gr andfather must have been a strong man t o help push a handcart all t he way from Florence, Nebraska , to Salt Lake City , Utah . What courage and perseverance! It i s amazing to me how many trials and hardships these people endur ed on t heir journey to Salt Lake City . Day after day they trudged along with t he other Saints in the hot sun and sand . The nigh t s were cold and the days hot . The people were thirsty and hungry . At one time their food became very low, and flour was therefore r a tioned ou t at~ pound per day . At tha t point, Captain Robison swam the Platt River and made arrangements fo r provisions to be sent to the camp . Canteens of water hung on the sides of the carts, but water was scarce in some areas, and it became necessary to dig shallow wells three or four feet deep . Sometimes the water was filled with alkali which caused it to be yellow and hardly drinkable . The women wore long aprons and would fill them with buffalo chips as they journeyed . Children joined in this task . Because of the scarcity of wood, these chips were used for cooking their meals. The chips mad~ more smoke than fire and would turn the bread yellow. The flavor was not the best, but the hungry people were glad to get ~hat they· could . M This handcart company's journey was very p~aceful. Several i I bands of Indians passed, but the Saints were not molested by them. c.., . LLJ When they camped for the night they always had prayer and a 9; song. They seemed happy and put the ir trust in God. L. "C ITI G") I I.,J,_J w • This handcart c omp:my wa s s cheduled to leave on the 7t h day of J une 1860 , j us t t hr ee weeks af t e r the bir th and t wo weeks af t er t he death of Conr ad and Eliza ' s baby bov . !~en t hey wer e s carcely a b.J.lf mile oa their journey, they saw .:.:n 0:ni~10us black cloud rising in the sky . Ord~rs were given for them to return to camp , which t hey did . The fie r ce wi ndstor m b roke suddenly without a chcm ce t o make ver y many pr epa r a t ions . It blew all of the tents down excep t two which were held up by a few men . Conrad took h i s tivo ch i ldr en , Annie and Harrie t , a nd pu t them in t he handca r t . He tied t he canvas down and fa ste ned t he cart t o the ground wi th wooden stakes so that t he wind c ould n o t upset it . Then he went t o help h i s neighbors with their t e n ts and car ts . Eliza , who was in her bro t her' s t ent , became worried about her childr en . She left the tent an d wen t to ~JtAH]f ,p· - · ·-- - 4 ' \ . • 5 them . El i za lifted then out of t he cart :md started b2..:'..;: to her brother ' s tent . The wind and r ain were so terr ific t~a: she was unable to r each the tent a.:c sank down to the ground ;,:'.:h her rescued by some r:1en who f~2 l;Jed them back to sD.fety. -::1..:..s was on2 of the worst storms wicnessed by them during t heir jour~ey . The next dav, after repairing the damage as best a s they could, they started again on their journey . They reached El~::orn River on t he 8th of June , Fremon t on t he 9th , Columbus on tje 14th, and fe rr ied Loup fo r k on the 16 t j . They arrived a t the :!or:::on town of Genoa , 102 miles out Eron Flor ence , Nebraska , on c~e 22nd of June . Here t hey enjoyed a::i evening of music and danci~.~ . DA K-OT-A] -<; I ~l I [SOUT/-l DA 'i<OTA] I [KMJ SAS1 ROUTE MAP OF THE Handcarts to Zion 1856-1860 - - - - - Handcart Ro ute - - - - Utah Bouodary io 1850"• SC.AU. 01' HtLC.S [ Present day place names s!tou;n in brackets ] Prepared by D. H. Daker from material gJ.thered by LeRoy R. aod Ano W. Hafeo Copyrisht, 1960, by The Arthur H. Clark Co. - - - MISSOURI ,r-,.. • • • Arriving at Sweetwater, Wyoming, they found the bottom of the river _covered with fish. Everyone had all they could eat. This was a very special treat after eating salty bacon all the way. They had no other meat because of spoilage problems, and they did not see any game animals except an occasional rabbit, which would feed only one family. When they reached the Green River, all people were taken across on a ferry boat, and the animals swam across. At this point they were running very low on provisions and became weak from hunger. There was hardly food enough to sustain life . While they were fighting hunger and despair, a Church relief train arrived with 2500 pounds of flour and 500 pounds of bacon . This was indeed a welcome sight. One of the members of the handcart company later recalled that while being ferried across the Green River , a shout of joy went up from the Company as word was passed that a relief train had been sent. With the new supplies the 9th Handcart Company moved on toward their destination. Since they were getting close to their journey's end, and in order to get some much needed rest, they camped two days at the mouth of Echo Canyon on the Weber River at a small town called Henefer. A man by the name of Mr. Henefer donated five bushels of potatoes if the Saints would dig them. The fishing was very good on the Weber River, and everyone had all the potatoes and fish they could eat. The Saints still had some steep hills to climb, out help was ahead. A ~an living on top of Big Mountain sent seven yoke of oxen down to help pull the carts to the top of the mountain. A few miles outside Salt Lake, they stopped to clean up._ They boiled and ironed clothes, and polished shoes to wear into • Salt Lake. The endless miles of walking barefoot had resulted in their shoes being so tight they could scarcely hobble . /If$ They reached Salt Lake City on the 27th day of August 1860, eleven weeks after they had departed Florence. They were told that previous handcart companies had been greeted by the First Presidency, a brass band, and some of the citzenry. Based on that, the members of the gth Handcart Company naturally thought there would be a similar reception upon their own arrival (or they were actually told there would be a similar reception). Such was not the case, and Eliza's brother Ephraim later recalled the disappointment that no one had come to greet them after their having traveled such a great distance under difficult conditions to make their home amongst these people. The only persons who met the 9th Handcart Company were those who came for belongings which were carried across the plains, and a few people with teams who came to take with them their relatives and friends who had come through with the handcart company . Because this was the fifth year of handcart companies arriving, it is possible that the novelty had worn off, and the people in the Salt Lake Valley were concerned with eking out a living. The 9th Handcart Company was one of the last handcart companies au-done of the most successful in its journey. Their arrival was reported by the Deseret News, "Captain Robison brought into the city on Monday afternoon the first of the season's Handcart companies apparently in general good health •... One child had died en route, and one ox had been lost." Fairly good weather conditions and enough wagons to relieve the _weary or sick accounted in part for ,M.... .::,t. CD the low mortality in the 9th Handcart Company. I It had taken eleven weeks to make the long hard journey. Wagt,s, carts, tents, and oxen--everything that was used on their journey-!!; • • belonged to the Mormon Church and therefore was returned to the Church. Conrad , Eliza, and their two girls stayed in Salt Lake for three days, then they moved to Farmington, Utah. Farmington is 16 miles north of Salt Lake and is situated close to the Wasatch Mountains on the east. Farmington was named after a town in Connecticut (Wilford Woodruff's bi~thplace) and because of its rich farmland. Farmington, originally called North Cottonwood, was first settled in 1847, thirteen years befo r e Conrad and Eliza arrived there . Their first home was a one-room log house. Times must have been especially hard that first winter being they arrived so late in the year . About four months after making their new home in Farmington, Conrad and Eliza traveled to Salt Lake City and in the old Endowment House received their Endowments and were sealed fo r time and all eternity. (January 12, 1861, Endowment Record EH) They endured many hardships because of their poverty. It was necessary for Eliza to go out and work for the more fortunate families and receive food in return for her services. Wherever the men worked, they received store pay or grain . Money was scarce. While living in Farmington, one of the worst snowstorms hit this small town . A cold east wind raged for three days , blowing and snowing the whole time . The little house rocked with the wind, and the snow drifted in between the cracks in the logs . The neighbors helped one another prop up the houses to keep them from blowing down . Eliza and her children (three now) _had to stay in bed to keep warm. Conrad tried to keep a fire going un-til the fuel ran out . He did not dare leave to gather more wood. -7- • Their cows , pigs and chickens were completely covered with snow . When the storm quieted down, Conrad went outside to see if the animals were still alive . The old cow moo 'd and was so glad to see him. The pigs were alive , and the chickens were still on the roosts . Conrad, Eliza and their little family were surely thank-ful to their Father in Heaven when this furious storm ended , and no lives were lost. These very strong winds ~nown as the " eas t winds" have long plagued the residents of Farmington. The wind would blow in short hard gusts , unroofing homes , schools, up-rooting trees and , later, overturning trains . When it was observed that the long gray cloud was forming over the mountains east of town, the townspeople quickly took what precautions they could to protect themselves and their property. To lessen the possibility of roofs being blown off, stout poles were pu t across their roofs, then log chains were fastened to each end of the poles. To the chains the settlers attached large barrels of molasses and boxes and tubs filled with stones . Conrad was an excellent rock mason by trade and helped lay rock for homes in that area in addition to helping lay the rock for the old Farmington rock chapel, which is still in use . In 1861 construction began on this chapel, the first structure in that area built specifically for church meetings. There wa s only $12 in cash among the 160 pioneer familes but a great amount of determination. After holding a prayer circle to seek direction from the Lord, a bad storm hit the area. From this storm came landslides which deposited rocks and gravel a short distance M from the building site. Thus, building materials were provide't within easy reach. This Act was a real fa ith promoter among t~ c.., Saints. Most everyone in town helped in some way. Small boys.~.., • • carried drinking water , and the women prepared and served food to the workers . Wood used in the construction was obtained either from Farmington Canyon or was donated by r esidents . Rather than excavate, heavy timber was laid on the gr ound and has proved a solid foundation for more than 120 years . The original chapel measured 40 feet wide and 60 feet long. The walls were built two to three feet deep . There were two doors in the east end of the chapel, and the main e ntrance was on the west side of the building. At this entrance was a large porch and a small wooden white fence around it. Later this fence was removed and steps were built on all t hree sides of the porch . Inside the main entrance was a large room with eight tall windows which allowed the light to pour in. The pulpit, along with nine high-backed chairs for speakers, were located at the east end of the chapel . In the northeast corner was a graduated platform used by the choir . The handmade wooden benches would seat around 400 people, were very low to the floor--and were full of slivers. At the eas t end of the chapel was a two-story annex which measured 24 ft . by 27!., ft . In this annex were two l a r ge vestries--one room upstairs, one down, which were used for classes and meetings of the priesthood and the Bishop's Council. Near the stairs was a small white room called the Prayer Room , very sacred to the people . By December 1862 the rock chapel was completed at a cost of $15,000 . It was dedicated January 9, 1864, and has been the scene of many marvelous happenings, prophecies, speaking in tongues and interpretation of tongues, healings, and wonderful testimonies. It was here that George Manwaring was inspired to write the song, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" (Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning). - 8- • '" FAR.J.~INGTON ROCK CHAPEL After living in Farming ton for about three years, the family moved to Morgan County to a place called Stoddard Sprin~just over the mountain from Farmington. It was first called Simon Spring after Ben Simon who built the first log house there. Judson Stoddard bought the Simon place and named it Stoddard. The first settlers in this small community were: Ben Simon, Judson Stoddard, Philemon C. Merrill, Conrad Smith, Truelove (Truly) Manhard(t)M Henr y Rock , Miller Parrish, John Hess, Nick Bardull, Dave Saun~rs, Ill Johnny Hays , Jake Grover , and Than and Lot Smith who were brot~rs . .au....J., • • This country was still quite primitive, and a few Indians roamed this area. Groups could be seen traveling together through Morgan Valley . The first homes were built of l_ogs with small poles and wild wheat grass for the roof . Chimneys were built of rock, the floors were dirt . A small hole was cut for a window, and greased paper was placed over the hole. An old piece of carpet or quilt covered the doorway which was no more than a hole in the wall. Fine willows were tied together for a broom. Beds were made of poles; chairs were made of split blocks of wood with holes bored in the bottom where sticks or pegs were driven for legs . The settlers made all their own tallow candles, soap and lye. Clothing was so scarce that mothers often stripped the children of their clothing, put them to bed and spent the night washing, ironing and mending. The firs t grain in Morgan was threshed out with oxen on a clay floor ; and when there was s uf ficient wind, the chaff would be blown from the grain . Wild berries were gathered, but because sugar was scarce, the pies that were made were sour enough to "turn our faces crooked." Conrad, Eliza and their children lived in Sto.ddard a few years, then they moved further up the valley to a place called Mt. Joy which was later changed to North Morgan . Conrad built a two-room log cabin with an upstairs and a shanty or lean-to on the back . Later they built a few more rooms. The original dwelling is still standing but has been remodeled over the years so that none of the original structure is visible from the out-side . Camilla Gamble, a great-granddaughter of Conrad and Eljza, currently (1983) lives there. The home is at 518 North 700 East, Morgan. - 9- • A little amusement in the wintertime consisted .largely of parties at private homes, one room being cleared to dance one set of the old-fashioned quadrille. Musi~ was supplied by fiddlers . In the Fall of 1865 they lost their sixteen-month- old daugh ter Nancy . She had gone with the older girls and played nearly all day in the wheat bin. This was a fun thing to do . The next morning Nancy had developed a severe cold . About a week later she died . She is buried in the North Morgan cemetery. Great-grandfather started to farm, but farming was difficult in those days, and the crops not the best. Th is family and many others knew poverty . The older children would work for other people to earn enough money to go to school. With the coming of the railroad through Horgan in 1868, money was more plentiful . In 1864 this little community had its first meetinghouse, built .of logs . This was also used for a school . Conrad had· a few sheep, and from the wool produced by the sheep, the women in the family had a few dresses, usually two-- one for best and one for everyday . The wool had to be spun, dyed the desired color, then woven into cloth. It was quite a process from the time the wool left the sheep until a dress was ready to. wear . My great- grandparents planted a beautiful orchard and garden around their house . They used water from a nearby spring to irrigate . The water was also cold and refreshing to drink . The only light they had was from candles which were usually made in the a utumn. Tallow.was melted and run into molds, and wicks were fastened carefully inside . After cooling and hardeninif1 . .:,t. they were removed from the molds and stored. Sometimes t allow wa:tp used -in a saucer with a piece of cloth or wick saturated and ~ -Q,. • • li:;i1tec. This light was very dim. Later Conr 3.d got a coal-oil lamp in Salt Lake City; this lamp was one of the first in ~,organ County . The children and close neighbors gathered around in the evening and were amazed to see how much light the lamp provided . Conrad still did some rock laying . He helped lay the rock for the old ~organ Stakehouse . This building was started in 1878 . It was constructed of hard blue limstone rock taken from a quarry above Como Springs and was hauled a mile or more to the site. The founda tion was 5 feet deep and 3 feet wide, with the main chapel 40 feet wide, 80 feet long, and 30 feet to the square . Red pine poles were used for scaffolding braces and planks be-cause there were no hydraulic lifts . Wheelbarrows were used to deliver the rock to the workmen; and as the walls rose higher, strong men who were willing to work, wheeled the large rocks to the top . The ves try was added soon after the main building was completed. The builders were master craftsmen as evidenced by the walls . This building t oday i s con sider ed one of the best pieces of masonry i n the Stat e (from t he Histor y of Horgan Utah State Tabernacle) . A plaque has been made by t he Daughters of the Utah Pioneers indicating the date the building was erected and who layed the rock . The names on the plaque are : George Criddle, Jr., Henry Rock, and Conrad Smith. This building has had a recrea t ional hall and classrooms added and is still in use . • FIRST MORGAL'l STAKEHOUSE - 10- OLD MORGAN STAKEHOUSE