read WILLIAM GEORGE BROUGH Born, July 2, 1855 in Longton, Staffordshire, England Came to American, in 1856, To Porterville, Morgan County, Utah September 18, 1864, History written by his Daughter, Jenna Brough Rich. 21 WILLIAM GEORGE BROUGH William George Brough, was born in Longton, Staffordshire England, July 2nd 1855. He was a son of Thomas Brough and Jane Patteron. He came with his parents to America in 1856, living in Madison County, Illinois eight years, crossing the plains with Ox team in Captain Martin Company, taking eleven weeks. He being nine years old walked many miles, arriving in Porterville Morgan County, Utah, September 18, 1864. There were seven children in the family. There were no homes. They dug a hole in the hill-side living in this dugout 1 1/2 years. The father was a brick maker, mason and carpenter. The boys worked with him learning these trades, making the first brick in Morgan County. They also, had a lime kiln which was a help to mason work in those early days. As a boy he carried drills and picks from the blacksmith shop to the men working on the Union Pacific railroad as it came through Echo Canyon and Morgan. He and his brother went into the hills, cutting grass with a sythe, carrying it in canvas, storing it to feed to cattle in the winter. He was a trustee for the school district in Porterville when a very young man. During this time Emily Jane Cotterell came from Farmington, Davis County, Utah, where she was born November 16, 1860 to William Cotterell and Emily Saunders. Coming to teach school. He met her at the train, found a place for her to board and on January 30, 1879 they were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. He was Superindentent of the West Porterville Sunday School from 1876 to 1899. He was also the first Sup't of the young Men's Mutual Improvement Association of the Morgan Stake, Junius F. Wells of Salt Lake City was here to organize M.I.A, as he watched people 22 come into meeting house, seeing Father he said, "There's the man," He was sustained Sup't Y.M.M.I.A of Morgan Stake, August 12, 1878, which office he held 21 years. The mode of travel was mostly horseback which was slow and very cold. Many times it was early hours of morning when he arrived home, he would also be very cold, sometimes he would re¬main over night with friends in some of the far away wards. Later they went in bob-sleigh with team taking hot rocks to keep from freezing. His fine wife doing chores, milking,cows, careing for the family. She living a fine religion, helping him live his. The 21 years of travel around this stake in cold and storm resulted in doing a lot of good. People would say if Bro. Brough's going to speak I'M sure coming to meeting, he was a very interesting speaker having a wonderful memory. He read and studied all church books he could get, did a lot of quoting from sermons of Church authorities. He attended all General Conferences of the Church, also funerals of authorities of the Church, usually riding a horse over the mountain to Davis Co. then to Salt Lake City by train. In speaking of father recently Orin Porter said, "He could say more in the shortest time of any man I ever heard speak." He was considered one of the finest speakers in Morgan Stake. He also had great faith and power in administrations, Mrs. Kershaw said he administered to her when it felt like every bone in her body was being consumed. Many times authorities of the Church were taken into his home and entertained during their visits to Morgan Stake M.I.A. Brother J. Golden Kimball, B. H. Roberts and others, again his 23 his good wife helped to carry the load for his success. In December 1881 he left Utah to fill a mission for the L. D. S. Church in Pennsylvania. They worked for their board and lodgings, farming, digging coal, hauling and chopping wood, build¬ing barns and houses, anything desired by the people who took them in and gave them a home. He was successful in helping convert and baptize many people. He carried a small book, presented to him by apostle Joseph F. Smith, in Salt Lake City. He wrote a diary in it, carried it all through his mission, many interesting happenings were con¬tained in it. They had very little money. Walked 10 miles to post office many times being disappointed receiving no mail. Books and papers were scarce. He mentioned getting a Deseret news a few times. One of these contained an account of the death of his father before he received word from the family. This was a terrible shock to him, as his father was only years old at this time. Father loved singing and music, but was unable to sing. His companion was trying to teach him as they walked through the woods. They met a boy driving cows, Bro. Engles, his companion said. "Don't be afraid this man isn't crazy he is just trying to learn to sing." Father enjoyed telling this always getting a good laugh. He enjoyed good jokes and fun. His wife taught school the year he went on his mission, carrying a two year old boy to school with her, doing her own janitor work and the following July gave birth to a baby girl. After his return from his mission he made bricks, built a new home for his family. 24 He was a hard worker, farming, shearing sheep, making bricks each summer, and spent the winter logging in Hardscrabble Canyon, cutting and hauling trees to the shingle mill owned by his Brother Samuel Brough. They spent a lot of time breaking roads, to keep them open all winter, working in snow and cold most every day. Toward spring of 1885, he with three other men were buried in a snow slide, lucky they were not deep and help was near. Moses Cheechley was only partly covered and John Rich of Bear Lake was near helping him out and the two working fast to get the rest out. Seeing a hand began digging soon my Father Wm. G. Brough was out. Next S. R. Brough, and last Samuel Porter, who was black when rescued being covered longest. They also rescued two horses out of six. They being under the wood. Orin Porter said the best horses died. Of course all were very valuable at this time as some oxen were still being used. A larger slide came first coveing rocks and filling ravines, making this more shallow, otherwise these people could never have been saved, and it would have been the worst tragedy Morgan County ever had. Father would haul wood, chop enough to keep the family warm, while he was working in the canyon, hauling slabs, shingles, to Morgan, where they were loaded on cars and shipped away. There was no coal then, so it took a lot of chopping to keep from freezing. The following is taken from his diary of Feburary 1886. Went to the saw mill in Hardscrabble Canyon, stayed over night the next day walked over the mountain to Bountiful, went to Salt Lake City to meet with Junius F. Wells, about M.I.A. work. Gave him $9.10 for contributer subscriptions. Spent Sunday in Bountiful going to Church and visiting with friends on Monday, March 1, 1886. 25 Walked from Bountiful, Davis Co. to my home in Porterville, over the mountain, down Hardscrabble Canyon. Lots of snow a very hard journey. Many homes in Morgan County now standing are built of brick made by Wm. G. Brough. He attended and took part in the ground breaking of Portervill meeting house. Made and furnished many of the bricks in it. One day while speaking in the completed building the spirit of prophecy cane over him as it did many times in his life. He Said, "There are people under the sound of my voice will see this building lighted with electricity". Some years later the first electric plant being in Hardscrabble the line passed this church to get to Morgan City. Many of the people saw this fulfilled. In 1899 he was encouraged to go to Star Valley, Wyoming and make bricks, several attempts had been made in that town, but all had failed. The people being anxious to have bricks. This was quite an undertaking, going so far away leaving his home and family. Of course he had to buy a piece of land, hire help, work very hard himself. When he completed burning his first kiln, people were so curious and afraid, they came from miles around to get a brick. Then they would fasten a piece of wire around and to a tree with the brick in the water leaving it there for days expecting it to disolve, but they seemed to get harder. Father worked at mason work and building chimneys. While laying up brick he fell from a scaffold striking across a floor joist breaking some ribs. Doctors said he would be unable to work for several weeks. It was conference and there were some of the authorities of the Church visiting. Father said if they would administer to him he would be all right, as he was very 26 anxious to continue working. They gave him a wonderful blessing and he went on the job again the next day. This history would hardly be complete without mentioning the horse Old Dobbin, the silent partnerin the brick making business for nearly 30 years. He learned to understand just what was ex¬pected of him around the brick yard. He carried Father around this Stake many times to fill his appointments, and he rode him to Star Valley and back many times. Of course there were no trucks to carry horses in those days, and he was a very important part of brick making, so he and Father made that long journey many times. He was purchased from the Indians, was a buckskin, sort of yellow with dark mane and tail. After Father died he grew old fast, his mane and tail turned grey. He lost his eye sight and teeth, but was loved by the family for the good he did. No one was able to catch him if he didn't want them too, or ride him eith. He was cautious of kids but knew what he was supposed to do around the birck yard. Making brick by hand was a real job. Several kinds of soil were needed. Clay black soil and sand, a large hole was filled with this and soaked with water every nitht. This would be shoveled into a "pugmill" which was made of lumber about 5 ft. square a pole or mast was in the center with teeth on it to mix the mud. Then a horse was hooked onto this pole and traveled around and around which mixed the mud this came out a small hole in one side where father stood by a platform. The molds which were divided into 6 part each the size of a completed brick. With his two hands he would cut them the mud throwing it into these molds level off the top. They were ready for the off bearers of men who carried them to a smoth yard well covered with sand where they would dump them very carfully in straight 27 rows. They would sand the molds and return for more. This would be carried on all day. You can see how soon they could be ruined it touched as they were just soft mud. A rain would spoil them also, too hot sun would crack them if not covered with burlap. There were lots of losses and disappointments. After drying enough they were placed into long walls, while waiting to get enough to build the kiln. Then they were built about lo or 12 feet high, about the size of a large room solid brick. There were four or five fire holes all through the bottom where the fire was made. The outside of the kiln was plastered so the smoke had to go out the top. Burning brick was quite a big time for the people of the town, old and young would usually spend one or two evenings watch¬ing. When the fire holes were opened for the large logs of wood to be put in, it was really a beautiful sight to look through those long holes, the bricks seemed to be melting and hanging in red hot shapes. The ones near the fire holes could not be used, but they had a pretty glazed appearance when cool. The burning lasted 3 days and nightes, Father had to stay there all this time his meals had all to be taken to him. This burning turned the color of the bricks from the grayish color of adobies to a pretty red when completed. In the fall of 1899, Father was called home from Star Valley, Wyoming by the serious illness of his wife, who passed away September 19, 1899. This was a very sad trial for him as he had to leave his motherless family of 7 children and return to Wyoming, having too much invested, not to make a success. These contents taken from the account of mother's funeral. "Intellectually she was above the average woman, she did much good in various organizations, praticularly the Young Ladies 28 Mutual Improvement Association, over whom she presided at her death. Her usefulness extended beyond her home. She was always willing to administer helpt to the poor and needy. When Utah became a state and political lines were drawn she chose the faith of a Republican and was a member of the first State Convention, assist¬ing in the nomination of Governor Wells. She was a kind thought¬ful mother, sacrificing her own comfort for that of her family. She was a "mother" in every sense of the word." The following year the baby that was born when mother died passed away. Father returned back to Morgan a broken hearted man. His oldest daughter was soon married and his son went on a mission. He again farmed making bricks in the summer. In 1903 he took sick in the brickyard while working. He had a kiln of brick ready to burn at the time. Doctor told him to go to bed, so he arranged for James R. Rawle to burn the brick for him. In April 1904, he passed away, leaving six children and one grandchild. He was a High Councelman many years, and at his death. The following is taken from Resolutions passed by the Presidency and High Council of Morgan Stake. "Our beloved Brother and co-laborer, Wm G. Brough, being called home, at all times and under every con¬dition the labors required of him by the Priesthood were of pri¬mary consideration, every duty being discharged with zeal and alacrity worthy of the High Priesthood that he bore. He was wise in council, kind to his fellow men and under every condition on hand to assist his fellows in bettering their spiritual condition. His exemplary conduct among those with whom he resided or labored, his kind and loving fatherly care over his family, his tender and loving disposition to all men will cause his memory to be held in high esteem." 29 "We sorrow over the loss of one of our zealous workers in the cause of Truth, and admire his undaunted courage in defence of the principles of life and salvation, under every condition. In health full of life, in sickness full of faith, being confident of the Resurrection, which had been revealed to him." Committee T.R.G. Welch, and F. W. Clark. He left a wonderful example in the memories of all who knew him, of love honesty, living your religion and doing good to all. He was honored and respected by all who knew him, for his friends were numbered only by his acquaintances. He enjoyed good times, and living but was blessed with only 20 years of married life. His wife dying at age of 38 and he at 48. The many fine accomplishments of these people in their few years on earth leaves a wonderful example for their posterity to follow. So they may meet them again and live as a happy family throughout all eternity. Children now living 4; grandchildren 12; great grandchildren 22; Written by a daughter, Jenna Brough Rich.