Morgan Pioneer History Binds Us Together Life History of Chauncy Warriner Porter Chauncy Warriner Porter was born to Sanford Porter, Sr. and Nancy Warriner Porter, on October 20,1812, in Holland, Erie County, New York. When he was bom, his father was serving in the War of 1812. At the age of nineteen, on August 10,1831, he was baptized by Lyman Wight in Illinois. He moved with his parents from New York to Ohio and Illinois. Chauncy's parents and oldest sister, Malinda, were baptized about the same time. Just a few months after they were baptized, they were told to gather to Independence, Missouri. (The following account is taken from Sanford Porter, Sr.'s autobiography.) Those who have been in Illinois will know something of the hardships to be met traveling over this five hundred mile journey in the dead of winter. The first night out we camped on the east bank of the Illinois River. The next morning we crossed on the ice which was eight to ten inches thick. There was difficulty experienced by the teams slipping; so quantities of dry grass was cut and spread on the ice. When water was poured over it, it made it soon freeze, thereby making the crossing easier for the teams. The Spoon River, sixty miles further on, we crossed in the same way. Here we rested a few days, at a Brother Unstead's who had joined the church a short time before. About eighty miles further on, we came to the Mississippi River, called "Great Father of Rivers." Owing to a south wind which had been blowing for several days, the ice was softened, so it was considered unsafe to cross even for the horsemen, and we thought to wait for the ice to melt and pass down the river so the boat would meet us. We reasoned in this way that we were making this trip in obedience to the requirements of the presiding authorities of the Church of Jesus Christ, in whom we had placed out faith; let us ask for help in time of need. So I and James Emmett went to a secluded place, and in humble prayer inquired of God of Heaven what was best to do; and by inspiration these were the words that were given us: "Be of good cheer; for behold I will prepare the way before you. Get up early in the morning and cross this river with your teams and wagons. Use wisdom and no harm will befall you, but you shall cross in safety." This gave us a peaceful assurance, and all night long Brother Emmett and I were awake, thinking the wind would surely change to the north and freeze the ice harder. But in this we were mistaken. The south wind continued to blow, but the ice was a little harder and according to the inspiration of the previous day, we made it across safely. Finally, on March 1,1832, we arrived in Independence. We found that great things were laid out for the people to do. The Saints were required to live by the law of consecration as in the days of Enoch. We expected to reside in peace until the second coming of the Saviour and we were to build a magnificent temple to His most Holy Name. The temple block was then covered with a thick growth of timber, but the brethren went to work with a will, clearing the timber, using it for building and other purposes. The majority of the Saints accepted the law of consecration, but a minority of the people did not. They were the strongest financially, being mostly merchants, and drawing their substance from the company, made an uneven pull, and caused dissatisfaction, and the company broke up. The seeds of contention, once started, spread in our own community, but with those not of our own faith, and strife ran to such a degree that we were driven from our homes without court or council, and that at the point of bayonet and muzzle of the gun. In 1833 we were driven in a body from our nearly made homes. On November 12,1833, while the body of Saints who had been driven hurriedly from their homes were camped on the south bank of the Missouri River with no way of making an immediate crossing, the mob who had driven us were still in pursuit, and as they said, they were under pledge to kill men, women and children as soon as overtaken. A heavy storm came up just as the guards said the mob were upon us. But before they began their attack, the storm broke in meteoric violence, and in seeming fear, the mob fled. We looked upon the storm as a miraculous deliverance by the hand of God. To describe the storm, it looked like the stars were falling thickly for a while, then only a few would fall, then it would renew its violence and fall thickly again. So it kept up until nearly dawn before it ceased. Instead of crossing with the main body of Saints, I went with a few others traveling south and camped at the head of the Osage River. Later we traveled down the south fork for some distance, and our company of about fifteen families decided to stop for the winter. As we had been driven from our homes in haste, we could bring very little to subsist on, and as winter would be upon us, something had to be done