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Show • Pioneer Tell of Reaching Morgan Many local residents have had the privilege of hiking, riding or hunting up the rugged and beautiful Norwoods' Canyon. At the bottom of this wide canyon are productive fields. The following is a history of Richard Norwood after whom the canyon was named. Much of the history is in his own words. Information provided by Thelma Porter White. I was born in Tennessee, Green County, June 7, 1811. My parents were Richard Norwood and Mary Smith. They did not profess religion at the time of my birth. They moved from Tennessee to Alabama when I was a baby and settled in Madison County. My father enlisted in the War of 1812, and served under General Jackson, but was taken sick and had to come home. He never got well. He departed this life in 1815. He left a wife and three children. He also left them property sufficient to support themselves with. We remained there until 1817 and then moved to Tuscalusa County, Alabama. I attended school here a little and was bound out when nine years old to John Bess. His occupation was raising corn and cotton. My brother John and I were raised together • and while in this place were treated like one of the family. • My mother married a man by the name of Edwin Burgess, when I was eight. My sister Ellen stayed with my mother. Later brother A.O. Smoot came to that part of the country bring the glad tidings of the Everlasting Gospel. The sermons I heard tore the foundations from under my other religious beliefs. I tried to fix up the old house but it would not stand. Brother Smoot visited me at my house converted and said if I would be baptized then she would be baptized as soon as her This plan was agreed upon in April 1845. alas for the delay. and my wife was into the LDS church health would permit. I was baptized, but My wife's neighbors had such a hold on her that although she had obeyed the dictates of her conscience and my advice, her mind was darkened and resisting all the pleading of myself and the other Elders, she maintained her own opinion. I had been baptized and accepted the Gospel with my wholeheart and though there could not be a better wife than she, she could not turn me from my beliefs. I remained for nearly a year, using all my persuasive powers to bring her to a belief of the gospel with me, In the ensuing winter a proclamation came for the Saints to gather at Nauvoo to go West. (He used every effort to persuade his wife to go with him but it was no use.) [Richard Norwood] • • • Although we had lived a very happy life together her heart was set as hard as flint , and the next morn ing he left broken hearted with a pack on his back to begin a . journey of three hundred miles on foot . Richard Norwood experienced much opposition to his joining the church , but also much kindness from fellow members . At one time while living with Bob Green he was taken down with a severe attack of Billious Fever . He was blessed and healed and shortly after a mob of bad men came to drive the people from the place . After fighting two days in a state of war the mob sent a flag of t ruce . The Saints , with the assistance of the mob worked like heroes and they were all across the river in 24 hours. While the fighting was going on I was one of the guards at the Temple and could see t he cannon balls tearing up the ground . But only three of the Saints were slain and the were permitted to seal their lives with their blood . After crossing the river many of the people were destitute, and later at camp, thousands of quail came into the camp and even in their tents, which was a stirring proof that in following God he would help provide for us. They traveled about 150 miles up the Platte River . One evening the teams were corraled by wagons , and an ox came closer than desired to the bed of one of the boys. He ignorantly shook the skin of an animal at it and the frightened animal caused the others to stampede . Several were killed and crippled and about 75 head ran away with the buffalo and were never recovered . While traveling we often had to take our dogs and guns and turn the course of the buffalo so we could pass . Later in the journey after another stampede a yoke of black muley o xen was missing , and one of the boys , Charley Decker searching for it caught sight of the animal chewing its cud , and thought it was a black bear licking its chops over the feast he was going to have on him . We t raveled on through the Black Hills until we came to the Platte River again, then to the divide between that and Pacific Springs , through the Fort Bridger area, the Bear River country, and finally to the Big Canyon Creek country . After crossing Little Mountain and Big Mountain they eventually came to Emigration Creek at the mouth of Emigration Canyon on October 6 , 1847 . We went down to the fort and pitched our tents and began hauling logs and putting up houses to winter in . Up to this time I had not heard a word from my family in the south. Provisions were scarce and we had to dig roots to live on • I was engaged by a man named Chase , one of President Brigham I • • • Young ' s foreme n to hew mill posts . I went in the canyon to work and lived on a half pound of flour a day . After the c rops were in and doing nicely , the crickets came and again we were of the verge of despai r . Then the seagulls came and devoured the crickets , plainly showing that we were in the Lord's hands , and that He would not forsake His people . The people rejoiced and made a law that whoever should kill a seagull would be fined $5 . 00 . That fall I took one of Brother Haffacker ' s teams and went back to help the Saints at Pacific Springs . After returning , I lived with a second cousin by the name of Cook for two years . I became acquainted with a widow, Elizabeth Bailey and we were married on Oct . 18 . I owned a house and lot and lived in the city for about a year . Mary Malinda was born , and with Elizabeth's two children we moved to Provo. Here I took a piece of land and started to make a home , and though all our prospects here were fair Sister Norwood was not content. She could not like the place and longed to go to her mother. So we moved our home to the city . The day after our arrival the first corner stone of the Temple was laid and we had the pri vilege of attending same . Our first and only son was born . He lived nine months and she never ceased to grieve for him . His name was Brigham . The summer after we moved back to the city the grasshoppers took all we raised and we were obliged to live on herbs and roots . I took up a farm in Big Cottonwood Canyon for two years . Caroling Pickup ' s husband had been out of the church , and her brother told her he believed I would like to have her , so sent word that if she wanted to come into my family , she might write me a letter . President Young sealed us . Another daughter was born to Elizabeth , and we named her Martha , after my first wife left in Alabama . Caroline also had a daughter Eliza ; and Nancy who died in this same place while quite young . In 1860 I decided to move again . I settled this time onthe Weber River in a new place . While here we endured manytrials . Elizabeth had another daughter Eliza ; and Caroline had a daughter Dorthy. We lived here for several years and concluded we would make another move . The place we moved to was called Porterville . My farm was the best . Caroline lived on it . I also owned a house in town where Elizabet h lived. We were in tolerable comfortable circumstances and lived here 20 years . Caroline had seven more children and Elizabeth another girl . Bethany and Elizabeth were girls Elizabeth had when I married her . When the United Order was preached in Porterville I joined and put all my property into it. I was one of the I • • • directors and one of the last to give up my loss , when the church was given the property . • In going into the Order was about one thousand dollars, but I did not regret this as my conscience told me I had done my duty. It lasted two years and during this time I had no property I could call my own . My farm that the Order had , raised five to eight bushels of wheat and from 30 to 40 tons of hay each year, besides cattle , sheep and horses . After the order broke up I lived here about three years . By this time I was old enough that I did not feel like taking care of my farm and to please my children sold out to Orderville . I got twelve hundred dollars for my farm. Richard lived there the rest of his days and concluded his story with these words. "I have a good housekeeper who has two little girls , just enough to make the house cheerful . I have · a comfortable house, a small vineyard and a garden spot, affording my morning and evening chores ; just enough to exercise and be comfortable . Information furnished by Thelma Porter White . Compiled by Connie W. Carter 1978 t |
