One more item on Grandpa Joe Bush before I move away from the Linnebachs. Besides teaching us the song "The Dog Named Jack," he also taught us "How to Catch a Polar Bear." Here's how: If you want to catch a polar bear the first thing you do is cut a hole in the ice. Then you sprinkle some green peas around the hole. Then, when the polar bear comes to "take a pea" you kick him in the "ice hole." Grandma (Lois Fae Linnebach) just rolled over in her grave.
There is a very interesting individual on our Family Tree whose name I had seen for decades. But it was not until recently that I learned anything about him. His name is Madison Daniel Hambelton. He was Grandma's great, great-grandfather. I found his autobiography on Ancestry.com. Here is a person who not only lived through some of the early days of Church history, but also was a key player in one of the events that led to the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Here are some excerpts from his autobiography/journal:
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I, Madison Danie1 Hambleton, was born in the year 1811, November 2nd, in the town of Hamburgh, Erie County, State of New York, No. America.
My progenitors on my father’s side were Friend Quakers and I was taught that persuasion in my younger days, but in my riper years I abandoned all religions and was unconcerned about any.
I attended different orders of worship and the more I saw of them the more I was disgusted with their hypocrisy, and I quit going to any religious meetings although I observed morality and stayed by my parents.
In the Fall of 1834 I had a very severe attack of inflammatory rheumatism which confined me to the house for six weeks. After I was able to get about I got acquainted with Chelnecha Smith who I married on the seventh day of January A.D.
l835 and took her to my father's house, where we remained until April. There I left my wife and went to the city of Rochester to obtain a berth on a canal boat but did not succeed so I returned to my father's home. I stayed at home for a few days and then went to the city of Buffalo and was engaged to build a house which I completed the coming Fall. I moved my wife there and rented a house of Mr. Heacock to live in. I bought a city lot at the Hydraulicks, built a house on it during the course of the winter and moved into it.
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About the first of Jan. (1839) my brother and myself went out into the country some eight miles to find a piece of land to enter but being unable to find any that suited me. I bought a piece of 80 acres second-handed and moved onto it. The people here were very benevolent and moved of different denomination religiously; Methodists, Newtites, Baptists, Ceceded Campbellites and Bernets Creed.
July 16th 1840 my wife gave birth to a little daughter, named Lucy Ann. I lived here on my farm making some little improvements. The most of my time I spent at the carpenters and grainers trade for others, barely making a living in consequence of ill health.
In the fall of 1841 I traded my 80 acres for 160 acres unimproved in White County and moved onto it, built me a house, improved 20 acres and put it under good fence. While living in Cass County I was very frequently solicited to unite with the different denominations of religion and finally did join the Methodists on trial for six months.
After this I began to read the old scriptures which I had never done before and I soon became convinced in my mind their doctrine was not in accordance with the doctrine of the old and new testaments. I had not been with them very long before I commenced to teach the scriptures as I understood them. This made me rather unpopular amongst them and they sought to approach me in my belief and finally they prepared a charge against me before a council of Elders and leading men of the days to which I belonged. Not being able to maintain anything of an unchristian-like conduct hoped that I would see the error of my belief and reform and they would exercise their faith and prayers in my behalf. When they got through with me I got up and told them they could blot my name from the book of their remembrance. My wife followed my example and also one Jeremiah Dunham who had been a member of the Methodist church for 15 years. I afterwards ascertained that he had hold of the Book of Mormon from one of the Mormon Elders some years before and had never showed it to anyone but had studied it and had believed it.
About this time I heard of a man by the name of Gehial Savage who they said was a Mormon Elder and was teaching at Door Prairie, Laporte Co. I immediately wrote him a letter stating that I wanted him to come to my house or send me one of his Profession. I waited nine months, heard nothing from him but heard that there was a branch of the Mormon Church there. I wrote another letter to the branch which later got into the hands of one of the sisters and in about nine months from the date of my last letter it was taken to Nauvoo and was read from the stand at a General Conference when the Prophet Joseph sent two Elders (James Carroll and Ezra Strong) to the neighborhood. The first sermon they preached I believed and offered myself for baptism, also my wife and Jeremiah Dunham. The date of baptism I do not know but I think it was in the month of October 1842. Soon after I had written to Elder Savage there was a man by the name of William Williams who was a Mormon in Kirtland and had moved into the neighborhood near me who was an honest old man and still firm in the faith. His son Charles who also was a Mormon in Kirtland had denied the faith and joined the Methodists and done all he could to persuade me against them. I got possession of a Book of Mormon which soon converted me to the gospel of the Son of God, and glory and honor be to the Lord and his servant Joseph and all the faithful who caused it to come forth and be preached to nations. My brother Andrew Jackson Hambleton also read the Book of Mormon and believed it but died before he had the opportunity of embracing the gospel. I also got hold of the book of Doctrine and Covenants which continued to strengthen me. The finger of scorn was pointed toward me because of my belief. The neighborhood in which I lived they called Nauvoo which made me feel proud. After the Elders came there they continued to preach but none but my wife, Jeremiah Dunham and myself obeyed for some two months when there were some ten or fifteen more came forward and were baptized.
The people got so incensed at us they would disturb our meetings and even throw stones at the elders. March 24th 1842 my wife gave birth to our second son, named James Finley.
The following summer I worked on my new farm, built myself a frame house. In the Spring of l843 my wife went to the State of New York on a visit to my father and her friends but they spurned her because of her religion. She returned home the same season without making one convert. In the fall I offered my home for sale for the purpose of moving to Nauvoo and soon sold it and trusted the man for every dollar of the price which was $400.00, less than half what it was worth at the time of sale. The man failed and left the country and I finally got $80.00 in property.
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Soon after my wife returned from her visit my younger child died, 1843., and a short time after the death of our child I was ordained an elder in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints under the hands of Alva L. Tippit and James McGaw, October 16. I started to move to Nauvoo and a young woman by the name of Mary Ann Greathouse went with us. We landed in Nauvoo November 2nd, 1843; my birthday. Soon after I took one yoke of my oxen to the Temple Committee and paid them on my tithing. I had one yoke left and one wagon which I traded for a little log house 10 by 12 ft. on the ground and a City lot. I had two cows, one of them I sold for provisions and the man failed to pay me and so she done me but a little good. I had one cow left and one 3 years mare. Them I wintered and in the spring, my mare was stolen. I worked at my trade making cabinet wear and window sash but could not sell much to get provisions to live upon. Plenty in the country for money and cheap corn 25 cents per bushel, but we made out to live on very short allowance, mostly corn bread. I was poor as to the necessities of life but I rejoiced in the principles of the Gospel and the spirit of the Lord. In the Spring of 1844 I was chosen one of the city Police of the City of Nauvoo.
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Nauvoo, 26th, 1844 my wife gave birth to a son. He was still born, we called his name Parley Pratt Hambleton. At this time the mob began to gather and threaten the city with destruction and extermination, which caused great excitement in the midst of the Saints. The Nauvoo Legion was called to arms as a home guard to protect the city in case the mob should attempt to come against us. A request was made to the Governor of the State of Illinois, Thomas Ford, then occupying the chair of the State, to disperse and disband the mob and restore peace. He pretended to give us assistance and came to Nauvoo with several companies of Militia and made a great display in and about the city. They accidentally shot one of their own men while on guard in a false alarm in the night. They marched from Nauvoo about the country pretending to disperse the mob but giving them encouragement and help. About this time there were a few dissenters from the Church among who was Wm. Law, who was President Joseph Smith’s first counselor, and his brother, Wilson Law and several others who were in high standing.
The apostates bought a printing press and set it up in the heart of the city and commenced a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor, a most disgraceful and lying sheet. Made one issue when the city council met and held a session of court and declared it a nuisance and ordered it removed. In the evening I was called upon by the city Marshall (John P. Green) to go and help to abut. About sunset we met at the Temple. The city police and many others under the charge of the city Marshall who selected fourteen of the police, myself one of the number, who with sledges or other necessary tools went into the printing office, pied the type, threw the fixtures into the street and burned them, broke the press and threw it into the street, set afire to them and burned all that would. We obeyed the order of the city council with delight. When done we marched to the Prophet’s house, under the command of the city Marshall, and reported to him our doings. The Prophet said he was glad of it and he said he never felt better in his life and blessed us in the name of Jesus Christ. The destruction of the press had a tendency to increase the rage of the mob against the Prophet and all who upheld him. Many went out from amongst us with the huge cry of false prophet, polygamy, thieves and robbers, and sent out a writ for the Prophet. An officer came to Nauvoo to arrest him and brought a process of soldiers with him. The Prophet not being in the city they were about to leave for home and had mounted their horses when Reynolds Cahoon and Hyrum Kimball took the officer to one side and prevailed on him to stay and they would go and find the prophet and prevail on him to come home and give himself up to the officers and go to Carthage with them. This they effected and the next morning the prophet, his brother Hyrum, Willard Richards, and John Taylor were all lodged in the jail. A company of Carthage Grays (who were no more or less than a portion of the mob) were placed as guards there to keep the mob from disturbing them.
The Governor then pledged the faith of the State of Illinois together with his honor and the honor of the State that they should not be molested. He then disbanded all the troops except the guard. The Governor then went immediately to the city of Nauvoo and in a speech there he branded the Saints as being a set of military Saints and abused them shamefully. He then gave orders to Captain Singleton who was stationed there with his company to assist the police in protecting the City against the mob, to remain there until further ordered. He then started for Carthage about five P. M. About thirty minutes after the Governor left, Singleton, with his company, left for Carthage also. On their way there they met the express bearing the news of the murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. They took them prisoners back to Carthage for fear the Saints would rise in mobs and pursue them before they could get out of the country: June 27th 1844.
The next morning the “Express” arrived in Nauvoo bringing us the terrible news of the murder. This raised a great excitement and great sorrow and mourning. Teams were sent for the bodies and they were brought home, together with Brother John Taylor and one of the thieves who was wounded with five balls in the affray. The bodies of the Prophet and Patriarch were taken to the Nauvoo Mansion and all who had a desire to take a last view of their corpse had the opportunity. The mob dispersed and all was peace for a while they thinking that they had destroyed the Priesthood from the earth, not believing that the gospel had been restored to the earth in these days.
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That's all for now.
His early life and conversion to the gospel of Jesus Christ is remarkable.
It is hard for us of this generation to comprehend to trials and difficulties our
progenitors went through.
Just the time and effort it would take to clear 20 acres of land is mind boggling.
That's chopping down all the trees (without chain saws), removing the brush, and digging out all the boulders.
Wow.
And then to leave it all behind to move to Nauvoo and trade what you had left for an 8x10 cabin.
What intrigued me most was the fact that he got a job as a Nauvoo policeman and actually participated in the destruction of the Nauvoo Expositor.
More to come next week.
Below is the only known photo of him.
Next week I'll let you know why his neck is crooked.
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| Madison Daniel Hambleton |
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| Chelnecha Smith Hambleton |
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