Madison Daniel Hambleton, part 3 - The Pioneer

This is the last part of the life of Madison Daniel Hambleton, a life that is a mirror reflection of the early history of the Church.  He seems to have been very well known by Brigham Young who called upon him to carry out tasks that would bless the lives of the pioneer Saints, but also require him to leave his family behind.  I wish we knew more about his wife, Chelnecha.
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February 11th, 1846:  I started with the pioneer Camp for Sugar Creek in Iowa. I left my family in Nauvoo, which was very painful to my feelings as I had left but a short allowance of provisions. I stayed with the camp on Sugar Creek until it started West. I then went back to Nauvoo to prepare to leave with the Saints. Made two wagons, one for myself, and left the City for the Pioneer Camp.

May 12th, 1846:  we started out with 100 lbs. of flour, 1-1/2 bu. of parched corn meal.  We sold all of our feather beds except two pillows, left all our furniture standing in the house.  Made our load as light as possible so that one yoke of two year old steers could draw it, trusting in the Lord and His providential hand for our support.  We traveled west some 75 miles when we overtook Major Jefferson Hunt with 15 teems, traveled with him two miles north of the town of Bloomfield.  Here I was arrested by a court from the Missouri River on a charge of larceny. I went back and was lodged in Fort Madison Prison, they refusing to take any ‘Mormon bail’.  I stayed in 13 days and was discharged without a trial. I had left my family standing on the prairie all alone, except for one young man by the name of John O. Angus, who traveled with me.  Before I arrived to where I had left my family, my wife gave two three year old steers and my rifle for a large yoke of oxen, and had gone on with another company under Captain Andrew Perkins.  I overtook them at the head of the Charedon River and on the 25, June we arrived at Mt. Pisgah.  Stayed until the 1st of July when we started for Council Bluffs where we arrived on the 10 of July.

August 8th, 1846:  moved to Cutler Park for winter quarters.  Here we met the head chief of the Amshaw Indians, whose name was Elk, with about all of his warriors.  All manifested friendship and were willing for us to stay.

Sept. 10th, 1846:  President Brigham Young chose myself and nine others to take the herd of cattle for the whole camp. Oct. 26th, we gave up a part of the herd and went to work to hunt for the stray cattle and take them to the creek beds up the river and herd them all winter.  We made up a herd of some 800 head.  We were troubled a great deal with the Indian’s killing them.  When we delivered the stock to their owners we got partly paid for our services so we gathered a few dollars in money.  Went down the river about 176 miles bought 1200 lbs. of flour and returned to Winter Quarters.

June 10th, 1847:  left Winter Quarters for the Plaines. At Elkhorne River we organized in the first hundred, second fifty and second ten. Stayed here five days. 17th— moved some 12 miles to the Platte River on our way to the Great Salt Lake basin where we landed the 22nd day of September.  I never enjoyed myself better in my life than I did on the Journey.  We met President Brigham Young and the Pioneer camp, on the Big Sandy, returning to Winter Quarters to get their families after locating Great Salt Lake City. We felt to rejoice in the Lord on learning of their success. We were very short of provisions and other necessities of life. We brought all that we had on earth in one wagon with one yoke of oxen and one yoke of cows. Our bread gave out on the 4th day of April and we were obliged to dig roots for our bread until harvest which was in August. I raised 3 bushels of very poor corn and l3-1/2 bushels of wheat which was my bread for another year. In the fall (1848) President Brigham Young and his family with most of the Twelve and some five or six hundred wagons with the Saints arrived. This added to our strength making some 2,000 souls. On our first arrival we built houses in solid compact, forming a fort 116 rods by 40 rods, which we lived in.

May 4, 1849:  myself with nine others, was selected by Pres. Young to go to the North Platte Ferry and attend to it and cross the emigrations. This we did, realizing $625 each in money, merchandise and stock. Got home August 14th.

Soon after the October conference I was called upon to pull up stakes, take my family, and move 132 miles south to Sanpete County, some 90 miles from any settlement and amongst the Indians, where we arrived November 25th. Being late in the fall the grass lands had been burnt by the Indians before we got there and there was no hay to get. The canyons being filled with snow, we could not get into them to get building timber. Consequently we were under the necessity of living in our wagons, those who had not tents, which were very few. Thirty men constituted our force, most of which had families, with a short allowance of provisions. The snow fell to a depth of 2-1/2 feet from mountain to mountain with a heavy crust on the top. This made it impossible to go out of the valley for any more supplies and our stock could get no food to subsist on. We shoveled snow from off the little grass that we could find in order to save some of our few cattle. In consequence of this we lost two thirds of our entire stock which perished in the snow. This undoubtedly was a blessing to us and probably saved many of our lives as it provided plenty of food for the Indians who were very numerous and somewhat hostile.

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The rest of the entries tell of dealing with the Indians and their numerous raids.  Madison Daniel Hambleton died May 29, 1870 at Manti, Sanpete County, Utah and is buried there.  He was 58 years old when he died.  His life seemed to be a mirror of the early history of the church.  He lived through trials, tribulations and heartbreak.  And yet, not once in his writings is there a trace of murmur, regret or denouncing the Brethren.  His faith sustained him through.  He is, indeed, a good example for us in this time.



Headstone at the Manti City Cemetery