Mormon travels from England to Iowa: Part 2

This portray exhibits the unique log cabin constructed on land in Part 28 or 33 of then Marengo Township (later Washington Township). The cabin was doubtless destroyed in time and a body dwelling now stands at 2485 Freeway 6 Path. (Courtesy picture)

Conrad Riehl and his daughter, Elizabeth Caroline

(This week’s section picks up with the Mellor household, together with the remainder of the Martin Firm, setting out from Iowa Metropolis in late July of 1856.)

The Mellor household had two handcarts to make use of and the corporate additionally herded about 50 head of cattle, largely milk cows. The plan was to make it to Utah in 70 days, hopefully touring about 18 ½ miles per day—a journey of 1,300 miles.

The emigrants arrived on Aug. 3 three miles east of Marengo to camp for the night time.

“They stopped close to the house of Carl and Carolyn Schoenborn,” Charlotte recorded. “Mrs. Schoenborn invited a few of the girls and younger kids to sleep on the decrease stage of their log cabin. Mr. Schoenborn assisted with making some handcart repairs.”

The log cabin was described as being well-cared for; the chinking being nearly pure white and the logs properly smoothed. There was about 260 acres of land extending from the river with a timber lot on the hill above the home. Whereas camped right here a gaggle of males on horses and two wagons of oldsters from Marengo approached the farm, bent on disturbing the camp. Very cool heads saved the disturbance in examine and the Mormons wouldn’t retaliate when all types of derogatory issues had been stated about them. The slurs and accusations of the mob had been met with kindness and shortly the antagonists departed. The Mormon group relieved the somber tone by singing and praying.

The next morning a number of of the boys went into the close by woods to reap some birds which had been then made into wonderful soup.

“Mrs. Schoenborn invited the ladies to bake some meals of their fire and to do some laundry,” Charlotte famous. Late within the afternoon of Aug. 4, the celebration set out once more on their journey, “first crossing Hilton Creek after which fording Bear Creek which was described as shallow and muddy.” Right here they camped within the woods for the night time. The emigrants made it to Fort Des Moines on Aug. 13 and on westward to Council Bluffs on Aug. 21.

The account of crossing Nebraska with many falling sick, a number of dying and being buried alongside the way in which, restocking provides when doable, making repairs, seeing buffalo for the primary time, and noting the presence of Cheyenne Indian. On Oct. 8, the group camped close by of Fort Laramie, Wyo. On Oct. 20, the emigrants awoke to snow which made their journey rather more tough. The times forward had been full of rather more sickness and dying. As footwear wore out from the strolling, new foot covers had been constituted of items of the tents. Many perilous days and nights had been spent within the Wyoming space and finally a rescue celebration was dispatched from Salt Lake Metropolis to accompany the remaining vacationers to Salt Lake Metropolis.

On Nov. 30, 1856, the Martin Firm reached Salt Lake Metropolis, Utah. They arrived with 104 handcarts nonetheless intact and had been obtained joyously within the metropolis. The lengthy journey to Zion was ended for this group of emigrant Mormons. What a journey from England to Utah in america by ship, rail, and foot!

Ultimately the mother and father of Charlotte relocated to Heat Spring (later to change into Fayette), Utah. In 1861, the Mellor household welcomed one other son, John. The complete household remained in Utah, every of the youngsters marrying and elevating households of their very own. Charlotte married Henry Roper in February of 1857 on the age of 16. She gave beginning to 13 kids with the youngest being solely two years outdated when Charlotte died in June of 1886.

Observe: The creator of this ebook, JoAnn Mellor Felix, used the recollections of Charlotte together with the timelines relating to the travels of the Martin Firm as recounted by others on the journey to put in writing the story of her fourth (maternal) and third (paternal) great-granduncle, James Mellor and his household.

A be aware in regards to the Schoenborn/Schonborn household: In 1842 Elizabeth Caroline Riehl was born in Illinois to Conrad and Anna Riehl. Elizabeth’s mom died when Elizabeth was 13 years outdated and her father introduced her to Iowa the place he bought the piece of land in Part 33 of Washington Township (then Marengo Township). There a cabin had been erected and Elizabeth together with her father lived in that cabin till Elizabeth married Charles “Carl” August Schonborn in 1863. Charles Schonborn had arrived in America from Austria-Hungary in 1857 along with his two brothers, settling first within the Oxford, Iowa space.

In session with the Schonborn historical past as gathered by the late Jane Bigbee, daughter Ann and I imagine it’s extra doubtless that the folks encountered on the cabin in 1856 had been Conrad Riehl and his daughter who would have been 14 at the moment. Land transactions to Conrad Riehl don’t happen till 1858 so there’s uncertainty as to who truly owned the cabin that the ebook cites. Riehl obtained the land by a Land Grant from the U.S. Authorities and likewise purchased a bit from one John G. Miles. Maybe the Miles household constructed the cabin and Riehl got here from Illinois along with his daughter to examine the realm they finally bought.

In 1863, C.A.Schonborn and Elizabeth Caroline Riehl had been married and after a quick time within the Oxford space, returned to occupy this cabin and look after her father, Conrad Riehl, who died in 1870. The need of Conrad Riehl left the land he owned in Sections 27 and 28 to his daughter, Elizabeth and her husband, C. A. Schonborn. Ultimately Schonborn bought an adjoining farm to represent about 200 acres in then Marengo Township as proven on the plat map of 1874.

In 1885 the Schonborn household moved into Marengo and operated a grocery on the east aspect of the sq.. They had been energetic Marengo space residents till their deaths: C.A. in 1926 and Elizabeth in 1913. The Schonborns had eight kids: three who survived to maturity. Anna married J.E. “Ed” Eckert (the grandparents of space residents the late Garth Bigbee, the late Darlene Eckert Sayers, and Verabeth Eckert Bricker). Evelyn married Clarence Huber and Wallie married David McLennan. All the Schonborn kids had been born on this log cabin east of Marengo.

A daughter of Wallie McLennan, Katherine McLennan Love, contributed info to the ebook authored by JoAnn Mellor Felix and most certainly shared the Schonborn names as they did reside within the cabin and on this land after the Riehls. The ebook creator is now deceased. The land owned by C. A. Schonborn was parceled between his kids within the Twenties and finally the parcel on the north aspect of present Freeway 6 was owned by daughter Wallie Schonborn McLennan and her husband, David. They bought the land in Sections 28 and 33 to Leo and Norma Patterson Younger within the Forties the place the Youngs farmed and raised their household. A daughter of the Younger’s, Carole, alongside together with her husband Richard Ballard bought the land in 1969 and lived there earlier than constructing a ranch type home to the east.

This text was compiled by Marilyn Rodgers as she learn the ebook made obtainable by the Ballard household, the ebook initially having been given to Carole’s mom, Norma Younger. Data was additionally obtained from Ann Bigbee and brought from the Iowa County Historical past 1881 and the Marengo Historical past (Household Version) of 2009. Offering verbal info was Carole Younger Ballard. The portray of the cabin is within the possession of the Bigbee household. As soon as the relations within the space have had a possibility to learn this ebook, the plan is to donate it to the Marengo Public Library for circulation.