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Show from April to September, khen they were met by several other families and persued their journey. efore r eaching their destination they were met by Gov. Boggs exterminating order to the ef f ect that all t he Yormons should leave the state on pain of death . They turned back and t he winter was passed on the West bank of the fississippi River, where they built a few log cabins. It was difficult to get any grinding done, they had to boil or hull the corn weeks at a time. lt was under these very dis t ressing circumstances t hat their s on John Aikens Smith died November 27, 1838, a ge 6 years. He was buried a t t he graveyard i n the woods about three miles from camp. On February 21, 1839, the company crossed t he river into Illinois where they were offered land to cultivate and settle upon near Pittsfield, others ~ joined them and a br~nch of the church was organized, Silas Smith was appoi t ed President having been ordained a high priest in Kirtland, Ohio. It was here his sen S "la s was baptized and c onfirmed, July 26, 1839. He went to attend a special conference being held at Commerce (later known as Nauvoo) where he saw the Prophet , Hyrum and his brothers Joseph, Asahel , John and families. They counselled him to move his family there without delay and returned home with that intention. He was taken very sick soon after and conti.nued to decline until he died S~ptember 13, 1839 at 8 o'clock P. ~ff . He was bl ried near where they lived at a spot where others of the ranch were laid. He had been ordained an Elder at a conf erence of Elders 1 held in Kirtland, Ohio, March 3, 1838. In the capacity of capta!n of Militia, he went from tockholm, N. Y. to the St. Lawrence River, during the war of 1812. New trials now awaited the family , and shows the affectionate helpfulness of kind nei ghbors. • At the time of the father's death, Jesse was dangerously ill. His brother Silas had the misfortune of getting the bone of his right t high broken by a f all, and the !other had one of her f eet badly scalded. In this distress ro. Chandler Rogers, and family came to their r elief, removing them to their home and caring for the i r wants . Here they stayed for six weeks when Bro. Rogers moved them to Nauvoo. The Prcphet provided them a room where they remained through March and Apri.l of 1840. John Smith, brother of Silas, had the family move over to Ambrosia Lee County, I owa and live near him. A log cabin was built for them where t hey l ived until the Spring of 1841. They later moved three miles distance, the house was moved for them, where the Wether and her two small sons took up two acres of land and hired it fenced , giving an old wagon fo r the service. They planted corn the neighbors being very kind some one gave them a pig. A ver y pretty story is recorded of how Br gham Young passed thelr way anc hearing ~~other Smith relate how disappointed she had been over her s poiled grist, off ered to carry the sack back to the mill and ha ve it ground over again, and despite all remonstrance, he took the sack and marched ~ff with it , dr yly remarking to t he miller "The !idow's meal is to coarse f or her sieve.n When the grist came back the s econd time, it was all |
