| OCR Text |
Show 11 t tlo school tauO'ht by Willi8Jll Willes, a Mormon ld.ssionary, in t.b oir s n£LI.l home. I Serious preparAtions wore continued from this t i.mo fOl'W S. rd to romove to Zion, the 1ll"'t:)3. of Salt Lake City in H.Hltcrn America. whers homa of the family's neu· found religion was lCic~tGd. On February 7 • .1855, in cctepany with ,his moth&r a."rl two broth$rs. Alfrod left on the stea.mor Fire Queen for Calcutta, leaving on tho ship Escort for the UnitGd States Nov~bGr 23. 1856, after his father and eldost bro~~er Henry join~d them from Rangoon. a hard passed before they could continue. Necessary meat '\i7aS • easily ob~'\inabla fron1 these herds, and Wal:'01 hides y:1 0ra sscured ' and jerky driGd fol" future usa during the approaching cold Utah winter. At PLAINS CROSSING BY COVERED WAGON Arriving in New York. on 9. wintry day. March 28, , 1857. after 108 dsys at sea, Alfrod was !t01a.z~d to soe salt falling from the sky. His younger brothor Eduard called the whi to cr'Jsta..ls sugar. Bu t in reality both boys wero ju.st confrontif'.g their fi~st oxperience with snow, A miracle they had navel" seen ,in India. The NcCune's secured throe months rGsid~nc!e &t No. 75 Grant Streot, \{illiarr.sburgh (Brooklyn), Ne101 York. Then Alfi-I!d along with his frunUy crossed the plains to Salt IA.keCity beginning April 25, 1857, passing through Chicago and Ioua City. and forming a portion of the Dele"laro Company ","1 th two ox" tear~ and two Schuttler wngons broken and ass0mbled outside IOt-lll. City. Tho family's belongings brought from India were many good books, a fine music box, j(!~lGlry. JU1d India. silk together with clothing o.nd other personals • .Alfl'OO, turned eight yea.rs old while on tho way to tha Rocky Moun t.ain s • The cO!-:ipany crossed tha Nlssouri Rival' by ferry. C a ttl~ vrore . forcod to swim, hOl1evor. The ForK Loup RiVGl' was difficult to fONt Quick ss.nd had to be avoided. In order to get e.cross, 12 oxen had to bo hitched to one wagon. Spir!dng them to swint rspidly across the treacherous strea.m was tho only action which ., one point along tho trail, Indians stampGded the company's catUe in order to obtain meat. Two of the 40 houd of oxen lost were the McCune's, greatly dopleting thoir rosources. But upon arrival at Fort Laramte, soma Fronch tradors sold a pair of oxen to Matth~. Ironically, these oxen wore probably also stolen, the traders morely acting as salosmen for the Ind.ians nho had takon them from some victi!'nizoo. train, possibly ovon their OIDl. But necessity breeds concession and so the oxen 'Here purchassd. A friend of the family's, Eldar Nathani5l V. Jonas, t\fho had labored in India as a missionary, met tho fnrrJly at Dear Creak and gave them another seJt of oxen greatly aiding them to r03.ch their destination at Salt Lake City on September 21, 1857. ALFRED BAPTIZED In November, 1857. Alfred was baptizt:ld and confinned a msmoor of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Blshop A. HeRae, probably in Salt Lako City or Faj:1uil'1gton. 4 His otlH~ r s Ide r brothers ani parents had boen previously baptiz3d in IncUs.. Edward was not yot old enough for baptism but later :receivod such in 1861. Farming was the only method of survival in the valley at that ti.'llo. So Alfred and his brothers were compvllexl to l e arn this trade. First they tried thGir skills in Farm:l.r.;:~ ton, utah. Bu,t in early 1858 they moved south with the otller re sida ~ts of Salt Laka prompted by the eY6.cuation of the city duo to the thraat of U. S ~ Army soldier invasion from Johnston I s approaching forces. Tha fa.-ally stoppod a.t Salt Creok Fort (Nephi). First home was in R tent, then a dirt dugout along the east wall of the fort. Soon a house was built inside tho fort walls and living quarters improved rut the ha.rd work l'aquire<iof nocessi ty continued. AlfJ:"ed and his brothers oocSJr1e · proficient in the harnessing and driving of teams and X"iding horses becs.me second na.ture. savod the wagons from sinking. )~~t all 60 wagons were shuttled safoly and 'ilie train continued. Um ted states troops umer the leaderShip of Ganer.a.l. Johnston were on their way to Utah at this time to quell, AS they t.~ought, so called "Monnon troason" due to false agi ta t:ton genera ted in I-ls shington , D. C., by anti-Mormons. However, the company passed groups of these troops sev<3r.u timss but were -not molested. Buffalo . ha rds weI"e &150 encountered. The train stopped occasionally until Farni..'1g was tried in Moroni a.s well as Nephi. But aft&r a season of such, the fmrlly confined their agriculture to Nephi .. - 2 - |
