(we received a copy of this typescript from Glade Dalton)
John Langston
AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF JOHN LANGSTON
I, John Langston, in the 55th year of my life, commence to write a brief history of my life. My father’s name is Francis Bell Langston. That is all I know about his genealogy at this time. My mother’s name is Elizabeth Heathcote. She was born in the town of Mackilsfield(?) England. After her and father married they moved and settled in London. He was a custom house officer of London until after their third child was born. Their names were Robert, myself John, and Sarah. After this they moved to Hull in Yorkshire where Frank was born. After this Sarah and Catherine, but I don’t know where the two last were born. Mother had eight children, in all, three died. When I was about seven years old we came to America. We stayed some years then went back to England. A little before Father left America he lost a vast amount of money which was the cause of him going back. I went to work at the iron works in Staffordshire. Father went to teaching school in a place called Wedisbury. I worked at various kinds of work in iron, such as the refinery, at the rolls, but most of at pudling. After about three years work there at this, brother Robert and I went to South Wales. We worked at pudling nine months at Dowles. Came back to Staffordshire to father’s, but on account of the dullness of trade we went back to South Wales where we worked at different works, about nine months longer.
About this time the Chinese war broke out with England. Brother Robert went to New port, and enlisted in the English army and within one month was sent to China and I have never seen him since. I returned back to father’s soon after, to Wedsbury, Staffordshire, and soon after I left England for America. I was about 16 years old at this time. David John and a Sister Saunders started and traveled with me to America. We had a very stormy passage. Lived three weeks on potatoes and half pint of water a day. Finally after seven weeks hard weather, our ship very nearly a wreck, we landed in New York on Easter Sunday. I was sick some time on account of starvation. I here parted company with the Saunders, they going to Pittsburg, Pa., I going to Bunting Falls Iron Works in New Jersey. I obtained work in the fall of this year. Father, Mother, Sarah, Frank and Catherine arrived in America and came to where I was and father took up school at Bunting Falls. In the winter of this year, I left this place, and crossed the Mauch Chan Mountain to Wilxebury where I engaged as a laborer until the New Iron works which was going up could be completed, then I was going to have a furnace and work at my trade. I stayed here until the next summer when the overseer of the Great Western Iron Works, 75 miles above Pittsburg on the Allegheny River sent word to the manager of the Eilacebury Works to send him a man, so the next morning, I started on foot, there being no stage nor railroad through that country. I walked 110 miles in two days. I was very tired, but obtained the job and went to work. Here I found David Saunder’s home. I had not seen him since leaving New York and I was made welcome by him. I worked here with David until winter of 1842 when the works stopped, trade being dull, and having heard that Father had moved to Pine Creek, five miles above Pittsburg, David and I got up one morning and went down to the Allegheny river side and having found an old gunwhale of a boat we cut it in two, lashed it together, jumped on it, and the river being very high and ice running, pushed our raft out in the stream, about 10 o’clock in the morning, and ran down the river sixty miles. A little after dark, I should here say we came near drowning, while going under a bridge. We landed safe, 10 miles above Pine Creek and walked. That night we got home to father’s before 12 o’clock, travelling 70 miles. That day found my folks all well.
Here I fell in love with a young woman and promised to marry her. Two days before the wedding I found out that she had been married, the man living just across the river with another woman, so I just quit. David Saunders, about this time married my sister Sarah. He had been married before in England, but his wife died there and left two children.
Worked the rest of the winter and through the spring at the Allegheny town corn works. Trade getting so dull, the works stopped. About this time Father bought a small farm, 25 miles from Beaver town, and I helped him move onto this farm. Stayed and helped him fix up the farm. One day Father and I were digging by the barn when he told me to go throw the dirt down the hill. I told him I would as soon as I filled up a little hole, there was by the barn. He told me to put it where he told me or quit. So I stopped, went to the house, got my clothes, went to the Ohio river three miles, got onto a boat, went up to Pittsburg that evening. The next few days I hunted for work at the iron works, but the trade being dull, I could not get work at the iron works, but I hired to a man that had a lumber boat that was going down the river to Orleans. I came to sister’s to get my clothes. Mother was uneasy about me so she had followed me up to Pittsburg and here I was. She tried to get me to go back, but I thought I would take a trip down the river, make me some money, then come back. Mother told me if I ever went down the river she would never see me again. I did not believe it then. I got my clothes and started next morning down the river. I left home July 1843, and have never seen any of my folks since.
I hired for a cook, we had a very pleasant trip down. Louisville in Kentucky, I got work to Shepperdville Iron Works, but I could not keep work, so I came back, hired on a steamboat up the Missouri. I made two or three trips, the last, when we had gotten to Independence, Jackson County, Mo., the mate and I had a fight, and I left the boat, and as that was the last that came up that winter I hired to a man to cook for him. His wife having left him with children, he moved about two miles west of close to Kansas. I lived here till 1846 when I bought a canoe, got in and started for St. Louis, the ice just broke up with the intention of going back to Pittsburg. I ran down to within 5 miles of Lexington, Missouri, when I went ashore to get something to eat, which I did, and said to the man I stopped to chop wood, worked at that with the intention of getting money to go home with. I chopped a good deal of wood, hauled on the back of the river. About June 1st I stopped work, went on a trip to St. Louis, from there to Peru, up the Illinois river, went back up to Lexington to the man I chopped wood for, John to get my pay. While I was waiting for my money the water in the river rose so high it took my wood off, together with houses, barns, cattle, crops, chickens, and corn, and it was so high the steamboats ran all through the farms to the houses to take the people out of the windows and off the roofs and trees. So I lost all my spring work.
While I was gone to St. Louis, John Phillip’s brother’s daughter came to pay her uncle a visit. When I got back she was there. After I lost all my wood, I thought I must do something desperate, so I made love to this girl, Clearinda, and we agreed to marry. As soon as the wather [sic] went down, we started to where her father lived in Caldwell County, Missouri. After being there a few weeks, we were married on the 5th day of Sept. 1846, by Squire Woodbury. Thinking I would go back to Pittsburg as soon as I could after I was married, and take my wife with me, I soon found bitter opposition to that, my wife being the only living child of her father, he would not consent to that, so I stayed and in the spring, commenced farming. Be it known I had never followed farming for a living, so I lived with my father-in-law through the winter. I went to the river 60 miles from there to earn some money to commence housekeeping, after working two weeks, I took sick with the ague. I never had up to this time been sick or seen anybody with the ague before. As soon as I got a little better so I could, I went down to the Sugar Tree bottom in Ray County to a doctor that lived there, and lived with him three weeks, he having agreed to cure me of the ague, but instead he came near killing me. He salavated [sic] me so I had quite a job to keep my teeth in my head. He attended me about two months til I got tired and told him to quit. A little after this, say about two weeks, I joined the Campbellite Church, was baptized in a Lake in the Sugar Tree Bottom, ten miles from Richmond. The lake had ice over it. Through being baptized, I was cured of the ague and did not have it again only once, till the next Harvest. Nothing of note happened this summer, till harvest, when I took sick again with the ague. I had raised a good crop of corn, ten acres which went 45 bushels to the acre. Through my being so sick, I could not gather the corn, so I sold it and moved my family back to my wife’s father in Caldwell Co., where I lay sick till the spring of 1846 when I bought a place 15 miles from Israel Phillips, my wife’s father, and raised a crop. Towards the spring of 1847 Israel and wife being very sick we moved back to them to take care of them and stock, and so I rented his farm and tended it the years of 1847, 1848, 1849. In the fall of 1849 I bought 40 acres of land one mile and a half from Horne Mill on Shoal Creek, Mo.
About Christmas of this year, 1849, my family and I went on a visit to Israel Phillips, when we got back home the next day, we found our house with clothing enough to do us two years, for we were fixing to go to California and had about two years supplies on hand, when we got home our house was burned up. I only built the house that fall then we were left with only what we had on our backs so I sold some stock, got some clothing for myself and family, fitted myself out the best I could, hired an old man, a Methodist Preacher to keep my wife and child two years, and started for California in the spring of 1850. After a most severe journey across the plains suffering almost death, which thousands did die of cholera and other diseases, I arrived in California the 14th of September, 1850. I went to work in the gold mines, worked that winter. In April 1851, having got a letter from my wife that the Methodist Preacher I left her with denied the contract, I made with him, she had no home. I soon made up my mind to go back and take care of her if I never got any gold, which I was just getting to know how to get it; so about the first of May, I started to go back to Missouri. I went down to San Francisco, and hired as steerage steward on a sail vessel to Panama. Had mostly a pleasant voyage, only one storm that came very near wrecking the vessel.
We got to Panama, I hired a native to carry my clothing and I with others walked across the Isthmus, 24 miles to the head of the Charges river, where we took boat and went down to the Atlantic. Here I took sick and came near dying. Had to stay three weeks waiting for the New Orleans steamer to come. I got on board after a hard time, the weather being so rough, the steamer started, we stopped at Havana at the Isle of Cuba. Here I got well. After the vessel had coaled we ran across the Gulf to New Orleans, here the colera [sic] was raging bad. Took steamer up the river to St. Louis from there to the Missouri, to Caldwell County. Here I found my wife and child all well. Stayed in Caldwell County part of that winter. Bought a yoke of cattle and wagon in January 1852 and started for Council Bluffs, Iowa. Got there safe. Found Isaac Stuard and Matilda his wife, who was a cousin of my wife. They treated us very kind. They took us in the house where we stayed about one month. I having rented about 15 acres of land with a house on it, we moved and went to work to earn bread to live on for we were very poor, it having cost me very nearly all the money I got in California to get to Missouri. But through the kindness of Isaac Stuart & kind providence, and hard work, we got along very well and made a good crop. In the meantime, Isaac and I, when we could get together, got to talking on what is commonly called Mormonism. I being a United Baptist and he being a Latter-day Saint, we got to comparing the difference there was in the Baptist doctrine and the Latter-day Saint doctrine. After investigating the doctrine and talking on the principles, about two months, I became a believer of the Gospel of the Son of God, as taught when Jesus was on the earth. However I did not join the Church till two years after this. This was on account of a principle taught by the Mormons called Polygamy. This was on account of I did not believe it could be true, until I received a revelation on Celestial Marriage and was convinced it was true for myself. In the fall of 1852, I bought a claim of 340 acres of land laying on Muskerter Creek. I put a house on it, fenced it, that is, some 80 acres. Through that winter and spring, moved on it, plowed 10 acres of it, put in corn, raised a heavy crop. About the middle of this winter, 1853 I made up my mind to sell out and fix and go to Salt Lake City and join the Mormons. So I went to work, sold out all I could and about the first of May, started for the Salt Lake.
The day before Christmas 1853, my wife and I went to a party to one of our friends that evening, so we took our two children, one girl 5 years old and the baby, a boy. On our way we stopped on one of our neighbors by the name of Hathaway, who was also going, so it being bitter cold night, the two women put our girl and the three of the Hathaway children to bed, so they did. They did not put out all the fire, fastened the door and when after we had been to the party a while, about 12 o’clock, Thomas Tidwell saw a fire, came to the house, he not knowing that there were any children in the house went to work saving all property there was around the house. He then came to the school house where we were and told about the house being on fire. I forgot all about the women and teams and ran for the house, but too late to do any good, the house being a log one, it had burned down to the last two logs, and they were all afire. So we could do nothing but wait till the fire went out. It was a heart-rending scene after the fire went out to scrape up all the ashes and bones we could and bury them. Hathaways went to live with us till they could build another house.
After this I got ready, started for Salt Lake, we had a very muddy time, the first part of the journey to Salt Lake. We travelled on till there were nine wagons and families joined us. When we got to the Lupe Fork of the Platt we stopped over a day to rest and so I and a young woman were baptized by Elder James Iverson in the Lupe Fork of the Platt about the first of June 1854 and confirmed by the same. After this we got along well only we had some sickness. There were a great many things seen and done on this journey that would be interesting, but I only intend to write a brief account for I can’t write all I would like to. We arrived about August 1854 and my family and I came right along to Salt Lake County where we found Isaac Stuart and family. They had located there and were farming, and had raised a fair crop. They had come from the states two years before. I stayed there, made me a claim, got up hay and was fixing to build when the Bishop, W. L. Draper told me I could not have any water, but if I would go four miles out from the Creek, cut a ditch all that way, I could have some water. I could see it was selfishness in him, so I went over the mountain to Alpine, October 1855 and bought a place of 27 acres for $210 which stript me of all the stock I had. I had only one yoke of cattle left as soon as I got moved and things settled. I was chosen the president and ordained to that office, having previously been ordained a priest under the hands of Jackson Smith. During this year Indians were very troublesome. They being on the war path, we had to go to work and build a 14 foot high wall all around our town, which was very expensive. The grasshoppers were very bad also this year, 1855. I had in acres of wheat, only got 50 bushels back, and owed a hired man more than all the crop came to in the fall. In the fall and winter I went to work hauling logs to make lumber. Had the logs to haul on the ground from 2 to 5 miles, then gave one third for sawing them, then haul the lumber to Salt Lake City and sold it for $2.50 per hundred. But we got along for eatables, but was scant for clothing. In the spring of 1856 went to work on the farm of which I owned 27 acres. Put in about 20 acres of which I got nothing except a few vegetables in the fall.
That winter I got out lumber from the canyons and mountains. The snow being very deep, but through the blessings of God we lived pretty well. In the spring of 1857 put in a good crop again. In March 7, was sealed to Clarinda Phillips. Was ordained an elder by Hiram W. Miksell, also sealed to Elizabeth A. Freestone. Raised a good crop this year. In the spring of this year spent a good deal of time teaching and preaching to the people. Went to conference to Salt Lake, heard Brother Heber C. Kimball prophesy there would be a sore famine in the land. Told the people to lay up grain. About this time there was an army of soldiers sent out by the United States. Buchanan being President with the intent of hanging and killing all the leading Mormons. Through this President Brigham Young advised all the saints north of the point of the mountain which divides Utah from Salt Lake County to move South to put lots of straw in their houses ready to set fire to them in the event that if the soldiers which were coming in the form of a mob, if they came in, to fire and burn——-the people got everything ready to burn them all, but a few men took their families and moved South. This state of things lasted all summer till the commencement of the winter when the soldiers got to the line of Utah. About 1000 Mormons went out to meet them and keep them from coming into the city. The 21st of May 1857 at American Fork town, President Joseph Young and company organized the 44th quorum of seventies and I was ordained an apostle of the seventies in the 44th quorum, William Greenwood being Mouth.
The 5th of June the militia at Alpine City organized. I was elected Sargeant. [sic] On the 9th of Oct. 1857, I with 13 others living in Alpine City started to go east to head the mob that was trying to come in the valleys under the guise of the United States Army. Our aim was, we did not intend they should come in and hang us men and debauch our women. We started the evening of the 9th and travelled all night. Arrived at Salt Lake City at 4 o’clock next morning. Left the city the 13th. Travelled as fast as we could to the mouth of Echo Canyon, on Weber River where we arrived on the 17th and stayed there till the 24th, when we were ordered back to East Canyon Creek to build batteries, and rifle pits. Here we worked till the 9th of November. The United States troops having made a push to come in we were ordered back to Echo Canyon. We travelled 35 miles wading creeks and rivers through ice and snow till we got 4 miles up Echo Canyon where we had a severe storm on the 12th. Went on the mountain to see the batteries and get ready for action for from the news we got, the troops were coming and we intended they should not come through the canyon. When I came back to camp I found a parcel sent me from home which I was thankful to receive, of clothes and cakes. From there from the 13th till the 25th nothing of note happened. On the 25th we had brother John Taylor and F. D. Richards preach to us. About this time Uncle Sam’s mob in the shape of men got to Fort Bridger and stopped for the winter. After they had marched twice up and down Ham’s fork trying to come in, the 29th J. Taylor and F. L. Richards preached to us, and on the 30th Daniel Wells addressed us and dismissed us to go home which was joyful news to us after staying eight weeks in the snow and not having half enough to eat. And so on the first of Dec. we left camp in Echo Canyon, travelled 15 miles and camped on the snow a foot deep. The second day we travelled to within four miles of Parley’s Canyon, 3 days we got home to Alpine City, and found my family well. I spent the rest of the winter at home. The 20th of Dec. John F. Langston ran away from home intending to follow me and his mother. We had left home that morning to go to Draper, and came near freezing to death. Had a good time at Bro. T. J. McClougher’s at a social party the 5th of Mar 1858.
Commenced farming for the season the 21st of March. Agreed by the people of Salt Lake, that if it became necessary, sooner than have the United States troops enjoy our houses or lands as they had, we would in case we had to leave our homes, we’d leave the land as bare and desolate as we found it. Spent this spring in putting in crops, fixing our fences. About this time the troops after laying in the snow at Bridger, came into the City by agreement with President Young, that they should not halt till they had passed the boundaries of the city which they did, and passed on to the Cedar Valley, 40 miles from Salt Lake. This year my crops were again almost destroyed by crickets. Spent the fall and winter mostly getting out lumber to live on. Some time in January, 1859, was taken very sick and was administered to by Davis MacConly and Dr. Booth. Recovered immediately.
Spent the spring and summer farming, but the crickets were very bad this year so I gathered nothing of my crop, only some garden stuff. I got tired of having my crops eaten up, so I rented a place in Draper Ward on the Jorday [sic] River. After putting up two log houses, I moved there with my family the 17th of Oct. Spent the rest of the fall and winter in fixing up the house. I moved there with my wife, Clearinda was very sick. About a month. Spent the spring and summer 1860 in farming. Spent the winter in taking care of my stock and teaching the people of Jordan. Spring of 1861, John F. Langston was baptized by A. Smith, and confirmed by W. R. Terry. Spring of 1862 put in a good crop of hay land I had rented, but the waters of Jordan River rose so high it covered all over the land and killed all my crops, hay too, so I raised nothing this year. Having been called on a mission, though volunteered at first, got ready and started with my family October 22, 1862 to go to the southern part of the territory, called Dixie. After a very severe journey of about three weeks, November 12, we arrived in Dixie and on Nov. 20, settled down at Rockville. We being the first family, in connection with W. Crawford, to settle the place, the town having been previously surveyed into lots, went right to work building houses, fences, clearing the land, digging ditches to bring the water to our lots, etc. After a tremendous amount of labor, almost night and day, in the year of 1863, we raised 220 pounds of cotton, some little wheat, corn and molasses which having raised, we now had to travel 100 miles north and beg the people to take the stuff and give us a little wheat in return, which some did with a vengeance. However, we lived, but by the hardest work. I don’t think any country was ever settled by white people that suffered or worked harder than did the first settlers of the Dixie country and what made it still harder, we could not raise wheat because there was not land enough that one could have to raise enough to feed them. We kept on at work and in the year 1866, we raised 450 pounds of lint cotton, 18 bushels of wheat, 40 bushels of corn, Jacob H. Langston was born Jan. 20 1863 at Rockville, Washington County, Utah, blessed by Brother C. N. Smith, the first child born in Rockville. Jan. 14, 1865 Louisa Langston died of dropsey, aged 10 years 1 month, 9 days. I, John Langston, was elected school trustee Jan. 1865. Some time this month this county was changed from Washington to Kane.
Spent the spring and summer in this year____50 of gined cotton and other things in preparation. (?) Spring of 1866 was appointed Watermaster over Rockville Town Ditch, spent a good time of this year on the ditch. Indians were very troublesome this year. Had to stand guard nights. Went to Berry Valley in September to help the people save their stock and provision. The Indians having driven the settlers and shot one man right through the breast, though he got well. Was gone five days. Was very sick when I went to Kolob after stock. Got back in six days, then started and went to help build fort to protect the people from the Indians. Spent the rest of the winter improving my buildings, teaching the people the Gospel, standing guard. This year raised 500 pounds of cotton. Set 5 telegraphic poles at Toquerville, [sic] the first ever set in this land.
Spring of 1867 spent a good deal of new ditch to make this spring. May 10, 1868 Charles N. Smith chosen president of Rockville by E. Snow. Joseph Langston born March 1868, was blessed 7 May by W. Y. Black and ordained a Seventy by John Langston May 7. (?) Died the 8th of May 1869. Indians very troublesome in 1870. Followed farming, building, 1871, 1872, 1873, 1874, 1875. These years had peace with the Indians. Raised considerable fruit the last five years.
This is a copy of a typescript made on 11 Sep 1937 by Lois Y. Fuller, which itself was a typescript completed under an ERA project in So. Utah in 1934.
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