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David Henry Caldwell, born the 12th day of September, 1828, at Perth, Lanark, Ontario, Canada.
David Henry was the son of David Caldwell, who was born at Belfast, Ireland in 1781, and of Mary Ann Vaughn, who was born in 1791 at Glasgow, Scotland. His paternal grandparents were John Caldwell and Nancy Wooden, born at Belfast, Ireland (date not known).
His parents in early married life, left Scotland and emigrated to Canada, located near Perth, then upper Canada, now Ontario. Here he became a prosperous farmer, tilling 200 acres of land, with the assistance of his three sons. This being the personal record of one of them.
The family was noted for their thrift, honesty and fair dealings. They did not, however, belong to any church, but through their simple and clean mode of life, being unprejudiced and unbiased in their opinions, the message of the restored gospel as presented to them by Elder John Barrowman, appealed to them. Thus after due investigation they accepted the gospel and were baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the year 1843. The entire family of nine, with the exception of one married sister was baptized. Another case where, in the words of the Master, "My sheep hear my voice and follow me." After this their home became a haven of rest for the missionaries and a place where meetings were often held.
Shortly after this they became very desirous of uniting with the members of the church, the headquarters of which were then at Nauvoo, Ill. Thus in the year 1846, they sold their property in Canada and in company with a group of friends and neighbors of the same faith, set out for Nauvoo. About this time, his father's health failed and they were compelled to stop at Monroe, in the state of Michigan, where they resided for several years. Here his father died and was buried in 1849. Though the family, for several years, was without the good influence of a church organization, the subject of this sketch kept himself aloof from the contaminating influences of the world, was very zealous in observing the gospel laws and, while there, was ordained a teacher in the Aaronic Priesthood.
In the spring of 1852, David Henry, in company with two younger brothers (Abraham Vaughn and Isaac James) made preparation to emigrate to Salt Lake Valley in the Rocky Mountains where the headquarters of the church were now established. These three young men had not only the responsibility of an aged and widowed mother but also that of an older and widowed sister, Caroline C. Neddo and her son Isaac. Also, two children of their deceased sister Jane C. Leonard. Their names were David Henry and Anne Leonard.
Meeting with so many difficulties, they were compelled to spend the winter of 1852-53 in St. Louis, Missouri. However, in the spring of 1853, they were successful in connecting with a fifty-wagon emigrant company at Winter Quarters, Missouri, who were bound for the same destination. The captain of the company was Moses Clawson. For that day and time, the Caldwell's had what was considered good equipment for the journey. Two wagons drawn by two span of horses and three yoke of oxen. Also had two cows and ample provisions. In fact, they had the only horse in the company of fifty-eight wagons.
With the exception of an occasional stampede of their animals and the coming into their camp, one night, of two mountaineers who, for safety, were put under guard until morning, nothing of a startling nature happened during their journey across the plains.
This company arrived at their destination, Salt Lake Valley, on the 17th day of September, 1853. After his arrival, David Henry located at English Fort, later known as Taylorsville, for about three years. Here he met the lady who was to become his life's companion, Fanny Catherine Johnson. And on the 24th day of January, 1856, they became husband and wife.
This record would be entirely incomplete if it did not contain a biographical sketch of the wonderful lady who became the wife of this good man. She who stood by his side through the years, sharing his joys and sorrows. With the heart and hand of one, they fought life's battles. And here we leave it for you of the future who may read this record, to judge for yourselves whether or not they were successful.
Fanny Catherine Johnson, born 24th November, 1840, at Kirtland, Ohio, daughter of Luke S. Johnson and Susan Arminda Poteet. She spent the first six years of her life in Kirtland, where she said she often played in the shade of the temple erected by the church of which they were members. Her father being a member of the first Quorum of Twelve of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
In the year 1846, she, with her parents and five brothers and sisters, left Kirtland for Council Bluffs, Iowa. During the journey, her mother became ill and died, and was buried in the woods in an unmarked grave. This left father to continue the journey with six small, motherless children. This incident, of great sorrow, my mother often spoke of with great emotion.
After this, the family continued their journey to Council Bluffs where they resided for about seven years. During this time, her father became a member and attending physician of the first company of Mormon immigrants who entered the Salt Lake Valley, 24 July, 1847. Returning to Council Bluffs some time later, preparations were commenced for the family, along with other members of the church, to migrate to the newly discovered haven of rest in the Rocky Mountains. Accordingly, in the spring of 1853, they commenced the long trek across the plains. Arriving at their destination in the autumn of that year, mother often spoke of a feat performed by she and her elder sister, Eliza, that of driving cows the entire distance on foot, without shoes.
As stated above, on January the 24th, 1856, Fanny Catherine became the wife of David Henry Caldwell and from here this record will deal with that union.
Their first place of residence was Taylorsville, Utah, where he, in company with others, dug a canal from the Jordan River through which to procure water to irrigate their land. But, owing to the fact that there was so much alkali in the land, they were unable to make a bank of the Canal hold. After losing their crops or the greater portion thereof for several years, they decided to change their place of residence. Thus in the spring of 1857, they took their little daughter, Emily Maria, who had come to bless their home, and moved to Shambip, later known as Clover Creek in Rush Valley, Tooele County, in the state of Utah. Here again, they encountered the trials and troubles incident to pioneer life.
Their household effects were of a very humble nature, mostly being home made. Their tools and implements were crude indeed. Yet with the scrubbing board, home made tallow candles, scythe, hand rake, cradle and flail, they went forward. The sage brush and other things that infested the land, the grasshoppers, crickets and other pests, had to yield to their indomitable will. The virgin soil was brought under cultivation, water was diverted from its' natural course to irrigate the parched ground. With such tools as they were able to procure, the land was prepared and crops planted, sown by hand, harvested with a cradle, bound in bundles by hand, threshed with a flail. Hay cut with a scythe, raced by hand. Surely God foresaw the faith, courage and perseverance that men and women of their day and time would possess when he said through his prophet Isaiah, "The desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose."
Not the least of these good peoples troubles and fears were the Indians, who then were very treacherous. They would often lie in ambush until the men were gone to work and would come to the house and frighten the women. Of these conditions, David Henry had this to say;
"When we first settled Rush Valley, the Indians were very troublesome. Often after our day's work was done, we would have to stand guard at night in order to protect our families and live stock. The men taking turns as sentinels. After all our precautions, they stole many of our animals and slaughtered them. I have been on three expeditions to recover animals they had stolen. The first one in May 1858, to recover the body of Joseph Vernon, who had been killed by the Redskins, near the town of Vernon, which bears his name. Luke S. Johnson was captain of this expedition. The last, with myself in command, when we recovered all our stolen cattle except one. We were shot at many times and one horse I was riding was shot."
No doubt the experience Captain Caldwell had previously as a commanding officer in the Utah Militia fitted him for this work. The sword he carried on these expeditions may be seen with other relics, in the Utah State Capital.
When a boy, I heard my mother relate this story;
"Old Narricut, a very treacherous Goshute, stealthily walked into the house and demanded the pan of potatoes I was preparing for dinner. These he took and asked for more. When I told him I had no more, which was correct, he became very angry and threw one at me, barely missing my head and smashed to pieces against the log wall."
During these Indian troubles, David and Fanny used the good sense and judgement, where possible, of feeding rather than fighting them. And thus among the Goshutes they became known as "Uncle Dave" and "Aunt Panny." As a boy I saw Dick Mooneye and five other braves ride into our yard and Dick called out, "Aunt Panny, breakfast for six, please!" The reply; "All right Dick!", and in a little more time than it takes to tell it, the order was filled and so were the Indians and the braves were on their way.
As if never tiring of the tasks usually developing upon pioneers, that of beginning anew clearing and fencing the land, digging ditches, building a new home, etc., this couple who never shirked when duty called, took their family, which now consisted of six children, moved to a new location in the fall of 1867, and once again started anew. This new location, about three miles from the old home, became known as St. John. Here they assisted in founding the town and built the first home erected there. Some time previous to this it is reported that Apostle Orson Hyde stood near this town site and, gazing upon the expanse of desert land said, "Thou ungrateful soil. Thou receivest the dew, rain and sunshine from heaven and givest nothing in return."
Here the pioneer spirit asserted itself in the lives and character of this good man and his faithful wife. With a prayer in their hearts, and faith, courage, and thrift that would not permit failure, they built them a seven room house, a barn the frame of which was logs hauled from the mountains on wagons, hewn with a broad-axe in the hands of this sturdy pioneer. After eighty years the old barn, though subject to very severe neglect, still stands, a monument to the skill and labor of the builder. Out of that "ungrateful soil," they carved a farm which, under their skillful hands and Gods' blessings, it did give returns. Ample not alone for their own household, but here friends and strangers, white man or Indian, found a kind word and something to eat. Theirs was a hospitality seldom encountered. Here again, surely the desert was made to ". . . blossom as the rose."
Here they continued to reside for a period of thirty-one years. And on the 16th day of May, 1885, a little girl, Sarah Ethel, number sixteen, came to their home. They were now the proud parents of seven boys and nine girls, fourteen of whom lived to maturity, having families of their own. Two, Joseph Howard and Susan Vashti, departed this life in childhood.
The writers' mind goes back over the years to his childhood days and the old home where the large family was reared and provided for. And where mother often said, "There is plenty such as it is, and good enough what there is of it." Plenty? Yes! But not a thing to waste.
And here I am glad to record, possibly for the benefit of future generations, to what I attribute their success in life. First their mutual devotion and their thrift. Courage, honesty, and fair dealing. And above all, their faith in God. The gospel was exemplified in their lives. Family prayer was not only considered a sacred duty but a splendid privilege, one which they always availed themselves of night and morning. And nothing was allowed to interfere with this period of devotion.
David Henry served six years (three two year terms), as a Tooele County Select man, as they were known at that time, or our equivalent is the County Commissioner.
One thing I believe worthy of mention here is that David and his brother James lived side by side, no fence dividing their farms. Each raised a large family and, so to speak, they all had things in common. Their neighbors had this to say of them; "No unkind or harsh word was ever heard to pass between them during their long years of association."
Speaking of their efforts religiously. In the autumn of 1871, he received a call from the church to go on a mission to the land of his birth and early manhood, Canada and the state of Michigan. How this was to be done they did not know but faith told them;
"The Lord giveth no commandment unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them" (I Nephi 3:7).
Accordingly, on November 12, 1871, he started on his mission leaving his wife with very little of this worlds goods and nine kiddies ranging in age from 6 days (Abraham Alvin being 6 days old), to 15 years. In the words of the Master, "He that loveth father or mother or sons or daughters more than me is not worthy of me." Another test of faith. Needless to say, things at home and in the mission received their undivided attention and, may I add, Divine favor. So the missionary, on his return home in May the following year, found his faithful companion with a firm hold on things both spiritual and temporal. Friends and relatives had been told of the restored Gospel and all was well.
Considering further his devotion to the church, he served 21 years as counselor to Bishop Geo. W. Burridge in the St. John ward, Tooele Stake. At the expiration of this time he was ordained Bishop of the same ward, a position he held for nine years. More about church work later.
During these years the chief occupation of the family was that of farming and livestock and as the family became grown, they began casting about for room to expand. About this time flowing reports were circulated about golden opportunities in Alberta, Canada. After due investigation and consideration, the old home was sold and David and Fanny were again looking for new frontiers to conquer. So on May 27th, 1898, with forty-seven of their posterity including sons-in-law and daughters-in-law, they turned their faces northward and, in a horse drawn caravan, started for Canada, the land of his birth. Needless to say, the old home, friends and familiar scenes were not left behind without some regrets. Miss Elsie Eliza, now fourteen years of age, amid fast falling tears, was heard to say, "Look at all these beautiful homes we are passing and we haven't any." A thought which seemed to impel everyone to action.
The journey, a distance of one thousand miles was completed in forty-seven days. They crossed the international boundary into Canada, July 12th. Their number was unbroken; everybody well and generally speaking, it was a very pleasant journey.
Apostle John W. Taylor commenting on this trek and other similar ones, made this remark, "The time is not far distant when some of you people will eat your breakfast in Cardston, Alberta and your dinner in Salt Lake City, Utah." In our day and time [1948] this sounds very commonplace. But in that day of the horse and wagon mode travel, it gave one something to think about.
It is only fair to state here that they were received very kindly and given every consideration by the Canadian Immigration Officials. A fact that was appreciated.
During their firs stop on Canadian soil, a rancher rode into camp to hire some hay pitchers. When the question of remuneration came up, he offered one dollar per day, providing you were husky. And believe it or not, a day then meant 10 or 12 hours. At this day and date this is too hard for us to grasp.
President C. O. Card, of the Alberta Stake of Zion, in giving some friendly advice and the benefit of his experience to the newly arrived immigrants, made this remark; "Remember, you are out of doors, so to speak, and winter is not far distant, much closer than in the land you came from. Don't delay your preparation for winter." It was July and winter was "just around the corner." The information was kindly given and gratefully received and without any delay the axe, saw and hammer were heard in no unmistaken terms, in preparation for future events. Here in Southern Alberta, spoken of as the land of opportunity, they found things awaiting the sturdy pioneer and they found that for which they were looking, room to expand.
David Henry and Fanny Catherine were now known as Grandpa and Grandma quite universally. And, as for them, the evening of life was fast approaching. Still facing the rigors of a new and cold country, they did so with the same faith and courage that had characterized their lives and they taught others to do so. "No murmuring word escaped their tongues."
On the banks of the Belly River they founded the town of Caldwell, named in their honor and when, on September 18, 1899, the Caldwell Ward was organized, Grandpa Caldwell was called to preside as Bishop in the ward and his good wife as president or the Relief Society. She, with the assistance of her aids, acquired a small tract of land, where through their efforts they harvested several crops of wheat which was used to assist other people less fortunate than themselves. After holding the position of Bishop for about one and one half years, on May 30th, 1900, he was released from this position of Bishop and his eldest son, David Henry Jr., was called to preside in his place. On this same date, Grandpa Caldwell was ordained a Patriarch under the hands of Apostle Francis M. Lyman. From this time on he lived the life of and was respected as a patriarch in the church. Blessing those who desired a blessing at his hands. What could come as a more fitting climax to a well spent and noble life? Thus he continued to live until on the 28th day of November, 1904, he was called to his eternal home and was buried at Cardston, Alberta, Canada on December 1, 1904.
Grandma Caldwell, after the passing of her husband, moved to Cardston and bought her a home. This home she maintained and enjoyed as long as she lived, which was almost seventeen years. She was always a welcome visitor among her children and grand children. She always carried cheer despite her age. This I want to say, and those who know will bear me out in this statement, the discouraged, downhearted, despondent and sad, always felt uplifted and better after a visit with Grandma Caldwell.
On July 9, 1921, she answered the final summons and went to meet her reward. And on July 12, 1921, she was buried beside her husband at Cardston, Alberta, Canada.
"Well done thou good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee a ruler over many things." The Master. One of the old ancient prophets said, "Children are an heritage of the Lord and blessed are they who have their quiver full of them." Below is a record of their posterity when they departed this life:
The writer of this little biographical sketch has found much pleasure in piecing together the odds and ends of information as they have been collected, though possibly in a crude and simple way. I only hope it will be of productive end for this is the reason I under took the task, that of supplying information and encouragement to those of the future into whose hands it may fall. And I acknowledge with gratitude the assistance of Aunt Allie and Aunt Virgie.
The writer of this history was Walter Herbert Caldwell, 11th child of David Henry and Fanny Catherine and brother to David Henry, Jr., my great grandfather. He was born on 28th of October, 1875. I was not able to determine who Aunt Allie and Aunt Virgie were for certain. Neither name would seem to apply to any of Walters' aunts from either side of the family. It may be possible that he was affectionately referring to two of his sisters, Alice Armende and Ida Virginia.
I have attempted to keep this transcript in original form as I entered it on the computer. I did, however, correct some punctuation in an attempt to make it easier to read. I also could not help but wonder what great-great grandfather David would have thought, could he have seen a computer! Indeed, my first retyping of this history was with an electric typewriter many years ago, and the difference is astounding to me!
A Proud and grateful great-great grandson Michael
