I was born in Bristol, Addison Co., Vermont on the 16^th day of Dec. 1813. My father's name was Ira Sanford and my mother's name was Margaret Vandenburg, both of whom were raised in Vermont but moved to the state of New York when I was a month old. My parents were farmers and raised me to the same occupation. At the age of two years I was kicked by a horse and remained unconscious for some time during which a doctor was sent form, who sewed up the wound and I gradually recovered. At about the age of 14 years my parents moved to another part of the town which was called Canton where my mother died. We moved from Canton to Illinois when I was at the age of 23 years. From there I went to the state of New York where I got married to Sylvia Elmina Stockwell in the town of DeKalb, St. Lawrence Co. , October 5^th 1836. Next spring I moved back to Illinois having made a farm for my father before I married. Here I made a home for myself and wife and was residing on this farm the same year that Orson Hyde went to Palestine. I was baptized that same year 1840 by Simeon J. Comfort and confirmed under the hands of John E. Page and Orson Hyde. Agreeable to the counsel of the authorities of the church myself and wife moved into Hancock Co. where she was baptized in the spring of 1844 by William Duncan. I made a farm in Highland branch east of Warsaw and was at Nauvoo when the corner stone of the Temple was laid and furnished means to aid in the building thereof. The corner stone was laid April 6^th 1841. My self and wife received our endowments in that temple the last day of giving endowments therein. I went to Morely settlement and rendered aid to the suffers at the time of the burning of the town in 1845. At this time the mob killed a man named Edmund Durfee. About this time four of the brethren were sitting on a log with their guns in their hands when the mob came creeping through a corn field and fired fourteen balls into the log they sat on, the bullet holes of which were afterwards found in the log, and strange to say, not a bullet touched a single one of them.

        Altogether in the neighborhood of Warsaw 300 families were rendered homeless by the burning. The sick were out of doors in the woods with no covering but the canopy of heaven untill teams were sent to remove them. The families thus burned out were removed to Nauvoo. Myself and wife moved there also. After our removal there were twenty teams of us aided in moving one of the outer settlements there. In about a month a reconciliation between the saints and the mob took place which included an agreement on the part of the Mormons for them to move in the spring and as many as could possibly move did so, while those remaining were fallen upon by the mob, some were killed and the remainder driven out. Frank Worl was shot at the time of the burning. I saw him fall from his horse. He died on his way to Warsaw. I went from Nauvoo to Peoria and attended the trial of Backenstoch, sheriff of Hancock Co. who was tried for the shooting of Worl. He was set at liberty by the court. I regret today all who were guilty of shedding the blood of the mormons went unpunished of their crime, but Backenstosh although a non mormon was a friend to right.

        The next spring after the burning, myself and family moved to Winter quarters, cut hay and wintered there. In the following spring we moved into Missouri, stayed there one year then moved to Council Bluffs where we remained untill the spring of 1850 and on the 14 of June of that year left there for the Rocky Mountains.

        Now having six children and crossing the plains in William Snow company of 100 wagons and in James McSellans fifty, arriving in Salt Lake City in the middle of October about fifteen dying in the company of cholera on the journey. After a short stay in Salt Lake City I moved, located in Hobble Creek afterwards Springville, Utah Co. at which the brethren were building a fort on the ground where I now live as a protection from the Indians. I paid three dollars a bu. For wheat and ten dollars per 100 lbs. For flour and had to go to Salt Lake Valley for it. We built a log school house in the fort in which I taught school the first winter using slabs for benches and boring holes in the logs to put in shelves for writing desks. After school was out I was compelled to go to S. L. Valley for my seed wheat and flour. The food and convenience, but on the 24^th of July the Provo boys boasted they intended to wake us up with a cannon they had. Our Springville boys went to Provo and hid the cannon, taking it off into the field. When the time for firing came behold it was missing and Hobble Creek had the honor of waking them up with an anvil instead. This was in 1852.

        I went in company with Jesse W. Fox who was subsequently appointed by the Utah Legislature Surveyor General of Utah to survey the site for Fillmore City. Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, D. H. Wells, Horace S. Eldridge and Albert Carrington were in the company. George A. Smith was in that company but he left for Parowan. Orson Pratt and George Bean were the co., the latter acting as interpreter. I helped straighten the first chain where the state house now stands. Where there surveying a company from the North of Salt Lake, in charge of Hansen Call came upon the ground to settle. The name of the place at that times was Chalk Creek. Judge Elias Smith was in company and called court there, but there being no business he adjourned it. Mayor Rose, Indian Agent was present also. A few days later he sent me an appointment as Indian Agent for Springville and Spanish Fork. Wm. Smith being my interpreter. On our return trip through the mountains to Manti we held meeting on Sunday arriving there the previous Saturday evening. Heber C. Kimball uttered a prophecy at that meeting which I have lived to see fulfilled. Before writing I must state the conditions under which the citizens were placed. Their crops had been cut short though frost which occurred every month in the year and they had lost much of their stock in the winter. These circumstances had greatly discouraged the people, when President Kimball Prophesied they should not only raise grain and vegetables but fruit also. When I was there doing Temple work I ate apples that were raised there that were as good as I had ever eaten. The company returned to Salt Lake. I remained in Springville and was shortly after invited to Salt Lake to attend a reunion of the Co. but could not go. I was well acquainted with all the leading church authorities of that time and with the civil authorities generally. All the church authorities have passed to the great beyond except Wilford Woodruff and F. D. Richards. Before Springville was a precinct I was appointed by the Legislature Constable of the place and after it became a precinct I was elected constable which office I held four years and when the first City Council was organized I was appointed City Marshall. G. D. Wood being Mayor of the city. I was afterwards elected mayor of the city of Springville which office I held under the two elections or four years and was elected justice of the Peace seven terms of fourteen years. I had the honor while mayor of entering the city plot of Springville company which went out against the notorious and daring Indian Chief Walker and was afterwards promoted to the office of Major of the Battalion in which office I acted under the direction of John S. Fulmer Col. Of the Battalion. Aaron Johnson being Brigadier General and was with the Co. who fought against the Indians in Salt creek near Goshen. One of the Provo boys had his hat band shot off while fighting by my side. The bullets were whizzing all around us frequently cutting off branches of the grease wood when my comrade on looking around, said, "There is some keen shooting going on here." I also served in the city Council of Springville, during which time an unjustifiable crusade which was no less than a spirit of persecution drove a number of respectable citizens to the mountains near Springville and to other places. Myself going to Farmington for a season where I sold out a small stock of goods during the time of absence for one James McBride who had just come in from California. I ran the Springville Cooperative Institution a short time and was one of the board of directors several years and was night watchman in the north Cooperative Institution which was a branch of this same organization fourteen years. I took a mission to the state of Illinois November 13, 1871 to learn all I could concerning the genealogy of my forefathers and was absent four months. I held stock in the Springville Cooperative institution and also in the Utah Sugar Co.

        While on the mission to Illinois, Brigham Young sent two hundred dollars by me to Mrs. Salisbury, sister of the Prophet Joseph Smith with whom I had a lengthy conversation. I took a team and hauled feed for teams who were hauling supplies to the handcart emigration, during which trip I froze my feet, the toe nails coming off compelling me to wear moccasins for some time.

        I was present at the gathering held at Silver Lake in Cottonwood Canyon when the news was brought in that a United States army was on the way to Salt Lake when Brigham Young said that army could not enter without some explanation of its intentions. Little had we thought as we conversed together of the old times we had suffered a Nauvoo, Winter Quarters and Kirtland and shook hands so heartily that news of the approach of a United State army should reach our ears, a peaceful law abiding people as we were.

        In the year 1863 my first wife Sylvia, Olive Pixley and Happylona Sophronia Clark were sealed to me in the endowment House of Salt Lake City by Heber C. Kimball. Mary Coon Johnson was also sealed to me at the same place July the 10^th by Daniel H. Wells. Myself and first wife received our second anointing by George A. smith in the Historians office, Salt Lake City, Utah. I was ordained a seventy by Br. Neumon in Nauvoo about 1843 and a High Priest by Henry Mower, George Gardiner being mouth Dec. 14 1861. There was a Sunday School organized in Springville in the spring of 1853 by Bishop Aaron Johnson, Ira Allen was superintendent and myself assistant superintendent.

        This school ran until the Walker war broke it up. I have assisted in the building of five Temples and officiated in four of them and was one of the first three who hauled a load of lumber for Sanpete to build the first school house in Springville also furnished means to build the Central and all other School houses there and have paid up all my allotments on the Provo Tabernacle and gone farther in payments on the five building. I was set apart as Sunday School Missionary in Springville in 1891.