Joseph Turner Wood ~ Index
Joseph Turner Wood, son of Edward Wood and Elizabeth Turner Wood was born 24 June 1854 in Great Salt Lake City, Utah. His father was born in Yorkshire, England coming to Utah in 1848. His mother was born in England and she and sister arrived in Great Salt Lake City in the year of 1850. She drove a yoke of oxen from Saint Louis, Missouri, coming with Levi Nickelson, his wife, Mary Anne and their four children. They came independent of the church train, but traveled right back of it for protection from the Indians.
Joseph's parents were married in Great Salt Lake City in 1852. When he was three or four years old, his parents moved to Cottonwood, intending to settle near Brigham City, but as the Indians were so hostile they decided to come to Cache Valley They arrived in Mendon, Utah the first week in March 1860.
As a young boy, Joseph herded sheep and cows. He and his chum, Fred Gardner were herding cattle up near the willow patch on a knoll west of Amenzo Baker's farm one day and were playing mumble peg. Suddenly Fred looked up and started to run. Joe,
he said, The Indians are coming!
In the distance they could see fourteen warriors riding fast toward the fort. The boys ran to the fort and right to the bishop and told him. The bishop soon called a few brethren together and they met those Indians who were gaily dressed and painted, they demanded ten sacks of flower which would amount to 1500 pounds and two beef oxen. If they were not willing to give these, they would take them. A treaty was made with these Indians and the fort was searched and these provisions were given them.
About the age of ten, Joseph's father died and his mother was left to take care of the farm and her two children, Joseph and his sister Anne. In his early teens he took much responsibility of the farm. He went to school in the winters Amenzo W. Baker, being his first teacher. They had no books but learned orally. Geography was taught in the form of a song. Later on the school became much better. Adam C. Smyth and later John Donaldson being very capable teachers.
Between the ages of eighteen and twenty years, he worked part time helping to build the railroad track from Mendon, Utah, to Butte City, Montana.
At the age of twenty-one he was married to Julia Alline Kimball in the endowment house in Salt Lake City, Utah. They were the first couple to ride on the train out of Mendon to be married. Returning to Mendon, he took up farming. Helping his step-father and later building a home for his family. The summer the Logan Temple annex was being built he worked on it helping tend the masons. In the winter he spent two weeks time with his team hauling lumber from the Temple Fork saw mill to the Temple. This was a long distance and very dangerous hauling in the canyon in the winter.
A number of years he helped out with the dramatical work in the Mendon Ward. He enjoyed that kind of recreation. At the age of twenty-five he was called on a mission for the Latter-day Saint Church. He spent two years in the North Western States Mission and fulfilled an honorable mission. His good wife Julia died on 29 January 1935, at the age of seventy-six years, three children having passed on before, a daughter and two sons.
On 24 June 1935, he will be eighty one years of age. He is feeling quite well and had the following living children and their families to comfort him: Mille Ballard of Declo, Idaho; Heber G. Wood of Arbon, Idaho; Alonzo K. Wood of Mendon, Utah; Linden K. Wood of Mendon, Utah. Linden spent two years in the Western States Mission and nearly two years in the recent World War I. He has twenty-two living grand children and two great grandchildren.
Life Sketch
Joseph Turner Wood, son of Edward and Elizabeth Turner Wood, was born June 24th, 1854 in Salt Lake City, Utah. His father was born in Crossland, Yorkshire, England and came to Utah in 1848. His mother was born in Chilvus Colton, Warwickeshire, England on September 5th, 1829. His mother and her sister Sarah arrived in America in the year of 1850 after a six-week voyage on the ocean on a sailing vessel. The two girls became separated at Saint Louis and crossed the plains in different companies. Father's mother drove an ox-team for Levi Nickelson and his wife Ann, and the family of four children, sewing and cooking for her passage from Saint Louis to Salt Lake City. They traveled in an independent company from the church, but right in back of it for protection from the Indians. With such anxiety and worry of her sister, grandma would examine every new mound grave on her way to see if it was sister Sarah as she was supposed to be in a company ahead. Imagine the joy of their being reunited and safely in Salt Lake City.
Grandpa and grandma were married there in 1852, April 17th. Four children were born to their union, father being the second. During the time Johnson's Army was invading Utah, father was with his parents celebrating the 24th of July, 1857 up Big Cottonwood Canyon, the news came of the army. Women screamed and men were excited. Brigham Young said, Calm yourselves. They'll not do us any harm and we'll return quietly to our homes.
Which they did unmolested. Father lived with his parents and sister in Cottonwood. John Turner, his brother, died there at age four years.
When father was six years old, he came with his parents to Cache Valley by ox-team. They arrived in 1860. While camping in Sardine Canyon they were undecided as to which settlement to join. Grandpa wanted to go to Franklin, Idaho but grandma said no, she wanted to go to Mendon because her friend Sarah Bird was there. She knew her in England. So Mendon they went, joining the other settlers. They also knew the Fosters as they too came from South Cottonwood. As a boy father herded sheep with Robert Foster, Lewis Bird, and Fred Gardner and others on the hills west of the fort. One day the boys were playing mumble peg. One lad was down rooting the peg. Robert Forster being taller than the rest always kept a keen eye looking for Indians. A tall warrior was approaching with his regalia and war paint. He motioned to Robert to stand still. Fearlessly Robert stood and the chief stealthily advanced and threw his blanket over the group down rooting the peg and let out a war whoop. The boys scrambled to their feet and never stopped running until they were safely inside the fort. The Indians patted Robert on the back and said, Heap, a brave boy.
Then Robert followed his comrades. Fourteen other warriors rode past toward the fort. The boys reported to the bishop. He called a few brethren together and they met the Indians who were gaily decorated with war paint and regalia. They demanded 500 lbs. flour and two beef oxen. A treaty was made with the Indians and the fort was searched and the provisions were give them.
When father was nine years of age in the winter of 1863, Connor's Army was called from Camp Douglas with the California Cavalrymen to go north of Preston to conquer the Indians that were giving considerable trouble to the settlers. The Bannock and Shoshone tribes were camped in ambush along the bend of Bear River in readiness for the troops. The intense cold made it difficult to transport troops by teams and wagon. Before they could place their detachments and make ready for the attack, twenty-one or more cavalrymen were shot by the savages. Thus the troops plunged into the Indians camp massacring squaws, papooses and bucks but at the loss of 83 soldiers besides the wounded. After the fierce battle the dead and wounded were gathered up and started their long weary trip back to the fort. Dead were placed on sleighs criss-crossed like so many ties and bound on with ropes. The wounded shrieked with pain. On approaching Mendon Fort, the heavy wagon could be heard squeaking with the extreme cold. A dance was going on in the log school house with music, merriment and hilarity. Suddenly the silence was broken as word came the troops were arriving and the building would have to be used as an emergency hospital. All was changed from joy to sorrow. Men were moaning and screaming. The (frozen) death cargo was a ghastly sight. Ether was given some to deaden pain, some begging for more, but the costly drug was rationed. The commanding officers called for settlers to open their homes to the wounded men who could not be conveyed further. Father tells of their home being opened and a young man was taken in and cared for by grandma and grandpa. He recovered and was called to rejoin his comrades at the Fort, (Camp Douglas) but he became a close friend to the folks and visited them whenever opportunity permitted, showed much gratitude for his kind nursing to health and for the hospitality extended by a good Mormon family.
When father was ten years old, grandpa died of stoppage of the bowels. Grandma was left to look after her two little children, Joseph and Annie, and the farm. As soon as father was old enough, he took much responsibility of the farm and attended school in the log school house. Amenzo W. Baker was the first teacher. Following that, an Old Maid who had a habit of taking a nap every day. The boys would slip out and hunt birds nests in the fall of the year and try to return before Miss _____ awakened. Jasper Lemmon then taught school for a while and then Adam C. Smyth. Having no books, they were taught a song about their geography. Also John Donaldson taught later.
When father was a young man, he was stricken with typhoid fever. His sister Annie was also stricken with the disease which proved to be fatal to aunt Annie. Father was so low at the time and unconscious, Annie was taken from the house and buried without father knowing it. Afterwards the sad news was a terrible shock to him of the death of his dear sister who died in such purity and youth.
Shortly after father's recovery from the fever, he worked on the railroad of Utah Northern, grading to help extend the road north to Butte, Montana. I heard him say at Battle Creek they scraped up bones from the fierce battle of 1863. Grandma married Traugott Stumpf in 1868. Father and his stepfather worked together unitedly on the farm, and it also gave father a chance to hire out between cropping and the harvest season. The money was much needed, but the sad part of it was the railroad went into receivership, and they paid their employees only a small percentage of their hard earnings.
In 1875 at the age of twenty-one, father married mother in the Old Endowment House. They were the first couple to ride on the train out of Mendon to be married. These were the children born to their happy union: Joseph E. Wood, Amelia A. Wood, Heber G. Wood, Mary Elizabeth Wood, William Parley Wood, Linden K. Wood and Alonzo K. Wood. The summer the Logan Temple annex was being built, Joseph Turner Wood helped on it tending masons. In the winter he spent two week's time with his team hauling lumber from the sawmill to the temple. This was a long distance and very dangerous in the winter, donation work.
He was very active in dramatic work. In fact, father spent most of his time in winters getting up shows for entertainment and to raise funds for the wards maintenance, became a very good actor for an amateur. Mostly heave tragic plays were chosen such as, "East Lynn," "Floating Beacon," "Hamlet," and "Bleeding Nun." Father played lead parts, generally the villain and later years the old man. The troupe consisted of Andrew Sorensen, Alfred Gardner, Ray Wagstaff, Joe Wagstaff, Walter Paul, James F. Whitney, Newel Whitney, Herbert Whitney, Lorin Crowshaw, Erma Sorensen, Mary Baker, Lucy Baker, Martha Paul, Seny Sorensen and others. Father and Andrew Sorensen built the scenery. Alfred G. White and Deacon from Wellsville painted it, Matthew A. Forster later. They played in other settlements such as Clarkston, Wellsville, and Benson Ward. Sometimes folks didn't have admission money. They took vegetables, grain, candles and most anything. The services were all free gratis. All I ever knew of father getting was a benefit when he had typhoid fever, and when he went on his mission. When father was sick with typhoid fever, Andrew Sorensen would come down and read plays to him. It was very difficult to get makeup materials in those days.
Father and mother had a big black dog that was thought lots of, but he met his fate tragically. Joe Wagstaff and father needed black wigs for their character roles badly. One day while mother was to a quilting over to aunt Jane Bakers, the dog was killed, and by father and Joe it was skinned to make themselves each a fine black wig. When mother came home, she missed the dog and said, Where's Carlo?
Father finally confessed its fate much to mothers chagrin and disgust. Later years when I followed in Pa's footsteps getting up shows, and got so engrossed I neglected my chores and father raised his voice, mother always said, No worse than you, Joseph.
Father had a bad accident in the canyon while yet a young man. He cut his foot nearly off with the axe slipping on a cold, icy mountain side. Doctors were scarce. A veterinary, Michel Murphy, bandaged it up in chewed tobacco and drew the cords too tight. Father suffered intense pain and was left a cripple for life. Due to the poor surgery and treatment, he was somewhat handicapped, but had to work hard to sustain his family and help take care of grandma.
Crop failures, grasshopper wars, and other pests caused untold hardships and poverty, but our folks were only one family in such circumstances and they all made the best of it. They enjoyed themselves in socials and church activities. Harvest and threshing time was really a pleasure as they exchanged work and no one hired, as money was scarce. Good meals and sociability among neighbors were of real Christian Spirit. Joys and sorrows were shared together alike. No commercial pleasures as today, which bring headaches, jealousy and hatred. No worry or strife to outdo their neighbors, as they were all of equality like one big family.
Father was very active in the Church. When a young man he was a teacher in the Genealogical Class. With Andrew Sorensen and Alfred Gardner served for many years. He and George Hughes got out the Christmas trees for the celebration year after year for years. He helped to build floats and decorate them for the 4th and 24th of July. He often was on the program for a recitation for which he was very good. He and grandma did a lot of temple wok when the only means of travel was by horse and buggy. They stayed with friends in Logan for weeks.
At the age of forty-five he was called on a mission for the Church to the Northwestern States. He spent nearly two years. His mission was cut a little short on account of his getting sick. He traveled without purse or scrip and endured much hardship. He labored some among the Crows, a tribe of Indians. He also labored in Big Timber, Red Lodge and Butte City. His faithful service was rewarded with many who joined the Church. He left a family of young children and mother to run the farm, but we were blessed, and the crops were never better.
Sickness also came to our home. We were all stricken with measles in the spring of 1898 and Mary, my younger sister, came near deaths door. Father arrived home in June of 1899 after fulfilling an honorable mission and the joy of his safe return was a glorious greeting to the family and mother. Feeling that he needed some ready cash, father took the contract to haul the telephone poles over the divide as the phone was just being installed.
Fred Larsen and other neighbors were very good to us. Fred built a hay rack which still is used.
Father was placed in as President of the Young Men's Mutual Association which he served for years. He also was called to other church positions which needed a leader of such ability. He resumed his activities in dramatics to raise funds to maintain the ward during the winters. The old spirit of the stage was revived and such plays as "The Lost Ship," "Outcast Daughter" and "A Woman's Honor," were staged much to the delight of audiences.
In the fall of 1899, I accompanied father to Bannock to homestead. We batched and endured some hardships. He finally sold his ranch in 1913 and spent his declining years with mother in our home.
Many sorrows entered the family and drawbacks, but father endured them with unfaltering faith and remained faithful to the end. Mother's dying in 1935 was a sad blow, and father never recovered the parting. In the spring of 1938 father suddenly parted this life to rejoin mother, his life-long companion. He had remained true and faithful, a true Latter-day Saint father and devoted husband.