67. Wayne's g g grandfather, Hiram Dayton, faithful pioneer!

I am deciding something that I believe is wise.  I have truly enjoyed writing this blog, and in it I have written several family history stories which are already in the books we have published and given to our children and grand-children.  I realize they are very busy, and don't have much time to peruse these books.  Some of them have told me they really love these stories, and haven't known they already have them, -- but didn't know where to find them in the books.  I'll try to put pages in, so all you posterity can find them in our books!

Wayne and I have been the Stake Indexing leaders in our Stake for over a year.  Wayne does a very lot of indexing, but I do some other things also, and haven't been doing as much indexing as I did before I began writing the blog.  I believe I need to be more diligent doing that, and so I will cut down the number of blogs I do -- each week I plan to do at least 3 blogs, probably Monday, Wednesday, and Friday.  Sunday is a good day to write e mails to our two missionaries, a grandson and granddaughter.  When I told one son, he said I'd probably run out of stories if I kept up every day!  Actually it would take years before we would run out of stories.  I hope others who are not our relatives who read this, also enjoy the stories of our faithful ancestors, as well as our thoughts about other things.  I have received only 2 or 3 comments, so I'm not really sure if you dear friends out there are enjoying this blog.  I'll enjoy it if you comment, either on the blog, e mail me, or personally tell me!

I have written about several of my ancestors, but not many yet of my husband Wayne's ancestors.  His mother was Gladys Tregenna Dayton, and her Dayton great grandfather was a very early convert, baptized on February 18, 1832.  He was one of several of our ancestors who received their Temple endowments in the original Nauvoo Temple, before the Saints came west.  Below, I will tell only a small part of his life story -- perhaps more can come later.  

Hiram Dayton, with his wife Permelia Bundy Dayton established a residence at Parkman, Ohio, He was an energetic worker and a substantial citizen of the community. Here he built a fine home for his family, had large peach and apple orchards, and a productive, profitable farm, He owned many fine horses, stables and established a horse market. During this time of prosperity, Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet came to Parkman and taught him the Gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and gave witness to him that it was the true Church of the Master. Hiram and his wife were converted and were baptized Feb 18, 1832, Hiram was 34, and she was 33.

After this event, former friends and neighbors heaped persecutions upon Hiram and his family and consequently he determined to cast his lot and future with the Latter Day Saints, then at Kirtland, Ohio, and moved there in 1834. He immediately set about to establish himself in the community. Here too they suffered many hardships. In March 1838 it was agreed that the Quorum of Seventy, of which Hiram was a member, would travel in a body to Missouri, the new gathering place for the Saints. Hiram and his family of twelve were part of this group.  (This story begins on page 102 in Wayne's ancestor book.)  Hiram wrote a journal, and some excerpts are below:

               This is the only picture that exists of Hiram and Permelia Dayton.

SUFFERINGS AND LOSS OF PROPERTY OF HIRAM DAYTON AND FAMILY, from his diary:

I received the Gospel of the Latter Day Saints in the year 1832. Myself and wife were baptized by the Prophet Joseph Smith. I was at that time living at Parkman, Ohio. My persecutions were so heavy that I could not live there long. My friends and neighbors destroyed my property, and twice laid plans to take my life. When I left Parkman with my wife and nine children, I was forced to sell my farm for $500, It was sold three years later for $5,000. (They were baptized on February 18, 1832, while the Prophet was traveling in Ohio, and just the next month on March 24th, was when he and Sidney Rigdon were taken out in the middle of the night and tarred and feathered, in the terribly cold winter. Shortly after the Prophet’s son died.) 

Then I moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where I opened up a farm and put it under cultivation. I broke up sixty acres and put a double ditch around the whole farm. My farm was valued at $1,000. I built a good house and set out a good orchard. I then built me a house in the city of Kirtland costing $800. also built a good frame barn, clap boarded and finished off in the best style, valued at $300. I then set out an orchard of all kinds of fruit. I took a job on Public Works to cut down the hills. The grade to run opposite the Temple, and I contracted to dig a canal to turn the Chignan River in. This canal was for running steamboats up to Kirtland. I expended on the work $2000 in cash and worked my whole family for a year. Will put our labor at $500. We were driven from Kirtland and I could not accomplish all my works. This was in 1836. 

 Then we settled in Daviess County, Missouri. We bought out the settlers there. I turned over my part, one pair of good horses, one new wagon and one set of new harnesses, worth in all $600. We were driven from Daviess County in 1838, losing everything. We then went to Far West,When we were forced to leave here by order of the mob. I was sick and also my family of ten, except one daughter. I had to leave my three children in the hands of the mob. It was in February and extremely cold weather. I drove the distance of thirty miles when I stopped to bait my team. Three of my children begged me to throw them out of the wagon to die, for they would soon freeze to death. Next day I could not stand to think of my children in the hands of the mob, so I drove back for them. The army numbering 1,400 was at that time in Far West.

  They had destroyed all the stock they could get hold of, and even took the hogs out of their pens. Before leaving Far West we had just completed a horse mill, and I had soy corn in a field.  I then started back to Far West, crossed the river where my children were. Two of them were sick and I had nothing to give them but some frozen corn bread.

Having arrived at Far West, I got into a house of Sister Rigdon’s. Her husband, some of the Twelve and the Prophet was then in Liberty Jail. This was the first time my wife had been in a house for ten months. She was therefore very feeble, having been confined (had a baby) two months previous to our coming back to Far West. We stayed with the Rigdons about ten days. I then rented a small house of one of the Brethren. We stayed there for two weeks and then had to give possession to the owner.

One of my daughters (Nancy) the one who had been well all through my sickness, rode horseback without saddle or blanket. She caught a violent cold while going out there, and took sick in a few days and lived about two weeks and died. I took her body down to the City to bury her.. The ground was frozen very deep. I was very feeble and not being able to dig her grave. I asked several bystanders to assist me, but I could not get them to help me at all. I then borrowed some tools and went to the graveyard when a negro came to me and said, "Massah, I will dig the grave and bury your daughter."   

 This, of course, isn't her grave, but how many graves are out there somewhere, -- nobody knows!

At that time we were destitute of food and clothing. My son Lysander drove the team, freighting for the merchant. He worked for him seven weeks and earned about $30. per week. I began to feel a little better in health. I felt as though I could do pretty well. On the eighth week I took one of my horses to haul up some wood to the door. I hitched on to a stick about thirty feet long. I got bound between two stumps. I took hold of the top end to raise it up when I fell as quick as though I had been shot. My wife and daughter was standing in the door and came to pick me up. I was about eight rods from the house. They helped me along, about half of the way I fell again. They lifted me up and carried me in the house and laid me upon the bed. I was bedfast for eleven weeks racked in most violent pain, the doctor called the disease "Theatic Rheumatism" in the kidneys. (I wonder what it would be called today - ?)

It finally broke and discharged, and I felt a little better. My eldest son Lysander and the team made out enough to keep the family up, until the first of April 1839, we then all had to leave Missouri or be exterminated. Four days previous to our time of starting, one of my neighbors came to me and said he wanted to have my son and team work for him one day. I had a very fine mare. He had tried very often to buy from me. My son performed the labor and turned the horses into a very strong yard. In the morning the mare was gone. My son hunted for her and I hired a man to help him, three days, and she could not be found. We had to leave and I was then amongst strangers, thirty miles from Far West. I then took an old horse that had followed me from Far West and harnessed him up with my good horse. I chained the good horse back so he would have all the load to pull, the old horse coming along just to hold up his side of the tongue. A portion of the family being able to walk we traveled eight miles the first day. The boys nursed the old horse up the best they could. He improved so that in a few days he could pull his portion of the load.---------

 At the end of this is written his testimony:

This is a true account of my losses and persecutions, but the sufferings myself and family have passed through no tongue can express. The loss of my property is no comparison to my suffering for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I can truly say that I am thankful that the Lord as sustained me so that I have never seen a day that I have murmured, nor my wife, through all the tribulations that we have passed through, and we have been stripped and broken up five times. I here would say that I think it would take $30,000. to cover my losses.  (Remember this was in money as it was valued in those days -- today it would be many times more!)

 I have traveled to preach the Gospel in most every Northern State in this Country, and one of the Southern States, Kentucky.  I am safe to say that I have traveled thirty thousand miles, without purse or script, except one mission when I took my wife to visit her friends. 

Signed by Hiram Dayton, at Cedar Fort, Utah 26 May 1879

I'll stop there, but I believe you can get a small idea of the suffering these dear saints went through!

There is more to his story.  He went on several missions, and eventually came to Utah and settled in Cedar Fort, a small town near Tooele, Utah.

We both had several ancestors who lived in Nauvoo, and I believe that will make a good story in the future -- different ancestor's experiences in Nauvoo!
With reading experiences such as these, can we not be so grateful we are blessed to live in this time, and also be sure we carry on their wonderful examples to our children.  The days to come may be just as difficult in other ways!   Our resolution should always be --

 BE STRONG AND FAITHFUL IN WHATEVER HAPPENS TO US!