Let me start with our 4th great grandfather John Taylor. No it is not the third prophet of the church John Taylor, but he was good friends with Joseph and Hyrum Smith. In fact he was one of Joseph Smith's body guards and a member Zion's Camp. It was during Zion's Camp's gathering at the Burkett farm to battle against the Missouri Militia before a large storm and Cholera stopped the battle before it could happen, that he met his wife. He would go on to marry Eleanor Burkett and they had 12 children. It is these Taylor's that Taylor Mountain here in Vernal is named after. Here is one of my favorite stories about John Taylor. Because of his close friendship with Joseph Smith, John was often arrested on false charges. One particular time he was imprisoned for 6 months. While he was in jail his wife Eleanor ran into Joseph Smith on the streets and asked him when her husband would be released from jail. Joseph replied "Your husband can walk out of that jail as easy as I can turn my hand." Around that same time at the prison John was inspired as to how to escape. The guard had left for the day and left his wife to watch over John at the prison. She was busy doing chores when the door of the cell opened by itself. John slipped his shoes off and walked out unseen and unheard. He even walked past the guard dog that was sleeping on the floor. Once he got outside he began to run barefoot through the snow until he reached the Mississippi River. The river was frozen over which allowed him to cross safely. Once he reached the other side the ice immediately broke away so that the guards and mobs could not follow him. His feet were frozen, bloody and swollen, but he had escaped and returned safely to his family.
The next Pioneer ancestor that I would like to talk about is Joseph Davis Mathews. Another one of our 4th great grandfathers. Joseph was born in Wales and later married his wife Ann Roberts in Wales. It was here that they converted to the church. Like many converts at the time they came to America and made the long trek across the plains. We don't have a lot of information about their journey to Utah, but we do know that Joseph was one of the hunters for his company. He talks about waking up one morning and seeing a giant herd of Buffalo. He says their wagon train traveled all day and never saw the end of the herd. It was after he arrived in Salt Lake that the story I want to share happened. He was a laborer and was put to work on building the Temple and Tabernacle. At one point during construction there was a load of rock being lifted by a block and tackle and was going over his head. At this point the rope broke and the entire load fell right on top of Joseph. Those that were there were sure that such a crushing blow would have killed him. They hurried and dug him out and found that he was still alive, but was obviously in pretty bad shape. They took him home and two of the Apostles came and gave him a priesthood blessing. He was healed almost immediately and the next day he was back to work on the Temple. He also helped on the construction of the St. George Temple.
Finally here is a story about our 3rd great grandmother Anna Eliza Telford Baker. Many of you might remember her daughter Sarah Lavinna Baker, or as only Carl and I got to call her Grandma Vinnie. It was Anna's husband Alonzo Baker that was the pioneer and traveled the plains to get to Utah. Anna was born in Utah, but lived a long pioneering life anyway. They had 12 children. In 1888 with their 7 oldest children, the family moved to Star Valley, Wyoming. The oldest child was 11 years old and the youngest just a baby. Grandma Vinnie was 5 at the time. For the first winter they lived in an overturned wagon and a tent. The next spring her husband Alonzo and their oldest son (10 years old) got jobs working on the railroad. This took them away from the family for most of the year. Anna refused to live in those conditions again for another winter. She had learned some carpentry skills from her father and so she went to work. Her and her oldest daughter Harriet retrieved all the shell stone for the foundation of the cabin. They then cut down all the logs for the cabin and she even dove tailed the ends to make better connections. A sophisticated and laboring part of carpentry that wasn't always used in cabin making at the time because although it is better quality it was not as quick. Her and the children built the two room cabin. She put a lot of quality work into the cabin and it was the first cabin in Star valley to have shingles. Because of the excellent workmanship of the cabin it is still standing today and it is the oldest cabin in Star Valley, Wyoming. The Baker Cabin is now a tourist stop just off the highway in Etna, Wyoming.
I'm thinking we ought to do a road trip to see the cabin. Who's in?
The Alonzo and Anna Baker Family: Grandma Vinnie is on the far left of the picture.
The Baker Cabin in Etna, Wyoming
