REMINISCENCES OF MARY STEVENSON CLARK
The following is a copy from notes written by Timothy B. Clark as told to him by his mother, Mary Stevenson Clark, wife of Ezra Thompson Clark:
Farmington, Utah
Thursday, Feb 20, 1908
This morning mother received a letter from Brother Edward B. Clark at Council Bluffs. He visited Winter Quarters, etc. Mother then gave me this information:
Father and mother (Ezra T. Clark and Mary Stevenson Clark) were married at Uncle Edward Stevenson's home, five miles west of Nauvoo by William O. Clark on the eighteenth of May , 1845. They lived nearly one year in a log house rented from Uncle John Cooper about seven miles west of Nauvoo and about one mile southwest of Charleston, Iowa (Lee County)where Ezra James was born the 30th of March 1846.
In June 1846, they started west with one wagon drawn by three yoke of cattle, also one cow that was giving milk. The cow was driven with other stock owned by others of the train. Apostle Amasa M. Lyman was captain. Aunt Paulina was along and Aunt Nancy and several of he Porters. They also had a coop of four hens and one rooster attached to the back of the wagon box. The chickens were turned loose each evening for exercise.
Mother thinks it is about 200 miles from Nauvoo to Council Buffs where there is quite a settlement, but doesn't remember of there being any houses through the then wilderness of 200 miles.
July 15, 1846, they crossed the Missouri River on the ferry boat at Council Bluffs and camped about 3/4 of a mile south of the ferry in Winter Quarters which is now Florence, Nebraska (then Indian territory).
She didn't remember whether they had a tent or not, but father soon built a log house with logs obtained in Missouri. Their house was about four rods west of the river bank . About 1/2 mile southwest and on the side of a hill was the cemetery. Uncle Edward camped by us and built his house only a few yards west of ours. Their oldest child, Nephi, was born the day or the day after we arrived in Winter Quarters. I, Timothy B. was born there in Sunday, November 21, 1847. They started to Utah in 1847 with the company that left after the Pioneers started and Benjamin Johnson and family occupied their Winter Quarter's cabin. The town streets extended west from the river. She didn't remember of their being north and south streets.
She says they received a letter stating that Sister Elizabeth's (Stevenson) husband Job Baily had died near Charleston and father went back and settled up her business and brought her to Winter Quarters. He drove his ox team back and brought her and the two children --Bathany and Lizzie --. He must have got an ox team of hers as Uncle James (Stevenson) drove it across the plains leaving Winter Quarters -- both families coming in Apostle Amasa M. Lyman's company. They left Winter Quarters in June 1848, arriving in Salt Lake City on October 12, 1848. Aunt Elizabeth married Uncle Norwood about one year later.
About two days after arriving in Salt Lake, we came to North Canyon (now Bountiful) and camped in a covered wagon box set off on the ground for a few days while father and Levi Doughtery built a cabin. Then they built Uncle Levi's house. Meanwhile, Aunt Mary Doughtery living in Salt Lake City Fort with Uncle Edward. Alice Doughtery was born there only a few days after the family arrived in Salt Lake.
The house roofs were made of willows and dirt and split and hewed logs for floors. The weather being cold during the later part of October and no stoves obtainable and mother's youngest child being less than one year old and the other less than two, she says she would take a bake kettle full of live coals from a big wood fire and set it inside the covered wagon to keep the children warm.
Father took up that part of the old farm now west of O.S.L. Depot and on Clark Lane in the spring of 1849 and intended to reside on a lot he took up in Salt Lake City 2 1/2 blocks west of the Desert News or old Council House corner. He rented the farm to Mr. ........ who built a cabin on it in 1849. This man went back on his contract and father and his little family moved to the farm on April 3, 1850.
Sister Mary Elizabeth was born at north Canyon November 25th 1849. Mother says father was always glad that this man backed out, thus changing father's plans from residing in the city.
She says they did not plant a garden at North Canyon, but that father fenced and cultivated about 1/4 to 1/8 of an acre north and northwest of the Winter Quarters cabin.
Jacob Secrist and wife and one child occupied a home about four or five rods straight north of theirs at Winter Quarters and Aunt Paulina lived about 100 yards south of our home.