PIONEER TRAIL (WINTER QUARTERS, NEBRASKA)
Being a blacksmith and a carpenter, Elam made his own wagon for the journey westward. Before they left Nauvoo Hannah gave birth to their first child who died shortly after they left the city. (NOTE: Some of the histories say that Hannah gave birth before she and Elam left Nauvoo but that the child died shortly after they left the city. Perhaps this is true, however, one history indicates that a baby girl (Hannah) was born to Hannah and Elam just one day before arriving in the Salt Lake Valley. This would mean that Hannah Compton Wattis Cheney crossed the plains in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Another history records that 9 days after arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, their little Hannah passed away. Records show that she was buried in the first pioneer cemetery which was located across the street from the "Old Fort" (which is now Pioneer Park), between 300 South and 400 South and between 200 West and 300 West in Salt Lake. Over time, the pioneer cemetery location was lost and was not rediscovered until in 1986, when excavation work began on a construction project there and unearthed the bodies. The were then carefully exhumed and relocated to Pioneer Trail State Park (now This is the Place State Park), and buried in individual pine boxes and placed in concrete vaults. A replica cemetery was created after the original. Perhaps Hannah Compton did give birth to two children that died shortly after.)
Elam (21), Hannah (42), and her four boys, John (20), Edmund Orson (18), Henry (12), and Charles Wattis (10), left Nauvoo with the saints in the fall of 1846. Records show that Hannah's son Henry did not leave with the company to Salt Lake and most likely passed away thhe Spring of 1847. The family traveled west in the second company of pioneers which was organized at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, on May 16, 1847, with Jedediah M. Grant as Captain. The Company was subdivided into companies of fifty and companies of ten. Elam was in the company of fifty under John Van as captain, and in the fifth ten under Simpson D. Huffaker as Captain. The company left Winter Quarters on June 19, 1847, and endured many hardships. The men took turns standing guard. One morning after a night of guard duty, Elam came into camp. He was very tired and hungry, so he thought he would eat breakfast before yoking up his cattle. After breakfast he found one of his oxen missing. He tried to find it in camp but failed. He supposed it had strayed away and went in search of it. He did not find it and returned to camp. He found the company had gone on and his wife, Hannah, was left alone on the prairie. [Where his stepsons, John, Edmund and Charles were is unclear.] He was afraid to linger behind on account of the hostile indians, so he yoked up his cow and two oxen and taking the place himself of the missing ox, they journeyed on, overtaking the company as they were leaving the place they had stopped for noon. He was informed that one of the captains had his ox and was working him. He retrieved his ox and they continued their journey.
THIS IS THE PLACE (SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH)
At Green River, Elam, was stricken with mountain fever and was sick the remainder of the journey. The company arrived in the Salt Lake valley October 5, 1847. Elam and his family lived in the old fort until he built a log house outside the fort. Since they arrived too late to raise any crops, they had only the provisions they had left from the store provided for the journey westward. Food became very scarce. Elam could make shoes and many times he traded a pair of shoes for a pint of corn. Elam had the gift of being able to read hands and on one occasion, while making shoes, a group of men came in for Elam to read their hands. While studying one of the man's hands he looked up and said, "You are a murderer!" The man was going to kill Elam, but the other man held him and took him away. A few days later officers arrived from the east, arrested the men and took them back for murder. Brigham Young told Elam that he had a wonderful gift and he thought it was alright to use it among the people, but not to tell them anything he thought would cause trouble.
Elam and Hannah's second child, a daughter, Hannah Matilda, was born 14 months after they arrived in Salt Lake City, February 6, 1849. That spring they moved to Centerville, Utah, where Elam secured a farm and built a home. The 1850 census indicates that Edward Wattis was with them then. There they helped build up the area. Then they moved to Kaysville, Utah, probably in the winter of 1850/1851 about the time Matilda was 2 years old, and stayed with Hannah's parents a short time. They next moved to Springfield, Utah, where they stayed for over a decade.
2nd WIFE - MARGARET WIMMER JOHNSON (14 children with Elam, 7 lived to adulthood)
Elam married his second wife, Margaret Wimmer, on May 2, 1851, and he took her to Springfield. The marriage was solemnized in the endowment house in Salt Lake City, March 18, 1852. Margaret was the widow of Hugh G. Johnson and had two sons, George who was six years old and William (Rufus) who was three years old at the time she married Elam. She was 30 and Elam was 26 years old. To this couple Louise was born February 29, 1852, and Elam, Jr., was born December 25, 1854.
3rd WIFE - TALITHA CUMI GARLICK AVERY (4 children with Elam, 4 lived to adulthood)
Elam married his third wife, Talitha Cumi Garlick, on February 13, 1854. Talitha was 30 and Elam was 29. Talitha was the widow of William Howard Avery who she had married March 7, 1845 and had a son, William Howard Avery Jr. (11). When Talitha was born her father was looking for a name for her. He opened up his bible to the story of the healing of Jairus's daughter and found the name Talitha Cumi - Mark 5:41, "And he took the damsel by the hand, and said unto her Talitha cumi; which is, being interpreted, Damsel, I say unto thee, arise." Talitha had met the elders of the Mormon Church in Philadelphia when she was sixteen but she would not be baptized until Joseph Smith could baptize her - which he did in the Mississippi River. Their first daughter, Olive Mehitable, was born on January 15, 1855.
4th WIFE - MARTHA TAYLOR (7 children with Elam, 4 lived to adulthood)
He married his fourth wife, Martha Taylor, in the President's Office, October 7, 1856. She was 28 and Elam was 31. In 1857 three children Were born to Elam. David, son of Talitha, was born March 8th; Elizabeth Ellen, daughter of Margaret, was born March 19th; and Sarah Jane, daughter of Martha, was born September 7th. There is some suggestion that Sarah Jane was born in Mona, Juab County, Utah, on property that became known as Cheney Ranch. There Elam raised livestock, farmed and started an orchard. However, eight more children would be born in Springville before Elam moved his families to Cheney Ranch. In 1858 Margaret gave birth to twins, Jane and John who died at birth. Selar was born to Talitha June 16, 1869; William Wells was born to Martha August 18, 1859; Aaron Elijah was born to Margaret July 19, 1859; Hannah Mariah was born to Martha on December 11, 1861 and died 21 months later; Thomas Edward was born to Talitha March 15, 1862; and Peter Wimmer was born to Margaret April 24, 1863.
TROUBLE WITH THE INDIANS (SPRINGVILLE, UTAH)
In 1863, Talitha separated from Elam and moved her children to Sanpete County, Utah. The 1870 census indicates that she was living in Payson, Utah. While at Springville Elam helped to build a fort as a protection against the Indians, and took an active part in defense of the colony. Elam fought in the Black Hawk War. [The medal given to him by the government for his service was in the possession of his only living child, Margaret Ellen Cheney Brewer, in 1967.] They often had trouble with the Indians. One story is told of Margaret's bravery. When Peter, her seventh child was a baby in the summer 1863, the indians came to cause trouble. Margaret took red berry juice and painted spots all over the baby. When the indians saw the spots they left in a hurry, thinking the child had small pox or some other disease to be dreaded.
THE CHENEY RANCH (MONA, UTAH)
The Indian raids became so numerous that in 1864 Elam thought it best to move the families to the Cheney Ranch. There John Elam was born to Martha on March 26, 1864, and died a year later; and Franklin was born to Margaret on January 15, 1866. Elam and his wives lived in the same log house, ate at the same table and the women made their dresses from the same bolt of cloth. He became an interpreter of the Indian language and a friend to the Indians, which protected his wives and children in the Indian raids in that part of Utah. William Avery, the son of Talitha by her first marriage, decided in about 1864 when he was 17 or 18 years old to leave the farm and seek employment elsewhere in order to make some money. He went to San Bernadino, California, and got in with a bunch of "ruffians" and a murder was committed. William was blamed for the murder and put in jail. When Elam was notified that his stepson was in jail, he could not believe the accusation. He said "He was too good a boy!" So Elam saddled his horse and rode to San Bernardino and, disguised as a ruffian, found out who committed the murder. He went to the authorities with his information and the man confessed. Elam was able to bring William home with him.
5th WIFE - HARRIET EDGEHILL (16 children with Elam, 6 lived to adulthood)
Hannah Matilda, Hannah Compton's daughter, was the first of Elam's children to marry. She married James (Jim) Anderson on January 1, 1866. A young woman, Harriet ([H]Edgehill, had a son, John Edgehill, born out of wedlock on February 18, 1866, in Nephi, Utah. At the request of Brigham Young, Elam married her as his fifth and final wife July 7, 1866, in the Endowment House and adopted her son. Harriet was 18 and Elam was 41. The other wives were not happy about Elam taking a fifth wife. They thought he had more than enough wives and children to care for without adding another wife and family. It is interesting to note that Brigham Young was instrumental in all five of Elam's marriages.
GRIST MILL (FAIRVIEW, UTAH)
Elam was asked by Brigham Young to find a location and build a grist mill to help pacify the Indians, as well as to supply the people with flour. Brigham Young knew of Elam's capabilities because Elam had helped build the City Creek Canyon Flour Mill at Salt Lake City. Elam rode to Fairview on horseback in 1866 in search of a suitable place for the mill. Fairview had earlier been known as North Bend. In 1864 North Bend applied for a post office. This petition was granted, a post office had advantage for the town, namely, the town would be put on the map. A man by the name of Archibald Anderson suggested a new and more dignified name for the town. He suggested "Fairview" because of its magnificent view of the valley below. Public opinion approved the name so "North Bend" henceforth was known as "Fairview." Archibald Anderson was the father of James Anderson who married Hannah Matilda Cheney, the first child of Elam; Agnes Anderson who married William Wells Cheney; and John Anderson, second husband of Mehitable Cheney (first husband, William Brady).
When Elam rode to Fairview there was only an Indian trail through the canyon. He found a suitable place along the Sanpitch River and there he purchased 80 acres. He would later add another 120 acres nearby. He made preparations for a home and the building of the mill. During the summer he brought stones from Cottonwood Canyon, east of what is now Murray, Utah, and cut his own burrs. A log house was also built with two rooms each 18 by 18 feet. Those two rooms would house his wives and children for about a year. In 1868 he moved his wives and children to Fairview. There Elam had a good farm and ran the grist mill himself. He planted seven cottonwood trees and a hundred years later the stump of one still remained. The first flour produced through the operation on this burr mill was whole wheat flour (unsifted flour). Soon after he added roller sifters, which made it possible to separate the clean white flour from the bran. The profits from his operations were taken as a toll from the wheat brought to be ground into flour and his portion traded to the settlers for cash or store script or other needed commodities. At one time while the mill was in operation, the people were having a hard time because of the failure of crops. Elam had a barrel of meal on his porch so the people could come and help themselves without cost whenever they were in need, and for some reason, this barrel never went empty. At the mill Elam kept a number of articles for sale or trade including sugar, which was a very much desired item. The Indians would accumulate flour by begging from the pioneers and come to the mill desiring to trade the flour for sugar. Elam would say, "All right, you take the flour and I will take the sugar, or I will take the sugar and you take the flour." The answer from the Indians was, "You no say me get the sugar no time."
MORE CHILDREN
Eighteen of Elam's children were born at Fairview. Margaret had three: Theodore born March 12, 1868; Moses and Moran, twins born September 9, 1873; Moses died October 9, 1873 and Moran died in February, 1874. Martha had four: Samuel born October 30, 1866; Mehitable born September 14, 1868; Ezekiel Thomas born June 15, 1872; and Orin born and died November 9, 1874. Harriet had eleven: Isaac and Jacob, who were born and died in 1867; Abraham born October 25, 1868 and died four days later on October 29, 1868; Milinda born October 6, 1869 and died June 19, 1876 at the age of seven; George born August 22, 1871; Melvina born October 9, 1873; Melvin born November 8, 1875, and died December 3, 1875; Margaret Ellen born October 28, 1876; Ezra born August 31, 1878 and died seven days later; Juliette born July 25, 1879 and Rozalia born August 31, 1881. Martha had worked in a factory in Manchester, England, as a girl, weaving cloth. While in Fairview, Utah, when the sheep were sheared she always saved a few choice fleeces to use for her cording, spinning and weaving to make cloth for shirts, pants and dresses. Martha taught her children to manufacture the wool into dry goods, while Elam was busy farming and operating the grist mill to support the needs of his families. A number of the children married while Elam lived in Fairview. In 1867 Louise married Edward Yank Smith; Olive married George Anthony Humbel at Salt Lake City on November 1, 1869; Elam, Jr., married Emily Elizabeth Hollingshead at Parawon on July 24, 1872; Elizabeth Ellen married Moses Martin Sanders, Jr., on November 23, 1872; and Sarah Jane married Benjamin Jones, Jr., on June 28, 1875. In 1878 three children were married: Aaron Elijah married Sarah Jane Sanders on Jan 30; William Wells married Agnes Anderson on Jan 30; and David Cheney married Lodema Hutchings on August 5. Selah married Mary Alice Wilson on August 10, 1879 and Peter Wimmer married Keziah Lavina Brady at Salt Lake City