Other information from a family group sheet submitted by Jay
Prince, and a few personal memories of a Grandson, Samuel Powell. This history
written for Mary Blackburn— by Nora Lund D.U.P. historian 1970.
Born - 14th March, 1814 - Lisbon, New Castle, Henry Co. Indiana.
Died - 13th Dec. 1893— At her son Robert's ranch-near Price, Carbon County, Utah
Buried in Salem, Utah County, Utah.
Married - James Powell
Information furnished and history filed by Mary Powell Blackburn - Granite Park Camp, South Center Salt Lake County
Information furnished and history filed by Mary Powell Blackburn - Granite Park Camp, South Center Salt Lake County
(My Great Grandmother) Jemima Wimmer Powell was born 14
March, 1814 in Lisbon, New Castle, Henry County, Indiana. She was number 5 in a
family of 11 children, born to Peter and Elizabeth Shirley Wimmer. The group
sheet lists her brothers and sisters as Robert, born in Penn., all the rest who
were born in Indiana were as follows: John P, Jacob, Polly, Susannah, Peter Martha,
Elisabeth, Ellen and William. Only four out of this large family grew maturity
and married, these were Robert, John and Susannah and of course Jemima. We have
no death dates recorded for the other members of the family with the exception
of Susannah, who married Simeon J. Comfort, no doubt in Hancock County, Ill.
She was just 22 years old when she died, 2 April, 1840.
Jemima was taught the rudiments of home making by her mother,
so was well prepared to take on the responsibilities
of a home of her own when she married James Powell in 1334 in Indiana. She was
20 years old and he was 25, having been born 13 Oct. 1309 in North Carolina. He
was the son of Abraham and Elizabeth Powell.
Jemima's parents, Peter and Elizabeth Wimmer became converted
and were baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They
were thoroughly convinced of the truths of the gospel, and felt they were
making the right choice, but just being members of this unpopular religion
meant trouble, and they had plenty. Jemima and James didn’t join the church
then.
Just when they all moved to Caldwell County, Missouri, we do
not know, but it was in Caldwell Co. that Jemima's first child, Elizabeth was born,
30 March 1837. When they had lived there three years they had an experience
which changed their entire lives. The posterity of Jemima and James Powell are
indeed grateful that their Great Grandmother told in her own words just what
happened to them in Caldwell Co. It is hard for us today to realize just how
heartless and mean those wicked men of Missouri were to the Mormons.
May we quote:
INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF JAMES POWELL-- by his wife-after
his death.
One day while we were living in Caldwell County, Missouri we
were visited by what might be termed a mob, composed of the following persons:
Arthur F. Wethers, John Gardener, Riley Clark Ellis, requesting my husband to
join the forces against the Mormons. He told them that if they had no Federal Authority
to molest them he could not go. He told them that. They replied warningly:
"If you do not join us we will kill you."
Following this they went in the direction of my father‘s
home. Fearing for the safety of our small daughter who at the time was at my
father's place, we followed them, little knowing what might occur.
As we were almost to overtake they stopped and ordered us
back, my husband said we were going after our little child. At this remark
three of the men sprang from their horses and one (a Mr. Wethers) caught up a
stick and struck my husband between the shoulders causing him to turn and
grapple with Mr. Wethers, who then shouted for help. Gardener shot at my husband,
missing him and not wanting to endanger a fellow posseman, Gardener then used
his gun as a club and stuck my husband on the head several times.
I ran for help but the posse left. I ran and lifted my
husband’s head; thus relieving his pain as best I could until my mother and two
sisters came to my assistance. They were Latter-day Saints, so they immediately
administer to him by laying on of the hands. After they had administered the
ordinance he arose and walked to my father's house, about two hundred yards
away. When they left they gave us warning that if we were not out of the place
by the time the sun was a yard high the next morning, they would return and
kill all of us.
Thinking that these fiends might return and carry out their
hellish threats we decided it was best to leave. We packed up our things in the
wagon and started that very night for Huntsville, a town about four miles away.
We arrived there the next afternoon after driving all night through wooded
country, being followed by the posse who were determined to see us well out of
the country.
Upon our arrival in Huntsville we were immediately
surrounded by a crowd of about three hundred men. They asked us what we had in
the wagon. I replied "If you must know, we have a wounded man in the
wagon". They asked if we had done anything for him and if we were Mormons.
We had done very little for him and neither one of us was Mormon, and had never
heard a Mormon preach. One of the men then told us to go to a certain vacant
house.
Arriving there they took my husband out of the wagon, laid
him on a door and the doctors performed an Operation on his head. They cut his
scalp in four parts, drew down as far as his ears and forehead. Then thinking
we would tell the posse they left him in this condition.
During my husband's illness nearly one fourth of his brains
were taken out. The doctors were showing them to some persons who were present when
my husband requested to see them. They handed them to him. He seemed to
scrutinize them closely and then threw them into the fire remarking "There
is a miracle for you, a man holding his own brains in his hand and then throwing them into the fire, and
living to see them burn."
We were transferred to the Doctors office where we remained for
nine weeks and by the time he was able to walk around the office we were moved about
a mile and fourth out of town. While we were staying at this place he complained
of a severe pain in his head. I prepared to go for the doctor, but he said I could
do just a well. I worked at the wound in his head until I could work my fingers
the whole length of it and remove pieces of bone from the size of a grain of
wheat to a piece one inch long and one and one half wide, about sixty pieces in
all. Of this fact there are many who can bear witness. Previous to this the
doctor had also taken out about fourteen pieces.
We moved from this place to a house still further out of
town. During our stay here we were presented by ten men with written agreement saying
that if we would agree to leave the state they would support us. This we
refused. I told them I was an American Citizen and knew my rights and I wanted
those men who had ruined my husband to be dealt with according to law and
Justice, but they said it couldn't be done.
I told them some what would we were going to start the next
day for Illinois. The following Sunday we started midst a thunder storm. My
husband and I walked I carried my three year old daughter in my arms and led a
heifer. It rained six days in succession and when we arrived at Salt Creek it
was very high. I got a man to take my husband and child in his wagon. He
refused to take me, but I was determined to go and just as the wagon entered
the stream I managed to get on top of the bows and in this way I got across
without any of them knowing it.
We traveled on until we arrived at Mt. Hope, Adams County,
Illinois where my brother Robert Wimmer lived, also my father and mother. We
lived with them. After we had been here sometime our little three year old
child died. We remained at Mt. Hope about eighteen months, then moved to Green
Plains, Hancock County Illinois. From there we moved to Nauvoo, where we stayed
until the Saints were driven out. We then moved to Harris Grove, twenty miles
north of Cainville and from there we came to Salt Lake City, arriving on the
first of October, 1852.
We traveled to Ogden about forty miles north, of Salt Lake
City, where we made our home. We owned a farm on the other side of the river, and
one day my husband was crossing over, he was caught in a fit and going alone he
fell into the river and was drowned. His body was found the next day and was buried.
End of Quote from Powell history.
May we go back to Mt. Hope, Adams County, Illinois to fill
in a few facts in the life's story of Jemima. It was here on 11th of Jan. 1838
that she gave birth to a second child Peter, we don’t have a death date on him,
nor do we have a marriage, so we will presume he died as a child. Her 3rd
child, Robert Alonzo, was born 13 of Oct. 1839, also in Mt. Hope. She tells
about moving to Green Plains, Hancock Co. It was here that Simeon Comfort (my
grandfather) was born 4 Sept. 1842. The birth of John Ammon is given as 27 Nov.
1844 in Pisgah, Morgan Co. Ill. She mentions being driven out of Nauvoo with
the Saints in 1846 into Iowa. In Pattawatomie County, Iowa, she gave birth to
her 6th child, Malinda. Also at the same place on 13th of Jan. 1849, Martha
Ellen was added to the family. At Harris Grove, Iowa, James was born 25 March
1851. Jemima's parents, Peter and Elizabeth Wimmer, along with her brother,
John P. and his wife and family crossed the plains in 1850 and settled in
Springville, Utah. But Jemima, her husband James and their six children stayed
close to his brother Robert Wimmer and his Family and came to Utah with him in 1852.
(Church Historian's office files.)
Robert was a church stalwart, and because of his leadership
ability was put in charge of a Company of 230 Saints to cross the plains. So it
was, that the Powell family left Kanesville, Iowa in July of 1852 and arrived
in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake Oct. 1, 1852, according to Jemina's notes.
(VOL. 12 Heart Throbs, says the Robert Wimmer Co. arrives Sept. 15, 1852. James
was 43 years old, Jemima was 38, Robert Alonzo was 13, Simeon C. was 10 and
John A. was nearly 8, Malinda was 5 and Martha Ellen was 2 and James only 4
months old when they started their journey.
As Jemima stated in her story, they went to Ogden to make
their home. It was no doubt in Ogden that Little James died on 19th of May 1853.
The vacancy in her heart was filled, somewhat when Abraham was born, 15 July,
1855 in Ogden.
Ever since her husband James had been severely beaten by the
mob back in Caldwell, County Missouri, when some of his brains had been beaten
right out of his head, he had suffered terribly with headaches and different
kinds of spells. As has related above, as one of these seizures came upon him
as he was crossing the Weber River to his farm. He was alone and he fell into
the River and was drowned on July 19th 1857. His body was found the next day
and he was buried in the Ogden cemetery.
We aren't prepared to say just when Jemima let Ogden, but it
is believed that she and her family went to Kamas, Summit County to live soon after
her husband's death, from there she went to Salem and then to Price.
Her children eventually married and settled in different
parts of the county. Robert Alonzo married Rachel Joanna Davis and made his
home in Carbon County on a ranch between Price and Helper, really about 3 miles
from Price. Simeon Comfort married—1st Lydia Hawley-was divorced and married
2nd Edith Hannah Cornaby. He lived in Spanish Fork Canyon.
John Ammon married—1st- Hannah Matilda Snyder—she died and
he married Sarah Jane Shields, then Rosalia Jane Allred. He lived first in
Kamas, Summit County, then Lamb's Canyon, Salt Lake County, then moved to
Salem, Utah County, then moved to Carbon County. Martha married Emper Fredrick
Grames as his 2nd wife and lived most of her life in Price, Carbon County.
In John Ammon's history he tells about his brother Abraham
being killed by a bear, while a group was on a deer hunt up in the mountains, this
was in 1878. Abraham was in the prime of young manhood, just 23 years old. This
was a great Loss and sorrow for his mother, Jemima.
The story goes that when Abraham came upon the bear unexpectedly,
the bear charged, and Abe shot, but it was not a killing blow to the bear. The
wound only infuriated the beast and he grabbed Abe and mauled him plenty. Those
with him were finally able to their brother. They took him down the mountain as
carefully as they could and to his mother's cabin, as there was still life in
him. With breaking heart she bathed and dressed his wounds, and patched him up
as best she could, even to putting his eyes back in the socket from which it
had been torn. On Dec. 3rd, 1878 death took him from his misery.
Grandmother would never leave this little cabin as long as she
lived. Abraham had built it for her and it was symbol of her darling son and
their happy life together spent in it. It is sad indeed that Jemima Powell had
to endure such extreme tragedy in her life. She died 13 Dec. 1893 age 79 years
and 9 months old. She was taken back to her old home in Salem to buried. She
had lived a widow for 22 years.
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