Handcart Pioneer: James Briggs, 11

James Briggs, 11              

James traveled with his entire family.  His parents, two older siblings and 4 younger siblings.  The trek was very hard for the family.  The older siblings, from James and older, took turns pulling the handcart.  They also took turns carrying their baby sister Emma.  They sometimes would carry her under their clothing to warm each other. The last crossing was hard for the entire handcart company; especially the men.  They met rescuers on October 28, and were then at Martin’s Cove.  James’ mother awoke to find her husband had passed away in the night. One of James' brother also passed away in the cove.  Finally after a week in Martin's Cove there were wagons enough to move on.  However, this family would see death again.  The baby, Emma, would pass away just a day before they entered the valley.

Handcart Pioneer: James Gordon Bleak Sr., 26

James Bleak (pronounced Blake) had a childhood.  All of his siblings and his parents died when he was young.  He lived with an aunt, and she also passed away.  However he remembered bowing to Queen Victoria when she would pass by.  When he visited a Mormon meeting, one of the Elders noticed that his eyes were weak.  He admitted he could scarcely see anything.  He received a blessing, and never had this problem again.  After joining the church, he became president of the White Chapel Branch in London.  As he was being released to travel to America, a sister spoke in tongues.  James understood the meaning, but did not respond.  Another sister did, stating what he already knew, "Notwithstanding he shall see the angel of death laying waste on his right and on his left, on his front and on his rearward, yet he and his family shall gather to Zion in  safety, and not one of them shall fall by the way."  He traveled with his wife, Elizabeth Moore Bleak and their four small children.  This prophesy was tested on the trail.  Most of the family became ill and the fell behind.  James was so weak he asked his wife to leave him behind.  She tucked him in a blanket and got the children into camp.  She then repented and went back for her husband.  They got him into camp and nursed him back to health.  Another occasion was even more nerve racking.  Two women were caring for one of the boys at night.  One very cold morning, they came bearing sad news, the boy had passed away.  Thomas had stopped breathing, but James, remembering the promise delivered begged upon Gd to not forget this promise.  .James went to work on the child, rubbing his limbs and anointing him with oil.  He thought he saw a glimmer of life, and continued to rub and administer.  By God's power the child opened his eyes and was able to continue thr journey, becoming a father of nine children.

Martin Handcart Pioneer, Heber Robert McBride, 13

Heber's father, Robert, was on of the first individuals baptized in England.  He was only two days behind the first baptism.  They were provided the opportunity to immigrate to Zion by the handcart plan.  Heber talks of the march of the last train stop to the outfitting camp.  They were caught in the rain, soaked and lost their way..  It was only after dark and they could see the campfires that they were able to make it into camp.  On the handcart trek Heber's mother became ill, and the care of the children went to his older sister Jeanetta.  Heber had three younger siblings and an older sister.  She was no longer able to draw the handcart and this duty went to Heber.  His mother would walk as far as she could and then would be placed on the the handcart everyday.  Their baby sister also rode.  He recalled using buffalo chips for fuel.
His father pulled the cart everyday, and his body began to break down.  Despite this, he made about 25 trips across the river helping others across.  After they made it into camp, Brother McBride was asked to sing.  "O Zion when I think of thee, I long for pinions like a dove."  He could only sing one verse.   He was so ill the next day he could barely sit up.  Heber found a spot for him in one of the wagons.  That would be the last they would see of him alive.  That night the arrived in camp after dark.  The next morning Heber went in search of his father.  He found him frozen under a wagon.  He was buried in a communal grave with 14 others.  He and his family faced terrible hunger and privations, and resorted to eating the bark off of trees.

Handcart Pioneer: William Lawrence Spicer Binder, 23

William had embraced the gospel as a young man, and despite the efforts of some relatives to dissuade him, he was determined to emigrate to Utah and the handcart plan offered him the opportunity to do so.  He had served as Branch President if the Lambeth Branch.  A few years previous he had married Eliza Camp on Christmas day.  Highlights from his trip included sailing on the Horizon.  He was sea sick most of the way, although his wife kept her health.  traveling by train to America they observed the Fourth of July celebration in Buffalo.  Also at various spots there were those who opposed the church and preached against the prophet Joseph Smith.  He observed armed men traveling to Kansas in light of the troubles there.  At the outfitting point in Iowa City he was required to leave much of his clothing behind to make weight.  The company left Iowa City to begin their handcart journey July 28.  August 3 they observed a bright "luminary in the sky' which descended to within 50 feet of the earth where it suddenly disappeared.  On October 17 the company was asked to reduce their weight to only ten pounds.  They left behind bedding and clothing which made them vulnerable to the cold which would soon hit them.  Their ration was serious reduced, and with only two-day supply remaining they were met with the advance guard of rescuers from the valley.  They then had a three-day trek to meet the promised wagons.  One of these days was very arduous for mud.  It was determined they should move to Martin's Cove.  William took his own handcart across the river.  He then returned for Brothers "SS and Albert Jones" who had become stuck in the river.

Willie Handcart Pioneer: Thomas Caldwell 14

After Thomas' family joined the church, his father traveled to Canada to join his parents; and was never heard form again.  His mother was anxious to travel to Zion, and his family, older brother and two younger sisters traveled aboard the Thornton and joined the Willie Handcart Company.  traveling with them was a young woman, Christina McNeil who was a boarder and friend from Scotland.  The family was assigned to a handcart with Thomas helping his mother and this sister pull the cart.  Early on, while helping some girls with a milk cow, he became entangled in a rope, tripped and broke his collar bone.  He traveled in pain the rest of the journey.  Even so he tried to keep up appearances for his younger sisters.  When they came to rivers he would help his sisters cross.  They pain was not getting better, and perhaps was getting worse.  "We finally arrived in Salt Lake Valley the 9th of November 1956.  We had endured hardships almost beyond human endurance."  After coming to the valley his collar bone was finally able to heal.  He eventually married Abigail Snow, daughter of the President Lorenzo Snow.  He died shortly after his first children were born, twin boys.  He is buried in the Lorenzo Snow burial plot in Brigham City.
Summarized from the book "Tell My Story Too" by Jolene S. Allphin

Book Review: Lincoln's Last Days

Lincoln’s Last Days: The Shocking Assassination That Changed America Forever, Bill O’Reilly and Dwight Jon Zimmerman, Henry Hold and Company, New York, 2012.

 

This book is very interesting.  It focused more on Lincoln, the end of the war and his activities until his assassination.  It also focuses on the planning and the coordination it took to carry out this attack on our government and Abraham Lincoln.  There were three attacks planned, one which was not carried out.  However John Wilkes Booth was successful in killing the president.  Lewis Powell failed in his murder attempt again Secretary of State William Seward.  However he did injure several household members with his knife.  The third attack intended against the vice president did not materialize.  George Atzerodt was too drunk, and did not take kindly to the idea of murdering, and so wondered into the night rather than make the attempt. 

The capture of Booth ended rather quickly, with only a cursory review of his capture.  This book has left me interested enough to get the adult version; “Killing Lincoln.”

Documentary Review: A Song's Best Friend: John Denver Remembered (2005)

This documentary is put together eight years after the death of John Denver.  It presents the brief story of several people who worked with Denver, and they express the influence had on their lives.  This includes his ex wife, manager, co musicians. 
John Denver's career started with "Leaving on a Jet Plane" and was magical since its takeoff.  From this song he went on to record "Take Me Home Country Roads" which became an international hit.  Of course "Jet Plane" did as well.  Of course this documentary also talks of the inspiration for different songs.  "Annie's Song" is a favorite love song, but personally I prefer "Perhaps Love" which he recorded with Placido Domingo:

Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don't know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Oh, love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
And some say they don't know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of pain
Like a fire when it's cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

Annie documentary about Denver has to include his environmental and world activism.  This documentary talks of he and Annie's move to Aspen, Colorado, and his desire to get involved in leading environmental causes.  "Rocky Mountain High" introduced this them in his music.  His life also included a relationship with Jacques Custeau and his support through his song "Calypso" from which he donated the royalties to the Custeau Society. 
Other song mentioned include the simplistic honesty of his son "Sunshine on My Shoulder" or the profound insight from "Rhymes and Reasons:" 
For the children and the flowers
Are my sisters and my brothers
Their laughter and their loveliness
Would clear a cloudy day.
"Thank God I'm a Country Boy" is all John Denver, although not written by Denver.  He performed this song to everyone's delight for years.