Martin Handcart Pioneers: Langley Allgood Bailey, 18 John Bailey, 15

Langley was the oldest son of John and Jane Allgood Bailey.  He crossed the ocean aboard the ship Horizon and traveled by train to Iowa City.  They had to walk to the outfitting site the first night, and were hit by a severe storm and soaked through.  They did not arrive into camp until after dark, where they had to stand in a tent in their wet clothes until morning.  They had gotten separated from their parents and were found the next morning.  While in Iowa Langley learned to swim.  While treading water, a brother tried to walk to him, and almost drowned had Langley not pulled him out.  While traveling across Iowa, Langley took sick and had to be pulled by his brother John and Isaac Wardle.  He received a blessing from the apostle Franklin Richards in Florence, Nebraska and was promised he would make it to Salt Lake.  A local doctor advised he not travel further, but the family continued on.  At one point Langley became discouraged, feeling he was a burden to others.  He tried to get away and hide so he could just pass away.  However his mother came looking for him.  A voice told Langley to reveal himself, so he did so.  After a gentle rebuke from his mother, and a reminder of his blessing, he returned to the company.  Langley continued to ride in the handcart, and after the rescue was able to ride in a wagon.  Upon arriving at Salt Lake he was lifted up in the wagon and later said, "It was like the Israelite of old in beholding the promised land."  Because of his illness, Langley weighed only 60 pounds upon arriving in Salt Lake.  He would recover and settle in Nephi, Utah and have 17 children. 

During the handcart trek John Bailey was almost inseparable from his older brother, and in turn from Isaac Wardle who were all from the Whitwick Branch of the Church in England.  They also pulled the handcart together when Langley become ill.  Then he and Isaac Wardle pulled his brother.  John was soaked with Langley when he was caught in the  rain the first attempt they had at foot travel, walking form the rail depot to the outfitting location in Iowa City.  Langley promised to share his food with his brother and Isaac, because it was going through him like a "funnel."  John would settle in Moroni, Utah where he was active in politics.  He would raise a large family.