A bit of Hale History (or the story of Aroet trading a horse)

Jonathan and his wife Olive Boynton Hale were baptized into the church in Dover, New Hampshire on June 13, 1834 by Elder Gladden Bishop, the branch president in the Westfield, New York. In August 1834 Jonathan was ordained an elder and appoint president of the branch in Dover. In April 1835 he and a couple of male family members traveled to Kirtland to see the Prophet and receive their patriarchal blessing from Joseph Smith Sr. On the way home he traveled as a missionary with some of the apostles and went to Palmyra. He went on 4 missions for the church, moved his family to Kirtland, went with the Saints to Farr West, and Nauvoo. All that the Saints endured, the Hale family endured with them. He held many leadership positions. He served as a bishop in Nauvoo and Council Bluffs. He was loved, trusted and used by the leaders of the church. The Hales had 2 children when they joined the church. Other children came and 2 died during the years of struggle and depravation. When the Saints left Nauvoo, Jonathan and most of the family stayed behind at Brigham Young’s request to help the poor and sick prepare to leave. They were one of the last groups out.

On August 27, 1846 their 8th child, Clarissa Martha Hale was born in Council Bluffs. Jonathan was busy doing what Brigham Young ask of him. He was again called as bishop, was on the high council and was asked to receive the money from the Mormon Battalion and by food for their families. He had tried to make his family as comfortable as possible, but they were living in a tent and wagon bed. The rains came and many people were sick. Jonathan cared for the sick and dying. His children worked along side him and were helping everyone build shelters.

Jonathan got sick and just before he died he said to his children “Stand by the faith and continue on with Brother Brigham and Brother Heber to the Rocky Mountains. It is God’s work, and we must not fail. Do not be persuaded to turn back, even though our relatives insist upon it. Go with the Church and God will bless and preserve you.” Jonathan Harriman Hale died September 4, 1846.

His wife Olive had tried so hard to care for him and the baby, she too got sick and died four days later. Olive’s sister had married Henry Harriman and they were across the Missouri River at Winter Quarters. The 6 orphans crossed to their home. But death was not finished with them. September 15th baby Clarissa died and on the 18th two year old Olive Susan passed away. All were buried together in an unmarked grave.

Within two weeks Aroet 18 became the head of a family of four orphans. Rachel 17, Alma Helaman 10 and Solomon 7 worked with him to build a place to live next to Uncle Harriman’s. When others went west the next year, the Harriman and Hale families planted seed and did what they could to get enough money and supplies to come to Utah in 1848.

In Utah they were given a small plot of land for a house in the city and a piece of land in the Sugarhouse area to farm. Rachel married Lucas Hoagland and the five of them lived in a one room cabin. Lucas took any job he could to earn money. Aroet took care of the farm. Each Monday he took a milk cow, a little bag of corn meal, a pot and spoon, a shovel and a quilt and walked or rode to the field. He worked to dig irrigation ditches and carry water to the little corn plants. For breakfast and dinner he would make a little mush with the milk and cornmeal. At night he would roll up in the quilt to sleep. Saturday night he would walk home to get cleaned up for Sunday.

Aroet was giving his all, they knew that having bread the following winter depended on successfully maturing this crop. Then a terrible thing happened. He wrote:

"One day about the middle of June, when I went out to water my wheat again, I found to my surprise and dismay that my field was covered with myriads of crickets and grasshoppers, which were fast sweeping away my grain. We fought them in every way we could think of; but most of us on the bench lost the great portion of our crops. Most of the crops near the city were saved by the sea gulls, which came and devoured the crickets, as they had done the year before....The last of June, just before harvest, was the hardest time of 1849.

Aroet Trades Saddle Horses

"I will relate a little incident to show how hard it was to get bread stuff. ... I thought I could glean a little [wheat] out that would do to thrash and grind in a hand mill, which many did. I saw several going to Neff's Mill with small grists of corn. [The] thought struck me that I might be able to trade for some. I had a fine little saddle horse that Lucas Hoagland had told me to trade for bread stuff or eatables of any kind.

"I saddled up, went to the Mill. Saw several there begging or trying to buy. Some [were] widows with families. I spoke to Neff [and] told him my situation. I offered him the horse, saddle and bridle ... for three pecks of corn meal. One peck to take home with me, one peck the next week. The third peck the third week.

"Now for the answer. Says he,'You great booby--trying to get three pecks of meal [when] there are women here begging for two quarts to take home with them to feed their little children.' The answer hurt my feelings so bad. I thought of the situation I had left the family in [that] morning, without a spoonful of anything to eat of bread stuff. ... I cried like a baby at [beingl called a booby for trying to make an honest trade with the miller.

"I continued fighting crickets til nearly night [when] I heard a noise towards the mouth of Emigration Canyon a little north of me. I looked, and to my surprise I saw a train of four and six horse wagons coming out of Emigration Canyon. This proved to be a company of the gold emigration, the first that arrived in the valley. I sprung onto my horse [and] went across the bench into their camp. Was the first Mormon Boy in their camp. They appeared to be very much excited over gold, and the miner asked many questions. 'What news from the gold mines? Is there any more of the Battalion Boys come in? What news do they bring? Have you seen any? Have you got any gold?' I had a very little that Hoagland had given me to try and get a little bread stuff with. I let them see what gold I had. They were all excited. In a minute all had to see the gold dust.

"While they were looking at the gold dust, an old gentleman touched me on the shoulder and beckoned me to one side. Says he, 'I have a span of young American colts four years old. They have been working on lead [and] have pulled themselves down very poor.' Says he, 'I will give you that span of young horses, their horns and lead bars for your pony, saddle and bridle.' I told him that I would go with him and see the horses. We went. He showed me the horses. They were as he reckoned them to me. I thought of the trouble I had offered the miller Neff a few hours before. I thought of my sister and the little boys at home without anything to eat but a little milk and segos for supper. I said,'Could you spare me a few pounds of flour [and] a small piece of bacon, a quart of beans or any kind of eatables?’

"‘Come to the wagon. I will see what I can find.’ He got into the wagon [and threw] out a sack of eight or ten pounds of flour [and] ten pounds of bacon. By that time the boys had got supper. They invited me into the tent where I ate the best supper that I [had] ever eaten or relished the best. I had not tasted nice white bread and fried bacon for months. I led my horses to the city. When my sister Rachel saw the flour and bacon, she wept for joy."'

It was good that Bob’s wonderful great great grandfather John Neff didn’t take the horse for 3 pecks of corn. Aroet got a team of horses, flour and bacon for that horse. It is kind of interesting to hear a story about John Neff from a different source. It begs the question, who do you want to write your history?