HISTORY OF JAMES BRIGHAM WRIGHT AND
SARAH JANE CHAPPELL
James Brigham Brett (Wright) was born 2nd of February 1845 at Manchester,
County of Lancaster, England. The eldest son of Sarah Ann Brett. He was
illegitimate and when his mother married Andrew Wright 26 December 1849, he
took his stepfather’s name of Wright.
In 1854 or 55 Andrew Wright left his wife and ran away with another woman.
Aunt Sarah Ann Broadhead said the woman was Sarah Ann’s brother’s wife.
They were never heard of again and it was thought they had come to America.
James mother worked very hard in a factory trying to support her three children,
James, Brigham, Thomas was born 23 November 1851 and a sister Emma was
born 19 September 1853.
He was baptized when he was eight years old and was a very studious boy at
his age trying hard to help hi mother, as they were in very poor circumstances.
When he was nine years old the officers came and put them in the poor house. It
was a terrible trial to his mother and nearly broke her heart. However they were
only in the poorhouse nine days as a good Latter day Saint and friend of the
family heard of her troubles and helped to get them out. He was Edward
Chappell. He took James home with him and apprenticed him to learn the
clogger or shoemaker trade and could help his mother support the other.
When he was 11 years old the family was able to come to America with the help
of the Church Perpetual Emigration Fund. They came on the ship “Horizon”
under the direction of Edward Martin. He saw his beloved grandmother buried
at sea. It was one of the hardest things he ever had to bear, to see his beloved
grandmother buried in the watery grave and he never forgot his sad experience.
He walked the entire distance across the plains in the ill-fated Edward Martin
Handcart Company. One day as the Handcart Company was on the way, James
was not feeling well and he felt he could not walk any farther so he walked out
bay the side of the road and sat down by a mosquito bush and was soon fast
asleep. The company went on, no one missing him when the company camped
for the night his mother missed him and went to the captain. The captain was
very angry as they were all extremely tired after the hard days travel, but he sent
some men after James. When James woke up he saw a pair of very bright eyes
staring at him. When the men found him, they saw him sitting by the bush and
the wolves walking around him. He said he wasn’t afraid, as he had prayed to
his Heavenly Father to save him and send some one after him. When they
returned to camp the captain was going to whip him as it was dangerous to leave
the company and he had caused a lot of trouble for all were so weary. But his
mother said, “No, you are not going to whip him as he is sick.”
Another time James said the best meal he ever ate or the one that tasted the best
was as the company was traveling, some cattle or oxen would give out and could
not go any further so they would kill them for beef. One day they were on a little
creek and took the animal down to the water to clean it. After it was all over,
James and a few other boys went down where they had butchered the oxen, and
got the entrails of the animal, cut in small pieces about 6 inches long, turned
them inside out and washed them clean in the creak then cooked them over a
fire. The Captain was exceedingly angry with them as the boys could have killed
themselves they were so hungry, for they were extremely short of food and had
been rationed down to one quarter of a pound of meal a day for cakes or
hotcakes and they were like small pancakes.
James said he would never forget how hungry they were most of the time. One
time his mother caught him chewing buffalo hoofs that he had found on the
trail. He said one of the greatest temptations he ever had was one morning while
all the children were in bed and his mother and another women were cooking
breakfast, which consisted of one small pancake a piece made from flour and
water, his mother put the pancakes on a platter inside of the tent in which he was
sleeping. He woke up and saw these cakes. The other children were still
sleeping and his mother was out of the tent so got up and took one of the cakes
and ate it under the covers. When his mother counted the cakes and found one
was gone she asked James if he had taken it. He said, “Yea, Mother, I was so
hungry.” She broke down and cried and said, “I know my boys, I know, we are
all hungry”. It was the first time he ever saw his mother cry.
Many of the Saints came down with the chills and fever and were dying from
exposure. One day James became sick and his mother could see that he was
getting the chills and fever. She got a little stick and began to run him around
the campfire until he was perspiring freely then she rolled him in a blanket and
he was well the next day. He said she saved his life through her quick thinking.
He used to help his mother gather buffalo chips to build fires when there was no
wood available. Many times he helped shovel snow at night to make their beds,
and he helped pull the handcart. More detail about the trip across the plains is
found in his mother’s history.
After they arrived in Salt Lake and rested for a few days they went on to Payson
and made their home. Their suffering and trials were not over for food was
scarce and the grasshoppers had been bad that summer in the valley. They lived
on roots and weeds and never tasted bread for six weeks. The first bread was
made out of bran and it was so good. His mother married Thomas Corbett and
when he died they moved to Nephi. There she married Samuel Phillips and they
had a small farm and James helped with the work and grew up in Nephi. When
he was nearly 19 years old he was called by Brigham Young to return with ox
teams to Winter Quarters, he found the Edward Chappell family waiting there to
come across the plains. He asked and was granted permission for this Chappell
family to ride in his wagon. This was a happy meeting as they were old friends
in England, who he had worked for.
Edward Chappell was born 23 August 1822 in Manchester and his wife, Agnes
Boardman was born 15 March 1824. He and his wife joined the church in the
early days. He was baptized 27 August 1848 and Agnes was baptized a few days
before on the 8th of August. They were the only ones in each of their families to
join.
They lived in Manchester the greater part of their lives. There was a small
branch of the Church there where the family attended meeting. They were kind
and generous, and hospitable and kept an open house for all missionaries who
came to this branch. At one time there was trouble among the Saints and
Edward Chappell left the church and took his children to the Catholic Church for
awhile. Sarah Jane could recite the catholic catechism and count their beads. The
disagreement was finally settled and they came back into the church.
Edward Chappell had a head of black curly hair and used to stand a model for
an artist or sculpturer. One of his relatives was blind and knew all the streets of
the town and could get around by himself.
Sarah Jane was the oldest child and was born 2 November 1844 in Manchester.
She was baptized when eight years old on 3rd December 1852. As she grew older
she became very fond of John Johnson who later became her uncle as he married
her mother’s sister Mariah Chappell. She said she would have married him if
she had stayed in England.
The family moved to Bilston, Staffordshire for about six years where two of the
children were born. Later, they moved back to Manchester where they lived
very comfortably. He owned and operated a first class shoe and clog
establishment in the town of Manchester and had six to eight employed as
apprentices. He had a very good business and was highly respected in the
community.
The other children of the family besides Sarah Jane were – Rachel Boardman
Chappell, born 6 Oct 1845, died the same day. Emily Ann Chappell born 3
September 1849. Edward Nephi born 8 June 1851. Fredrick William born 19
March 1853. Robert Edward born 9 October 1856. Agnes Boardman born 5
September 1860. Angeline Athelia born 10 November 1862 and Jemima
Elizabeth born 6 January 1864. All the children were born in Manchester except
Robert Edward and Ganes Boardman who were born in Bilston, Staffordshire.
Edward Nephi passed away when 6 months old in December 1851.
Their greatest desire was to come to Zion. The way was opened up and they
were able to sail early in June 1864. They sold everything they owned and taking
their family, then consisting of seven children, and two young ladies in their
care, Priscilla Pitt and Eliza Duncan, set sail on the sailing vessel “Jennie
McClenel”.
They were on the water between five and six weeks and had a very rough
voyage. The storms were so severe that at times the people feared for their lives.
The Captain said, “This boat will not sink for there are Mormons on board.”
They arrived safely and well in the United States and left immediately for
Florence, Nebraska where teams were waiting for them from Utah.
James Brigham was on e of six young men who were called by Pres. Brigham
young from Nephi to return to Florence, Nebraska and help pilot other
companies of Saints across the plains with ox teams in 1864. This trip took them
six months.
There was great rejoicing when James met the Chappell family and they began
the trek across the plain around the latter part of July in his wagon. They were
with the Captain W.C. Warren company which consisted of sixty wagons and
two to four oxen with each wagon.. About five days on their journey they
thought it best to join another company as the Indians were attacking ahead of
them and also behind them so they joined up with Captain Canfields Company.
His company had sixty wagons too and about the same number of oxen so it
made a very large wagon train but there was more safety and security, and
protection for them. The Indians were on the warpath and attacking small
parties and burning and killing them. At one place, a band of Indians rode up to
an old man who was legging behind, and scared him so he pointed his gun at
them and fired but he gun didn’t go off which was a good thing or there would
have been trouble or perhaps a fight with the Indians.
The two girls who were being cared for by the Chappell family, Priscilla Pitt and
Eliza Duncan, along with Sarah Jane walked the entire distance across the plains.
The journey was fatal to many members of the wagon train and the Chappell
family had their share of trouble. The had been well to do in England and
consequently found they could not adapt themselves to the rigorous hardships
and terrible exposure they encountered on that hazardous pioneer journey. Soon
they were all sick and at the first crossing of the Platte river, their eight month
old baby girl Jemima Elizabeth died the 5th of September and buried on the banks
of the river.
The streams became colder and the night chilly and one evening just after the
baby was buried, Edward Chappell, the father, came into camp completely
chilled and wet from crossing the icy streams so many times that day helping
other across. As he stood by the fire to dry out, he said, “I am so chilled I will
never get over it.” And he never did. He caught a bad cold and was sick for just
a few days. While he was sick in bed James helped Sarah Jane lift the box of
supplies in the wagon and as they finished he held hand. Her father raised up
on his elbow and said, “It is alright with me, you have my blessing.” He could
see they were in love, and he was happy about it. James had on a pair of
homespun blue jeans and a homespun pink shirt and a hand made straw hat as
they made all their own clothing in those day.
Edward Chappell passed away 9 September and was buried at the 1st crossing of
the Sweetwater.
Their mother, Anges was ill with rheumatic fever and it was a sore trial to her to
see her dear husband laid to rest so far from any habitation. She became worse
and a week later on the 15th of September, she too passed away, and was buried
at the 2nd crossing of the Sweetwater. They were indeed sad at the losses of both
parents and their baby sister. They were nearly all sick but they carried on as
best they could with James doing all in his power to help hem in their sad
bereavement. Little two-year-old Angeline Athelia passed away three days later
on the 18th of September and she, too was buried by the wayside in a lonely
grave. Fifteen-year-old Emily Ann was not well and when she waded a cold
mountain river she became worse and passed as away on 23 September. How
sad Sarah Jane was to see her dear sister and companion buried in a lonely grave
in the mouintain valley. This left four children and they journeyed on and
reached Salt Lake City on the 2nd of October. They did not remain in Salt Lake
City but went on to Nephi with James. On their way, Robert Edward became ill
with the black cankor (or trench mouth as we know it now) and passed away
twenty miles from Nephi, on the 8th of October just one day before this ninth
birthday. They took his body on into Nephi to be buried.
I can just imagine James reaching Nephi and driving up to his mother’s home
with the remaining three sick children and the little dead body, and Sarah Jane
sobbing out her tale of woe in his mothers arms. What a shock it must have been
to her, to learn of the lonely death and burial of her dear friends she had known
and loved in England. His mother gladly welcomed them into her home and
tenderly cared for them until they were well and strong again.
Sarah Jane was a spirited young girl and soon recuperated and made the best of
things. It was not long before she was helping with the others and doing her
share of the work around the home. Spinning, weaving, knitting, sewing,
cooking and cleaning. James admired her cheerful and tender disposition and
fell deeply in love with her.
They were married on Christmas day 25 December 1864 and started
housekeeping in a one-room house with a dirt floor and a sod roof. When it
rained she would have to put pans around the room to catch the drips that came
through. She cooked all their meals on an open fireplace. There was a piece of
iron fastened to one side of the fireplace that was called a crane. It could be
moved back and forth. On that they hung their kettles to cook their food and
boil their water. Potatoes were roasted in the ashes on one side of the fireplace.
Their bread was baked in an iron skillet on the hearth before the open fire. Hot
coals were placed under the skillet and on the top, which were replaced till the
bread was done. To make light bread she stirred flour and water together and
kept it in a warm place till it fermented, then made a sponge. When that was
light she mixed her bread. They covered the coals up every night to keep live
coals to start the fire in the morning. If the coals died out in the night they would
have to go to a neighbor and get some as there were no matches or they had no
money to buy such a luxury. Later an old lady made hop yeast to sell. They
would take flour to her and she would give them as much yeast as they had
given her flour.
James made a table and they sat on boxes till he could get some chairs made. He
made a wooden bed with slats, on which they put a homespun tick filled with
straw to sleep on. Later on he made other things for the home, a good cupboard
and a flour bin large enough to pout a years supply of flour in. They cradled
grad and gleaned wheat to buy their first dishes.
He had a small farm and worked very hard on it. He cradled many bushels of
grain. Work was slow and laborous and they worked at a great disadvantage for
they did not have the facilities to work with in those days. The grain was cut
with a cradle (or scythe) made with a home made hand rake of wood, tied into
bundles, carried into shocks or stooks then hauled home by ox team and stacked
ready to be threshed. Most of the threshing was done by hand. They would put
it on the floor of the grainery and tromp or beat it, they take the grain with the
chaff and when a wind was blowing they would hold it up in the wind and let it
fall into a tub or barrel. The wind would blow the chaff away. When the wheat
was hauled in from the fields the women and children would go in the field and
glean. They would pick up every head of wheat and tie it into small handfuls
and put it in a sack and carry it home on their backs and it was theirs to sell or do
with as they liked.
They also made their own soap in those days and to make it they used what they
called a leach. It was a wooden barrel with small holes in the bottom. They
filled it with hardwood ashes and poured water over them. When it drained off
they boiled the water down and put it in the grease. It made a soft soap. (I have
tried it myself)
James was a good carpenter and he worked at that trade in the wintertime. He
built homes and things for them. He taught his sons the trade and he would say,
“Now son, be sure you are right then go ahead.” When he built his new home he
made it out of adobe that he molded himself. Because it was difficult to make
soap, they would not use it for cleaning. Their furniture was all home made so
they would scrub it with white sand, the tables, chairs and floors were all kept
white and beautiful this way.
The winters were very cold and they had difficulty in getting enough water as
they carried it from the creek that ran through town. The creek would freeze
over and they would chop holes in the ice for the animals to drink and through
these holes they would get their water. They melted snow for washing dishes
and their hands.
In the summer they would use the irrigation water from the ditches. When it
rained they would fill buckets and tubs as the water in the ditches would get
very muddy. When the children were out playing and got thirsty they would lay
down by the ditches and drink.
In the spring when the sheep were sheered the women would wash the wool,
pick it and card id. (until someone set up a carding mill)., then spin it and weave
it into clothing and blankets. It wasn’t long until some on e got up a small
weaving machine. To get gray, they would mix black and white, they would use
bark of the quaking aspen to get grown and onion skins to get yellow. They also
got yellow from the rabbit brush, blue from the indigo flower and other flowers
for other colors.
When they went to dances they would take wheat, corn, barley, vegetables or
other things for their tickets.
James was a good singer and sang in the choir for 30 years. It was different
then. The words were in a little book and the music in a large one and they
would hold the music up and the little book with the words in and use them
both together. He was a member of the first brass band in Nephi and played the
piccolo.
In the early days they had lots of trouble with the Indians. They had a habit of
sneaking up on you or you would look up and find one standing in the
doorway. On one such occasion, James mother backed one out of the house with
a hot flat iron. Another time she took her false teeth out and he sure did git, as
they were very superstitious. Pres. Brigham Young advised the Saints to feed the
Indians and be good to them and that is what they tried to do, but the Indians
would still gox on the warpath.
They built a big mud fort wall around Nephi for the protection of the people. It
extended along the north, east and south while the creek (Salt Creek) was on the
west, The walls were six feet thick at the bottom and sloped up to four feet
through at the top and was around eight feet high with port holes to shoot
through. It was made of mud and straw. James helped build it and took turns in
standing guard in all kinds of weather to protect the people from prowling
Indians. The men who stood guard were called minutemen. There was a large
flat roof store in town that was called the Co-op store and they placed a large
drum on the roof. When a warning was needed to let the people know of any
danger, a man in charge of the drum would run up and beat them to spread the
alarm and it could be heard all over town. Every man had his position in which
he fought and would drop whatever he was doing and come running to take his
place and fight the Indians. All the men who lived in Nephi had to fight many
times to protect the lives of their loved ones. They were called the Militia.
At that time Black Hawk was the Indian Chief and James fought in the Black
Hawk Indian war. However no raids were made on the town of Nephi itself, but
it was situated on the trail the Indians took to go south and east through the Salt
Creek Canyon. At one time some emigrants going to Sanpete were warned not
to go any farther as the Indians were on the warpath. A man and wife and two
children were in the party but they would not heed the warning and went on.
Those people only had one wagon and several on horseback, and when they
decided to go on, the Indians caught them, put them through terrible torture and
burned the outfit, off with their horses. The children, somehow, got away and
went to Fountain Green and told them of the massacre. This happened in Salt
Creek canyon and of course it caused a great deal of trouble. The Militia was
called to search out this raiding party. There was a good Indian by the name of
Indian Joe and he would tell the Mormons when the Indians were on the
warpath. He came and told them where these bunches of Indians were hiding.
Indian Joe called to them and told them that they were surrounded. Some tried
to make a break and were shot. The others were surrounded and captured and
taken prisoners to stand trial. Some of the Indians were killed but the women
and children.
James had his gun on one that was trying to escape, but the Indian was shot from
the other side. This was the second time he held his gun on an Indian but never
shot one. The first time was on the plains when he was going after the Chappell
family. The Indians were bad and James had an older man sitting on the seat
beside him. An Indian came past and snapped his gun three times but it didn’t
go off. If it had, James would surely have shot him as he always had his gun on
the seat beside him. James always said that it averted a massacre as there was a
big camp of Indians near and if the Indian had been shot they would have killed
and burned the whole wagon train. He said the hand of the Lord was with them.
One day an Indian came to his home with a nice willow basket and wanted a
bread pan of flour init. Sarah Jane, thinking it would make a nice clothesbasket,
said she would take.
Copy owned by Lee OLSEN
Typed by Karen NELSON