HISTORY OF GEORGE ALBERT GOODRICH

Transcription

1 HISTORY OF GEORGE ALBERT GOODRICH George Albert Goodrich was born on 3 March 1839 in Lunenburg, Worcester, Massachusetts. His parents were Benjamin Franklin Goodrich and Penelope Randall Gardner. The Benjamin Franklin Goodrich family joined the church in Massachusetts. Leonard Wilford Hardy and George Bryant Gardner were responsible for the Goodrich family's conversion. They left their home 9 April 1850 and joined Wilford Woodruff's Company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. At Pittsburgh they had a remarkable experience as told in the following incident from Wilford Woodruff's life: While returning to Utah in 1850 with a large company of Saints from Boston and the east, on my arrival at Pittsburgh I engaged a passage for myself and company on a steamer to St. Louis. But no sooner had I engaged the passage than the Spirit said to me, "Go not on board that steamer; neither you nor your company." The first steamer started at dark, with two hundred passengers aboard. When five miles down the Ohio River it took fire and burned the tiller ropes, so that the vessel could not reach the shore, and the lives of nearly all on board were lost either by fire or water. We arrived in safety at our destination by obeying the revelation of the Spirit of God to us. (Primary Association, A Story to Tell, Deseret Book Company, Salt Lake City, Utah 1966 p 320.) George Albert Goodrich was eleven years old when he left his home in the east. After his family arrived in Salt Lake City, he became active in frontier life. When Johnston's Army came to Utah in 1857, George Albert was called into the Utah Militia and went with his company into Echo Canyon to prevent Colonel Johnston's entrance into Salt Lake City. The Militia was so poorly clad and the weather was so severe that sixteen men were badly frozen the first night out and had to return to the city for medical treatment. George was among those who remained until a compromise was effected. He helped arrange rocks to roll down the canyon walls if the army attempted to enter Salt Lake Valley; and with the others he marched around and around their campfire nearly all night in sight of the army, to give an illusion of a large body of troops. In 1862 he was called by the leaders of the church to go back east to help some of the Saints who were traveling to Utah. The following is taken from the diary of Penelope Randall Gardner Goodrich: March 1862: George has just come and said, "Mother, they have called me to help fetch in the poor Saints. Do you think you can spare your dear son to do so?" It was giving me something of a trial, but I considered it was for the best, and said, "Go," and I tried to "fit him off" so that he would be comfortable. 22 April 1862: George started for the east. I accompanied him as far as the bishop's and 1

2 there parted from him with a heavy heart, asking God to protect him. 23 October 1862: George has returned with his company of Saints. He looks pretty well, considering...he says he has been in some tight spots. I am glad he got home safe again and more glad for the good report of him. On his return from the east he again took up his work in the Militia. He was made a captain and served in the Black Hawk War in the Utah Territory. In 1863 he married Eliza Ann Taggart, and in 1866 he married her half sister, Harriet Maria Taggart. In October 1868 he was called on a special colonization mission, as explained in the following entry from his mother's diary: October 1868: During October Conference George was called south to help build up a new place called St. Joseph, Piute, Arizona Territory. On the 4th of November 1868 he, with his family, six in number, started for their new home. It was rather hard parting with my only son, but I believe it is all for the best. I have received one letter from them, dated 3 January 1869, since their departure. 7 May 1869: Brother Leonard W. Hardy has lately had a letter from George. Poor boy, he seems to be sadly tried in the furnace of adversity. I hope he will come out unscathed; it is a good school for him. Hitherto he has not had the trials which have been the lot of many of the Latter-day Saints. I hope he will bear it all with patience, come off conqueror, and have plenty of faith with good works. In consequence of the barren and unproductive conditions of the country, they were soon reduced to destitution. At times bran and melons were all they had to eat. On one occasion the men were obliged to leave their families in the wilderness and go in search of food. Crossing the desert, they were threatened with death from thirst. So desperate did their condition become that on killing a rabbit they shared its blood. They came to an old well so badly caved in that no water could be seen. At first no one dared go down to dig for water owing to the uncertainty of the walls. George Albert entered saying, "I would rather die in the attempt to get water than die for want of it." He found water and with a tin cup dipped enough water to satisfy the men and horses. He was in the well more than two hours, and shortly after he got out the walls caved in. He and one other man sawed enough lumber with a whipsaw to complete an adobe meetinghouse. Scarcely had they completed their arduous tast when it was determined by the state boundary survey that they were located in Nevada. Taxes were so high they couldn't pay them. The state seized many of their horses and cattle and sold them for taxes. After Brigham Young sent the Goodrich family their release, they left St. Joseph and went to Orderville, in Kane County, Utah. There they planted crops only to have the grasshoppers destroy 2

3 them. They were at Orderville only a short time before leaving for Morgan, Morgan County, Utah. There George engaged in milling, first operating a sawmill and later, a flour mill. He served two terms as sheriff of Morgan County. On 9 October 1879 he married Rhoda Slade. She was a school teacher in Morgan. Pioneer work was not over for George Albert Goodrich, for in 1885 he went to Ashley Valley. For eight years he operated the first grist mill in the Valley. It was owned by Lycurgus Johnson and was run by water power. This mill was located a few blocks west of Johnson's large rock house in Maeser. This house was considered one of the finest in the Valley at that time, and George Albert helped with its construction for the Johnson family. While George was working at the Maeser mill an Indian and his squaw came to the mill for a sack of flour. As was customary the squaw picked up the flour, and placing it on her shoulder began carrying it to her horse, which was tied nearby. However, George Albert felt to reverse this queer custom and cajoled the old Brave into shouldering the flour himself. This burden was an unaccustomed one for his flabby muscles, and he fell to the ground, breaking his leg. The squaw was furious and blamed George for the accident. The only way he could atone for this unsuccessful crusade for chivalry was to keep this Indian couple at his home for six weeks. They slept in a storeroom of the mill, and George's wife, Rhoda cooked for them. During the eight-year period that he managed the mill at Maeser, a diphtheria epidemic came to the Valley. Many died, among them six of the Goodrich children: Fannie Sophia, age 20; William Burrage, age 14; Julia Louisa, age 12; Hyrum Parks, age 10; Wallace, age 8, all children of Harriet; and Esther Fidelia, 11, child of Eliza. In about 1890, under the Timber Act, George took up a homestead at Naples, where he did general farming, and he planted two acres of cottonwood trees. Planting the trees was in the agreement for obtaining the land. This grove furnished a real recreational park for the children, supplying rabbit pens, greenhouses, seesaws, stilts, whistles, stick horses, bud blowers, bird nests etc. The children's toys grew mostly on trees in those days. From 1892 to 1894 George filled a mission in the Southern States for the LDS Church. Shortly after his mission he returned to Salt Lake City and worked in the temple until The last big job George Albert worked on as a stone mason was the Uintah Stake Tabernacle at Vernal, which was commenced in 1900 and finished in In his later years he worked at the Dinosaur Quarry in Jensen during the initial excavations. George was known as an honest man. At one time, when his property was being assessed, the tax assessor asked how many pigs he had. On learning the number, he said, "Oh, I'll not put them in." "They are good animals, put them in!" George answered. 3

4 Captain Bob Riley, an old Indian, spoke of doing business with George. "He good man, no cheat Indian," he said. George Albert Goodrich died at Naples on 19 February 1911, age seventy-two years, of asthma and dropsy. He was buried in the Vernal Cemetery, Vernal, Uintah, Utah. This history was taken from the diary of Penelope Randall Gardner Goodrich and from writings and information obtained from the following: Mary Augusta Goodrich Gagon, Albert Gardner Goodrich, Amelia Goodrich Cook, Byron Goodrich, Leona Goodrich Manwaring, Lucy Goodrich Lind, and Ruth Goodrich Stone. ************ SHORT HISTORY OF GEORGE ALBERT GOODRICH D.U.P. History Files George Albert Goodrich was born March 3, 1839 in Lunenburg, Worcester, Massachusetts. Soon after his arrival in Utah, George became active in frontier life. On the approach of Johnston's Army, he was called into the Utah Militia and went with his company to Echo Canyon to prevent the army's entrance into Salt Lake City. In 1863 he was called to drive a team back across the plains to assist in immigrating the Saints. On his return he was made a Captain in the Utah Militia, and was active in the Black Hawk War. November 10, 1863 he married Eliza Ann Taggart, then in 1866 he married her half sister, Harriet Maria Taggart. On November 4, 1868 they were called to Southern Utah on what is known as the Muddy Mission. While serving on this mission, George was one of the two men who sawed enough lumber with a whipsaw to finish an adobe meetinghouse. Scarcely had they completed their arduous task when it was determined by the state boundary that they were in Nevada. Taxes were so high they could not pay them, consequently the state seized many of their homes and cattle and sold them for taxes. They were released in 1871 and returned to Utah, going to Morgan County to make their home. Here George engaged in milling, first operating a sawmill and later a flour mill. On October 9, 1879 he married Rhoda Slade, a school teacher. Pioneer work was not over for the Goodrich family, for in 1885 they moved to Ashley Valley. George and his son Albert again engaged in milling by operating one of the first grist mills in the valley. During the eight-year period that George managed the mill at Maeser, a diphtheria epidemic came to the valley. Many died, among them six of the Goodrich children. The last big job George worked on as a stone mason was the Uintah Stake Tabernacle at Vernal. Under the timber act he took up a homestead at Naples, where he practiced general farming and planted two acres of cottonwood trees. This grove furnished a real recreational park for the young children, supplying rabbit pens, greenhouses, teeters, stilts, whistles, stick horses, bud 4

5 blowers, bird nests etc. The toys grew mostly on trees in those days. Many of the children made frequent use of the saws, hammer and vise on the long workbench their father had built. Toy wagons and doll furniture were among the fascinating results. The few dolls they had were breakable china, but rag dolls were acceptable, and paper dolls came with Arm and Hammer soda, which were rare. From 1892 to 1894 he filled a mission in the Southern States for the Latter-day Saint Church. George Goodrich was known as an honest man. At one time, when his property was being listed, the tax assessor asked how many pigs he had. On learning the number, he said, "Oh, I'll not put them all in." George answered, "They are good animals, put them in." George loved a good joke and one time the joke turned on him. Their cabin homes were not equipped with clothes closets and built-in cupboards, so chairs often served a second purpose, that of clothes racks. Finding them dressed up thus one day, he remarked, "Won't it be fine when we get all the things we want, and chairs enough to put them on." ************* AN INCIDENT IN THE LIFE OF GEORGE ALBERT GOODRICH By Hazel Manwaring Hilbig My mother, Leona Goodrich Manwaring, told me that her father George Albert Goodrich was a great student of the Bible. Mother said that when her father and Dr. Earl Douglas were excavating dinosaur bones at the quarry in Jensen, Dr. Douglas said, "We know that these dinosaur bones are millions of years old, but that doesn't agree with the Bible." Grandfather's answer to this was, "How do we know whether or not this world was formed from parts of other worlds and that these bones originated elsewhere?" He also added that "to replenish the earth" could have meant that the earth or parts of it could have been inhabited by forms of life before it was created as we know it. Dr. Douglas replied that was the best explanation he had heard yet. Our dictionaries today use the words plenish and replenish synonymously, although other definitions are also given; that is, plenish being the original furnishing or filling and replenish being to stock anew or fill up again. According to the Bible story of the creation, we know that the beasts were created before man, but we do not know the length of the period of time of their creation. 5

6 This explanation is given only to show that Grandfather did some constructive thinking regarding science and religion. 6