HISTORY OF OLIVE BO YNTON HALE Daughter of Elipha let Boynton and Susannah Nichols. Born 30 Ju ly 1805, Bradford Mass. Wife of Jonathon Hale. D ied 8 Dec 1846 at Counc il Bluffs Iowa wh ile crossing the plains. Compiled and given by granddaughter, Louie Ann Ha le Call... Caribou Co. Bancroft Idaho. She was a sweet, lovely and beautiful young woman. She was blonde, of normal proportions, embodying strength, grace, and feminine charm. Olive had two brothers, Osgood George and John Farnham, who was one of the First Quorum of Apostles, he was a noted sc ientist and lecturer. She had one sister, Clarissa, who married Henry Harriman. This sister joined the Church and came to Utah w ith the pioneers in 1848 with the Heber C Kimball Company. When Olive was a girl, she became acquainted with Jonathon Harriman Hale, a young man from her home town. They were married 1 September 1825. He was 25 years old and she was 20. They established a home at Dover, New Hampshire, about 40 m iles from where they had been living. Here they went into the butchering business with his brother- in- law, Stephen Pa lmer. Their first child, a baby girl, was born to them 22 August 1826 and was named Sarah. This baby died the same day. Th is was the first real sorrow that had come into the ir lives. On 18 May 1828 they were blessed w ith a son. He was named Aroet Lucius Little Ha le. The ir next child was a girl whom they named Rachel Johnson Savory Hale, after her paternal grandmother and Jonathan s sister. While living at Dover, New Hampshire, there came into the neighborhood some m issionaries, telling of a strange new book, translated from golden plates. This book they were perm itted to read. Their hearts were touched and they soon became converted, and Olive and her husband Jonathan were baptized into the Church of Latter-Day-Sa ints by Elder Gladden Bishop, the Branch president of the church at Westerfie ld, New York. They were baptized on 13 J une 1834. Soon after joining the church, things moved pretty rapidly for them. Olive s husband was called to be Branch President of the Dover Branch. Olive was a very devoted w ife. She was co-operative and worked harmoniously w ith her husband w ith whom she was one in a ll things. After joining the church, her husband being made Branch President, he had a strong desire to go to Kirtland to meet the Prophet Joseph Sm ith, about whom he had heard so much, so he began to make preparations for the trip to Kirtland, Oh io, which was the headquarters of the church at that time. On 10 April 1835, he left Dover and went to Bradford, Massachusetts, a distance of about 40 m iles, where he picked up Henry Harriman, his brother-in-law, and Jonathan Harriman Holmes, his cousin, and the three of them journeyed to Kirtland to see the Mormon Prophet and to shake his hand and ;hear his vo ice. Eighteen days later, on 28 April, they arrived at their destination, and what a marve lous and thrilling experience awaited them. They found in the Prophet, a handsome young man under 30, tall and athletic in appearance, approachable and kind, strong in his convictions and confident in his position. He received the three strangers as brothers and took them into h is confidence and administered not only to their physical needs but gave them the kind of food the ir souls hungered for. Jonathan recorded in his journa l at the time, that he had there received many blessings, one of these many blessings was his Patriarchal blessing, given to him by Joseph Smith, Sr., the first Patriarch of the church. About th is time they started to make preparations to move to Ohio w ith the Saints. It was indeed no small task, but they thought it the will of the Lord that the Sa ints should gather to Kirtland, Ohio and bring all their means to establish Zion and build a temple sacred to God. So the Hale family sold all there in Dove and Bradford for cash and a traveling outfit and prepared to move. Olive s sister, Clarissa, and her husband moved with them. They arrived in Kirtland on 10 July 1836, having been 24 days en route, all feeling in good spirits. Olive provided for the comfort of their 2 month old baby, Alma, on this long journey by making a nice little bed in a basket, which they suspended in the wagon box and swinging like a hammock as they traveled along the road.
On their arrival they were to establish a home. This Jonathan did and found time also to devote to the interests of the church and in local service and with their means and labor for the construction of the temple. Olive received her Patriarchal blessing given by Joseph Smith Jr. Jonathan had provided his family with a comfortable home. Elder Wilford Woodruff and his wife were boarding with them at this time. Jonathan and Wilford Woodruff were called on a mission. They left for their mission, a tedious journey on foot, as it was necessary to travel that way. They went to Canada and baptized many souls. Wilford Woodruff s wife stayed with Olive at the Hale hoe while they were gone. On 16 February 1838, on returning home he found the Prophet and Sidney Rigdon had to flee for their lives. They left on horseback to escape mob violence. Soon it was necessary for the Saints to move to Missouri. Olive s husband writes in his journal on 6 July 1838, We left Kirtland; the camp consisted of 529 souls, 96 horses, 22 oxen, 68 cows, 59 wagons, and about 33 tents with provisions. We pitched our tents by the way, as children of Israel. They had traveled 251 miles and stopped at Bath, Green County, Ohio for one month. Here Jonathan was engaged in buying provisions for the camp. There were additions to the constitutions of the camp, which included the blowing of the horn for arising at 4 a.m. every morning and for assembly and prayer 20 minutes later, also appointing of herdsmen for livestock and for guards at night. Every company in camp was entitled to an equal proportion of milk, whether individuals of the several tents owned the cows or not. In no case shall the camp move more than 15 miles in one day. The company was compelled to halt frequently to repair broken wagons, replace worn out oxen, nurse the sick and bury those who had died. There were instances when contracts were taken for building roads, bridges, harvesting crops, and doing other lines of work to earn money and re-stock their needed supply of food and provisions. Naturally such a large group traveling in a body would attract much attention; sometimes they were denied camping places in the open near settlements, and often they were refused the sale of food for themselves and their animals, for cash, because they were founds to be Mormons. On the Sabbath day, they held religious services of singing, preaching and bearing testimonies. After being en route three months, this weary band called Kirtland camp came to their journey s end at Farr West, Missouri on 8 October 1838. Five miles from the city they were met by the First Presidency of the church: Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith, and several others who received them with open arms and escorted them into the city. They encamped on the public square around the foundation of a temple. The total distance from Kirtland was 870 miles. This was a day long to be remembered by this part of the church called Kirtland Camp, for they arrived at their destination and began to pitch their tents about sunset. When one of the brethren (quoted from the D&C 107:53-57) declared, Brethren, your long and tedious journey is now ended; you are now on the public square of Adon-ondi-ahman. This is the place where Adam blessed his posterity when they arose up and called him Michael, the Prince, the Archangel. This is the territory assigned to them. They lived in tents until the first
of November, when they were driven to Farr West, Caldwell, Missouri. In Jonathan s journal he says, During this time, the weather was cold and snowy. I laid night after night on the ground with my brethren with little or no shelter, to defend my wife and little ones from the mob. They were being persecuted to the extreme. The terrible massacre at Haun s Mill took place just twelve miles from them, and 17 of the Saints were killed and a number were wounded. This was on 30 October 1838. The Saints were being daily and nightly outraged by the burning of their homes and tents, driving away of their horses and cattle, sheep and hogs, or shooting them down where they found them. Aroet, their oldest son, tells: Shortly after our arrival there, Governor Boggs issued his extermination order, which gave the Saints their choice between banishment from Missouri, or death. Jonathan laid down two nice rifles; one was to be for Aroet when he was older. Shortly after this our tents were searched by a mob militia. My dear mother was lying sick in a wagon box in a tent. Four men entered our tent, two on each side of the bed where mother was lying, evidently in search of firearms. They rolled mother from side to side of the bed, roughly thrusting her against the side of the wagon box, until she was nearly exhausted. The tents and wagons of the other families were treated in like manner. After obtaining all the arms and ammunition they could find, they took Father and other brethren prisoners, and marched them away. I was about the largest boy in camp; I had to cut wood, burn it into coals and take the hot coals into the tent in a bake-kettle to keep my Mother and the children from freezing. Father retuned in a few days. Mother handed him two silver-mounted derringer pistols, which she had preserved from the mob by concealing them under her breasts. They lived in the tent until the ice on the Grand River had frozen sufficiently to bare loaded wagons to cross. Before the withdrawal of the armed forces, however, many acts of cruelty were committed. For instance, they had in their herd of cows, which were brought from Kirtland, a beautiful bull with brass knobs on its horns. Just for a pastime, the militia began shooting at the brass knobs on the horns and finally blew them into splinters. The following morning the bull was dead. Their next move was to Quincy, Illinois, where they rented a farm. Here they were able to fit themselves out with a good wagon team, harness and outfit in preparation for their next move with the body of the church. Here their third son, Solomon, was born or 30 April 1839. He was named after his Grandfather. Some time later, when they arrived in Nauvoo, and Solomon was approaching his 4 th birthday, he was complaining one evening, when the Prophet Joseph Smith was visiting the Hale home, of having only one name while his brother had two. The Prophet observed the child s complaint and asked him to sit on a little footstool in front of him. He then inquired as to what additional name he would like. The boy answered, I want the name of Henry, after Uncle Harriman. The Prophet said, alright my boy, you shall have it, and he then placed his hands upon the child s head and conferred upon him the additional name of Henry. While living in Quincy, Olive wrote a letter to Jonathan s mother, Martha, in March 1841. She stated that Jonathan bought land in Nauvoo, about a hundred miles from where they were living and was there fencing the land. They moved to Nauvoo. Peace and happiness for at least once, dwelt in the heart of the Latter Day Saints, as they gathered for a fine day, General Conference. The Nauvoo Legion was on parade with all its glory and led the procession to the Temple grounds where the First Presidency took part in laying the cornerstone for the Temple of the Lord.
Jonathon builds a home. He hauled rocks for the Temple and never ceased until he had paid up two and one half years of back tithing. They had a baby boy named Jonathon Eliphalet Hale. He lived six and one half months. and died on 22 July 1842. Jonathon was Bishop of the 9 th ward and also an officer in the Nauvoo Legion. Their second daughter, Olive Susan was born on 14 March 1844 On the 27 th of June 1847 the great tragedy at Carthage came, when the Prophet and his brother were killed The Prophet had planned the movement of his people to the Rocky Mountains., and now it became necessary for them to make preparations to evacuate their beautiful Nauvoo. Jonathon was made Captain of company number 21. Wilford Woodruff says in his journal, the last of June, I stopped my carriage on the top of the hill in the midst of the rolling prairie where I had an extended view all about me. I beheld the Saints coming in all directions from hill and dale, like the movement of a nation. Bishop Jonathon Hale was a member of the High Council. He successfully led his company to Council Bluffs, 300 miles away, arriving on 16 th July 1844. He was given the assignment to help care for the poor and see that they were all brought from Nauvoo to a gathering place for winter. Also to assist in looking out for the families of the Mormon battalion and to go to Fort Leavenworth to receive the pay of the soldiers, for their families. Before leaving Nauvoo, Olive and Jonathan had their endowments in the temple on 24 December 1845. Olive had to be brave while her husband was so busy with his many assignments and look after her own needs and that of her children. Her oldest son had been gone as a teamster for three months. Jonathan broke her leg, but this did not stop him. He goes about his work on crutches, caring for the sick and the dying. On 27 August 1846, a daughter was born to them, named Clarissa Martha. On 5 September 1846 Jonathan H. Hale died with malaria and just four days later his faithful wife, Olive passed away. Then little Susan died 15 September, and baby Clarissa Martha died 18 September. Thus, the father and mother and two little daughters all died within 14 days. They were all buried together at Council Bluff, Iowa in an unmarked grave, leaving four orphaned children alone in the wilderness. Her son, Solomon, said, it was terrible in extreme, so unexpected, so laden with grief. Father and Mother and 2 little sisters were taken within 2 weeks. There we stood, alone and loveless, the desolate plains and Rocky Mountains ahead of us, and hostile enemies ahead of us, and burning our homes behind us. Before Father died he gave us his blessings, and said, Stand by the faith and carry 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 you. He said that his mother was so worn and weary that she also contacted the fever and she called her children to her and asked them to follow the counsel of their father and go with Brigham Young and the brethren to the Rocky Mountains and to remain true and faithful. Then she turned to her son, Aroet, and asked him if he would see it that this was done, then she smiled and said that she would go with Jonathan. She had previously made temple robes for both of them and brought with her, in which they were buried. Their favorite hymn was How Firm a Foundation,
Ye Saints of the Lord, Is Laid for Your Faith in His Excellent Word.