5 Richard Crowhter

This is a history that Richard Crowther wrote when he was 78 years old. He lived until 1926. This record is taken from the following source: Database: Utah, Our Pioneer Heritage

Cache Valley, January 20, 1918. I, Richard Crowther, now give a short history of my life up to the present time. I was born on or about October 1, 1839, in the Parish of Bridge, Shropshire, England. My father was Thomas Crowther, born in 1797. He died March 3, 1871, and was buried in the cemetery, Bridge Shropshire, England. My mother's maiden name was Ann Preece, born October 9, 1800, and she died August 27, 1846, and was buried at Stanton, Shropshire, England.
I was very small when my mother died. I can't remember very much about her only I know she was a dear mother to me. I can hardly help shedding tears when I think of her, how she had to work for her dear children when she was not able. Like all good mothers that love their children, she would work until she could work no longer, and then, dear soul, she had to give up. After my mother died my father took me and a younger brother to live with strangers. This was not pleasant as they were not very good to us. As fortune would have it, in about three months father took me to live with my dear grandmother, she and Grandfather were very kind to me. My younger brother died about six months after Mother's death. While staying with Grandmother, she sent me to school and I learned to read and write fairly well. I went to school about eighteen months, as near as I can remember; I had to walk two miles to school, but I am thankful I had that chance to learn a little.
When I was about eleven years old my father came and took me to work on a farm. I had sixpence a day or twelve cents in American money. My father worked on the same farm so I got along fairly well, as Father was very kind to me. I stayed there for about eighteen months, then I hired out to a man named Thomas Granger. I earned thirty shillings for one year's service or about seven dollars and my board. Out of this money I had to buy my clothes. I worked there one year then I hired out at another place for fifty shillings or twelve dollars. When I had been there about nine months I met with an accident to my leg which nearly cost me my life, but through the blessings of the Lord my life was spared. Later, when I could work again, I hired out to a man named Jackson who was a minister at Easthope Church. He and his wife were very good to me. He paid me a shilling a day. At this time I was again living with my grandmother. I worked here for about two years then Mr. Jackson sent me to work for his wife's father. My job was to take care of the garden. It was a good place to work and I stayed for two years, receiving ten shillings a week. Like other young people I wanted a change, so I went to Staffordshire to live. I worked at any kind of work where I could get the most money, so mine has been a sort of shiftless life.
I embraced the gospel in November, 1861. At this time I was working for William Smith but left in December and went to work at the coal mines until I emigrated to America. I boarded with a family that were good Latter-day Saints. I lived with them for two years. I left my native land about the 21st of May, 1864, on the good ship McClellan. We were thirty-two days on the ocean and had a good voyage for a sailing vessel. There were about nine hundred passengers on board, and there was only one death. We landed at Castle Gardens, New York, and had a pleasant trip up the Hudson River, a change from our sailing vessel. From there we took a train to Rochester, where we stayed for one day, the day being Sunday. I had twelve cents left at that time. We traveled night and day until we reached Wyoming, Nebraska, on July 4th, about sundown. There was only one building there, a church belonging to the Latter-day Saints, which was used as a commissary or storehouse for outfitting the emigrants. It was during the time of the Civil War when I came through the United States. It was quite an exciting time, but we got through safely without any serious trouble. The vessel that I came on was sunk on her return trip to Liverpool. She was a North American vessel and was sunk by the Alabama.
Previous to starting across the plains the next morning, I met a man by the name of Brother William Cook from Fountain Green. He had come back as a teamster to bring the emigrants to Salt Lake City. We were good friends for many years as we lived in the same settlement. When I left England I had paid my passage across the ocean and to Wyoming, Nebraska, the place for starting across the plains. While there I met a man by the name of Isaac Sitton who had come for a load of goods, as he was a merchant from Provo, Utah. I agreed to drive a team of oxen for him to Provo and he was to pay me fifteen dollars and my board. I stayed at Nebraska City, a town about five miles from Wyoming, for about five weeks while he was buying cattle and goods. We started across the plains in August in Warren Snow's company and arrived in Salt Lake City November 2, 1864.
The Indians were quite hostile during that year and were robbing and killing wherever they could. We had to stay at Fort Kearney for some time because of them. We had to travel in large companies in order to protect ourselves from the Indians. The day we left Fort Kearney there was a woman killed by jumping out of the wagon while the ox train was moving. Her husband was driving at the time. I will never forget it.
On August 8th, the same year, about thirty-five miles west of Fort Kearney, the Indians killed eleven men, took their horses and mules and burned their wagons. The men were from Missouri and were not Mormons. We saw where the Indians had done a great many depredations, but we were not molested by them although we kept a strong guard at night. During the journey we had some very cold weather and bad snowstorms. I had one brother die and he was buried on the plains, twelve years previous to this time. He was about twenty-three years of age and his name was Francis Crowther.
Shortly after I arrived in Provo I walked fifty miles to my brother's home in Fountain Green, carrying my gun and bed on my back, arriving November 18th. My eldest brother Thomas, and his wife, were very kind to me and I stayed with them for two years. Thomas had emigrated to America ten years before I did. After leaving my brother's home I went in partnership with a young man named John Shawcroft. We bought a yoke of oxen and went to work in the canyon, getting out timber. That was how I saved enough money to build me a home. We worked together and got along very well for several years. The grasshoppers were very bad and for three years we raised very little grain. We both concluded to go to work in the coal mines at Evanston, Wyoming.
During the years 1865-66-67 the Indians were very hostile so we, with the rest of the settlers, built a fort at Fountain Green including about five acres. We built the log houses facing each other and where there was no house we built a high rock fence. We had to herd our horses and cattle. One day there were ten men out with the herd but in spite of all our precautions the Indians raided the herd, one man was killed and another was wounded. The Indians drove off all the stock, part of which was not recovered. I have experienced many dangers in my life, but through the blessings of the Lord my life has been spared, sometimes in a miraculous manner.
After working for about one year I met and married a young woman named Annie Christensen. We were married in 1869, in the fort at Fountain Green by Elder Orson Hyde. My first wife had ten children, five girls and five boys, eight of them are living at this time, 1918. I also married a young woman by the name of Esther Price. We were married in the Logan Temple. She came to this country with her mother and brother from Staffordshire, England. Her mother died shortly after we were married and was buried in Nephi, Utah. Two of my first wife's children died and were buried at Fountain Green.
In 1888 I left Fountain Green and moved my families to Blue Valley, what is now Wayne County. We lived there for about six years and during this time my second wife had four children born to her, three girls and one boy. The little boy died before we left Wayne County and is buried in a lonely grave at the foot of the mountain, as there was no cemetery there at that time. While living at Blue Valley my eldest son had a bad accident causing him to walk on crutches for six months.
While in Blue Valley I was set apart to preside over a small branch of the Church containing about eleven families. We had a Relief Society, Sunday School and Primary organization. The name of the town was Aldrich, situated about four miles east of Rabbit Valley on the Fremont River. We left there March 7, 1895, and came to Gunnison, Sanpete County. We lived there about eight years. While there I was arrested for living polygamy and sentenced to serve three months in prison. After serving my time I returned home to West View, a small settlement four miles west of Gunnison. I was set apart as Sunday School superintendent and shortly after was ordained a high priest at quarterly conference on August 10th, at Gunnison, by President Peterson and Henry Beal. (End of journal.)
Richard Crowther moved with his family to Bear River Valley, Box Elder County, Utah, where he lived on a small farm until 1911, when he and his family located in Logan, Utah. Here he did temple work for a number of years until old age made this impossible. He was always very optimistic, full of hope for the younger generation, always the most genial and merry of companions. His life was characterized by a willingness to serve others. His faith in the gospel grew as he increased in years, and though the last years of his life were hard and filled with great suffering he enjoyed at all times the spirit of the gospel. He died January 25, 1926, at Logan, Utah.

Richard Crowther additional information:

Source: Jenson, Andrew. Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Publishing Company, 1941.

Aldridge Branch
11
ALDRIDGE BRANCH, Wayne Stake, Wayne Co., Utah, consisted of about half a dozen families of saints residing at different points along the Fremont River, including also a few families on Pleasant Creek. Mosiah Behunin was the first settler in the Aldridge district locating there in 1882. After the arrival of other settlers in the same neighborhood, the saints there were organized as a branch of the Church March 26, 1891, and made a part of the Caineville Ward with Richard Crowther as presiding Elder. Elias Johnson was president of the branch at the close of 1900, but soon after that the branch organization was discontinued and the saints in the Aldridge district became a part of the Caineville Ward.

I believe Richard lived in Wayne County after spending a significant portion of his life in Fountain Green, Sanpete, UT. (Randy's Remarks)