Henry William Miller, part 2

Henry William Miller(Author and date of writing are unknown), via Ancestry.com

Henry William Miller was born May 1, 1807, at Lexington, Greene County, New York, and was the fourth child and first son of James Gardner Miller and Ruth Arnold Miller. As a young man, and desiring to accomplish something, he moved west about 1830, and in connection with his brother Daniel A., settled in western Illinois. Here they were joined by their father and younger brother. The younger brother, James David, died August 30, 1839, and therefore enters but little into their history.

Henry W. married Elmira Pond on June 18, 1831, at or near Quincy, Illinois. She was born February 14, 1811, and was the daughter of Thadius and Lovisa Miner Pond. They had moved from Washington County, Ohio, to Adams County, Illinois in 1827. A short time after this his brother Daniel married Lovisa Pond, an elder sister of Elmira. The two brothers operated as partners the greater part of their lives. In Adams County, they built and operated a large mill. About this time Henry W. Miller served in the Blackhawk War.

In the fall of 1839, they joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and upon selling their mill property moved into Hancock County, Illinois. Daniel moved onto a farm four miles from Carthage, and Henry W. Moved into Nauvoo. They now became quite closely identified with the affairs of the Church and referring to page 13 Vol. 4, History of the Church by Joseph Smith, we find that a general conference of the CHurch held October 5, 1839, Henry W. and Daniel A. Miller were appointed elders in the church. On page 294 of this same record, we find that at the general conference of the Church held October 3, 1840, "Henry W. Miller asked for the formation of a stake in Adams County, setting forth the benefits for such a move". At page 233 it recites, -- "October 27, 1840, the Freedom Stake was organized with Henry W. Miller as President." These outside stakes were later abandoned owing to persecution and the people centralized around Nauvoo. It must have been at this time that they disposed of their mill and holdings in Adams County.

At page 342, History of the Church, Vol. 4, "Henry Miller was appointed on a committee to help raise funds for the building of the Nauvoo Temple, General Conference April 8, 1841." On page 424, it recites that Lyman Wight and Henry W. Miller had been called to check up on Almon Babitt, who as presiding elder at Kirtland, Ohio, had been teaching contrary doctrine. They testified against him, and he was disfellowshipped at the General Conference of October 2, 1841, until he should make satisfaction. Prior to this, as per page 311, he had asked through the Prophet Joseph Smith the will of the Lord concerning his property, and he was asked to help build the temple and Nauvoo House. At this time he gave the Church $4,000 (Journal Elmira Pond Miller, Page 7). This was on March 20, 1841.

In the fall of 1841, he was called to go into the pinneries to get out timber and lumber for the Temple and Nauvoo House. Here they went through many hardships due to cold weather and lack of food, being without bread for sometime. (Journal of Elmira Pond Miller, page 7-8).

He left Nauvoo in the spring of 1846, leaving a two story brick house with its furniture and fixtures. Before leaving Nauvoo, he received his endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. He traveled across the State of Iowa and secured a tract of land on its western boundary between the two bluffs, later know as Council Bluffs, then known as Miller's Hollow. Here the old log tabernacle was built and a conference was held on April 6, 1849. The settlement was called Kanesville in honor of Col. Kane. In 1848, Henry W. Miller was the bearer of a petition to the Iowa Territorial Legislature asking for a post office at Kanesville and the creation of Pottawattamie County. (See Life of Wilford Woodruff, pages 327-8) In this he was successful, and quoting from History Pottawattamie County, pages 21 and 94, we find he was elected first representative in the General Assembly of Iowa from that county serving in 1851.

Reading from History Pottawattamie County, page 91 regarding the settlement of Council Bluffs, it has to say: "Henry Miller, a prominent Mormon, squatted on a tract of land . . . which included the ground now occupied by the Pacific House, and the park on Pearl Street. This he sold to Samuel S. Bayless." Kanesville post office was changed to Council Bluffs January 19, 1853, see page 98 History Pottawattamie County. Quoting further from this history, page 98, we read: "The claim bought from Henry W. Miller by Samuel S. Bayless was laid off into town lots west of Main Street, and southward from Broadway on both sides of Pearl Street, including what is now known as "Bayless Park."

Daniel A. Miller and family crossed the plains to Utah in 1848, settling at Farmington, David County.

Henry W. Miller was directed and counseled by President Brigham Young to remain at the Bluffs and assist in raising crops for Church use. In 1850 he made a trip to Utah and back to the Bluffs, returning with Orson Hyde. In 1851 he went back to his old home in New York State visiting relatives. On his return from New York state, James D. Wilcox, a son of his sister Susanna, came with him. In 1852, he left with his family for Utah, acting as Captain of the train. In crossing the plains, the immigrants, Mormon or Non-Mormon, organized themselves into companies over each of which a captain was elected or appointed. The Latter-day Saints were counseled and commanded to do this and their immigrants were always organized into companies with a captain in charge or command. These captains have a multitude of duties the company must at all times be safe from attack, army posts are few, Indians and renegades are numerous the company's health must be protected; it livestock guarded, camp sites with sufficient grass and water must be had; every wagon and every draft animal, ox, mule or horse, has been loaded to capacity; there are hundreds of miles to traverse, grass, water, and wood are not always to be had, particularly water -- the foresight, judgment and care of a company captain has much to do with the welfare of the members.

Upon reaching Utah, Henry W. took up his residence at Farmington, at which place his brother Daniel A. was already residing. In the fall of 1852, Henry W. was elected a member of the Second Legislative Assembly of the Utah Territory, serving in the lower house. He was also elected and served in the Third Assembly (Minutes of Utah Legislature, Vol. 1)

At the General Conference of the Church at Salt Lake City held April 6, 1855, Henry W. was called to go on a mission to the Indian Territory to labor among the Creek, Cherokee and Choctaw nations. On April 14, 1855, he was blessed under the hands of Wilford Woodruff and ? Benson and set apart to preside over this mission. He started on the 1st day of May, his forty-seventh birthday. The forepart of the trip was rough owing to bad roads and stormy weather. Reaching Jacob Croft's place July 4, 1855, which place later became his headquarters, he took up his labors. In less than two weeks they commenced baptizing and organized a branch. Other branches followed and they gathered up many saints who had been led into that country by Lyman Wight. In fact, members of Wight's family including his wife, were baptized by them. In summarizing his work November 9, 1856, he says: "We sent one company of sixty-five souls to the mountains, all whites, which were baptized in the Cherokee nation. Besides there were three branches left, and among them were ten or twelve native elders who had been ordained and were preaching."

Elder Miller's companion, R.C. Petty, died at 2:45 a.m., February 2, 1856. He had been sick most of the time with chills and ague. About a year later, Elder Washington Cook, who succeeded Elder Miller as President, died there also. On November 10, 1857, in company with Elder James Case, he left for COuncil Bluffs. During this winter, he came near to dying of chills and ague, having suffered considerable during this mission. He went back to Quincy, Illinois, visiting relatives and friends. On return he had intended going across Iowa by way of Council Bluffs, but on hearing of the death of Parley P. Pratt, he went by way of St. Louis. Here he was met by Erastus Snow, who said "YOu have come in answer to prayer -- we want you to go into Clay County, Missouri, and buy cattle for us for the trip to the mountains." In May, he started on this trip, passing as a Californian through his disguise, and bought some hundred yoke; delivering them to John Taylor and Erastus Snow at Florence, Nebraska, June 22, 1857. Here a company was organized, and he captained it to Utah, reaching there August 7, 1857.

In the spring of 1858, when the "move" was on to the South, he had charge of all the loose stock of his ward. They stayed until July on Salt Creek just north of Nephi. Before leaving, he and his brother had stored five hundred bushels of wheat in one mill and five hundred bushels in another mill south of the city.

During the spring of 1859, with his brother and Quince Knowlton, they explored Fremont Island, afterward called Miller's Island, in Great Salt Lake. They at once built a boat for carrying sheep and the island became a range for them. In 1860, Davis County was to build a Court House and in his journal, he speaks of receiving the contract, but nothing further is said.

In the spring of 1862, six companies or trains were called to go to the States for immigrants. Henry was called as one of the captains, and his train consisted of forty-seven wagons with four yoke of oxen to the wagon, made up from Cache and Weber Counties. At Black's Fork they laid over for fifteen days building bridges, receiving assistance and timber from Fort Bridger. At Green River, the cattle were forced to swim while the wagons were ferried over. Some oxen were drowned. He returned to Salt Lake City October 17, 1862, the fifth in order (Church Chron. 2nd Ed.) This was his seventh trip across the plains, vix., twice in 1850, once each in 1852, 1855, 1857, and twice in 1862. He acted as Captain on five of these trips, -- thus was he entitled to be and was hereafter called "Captain Henry Miller."

In 1864 he was called to go south to assist in the settlement of the "Muddy Mission", located at the Beaver Dam at the junction of the Beaver Dam wash and the Rio Virgin. The Deseret News of May 24, 1865, refers to a report from Henry W. Miller stating the affairs of the settlement as satisfactory, that fruit trees and grape vines were being planted. Under date of December 24, 1867, James G. Blake, a pioneer (1861) of St. George, writes "Millersburg, founded and presided over by Henry W. Miller, known previously as Beaver Dam, was submerged by a flood in the Rio Virgin destroying the results of well-directed labors in making comfortable homes . . . There had been hardships from the beginning of the settlement, but this visitation caused the place to be abandoned. The same flood laid havoc along the Rio Virgin and Santa Clara Rivers". Owing to this disaster and the INdian troubles, the settlement was abandoned and broken up in 1866, and remained so for nine or ten years. Beaver Dam was about thirty or forty miles southwest of St. George, Utah, and was in the northwest corner of Arizona. Through this settlement, Henry W. Miller is credited with doing the first plowing in the state of Arizona. This is verified by Arizona State History.

From this unfortunate settlement, he went to St. George, where he took an active part in its development, and where he lived until 1885, when he came to Farmington, very much broken in health, and died at the home of his son William on October 9, 1885. He was buried in the Farmington Cemetery by the side of his brother Daniel.

Henry W. Miller was baptized September 1839. He was a member of the high council at Council Bluffs, Iowa. On July 14, 1877, he became a member of the high council of St. George Stake, of which he was a member at the time of his death. He was a director of the Canaan Stock Company (Livestock) of St. George, the Co-op Mercantile Inst., and the Rio Virgin Manufacturing Company (Woolen Mills).