A Noble Son of Zion

Today we come to the conclusion of Zerah's story in his own words.

"In the meantime, we were rather destitute of clothing, but speculators followed the army and brought more goods to the valley than was ever brought before so that the people were decently clothed.  All this we considereed direct from the hand of God to supply our wants.  But evils have followed the army.  Such a herd of abomibable characers have come in their wake, that lying, gambling, robbing, stealing, and murdering till it seemed as though they were determined to break up all law and order in the territory.  They brought with them much liquor which still furthered them in their abomination, and many of our people who were weak joined with them in their wickedness, especially the rising generation who imitated their habits.  This gave us some trouble to keept the church in order.  Brother Brigham preached continually to bring the church to obedience, but they were now careless.

We had some trouble with the Indians, but nothing in consequence of our being driven out from the United States.  I think all the wars we have had with the Indians have not as yet made us so much trouble as the armys sent from the United States.

I still continued my labors in town and on my farm---what time I could get.  I had much labor too among the seventies, remaining a counselor.  I was frequently out four or five evenings a week besides day meetings.

In March of 1857 I married Martha Hughes, daughter of James and Ann Picton Hughes.  She bore me five children.

I discovered that with the age that I had approached that it began to wear upon my constitution.  I was advised by some to give up my presiding and let a younger man take it that invoked upon it.  I therefore gave it up, with the privilege of remaining in the body of the seventies or join the high priest quorum.  I, therefore, have yet remained in the body of the seventies.  Considering they were both embraced in the Melchizedek Priesthood it was a matter of indifference to me.

However, the southern mission that had been in action for some time had some influence with me, partly on account of its necessity and partly on account of some of my boys that were called there.  Therefore, I said I did not know but that I would go there if the presidency thought it best.  No sooner than they heard of it they sent me an order to go with my family.  I, therefore, put myself in the way of selling my property.  My boys heard of it and came to help me move to Dixie.  Accordingly, in the fall of 1862 I removed to Shoal Creek (later called Hebron,) where my boys were keeping a herd for the southern people.  (the members of the church residing in St. George)  I found it to be a very healthy section, and I enjoyed myself very well, considering the obscurity of the place.  We were a great  distance from the abode of the white men in the very midst of the roving red men."

Susie's notes:
The town of Hebron was eventually destroyed by floods and an earthquake.  Gary and I found where Zerah's body is buried in an extremely small cemetary just west of the town of Enterprise.  You have to cross a creek to get to the cemetary so you can only find it at certain times of the year as the creek runs pretty high in the spring.  Zerah's sons found the Shoal Creek area while exploring west of Enterprise and found it to be a great place to raise cattle.  They then settled the town and ran cattle for the  church, feeding the people of St. George.  When the town was destroyed by flood, most of the people living there went to Enterprise, just a few miles east, and helped then to establish that community.  Zerah had two daughters who married a Terry.  He was the founder of Enterprise.  There is a monument there to recognize these families.

"I will now reflect back to the time our family meetings convened.  The first was in February, 1855.  I called my children together at my home in Salt Lake at this meeting and said, "I want to instruct you a little and give such advice which I hope you will remember.  First get the spirit of the Lord and keep it. The most of you have the priesthood and you will be likely to use it to govern your families and bring up your children .  When a man has a number of good children he loves all of them.  If the destroyer comes to take one of them, which will he give?  Most likely the one he cannot keep, of course.  Which child can't you keep by the prayer of faith and the authority of the priesthood?  Pray mighty to God, let your thoughts be raised in prayer day and night, that you may have the spirit of the Lord to be with you.  Never speak till you know what you are going to say.  Never whip a child in anger.  Be sure that the spirit of the Lord dictates to you when you groom your children.  Never let your girls go with men that you do not know for some men have the fever of seducing, therefore, beware who they go with.  Some women think if their husbands get another wife they cannot love them anymore, but they are under a great mistake, for he can love one hundred as well as the sun can shine upon each of them in a clear day---if God requires you get them.  Such idle thoughts should be banished from their minds forever.  Why is it so?  Becasue it is God's order.  A man may love his wives just in proportion to their acts of kindness to him.  I beg of you mothers to take care of your children while they are with you.  I now will give way for you to speak.
Then each child would bear their testimonies.  These meetings were held regularly once a year and recorded."

I have a copy of John Pulsipher's journal, he was Zerah's son, and he recorded all of these family meetings.  They always had a lot of food, including lots of cheeses, which I thought was interesting.

Zerah Pulsipher was instrumental in building the towns of Pine Valley and Hebron.  He died in Hebron January 1, 1872 at the age of eighty-four.  This day closed another chapter in the book of life for one of God's chosen and noble sons.  He was remembered at his funeral with the following poem:

ZIONS NOBLE SON

Zkon's noble son is sleeping
Neath the sod of Zion's land.
Chosen by the great Creator,
And by the strength of nature's hand.

To the just his spirit has wafted,
Not to rest, but plod along;
In the quest of the resurrection,
Which God says is in the morn.

Among the rocks, amid the desert,
He has striven to maintain
Zion's standart in the mountains,
And to honor his Maker's name.

Scores of branches from the honored
Taught by him to reverance God,
Have sprung up and dwelt in Zion
And sing their praise with one accord.

Through a useful life he's passed,
Bearing Temples unto God,
Have sprung up and dwelt in Zion
And sing their praise with one accord.

Through a useful life he's passed,
Bearing Temples unto God,
Choosing right; maintaining justice;
Taking this path for his abode.

Like the rock of Gibralter
He has stood from first to last,
Through the blast of persecutiion
And to God his anchor cast.

Companies of the dear departed,
One with tottering steps and hoary hair;
Sons and daugters of the shepherd,
Weep not for thy father dear.

Author Unknown

A few notes:  Zerah married Martha Hughes in 1857.  She was fourteen and he was in his sixties.  I have read that she was a well developed young woman, recently arrived from Wales and appeared older than she was.  When the brethren found out about the marriage, he was called before them and chastised to the point that he was released as a president of the seventies, excommunicated but re-baptized immediately after and called as a Patriarch. He was punished because he did not get permission from the church leaders at the time to marry Martha.  There were some strict guidelines to the practice of polygamy and in this instance Zerah had not complied.   It is recorded that he died in good standing as a member of the church.

Also, a troop of Boy Scouts moved Zerah's and Mary Ann Brown Pulsipher's graves from Hebron to the present location a few miles west of Enterprise because of the flood waters.  We have them to thank for such an undertaking.

Arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, at long last.

Again, this is all in Zerah's own words:

"We arrived in the valley about the twenty-third of September, 1847, with all our stock except the sheep.  Those we lost at Winter Quarters.  We immediately prepared to build.  I found grain scarce and hard to get.  John Kneff was building a mill, the only one in the valley.  I sold three cows to pay his workmen that I might get grain for twenty dollars in grain, but he said he could not let anyone have more than half that sum, and that was not half what I had paid for.  This made me feel very disagreeable because I had a large family and three other families of my friends that had no way of helping themselves and money would not buy it.

I thought on it one night and then came to the conclusion that I would build a mill and take a part of the toll of the grain that was in the valley.  Accordingly I rallied my help, went onto the mill site, dug a hole in the bank to live in through the winter about the first of December, and we commenced getting timber, without feed for our cattle and but little for ourselves.  We continued our labor with about half rations upon all the different branches of the work till the first of March.  By that time we got the first grist mill started and timber out for a sawmill.  When done I ground for one-sixteenth, while others ground for one-twelveth.  From that time we had  bread to eat with all our families.  I have seen the hand of God in preserving ourselves and cattle while the snow was three feet deep in the canyon where we got the timber and some of the time more than one foot in the valley, and we had not as much fodder as could be carried in one load.  When I looked upon the circumstance I could not comprehend it in any other way but the marvelous power of God in sustaining them.

1850 was a hard season for many.  After we got our mill running we had enough, but lived prudent on account of so many that had none.  Indian meal would command five dollars a bushel, but so many poor had none that I sold all that I had to spare one dollar a bushel, though I was offered five dollars by those that were going to California.  But their gold would not buy it of me when so many poor were starving.  There were some informed me that they had not any bread in their houses for six weeks and came to me to buy bran, but I sold none---I gave them that.  This scarce time caused people to scratch for life to raise grain, but the crickets were very troublesome and destroyed many crops in 1851.  But in 1852 the gulls came and destroyed them according to the word of the prophet.

We built a house thirty-four by thirty feet on the corner of block eighty-two on Jordan Street.  The next season we built a large barn and made a farm over Jordan about two miles off which gave us a good chance to keep cattle.  There was nothing then of a very extraordinary nature with exception of Brother Brigham preaching continually to bring the church into obedience, but they were growing rich and careless till about the time of the October conference in 1856 when I understood Brother Brigham to say that the Lord would wait no longer.  I think he did not define what chastisement testimony that some uncommon event was near at hand, but I was not aware that I had become so dull and careless relative to my duty till Brother Kimball called on me in public to awake to my duty.  I began to call more fervently on the Lord.  I soon saw that Brother Kimball was right and that I was holding a high and responsible station in the church as asleep with many others.  (At this time, Zerah was one of the Seven Presidents of the Seventy.)

Brother Grant, who was one of Brigham's counselors, was authorized to preach repentance to the people and to a good effect.  I with the associates of my council went before Brother Brigham and informed him that if he knew of any others that would take our places better, magnify it for the interest of the kingdom than we could, he was perfectly at liberty to do so, but he told us to go and magnify our calling ourselves.  There was much confessing among the people of their faults.

Brother Brigham gave some strong prophetic language relative to the United States of America.  I think not far from this the president and congress became very hostile to us and seemed to have designs to brand us like themselves or destroy us.  Therefore, they sent an army to bring us to or destroy us, but we thought it not best to bring them in among us because we did not like their hostile spirit nor their habits.  Therefore, we sent a few of our young men to meet them, which brought them to a stand for further consideration.

In the spring following, all the north part of the territory moved south till the army passed through to their quarters at Camp Floyd.  But previous to this the president and congress saw their mistake in sending the army here.  Notwithstanding, they had charged us with treason and many other offenses.  They sent commissioners here, forgave all our sins against them and wished peace and tranquility.  Accordingly we all moved back to our possessions peaceably."

Some records indicate they arrived in the valley in September of 1848, not 1847.
Brother Brigham is, of course, Brigham Young.
Johnston's army came to Utah in May of 1857 under orders from President James Buchanan.  They were blocked from entering the valley, as Zerah refers to.  They left in July of 1858.  There were no battles fought in this "war" and things ended peacefully after Brigham Young gave up his governorship.  How interesting to hear from someone who actually lived through this historical event.  Zerah doesn't say much about it but he wrote this history years after the occurrence.  This is the time when Brigham had the foundations of the temple covered in sand to prevent the army from seeing it.  When they later returned to resume work on the temple they found the foundation had cracked and it is then that they chose to use the granite stone that the Salt Lake Temple is so famous for.
Also, how great to hear from Zerah about the historical event we all have heard so much about growing up in the church, the crickets and the gulls.  Our ancestors were a part of that and lived through that miraculous event.