Abbott Family Background by Scott Shaw 11

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Keith,

Below is what I wrote about the Abbotts a few years ago for

my life history. It is from the writings of John Austin Abbottand his brother, William. I will also forward what I wroteabout Ellen Gallagher, Dads grandmother when I find it.

Tell me a fact and Ill learn. Tell me a truth and Ill believe.But tell me a story and it will live in my heart forever.

--Indian Proverb

Abbott Family BackgroundWritten by Scott Shaw

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I come from a long line of Americans. Moms maiden nameis Abbott. The Abbott family line dates back to the pilgrims.George Abbott is from Yorkshire, England and came to thiscountry in about 1640. He was one of the first settlers of

Andover, Massachusetts. He established a life here inAmerica that we benefit from today. Im grateful to be part ofhis family tree.

This country is the only country in the world that wasestablished based on the search for religious freedom. Thepilgrims came here to escape religious oppression and builta society here based on farming and getting along with the

American Indians. Those core values are evident in GeorgeAbbotts family line: We have always thought of ourselvesas freemen and women and that have been demonstrated inour lives.

My great uncle William Abbott wrote a comprehensive lifehistory which was shared among his family. Most of Abbottfamily information is from his writings. He relates that It hasbeen said of Abraham that George Abbott was of pure stock,that the man in himself was so strong that his characteristicshave marked all his race through a thousand generations.The same seems to be true of George Abbott. Although theyhave inter-married with all the old families of New England,in later generations with English, Scotch, Irish, Welsh,German, Scandinavian, and Italian stock, yet they exhibit thetraits of character of their ancestors of two hundred fiftyyears ago.

My great, great, great grandfather Stephen Abbott is adescendant of George Abbott. He married Abigail Smith inDansville, New York. He learned the trade of furnituremaking and painting. He was rather indifferent to religion

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until after his marriage, when he and his wife attachedthemselves the Universalists.

About 1838 there was a great tide of emigration

pouring into the Mississippi Valley. Stephens two brothersAustin and Eleazer were already living in Michigan, so heconcluded to go to the Mississippi Valley, and make apermanent home for himself, where he could settle hisfamily. He went by boat down the Allegheny River andbought a quarter section of farmland and forty acres oftimberland. They at once began to cultivate their land andbuild a home.

Stephens wife, Abigail Smith Abbott, writing of this periodsays, "On the first day of December of that year our sonMyron (my great, great grandfather) was born, a promisingchild. My daughters went out in the garden and found abeautiful rose, although the season for that flower was longpast, I took it as an omen of promise and rejoiced. There isnothing unusual or strange in this for a mother, but aftermany years, when it was known that through him alone,descended his fathers name, the incident may be worthy ofpreservation."

In 1839, Stephen Joseph Abbott and Abigail came in contactwith the Mormons who, on being driven out of Missouri, weresettling in Nauvoo, Illinois. They investigated the new religionlong and carefully and they and their children becamemembers of the church. At the April conference of the

Church held in Nauvoo in 1840, Stephen was ordained anelder. In 1842 he was ordained a seventy.

Stephen was called on a temporal mission to gather funds tobuild a Mormon temple in Nauvoo. This was economichardship on the early followers of the Mormon faith. Stephen

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was later called on a mission to Wisconsin. When he leftPike County he placed a quantity of wheat in the mill. Hedepended on this wheat to feed his family in his absence.Through false pretense, a distant relative, obtained four

barrels of flour and another acquaintance also obtained aconsiderable quantity. This loss was a great disappointmentto Stephen, so to make provision for his family; he began toget cordwood on the Mississippi from an island. Thisarduous work entailed exposure to elements and he becamesick. He died soon after at age 38 years.

The death of Stephen was a great family tragedy. William

Abbott describes Stephen, Yet a young man, just cominginto the prime of manhood, just beginning a life that heldmuch promise of honor and usefulness, he was much lovedand sincerely mourned by his family, a young wife and eightchildren, six girls and two boys. His struggle was over, theirswas not about to commence, and will be related in as muchdetail as the ravages of time has permitted to be preserved.He sleeps in an unmarked grave on the hillside overlookingthe Great Father of Waters.

Naturally, Abigail was stunned, heartbroken, and almostoverwhelmed by the terrible and unexpected blow. Winterwas almost upon them; she had eight children, the oldestsixteen years. Basic necessities were difficult to obtain, thecountry being new. The people with whom she had cast herlot nearly all were poor, mostly refugees, having beenrobbed, scourged, and mobbed out of Missouri. Stephen

placed a large portion of his property into the building of theNauvoo Temple and other public buildings.

Abigail is my great, great, great grandmother. She was bornwithin a few miles of Joseph Smith, the leader or theMormon faith. She was born with the same last name and

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within one year of the Joseph Smith. It is ironic that theywere born within miles of each other at about the same timeand then later their lives come together near Nauvoo, IL, theheadquarters and gathering of the Church. It was there that

her husband had a fateful death and Joseph Smith, too, ismurdered soon after. Amidst these extreme trials, Abigailrises to the occasion by painstakingly overcoming theextreme sacrifice of raising her young family of 8 childrenand moving them west.

She overcame all and is an example for our family. As I ranthinking of her life in the spring of 2006, I thought of her

position in the eternities. I felt that her countenance wasupon me. I would like to continue her heritage in some smallway in our family life.

In the late 1840s, public opinion was inflamed against theMormons. In just a few months they saw their leaders,Joseph and Hyrum Smith, murdered in Carthage Jail, IL.Emily, the eldest daughter of Abigail, speaking of this sadtime, stated that she was wrapped up in her father, lovedhim dearly and grieved bitterly when he died, but she saysher sorrow was nothing compared with their grief whenJoseph Smith was murdered. Emily felt their home wasspoiled when their father was taken, whereas, at the deathJoseph Smith, she felt the whole world was spoiled. Suchwas the gloom among the people of Nauvoo.

Abigail Smith Abbott was alone with few relatives,

nobody to rely upon except God and her own efforts. Shehas said, "I had no means to erect a monument or even aslab to mark my loved ones grave, but I planted somemorning glories on the grave and left him there to sleep andrest."

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Abigail received no pity from her neighbors of Illinois. In May1846, she was offered $10.00 for her house and lot andtwenty acres of land, all fenced. To her remonstrance at theprice, the buyer explained, "The Mormons have got to go.

That amount will ferry you across the river and it is betterthan nothing." She accepted it. He also demanded that thefurniture be left in the house for he truly explained, "Youcannot carry it with you."

The Mormon people were driven from their homes. In manyways, their lot was similar to the Jewish people in history.Whenever, a Jewish acquaintance asks about my faith, I

remind them that the Jews and Mormons have a commonheritage: Both people were driven from their homes.

On February 1, 1847, Abigails eldest daughter gave birth toa son and called him Edward Bunker, Jr. This date alsocame near being a fatal one for Abigails little son Myron,then nine years of age. He was sent out early in the morningto hunt for wood and encountered a large, hungry wolf.Thinking it to be a dog he threw chips at it. It stood growlingand ready to attack the lad when the attention of a neighborwas attracted and the wolf was frightened away.

This winter proved to be a hard one for Abigail. Beside theregular care of her household, she taught school and one ofher elder daughters was ill for eleven weeks with fever andMrs. Bunker was ill nine weeks at the time of herconfinement. Water for the home had to be carried a quarter

of a mile, firewood had to be gathered and cut, enough tokeep a fire all the time, for the cabin had no floor and wasvery cold and it took a warm fire to make it comfortable withillness in the family for such a long time.

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The Mormon Battalion was organized by the U.S.government to mobilize troops for the war at that timeagainst Mexico. During the winter Abigail received $22.50from Captain James Brown who was serving the U.S.

military in the Mormon Battalion, sent to her from Santa Fe,New Mexico, and Edward Bunker sent his wife some money.Both were serving in the Mormon Battalion.

In October 1847, her family moved on to Mosquito Creek, apoint farther west near Council Bluff, Iowa. On the morningof December 18, 1847, they heard a group of Battalion menhad arrived in town the evening before, so Emily prepared to

go and inquire if they knew anything of Edward. Just beforeshe was to leave the house a knock was heard at the door. Itproved to be Edward himself. He thought they were still inGarden Grove where he left them, but someone told himthey had moved since he left. He was almost frozen andstarved. It was necessary for him to remain in bed forseveral weeks and he was fed gruel every few hours, just afew spoonfuls at a time at first. He had endured terribleprivation on the return journey and had completed one of themost difficult marches on record. Abigails son, Abiel, cameto her from Council Bluffs, where he had gone fifteen monthsbefore. Once more she had her family all together again.She says, "I thanked God and praised Him and took newcourage, for my burdens seemed much lighter."

Before leaving Nauvoo, Abigail Smith Abbott had married fora time as a plural wife to Captain James Brown. Captain

Brown had been a friend of Stephen, her husband inNauvoo. The relation gave him more the right of protectorthan husband. After they were living in Ogden, Utah, CaptainBrown married Abigails daughter, Phoebe, over her protest.Thereupon she repudiated the relationship and there afterlived apart from him.

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I admire Abigail for her determination. Even though CaptainBrown took care of her family, when he overstepped hisbounds and married her daughter, Abigail had nothing to do

with the man. She could have easily bit her tongue andignored the sad state of affairs since she depended on himeconomically. However, she showed her courage anddisengaged with her husband.

Myron Abbott (my great, great grandfather) and LauraJosephine were married in 1861. As a young couple with afamily, they followed the humble pursuits of life. They were

pioneers and had tremendous challenges, which involvedpoor living conditions for their growing family. There wasseldom enough hay to last the cattle throughout the wintersin Utah so each day one of the older boys would take thecattle up the hills to the southern side where the snow hadmelted, let them graze, and then would bring them home atnight. The home had only a dirt floor and that the childrenhad very few clothes and no shoes. In these dire conditions,Myron and Josephine decided to get a divorce in 1876.

William Elias Abbott writes of the experience, Little Willey,not quite eight, and John (my great grandfather), five andone-half, were put into Myrons wagon along with theirclothes and bedding. Everyone was crying. When Myrontried to take Luella, she dropped to the floor with her armsaround her mothers waist, screaming that if she could nothave both her parents she would kill herself. He finally took

her in his arms and put her in the wagon, but she tried tojump out and run back to her mother. Mina had to physicallyrestrain her. Little Joseha and Abigail Jane were crying andholding out their arms to their brothers and sisters, andLuella pleaded with her father to let her go with them. As thewagon drove off, Josephine fell to the ground in a faint. Mina

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later said, I hope never to see so sad a scene again, I amsure Mother was greatly disappointed with the court decisionas she had some friends who had been telling her a lot ofnonsensical things. She had been cruelly deceived.

This experience long ago has a lesson for all of us. By it, welearn that it may take a little more time to work marital issuesout. Time has a way of healing family wounds and they wereso poor, they did not have the time to overcome. As aBishop in the Little Neck Ward, I use their story to helpcouples that are facing extraordinary challenges and losingpatience with themselves and their spouse, to take more

family time and do not make rash decisions. Furthermore,this story reminds me to counsel others not to listen to"nonsensical things" or suggestions by others and focus onwhat Spirit wants us to do.

My great grandfather John Abbott writes, My mother (LauraJosephine Allen Abbott) was a daughter of Orville MorganAllen who was born in Pike County, Missouri, June 9, 1805.He is the lineal descendent of Ethan Allen of theRevolutionary War fame (I have not found this connectionyet in my research.)

He continues, After living in Ogdenwe moved to a newsettlementin Nevada and took the name of Bunkerville. Itwas on the frontier and we had no homes or shelter of anydescription. The country was hot and forbidding, the landuncleared and unleveled. There was no water on the land,

no ditches, no dam to get water out of treacherous VirginRiver, there was no building material to build anything with,and we were very, very poor.

The idea of poverty is pervasive in our family history. I thinkthat we are the first generation to have so very much. This

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is stark contrast to our family heritage which althoughglorious and noteworthy, they were mired in poverty whichstopped many of them from progressing, such as Myron andJosephine in their marriage. Thus, this concept of rising out

of poverty and establishing a secure future is a strong aspectin my life and I never want to return to our roots and see theface of poverty.

My great grandfather, John Abbott married Chrissie Eveline(Whitney) Abbott and they had nine children including mygrandfather, Austin Neal Abbott. John Abbott was a greatman who stalwart in his efforts in raising family, service in

Church, and a leader. I admire him and even though I did notknow him personally, I feel in many ways, that I did knowhim due to his outstanding life history and strong spirit.

John Abbott grew up in the heat and bitter poverty ofBunkerville, Nevada. It was harsh land and he worked to eatand live. He became a Pony Express rider at a young age of10. He worked the silver mines and was offered a position offoreman at the same time that he was called to be amissionary in New Zealand. He accepted the call and gavenotice to his employer to return home to pack. His employercould not believe that he would bypass such an opportunity.John went a step forward and asked if his brother could workin his stead. Thank goodness, the answer was no as thenext day, there was an explosion in the mine and hisworkmates died. This demonstrates that faith is foremostand should be followed or possibly suffer the ultimate loss.

John served a glorious mission in New Zealand as recordedin his journals and life history. He served 3 years away fromhis beloved wife Chrissie and young family. My grandfather,Austin, was born while he was away in New Zealand. It wasworth it, as John preached the gospel of Jesus Christ to

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Maori people and established lifetime friends. Upon myparents visit to New Zealand in the late 1990s, the Maorisstill speak of Elder Abbott who was there 100 years earlier.

My great grand fathers mission also gave me courage to beseparated from my young family in 1997-1998 when Ibecame the first Regional Security Officer (RSO) at theAmerican Consulate in Vladivostok, Russia. I figured if JohnAbbott could his mission for 3 years crossing the Pacific in aship, I could surely do a 1 year assignment to the RussianFar East crossing in Aeroflot across the Bearing Straits.

After seeing the beauty of Oregon on his travels to Seattle totake the ship to New Zealand, John decided that hepreferred the green of Oregon to the desert of Nevada. Johnmoved his family to Oregon and ran a lumber mill. His son,George, lost one of his legs after a large tree trunk fell on it.George gathered the dirt to help stop the loss of blood,which saved his life. Both my great grandfather andgrandfather are buried in LeGrand, Oregon.

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Abbott Family Background by Scott Shaw 11