David Garner

 David Garner Jr.

• born January 30, 1818 in Lexington, North Carolina
• died April 27, 1889 in North Ogden, Utah
• was baptized in 1839 by Solomon Hancock
• joined the Mormon Battalion and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 9, 1847
• served a mission in 1871 to the eastern United States

DAVID GARNER

                                                  Born 30 January 1818 - Died 27 April 1889

Written by Robert Jean Addams, Third great-grandson

David Garner was born in Lexington, Davidson County, North Carolina on January 30, 1818 to David Garner and Jane Stevens (Stephens).  He was the sixth of twelve children.

We have no known information concerning his early life.  When he was about 15 years of age he moved with his parents and brothers and sisters to Lima, Illinois.  Lima, Illinois was a long way from North Carolina, but there were, no doubt, compelling reasons or opportunities that motivated David Garner, Sr. to uproot his family from Davidson County where the Garners had lived for several generations.  Unfortunately, there is no information as to either why they moved or why Lima was chosen as a destination.   We do know that they had located in Adams County sometime prior to 1835 as two of David's sisters were married in Adams County in 1835 and 1836 respectively. 

Beginning in late 1838 and continuing throughout 1839, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been driven out of the westward neighboring state of Missouri, began migrating into western Illinois by the thousands.  Many Mormon families, as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were generally called, soon settled in the area around Lima. Apparently the greater Garner family (of which there were now several) became interested in the teachings of this relatively new church from these new neighbors.  By the fall of 1839, at the age of 21, David Garner was baptized into The Church of Jesus of Latter-day Saints by Solomon Hancock and became a faithful member of the Lima Branch of the Church.  His parents and many of his brothers and sisters and their families were baptized also.  At a two-day conference of the Church held at Lima on October 23-0ctober 24, 1841, conducted by apostles Brigham Young, John Taylor and Willard Richards, the clerk reported local church membership of 424, which included 32 Elders.  One of these Elders was 23 year-old David Garner. 

It was at Lima that David met Dolly Durfee.  They were married on October 18, 1842. Dolly was born in Lennox, Madison County, New York on March 8, 1816, the daughter of Edmund and Magdalena Pickle Durfee.  The Durfee family was conver1ed to the Church in early 1831.  Interestingly, the same Solomon Hancock that baptized David Garner baptized the Durfee family eight years earlier, except for their daughter Dolly. 

Their first child was born July 12, 1843 and they nan1ed her Louisa Ann (after David’s youngest sister).  In October of 1843 David baptized his wife and she remained a faithful member of the church throughout her life.  Less than a year later, on June 27, 1844, while David and Dolly were still living in the Lima area, they received word that the Prophet and leader of their church, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, had been killed by a mob while awaiting trial in Carthage, Illinois.  This tragic event was, of course, a great shock to them and the entire church.  A week later on Jul y 2, 1844, their second child Fannie Marilla was born. 

Persecution of the Latter-day Saints in western Illinois not only continued after the death of their prophet and patriarch, but also increased.  Members living outside the immediate area of Nauvoo, Illinois were harassed, had their crops destroyed and, eventually, their houses and barns burned.  David and his little family moved to Nauvoo for protection. Tragically, Dolly's father, Edmund Durfee and some of his family returned to Morley's Settlement (known also as Yelrome -Morley spelled backward with an "e" added) on November 15, 1845 to get a load of their grain.  They stayed the night at Solomon Hancock's place and were planning on leaving the next morning.  While they were sleeping a mob set fire to some unthreshed grain.  With a wind blowing, the fire quickly spread.  After they were convinced that the mob had fled, they started fighting the fire and taking the horses and cows out of the stable.  Suddenly a man stepped out from behind a tree and fired one shot at Brother Hancock.  This was a signal for fifteen or twenty others who had been hiding behind the log fence.  They now stood up and started shooting.  Father Durfee was struck in the throat and killed instantly.  This was a tremendous personal blow to Dolly and David and other members of the Durfee family.  This event caused the leadership of the Church to accelerate their plans throughout the winter of 1845-1846; both for the completion of the Nauvoo temple and for an orderly exodus out of Illinois the following spring. 

By early December 1845, construction had progressed sufficiently to allow Brigham Young and the apostles to begin ordinance work for the worthy members of the church. David received his endowments on January 28, 1846.  Many of David’s extended family also received their endowments between December 1845 and February 1846.  It is not known why Dolly, his wife, did not receive her endowment at this time. 

By February 1846, the persecution and the threat of mobs and renegade militia became so severe that the Latter-day Saints, under the direction of Brigham Young, were forced to leave their beautiful city and head west.  Before his death, the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith had prophesied, "the saints (as members of the Church were sometimes called) would go to

the Rocky Mountains and become a mighty people".  And it was to the Rocky Mountains that Brigham YoUI1g, Joseph Smith's successor, would lead them.  First, however, they had to get across Iowa Territory.  Because of miserable weather and primitive (or no) roads this became a formidable task.  The Garner’s left sometime in late winter or early spring 1846.  A covered wagon and oxen to pull it was the primary mode of transportation for most of the departing saints.   Provisions, tools, clothing and dishes, together with pots, pans and other cooking utensils were packed in barrels and trunks along with maybe a piece or two of furniture and loaded into the wagon. All but the youngest of the children walked.  It is presumed that the Garner family stopped at Su gar Creek and later Mount Pisgah as they worked their way, along with thousands of other saints, west across Iowa. 

Shortly after the Garner's arrival in June of 1846 at Mosquito Creek, situated on the eastern bank of the Missouri River, the encampment (Council Bluffs) was greeted on July 1 by Captain James Allen, an officer of the United States Army.  Captain Allen had first met up with an encampment  of the saints at Mt. Pisgah.  His reception there was cool.  However, he was treated cordially and with Apostle Woodruffs instructions sent on to meet Brigham Young at Council Bluffs.  General Stephen W. Kearny had sent Captain Allen to the Mormon camps, after receiving orders from the Secretary of War.  President James Polk had authorized the recruitment of five companies (500 men) of Mormons for the recently declared war against Mexico.  The Church had actively been lobbying the United States Congress and the President, through the services of Jesse C. Little, for just such an opportunity.   Captain Allen's reception by Brigham Young at Council Bluffs was enthusiastic rather than cool. 

Accordingly,  President Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles actively helped in the recruitment of what was to become known as the Mormon Battalion.   Captain Allen explained to the hastily arranged assembly of the saints (called by Young on the day Captain Allen arrived), that the term of enlistment was to be for one year.  At the encouragement of his church leaders, David Garner volunteered and was enrolled in Company A. Two of his brothers, Phillip and William also joined the Battalion (thus becoming the only three brother enlistment in the Battalion) and were assigned to Company B. 

Putting his full faith and trust in the Lord and the leaders of his church, David left his wife and three small children in a wagon at Mosquito Creek and began the long march to Fort Leavenworth on July 16, 1846.  (Brothers Phillip and William also left their families behind). It became the responsibility of the remaining family members (4 brothers, 3 sisters, brothers­ in law and sisters-in-law and parents) and friends and the members of the church to care for his family and for his two brothers families for the next sixteen months.  Unfortunately, we do not have any recorded thoughts of David or Dolly at this critical time in their lives.  However, Sergeant William Hyde recorded his feelings that were most certainly the thoughts of David and the others who were about to depart:  "The thoughts of leaving my family at this critical time are indescribable. They were far from the land of their nativity, situated upon a lonely prairie with no dwelling but for a wagon, the scorching sun beating upon them, with the prospect of the cold winds of December finding them in the same bleak, dreary place.  When we were to meet with them again, God only knew.  Nevertheless, we did not feel to murmur." 

In fulfilling this request for "500 able bodied men" from the United States government, Brigham Young was able to gain permission  from Captain Allen, acting on behalf of the government, for the members of the church to remain on Indian lands for a period of time.  This had been a major concern of Brigham Young.  The church desperately needed to avoid further problems, either from the government or from the Indians themselves.  Therefore, Brigham Young had made this concern a condition of his active participation in the recruitment effort.  Having obtained this promise from Captain Allen, Brigham Young could now move across the river to what would become known as Winter Quarters in present day Nebraska.   Additionally, he could begin to build crude, semi-permanent cabins to house the saints.  Leaving a family behind in a wagon without any hope of something more permanent would have made the recruitment efforts considerably more difficult. 

The Battalion was mustered into service on July 16 and left from Council Bluffs for Fort Leavenworth on July 20, 1846.  The trip to Fort Leavenworth was difficult, even for these already hardened pioneers.  Captain Allen had a schedule to keep and pushed the men and women hard.  (Some men were allowed to bring their families along at their own expense. Additionally, the U.S. Army hired four women for each company as laundresses).  Arriving at Fort Leavenworth (a distance of approximately 200 miles) on August 1, the Battalion was outfitted and supplied for the march to Santa Fe.  At Ft. Leavenworth, each soldier was also given $42 in cash for, a year's clothing allowance.  Nearly all of these funds were sent back by Apostle Parley P. Pratt and others for the support of the fan1ilies of the soldiers and for the gathering of the poor from Nauvoo.  There was also a donation for Elders Pratt, Hyde and Taylor of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in pursuing their mission to England.  No doubt this infusion of cash helped David's family and many others back at Council Bluffs and those yet struggling to get out of Nauvoo.

Unfortunately for the saints, Captain, now Lt. Colonel, Allen took sick at Ft. Leavenworth and did not accompany them to Santa Fe (tragically he died at Ft. Leavenworth a short time later).  Instead, Lt. A. J. Smith took over command (even though each company had a captain- they were elected by the men of each company) on the premise that he was as a "regular" officer in the United States Army.  He was an intolerable man and often made a difficult march worse.  The medical doctor assigned to the Battalion, George B. Sanderson, surpassed even his brashness and arrogance, however.  Competent medical care was totally lacking.  This doctor’s basic remedy for anything was calomel and arsenic administered with a "rusty spoon".  Treatment from this questionable doctor was avoided at all costs, if possible. Food at times became difficult to obtain.  There were equipment problems.  And, there were the wives and children of some of the men and the wives that had been hired by the Army as laundresses.  By the time the Battalion reached the Arkansas River, almost all of the women and all of the children were assigned an escort and sent to Pueblo (now in the state of Colorado). 

Upon reaching Santa Fe (now in the state of New Mexico) on October 12, 1846, Colonel Philip St. George Cooke took command of the Battalion.  Describing the Battalion, Cooke recorded "... it was much worn out by traveling on foot... their clothing was very scant."  And, there were a number of sick and injured among the men and as Cooke states: "the Battalion was embarrassed by many women."  He decided that the remaining women, children and disabled men were to be sent back to Pueblo under Captain James Brown. Initially, Colonel Cooke wanted to send only disabled men along with the women and children.  This caused grave concern among the men who did not want their families sent to Pueblo with only sick men to protect them.  Cooke decided, therefore, to form a "sick detachment", commanded by Captain James Brown and assigned several strong and healthy men to help the sick and injured and required all the remaining women, except three, to accompany the "detachment" to Pueblo.  In this group were David and Phillip Garner.  Phillip had been injured in a fall while on sentry duty and had broken two or three ribs and (according to his pension application years later) apparently suffered from dysentery as well. David was one of those designated as strong and healthy to accompany the "sick detachment", perhaps because of his injured brother.  In her widow's pension application, Polly Garner states that David was "detailed as one of a party in charge of the sick to go to Pueblo." The number of the group totaled about 110 persons.  The remaining brother, William, continued the march with Col. Cooke to California.  It is of particular note that the accrued wages due the Battalion upon arrival at Santa Fe, were, for the most part, paid to the men (and women) in the form of checks.  No coin or currency was available in Santa Fe.  These checks were then given to agents of the Church who subsequently tendered them for gold or hard currency which was used by the church to buy supplies necessary to help the saints scattered across Iowa and to survive the winter of 1846-1847. 

The "sick detachment" took up its line of march on October 18, 1846.  In spite of the miserable plight of the teams and the feeble condition of most of the men, very good time was made in traveling.  As the condition of the teams weakened, the sick were compelled to walk up the steep hills and where the roads were exceptionally bad.  They arrived in Pueblo on November 17, 1846.  It was immediately agreed that eighteen cabins, fourteen feet square should be erected for the winter.  The healthy men, including David, were sent to the woods to obtain logs for the houses.  This work was pushed with all possible urgency as winter was already upon them.  Unfortunately, before they were finished building these crude shelters some of the sick had already succumbed. 

A third group of sick or disabled soldiers was "detailed out" of the main body of the Battalion on November 9, 1846 after leaving Santa Fe.  This group numbered around 60 individuals.  They, too, joined the two other groups in Pueblo for the winter.  Additionally, a pioneer group known as the Mississippi saints had already arrived at Pueblo before the first group (those sent before arriving at Santa Fe).  On May 24, 1847, this combined group - soldiers, families, and Mississippi saints - headed north until they intersected the trail of the main body of the saints heading west for the Great Basin west of the Rocky Mountains.  At this junction, they too headed west. 

The three "detachments" of the Mormon battalion, accompanying  women and children and the saints from Mississippi, comprising in total about 240 individuals, together with 60 wagons, 100 head of horses and mules, a few oxen and 300 head of cattle, arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake on July 29, 1847.  Their arrival was just 5 days after Brigham Young’s original group had entered the Valley.  David and Philip Garner are, therefore, included in that select group of about 385 persons who first arrived in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake during the last week of July 1847.  Brigham Young formed a mounted company and met these Battalion and Mississippi companies at the mouth of Emigration Canyon.  Upon arriving in the valley a few hours later, he called a meeting and publicly thanked the Battalion for their service to their country.  In as much as their one-year enlistment had now expired, it was decided that Captain James Brown should leave for California and collect the remaining pay due the soldiers. It was also decided that the discharged soldiers would return to Winter Quarters or Council Bluffs with Brigham Young in August.  On the following morning, July 30, 1847, the men of the Battalion erected the first building of worship in Utah.  It was a bowery 40 feet long and 28 feet wide and provided welcome relief from the scorching hot sun.  It was used the following Sunday.  David also made adobes for a fort and assisted in the construction of some of the very earliest homes in the Valley before his departure. 

On August 17, 1847, the company began their journey east with Brigham Young and several others.  It was a long trip to Council Bluffs - a distance of 1,032 miles.  The company in which David journeyed was made up of two divisions.  The first division was made up of three "tens"; the second division had four "tens" and comprised the returning soldiers of the Mormon Battalion. David traveled in the third "ten" of the second division.   The company consisted of71 men and 33 wagons, 14 mules, 16 horses, and 92 yolks of oxen.  Each "ten" started out at a different time so that the company behind would not be eating dust continually.  Nor did they always camp together. 

William Clayton received special instructions from President Young to measure the road carefully as he traveled back in order to get such information that might be beneficial to the companies crossing the plains and mountains in the years to come.  His daily journal, as recorded in Journal History, gives some interesting sidelights for the trip and gives us an insight into the conditions and hardships endured by David, Philip and their fellow travelers. The following brief recital gives some of the highlights of the Journal as they made their trip to Winter Quarters:

Thurs. Aug 19 - Started about 8 a.m.  Encamped on Red Mountain Creek at 6 o'clock having traveled 16 114 miles.  Day was very hot. Night quite cold.

Mon. Aug 23 - Stopped at Ft. Bridger at 1 o'clock and stopped for 1 1/2  hours while some of the brethren did a little trading.  Traveled 211h miles.  Today was very cool.

Fri. Aug 27 - Traded sugar, powder, lead to the Indians for robes, skins, and meat. Bailey Jacobs killed a big antelope, a cause for rejoicing, as we are nearly out of breadstuffs and have had but little meat for several days.  Left the Valley with 8 pounds of flour, 9 pounds of meal, and a few beans for each man and have to depend on getting meat on the road for further sustenance.

Mon. Sept. 6 - Fierce wind blew up. It rained so hard it was impossible to build a fire. Went to bed cold, wet, and hungry having eaten nothing since morning.  Traveled 21 1/2   miles.

Sun. Sept 12 --Our breadstuff is all gone and have to live solely on meat for the balance of the journey.

Sun. Sept 19 -Killed a buffalo.  Met some Frenchmen who are trappers.   Had a feast of buffalo ribs.  Cold rain in the evening.

Tues. Oct. 12- Weather severely cold. Strong wind.

Thurs. October 21 -Arrived in Winter Quarters a little before noon.  The journey had taken nine long weeks and three days. 

David immediately crossed the Missouri River to Council Bluffs.  One can only imagine what a joyful and happy reunion it was for David and his wife and their three children, his parents and other family members and friends. 

The saints at Winter Quarters and Council Bluffs were without postal service of any kind, and the settlement, on both sides of the river, was now a large one.  Therefore, a petition, dated January 20, 1848, was formulated and sent to the President of the United States asking for the establishment of a post office in the "Pottawatomie Lands".   David and his father were among those who signed this petition. 

On April 12, 1848, David signed an affidavit in front of a Justice of the Peace in Atchison County, Missouri.  It is his recital of his enlistment and service and discharge in the Mexican War.  This document was submitted, along with other affidavits, to the appropriate government offices in Washington, D.C. for the specific request of obtaining a Land Warrant based on his military service.  A Land Warrant (#327308 - US Government, National Archives) was subsequently issued on September 19, 1848 granting him 160 acres of land near Linden, Missouri for his military service in the Mexican War.  (Atchison County is the northwestern most county in Missouri - on the Nebraska and Iowa borders.  His brother Philip also obtained a warrant and received land at the same time and place.)  It is an unanswered question as to either the use or the disposition of this land, but perhaps David farmed it in 1849 since he did not leave Council Bluffs for the trip west with his family until 1850.  His brother Philip and family left in 1849. His brother William (who had successfully completed the march of the Mormon Battalion to San Diego and returned in 1848) never moved to the Valley. 

On May 13, 1848, Brigham Young sealed David and Dolly Garner for time and eternity at Winter Quarters.  Before their departure for the Valley in 1850, two additional children were born to David and Dolly.  William Franklin (named for one of David's brothers) was born December 12, 1848 and Mary Marinda (named for one of David's sisters) was born February 20, 1850, both at Council Bluffs, Iowa.  On February 16, 1850, the Garner family happily witnessed the marriage of David's youngest sibling, Henry, to Anne Mahoney at Council Bluffs.  Sadly, just before their planned departure, David’s mother-in-law, Magdalena Durfee passed away at Council Bluffs, Iowa Territory, on May 17, 1850. 

Finally, nearly four years after being forced out of Nauvoo, the Garner family began their trek to the Salt Lake Valley.  The baby Mary was only a few months old when they departed.  David was assigned to Patriarch James Lake's company and arrived in Great Salt Lake City on September 6, 1850.  The average trip took about 100 days.  While no family record apparently exists, one can assume that the difficulties and perils of such an undertaking were little different than those experienced by the pioneer companies that had preceded them in 1847, 1848 and 1849.  And, of course, David was well aware of the difficulties and challenges having already endured them in both directions in 1847.  They traveled with one wagon, which contained one bed and what provisions, tools, and clothing they could obtain, or still had from their exodus from Nauvoo and endured the hardships associated with such an arduous journey.  It is of interest to note that in spite of the late date of their arrival in the Valley, they were still counted on the official United States census for the Territory of Utah for the year 1850.  They were listed as living in Weber County and it is assumed that they were located, at least temporarily for the winter of 1850-1851, in or near Ogden, Utah. 

On March 4, 1851, the David Garner family, along with 12 to 15 other families, relocated to an area about 6 miles north of the settlement of Ogden.  They traveled with Jonathan and Samuel Campbell who were the designated leaders.  Jonathan had been a member of the Mormon Battalion and, thus, may explain why David was included in thisgroup of original settlers.  Indian problems had prevented the Campbell’s from settling the area in the fall of 1850 and may explain why the Garners were in or near Ogden during the winter of 1850-1851 .  These new settlers immediately l aid out the town site.  The actual layout of the town site commenced with the acreage of David Garner on the east bench.  Measurements were laid off to the north and west from his property boundaries.  David made his home on this claimed acreage the rest of his life. 

The first pioneers arriving in North Ogden lived temporarily in their wagons or in tents.   Their first homes were crudely constructed du gouts built in the sides of hills.  They dug holes in the ground like a cellar with perpendicular walls and then sheered up the walls with rocks.   Roofs were constructed of saplings laid close together over the dugout.  The saplings forming the roofs were covered, first, with a layer of reeds or grass and, then, with two or three feet of earth.  Timbers standing on end were used to form the front wall of the dugouts.  Cowhide and skins were used to cover  the door and windows.  A stone fireplace provided heat and light and a place for cooking. 

In addition to all of the extraordinary hard work that was required of David and Dolly that first year in North Ogden, they were blessed with the birth of a daughter on September 7, 1851.   The little girl was given the name of Nancy Jane, (after one of David's sisters and his mother).  Tragically, she died approximately three years later in 1854.   Another daughter, Amelia Jane was born on May 10, 1853. 

In 1853 the community commenced to build a fort due to recurring Indian problems. The fort enclosed about 70 acres, including several springs for water sources.   The first school was organized in 1851, soon after the town site was laid out.   (A one-room adobe schoolhouse was completed in 1856). The growing community of North Ogden was organized by the Church into a branch on December 9, 1852.  Some three months later on March 4, 1853, Brigham Young authorized that the branch be changed to a ward. 

On December 29, 1853, President Joseph Young of the Council of Seventy organized the 38th Quorum of Seventy in Ogden, Utah.   David was ordained a Seventy by Joseph Young on this same date. 

The winter of 1855-1856 was extremely y harsh.  The native sego lily bulb was again harvested to supplement meager food reserves in a desperate move to survive this terrible winter.   Journals and family lore from this period indicate that the straw from mattresses was used to feed livestock.   In spite of such valiant efforts, there was a considerable loss of stock throughout the settlements that winter due to starvation and freezing.  As if that was not enough, the Indians became very troublesome due to their own indigent circumstances from the severe winter.  In order to appease them, the saints constantly had to give them presents and make feasts for them.  The summer of 1856 brought another massive grasshopper invasion, which seriously damaged or destroyed the crops.  And as difficult as these two years had been, they were a prelude to an entirely different challenge they were about to face during the years 1857 and 1858. 

In spite of the difficulties and constant setbacks, David continued to manage and further   develop his property.   Early on, he managed to procure fruit trees and planted a very large orchard, which gave bounteous harvests in the            ears to follow.  He also had a large vineyard in addition to ground cherries and excellent gardens.  He was a very good provider and an extremely hard worker.  Over the earl y years, in addition to maintaining the farm, his family built a rock wall around their entire property.   As a further challenge to David personally, sometime after arriving in the Valley, he blinded himself in one eye when his knife slipped while skinning a muskrat.  As a result of this accident, he was never seen without his glasses. 

President James Buchanan, in 1857, sent to Utah Territory, what has become known as Johnston's Army.  The purpose of this military action was to put down a supposed rebellion of the inhabitants of the territory, which, of course, in 1857, meant the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  It seemed that their trials of crossing the plains, cultivating crops and adapting to the climatic conditions of the Great Basin were not enough.  While efforts at obtaining compromise or resolution were underway, Brigham Young organized the saints to resist an invasion of their homes and property.  Guerilla tactics (organized by the Nauvoo Legion, a carryover from the days of the authorized militia unit when the Church was headquartered in that city) prevented Johnston from entering the Valley in late 1857, as he had hoped, and forced the army to winter at Ft. Bridger. (The Church had purchased Ft. Bridger some years earlier. Upon receiving word that the army was approaching the area near the fort, Brigham Young ordered that it be burned prior to the arrival of the army). 

In the spring of 1858, Brigham Young ordered the evacuation of all the inhabitants of the Ogden and Great Salt Lake City areas and directed them to move south toward Provo, some going as far as Santaquin. Some men were directed to remain behind and, if necessary, torch the settlements.  Once again, David and Dolly Garner and their family, were prepared to "lay it all on the line" and move again and start over, if necessary.  And, in compliance with instructions from their church leaders and trusting in the Lord, they did as they were told, leaving their home and newly planted or as yet unplanted fields.  Fortunately, a peaceful conclusion to the misunderstandings was achieved through the mediation efforts of Col. Thomas Kane, a true friend of the Latter-day Saints.  The citizens of the territory returned to their homes and farms beginning on June 30, 1858, after the army had marched south through Salt Lake City and located itself in Cedar Valley about thirty-five miles distant. It is possible, but without verification, that David and his family may have temporarily relocated near Payson where his eldest brother George is thought to have been living at the time. 

Between the extreme difficulties of the winter of 1855-1856 and the invasion of grasshoppers the summer of 1856, Charles Henry (named after another of David's brothers) was born to David and Dolly on April16, 1856.  Their last child, a daughter they named Lydia, was born on March 2, 1858, just prior to their removal to the Provo area in advance of Johnston's Am1y coming into the Valley in June of 1858. 

During the first forty-three years of settlement  in Utah Territory, the principle of plural marriage (technically it was the practice of polygyny - meaning more than one wife – but it was commonly referred to as polygamy) was practiced by certain members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  All bishops and branch presidents in North Ogden from the time of the initial settlement in 1851 until 1894 were polygamists.   Polygamists in North Ogden were prominent men and were influential in the community, including David Garner. As early as 1853 there were several plural marriages performed among members of the church in North Ogden.  On April 16, 1857, David married Bethzina Bums in the Salt Lake Endowment House after taking out her endowments on April 2, 1857.  Bethzina was the daughter of Enoch Bums and Elizabeth Moffet.  She was born March 5, 1842, in Nauvoo, Illinois.  The Bums family was also among the first 112 or 15 families to settle in North Ogden    in 1851.  (There are several spellings for Bethzina.  Also, some records indicate that she was married to David on March 16, 1857.  This is possibly a mistake in the records or a record of a civil marriage, as it is unlikely that the recorded Endowment House marriage would have been performed prior to Bethzina taking out her endowments).

On December 3, 1858, a daughter named Elizabeth was born to Bethzina and David. Tragically, Bethzina lived only a month after the birth of their daughter, dying, presumably, from complications following childbirth.  She was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery.  Their daughter, Elizabeth, followed her in death not long afterward- on November 5, 1859.  She was also buried in the Ogden City Cemetery.

David's kindly disposition endeared him to his associates.   Being gifted with a good voice he loved to sing. Late in his life, at a reunion of the Mormon Battalion survivors, David is recorded as having performed a singing number.  Activity in the Church was second nature to him.

While early pioneer books and other lists of the early settlers of Utah generally show David as a farmer, he was much more than that, earning a livelihood from several sources.  At one time he and his brother-in-law set up a sawmill in the valley at Liberty.  David owned the sawmill, but hired the help to run it. He always had excellent teams and good livestock.  Sheep were essential to the pioneer economy and David had a large flock.  His wife and daughters knew how to use the wool to make the clothing that they all needed.  David also raised goats, which were put to pasture on the mountains and brought in once a week. Bobcats were a risk in those early years and on one occasion, after putting the goats to pasture, David went out to bring them in, as was the established pattern.  To his great horror and dismay, the bobcats had killed off most of the goats.  David and his grandsons ski1med the goats and tanned the hides.

A very important crop in North Ogden was sorghum.   In the early years of the settlement, the David Garner family built a sugar mill and made molasses from sorghum. Molasses was used as a sweetener for food and also as a medium of exchange.  Honey was also used relatively early as a sweetener for food in North Ogden.  David, as reported in his diary, brought two swarms of bees with him from San Bernardino, California, in April of 1868.  He records that he paid $120.00.

In the early 1850's, "the first limekiln in the Ogden area was built by David Garner in Cold Water Canyon just above the spring".  This lime was of a quality superior to that generally used in building and was excellent for 'white-washing.' It was used extensively in beautifying and cleansing the interior of the homes of the settlers in the earlier days.  Later, David built a kiln on the bench east of his place and burned lime there for many years.  The kiln was finally abandoned, but the remains were still visible as late as the 1930’s.  (The location was east of about 2440 North Mountain Road.)

In addition to his farm animals, gardens and orchard, David raised a lot of hay on his property.  To supplement the limited rainfall of the Great Basin the early pioneers relied heavily on irrigation.  David was not an exception.  He was fortunate enough to have a stream feed his property coming down from Coon Canyon at the base of the mountain to the east of his property.  He built a reservoir to store the precious water so that he could irrigate his crops throughout the summer.  In later years on one occasion, David's grandson, Will Garner, reported that as he and his grandfather were returning from the field with a load of hay. David noticed a small bundle of hay (small enough to put under one's arm) lying to one side of       the field.  He got down from the wagon and walked to where the small bundle lay, picked it up and brought it to the wagon.  This made an obvious impression on young Will.  No doubt the years of poor crops and scarcities had made him appreciate the bounties of nature and David was anxious to conserve it all Will also recalls that they raised "the tallest com in the whole valley" that summer.  Also grown on the Garner farm were choice watermelons and they became subject to "melon raids" by some of the local young boys.  It is told that one of the boys of the group would take a cowbell and jingle it in the cornstalks while the rest of the boys picked the watermelons they could carry.  David would hurry out of the house to frighten the cows out of the com.  By this ruse the boys were apparently never caught.

After the early years of sacrifice and scarcity, David made a very good living for his family.  Over time he built a lovely two-story home that still stands at 1409 North Mountain Road.  (David Garner originally built only the center of the home where the front doorway is located.)  It is one of the first homes built in North Ogden.

In the spring of 1863, David returned to Council Bluffs, Iowa with an ox team to bring his sister and her family to Ogden.  (It is difficult to ascertain which sister this might have been.  Perhaps one of his sisters had gone west and then returned to Iowa to be near other members of the family, only to later change her mind and return again to the Valley).  He returned with the family on the last day of September 1863.

In early 1867, David received word that his mother was extremely ill in San Bernardino, California.  David’s brother, John, and two of his sisters, Nancy Wakefield and Sarah Wakefield (the two sisters had married brothers), had settled in San Bernardino, probably during Brigham Young's colonizing efforts of that area in the early 1850's.  The 1860 census of San Bernardino, California, shows that Jane aged 73 was living with John Garner.  It is also noted that a son John, Jr. was born in Ogden, Utah in 1850.  Therefore, we can definitely conclude that John and his young family were also among those first pioneers to be in the Great Salt Lake Valley.  Whether, Jane Garner was in the Valley at that time is not known. It can also be concluded, that Jane came west certainly before 1860.  Her husband, and David's father, did not go west.  Family history states that David took temple clothes for her burial.  Jane Stevens Garner died in San Bernardino on April 13, 1868 at the age of 81.  (This age determination is further verified with the 1840 Illinois census showing Jane to be between 50 and 60.)  It was on this return trip that David brought the two swarms of bees mentioned earlier.

On November 15, 1868, David Garner was called to serve as 1st Counselor to Bishop Henry Holmes in the North Ogden ward bishopric.  Abraham Chadwick was called to be 2nd Counselor (the Chadwick family settled in North Ogden between 1851 and 1854). A patriarchal blessing was given to David on February 6, 1869, at North Ogden by Elder John Smith (Church Patriarch), which is recorded in Volume 43, page 207, Church Archives.

David married, as a plural wife, Mary Louisa Whitmore Price, on January 3, 1870. They were married in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City.  Mary was the daughter of John Whitmore and Elizabeth Burk, born February 14, 1837 in McMinn County, Tennessee. She had previously been married to Samuel Maxwell Price (that marriage taking place in 1858). There is apparently little known detail of this third wife. The 1870 census records the David Garner family of North Ogden with both Mary and Dolly listed.  They are both shown as "keeping  house".  Living grandchildren  interviewed many years ago do not recall anything about her.  (In the various widow’s pension affidavits filed by Polly Garner following David's death, there is, specifically, no mention of this wife).

On October 10, 1871, David Garner was called on a mission for the Church.  The official church document that records missionary departures states "United States" as his field of labor.  The exact area of his labor is apparently unknown or not recorded.  It could have been anywhere in the United States.  He returned on February 22, 1872, having been gone from his family for approximately five months.  He was then 53 years of age.  David was one of sixty missionaries that had been called to serve at the 1871 October Conference of the Church.  They met at 7:30a.m. on a Tuesday morning following the Conference in the Church Historian's office in Salt Lake City, and received instructions and exhortations from Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and Franklin D. Richards (members of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles).  He left in the company of Bishop P. G. Taylor of Harrisville.

Approximately a month earlier, David had received word of the passing of his aged father, David Garner, Sr., in Council Bluffs, Iowa.  At the time of his passing he was somewhere between 98 and 103 years of age.  Family history has generally listed his birth year as 1768, which would put his age at his passing at 103 or 104.  However, the 1850 census of Iowa gives his age as 77.  Adding 77 plus an additional 21 years, from the time of this census to the year of his death, would put his age at death at either 98 or 99.  He had not journeyed west, remaining behind in Council Bluffs, along with David’s brothers William (of the Mormon Battalion) and Henry; and possibly his sister Louisa.

During the month of February 1873, Bishop Holmes and David Edmund Garner (David’s son) went on a "settling mission" to Arizona.  David (senior) was left in charge of the ward in Holmes' absence.  David chose, apparently without permission or at least without the proper procedure, new counselors.   Eventually, the stake authorities questioned this action and after nearly two years, on January 30, 1875, Apostle Franklin D. Richards selected a new bishop replacing both Holmes and Garner.

On Sunday afternoon, June 14, 1885, David’s devoted wife, Dolly, died after a long illness.  They had been married for 43 years.  Funeral services were held at their home on Tuesday, June 16, 1885.  She was buried in the Ogden City Cemetery.  Following Dolly’s death, David performed temple work for some of his ancestors in the Logan and Manti temples.

David married Polly Cater in the Logan Temple on June 14, 1886.  Will Garner and Emily Chadwick Zaugg (both grandchildren) remember this woman very well, having spent a Summer at the Garner home and farm in 1888.   After David’s death, and in accordance with The terms of David’s will, Polly was "left the use of one-half of the homestead below the road And almost 40 acres, two rooms in the house and a horse and wagon with all property to revert To the estate when   she dies."  (While certain records state explicitly that David had a will, no copy is known to exist.  The above information was obtained from a deposition given by Maxilla Graham (Fannie Marilla Garner Tracy Graham), a daughter of David's.  The Deposition was made at the time that Polly Garner requested a Widow's pension for David's service in the Mexican War as a member of the Mormon Battalion.   David's son, David E. Garner, gave a similar deposition at the same time and for the same purpose).

In January 1889, David made another journey to San Bernardino to visit his relatives, returning in February.   During the first week of April he attended the 59th Annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Salt Lake City, Utah.   He was forced to return home before its close (conference could last from 3 to 5 days) due to a severe cold.  On April21 and 22, he attended the Quarterly Conference of the Weber Stake held in Ogden. Possibly not having recovered sufficiently from the earlier cold, David again became ill. The cold developed into pneumonia and he was confined to bed.

David Garner died five days later at 1 a.m. on April 27, 1889, after a long life of service to his family, community and church.   David was 71 at the time of his passing and was serving as the senior president of the 38th Quorum of Seventy.  Funeral services were held in the chapel at North Ogden, April 30, 1889, after which interment took place at the Ogden City Cemetery, by the side of his wife Dolly.

PATRIARCHAL BLESSING

No. 237

C. Hiederborg, Recorder

North Ogden, Weber Co., Utah, Feb 6, 1869

Patriarchal blessing of David Garner, son of David & Jane Garner, born in Lexington, Davison Co., North Carolina, Jan 30, 1818

Bro. David, in the name of Jesus Christ, I lay my hands upon thy head to pronounce and seal a blessing upon thee, which shall be as the spirit may imbibe, therefore prepare thy mind and look forward to the future that you may comprehend the blessings which the Lord hath in store for thee, for thou art of the house of Israel, and entitled through thy lineage to the blessings of Abraham, Isaac & Jacob, thou shalt hereafter be crowned among the fathers in Israel and have an inheritance on Mount Zion, the new Jerusalem, for thou hast yielded obedience to the laws of God through his servants, left home, kindred and friends for the gospels sake, thou hast also seen many changes for which thou shall receive thy reward and I say unto thee, be firm in thy mind, yea even as the rock of Ages, ??? in every good ??? and work and be of good cheer for the Lord knoweth thy integrity and will give unto thee, according as thou shalt merit and thou shalt be blessed in the labour of they hands, and gather around thee the riches of the earth until thou art satisfied, and be enabled to impart freely unto the poor and the needy, thou shalt also be called to labour in the ministry and thou shalt school thy brethren to faithfulness and thou shalt also have power over the adversary and he shall not mar or disturb the peace of thy habitation, and the angel of thy presence shall give thee counsel in time of need, and warn thee of danger in time to escape, and whisper peace and consolation in thy ear,if thou wilt listen unto the whisperings of the still small voice of comforter which cometh from our father in heaven, and thy posterity shalt be numerous and bear they name in honorable remembrance. This blessing I seal upon thy head, and I seal thee up unto eternal life, to come forth in the morning of the first resurrection a savior in they father's house. Even so Amen!