 1825 - 1915 (89 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has 2 ancestors and 16 descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
Joshua Terry |
| Birth |
11 Aug 1825 |
Albion Township, York, Ontario, Canada  |
| Gender |
Male |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
7 Sep 1855 |
EHOUS |
| FamilySearch ID |
MYPW-189 |
| Death |
22 Feb 1915 |
Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
| Burial |
25 Feb 1915 |
Draper City Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
| Headstones |
 Submit Headstone Photo |
| Person ID |
I163151 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
Parshall Terry, b. 30 Sep 1778, Fort Niagara, Niagara, New York, United States d. 8 Oct 1861, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 83 years) |
| Mother |
Hannah Terry, b. 8 Oct 1786, Goshen, Orange, New York, United States d. 4 Oct 1877, Rockville, Washington, Utah, United States (Age 90 years) |
| Marriage |
16 Mar 1802 |
Palmyra, Wayne, New York, United States |
| Family ID |
F29645 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family 1 |
Pee-che "Ann" Greasewood, b. Abt 1828, Fort Bridger, Uinta, Wyoming, United States d. 28 Dec 1857, Midvale, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 29 years) |
| Marriage |
15 Jun 1851 |
Fort Bridger, Uinta, Wyoming, United States |
| Children |
| | 1. George Joshua Terry, b. 1 Feb 1853, Fort Bridger, Uinta, Wyoming, United States d. 10 Jan 1907, Wind River Indian Reservation, Fremont, Wyoming, United States (Age 53 years) |
| | 2. Jane Terry, b. 26 Apr 1855, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 19 Jun 1877 (Age 22 years) |
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| Family ID |
F41433 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
5 May 2024 |
| Family 2 |
Mary Emma Reid, b. 7 Jun 1840, Golden, Adams, Illinois, United States d. 2 Aug 1918, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 78 years) |
| Marriage |
20 Jan 1857 |
Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
| Children |
| | 1. Mary Ann Terry, b. 4 Nov 1858, Taylorsville, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 29 Dec 1913, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 55 years) |
| | 2. Joshua Parshall Terry, b. 3 Apr 1860, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 6 Dec 1941, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 81 years) |
| | 3. Sarah Ann Terry, b. 3 Dec 1861, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 12 May 1940, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 78 years) |
| | 4. Hunter Terry, b. 1 Oct 1863, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 25 Nov 1945, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 82 years) |
| | 5. Hannah Louisa Terry, b. 17 Aug 1865, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 12 Apr 1947, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 81 years) |
| | 6. Deborah Rosetta Terry, b. 4 Jul 1867, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 7 May 1879 (Age 11 years) |
| | 7. Emma Elizabeth Terry, b. 3 Aug 1869, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 10 Mar 1948, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 78 years) |
| | 8. Elisha Tarbox Terry, b. 17 Oct 1871, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 6 Sep 1878, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 6 years) |
| | 9. Joseph Hyrum Terry, b. 28 Apr 1873, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 6 Sep 1878, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 5 years) |
| | 10. Porter Moroni Terry, b. 21 Jan 1875, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 6 Jun 1879 (Age 4 years) |
| | 11. Valera Prudence Terry, b. 18 Jan 1877, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 11 Aug 1879, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 2 years) |
| | 12. Dency Marilla Terry, b. 17 Jan 1879, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 30 Jan 1879, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 0 years) |
| | 13. Marjerye Ellenor Terry, b. 3 Jan 1880, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 3 Jan 1880, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States (Age 0 years) |
| | 14. Redell Steven Terry, b. 7 Jan 1882, Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States d. 24 Nov 1948 (Age 66 years) |
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| Family ID |
F41432 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
5 May 2024 |
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| Event Map |
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 | Birth - 11 Aug 1825 - Albion Township, York, Ontario, Canada |
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 | Marriage - 15 Jun 1851 - Fort Bridger, Uinta, Wyoming, United States |
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 | Initiatory (LDS) - 7 Sep 1855 - EHOUS |
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 | Marriage - 20 Jan 1857 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
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 | Death - 22 Feb 1915 - Draper, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
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 | Burial - 25 Feb 1915 - Draper City Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States |
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| Notes |
- Joshua Terry was born in Albion, Home District, Upper Canada, which is n o w Ontario, August 11, 1825. While yet in his youth he moved to Missour i w ith his parents, was baptized a member of the Church of Latter-day Sa ints , June 20, 1840, by William Allred, confirmed by William Allred an d Jac k Ways. He was ordained a deacon by Elisha Everts, a teacher, in Na uvoo , Illinois, and an Elder in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, J une 2 0, 1865. A Seventy, by Elder Erastus Snow of the Council of Twelve , a Hig h Priest and set apart to preside. over the Shoshone Mission by P residen t Taylor May 9, 1881, and very soon left on his mission to the In dians, a t the Shoshone Agency in Wyoming. He was set apart as a Patriarc h by Elde r John Henry Smith, a member of the council of Twelve, May 5, 1 901,
He passed through the Missouri persecutions with his father's family a n d was driven from his home when the Saints were expelled from Missour i an d settled in Nauvoo, Illinois. He assisted in the erection of the Na uvo o Temple and attended many meetings where he heard the voice of the P roph et Joseph Smith many times. It was in this city in a little grove th at h e saw and heard the Prophet roll the responsibilities of the churc h upo n the shoulders of the Twelve Apostles. While at this meeting he wi tnesse s a very miraculous healing, a great crowd had gathered in the gro ve whil e listening to the words of the Prophet, a plank seat that was ov ertaxe d with the weight of men gave way, falling on one of the men's leg s, smas hing it to pieces. The Prophet placed the broken bones in place a nd lai d his hands upon it and asked God, our Eternal Father, to bless an d hea l the leg and make it well and strong. The leg looked like a vesse l tha t had been broken in many pieces and then glued together, the man a rose a nd walked to his house and in later years he walked across the pla ins t o Utah.
In 1841, Mr. Terry joined the Nauvoo Legion, serving under Lieut. Gener a l Joseph Smith; he also spent part of his time rafting freight down th e M ississippi River. In 1846, he moved with the main body of the churc h fro m Nauvoo into Iowa. Soon after he pooled his interests with Lehi Sa vage a n old man. In the spring of 1847, they left Winter Quarters in th e Georg e B. Wallace Company, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in Septemb er 28, 1 847. He settled first in Salt Lake City where as a pioneer he as sisted i n the building, of the Old Fort. He drove the first team aroun d what is n ow known as Beck's Hot Springs in Davis County. He was one o f the first o f the pioneers to drive up through Box Elder County and o n into the Bea r River country. In October of the same year 1847, he walk ed over to Chur ch Island in the Great Salt Lake on dry ground, the low l evel of the lak e and the exposure of high wind making it possible.
Mr. Terry and Mr. Savage worked at odd jobs in the harvest fields and ca n yons Soon after Their arrival, they made a camp on Little Willow Cree k no w known as Draper, Salt Lake County. Savage then married a widow who m h e met on the journey and this was the first marriage in Utah. After t he m arriage Terry's troubles began, for this woman was a termagant, an d he ha d to get out or starve. He was given a peck of wheat as his shar e of th e pooled harvest earnings and this and his gun he started for ne w pasture s. It chanced that James Pollock, an overland freighter was cam ping in th e Valley, having been cut off the church for apostasy. He wa s now on hi s way to California. Terry hired out to this man agreeing t o give his ser vices, his peck of wheat and his gun for transportation, a nd board to Cal ifornia, They traveled as far as Fort Hall on the Snake R iver when a repo rt of Indian troubles on the Humbolt reached them and Po llock decided t o abandon the trip. He got in with the Government Agent , Captain John Gra nt at Fort Hall, leaving Terry to herd horses and do d rudgery around th e camp, while he spent
his time at the Fort.
Terry resided here for two months which made him a pioneer of Idaho, a t l ast he became discouraged and decided to try something else. Throug h th e influence of Pollock, Captain Grant refused to employ him even fo r hi s board and hence he must be a slave to Pollock or strike out afoo t witho ut a gun or sufficient clothing, to try to find some other fort o r an Ind ian camp.
One kind heart at Fort Hail, a Doctor Rogers, gave him three dry biscui t s and half a pound of jerked beef. The Doctor advised him to try to rea c h Fort Bridger, two hundred miles away, The first part of the way he li ve d chiefly on sego and thistle roots; his moccasins soon became badly w orn , a heavy snow storm came up, and his feet became raw and bleeding, s o h e could not travel very fast. One day he had traveled all day throug h nea rly a foot of snow without anything to eat and without seeing a liv ing th ing, the wind was bleak and cold, night was coming on and he was a bout t o give up in despair, feeling that he would perish before morning , He kne lt in prayer. When he arose he noticed a large black rock in th e shape o f a coffin. He went over to it and on examining it found a hol e on one si de. He crept into this hole out of the storm and the wind. Al though it wa s cold and black as pitch inside it furnished a shelter fo r the night.
He had not been in there long when he heard something approaching whic h p roved to be an animal of some kind. It had also come to the coffin sh ape d rock for shelter. They remained together in the rock all night, th e war mth of the animal's body warmed him and kept him quite comfortable . The n ext morning, just before day-light, the animal crawled out and we nt on it s way and as it grew light, Terry crawled out too, feeling non e the wors e for sleeping with his new bedfellow. This, Terry regarded a s a miracl e caused by the influence and power of the Holy Spirit over th e animal, i n answer to his prayer.
He was soon on his way without breakfast as he had nothing to eat. The o n ly human being he met in the days of travel were roving Indians. Durin g t he day he became so faint and weak, having had nothing to eat for thr ee o r four days, he was about to give up in despair but he knelt down an d ask ed the Lord to show him some way to get food or relief from his mis ery b y death. When he arose he saw a smoke in the distance, so he decide d whet her it be friend or foe he was going to it for he had to have food .
When he arrived at the place he found an Indian Teepee. It was situat e d a little east of what is now known as Soda Springs and was occupie d b y an old Indian and her son. They had been left behind by the tribe b ecau se she was too old to travel; her son stayed with her. Terry made si gns f or food and sleep, but the son was not willing to do anything for h im, Th e old woman, seeing how weak and starved he was, talked to her so n and so ftened his heart. The young Indian came to him making signs fo r Terry t o lay his head on his, the Indian's knees, and when he did so t he India n spit in his ear. This made Terry angry and he felt like kickin g the fel low out of the teepee, but calmed himself for the sake of somet hing to ea t, The Indian then laid his head over and motioned for Terry t o spit in h is ear, which Terry did, giving him a good earful, This seeme d to pleas e the old women and her son very much, although Terry did no t understan d what it all meant, but was to learn from grave experience i n the near f uture. The old woman went out and stirred up a red ant bed , scooping th e ants up in a vessel and roasted them over the red hot coa ls,, then mad e a broth out of hem,
She gave some of the broth to Terry to drink, then motioned for him to l i e down and sleep before she would give him anything else to eat, Whe n h e awoke he found that the young Indian had been hunting and had kille d a n antelope. The old squaw prepared a broth by boiling the paunch wit h it s entire contents in the kettle, without salt or seasoning of any ki nd, W hen in years after, Terry spoke of this incident, he claimed this w as th e best supper of his life for he was given a liberal portion of th e brot h and that night slept well in the teepee, The next morning, anoth er port ion of the broth and he went on his way. The young warrior went w ith hi m for a distance showing him a short cut through the mountains i n the dis tance then left Terry saying that he could go no farther as h e was afrai d of the pale face.
It was while in the company of this old woman that he first began to lea r n the Shoshone language, the young Indian asked him nearly a 100 time s i f he, Terry, had no friends, but Terry could not understand. Later wh en h e had learned the language, he knew what the question meant.
The rest of the way to Fort Bridger he met one Indian who gave him som e b uffalo meat for a little ammunition that Terry had carefully saved, T he I ndian took special pains to instruct him how to prepare the meat an d ho w much it would be safe to eat at one time as it proved to be a ver y stro ng laxative to one not used to eating it and so famished as he was . At la st, he reached Fort Bridger, having walked two hundred miles with out seei ng a soul except a few Indians. Mr. Terry said as soon as he rea ched For t Bridger, the sun seemed brighter and good old Jim Bridger aske d him i f he knew how to use an ax. Terry said "yes", Then Bridger aske d him if h e could build a log house, and again Terry told him "yes". The n Bridger e mployed him. Terry soon became Bridger's most trusted employe e and forema n. Jim Bridger, like many other mountaineers would at time s indulge i n a little too much strong drink and do some gambling. On on e such occasi on, Bridger had over $2,000,00 and was losing. Fifteen hund red dollars o f this was in a buckskin purse which Terry watched his chan ce and slippe d away and kept safely a day or two until Bridger was wel l over his spre e and then returned it. From this time on Terry and Bridg er were fast fri ends.
Jim Bridger was a man of honor, and though rough and ready, he had a wa r m heart. When he was a friend, he was a friend indeed, and when he wa s a n enemy, either Indian or white man might well look out. He was quic k a s lightening and a dead shot on the spur of the moment.
Terry had an almost uncanny sense of direction. Bridger at one time conc l uded to test. him., so he took Terry a long distance into a. heavily ti mb ered part of the Uintah Mountains and after wending around in differen t d irections, he asked Terry to point toward camp, Terry did so immediat ely , Bridger was surprised, but he said, "I'll lose you yet.," So, he tr ie d again and again, but Terry could always give the proper direction pr omp tly, Bridger said Terry was the only man whom he had ever failed to l os e In that heavily timbered country. With such a friend, Terry found li f e at For. Bridger to be pleasant, interesting and free.
Bridger explained that some day Terry's parents with their family woul d b e coming that way and when they did come they would likely be in nee d o f help, and that he would see that they got it if Terry would only st ay w ith him. Terry remained with Bridger two years thus becoming a pione er o f Wyoming, Finally, Terry's father and family came along and were mu ch i n need of help. Then Bridger made good. He told Terry to go out an d brin g in two yoke of the best oxen he had and fit the family out for t he res t of the trip, This was done, without any deduction from the wage s Terr y earned,
As all the more reliable mountaineers had taken Indian wives, Bridger in s isted that Terry should take one too. He did not know which one to choo se , but a little later met with an experience which settled that, for hi m.
One day not long after, Terry was out on the range hunting horses, he h a d gone a long way from the fort and as he rounded a hill he came int o a r ugged wild strange valley. As he stood on the brink of the hill sca nnin g the valley for stray horses, he heard a rushing sound, as he turne d t o look at the gap through which he had just entered, he was surrounde d wi th Indian Warriors. They took him captive and decided they would hav e som e fun at his expense, so they tied him hand and foot then they hel d a cou ncil to determine what to do with him. In a few minutes the counc il was e nded and they had decided to scalp and burn him to the stake. So me picke d him up and tied him to a, tree, while others gathered brush an d piled i t around him. Others of them went to gather in the rest of th e Indians, t elling them they were going to burn a pale face.
With fiendish yells, they clasped hands and danced the war dance aroun d h im and the pile of brush, all the time yelling at the top of their vo ice s and weaving in and out. Then they would step and throw their tom-a- hawk s at his head, one, more powerful and hideous than the rest unsheath e d a large knife and started toward Terry; just as he was about to scal p h is victim, another band of Indians was seen coming around the hill. T he C hieftain of this second band proved to be no other than the young ma n wh o had spit in his ear. Terry learned at this time that the act of sp ittin g in the ear meant friendship and that they would sometime understa nd eac h others language so the young man proved to be a friend indeed.
The Indian warriors went into council, talking until almost midnight, wh e n the friendly chieftain came out and cut the bands that bound him, rub bi ng his numb hands and legs to get the feeling back into them, as the y wer e very numb from being bound so long. The Chief said he was doing a ll tha t he could, but was unable to free him so he could go back to hi s people ; he led him into a tent and the Indians guarded him continually .
All the time he was held their prisoner, an Indian girl brought him fo o d and became his friend. She and the young Chieftain told him of the tr ou bles among the Indians. They told him that the Indians were going to w a r against his people, the Mormons, they told him he must get away to wa r n Brigham Young, The young Chieftain promised to help him do so and th e n went into council with a few braves who were not so prejudiced again s t him. They gave him so many moons to go and get back. When he left h e fe lt that unless an over-ruling and greater power than his own shoul d hel p him, it would be impossible to make the journey to Salt Lake befo re th e allotted time. To his surprise, his Indian friend was about midwa y wit h a. fresh horse and he reached Salt Lake in time,
He gave his message to Brigham Young and left immediately with Preside n t Young's message for the Indians. Again he was met by the Indian Chief ta in and again he was supplied with a fresh horse. When within a short d ist ance from the Indian Camp his young friend gave him his own horse a s he o nly had a short time to make the rest of the way. This horse wa s a wonder ful traveler and Terry arrived. just as the sun was going dow n of the las t day. As the sun sank behind the hills they saw him coming . They all gat hered around him to hear the message from Brigham Young. I t pleased the m so much that they gave him his freedom and in a short tim e he married t he Indian girl that had been so good to him.
The average price. of a wife was a good horse. If the father said "go" s h e went, but it was up to the husband to treat her so she would stay. Te rr y said, "My Indian wife was good and true and she loved me with a devo tio n unsurpassable; when I was ill and she had done everything possibl e to r elieve my suffering, she and others concluded that I could not liv e., s o she went out from camp and when she came back she said she had ta ken po ison root because she did not wish to live when I was gone, I go t well an d she died a martyr to her love."
In 1849, Mr., Terry went to Salt Lake City along the old immigrant tra i l and established a system of ferry boats on the Green River. During th i s time, he married another Indian woman, Ann Greaswood, June 15, 1851 , a t Fort Bridger, Wyoming. She was born in Wyoming and had two children . Fi rst George, born at Fort Bridger, February 11, 1853, who was murdere d Jan uary 10, 1907, He married Kate Ennis, a half breed, The second chil d Jane , born at Draper, April 26, 1855, married John Rideout, The secon d wife , like the first, was good and true, They moved to his home in Dra per whe re the white man's ways of living in a house caused her to get co nsumptio n. He sought what, medical help was then available, an Indian Me dicine ma n happened to be camped at Union Fort. Mr. Terry took his wif e there an d made a bargain with the Doctor that if she was cured the Doc tor shoul d have his best horse, but if not, he should have nothing,
He began rubbing and sucking spots on portions of her body, seeming to d r aw something from the skin as black as coal. The pain would be eased i n d ifferent places. He worked faithfully until midnight and then he sai d i t was no use to try further as the woman would die before the sun wou ld r ise again Terry asked him how he knew and the medicine man said he c oul d see her spirit in the lodge and it would not leave for a moment. H e exp lained that if the spirit would go away and then would come back sh e migh t get well. She died just as the day was braking December 28, 1857 , at Un ion Fort, and was buried at Draper. They had lived together seve n years.
His third wife was Mary Ernma Reid. She became the mother of fifteen chi l dren. Terry learned the Shoshone and the Araphoe language so well he be ca me an Indian interpreter, During the nearly eight years that Terry liv e d with the Indians, as one of the tribe, he became one of Chief Washaki e' s most trusted leaders and was always consulted in the war councils o f th e Shoshone Tribe. He always counseled them not to go to war with th e whit e men. Washakie listened to him and time and again prevented India n outbr eaks,.
Terry was gifted with a wonderful eye sight. lie was quick and a sure sh o t. He said the Indians were quite superstitious. He related one peculi a r incident that caused them to put a perfect trust in his marksmanship . H e said one of the Indians owned a dog that was given to howling at ni ght . It did this so much that it disturbed the whole camp,
One night the dog had howled for hours. Terry could not sleep, Though t h e night was very dark, Terry took his gun and aimed as best he could i n t he direction from whence the howling came and the noise ceased at onc e. T he next morning the dog was found with a bullet hole in the very cen ter o f his head. One of the Indians asked Terry if he could see well eno ugh i n the dark to shoot like that. Terry answered "yes." The Indians be lieve d he had eyes like an owl and could see in the dark. In relating th is inc ident, Terry said he knew this was a perfect accidental shot, bu t it ha d its effect and caused the Indians to place a wonderful trust i n him a s a gunner. However, Terry was a wonderful marksman and could sel dom fai l to bring down a buffalo or any wild animal on the run. His wond erful ma rksmanship saved his tribe from hunger many times and more tha n once save d his own life.
One incident of this kind happened at Draper when he had settled dow n t o live on his farm on the Jordan River. This is the story. One da y a bi g Indian brave came along with two very poor horses and wanted t o trade f or a span of Terry°s fat, and most trusted animals. When Terr y would no t trade the Indian went away mad. That night he returned, pu t his old poo r horses in the corral and took Terry's best animals away . The next morni ng, Terry and Joseph Reid, his brother-in-law, started i n pursuit. They c aught up with the Indian near what was called Dunyon' s Hot Springs, now c alled Crystal Warm Springs in the South end of Sal t Lake Valley. The Indi an bravely asked Terry if he was mad and when Ter ry said he was, the brav e said, "Let's fight then." He immediately bega n his Indian war dance an d snapped his flint lock gun at Terry, but it f ailed to explode. Quick a s a flash Reid drew his pistol and fired at th e Indian but missed him. Th e Indian snapped at Terry the second time, bu t his gun failed. Then Terr y shot and killed the Indian. Terry said afte rwards he knew he could shoo t a buffalo bull on the run and that he coul d shoot an Indian off the dan ce and he did, thus saving his own life.
Following this incident many different Indians would come to Terry's pla c e claiming to be a cousin or some near relative to the one killed and w an ted Terry to give them a cow or a horse or pay them in some way for th e l oss of a relative. Terry did this until he became tired of it. I, Jos hu a P. Terry, remember well when after he had moved his family into tow n in to the farm once owned by Zemira Draper, an old Indian buck, a strap pin g big fellow about 40 years old with his squaw and a young girl cam e to f ather’s place. He claimed relation to the one killed and wanted t o be pai d. Father offered them some bread and half a sack of flour, bu t they wer e not satisfied. The squaw sat up an awful mournful yelling a s though wee ping for the dead. This seemed to me to be just put on. The y wanted a bee f steer which father refused to give to them and ordered t hem out of th e house. They refused to go and the squaw began her yellin g again. She wa s sitting on the floor. Father caught hold of her under t he arms to lif t her up and put her out. As he did so, the Indian dre w a gun, just the n father looked back, saw the gun pointed at him, so h e reached back wit h his right hand, caught the barrel of the gun and wit h wonderful strengt h gave it a twist which broke the stock from the barr el. They talked a fe w minutes longer, then the Indians left. That was th e last Indian I eve r heard of wanting to claim relationship to that dea d Indian and wantin g to be paid for his death.
In 1856, he went back to Missouri as a guide. During the Johnson’s Arm y e pisode in 1858, he served as a scout with Porter Rockwell, under Lot t Smi th. They spent day and night watching the advance of Johnson's Arm y and w henever an opportunity came, they stampeded their cattle and drov e away t heir horses, raided their supply wagons, destroyed their ammunit ion and a t last burned their wagons on the Little Sanda River. All thi s was done t o make the intruding army surrender, and enter the Valley pe acefully, whi ch was accomplished. When Johnson's army first started fo r Utah, the Gove rnment found out that a shipment of powder was on the wa y to Utah with on e of the immigrant trains. Johnson was notified. He sen t a company of me n to overtake the immigrants and confiscate the powde r without fail.
Terry's eight years with the Indians traveling back and forth through t h e mountains prepared him well for the important task he was now calle d t o perform. He was given a number of horsemen, each having an extra ho rs e with pack saddles. Terry received instructions to meet the immigran t tr ain, get the powder and see that it got to Utah without fail. Terr y was j ust the right man for the job. He, with his men, met the immigran t trai n on the Green River.
In the middle of the night, they knocked in the heads of the powder keg s , poured the powder into the saddle bags and were away, having thrown t h e empty kegs into the Green River. The next day the company from the ar m y overtook the immigrants, searched for the powder in every wagon in va in . They cursed and swore in disappointment, then rushed ahead determine d t o get the powder. Terry and his men did not follow any road. Terry kn ew a ll the passes in the mountains and led his men safely through withou t mis hap. Had they tried to keep the road they would surely have been ov ertake n, for they crossed the fresh trail of the army twice the next day . The p owder reached Salt Lake in safety.
On January 20, 1857, Mr. Terry married Mary Emma Reid Johnson, daughte r o f John Reid and Sarah Corter, who were pioneers of 1852, and crosse d th e plains with the Warren Snow Company. They were married by Willia m A. Hi ckman in Salt Lake City and were later sealed in the Endowment Ho use. Sh e was born June 7, 1840, at Golden Point Handcock County, Illinoi s. She w as of a family of five children. Her parents were vary poor an d being dri ven from one place to another with the saints, she never ha d the privileg e of attending school. Her parents were very strict and de vout Latter-Day -Saints. The worst thing she had ever heard her father sa y was "Gol dar n it" and that was as bad as they were ever allowed to say , If any of the m did anything their parents did not like and they coul d not find out whi ch one did it their father lined them up and thrashe d the whole line, Sh e remembered very distinctly one time when one of th e children caught the ir few chickens and tied red strings to their tails , frightening them alm ost to death. No one would say which had done it s o they were all punishe d.
She walked barefooted all the way across the plains, carrying her baby s i ster the greater part of the way. She said although the way was long a n d hard and many times her feet were sore and bleeding and she was fain t w ith hunger, still they had good times when they were camped for the n igh t by the light of the camp fire and to the music of an old violin an d th e howling of the wolves. There she attended some of the best dance s of he r life. When her feet were too sore to dance barefooted, she woul d borro w a pair of slippers from one of the more fortunate ladies. Ofte n she wou ld tie them on because they were many sizes too large, but he r heart woul d swell with pride to think she had a pair of slippers in wh ich to dance . She had one calico dress when she arrived in the valley . The dress ha d been washed so many times it had faded out and had bee n patched until s he could hardly tell which piece or color was the origi nal.
When they arrived in the Valley they settled in North Ogden, The first w i nter they had very little to eat, mainly bran bread, and many times sh e w alked five miles to get a little buttermilk. When she was 14 she me t a yo ung fellow by the name of John Johnson, who was on his way to th e gold fi elds of California, but as winter was coming on he decided to s tay in Uta h until spring. While here, he joined the Church, as many of t he immigran ts did, and were called "winter Mormons" by the people of th e church. Sho rtly after she met him they were married and she said he wa s good to he r and she learned to love him dearly, but when spring came t he gold feve r came also and he left her with the promise to send for he r when he stru ck gold, On February 18, 1855, she became the mother o f a son, William Jo hnson (Terry). Johnson sent for her to come to him i n California, but, he r parents were not willing for her to go. After tha t she never heard fro m him again.
These were trying days for the young mother, not hearing from her husba n d and her parents being unable to give her and her baby the meager nece ss ities of life, As soon as she was able to leave her baby, she starte d ou t in search of work. She had walked about ten miles on the way to Dr aper , for she heard she could find employment there, when she was give n a rid e to Salt Lake City by a man with an ox team. The next day she st arted fo r Draper, trudging all day through mud and snow, thinly clad, an d shoes s o badly worn they would hardly stay on. She was seriously fatig ued, numbe d with cold as it became very bitter and her dress was froze n stiff abov e her knees. It was eight o'clock that night she saw a ligh t burning i n a log cabin which proved to be a church, and as she did no t know a sou l or any place to go, she opened the door and entered. Sever al men were s itting around the fire place. Among them was Joshua Terry , He took her t o the fire, ripped off her shoes and found her feet wer e badly frozen. H e got a pair of moccasins for her and when she was war m he took her to hi s home for the night. Courtship was short in those da ys and a little mor e than a moth later, they were married, and moved dow n to his place on Jo rdan River west of Draper, where they resided fo r a number of years. Whe n their children were old enough to go to school , they moved back and too k a place, the old home of his brother-in-law Z emira Draper, in Willow Cr eek, where they made their home. John R. Par k was teaching the Draper sch ool. Mrs.Terry had the children bring thei r lessons home and she studie d with them. She had determined to learn t o read and write for Mr. Terr y was courting a young girl, as it was in t he days of polygamy. At this t ime, he was called to go and make peace wi th the Indians. While he was aw ay the young girl twitted her about her e ducation, saying she could writ e what she pleased as she would have to d o all the writing and reading o f the letters. The boast of the girl prov ed to be a blessing, for while h e was gone, Mrs. Terry learned to read a nd write and the girl who twitte d her got married to another man.
Mrs. Terry became active in church duties first as Relief Society teach e r with Aunt Catherine, as the people of the town called her. Their bea t , reached from Dunyon's place to Milo Andrus home, now known as Cresen t . Mrs. Terry hitched a pair of horses on a light wagon and it took the m a ll day to make their rounds, but they never failed. In time she becam e he ad teacher or supervisor, as they are called today. She was called l ate r to be a second assistant to Aunt Catherine Smith in the first prima ry o rgani- zation in Draper by Eliza R. Snow. A few years later she wa s calle d to be a Stake Aid in the old Salt Lake Stake, where she worke d faithful ly until the Jordan Stake was organized. She held the same pos ition in th e latter stake until she was too old to travel with horse an d buggy fro m ward to ward.
She became the mother of fifteen children., seven boys and eight girls , s even of these were living at the time of her death. She was a true ho nes t and faithful Latter-day Saint. She died at Draper, August 2, 1918.
In the early sixties, Joshua Terry and Lewis Robinson ran the Ferry acro s s Green River. This became a very profitable business. They also accumu la ted considerable wealth in horses, mules and cattle. Mary of the immig ran ts bound for California, as well as those for Utah, when they reache d th e ferry found their teams well worn out and poor. They would gladl y trad e two or more of their poor animals for one fat one. After makin g suc h a trade, Terry and Robinson would turn the poor animals on the ra nge wh ere there was plenty of good grass. In a month to six weeks, thes e poor a nimals freshed up well enough that each one could again be trade d for tw o or three more,
Joshua Terry lived at Draper since 1856. He served a number of years a s t rustee of the Draper schools and for eleven years was justice of th e peac e. He was a prominent and highly respected citizen, the father o f sixtee n children and had one adopted son.
He died at his home February 22, 1915, of infirmities to old age, havi n g lived ninety years.
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