 1834 - 1913 (79 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has more than 100 ancestors and 10 descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
John Nield |
| Birth |
23 Feb 1834 |
Oldham, Lancashire, England  |
| Christening |
30 Mar 1834 |
Oldham, Lancashire, England |
| Gender |
Male |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
11 Sep 1857 |
EHOUS |
| FamilySearch ID |
KWNL-MNJ |
| Death |
14 Dec 1913 |
Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States |
| Burial |
17 Dec 1913 |
Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States |
| Headstones |
 Submit Headstone Photo |
| Person ID |
I7047 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
Luke Nield, b. 13 Oct 1796, Royton, Lancashire, England d. 23 Jul 1869, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States (Age 72 years) |
| Mother |
Martha Wilde, b. 8 Feb 1797, Shaw, Lancashire, England d. 25 Jun 1854, Kansas City, Jackson, Missouri, United States (Age 57 years) |
| Marriage |
30 Jun 1817 |
Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Prestwich, Lancashire, England |
| Family ID |
F3380 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family |
Sarah Broadbent, b. 19 Jul 1833, Saddleworth, Yorkshire, England d. 10 Jun 1901, Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States (Age 67 years) |
| Marriage |
23 May 1853 |
Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Prestwich, Lancashire, England |
| Children |
| | 1. Orson William Nield, b. 8 Dec 1853, Lancashire, England d. 23 Apr 1854 (Age 0 years) |
| | 2. John Edward Nield, b. 24 Nov 1855, Lehi, Utah, Utah, United States d. 13 Aug 1925, Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States (Age 69 years) |
| | 3. Hannah Nield, b. 28 Feb 1858, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 26 Jan 1936, Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States (Age 77 years) |
| | 4. Joseph Luke Nield, b. 9 Jul 1860, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 31 Dec 1936, Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States (Age 76 years) |
| | 5. Daniel Broadbent Nield, b. 19 Feb 1863, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 27 May 1876 (Age 13 years) |
| | 6. Benjamin Franklin Nield, b. 2 Apr 1865, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 2 Apr 1865 (Age 0 years) |
| | 7. Thomas Taylor Nield, b. 28 Aug 1866, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 11 May 1929, Poplar, Bonneville, Idaho, United States (Age 62 years) |
| | 8. James Wild Nield, b. 2 Jun 1869, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 26 Jan 1956 (Age 86 years) |
| | 9. Sarah Elizabeth Nield, b. 28 Nov 1872, Spring City, Sanpete, Utah, United States d. 21 Jul 1955 (Age 82 years) |
| | 10. Seth Broadbent Nield, b. 2 Jul 1875, Meadow, Millard, Utah, United States d. 15 May 1949, Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States (Age 73 years) |
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| Family ID |
F4601 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Last Modified |
5 May 2024 |
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| Event Map |
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 | Birth - 23 Feb 1834 - Oldham, Lancashire, England |
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| Christening - 30 Mar 1834 - Oldham, Lancashire, England |
|
 | Marriage - 23 May 1853 - Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Prestwich, Lancashire, England |
|
 | Initiatory (LDS) - 11 Sep 1857 - EHOUS |
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 | Death - 14 Dec 1913 - Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States |
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| Burial - 17 Dec 1913 - Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States |
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| Notes |
- Immigrated with wife from Odham England on 12 March 1854. Detained in L i verpool until 8 April 1854 and came to the US on the ship called "Marsh fi eld"
John Nield
Journal Extracts 1852-1888
Millard County, Utah Territory, United States of Americ a
By Rosa Lee Nield Staiger
28 Apr 2015
I have re-typed this history from a typed copy I received from my aunt , B erniece Nield Miller Harrop. I do not have access to the original jo urna l pages and cannot account for accuracy. I believe there are some e rror s in dates, spelling, punctuation, etc. I do not know if the error s wer e made by John Nield, or by the person who typed the copy I worke d from . I added the information placed in brackets for my own clarifica tion.
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Extracts from the journal of John Nield, son of Luke and Martha Wild Nie l d, of Millard County, Territory of Utah, 1852 to 1888. [John was the fa th er of Thomas Taylor Nield, who was the father of Percy LaVell Nield, w h o was the father of Ralph Percy Nield. ]
I, John Nield was born at No. 13 Greengate Street, Oldham, Lancashire, E n gland on the 23rd day of February A.D. 1834. My parents were hard worki n g and honest people. They succeeded in giving me a little learning in t h e common branches of education and raising me in love and fear of the L or d for which I feel very thankful. Thank God for the general good healt h a ll my days. Can say that through the period of 18 yrs, 6 months, an d 5 da ys, I have not lost one day's labor, neither have I ever lacked br ead .
My father, Luke Nield, was the son of John Nield, the son of William Nie l d, the son of Isaac Nield (?). My mother, Martha Wild, was the daughte r o f Benjamin Wild. My father was born 1796, Oct. 30 and began to wor k i n a cotton mill at 5 yrs. of age. In the year 1842 (or 1843) he firs t hea rd the gospel and the same year became a Latter Day Saint and i n a shor t time was ordained a Priest and began to preach, which brough t much pers ecution as well as joy and peace.
He [my father Luke] names several cases of the healing power of God in h i s journal. A few cases which came under my observation I will mention h er e. My mother was baptized the same year, 1842 (or 1843), previous to w hic h she had complained much of pain in one leg. It got worse and becam e inf lamed, swelled and was so painful that it made her scream to have a ny thi ng touch it. It was a very bad leg. At her request father anointe d it wit h consecrated oil in the name of the Lord Jesus, laid his hand u pon her h ead and rebuked the disease and before his hands were removed s he said "i t is gone." From that time the leg became perfectly well. Abou t the sam e time my sister Alice, not in the Church, in fact too young fo r that, wa s healed by the same means, of a sort of fit which drew her ey es badly an d her head about half around; began to amend at once, slept w ell, and nex t morning was perfectly well. The same year I was sick and t he only sickn ess I can remember in the 18 years named above. I had a fev er of some kin d and was very poorly indeed and could not bear up; not th en baptized. Fa ther asked me if I had read in the New Testament of Jesu s Christ and hi s apostles doing good and healing the sick, etc., and i f I believed tha t the same power was on the earth now. I remembered th e cases just name d and answered "1 do believe." He said "So do I" and la id his hands upo n me in the name of Jesus Christ and I was healed perfec tly the same hour . After that if ever I became sick, after using simpl e means, if not cure d, I have faith to be healed by the said ordinance m eans. I retain the sa me faith yet and have never been under the hands o f a doctor to this tim e now, 1888. Thank and praise the Lord forever. Th e same may be said of o ur family who have obeyed the Gospel with the sli ght exception of the dea fness of my brother Joseph N. Nield who has bee n hard of hearing as lon g as I can remember and will remain so, for whic h I cannot account. He ha s been administered to and, as far as I can rem ember, with benefit, but s eems to get about the same again. My sister Re becca, who never joined th e Church, had sickness and doctors in proporti on. Let this suffice here . I know the power of God is here and that thes e gifts and others are wit h his people. I enjoy several of them myself .
My father baptized Joseph, Alice and myself. All were confirmed about t h e time of baptism. Joseph M. Nield - Nov. 18 1844. Alice Nield - Jan. 2 3 , 1847. John Nield - June 21, 1847 .
On July 18, 1852, I was ordained to the office of Priest by my father a n d under the hands of his councilors, Joseph and John Whitehead. From th i s time till 1854 I continued to bear testimony to the people that God h a d restored the New and Everlasting Gospel and had raised up a prophet a n d seer in the person of Joseph Smith. When I left old England, I can s a y that during the two years that I remained in England after my ordinat io n to the Priesthood I attended an average of 5 meetings a week, and tw o f or music and self improvement or rather Mutual Improvement. Working h owev er, in a cotton ware house; packing goods for market, ten hours eac h [day ]. These same religious meetings furnished many sweet morsels to m y soul , which I never can forget. Testimonies, singing and speaking in t ongues , and prophesy will remain amongst the saints. In old Oldham, I sh all jus t name a few out of the very, very many which concern me personal ly .
Will just name here however that for many years and until my emigratio n , I was a member of the branch choir and played the violin in the same . I n conjunction with my boy companion, John Wild, conducted the Latte r Da y Saints Sunday School for two years, in which we were quite success ful . I may say that making allowances for the daily named, a little thea tr e going, sight seeing and a little for courting the girls; my whole ti m e was put in at these meetings, at home and abroad. My whole soul wa s i n the Lord's work but of course, making due allowance for nonsense an d bl unders sometimes common to poor mortals .
Oct. 3, 1852 I preached the Gospel to a good sized congregation in the h a ll of Science, Oldham. Sunday, Nov. 14, 1852 I preached at Shaw Crompto n . Sunday, Nov. 2l, 1852 in a meeting at Oldham, James Holt prophesie d o n my head as follows and more; that I should be made blessed of the L ord ; should preach the gospel to many nations; should nearly lay down m y lif e, but that I should triumph. Feb. 25, 1853, preached on the firs t princi ples of the gospel at Oldham. Sunday, March 13, 1853, attende d a weddin g at Oldham Parish church: the first in my life. Parties: Edwa rd Dalton a nd Betty Bolton. Sunday, March 19, 1853, visited the Queen Pa rk near Manc hester. March 20th hunting up genealogies with my father. Ma rch 25th atte nded a festival at Shaw. Recited "Ship on Fire" and "Cocky- Moor Snake." A lso sang 2 or 3 songs.
Friday, April 1st, President Sesfious came to our council meeting and im p arted much good instruction. The subject of our family's emigration wa s n amed for the first time.
Sunday, April 10 at the urgent request of President James Gledhill the O l dham choir attended the Haywood branch. Myself and John Wild preache d a t night and all together we had a good time. Wed., April 20th at a me etin g at Oldham I said to Sister Alice, "Be of good cheer, the Lord is p lease d with thee; listen to and obey thy parents and others who have th e righ t to council thee and thou shall be blessed indeed in this life; t hou sha lt indeed become a Mother in Israel and shalt go to the land of Z ion an d shalt be crowned with glory and eternal life in the next life. I n Jesu s name, Amen." I barely sat down when Bro. Albert Oakes arose an d confirm ed upon my head the things I have written before adding tha t I should b e a instrument in the hand of God of bringing many thousand s to a knowled ge of the truth; that although his head should become gre y with age and h e should be laid under the sod, that I should still reme mber his words a t this time to me.
Friday, June 3rd, some friends called in and I played the violin and w e h ad a little dance. Sunday, June 5th, 1853 I preached at Oldham. Preac hin g in 6 places in said town this day by the Saints. Sunday, June 19, 1 85 3 at a meeting in Temperance Hall many testimonies were borne, mine am on g the rest. The following on my head by Bro. S. Blackburn, traveling E lde r: "oh thou son of God, thou shalt become great and mighty in testimo ny , thou shalt be exalted in the Priesthood and thou shalt lay thy hand s up on the heads of many women and bless them in the name of the Lord. N eve r the less thou shalt be tried and proved. Oh, Dear Bro. John be fait hfu l and never fear. Thou shalt be locked up in prisons for the Gospel' s sak e, yet overcome. Amen."
Truly such predictions as these are calculated to stimulate one to dilig e nce, never the less I know that much depends upon myself. I am sure th e L ord will perform his part. Can I do mine ?
I must not forget to state that I married Miss Sarah Broadbent on th e 3 o f May 1853 at Prestwick Church.
By these things the reader will infer that the Saints were blessed an d s o they were. Some of the gifts were manifested all the time. Thank th e Lo rd.
About this time I attended Manchester Conference. The branches numbere d m embers as follows including officers: Manchester, 878; Totington, 241 ; Ra tcliff, 348; Nigan, 144; Stayley Bridge, 219; Oldham, 263: all in go od st anding. Orson Pratt President. Next day friend Wild and myself too k a bat h in the canal and I instructed him in the art of swimming .
July 17, 1853 I attended the wedding of Bro. Broadbent and Elizabeth Gle d hill at Oldham Church. Friend Wild and myself had a good time with the m t he next day. Nov. 20th I was at a meeting at Oldham at which we had q uit e an outpouring of the spirit of the Lord. It was said that angels ad mini stered to us although we did not see them. I shall record one more p rophe cy given upon me by Bro. Blackburn. I could give many upon myself a nd oth ers but let this suffice. "oh, thou chosen vessel of the Lord, fro m befor e the foundation of the world. Be thou faithful before the Lord t hy God , and he will bless thee with many blessings, and thou shalt be ga there d to the land of Zion and thou shalt be a blessing unto thy parent s and w hen they are become old in years and their hair is gray with ag e they wil l bless thee in the name of the Lord. And on the foundation wh ich they ha ve laid thou shalt build an holy edifice unto the name of th e Lord of hos ts and the enemy shall not have power over thee and thou sh alt live to se e the Savior come and shalt never taste death only by tran slation as Elij ah, if thou are humble and faithful. Amen "
All I fear is that I may not live near enough to God to be worthy of su c h blessings. At this time I feel to do all the good I can and injure n o o ne.
I will here insert a few verses of poetry I received from above Elder Bl a ckburn on the 16th of Nov. 1853:
Then here's to thee my bonnie Lad, be faithful to thy calling ,
Thou shalt receive a great reward while the wicked they are falling .
For the Lord has surely called thee in this last dispensation ,
To preach the Gospel so free to a crooked and perverse generation .
Thy spirit once did reside, yes, in the Heaven above .
May thou in the truth abide and gain thy brethren and sister's love .
For it is the greatest gem that man and woman can enjoy.
And it shall keep thee when troubles and trials do thee annoy .
Then be faithful dear brother, while you remain on earth ,
And many truths you shall discover before the earth receive its second b i rth.
Oft in thy company I have been, when happy I did feel .
Oh Lord preserve him from sin, my brother, even John Nield .
I sent the following response, Nov. 18th 1853 :
Cheer thee Brother Blackburn, let not thine heart despair.
The Lord who's here to help thee will save thee never fear .
That is if thou art faithful to the covenants thou hast made.
For thy blessings are conditional, yet be not thou afraid .
Although many now wish thee harm, and would thy spirit grieve,
There's many more that love thee and thee they would relieve .
And from these Babylon shores they'd have thee haste away,
That this may be thy happy lot, I ever wish and pray .
November 26th, 1853, my brother married Jane Standerling, a member of t h e Rochdale branch. They were married in the Rochdale church .
Nov. 30th a dark gloomy day. I read the "Millennial Star" and also "Hist o ry of the Mormons" by Chambers Bros. of Edinburgh; is quite favorable .
Dec. 4th attended a good meeting at Oldham: the Saints so alive to bea r t estimonies that Pres. Luke Nield had to request a chance for Elder Ty le r to speak. Although he was from Salt Lake City, who said that if one' s e yes were but quickened by the spirit a little more, we would see ange ls , for they were in our midst. At marriage, my wife and myself had emig rat ion in view and agreed to save up something each week till we had eno ug h to emigrate with. About this time we had 10 ($50.00) clear; and we n eve r lost sight of the object. Elder D. B. Dilly visited Oldham. He wa s fro m Salt Lake City and succeeded Elder P. Sesfious as Pres. of Manche ster C onference.
Sunday Dec. 19th I received a present in the shape of an ostrich egg, si z e of a young child's head, sent to me from South America by an old tim e w ork mate; Wm. Kerr now a sailor.
Dec. 25th or late 24th went with the choir to sing and playing Christm a s hymns. Had a good time.
Wed. Jan. 4th 1954 very stormy weather at Oldham snowing all day and t h e blowing snow furiously drifted to 6 feet to 9 feet high and in place s c ame to the second story of the house. Schools and factories closed ea rl y so people could get home. Railroad cars detained with passengers al l ni ght and many persons were lost.
Jan. 6th 1854. Last night I dreamed that I was in Utah. Saw Bro. Ed Stan d ering at work at a grist mill in the mountains, saw Indians and knew t h e people to be in trouble. Two years later I found the same old mill o f m y dreams in the American Fork Canyon. Questioned Bro. Standering an d foun d that he was at work and all as I have named, at the time of my d ream .
Mon. 23. [Jan 1854] [My] Brother Joseph and wife came to dine at our hou s e (Father's).
Feb. 13th [1854] Brother Dilly and Brown, Elders from Salt Lake City ca m e to our house and held meeting in the hall and had a good time indeed . O ur first child was blessed by its Grandfather Luke Nield and named Or so n William. I will just remark that my wife and I had taken the child a n d blessed and named it before going to the meeting. I deem it a privile g e of a father and I attended to it .
Feb. 15th held an argument on Mormonism with Thos. Lees and Ed Wrigl y o f Green Bank Mils. Although they are men of education and older tha n I wa s, I was not daunted in the least and think I came off in flying c olors . They said I must meet with their minister .
I will here insert some lines that I composed on the birth [8 Dec 1853 ] o f my little son [Orson William] and which I had forgotten till now :
Thou art welcome sweet infant to our humble abode.
We greet thee with joy and hail thee with love.
To see thee come here it gives us delight,
Since from the realm of the just thy spirit 's taken flight .
We gaze on thy innocence with great admiration ,
And wish thee success through this perverse generation,
That from thy infantile moments to years of manhood
Thou mayest be blessed and live to do good .
That thou mayest be mighty, most noble and brave
In saving fallen men from vile death and the grave,
And in spreading the gospel from nation to nation
And prove unto some an eternal salvation .
That the holy priesthood may be conferred upon thee,
Thou mayest be prepared thy Savior to see .
And ever be faithful, both pure and just ,
And many blessings receive when the wicked are thrust
Into outer darkness, the cells of the damned ,
And all who neglect the work of comman d
Of Jesus the Savior, the just and the fre e
Who told them repent and baptized be .
Feb. 18th 1854 I was packing some things to be ready to emigrate. Joseph ' s wife helped me. Last night in the council meeting Bro. Albert Oakes p re dicted in the name of Jesus that I should be gathered to Zion this sea son , and receive an ordination I cannot receive here and that I shall b e sen t forth to preach the gospel. My wife's breasts are very bad indeed , gath ered uncommon. I think they must break. Sunday Feb. 19th I preache d my fa rewell sermon, of course my subject [was] "The Gathering." The gr eat serm on of our lives is that of the emigration of my father and famil y. That i s to our friends. They think we are foolish. Feb. 23, 1854 is m y birthday . I am 20 years old. My wife's breasts still getting worse; pr omised to h ave it lanced if it does not break tomorrow. Breasts burst an d discharge d freely.
Feb. 26th [1854] was in conversation with two lady friends namely Fann y a nd Elizabeth Schofield at Millbottom and are relatives of my wife. Th ey a re members of the Protestant church. I bore a faithful testimony t o them . They did not gainsay but seemed to think that the religion of th eir fat her would save them. Same day attended a meeting and was ordaine d to th e office of an Elder. Same day Feb. 26 my father preached his far ewell. T estimonial read and presented to him. Mar. 4 1854 I got out a pl ace car d and program for a concert for the benefit of the choir. My wife 's breas ts still bad.
Sunday, Mar. 12th [1854] left Oldham and arrived at Liverpool to sai l i n the "R.C Johnston" on the 15th but were disappointed as the vesse l ha d been sold to the Government to go out to the Crimea with soldier s and s upplies. A lawsuit was had; we were detained for one month and th en saile d in the ship "Marshfield" on the 8th of April 1854. My wife's b reasts we re bad and had gathered again and broke so often that she had 1 4 sores i n the two breasts, but soon got well .
Our baby died [23 Apr 1854] when 2500 miles from Liverpool. This was ha r d to bear. On the water about seven weeks. Had our share of sea sicknes s . Saw some mean action on the part of some but tried to mind our own bu si ness and let others alone.
May 29th [1854] in New Orleans which I call a dirty looking place. Jun e 8 th got to Quarantine Island, 5 miles below St. Louis. Here sickness g ot s tarted among us and many died of the cholera. Stayed in St. Loui s 3 days ; were well treated by some Oldham friends; Glegg family and oth ers. Star ted up the Missouri on the 17 of June landed near Kansas City . I am sorr y to say my dear Mother [Martha Wild] took the cholera and di ed on the 2 5 of June 1854. We were very sorry indeed to lose her, but fe el to trus t in the Lord. She is laid within 11 miles of the Temple sit e in Jackso n County. Moved some 11 miles on to the prairie but did not g et a fair st art till the 23 of July, the latest company ever started acr oss the plain s to this time.
Got into Salt Lake City 24 October [1854] some over 8 months from home . O ct. 25 [1854] I started for Lehi on foot, 35 miles. Found James Taylo r an d family and other Oldham friends who treated me kindly. Bro. Taylo r brou ght his team for the folks and all got to Lehi on the 29th [Oct 18 54] .
Nov 12th had the privilege of trying my fiddle once more and was please d . I soon went to work on a threshing machine, digging potatoes and oth e r jobs. Got James Taylor's team and wagon on shares and so began to ha u l wood for winter fuel. Joined the Lehi dramatic Assn. Got some chicke n , built a pen. Jan 2nd 1855 I played the part of Coddles in "The Bottl e " and Sam in "Raising the Wind." After getting wood I spent most of m y ti me for two months reading, writing and playing my violin and with th e Dra matics, and many meetings and so passed the winter with our friends . No w tried to get work to do but people are afraid of the grass hopper s an d will not hire much.
Sunday Jan 21st heard George Albert Smith of the 12 Apostles preach. W a s pleased. The Dramatic Assn. played "All's Not Gold that Glitters" an d " Irish Tutor." Rehearsed "The Honeymoon." Sold my rifle for 200 lbs fl ou r and 6 bu potatoes and felt myself rich. Concluded to quit paying ren t a nd commenced a cellar on Ed. Standering's lot. Played in "The Rough D iamo nd."
Feb 13th [1855] my father married a widow named Mrs. Ann Weeks. Took u s s ome land and began to fence it. Played the part of Jimmy Twicher in " Th e Golden Farmer."
Got [moved] into my cellar on March 12th 1855. Was now in my own home wi t h no rent to pay for the first time. This was just 12 months from the t im e of leaving home at Oldham. We fixed things up the best we could an d b y that time I had made some crude furniture, chairs, table etc amongs t wh ich was a bed with but one leg; this by placing both ends in the wal l bu t if you should want to fix one of the kind you should wait on me fo r fur ther instructions. These were the times in which to do for yoursel f or i t went undone. Took part in the plays "The Jacobite" and "Boots o f the Sw an" and soon after in "Speed the Plough. "
April 12th [1855] Bro. Wm. H. Stott came to our house and did some plowi n g for me. I took the Lead in the play "Paul Pry." "Irish Tutor" was al s o performed. Took part of Dick Devlish in "Priest Craft in Dungeon. "
Sunday May 6th [1855] grasshoppers rampant. Taking everything green. Loo k s bad for us. This day I read some in "Aristotle's Masterpiece" and pla ye d on the violin.
Sunday May 20th [1855] I spoke in public meeting for the first time in L e hi. Told what I thought of Lehi and its inhabitants. Thos. Taylor was s el ected Pres. of the Lehi Dramatic Assn. I was made Secretary, in plac e o f James Harwood. I realize that I am at a great disadvantage about ma kin g a living in this country in having no team, wagon or cow. I depen d almo st wholly on what I can do with spade and ax. Lorenzo Hatch 1st Co uncilo r to Bishop Dan. O. Evans talked today about the poor and said the y mus t be fed. He said "We will fast one day in two weeks or in one wee k for t hem if needed, in fact we must live together if we live, and if w e fail w e must sink together." I believe him to be a very good man, hav e worked f or him and find him so.
Monday May 21st. Took some women's finery and offered to trade for a co w . Believe I shall get one, from the family of Joseph Skeen, a High Prie st .
Once again July 7th we had not a thing to eat. My wife took the last ce n t we had in the world and bought from Sister Collett 25 cents worth o f ba rley bran. We made mush, begged some milk and afterwards I did a goo d day s work on the fort wall. About this time a Brother Brown, whose dau ghte r the Bishop's son has married, got so weak he could not walk. Bisho p sai d this is enough, we must have some beef. He called for volunteer s to fur nish beeves as needed to be paid for after harvest, if we have a ny. No vo lunteers. Bishop called on men to drive up a good beef when nee ded, tak e marks and brand and keep a record etc., no matter who owned th e animal . This worked well, and we had many volunteers now. Murdock, Hat ch, Brown , Willis and others. From this time on we had beef a plenty. Go od for th e old Bishop, the poor man's friend. God bless him forever .
July 15th David Butter offered me work to do. I told him yes if he wou l d give me bread but not otherwise .
July 18, 1855 Sunlight has burst upon us. Barley is about ripe; potatoe s , cabbage, etc. come in. The cry for bread is fainter. Thank God. Ame n an d Amen. About this time reformation was started at headquarters an d cam e down through all the wards of the Church. Faults acknowledged an d confe ssions made. Restitutions made. The people became humble and go t down t o good work in earnest and the blessing of the Lord accompanied . Rebaptis ms were general.
Mon. July 30th attended Assn. party. Supper and dance. Had a good time . I t is evident that the people will suffer for bread before the harvest , i n fact begin to feel it now. I have been two days without bread. Hav e liv ed on boiled wheat thickened with a little flour now for some time . Somet imes greens and a little milk. It is hard times sure but I try t o not com plain; and all the time looking for better times and this help s me. Hop e in me is large. Later. ....
I raised about 10 bu. of wheat. The hoppers got the rest. Cut it wit h a c ycle [sickle] and threshed it with a flail .
Oct 6th 1855 Wm. H. Stott and my sister Alice were married by Pres. B. Y o ung in Salt Lake City. (Seems to be a question here. All records show t he y were married 27 Dec. 1855.)
Oct 18th [1855] went drilling with the Nauvoo Legion .
Sunday Oct 28th [1855] Parley P. Pratt preached. Subject "Repentance. "
Oct 30th [1855] started for Salt Lake City with Thos. Taylor's team an d 2 0 bu. potatoes for tithing, intending to bring back Bro. Edward Broad ben t (brother of my wife) and his wife but they had gone north. About th is t ime Bro. Skeen agreed to take the things I offered for a cow and le t me h ave a young cow with her first calf, a heifer. I may say here howe ver tha t he tried to go back on his word on account of a quarrel with hi s wife a nd he said that she should not have the clothing I sold him. Wel l to mak e a long story short it came to a Bishop's trial. After one hear ing, Skee n, seeing that his family would witness against him, came to m e for compr omise and so I got a cow and calf after much ado .
Father came to me and said that he was not comfortable at home and fear e d that he and his wife must part. I told him my cabin was open for him . T his is not the first time that Bro. Andrews has come in the nick of t im e and relieved us, I feel, under obligations. He feels the same to u s a s we have helped him many times. His family is still back in Englan d .
I was one of 16 teachers called by Bishop Evans in Lehi. Each one to ha v e charge of a block. Our mission was to wake up ourselves, get the spir i t of the Lord and keep it. Set our families in order with ourselves, a n d then preach repentance and reformation to the people. Which we did a n d no mistake and the good work went on so that by the time the Johnsto n A rmy of 1857 was started to Utah the people were almost one unit .
Pres. J. M. Grant exhausted himself in the work of the reformation and d i ed first of De. 1856.
Dec. 21st [1856] I rebaptized 16 persons. I also reconfirmed Charles Bar n es and Byron Brown. About this time I was one of sixty that went from L eh i to work on the Cottonwood Canal calculating to float down the rock f o r the temple.
Attended April conference in 1857. Much good instruction given by Brigha m , Heber and the twelve. About this time I got a letter from my Bro. Jos ep h still back in England. He informed me that my old friend James Hol t wa s Pres. of the Oldham Branch and urged me to write Holt a letter sui tabl e to read in the Branch. I did so, but soon got a letter from Holt i nform ing me that himself and about 30 others had left the church on acco unt o f the way that tithing and donations were extracted from the people , etc . (We reproduced the plays, "The Golden Farmer" and "Rough Diamond . " )
June 4th [1857] I went to hunt Sister Taylor's oxen and found them up wh a t is called Dry Creek but now carrying a rolling stream. This circumsta nc e has a successful and rather laughable termination. I will here giv e i t for fun and, too, it might be a benefit to someone. Well the oxen w er e on the wrong side of the creek to suit me, and to go back to Taylor' s a nd up the other side would cause me 10 to 12 miles travel so I beat a bou t to find someplace to cross over, as even should I go to town and ba ck t he oxen might cross over while I was gone. Water was cold and swif t and d eep. Went up and down to find a good place to cross. Concluded t o constru ct a crude bridge by bending down some saplings and piling on b rush. I ha d as I thought, about made safe, when terrible to contemplat e my bridge w as swept away by the current and all my hopes blasted. Wel l something mus t be done. I looked at the cattle on the other side of th e creek. Oh, fo r a steady old ox. Nothing on my side but some young stoc k and some cow s and most of them as wild as deer. I started some of the m across and th e water came up over their backs and they had to swim. Qu ite out of the q uestion for me to swim such a stream and too cold. Wen t to work on anothe r bridge but soon gave it up again. I concerned [corn ered?] one of the ol d cows to cross at another place. She didn't want t o go but I induced he r to try it. In she plunged. At the moment I had a n inspiration. No soone r felt than acted on. I grabbed the tail and i n I went and quicker the n I can tell it I was on the dry land on the oth er side that I wanted. Bl essed cow, wet clothing, happy man. Laughing, j umping and shouting for ve ry joy. If someone had been at hand it is a qu estion if I had not been pu t down as a lunatic. As it was I went home re joicing. Told my wife abou t it and she helped me to another laugh and th at is all, only to say shou ld anyone who reads this have need of a cow' s tail for the same purpose j ust remember how I crossed Dry Creek and ho ld fast .
That evening [4 Jun 1857] I was ordained an apostle of the Seventies a n d a member of the 44th Quorum by Wm. Hyde and under the hands of all t h e presidency of the said quorum. Same day Sister Collett died. She w a s a good woman and helped many of the poor in Lehi during the scarcit y o f food. Bro. Thos. Taylor and I had never been on right terms sinc e a lit tle fuss we had had but we were both called to the same quorum o f Seventi es and I could hold out no longer. I inscribed to him the follo wing line s of poetry.
Although no poet, nor to rhyme so much inclined,
Yet I will for once just try that plan to ease my mind.
In the first place believe me I am glad
We again feel, act and speak, by the Spirit led.
Which blessing for some time now past we both have mutually spurned.
When I think upon the cause that led to such a state,
I do confess I'm much ashamed and do the thing most hate.
Pride in you, yet more in me; it is not small indeed
What the good folks do call spunk, why we have not got the seed
Which, like flint and steel when in contact brought, in such as you an d m e
Fire will start and brightly burn, that I can plainly see
From this out I say I'll try and govern that bright spark
Just keep it up within right bounds and covered in the dark
Till it is justly called forth by some good righteous cause
To light upon some quitly dog among our Zion foes.
But you're my friend, I want you such as I have always done
And am sorry as I've said that I ever you did shun
I love you sir and always have, since first I did you see
And I have thought and still do think, that you're not adverse to me.
My spirit seemed to link with yours, years now long ago
I thought yours was of noble birth from which mine sprang also
I looked upon you as my brother, a sight I would yet claim
As you once esteemed me, I want you do the same
Now can it be Oh do say yes, nor let the "no" have sound
For if you do it will seem too harsh, I'll turn it right around
Transpose it by a "yea" and I think it genuine
And act upon it all the same and you shall still be mine
Maybe you'll think I am a fool, this but a whim or start
Well, think it comical or romantic - still 'tis from the heart.
(Lehi, July 4th 1857, John Nield)
The next day [5 Jul 1857] I received the following in response. Lines fr o m Thos. Taylor:
Dear Friend I thank thee for thy warm confession
Mine may not be good, but truth is my profession
Thy friendship true I'm pleased and happy to enjoy
And hope and pray that nought again may ere our peace annoy.
To say we're proud and tempered very high and fine tis true
And rightly bent, by it much wholesome good may do.
But when Satan's lures, we're led in mist to vent our spleen
Good friends we'll then abuse and surely that is mean
Yet so it is, well as you say so I'm determined that I
To govern number one will so assuredly try
Now let us leave this scene, that I may here confess
I love you too, and may that love increase, ne'er grow less
Is the true prayer of every truly noble soul I know
And may they fail who any other seed would sow.
Thy confidence I'm proud to have; take mine and be my friend.
And I'll be thine, I hope to prove till life and time end,
And while eternities shall roll or immortality endure
May Israel's God be our friend, and may our acts like this be pure.
If an honest wish will do thee good, may all that's good be thine
May health and strength and peace and love around thy pathway shine
May thy posterity be numerous and increase fill thy soul
May thy portion be with Saints and Gods while endless ages roll.
Excuse my first attempt, Dear Friend, but believe it honest just and true
If there are faults I know you'll bend and place them as I would for you.
About this time, Heber C. Kimball said that the flour had been increas e d in the box and the wheat in the bin. That last fall [1856] a carefu l es timate had been made and we find now in July that there is more brea d stu ff in the valley than there was in the fall. This is done by the po wer o f God. Let the Saints rejoice. "I believe it," he said. He said th e Saint s were prompt in helping the late emigrants in last fall with men , teams , wagons and provisions, or the Saints would have perished in th e snow. T he above was a reward. Bro. Brigham said that the devil was nev er more ma d than at the present time at this reformation amongst the Sai nts, and th e unity of this people. Let him rage and the Saints rejoice . Amen .
July 19 [1857] My wife's birthday. 24 years old. The day is beautiful a n d we are well.
July 23 [1857] Fine day. I helped to hoist the Liberty pole .
July 24 [1857] We celebrated Pioneer day. We had a good time. Firing o f c annon, music procession, and a fine program at the bowery. I played t he f iddle at a dance for the first time. This 24th, Bro. Smoot arrived f rom t he East and reported that they refused to deliver our mail to him a t Inde pendence, Missouri. A fuss is sure to come. 2500 troopers are star ted ou t here. They will come and raise what they term a "Standard of Lib erty" a nd expect that enough will rally to them from amongst us to whi p out th e rest.
Our military forces were called out to drill and ordered to be on hand f o r service at anytime with wagons and four horses to each ten men, wit h ar ms, ammunition and provisions. This being done, a good deal of excit emen t was raised with some; but the people generally were cool and colle cte d and were ready to defend our liberties to the death if necessary. O rder s came for all to move from the north and go south to at least as fa r a s Provo. I got a chance to start for Fillmore. I did so. Went but a f ew m iles and because of a broken wagon returned to find my company gon e to Ec ho Canyon. I was sorry indeed. So I was detained to help keep u p supplie s and help families. I spent a miserable winter. Well, the part iculars o f the Utah War are so well known I need not say more here. Suff ice it t o say that in the spring of 1858 I moved to Fillmore, found tha t my fathe r had been called and started on a mission to the White Mounta ins .
I had a good fat steer at this time, that is before leaving Lehi. I so l d him for $15.00 in money and a pair of boots. Went to Salt Lake Cit y t o spend the money on clothing. Very scarce. We now found [we were in ] th e wants of those we had sold. The people were badly off for clothing , wag ons, teams, iron nails and etc. The army brought all these things , employ ed the people and so gave them money to buy up the army supplie s when the y left. Salvation came to the people through this army movemen t. Thank th e Lord.
I shall now [1888?] proceed to state a few facts from memory as I di d n o writing in my journal after getting to Fillmore. Father returned fr om h is mission. He had been among the Indians, helped to establish a far m fo r them, but the water failed and they had to come away. Orson Prat t and f amily were in Fillmore this summer, also George Q. Cannon, edito r of th e Deseret News. That paper was published in Fillmore till the fol ks all r eturned to their homes in the north .
I worked at farming on shares, making adobes, working very hard in Fillm o re for a year and a half. I joined the choir and helped to organize an d r un a Dramatic Association with Dutson, Kelly, Cooper, Powell and othe rs . In the winter of 1859, Brother William Hudson, an old neighbor at Le hi , but now moved to San Pete, came with his team to move us to that cou nty . We could have land and water for labor. We concluded to go with him , s o packed up and went, making my father [Luke] a present of a small ad ob e house I had built in Fillmore, which he sold for two hundred dollar s wh en he left there to come to San Pete some time after .
We got into Moroni, San Pete county, on Christmas morning and found Brot h er Hudson's family well and expecting us. We stopped till early sprin g o f 1860, and then moved up to Spring City. Hudson and I worked in th e cany on in the winter, waist deep in the snow, and terribly cold, sleep ing i n a haystack at night. I had no coat to wear that winter. I got a c ity lo t and 25 acres of farming land and a hay lot with water rights, st ill n o team or wagon. I herded stock till May and then went into an adob e yar d and made over 50,000 adobes. This summer, I earned the first tea m I eve r owned, in the shape of a yoke of oxen, paying ninety dollars i n adobe s to Samuel Aiken, the school teacher. I was proud of the oxen an d soon b ought an old wagon to match. I got along well here in 1860 and 1 861 .
In the fall [1860] James Harwood came out with goods to sell for Thoma s T aylor. Sold what he could and then proposed to leave the remainder wi th m e on commission at twelve and one-half percent. I took them into m y log c abin and so became a store keeper. In a short time Thomas Taylo r had brou ght more goods and John Schofield was a partner for me, so on e could atte nd business at home and the other haul grain to Lehi or Cam p Floyd wher e Taylor was doing business now. We carried on this way fo r some time, fo und that twelve and one-half percent would not do. Settle d up and Schofie ld went out. I tried it alone, paying Taylor's price a t Lehi and Salt Lak e City and fixing my own profits. On trade was eggs , butter, grain, etc .
No money then, but little in circulation. Went along till Taylor wen t o n his mission, I think in 1864. I had a thousand bushel of grain on h and , it being the year of high water, and we could not get out with it . Brid ges all gone from Salt Creek and other places all the way to Lehi . Many b arrels of butter I got to the Jordan River and could go no furth er. The J ordan was three miles from Lehi. The butter melted and ran ou t of the bar rels. What little was saved was soap grease. Well, I came ou t $600 in deb t. This I paid off in three years, raising wheat at 75 cent s per bushel . Kept on business till we were broken up by the Indians an d had to mov e away, having lost a good deal of stock by their raids on u s and some me n killed. By this time Taylor had returned from his missio n to England. W e moved back to Spring Town after the Indians settled an d became quiet. T he railroad came through, goods were brought in cheap a nd cooperation com menced. I was glad to sell at fifteen percent below co st to me. Result , I was way behind again.
In settling up with Taylor, I turned over my team, wagon, cattle, shee p h ouse, lot and farm, retaining a log house, my growing crops and house hol d goods. Say I, "Now you have it all." He replied that I knew what Pr esid ent Young had said in relation to men paying their debts. Say I, "Ye s, ta ke it," throwing my coat off from my back. Says he, "I did not mea n you t o do that." I said, "You said it virtually." He promptly returne d to me s ome farming utensils and other things to the amount of fifty do llars. I g ot me a city lot, moved my log cabin, got some land and with t he crop s I raised I made a new start in the world .
In July 1869 my father [Luke] died leaving me a yoke of oxen and an ol d w agon. His estate of five hundred dollars which, after all expenses we re p aid, the principal part was used for the emigration of Brother Josep h N . Nield and part of his family, wife and little boy. When they came i n , I went to Lehi and brought them to Meadow, Millard County, to which p la ce I had moved in October 1870. Worked here at farming and common labo r m ostly.
Early in 1871 they were in need of a school teacher. I concluded to tr y f or it although I had no training in this line. I obtained the place a nd f ound that I was ahead of my school in learning and concluded I coul d an d would hold my own at least. I did so. Studied the books and got al ong f ine. Liked the business, was encouraged to continue by R. L. Campbe ll, Te rritorial Superintendent, and after him by T. C. Callister. I woul d hav e gone to the university for a term at least, but found no encourag emen t from the Meadow School trustees, James Fisher, James Duncan, and E . A . Beckstand. They were not ready to bring the school to the first cla ss . They wanted to work down so I dropped out and they hired a woman . I hav e taught some since then, but their actions prevented me from pos ting u p on the system and making teaching a profession. Well, all right , all' s well that ends well.
In the spring of 1879, Bro. Joseph's three daughters came from England . T hey were accompanied by a Mr. Goddard who traveled with them all th e wa y from England. I took a team and wagon thinking to meet them at Yor k, bu t I found them at Nephi, having got along so far with Lyman Peters , an ol d friend of mine from San Pete. I found the folks feeling and loo king wel l, three fine young women, I think from 18 to 24 years of age, k indly dep osed [disposed?] and intelligent and all glad to meet us. Broth er Josep h being with them. Will say of Mr. Ben Goddard I found him to b e a smal l man, wearing spectacles, with a pale face, dark hair, and whis kers an d an open intelligent countenance. He first reminded me of a trai ned scho ol teacher or a sectarian preacher, the latter of which I find t hat he ha s been. I soon find that he is a man of more ordinary attainmen ts; a goo d penman and a good lecturer, I am favorably impressed with him . The girl s are fine. Martha Alice (Allie), Hannah, Emma Jane. We ha d a right goo d time on the way home. They are all splendid singers. I ma rk them all fo r Mormon converts in due course. I may say further that i t was not long t ill we had a wedding which the following will explain: " Territory of Utah , County of Millard and town of Meadow. March 7, 1879 . This certifies tha t on the above date Mr. Ben Goddard and Miss Marth a Alice Nield entered i nto a marriage contract before me at the residenc e of Joseph N. Nield. Jo hn Nield, Justice of the Peace. Witnesses Sara h Nield, Hannah Nield, Emm a J. Nield."
At this time [1879], my oldest son is married, that is John E. Nield , t o Jane Parker. They have one child, a little boy. I am a grandfathe r then . Funny. My oldest daughter, Hannah, is also married. Her husban d A. J. T ayson. They all started for Idaho, find a good place, go to wor k throug h the summer, but find themselves destitute in the fore part o f winter. W ant us to move there or they will move someplace where we ca n be together . My wife frets about it much and wants to be with them. Se ems like she w ill go to her grave if I don't make a move. I go to Desere t, think we ca n make a farm for all. Sell out at Meadow, got to Deseret . Keep school th at winter, 1879-1880. Hard winter, stock dies, I got som e money, one hors e, and a wagon. Balance in stock which dies that winter . Are far from sat isfied with Deseret and conclude to leave it. Strike o n camp at Meadow. B oys go to work at Frisco, those from Idaho have retur ned and all are toge ther again. We buy some property at Meadow and begi n to feel a little a t home again. Do pretty well so long as labor is go od, and market at Fri sco. I work some as a book agent which business I h ave followed more or l ess since 1875.
The labor at Frisco is gone, the market is gone. For two years times ha v e been hard and cash close. Pasture land plenty and could raise grass b u t lack water for a farm and have a lot of little ones here and coming . W e have a start of bees and fish and some stock and horses and are som e i n debt. Would like to stay here if we could make a living and get alo ng . Well, sometimes we think and talk about another move to get land, ti mbe r, water, grass, etc., so we can spread ourselves, but so many thing s per taining to all things we are now undecided what to do .
I had a letter last fall from the First Presidency of the Seventies in r e lation to a mission. I answered that I would need a year at least to r u b off indebtedness and fix home better. This being done, would be read y t o go whenever called. My last from them is that I am excused from a m issi on for a period of a year or more. Now, can I be ready? The Lord onl y kno ws. I have much to accomplish in a year, but if the Lord needs my s ervice s and will open the way, I will go to labor as required .
Well, perhaps I have written enough and more than my boys will read. Th i s is January 1888. I am past fifty three, will soon be 54 years old . I ha ve gone through much but feel far from old yet. Think I can do lot s mor e work yet before old age. The gospel called Mormonism is just as g ood t o me as ever both the present and prospect. If I can but carry ou t all m y righteous desires here, I will risk the future in another world . Of cou rse I will have that to do anyhow, but I mean I am pleased to d o so. My t estimony is that God has established his work on earth for th e last time . His priesthood and Church is here and his Saints in bulk ar e faithful . The work will grow and roll. The kingdom will come and Chris t will reig n on the earth with his faithful saints no matter what this g overnment no r the world combined and the devil thrown in may do, think o r say. I ris k my all on this. God haste the good work is my prayer. In t he name of Je sus. Amen.
I have preached the gospel some, been connected with the Sunday School m o st of my life, also choirs and dramatic associations and the like in Ol dh am, Filmore, Lehi, Moroni, Spring City, and at Meadow up to this tim e an d think I have done some good. Trust I may do more. Live or die, sin k o r swim, I will contend for the common rights of humanity, socially, r elig iously, poetically, and individually, like that good old champion o f righ ts, John Taylor.
Liberty now and forever .
What writing I had done up to 1888 filled my pages and from that tim e t o this, now March 1902, my journal has been closed. I feel however th a t I must jot down a few items more. Will say that in said year 1888 w e lo oked out and located new places for myself and children. My second s on, J oseph L. Nield, had a bad spell of sickness that spring [1888] in S tar Va lley, Wyoming. I was called by telegram to his bedside. Am happy t o say t hat he finally recovered. Well, this is the place where we took u p new ho mes for myself and wife and five boys and two girls. We did no t move til l June 1889. We had a hard winter and lost most of our stock a nd were unf ortunate about raising frozen grain. On the whole however w e were satisfi ed with good water, grassland, and timber. I heard no mor e about missiona ry labors so I concluded moving out into a new field an d state let me out .
During our time here I have filled a number of offices, ward teacher a n d priest. Also in the presidency of the Sunday School. I am Justice o f th e Peace for the Afton precinct. This is now my sixth year in servic e in t hat capacity. Election will be coming November .
[During] the organization of the Star Valley Stake of Zion I was ordain e d a high priest and called and set apart as an alternate member of th e hi gh council. I serve much as a home missionary. Later I will give a l ist o f all my ordinations in the priesthood when I find it convenient. W ill sa y that we now have 32 grandchildren and we are living pretty clos e togeth er and are all members of the Afton Ward, except daughter Lizzi e and he r family who are members of the Fairview Ward. I have been filli ng up m y family record of late. I have two books, one "The Latter Day Sa int Fami ly Record" brought with us from old England. The other one I bou ght recen tly called "Genealogical Record." I have now got it in as goo d a shape a s I can so as to be ready to hand to some of my posterity. Ha d a talk o n the subject the other day with my oldest son, John E. Niel d .
Am pleased to say last June (1901) we all went to Logan to do temple wo r k there, about 30 of us all told. My grandson John W. Nield was marrie d i n the temple. The families of our sons Joseph L. and Seth B. Nield ha d be en to the temple previously. I must here say that my dear wife was l eft b ehind on said trip. She had sickness and died on the 10th of said m onth o f June 1901. Since her death I have felt very lonesome, although a ll of m y children are very kind to me. I pray to God to help me bear thi s bereav ement as becometh a saint. Since her death I have lived some si x months w ith daughter Hannah and family, about three months with son Ja mes W. an d family, and am now with son John E. and family. I still retai n my hous e and lots in town and expect to work there this coming summe r .
I will here say that my grandson A. D. Tayson left on a mission to the N o rthern States on the 11th day of Feb. 1902. He is now laboring in the c it y of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. (He filled an honorable mission and returne d h ome on the 20th of March 1904.) I was notified by Bishop Low of Afto n tha t we might expect a call for missionary labor from the Nield famil y in th e near future and this is the warning note. After leaving my ordi nation s here, will leave further space for any special items that may oc cur .
Will just say however that about one year ago, in pulling weeds in my ga r den, I had the misfortune to injure by a bruise, my left eye. The sigh t i s now some what dim. Two days after my grandson left on his mission , I ha d the misfortune to trap my left hand under a log, is still bad af ter on e month but now is improving and do lots of work yet .
I will state here that John Broadbent died at Spring City, San Pete Coun t y, Utah, July 25, 1903 taken by an apoplectic stroke. He was past 68 ye ar s old and was the brother of my late wife, Sarah. He was born in Engla n d and emigrated and came to Utah in the year 1862 with his parents. Th e y settled in Spring City and lived there till the time of their deaths . J ohn drove a freight team across the plains for W. S. Godbie and wen t thro ugh the Indian troubles in San Pete and the Black Hawk War of thos e times . I sent notice of it to the Deseret Semi-weekly News and it wa s publishe d.
In speaking of the Black Hawk War in San Pete County, Utah, I may sa y I w as there too. I will refer the reader to last page for a brief sket ch o f the same. Will say here that at Stake Conference held May 17, 1903 , m y name was presented as a member of the high council to fill a vacanc y ca used by the removal of Brother Isaac Biglow to Canada .
On the fifth of September 1903 I was blessed and set apart as a membe r o f the high council of the Star Valley Stake of Zion by President Geor ge O smond and President A. V. Call, President Osmond being mouthpiece, a t gen eral priesthood meeting.
My ordinations in the priesthood:
1852 July 18, ordained a priest by Elder Luke Niel d
1854 February 20, ordained an elder by Elder John Cocke r
1857 June 4, ordained a member of the 44th Quorum of Seventies at Lehi,
Utah by President William Hid e
1892 August 14, ordained a high priest and set apart as an alternate mem b er
of the high council of Star Valley Stake of Zion by Anson V. Cal l
Anson V. Call was ordained a high priest by Joseph F. Smith 30 May 188 0
Joseph F. Smith was ordained an apostle by President Brigham Young 1 Ju l y 1866
Brigham Young was ordained an apostle 14 February 1835 under the hand s o f
The Prophet Joseph Smith, Oliver Cowdery, David Whitmer, and Mart i n Harris
The Prophet Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery were ordained b y
Peter, James and John, June or July 182 9
1857 April, John Nield received his first endowment in the Endowment Hou s e at Salt Lake City, Utah and his wife Sarah Broadbent Nield was seale d t o him by Heber C. Kimball
On October 9, 1902 I married Mrs. Emma Billings and was sealed for tim e b y Elder John R. Winder in the Salt lake Temple. I found Mrs. Emma Bil ling s at the town of Liberty, Bear Lake County, Idaho. She had emigrate d fro m Nottingham, England some four years previous. She was a widow wit h thre e children. One, a young man named Henry Billings, a member of Th e Churc h of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, came to Utah but is now ( 1904) ba ck east in the state of Illinois qualifying to become a photogra pher. Sai d Emma Billings was born at New Lenton, Nottingham Shire, Engla nd, Februa ry 12, 1852. The other children are still back in England .
Of The Black hawk War
I noted that at this time, A.D. 1905, much is said in the Utah paper i n r egard to the "Black Hawk Indian War Veterans." I was a resident of Sa n Pe te County, Utah, from the winter of 1859 to the fall of 1870 and con seque ntly passed through the troubles incident to said war. My home at S prin g City, San Pete County, Utah was broken up through Indians, my far m near ly given away, my business in merchandising all knocked out. In sh ort , I was obliged to pull up stakes and leave. Our stock and horses wer e st olen, our men shot down. Men worked hard all day and took turns at s tandi ng guard for half of the night. I noticed in said paper, that is Th e Dese ret News, Salt Lake Herald and others, accounts of many gathering s and re unions of said veterans, and talk is had on the subject of pensi ons bein g granted to these old veterans from the Govt. of the U.S.A. S o say I, th ey certainly deserve one and why has the matter been neglecte d so long? T here seems to be quite a number of these old men still lef t in Utah bu t I know of but one beside myself in this part of Wyoming St ate. And tha t is C. D. Cazier; he is close to 70 years old and I am pas t 70. I will m ention one incident in which I took part. I think it was 1 865. When the I ndians made a raid and got away with a lot of horses an d cattle from For t Ephraim and from Manti, one hundred and ten men wen t out under Genera l Warren Snow and seventy-five men under Colonel R. D . Allred with a vie w to recover said cattle and horses. Snow's company w ent into the mountai ns from the south end of San Pete Valley and Allred' s company from the no rth and met on the Dushane Fork. From there we wen t to Greenriver and the re learned that the Indians led by Black Hawk ha d crossed the river wit h the stock about one week ahead of us so we ha d to give up the matter . I was one of the 75 under Colonel Allred and ac ting adjutant of the com pany. This being my first horseback trip, you ma y be sure I suffered muc h in getting use to the saddle. However in a fe w days careful going and t aking a swim every day I soon came out all rig ht. We expected to be gon e four days but it took us more than ten so w e ran out of provisions. W e were on short rations: a pint of bread crumb s for the day, fish if we c ould catch them, and some wild fruit. I sho t a sage hen one day and thi s made soup for nineteen men one meal. One d ay while on march I was on fr ont guard. I discovered a number of Indian s in sight. The company was hal ted and a council held. The company was d ivided and under orders at onc e surrounded the Indians and we had them u nder our control. On examinatio n they proved to be friendly Indians hunt ing game. We let them go. I hav e often thought that in this matter we di d show a little pluck to say th e least in as much as we did not stop t o think how many Indians, ten or t en times ten. As it proved to be we ha d sixteen all told: amongst them ei ght bucks and eight squaws and papoos es. I soon discovered that ten picke d men would do more good than our 7 5 picked up promiseaously [?]. I wil l give names of a few I can remembe r in the company of 75 :
R. N. Allred, Isaac N. Allred, Sid Allred, John Nield, John Zabriskie, W i ll Major, John Hitchock, Green Allred, Jabez Faux, Sam Jukes, James Guy ma n, Nah Guyman, John Blackham, James Blackham, John Ivy, and Jasper Rob ert son. In 1867, Indian troubles grew worse. On the 13 of August 1867 a n Ind ian raid was made on Springtown where I was living. James Meeks an d Andre w Johnason were killed and William Blain was wounded. A band of h orses we re taken by Indians. I with others made a run after the Indians , being i n full sight of good road but we could not overtake them. On th e 19 Augus t, 1868 a treaty of peace was made with the Indians. See Churc h Chronolog y page 78.
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John Nield died 14 Dec 1913 at Afton, Lincoln County, Wyoming.
He was the father of ten children. Eight boys and two girls .
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