Jehu Cox history

Jehu Cox history

Kentucky, a son of Thomas Cox and Rachel Carr. He was the 4th child in the family. His family were Quakers, who had moved from York Count, Pennsylvania to Kentucky with a group of Quakers, to start a community in that area. His great grandfather, John Cox, and his parents came to America from England in 1708, at the invitation of William Penn, to settle in the Quaker colony in Pennsylvania. While Jehu was a young boy, his family moved often. They lived in parts of Ohio and Indiana. When he was 21 years old living at Salt Creek, Indiana, he married an Episcopalian girl named Sarah Pyle. They lived in Salt Creek for 4 years. During this time three children were born to them. Two of these children died in infancy. Their health wasn't too good in this location so Jehu and Sarah decided to move to Illinois. Another son was born to them. The first season they lived in Illinois a contagious disease struck their cattle killing most of them, so they moved back to Green Castle, Indiana. Here three more children were born. In 1833 they decided to move farther west and they settled in the Ozark Mountains of Missouri. Here their health was much better and they prospered and two more children were born. One night, during the winter of 1837, two strangers came to their door and asked for a nights lodging. They were invited in, given a hot supper, and a place to sleep. The strangers told Jehu and Sarah that they were Mormon Missionaries. Jehu was converted to the gospel and was baptized on Jan. 12, 1838 by Elder Benjamin L. Clapp. Sarah was baptized a month later on Feb. 13, 1833, by Isaac Allred. At that time Jehu was ordained an elder. In 1841 they moved to within three miles of Nauvoo, Illinois, to be with the Saints. They lived there 4 years. At this time the mobs became very bad and the Saints living outside of town were advised to move in for protection. They moved into Nauvoo. On Feb. 4, 1846 the great exodus from nauvoo began. The Cox family, however, did not leave at this time. Sarah was expecting her thirteenth child. The baby was born on March 20, and died thirty-nine days later. Jehu had been making preparations for leaving Nauvoo and on May 20, they crossed the Mississippi River and headed west into Missouri. They joined the body of the Saints at the Bluffs on the banks of the Missouri River. When they arrived the Mormon Battalion was just organizing. Their sixteen year old son, Henderson, volunteered to go with the army. He signed up on July 16 and left with the Battalion on July 20. His family never saw him again. He was killed by Indians in Nevada when returning to the Salt Lake Valley to join them. Jehu and his family spent that winter at the Point of the river in very sad circumstances. Food was scarce, shelter inadequate, and the family was cold and hungry. When spring arrived they moved up-river seven miles to the Campbell Farm. There they planted a crop and stayed for a year. On April 28, 1848, they left the Cjampbell farm and moved into winter-quarters. They spent the next 20 days getting ready for the journey west. Jehu had to have 2 wagons to carry supplies for his 8 children. They were instructed to have from 300 to 500 pounds of food for each member of their party. The westward journey began on May 18, 1848. The caravan that formed made a line as far as the eye could see. They were assigned to the Heber C. Kimball Company. On June 16th, the wagon his 6 year old daughter, Lucretia, was riding in suddenly went into a hole. The jar threw Lucretia onto the wagon tongue. She fell from the tongue and was run over by both the front and back wheels. She was killed instantly. They stopped for a short burial service and then went on. They passed through Fort Laramie on July 22. On August 30th, 46 wagons arrived from Salt Lake Valley to aid their overloaded wagons. They crossed the Continental Divide at South pass, on Sept. 1st, during a violent snowstorm. On Sept. 17th, they arrived at the Weber River, the climb up Big Mountain was the roughest of the journey. They crossed the river 13 times in the struggle to reach the top of the mountain. They had their first view of the Salt Lake Valley from the top of this mountain. They arrived in Salt Lake City on Sept. 24, 1848 after spending 130 days traveling 1,031 miles. Jehu Cox was the first settler on the banks of LIttle Cottonwood Creek. In 1849 he built an adobe house there, which is still standing. On Aug. 2, another daughter, Martha Elizabeth, was born. On July 5, 1851, his 16th child, a son, Elisha, was born and died on the same day. In 1854, he gave 10 acres of his faming land for a fort site. Around it a wall 12 feet high and 6 feet thick was built of adobes and clay. Nearby families moved into this fort for protection from the Indians. A large granary was built. Each man had a place in it to store his food. From this granary the town was given the name of Union. The people of Union remained within these walls until the Walker Peace Treaty was enacted. In March 1858, the people of Union were told that the United States Army was on the way to Utah to crush a so-called "Mormon Rebellion". The charges were absurd, but the people accepted the instructions of the church leaders and prepared to leave. Everything possible was loaded on wagons and again a caravan rolle dout. A few men were left behind to destroy the fort if the army came. By the end of March, forty families were camped at Spring Lake, four miles south of Payson, Utah. After the "Mock Pardon" was given the Mormons moved back to Union on July 31st.

jumara1added this on 5 Jan 2011