George Wardle: Pioneer, Craftsman, Colonizer, Musician

George Wardle: Pioneer, Craftsman, Colonizer, Musician

George Wardle: Pioneer, Craftsman, Colonizer, Musician By: L. Paul Johnstun

Introduction

The reason that I have written this short essay on the life history of my great-great grandfather, is not because of my great interest in genealogy, but because it was an assignment for two of my classes at Brigham Young University. Although, I have to admit that after researching and writing the contents herein, I find that I feel a greater intrigue for that which has happened in the past, especially to those in my ancestral line.

As noted in the bibliography, there have been a number of things said about George Wardle. Most of the historical writings contain but little information. The most useful resource was a document written by Lorna Stott, grand-daughter of George Wardle. Therefore few of the thoughts in this essay are mine, most are borrowed from the bibliography and especially from the history written by Lorna Stott. But, what I have attempted to do with this essay is to document with references the history of George Wardle, as well as add historical events relative to the time, so as to enable the reader to understand the life of George Wardle in context with the historical setting in which he lived. (L. Paul Johnstun)

George Wardle was a great pioneer, musician, craftsman, colonizer, and father because of his devotion to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

He was born on a cold English day, the third of February, 1820; the exact year that the boy Joseph Smith received his divine revelation in New York. Not much is known of his early childhood. He was born in Leek, Staffordshire, England. As a child he learned the trade of his father, which was customary of the day. The trade he learned was that of wheel wright. A wheel wright made and repaired wheels for wagons, handcarts and carriages.

As a child he learned to play many musical instruments under one of the best teachers in England. He had a natural ability for music and an uncanny rhythm that never missed a beat.

As a boy, and throughout his life, he suffered from a speech impediment. He always stammered. This made the young lad rather shy and quiet, but when he did have something to say, he was noted for his great wisdom.

As the newly organized church restored by Joseph Smith, began to grow, missionaries were sent to the British Isles. As with many others, young George was converted to the Church by a missionary name George A. Smith, uncle of George Albert Smith. The historical records contradict on this point though. One says he was baptized by George A. Smith while another says he was baptized by someone else. (Esshom, 46)

Nobody is quite sure, but it is estimated that he immigrated to the United States around the year 1840. Two weeks before he immigrated he married his first wife, Fannie Rushton in Leek, Staffordshire, England. As with most converts in England, George traveled to the new country, not only because of his religious faith, but because of the great opportunity, in economic terms, the new land promised.

He and his wife traveled to Nauvoo, the Beautiful, where he joined with the Saints in building the Mormon City. The Prophet Joseph Smith immediately put him to work in the Nauvoo band where he served as both musician and secretary.

The Nauvoo period in the church was one of great joy and great sorrow. The Saints began to prosper in their new city. But no sooner had prosperity become theirs, than persecution also returned. Part of the persecution resulted from the Prophet Joseph Smith making public a revelation received much earlier outlining the doctrine of plural marriage. But George did not participate in this practice while in Nauvoo. The persecution increased to the point of near mob rule in Illinois and resulted in the murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum.

Joseph was killed by a mob of about one hundred men with their faces painted black. They shot Joseph as he fell out of a second-story window in the Carthage Jail. When he hit the ground, the cruel mobbers propped his body up against a nearby well and proceeded to pulverize the dead prophet's body with lead at point-blank range. As they finished shooting, a mobber took Joseph by the hair and was about to cut off the prophet's head, when a mysterious voice called out, " The Mormons are coming." The mob hysterically dispersed, fearing the wrath of the mighty Nauvoo Legion.

Because there was a price on Joseph Smith's head, the Mormons feared that the mob would come back and try to further desecrate Joseph's body. George was assigned to be a bodyguard over the prophet's body while it was still on the Carthage side of the Mississippi River, which was for the remainder of the night of the martyrdom. (Johnstun) George described the night as follows,"It was so dark and black one could feel the darkness. There wasn't even a shadow." (Stott 1)

The mob's slaying of Joseph did not kill the Church so they began to persecute the saints again in Nauvoo. Because of the increased persecutions, the Saints began to prepare for a journey west out of Nauvoo. George used his skills as a wheelwright to fit numerous wagons with wheels. (Johnstun)

The antagonistic residents of Illinois did not like the slow exit of the Mormons, so they drove the remaining Saints out. At one point in the battle of Nauvoo, the men in the Nauvoo legion were lined up and given a choice - whether they would follow old Brig or stay and make a decent life for themselves. George said, "Oh, I think I'll follow Old Brig." (Stott 1) When he was asked to hand over his gun, he handed over, to their surprise, a toy water gun. (Yes, they had water pistols in those days). He was then driven with the rest of the men and their families across the Mississippi River.

Crossing the Mississippi was a rather difficult and slow process because the only way across the river was by ferry. The ferry only allowed one or two wagons at a time; thus there was a long line of wagons waiting to be ferried.

Since George's wife Fannie was ill, their wagon was one of the last to cross the river. George was like many Saints in desperate need of money, so he took advantage of the delay by calling on some men who owed him money. He spoke with the men who owed him and one agreed to pay. George was to meet him at a certain time to collect the money. On the day appointed, a mob gathered at the man's house in which George was to collect his money. They planned to drown George in the river. The men hid inside the house as George approached. The wife of the debtor met him at the door and warned him of the men and their evil design. George fled back to the river with the mob in hot pursuit. He dodged in and out of the wagons trying to lose the men. Finally, a women had pity on him, telling him to climb into her wagon. He laid down in the bottom of the wagon as she covered him with a feather tick. The mob searched for a little while but gave up when an incredibly bad storm blew in that made the mobbers disperse. (Journal 23 Sept, 1846; Stott 1; Johnstun)

The next morning, George went back to his own wagon where he found his wife with a newborn baby. Unfortunately, she was lying in water from the storm, and the baby was dying. Their child died before they joined the Saints at Winter Quarters. (Journal 28, 29 September 1846) When he arrived in winter quarters, he was put to work whip-sawing timber to make coffins for those who had died of the black plague which struck many of the Saints there.

In 1847, President Brigham Young, chose George to be in the first ten of the first group to cross the plains. (Journal 17 Aug 1847) His group included; Wilford Woodruff (third President of the Church), Heber C. Kimball, Ezra T. Benson (Great Grandfather of Ezra Taft Benson), and George A. Smith. (Journal 17 Apr 1847) On July 21, 1847, just three days before the rest of the first pioneer company came down Emigration Canyon, he looked out over the Great Salt Lake Valley. Although healthy, George suffered the hardships of his pioneer partners as well. Hunger, thirst and fatigue frequented the camp of the pioneers as they crossed the mid-west. But the Lord provided for them. At one time when starvation seemed inevitable, seagulls would land on the tongue of the wagon where George could reach out and catch them, thus sparing the lives of the first, and most crucial, pioneer party. (Stott 1)

As soon as he entered the valley he immediately began to whip-saw lumber to make log homes. This first group sawed many more logs then were needed at the time making it much easier for later groups.

In 1848 he was called by the leaders of the Church to go back to Winter Quarters to assist others in making the trip. (Journal 3, 17 July 1847) He also brought his own family back to the newly formed, Great Salt Lake City when he returned.

After George arrived in Salt Lake for the second time, he was given a piece of ground with his friend George A. Smith in the Sugarhouse area. He received this property because of the allotment system used by the church, similar to the allotments make to the tribes of Israel upon entering the promised land. He planted a vast orchard of maple trees in his second year in that area. While in Sugarhouse, he and George A. Smith planted and raised the first potatoes in the valley. (Jenson, Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia V4, pg. 722)

After George's second trip across the plains, Brigham Young assigned him to teach dancing, singing and music to the Saints. He was also assigned to build a hall for those purposes. In response he built the Pioneer hall, but before it was completed they used a log house for practice. He taught many of the leading brethren of the Church how to dance including Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, George Q. Cannon, George A. Smith, and many others.

While living in Sugarhouse he entered into the order of plural marriage when he was sealed to Lucy McKesselman, in the Salt Lake Endowment House. While he was settling in with his new bride a call came from the First Presidency for George Wardle and his families to help in the colonization effort of the church by moving to Provo. His specific assignment was to establish a music, dance. and voice school.

He did move and with the help of sons, he built a new home in Provo. The Deseret News carried quite a few articles about the enjoyment given by the Provo band of which he was the Leader.

True to the nature of the Church, as he had established successful music, dance, and voice schools in Salt Lake and Provo, the First Presidency again asked him to move - this time to Midway, Utah. He was, of course, asked to fulfill the same assignment that he had in Salt Lake and Provo; that of establishing schools to teach the cultural arts. While in Midway, he helped build a small rock church which had a multi-purpose hall complete with stage. While in Midway, he again wed, this time to Caroline Fisher. They were sealed in the endowment house in Salt Lake in 1868.

The First Presidency again called him to move on to different territory to help instill culture in the Saints. He and his family moved to Glenwood, Sevier County. This was part of the strategy of the great colonizer, Brigham Young. President Young not only wanted more people in more places, he also wanted the Latter-Day Saints to be a civilized and educated people. No Pioneer had the musical talent that George Wardle had. It was said that he could play a tune on anything. One of his granddaughters said, " He would play any and every musical instrument. When hammering nails it would be to time, whistling on a leaf or through his teeth. He would crack his knuckles to time, play on wagon spokes, on wheels of a wagon and he played very pretty tunes on a saw. he could also imitate a bird and squirrel, mice or any beast. They all loved him, especially his dogs and horses." (Palmer)

While in Glenwood, he and his sons built a blacksmith shop. Besides being a wheel wright he also knew the trade of blacksmith since the two trades were interrelated. He was the first in the area to put shoes on the Indian's horse. Chief Black Hawk and his braves would come riding into town a hundred at a time for shoes. They paid for their shoes with venison, buckskins, and an occasional pony. (Stott 2)

Every time he seemed to be getting ahead financially, the First Presidency would ask him to move. In Glenwood it was no exception. President John Taylor wrote him a letter of appreciation and asked him to move back to Midway to straighten out a few problems the Saints were experiencing in that town. Again, his families pulled up stakes and moved. As soon as things were smoothed out in Midway, he was called to the Ashley Valley near Vernal, Utah to perform similar tasks.

Finally in 1882, he was called to establish the cultural arts in the Uintah Basin. He taught dancing, voice, and violin as long as he could until he no longer was physically able.

The closing moments of his life were described by his daughter Harriet. "He closed his earthly career on a Monday evening at nine o'clock, November 25, 1901. Not with excruciating pains racking his body, but as peaceful as a little child. He was feeble, but not any worse than usual. Although his mind was beginning to wander. When I came home from school and was churning he came in and wanted to churn. I told him I would do it, and he turned to ma (Caroline, the first two wives having previously passed away) and said, 'ma, who is this, she won't let me churn'. ... His mind was beginning to wander back over his pioneering days. About an hour before the end came, he took his cane, which he always had hanging over his chair by the fire, and went out into the barn and fed the cow a fork full of hay. Came back and sat down in his rocking chair and sang, "Come, Come ye Saints" through. He was shaking all over at the finish of the song and exclaimed, 'ma, look at me shake'. She said you will be alright when I get you into bed. But he said, 'no, I'm going now'. She undressed him and helped him into bed and within an hour he was gone." (Stott 2)

George Wardle was more than just my great-great-grandfather. He was a man of great importance in early pioneer life. He played a major role in the development of the cultural arts among the pioneer communities. He served diligently in the church although his callings were not those of high leadership position. Surely of him the Lord will say, "Well done though good and faithful servant."

Bibliography

Carter, Kate B., ed. Our Pioneer Heritage. Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1958 v2 p492 photo p492

Journal History. "Journal History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints." Church Historical Library, Salt Lake City, Utah 23 Sept 1846 p3, 28 Sept 1846 p3, 29 Sep 1846, 17 Apr 1847, 1 Jul 1847, 3 Jul 1847 p4, 17 Aug 1847, 20 Jan 1848 p9, 27 Apr 1854 p2, 7 Aug 1855, 9 Jul 1857, 24 Jul 1863, 22 Aug 1864, 20 Dec 1867, 11 Jan 1868, 1 Feb 1868

Editors of the Daughter of the Utah Pioneers. Builders of Uintah: A centennial History of Uintah County 1872-1947. Springville, Utah: Art City Publishing Company, 1947.p103 photo p103

Esshom, Frank, ed. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah. Salt Lake City: Western Epics, Inc., 1966 p46, 1230 photo p64

Jenson, Andrew, ed. Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A compilation of Prominent Men and Women in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History Company, 1901-1935. v4 p722

Johnstun, Margaret. Personal interview. April 1988

Palmer, Margaret Ross. "Tribute to Grandfather". Unpublished, 1966

Stott, Lorna. "Life sketch of George Wardle: As related by Daughter Harriet W. Shelton." Unpublished, 1966.