Daniel Mark Burbank - 1814
Following is the life story of Daniel Mark Burbank, the pioneer written by himself in a brown leather covered book of some age, and now held by his son Brigham Southworth Burbank.
(Born 3 Dec 1814 Delphi County, New York State; I was the son of Daniel and Margaret (Pynchon) Burbank converted to Mormonism by the Prophet Joseph Smith, Spring of 1841; Baptized 11 April 1841 by William Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith in the Mississippi River, at Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois. (William was excommunicated from the church soon after) Ordained an Elder 8 April 1842, and a Seventy, 8 October 1844, by Brigham Young and George A Smith, Received his Endowments 6 Jan 1846 in the Nauvoo Illinois Temple. Ordained a High Priest by Brigham Young at Winter Quarters in 1847 and ordained a Bishop in which he served until 1852, at which time he crossed the Plains to Utah Territory. Ordained a Patriarch 19 April 1883 by Wilford Woodruff. Present at this Conference was President George Q. Cannon, Wilford Woodruff, Lorenzo Snow, and Franklin D. Richards, all members of the Twelve. He died 13 Jan 1894 at Brigham City,. Utah and buried 15 January 1894, Brigham City Cemetery; Services were held in the Brigham City Tabernacle to an overflowing crowd. Apostle Lorenzo Snow and others spoke at his funeral.)
In the year 1833, late in the fall I left my trade and came down the Ohio River to Shawnestown and then out to see my two sisters at McLeansbors, whom married the Maulding brothers. I stayed there until in the spring of 1834 when I left and went to my sister's place Eveline Kellogg, Living in the town of Naples, then Morgan County now Scott County Illinois. Here also my youngest brother Augustus lived.
At the town of Naples, I lived with my sister Eveline and her husband Orlando Kellogg, being chosen as the guardian of my youngest brother, Augustus Ripley. I entered into service on the farm with him for sometime, then went on a steam boat as a barkeeper at $10.00 per month. Later as stoareman until late in the summer I left this employee and went for myself at $50.00 per month as Pilot and continued in this business for some time operating mostly on the Illinois River.
On the 31st of December 1835 I was married to Lydia Vanblaricon, (she was born 10 Dec 1816 in Switzerland County, Indiana) who lived one mile south east of Naples at which town we lived after marriage. I continued to pilot on the Illinois River seeing my wife twice a week.. My wages now were from $100.00 to $150.00 dollars a month, yet some transient trips I got as high as $100.00 dollars
In 1836 my wife had small pox and lost her first child and came very near losing her life. On January 12, 1838, Augustus Ripley was born and on September 18, 1838 Lydia died leaving me with the small baby, which my sister Margaret took to raise but it pined its life away and died soon after its mother on 28 September 1838 at age of 8 Months and 16 days.
I sold my possessions and continued piloting the river until August 3, 1839, at which time I again was married. Her name was Abigail Blodgett a widow of Mr. King. We were married at Naples and lived at this place until in the spring of 1841 and then moved to Nauvoo, Illinois, being about ninety miles west on the Mississippi river, on its eastern bank.
We lived at a place called Nauvoo House, in the north west part of the city, three blocks from the temple, until the fall of 1844 we moved north west three miles on a farm.
These were very hard times in Nauvoo for the Saints to live while building the Temple. Our labors were great, for we had to labor days and guard the temple at night. There were many attempts made to burn the Temple, sometimes by false brothern seeking to kill the prophet Joseph Smith also kidnap him and run him into Missouri, and there hand burn or otherwise destroy him. Many times we had to turn out and take him away for a time and then bring him back when times were better.
At one time while the Prophet was at Pawpaw Grove on Rock river on a visit, the mob sheriff and posse took him and much maltreated him. Brother Hirum Smith sent out Colonel Charles Kitch, and Colonel Steven Markum and others, each with a party of horseman, one to head towards the Illinois River others by land in other directions while some thirty others went by water on board the steamboat "Maid of Iowa." This steamboat was commanded by Dan Dunun; Captain John Taylor; Sergeant John Venhisen; Second Sergeant George Langley; Stearman, Thomas Briley; pilot and First Sergeant Daniel Mark Burbank.
We started down the Mississippi river then turned up the Illinois River. We soon found that there was a boat that had been manned out of St. Louis to receive Joseph the Prophet, and the mob at Ottawa, La Salle County which is on the west side of the river at the mouth of the Fox River; in conjunction would run him into St. Louis then back into the country and there destroy him at their own pleasure. The enemy boat had an armed force and two swivels on board.
Her name was Chicago Bell, a very large and strongly built boat, with some hundred men well armed. When we got this news we crowded all steam ahead for the Bell was some four miles ahead at the town of E______ located on the west bank.
We had to stop to buy some bricks and mound up the back wall of the furnace but this was soon done and we again were under crowding our little boat day and night until one morning about three o'clock we came in sight of the town Rekin, Taxwell County located on the east bank of the river Illinois. When about one and one half miles of this place we saw a boat leaving the wharf running out across the river west for a small island shoal, which was the main passage channel. She rounded into the right into the this channel and caught fast and could not back off. On nearing her we found it to be the Bell. We stopped and hailed her through a speaking trumpet from the pilot stand and ask if she would let us pass. She wanted to know what boat we were. We told her and she then answered that she would not let us pass. They then swung the Bell around with stern into the willows and made it fast. We then ask if they would not ease off her line and let us pass, but they swore they would not. At this time her deck was black with men. Then the most wonderful thing happened. The spirit of God whispered to me, the pilot whom was at the wheel, and commanded me to go around the Bell through the bush channel west of the island. So I rang the bell at once, and sang out through the lower speaking trumpet to the engineer, to put on the steam. We went through the woods until we reached the main channel above the Bell and we went until day break in the morning we were at the town of Peoria.
Here we received news from our Brothern that went by land. So we went on to Peay, La Salle County a town on the west side of the river at the mouth of the canal. Here we got word again that our brothern by land had retaken Joseph Smith the Prophet, and they were on their march for Nauvoo, and ordered us to return to Quency, Adam Co. and there wait for further orders. So back we went passing the Bell again at Diamond Island, at a place known as the Buckhorn Woodyard, the Bell was lying to a wooding. On to Quincy we went and from there ordered back to Nauvoo.
On our arrival we found that Joseph Smith, the Prophet, was undergoing his trial and when he saw -us he called to us to wait, that he wanted to see us. In a little while he and Brother Hiram came into our mist and they blessed us in the name of the Lord and we again went to our homes.
Then for a while we lived in peace, until the time Joseph gave himself up to go to Carthage, Hancock, County, Illinois, being charged with treason against the government. This was a chame (shame) and a great injustice for he was always loyal and true to the faith. They only wanted to destroy him and this was the design of the whole and entire government, and then after the government had promised them protection, and while Joseph and Hiram were in jail, the mob shot them both to death on 27th of June - 1844.
Not long after, the mobs commenced burning our homes, killing our stock all through the country, so that the people at Nauvoo had to turn out and help gather in the poor Saints. Many of them had only the clothes they were left. All of their property had been burned and destroyed, some lost their lives.
Irode for some time under Colonel S. Markum on Bear River, Green plains, and also at Carthage and Warsaw, and in touring the country we saw much destruction of houses, animals and crops. In this we got no redress from the government or the president of the United States. So in the year 1846, we had to leave the United States and find a home where best we could.
We started into the wilderness, west of Nauvoo amidst -rain and much high water and most excess exposure for men, women and children; leaving our farms, orchards, homes and Temple, got nothing for all our labors from the government. Many of our people were very poor and destitute for the comforts of life, yet we must go on or be killed, so trusting in God we prayed often and after a while came to Farmington Iowa.
Here I stopped and labored for goods and remnant for my family. At this place my son Daniel was born June 10, 1846. In the fall I started on west again until I came to a place called Old Agency, where we spent the winter, then on again to the Bluffs to a place called Hanerville. Here I lived on Indian Creek and was Bishop for some time and then moved north sixty miles, taking charge of the church affairs until the year of 1852, we started for Salt Lake City.
We traveled across the plains on our way to the Salt Lake, my wife Abigail died, leaving me with four children, three girls and one boy. Such was the sorrows and hardships endured by our people. but we prayed often and after many trials and hardships- the tord ruling and over ruling for our good and safety in all things both spiritual and temporal as our circumstances stood in need-- we came to Salt Lake.
Ilanded with my family in the City of Great Salt Lake on the 7th of October 1852. I again was married to Sarah Southworth, but we were married on the plains at South pass, prior to our arrival in Salt Lake.
We moved south into Utah County at the town of Springville. Here I built a home and wintered there. then in the spring of 1853, in April I moved to Grantsville, Tooele County, Utah Territory. Here lived ten years, until June 1863, we moved to Brigham City, Boxelder County, Utah Territory.
And here my great grandfather lived until death took him from all his labors, and his rest is sweet. He died January 12 1894, at thirteen minutes past 12 o'clock Saturday morning at the age 79 years. Funeral services were held in the Stake Tabernacle in Brigham City, Monday January 14 1894. Remarks were made by Apostle Lorenzo Snow, Stake president Rudger Clawson, Counselor Charles Kelly, Bishop A. A. Jensen, and W. L. Watkins. There was present 4 sons, 7 daughters, 24 grandchildren and between 7 & 8 hundred people.
(He was a River boat captain, then pilot of the Maid of Iowa. He was a carpenter while building the Nauvoo Temple. Helped guard the Temple at night from vandalizing mobs. At the request of the Prophet Joseph Smith he went to St. Louis to study obstetrics. Driven out of Nauvoo by the mobs during the fall of 1846 and arrived at Winter Quarters in 1847. His life was greatly influenced by the Prophet Joseph Smith, through the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.)