History of Harvey McGalyard Rawlins
History taken from his own notes and compiled by
Nellie L. Rawlins
Harvey McGalyard Rawlins second son and fifth child of names and Jane Sharp Rawlins was born at Apple Creek, Green County, Illinois, February 14, 1825, where he lived until three years of age. They then moved to Adam's Co. which place was their home for the next fourteen years.
In the spring of 1842, the father, James Rawlins, traded farms with a man named Richard Wilton, thus making it necessary for the family to move, this time to Bar Crick, Handcock Co., Ill. where they lived for four years. It was while here at Bar Crick that Harvey M. was baptized into the Church in the early part of June, 1844.
He was at the jail the morning after the Prophet Joseph and brother Hyrum were killed. He suffered with the rest of the Saints in persecutions by the Mob and burning of homes. In 1846 he left his home and went to Council Bluffs, Iowa. That fall in early December he, together with his brother Joseph S. and wife went to Mishmobatny, a place about sixty miles down the river from Council Bluffs and there an December 3, 1846 Harvey M. was married to Margaret Elzira Frost, youngest daughter of McCaslin Frost and Penina SmithHere the men found work splitting rails for a man names ones. About the last of December they moved to a place called Honey Creek, where on New Year's Day they were fortunate in killing two wild turkeys for their dinner. They were also able to gather plenty of wild honey for their winter use.
They endured hardships with the rest of the Saints as well as trouble with the Indians. Harvey M. related one incident when he and his brother Joseph S. went hunting up the river, the Indians attacked them, took away their horses, Harvey's overcoat and some other things, but the men were unharmed. The men took turns herding their cattle across the river About this time William Barger, Margaret E's brother-in-law, went to the Battalion, so Harvey M. and wife moved the sister, Fereba Frost Barger, to a home they built near theirs and supported her while they lived there. The men built a school house and had a school during the winter of 1847.
On the morning of April 30, 1848 a baby girl, Margaret Elzira, came to gladden the home of Harvey M. and wife and when she was only two weeks old they started their journey to the Rocky Mountains, with two yoke of cattle, three of which were wild. The first start was not without its dangers as the cattle became frightened, ran over a stump, almost throwing the mother and babe from the wagon. The father had a strong rope on the leader's horns which aided him in controlling them so that they were able to make their way as far as the Missouri River that first day.
Here they were compelled to wait several days until the company was fully made up and all were taken safely across. During this time Mary Frost, wife of Joseph S. Rawlins was taken sick and it looked as if she could not recover, Margaret nursed both babies, her sister-in-law or cousin and her own. But she recovered a few days after they got started on their journey, and was soon able to take care of her own baby.
They began their journey with the company organized with James Blake, captain of 100, Barney Adams, captain of 50, and Andrew Cunningham, captain of 10. However there was so much dissatisfaction that-the company was divided after a few days in three, Franklin Richards, captain of No. 1, Barney Adams, captain of 2, and Andrew Cunningham, captain of 3, Andrew Cunningham's company being the one our ancestors traveled in. They traveled so much faster that in a few days they passed the 1st and 2nd Companies and arrived first in the valley, reaching Salt Lake City on Oct. 12, 1848 and stayed in the Fort that night.
The next morning, father James Rawlins, Harvey M., Joseph S. Rawlins and AndrewThey went from there over into Big Cottonwood where Father James Rawlins built a house They went from there over into Big Cottonwood where Father James Rawlins built a house Joseph S. a dugout and Andrew Cunningham went back to Salt Lake City. Harvey M. went down on the Jordon River to help his brother-in-law, George Langley with the cattle until the herd broke up, then came back and lived with Joseph S. while the men worked on a dugout for him. They moved into their new home on New Year's day which was sure a day of rejoicing for them as it was their first home of their own. They lived at Big Cottonwood for four years.
In the spring of 1850 George Langley died, thus leaving Margaret E.'s sister Martha a widow for the second time, first husband having been Harmon Akes. That same spring Harvey M. built a house on the hill above the dugout and farmed land near. On July 3rd, 1850 their son James McCaslin was born, but lived just a few months, dying in February, 1851. Harvey M. Jr. was born on December 13, 1851 and the next spring of 1852 the little family moved to Draper, settling in the northern part. July 17, 1854 another son, Samuel LaFayette came to gladden their hearts but when he was only three weeks old the settlement was visited by grasshoppers, which took all their crops. They and others suffered a great deal and they lost a number of animals on account of scarcity of feed.
In August., 1856 Margaret E.'s people, Archibal Kerr and family, Father and Mother Frost came to Draper to live with Harvey M. and wife for a while until they could build a home. In Sep. 1856 Joseph S. Rawlins took small pox as they were all together; others took it before they knew what it was. Archibal Kerr, however, had it so light that he worked on his house every day he had it.
During their residence in Draper four more children were born, Franklin A. Jan., 1857, Penina Jane April 1859, Mary Eveline Nov., 1861, and Joseph W. Mar., 1864. When Franklin A. was quite small, the family moved to South Draper and built a two room adobe house and set out a peach orchard Margaret E. suffered considerable with rheumatism but in spite of it all she gathered wool and with Mother Frost, helped spin it into cloth and made it into clothing during the winter of 1862 and 1863. In March 1863 their daughter Margaret Elzira married Marion Kerr and moved to Richmond to live.
In August 1861 Margaret E.'s brother, Samuel B. Frost and six children came to the Rawlins home to live until he could build a house. They raised enough garden products to supply both families that year. Their daughter, Margaret E. Kerr, came back in the Summer for a visit on Mar. 16, 1864, her baby was born, but lived only two months. During the following winter they had a great deal of sickness, pneumonia, thyphoid, rheumatism and scarlet fever.
In April, 1864, Harvey M. was called to help settle disputes with the Indians who were stealing cattle, therefore, they sold out in Draper and moved to Spring City. They planted a crop, but frost took the grain and in Oct. 1865 they returned to Draper to learn the sad news of the death and burial of their daughter Margaret E. Kerr. She had given birth to another son on Sept. 11, 1865 and died Sept. 16, 1865 which was a great shock to her parents Harvey M. and wife stayed a few days to rest in Draper and then went to Father James Rawlins, where they lived until Nov 1, 1865 then they moved to Richmond, Cache Co., Utah, found their motherless grandson, weaned their own baby and nursed their grandson until he was eight months old which was when his father took him. They built themselves a house near where the school house now stands in Richmond.
In 1866 Father and Mother Frost came to Richmond and in Oct. 1866 another son, Alma Frost Rawlins was born. The grasshoppers were bad so in the summer of 1867 Harvey M. went to Draper to put in a crop, but was called home on account of sickness in the family. Harvey M. also worked at Kase Crick and Echo Canyon on the railroad.
On May 14, 1869, a baby girl, Elva Arminta was born and in Sept. of that year Mother Frost died. In the spring of 1870 they sold out to Richmond School Board and built another home in the south part of Richmond. That Fall Harvey M. drove to Salt Lake City with a load of grain and came home sick with a carbuncle on his back and suffered a long time with it. Some of the children were also sick that winter and in the spring of 1871 Harvey M. went to Lewiston and built a shanty and moved the family in April, except two children who were left in Richmond 6 weeks to finish school. They raised a crop that year and in Dec. went back to Richmond for the winter where, in Feb. 1872 their son Jasper Alfonzo was born. In April they came back to Lewiston to live, but lost their crop by frost that year and had to buy their flour at Richmond. A few families were now living in Lewiston so they had neighbors even if they were scattered. In May 1874 Father Frost, who had lived with Harvey M. and family most of the time, died and the following Aug. their youngest daughter Nancy Ellen was born. That summer they raised nice large watermelons by the wagon loads. As there were now about twenty families living in Lewiston they felt the need of irrigation water so Harvey M. and others helped to bring water from the Worm Creek for that purpose. Later water was brought from Cub River. The home of Harvey M. Rawlins was always open to those in need. His wife Margaret E. becoming the first president of the Relief Society in Lewiston, brought them in close contact with sickness and death in the community and never was their work too pressing or night too stormy to keep them from answering a call, to help those in distress. They had a great deal of sickness in their own family but in spite of that others were also taken care of. Harvey M. was a man or few words, but extremely blunt and to the point in expressing himself. He was kind but severe on the wrong doer and extremely independent. He started working on the farm as soon as old enough to work and continued until age and health would no longer allow him to work. Although he was not very large or strong a man he helped in pioneering a new country wherever he went in the various occupations necessary to that country as well as to help on the railroad at various times both in Idaho and Montana.
Harvey M. not only supported his own immediate family but very often took other relatives into his home while he helped them to prepare a home for themselves, and even Saints coming from other places could find a welcome place in his home to stay until they secured a home of their own.
In 1900 Harvey M.'s eyes began failing him and gradually got worse until in 1901 he went blind. Nov. 1908 was the last time he went to the polls to vote as he took sick with a cold shortly after and was sick until spring.
He was hardly ever well after that, but bothered with a cough all the rest of his life. On Sept. 7, 1913 he took very sick dying two days later at the age of 88 years and 7 months. He had been married 67 years, and blind 12 years. He had been blessed with 12 children, about 92 grandchildren and 21 great grandchildren, about 97 of whom were living at the time of his death, all faithful Latter-Day-Saints.