James Mellor History

I am unsure of the Author

JAMES MELLOR SR.
and
MARY ANN PAYNE MELLOR

James Mellor, Sr., youngest child of William Mellor and Ann Dilks, was born March 20, 1819 in the town of Leicester, Shire of Leicester, All Saints Parish, England. In his diary James relates that his parents were quite aged, (past fifty-five) so he had little opportunity to acquire an education. William Mellor, his father, was so deaf the family had to communicate with him by making signs or writing notes to him. His hearing had been impaired when he was a young man, by a fireball which knocked him to the ground, killing his team of horses. Ann Dilks Mellor was nearly blind. The sight in both eyes had been dimmed when she suffered a cold which left her with a severe inflammation and infection of the eyes.

James’s eldest sister, Ann, was married to Mr. William Ward when James was only three years old. James writes that he missed Ann when she left home, for she had been so solicitous of his welfare. Living at home while young James was growing up were his brothers, Samuel and John, and his sisters, Elizabeth and Christiana. Since his brothers and sisters were all older than he, James was left home with his deaf father a good share of the time while the other members of the family were at work.

James’s earliest recollections were associated with some miraculous escapes from freak childhood incidents. The first such incident occurred when he had been carried in his mother’s arms to the foot of a hill on Highton Road. While Ann Mellor was attentively listening to the sermon propounded by a preacher, young James dashed out into the road to gaze at the mail coach, drawn by four horses, moving rapidly down the hill. The coachman failed to see the tiny lad in time to save him from being run over. By the time he had succeeded in halting his horses, the boy was lying under the coach. Fortunately his injuries were not serious, and he was soon able to play about with the other youngsters.

Another time while Ann Mellor was away from the house working, William was at home tending young James. He was seated at his stocking frame, engrossed in weaving a stocking. James made himself busy with sweeping up the room and the hearth. Suddenly the boy’s clothing ignited and he was enveloped in flames. The quick burst of light drew the father’s attention, and he moved to his son’s rescue, extinguishing the flames. Once more the boy escaped serious injury.

James also tells of how he escaped drowning: “One time when mother and father were both away from home I climbed onto the wall of the drain water cistern and tumbled head first into the water, but I managed to come to the top and caught hold of the wall and got out, I went up stairs and pulled all my clothes off and put them out of the window to dry and got into bed and was fast asleep when my mother returned. Seems as though when I look back on my past history that the devil was trying to destroy me, but that God in his mercy was determined to save me for some other purpose.”

He further relates how he made an attempt to run away from home when he was only eight years old in order to go to sea and become a cabin boy. He was quite
disappointed when his parents intervened and prevented this escapade.

When James was only six years old, he was necessarily compelled to help supplement the family’s meager living by laboring as a “winder” for stocking weavers. He probably learned his trade in his own home while assisting his father at his stocking frame. James received a shilling per week for his work which he continued to perform until he was about ten years of age.

As soon as he was ten years old James was apprenticed to a cooper to learn the coopers’ trade. (The art of making wooden barrels and kegs). He worked for the man only about twelve months, however, for his master decided to move to another town some distance from Leicester. The parents, who were reluctant to permit their young child to go so far, persuaded James to remain at home with his family.

He soon found another position as a “trimmer” and “dyer” and worked in this capacity until a Mr. Chapman offered him a better position at a higher salary. He worked for Mr. Chapman in various positions for twelve or thirteen years.

When James was about eighteen years of age and still living in Leicester, he met dark-eyed Mary Ann Payne, daughter of Charles and Charlotte Squires Payne. They were married about a year later, (about 1838). The first child born to them was a daughter. Selina Ann

When little Selina was only two weeks old, James experienced a painful accident at Mr. Chapman’s factory. A machine which he was operating, going at great speed, came apart and pieces of the machine hit James all over his body. He was taken to the infirmary and those who came to see him felt sure he would die. However, after three days he began to recover and in two weeks was out of the infirmary and was soon back at his work.

James’ mother, Ann Dilk Mellor died December 9, 1838, and was buried at All Saints Parish. On October 27, 1~42 William Mellor also died at age seventy-one.

Late in the year Of 1843 James moved his wife and three children, Louisa, Charlotte Elizabeth, and Mary Ann (Selina Ann had died in 1839) to Bradford, Yorkshire, England, where he obtained work as a wool comber.

While living at a place called Bowergreen on the Leeds road about one mile outside of Bradford, James received his first tidings of the Mormon gospel which was being proselyted in the area by the “Elders of Israel.” James was a profoundly religious man, and he searched the Bible most diligently in order to determine if the things these men were preaching were true. The more he studied and read in the scriptures, the more he became convinced of the truthfulness of the Mormon gospel.

For the next few Sundays James regularly attended the services which these Mormon Elders were conducting. Finally he came home to tell his wife, Mary Ann of these wonderful men and of the inspirational message they had brought to the people of England. James read passages from the New Testament and other sections of the Bible to her, explaining that it was the same gospel that was preached by Christ and His apostles when He was here on earth.
Mary Ann was elated and determined to investigate the religion for herself The following Sunday, April 20, 1844, James agreed to remain home and care for their three small daughters while Mary Ann walked the two miles to where the services were being conducted. After listening to the Elders, and to the testimonies being given by several people, Mary Ann stood up and asked what she could do to be saved as were the people on the Day of Pentecost. She was instructed to repent, and to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of her sins, and she would then receive the gift of the Holy Ghost and the blessings of the Elders of Israel.

Mary Ann hurried home to get the clothes in which she would be baptized and returned that same evening, along with her mother, to be baptized by Elder Owen Dinsdale. Her husband also accompanied her and witnessed her baptism. The following Sunday Mary Ann was confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by Elder James Sloane, a missionary from Nauvoo.

On Monday night, April 29, 1844, James Mellor opened his home for the Mormon Elders to give their message to his neighbors whom he had invited to hear the services. That same evening James was baptized in the Calvert’s Mill Dam by Elder Thomas Child, and was confirmed the next Sunday by Elders Milner and John Hallen.

Soon after embracing his newly-found religion, James was ordained a “Teacher” in the “Lesser Priesthood” and moved his family back to Leicester in order to share this gospel with his neighbors, relatives and friends. Together, James and Mary Ann labored faithfully to preach their joyous tidings among their close acquaintances. They attended church meetings regularly, capably assuming the various responsibilities delegated to them. James and Mary Ann soon saw that their friends and family were not so receptive to their message as they had anticipated they would be. James was experiencing difficulties. in his job. Discouraged, they finally moved to New Leeds, approximately one mile outside of Bradford, in order to obtain employment. Here he was given the responsibility of watching over the Saints in that district.

Mary Ann’s mother, Charlotte Squires Payne, in the meantime, became seriously ill, and Mary Ann hastened back to Leicester. Mary Ann stayed with her mother for some time, endeavoring to ease her suffering and administer to her needs. Finally James had to send for his wife to come home and attend to the needs of her own family. Mary Ann returned to Bradford, bringing her mother along, hoping that the change might improve her condition.

Tames preached the gospel to his mother-in-law, and she was inclined to accept the things which he told her She said that her only desire was to get well so she could live in obedience to this great gospel. But she steadily grew weaker, and James deemed it advisable for her to return home to her husband, Charles Payne, in Leicester. She was never baptized, but before dying asked James to go to Zion and there attend to her salvation. She passed away on October 17, 1844.

While James and his family were living at Bradford, little Mary Ann became 11 and James feared she would die. She lay for two weeks, scarcely able to eat. On a Monday evening the Elders came to preach at a cottage meeting and James
requested the Elders to give his child a blessing. As soon as the Elders took their hands off the child a change came over her. Instead of being in pain and crying, a smile came over her face. She said she was hungry and from that time began to recover.

James continued to preach the gospel whenever he had an opportunity. He tracked throughout the district and bore a strong and faithful testimony to the truthfulness of the Mormon gospel. While he was thus laboring he contracted a fever and became so ill that he resigned himself to death. He counseled his family regarding what they should do when he could no longer be with them. Then it occurred to him that he had not sent for the Elders to Come and lay their hands on his head and administer to him in accordance with the power vested in them. The Elders were summoned, and shortly after they had given James their blessing, he fell asleep, awakening the following morning, completely healed.

On June 1, 1845, little Mary Ann was again ill and died soon after. Her loss was deeply mourned by James and his wife, for the child had been especially Precious to them since her previous illness. They were grateful when another little Mary Ann was born the following March, replacing the one they had lost.

In 1847 a great depression occurred ‘in Bradford. James found it a hard task to supply his little family’s needs. When Charles Payne sent for them to come to Leicester and live with him, the worried James gratefully accepted his father-in-law’s kind offer of assistance.

Financial conditions were at a low level in Leicester also, and James went to work on the railroad and in the tunnels where he labored for the ensuing two years until a shortage of work interrupted his employment. He was then compelled to travel about, seeking some kind of work.

While James was working in the railway tunnels one day, the chains snapped on the hoist, letting it down on him. The men working called, “A man killed! A man killed!” When they raised the hoist James jumped up like a “jack-in-the-box.” “Oh!” said the winch man, “You can’t kill these Mormons.”

Financial conditions became much worse, and while James was trying to find work, Mary Ann had to apply to the Parish for relief in order to feed her young family. When James again returned to Leicester he was arrested and confined to debtor’s prison for six weeks “for no crime only being poor and out of work, but I obtained favor ‘in prison and was treated kindly.”

It was during these two years while James was employed in the tunnels and on the railroad that James Mellor, Jr., was born on October 8, 1848 in Leicester, England.

In 1848 James returned to Yorkshire in search of employment. His wife and children remained in Leicester with her father, Charles Payne. James obtained work as a wool comber for seven months. In addition, he was very busy preaching in and around the surrounding villages. James thoroughly enjoyed his work in the
church while he was in Bradford. He had many interesting times in connection with his church duties. One Sunday he baptized two person.

Eventually, in the spring Of 1850, trade was revived in Leicester, his native town. Since Mary Ann and the children were urging him to come back home to try to find work there, James decided to give up his employment at the factory in Bradford and return home to his family in Leicester. He was fortunate enough to obtain a job in the factory in Leicester, dyeing yarn.

In Leicester he was appointed head teacher to watch over the church. For approximately three years he served in that capacity Then James was ordained an Elder and set apart to preside over the Blaby Branch which included four or five villages, the nearest one being approximately five miles from his home. Every Sunday he walked to these villages to give his message to the people. Louisa often went with him and enjoyed it very much for she thought it so lovely to see potatoes and other things grow, as they did not see them grow in the city. James occupied this position for about two years besides attending to his many duties in the Leicester Branch. He had to work extremely hard while he acted as president of the Blaby Branch of the church, for he had to travel about thirty miles every Sunday, preaching in three different villages.

From 1845 to 1855 European converts importuned in letters to President Woodruff, President Young, President Kimball, and President Willard Richards, begging the church heads for assistance to emigrate to the valleys of the mountains.

In 1851 the First Presidency of the Church suggested that handcarts could be utilized successfully ‘in crossing the plains to Zion; however, it wasn’t until later that this idea was finally accepted by the Saints in the British Isles, and then they entered into this means of travel enthusiastically. From an economic aspect, the idea offered strong appeal, for British converts could make the journey from Liverpool to Salt Lake City for approximately forty-five dollars each. The proposed itinerary would route them through Boston or New York, thence on to Iowa City, Iowa, by rail, where they would be outfitted for the long trek across the plains.

Gradually James and his family felt the urge to join the exodus of Saints to their haven in the tops of the mountains. Eagerly they commenced to plan and prepare for the time they could depart. During the last five years of their stay in Leicester three more children were born: William Charles Mellor, April 14, 1851, and twin daughters, Emma Marintha and Clara Althera, October 1, 1853, all ‘in Leicester. These three additional children brought the total to seven young children. Naturally, James was hard-pressed to provide for his growing family’s needs in addition to attending to his duties in connection with his offices in the church. Young Louisa and Charlotte, like other young children of the working classes, went to work to help supplement the family income.

After serving as president of the Blaby Branch for two years James was released and appointed as president of the Leicester branch. He held this office for over two years, until he was ready to make the long journey to America.
James continued to preach among “his people,” and finally succeeded in converting his older brother, John and John’s family. They later followed James to America, and the two families were in bringing Many other Saints into the church at Leicester,

Finally James and Mary Ann were called to emigrate to Utah and leave their many relatives and friends in the old country. They were reluctant to part with all the worldly possessions which they had managed to accumulate during the early years of their marriage, possessions which could mean comfort and future survival for their growing family. There was another baby expected in the near future and there was concern for that. According to their journals they had few qualms over leaving their native land. They regarded America as a land of opportunity where they could rear their family under the guidance of the church -a land where the class system was not so rigorous, and where a man could make an honest living and hold up his head along with his fellow workers. James Mellor often remarked to his grandchildren that to occupy a dignified position among his fellows was the dominant ambition of his life, and he looked forward to achieving this aim in God’s Zion.

The hardest was to leave Mary Ann’s father. He was now elderly, in parting with his daughter was difficult. He wept and offered money to her if she would stay, but Mary Ann’s faith dictated that she must go to Zion.

Each family leaving England for the trip to Utah was provided with a list of food, medicines, beds and bedding which they must have with them before they would be allowed on the boat.

Passengers furnish their own beds and bedding. A straw mattress will answer very well for sleeping upon when they do not bring feather or other beds with them. Each single passenger also requires a box or barrel to hold provisions; and the following articles for cooking, etc. -a boiler saucepan, frying pan, tin porringer, tin plate, tin dish, knife, fork, spoon, and a tin vessel to hold 3 quarts of water. The new acts also require each ship to be provided with medical comforts as well.

After arriving in Liverpool, James and his family worked diligently to gather the supplies they would require on the voyage to America. James was eager to place his family on board and sail to America, to that frontier where he would build a home for his family in the Mormons’ land of Zion.

Then, Mary Ann, because of her grief over parting from her aged father and the worry and exertion she experienced in making preparations for sailing, was confronted, prematurely, with the arrival of the new addition to her family. This new dilemma in their lives naturally brought its disappointment. They must now decide whether to abandon their long-awaited voyage, or leave the ailing mother behind. The plucky mother importuned her husband to carry out their original plan, for their passage had already been arranged, and their few worldly possessions were packed and ready to be carried on board the ship.

James finally agreed to leave his wife in the hospital, and he took five of the children on board. Louisa, the eldest of the children, had anticipated celebrating her sixteenth birthday on board the ship that very day. Instead, she stayed behind
to assist in the care of her ailing mother. She was also entrusted with the care of one of the twin sisters, Emma Marintha.

On the fly leaf of his diary James Mellor wrote: “Two twin girls born at Liverpool, May 23, living seven hours and both died together, 1856 -two days before we set sail for the land of Zion.” He also recorded their names on the first page, along with other members of his family, as Elizabeth Mellor, (B) May 23, 18,56, (D) May 23, 1856, and Eliza Mellor, same dates.

In the meantime, the Edward Martin Company of which James and his other
five children were members, embarked on the sailing vessel, “Horizon” at Bramley-
Moore Dock, Liverpool, Friday, May 23, 1856. That same morning they left the
dock at Liverpool and cast anchor in the River Mersey. Inclement weather delayed
the ship’s voyage for a couple of days, and James was able to go ashore to see his
wife. Although Mary Ann was seriously ill, she was determined that they should
carry her aboard the ship where the rest of her family were awaiting the moment
of departure. The doctor predicted that she would die, and the sharks would follow
the ship until she did die. Even so, James said he wouldn’t give her up if she was
determined to come along. On Sunday, May 25, 1856, Mary Ann was carried on a
stretcher to the shore where she was placed on a steamer going out to meet the
sailing vessel which was preparing to leave. When she was being transferred from
the boat to the vessel, the captain of the ship remarked that she would “soon be
feeding the fish.” Some of the good sisters on board immediately attended to her
needs. I

That same day, Apostle Franklin D. Richards and his companion boarded the Horizon” and visited with the Saints who were on board. Elders George Goddard and Cyrus Wheelock administered to Mary Ann, promising her that she would “live to come to Utah, and that she would see her seed in Zion, and that her mission on this earth was not yet finished.”

On the twenty-fifth day of May, 1856, the ship “Horizon” under Captain Reed, sailed from Liverpool for Boston, with 856 Saints on board, under the presidency of Elder Edward Martin, Jesse Haven, and George P. Waugh. Of the emigrants 635 were Perpetual Emigration Fund immigrants and 221 were ordinary passengers.

Storms arose immediately and many of the passengers were seasick from the violent pitching of the storm-tossed vessel. On May 28th most of the sick passengers had recovered and the Saints were singing and dancing to the music of a violin and a tambourine. On May 29 while the “Horizon was in the vicinity of Cork, Ireland, a tug came alongside and picked up letters which were to be sent back to people in England,

Although May Ann had gained some strength, she was still unable to do any work; so James and his young daughters, Louisa and Charlotte did their best to assume the responsibility of caring for the family of nine people. While making the crossing the Saints occupied themselves by attending religious services, by making tents, singing and keeping their ship clean and healthy. The Saints occupied the two “tween” decks. Their berths, made of rough boards, were each six feet by four feet, six inches, and each one accommodated two persons. They were arranged in
two tiers, nailed up along the sides, with the lower tier being approximately two feet off the floor.

Finally, on the evening of June 28, 1856, after a belated five-and-one-half weeks’ voyage across the murky, wind-swept Atlantic, the “Horizon” cast anchor in Boston harbor. Health officials came aboard and inspected the ship and its occupants, commenting favorably on how meticulously ship-shape everything appeared to be. ” On the thirtieth of June the steamer, Huron,” towed the ‘Horizon’ to Constitution Wharf, at Boston, where the immigrants debarked.

The next day James was busy making arrangements for their journey to Iowa and on July 2, 1856, they boarded a train leaving Boston and routed to Albany. They
passed through Buffalo on that memorable holiday, July 4. The train reached
Cleveland, Ohio on July 5, and passed through Kirtland in the night. Sunday, July 6, they arrived in Chicago and remained there overnight. Early in the morning on July 7, they left Chicago, arriving in Rock Island that same evening. Wednesday ,

July 9, they were occupied with unloading their luggage and hauling it to the camping ground on “”Iowa Hill,” three and one-half miles northwest of Iowa City. This particular spot had been designated as the outfitting point for Mormon emigration.

After having lived and played in the crowded streets of Leicester, the glimpses of the wooded hills and rolling prairie country which they caught sight of through the dusty windows of the train, extending interminably in every direction, was a novel experience for James and his family. As the distance, between them and the ‘Horizon’ was increased, they became more enthusiastic -they were looking forward to the handcart trek with keen anticipation. Wallace Stegner, in his account, gives a realistic portrait of this momentous occasion:

Most of these immigrants, who were dumped in Iowa, the brink of the West, in July of 1856, had never pitched a tent, slept on the ground, cooked out-of-doors, or even built a campfire. They boasted none of the skills of the frontiersman. Among them were grey heads, white heads, many women and children. Many of them were Scandinavians and Englishmen, property less, ill-equipped, untried and untrained, they were going to chance on foot, pulling the handcarts laden with their few cherished belongings, the Mormon Trail across 1400 miles of primitive Indian country, to the Mormon Zion in Salt Lake City. Their intention was so imprudent it was sublime, but they were made of the stuff that makes heroes.

After arriving in Iowa City, James Mellor and the other Saints learned that the promised handcarts, had not been prepared for them, and there wasn’t any seasoned lumber available to use in their construction. Hence, they were subjected to a dangerous delay while these vitally necessary items were being fabricated. During the anxious wait, James secured temporary employment and used the money to purchase two handcarts, some food, and clothes, in preparation for the long trek ahead only the meager supplies which his family could assist in hauling across the endless expanse were purchased.

Brother Daniel Spenser had general charge of the company at their camp there in the flats of Iowa. There the Saints encountered tribulations which their intense
faith had not prepared them to anticipate. Wallace Stegner’s narration sums up, quite accurately, the conditions which prevailed in this camp.

The Iowa heat was intense and steamy. Reared under North Europe’s gray skies, the pale novices sweltered, crowded three or four families to a tent, while they waited for the handcarts to be built. Children cried with prickly heat, there wasn’t enough food, Iowa natives were often hostile and uncharitable to Mormons. In the long grass of the river bottoms and woods, unseen insects bit their ankles and left swollen, itching patches. When the heat finally broke., the rain came with such a rush of thunder, lightning and wind, that some were scared stiff, and some prayed, and some struggled to rescue beds afloat in the unditched tents, and some grappled toppling and split tents and tried to keep them up in the tempest.

During this interval Mary Ann, who hadn’t yet fully regained her strength, continued ailing; and James, while striving to assemble the supplies which were to be so vital to his family’s survival in the trying days lying ahead, became ill. In the meantime, the handcarts were completed and the Saints were ready to push on. James was faced with the necessity of lightening their load so his children could pull the carts. Although he was reluctant to do so, he was compelled to part with some valuable books and records. They carried their treasures into a house in the town, and were given permission to leave them there until they could arrange to send for them at a later date; but the books and records were never recovered.

The company was divided into two divisions for the journey to Florence, Nebraska. On Saturday, July 26, 1856, the first division under the supervision of Captain G. Willie broke camp and headed west. On July 8, the second belated company under the direction of Captain Edward Martin commenced, an too late in the season, their ill-fated trek across the endless prairies and savage mountains. As the company departed from Iowa City and started westward, the Mellor family fell into the line of march, the young children tugging at the jostling, loaded carts. The clanging frying pan was hanging on the rear of the one cart, and James and his faithful wife, Mary Ann, both too ill to walk, were perched precariously on top of the carts. They joyfully a added their voices to ‘the swelling chorus.

Some may push and some may pull as we go marching up the hill, And long before the valley’s reached We will meet with music sweet and friends so dear, Which
supply our hearts with cheer…. Thus, the last handcart company to travel to Salt Lake City that year was on its way.

The company traveled approximately twenty miles a day, making fairly good headway -this group composed Of 575 persons 146 handcarts 7 wagons 6 mules and horses, and 50 cows and beef cattle.

Leaving the Missouri River on August 12, they had an uneventful journey until they passed Fort Kearney. During the night they lost fifteen head of cattle that had been used to haul the. wagons which were loaded with provisions. Some time was spent endeavoring to find these cattle, but the search proved fruitless. The provisions had to be removed from the wagons and added to the already heavily ladened handcarts which the Saints were straining to pull.