FEBRUARY 1996 NEWSLETTER
A relative of ours is Patty Jones of Virginia. She contacted me last summer and asked if I could please attend the first ever Brill reunion in Virginia. I unfortunately could not. We have kept up a close correspondence since then and she has passed on to me dozens of Brill family group sheets from her records. She said she has 7 binders of information. What she has sent me is absolutely great! I have been able to put in dozens and dozens of Brill cousins with birth and death dates, marriages and dates. Many dozens of Brills have been qualified for temple work because of this connection.
In her last letter she mentioned that some of the old Brill relatives use to refer to the immigrant ancestor (Martin Brill) as "The Old Frenchman". This is just family tradition and can not be substantiated. But this is an interesting clue. We do know that Martin Brill spoke German, attended German churches in Pennsylvania and Virginia--- but he could have lived in an area of Germany controlled by France at times, or an area of France which spoke German.
At any rate, it is an interesting clue. I have passed it along to Trudy Schenk and asked her to be sure to check out French records in the area of the Germany-France border. Keep your fingers crossed.
I have had a very interesting experience this last month using the Internet. You will note from the heading on the top of this page, that the Mower address has changed. No, we haven't moved, but the post office changed our address. We have also become one of the Internet users. Yes, way up here in the wilds of Wyoming we also have the Internet. The result has been a great boon to the research of genealogy. We are now linked to the rest of the world.
Any of you with a modem can e-mail us at the above address. I have been "surfing the net" for genealogical sites and have found some great things. There is a Virginia genealogy bulletin board which you can sign up to receive (at no cost). This bulletin board sends you everyone's posting every day (about 30 messages per day) and also allows you to send postings to everyone on the bulletin board to receive. I listed the Virginia surnames on the Brill line that we are studying and have been inundated with responses. I spent 2 hours last night responding to these messages. It is possible to send gedcom files over the net as well as other files. I'm "casting our bread upon the bulletin boards"...
Out of the clear blue this week, I linked up with a lady of the Cockerham line who provided me with 25 descendants of Daniel Cockerham on Elizabeth Hall's line. She got my name off the Ancestral File as a contributor to the Cockerham line. Without my request, she sent 4 family group sheets which contained 25 people born before 1880 who can have their work done. The work continues.
Henry Mower's trip across the plains... from Journal of Silas Richards...
September 15--- Morning clear and warm. Some cattle missing, found up the river about 3 miles. Late start, traveled about 10 miles in low timbered bottom, feed good and extensive. The encampment was about 1 1/2 miles west of Muddy Creek.
September 16--- Sunday. Stopped on the bank of the river about 2 o'clock, in a grove of timber, 3 miles below the upper crossing of the Platte. Messrs. Rockwood, Rathburn, Durphy, Vandike and myself set out to search for a new route from the Platte to the Sweetwater, expecting to find better feed farther south than the common traveled road. We soon met a train of wagons from Fort Bridger that came the route we anticipated searching. They said that the feed was good. Then farther search was abandoned.
September 17--- We set out this morning as usual, followed the main road about 3 miles after crossing the river and struck the Platte in about 3 miles, the route very sandy and rough, over sagebrush, descent steep, but not very bad. We continued up the river about 2 miles and encamped late, the last part of the road being difficult for the first wagons. This encampment was about 1 mile below the Red Buttes. The feed being good though not extensive. Capt. S. G. Clark proposed stopping for the night where we descended to the river as they had a sick cow and there was a small patch of good feed over the river. After we stopped at night it was ascertained that Captain Luddington's Co. had also stopped with Capt. Clark.
September 18--- This was Capt. Clark's day to lead, he being behind, we waited till he came up, then traveled about 3 miles and our route leaving the river, we thought it best to stop till morning. Bro. Smith's Co. came up near us this evening. Weather fair warm and pleasant.
September 19--- Both companies started on, Capt. Richard's Company ahead. Men went ahead from both companies to look for feed. Bro. Smith and myself rode ahead most of the day and had a very pleasant social day. We came to the main road between Mineral Springs and Rock Avenue, but found no feed except that impregnated with alkali, on the north side of the road, and thinking it unsafe to use it we drove on to the Willow Springs which we reached a little after dark. Feed scarce.
September 20--- Morning fair. We were some time gathering up the cattle, as some had wandered off several miles in search of feed. The night being dark the guard did not keep them in bounds. Both companies traveled to Greasewood Creek, crossed it and camped about four miles below the ford, on the right bank. Feed good about one mile from the road.
September 21--- Morning fair and cool, some frost and ice. Our two companies traveled about four miles and corralled together. Appointed meetings at one o'clock. Just as the congregations was assembling for meeting Bro's. David Fullmer and Joseph W. Young rode into our large corral, having come from Salt Lake. They were greeted with joy, and soon informed us that a train of sixteen wagons, sixty or seventy yoke of oxen were near by coming to assist us. This was welcome news to us, as also was the good news from the valley. In the evening we had a dance and general time of rejoicing. At the meeting it was proposed that we remain in camp tomorrow and send fifty to one hundred yoke of oxen to assist Bro. Benson's Company up to u s, which we did.
September 22--- Morning fair and pleasant, day warm. Sent sixty-five yoke of oxen back to meet Bro. Benson and his company. Came into camp at 2 o'clock. We then distributed the wagons, teams and teamsters among the three companies, six wagons, six teamsters and twenty-three yoke of oxen to Bro. Smith, six wagons, seven teamsters and twenty-two yoke of oxen to Bro. Benson, four wagons, seven teamsters and twenty yoke of oxen to my company.
September 23--- Sunday: Morning fair, day warm. The entire camp started between ten and twelve o'clock. Bro. Benson's Co. ahead, Bro. Smith's behind. We camped one mile above Independence Rock. Feed not good.
September 24--- Morning fair. Bro. Fullmer and Young left with the mail for the valley. Late start. Encamped about five miles above Devil's Gate on the Sweetwater, feed plenty.
September 25--- Morning fair, day pleasant, road very sandy and dusty. Traveled ten miles and camped on the Sweetwater, two miles west of Sage Creek. Feed short.
September 26--- Day fair, road sandy and dusty. Traveled about ten miles, turned to the right, camped on the Sweetwater, two miles below the first of the three crossings. Feed good.
September 27--- Lay in camp today to rest and send assistance to Bro. Smith's Co. Met them seven miles back. They camped three miles below us.
September 28--- Morning fair and warm. Traveled to Ford No. four. Bro. Benson, having left this place this morning, left a notice for us directing to good feed, one mile N.W.
September 29--- Day pleasant. Traveled fifteen miles and camped one mile below ford, No. five. Feed short. Night very windy.
September 30--- Morning cloudy, cold and windy. Squalls of snow from the north. Traveled six miles and came up with Bro. Benson's Company where they have encamped for the last twenty-four hours, feed being good. They moved on and we encamped about one mile up the river on excellent feed.
October 1--- Morning cloudy and very cool. Freezing considerably. Crossed over the rough rocky ridges, and camped on a creek one foot wide. Drove our cattle down one mile for feed.
October 2--- Morning pleasant. Started at eleven o'clock. Clouded up, cold wind from the N.E., snow falling on the mountains. Camped on Willow Creek at four o'clock. Bro. Benson's Company was here. Began to blow and snow violently. Continued for thirty-six hours from the N.E. Snow very deep in drifts, probably one foot of snow fell. Continued in camp four days. The snow not melting. Man of our cattle perished in the storm. In our company seventeen were found dead and six missing. Pigs and chickens froze to death in coops and cages on the back end of wagons. I had three horses.
October 3--- They were brought in this morning shaking violently with cold. I tied them to the wagons, put a buffalo skin on each and fed a sack of oats to them to save their lives. The oats, I was taking along for seed. The little dry willow brush that was our dependence for fuel was all covered with snow, so that it was difficult to keep fires.
October 6--- The day being fair and pleasant for winter, we concluded to make the effort to pursue our journey, yoked up our teams, shoveled the snow away from the wagon tongues, hitched on about eleven o'clock and beat the way five miles to the Sweetwater and encamped. The night was keen and frosty. Here the snow was only about five inches deep.
October 7--- Morning fair, and after nine o'clock very pleasant. In a few miles the snow was gone. Traveled seven and one-half miles and camped on the Sweetwater, near the South Pass.
October 8--- Day fair, and pleasant. Traveled eleven miles. Encamped on Pacific Creek, five miles below the crossing. Feed good.
October 9--- Morning fair, day pleasant. Traveled sixteen miles and encamped on Little Sandy, one mile above the ford. Plenty of dry bench feed near by, sandy.
October 10--- Morning pleasant, day warm. Traveled eleven miles. Camped on Big Sandy one-half mile south of the road with Bro. Smith's Company. Some rain and hail in the evening. Feed plenty.
October 12--- Morning cool and cloudy. Traveled thirteen miles to Green River. Cross over and encamped. Ford deep and rapid. Had a meeting at night. Bro. Smith preached. He advised traveling in companies of tens.
October 13--- Morning cool, day cloudy and windy. My company started ahead. Capt. Hiram Clark's Co., in which I traveled, leading out. Traveled six miles and camped at one o'clock where the road leaves Green River. Some snow fell tonight.