William Kelsey RICE
1870 Census Davis County, Utah
Internet IGI, Oct 2008
Ancestral File - Version 4.19
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Internet IGI, October 2008
Pedigree Resource File
Nauvoo Resident Seventy Emigrated in the Edward Hunter Company Private Farmer Emigrated to Farmington He assisted others who were emmigrating Farmer Utah Federal Census Joined the Mormon Insurrection Assisted other settlers from the Indians gravesite in Farmington City Cemetery William's character William had great faith William emigrated to Northville in 1826. He became a Nauvoo Resident in 1842. 'William was mentioned on the Daily Log of Persons at Nauvoo. Reference: Nauvoo: Early Mormon...Series 1839-46. Platt, Lyman 1980 The year of 1842 was determined by the History of William Kelsey Rice. He became a Seventy about 1842 in Nauvoo. He was part of the Edward Hunter Company in 1847. Company organized: John Young (brother of Brigham Young) - immediate command John Van Gott - marshal Edward Hunter - Captain of one of the hundreds other captains of 100s: Daniel Spencer, Jedediah M. Grant, and Abraham O. Smoot Joseph Horne, Captain 'As usual the divisions of fifty were divided into tens..... John Taylor [traveled] with Edward Hunter's.' He arrived in 1847 in Salt Lake City William was a Private in 1847 'In the spring of 1848 William Kelsey planted wheat at Farmington, Utah, and although the crickets almost devastated the field he raised seventy five bushels of the choicest wheat.' 'In the spring of 1849 William Kelsey moved his family to a log cabin he had built below the road in Farmington where he set up making a home for them.' 'In the Spring of 1949, they moved to Farmington, Utah.' - Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitute pg 2539 In 1849, 'He gave a good team, harness and wagon to assist in bringing emmigrants to the valley.' His occupation in 1850 was a farmer. This information is also in the Utah Federal Census 1851 William is found living in Utah County as per the Utah 1850 Federal Census William received his patriarchal blessing on August 7, 1855 in Farmington, Utah by Patriarch J. Morley 'William K. took up a homestead south of Farmington, part of which he gave to the town of Farmington for a cemetery.' 'At the time that Johnson's army was sent by the US Government to put down the "Mormon Insurrection" William K. sent both his wives south while he joined the company led by Captain Lot Smith. About 1860, 'At one time William K. was called with others to go to Parowan, Iron County, Utah to assist in defending the settlers from the Indians. The Indians were fighting both among themselves and with the white settlers in the area. While there he found that a little Indian boy, about six and a little Indian girl about three, were about to be killed. He gave the Indians a black whip and a good lariat for them and brought them home with him.' William received a patriarchal blessing on January 5, 1887 by Patriarch John Smith William is buried in the Farmington City Cemetery. Melissa Davis visited the site and took pictures. Grave in the South section. 'William K. Rice was often consulted when there was a bridge or a similar project in the community to be built. In case of fire in the twon he was always mong the first to respond. He was a member of the first choir organized in Farmington and also the first band. In April and October his yard was always filled with wagons and horses of people going to or coming from conference.' 'Brother Rice had great faith in the power of the priesthood. One time, Hiram Bybee, who was subject to fits, had one in front of the Rice home. Brother Rice administered to him, rebuked the disease and promised him that through faith he would be healed. Mr. Bybee was never bothered with fits again.'
Last name could be spelled GEAR. Delivered her first baby (Ellen) while her husband returned to Nauvoo She was industrious Raised two Indian Children Lucy made the first white bread Teacher 'While her husband returned to Nauvoo for supplies <13 Sep 1846>, their first child was born in a wagon covered with boughs. Their next camp was Mount Pisgah.' Lucy received her patriarchal blessing on July 21 by Patriarch John Smith In 1847, 'Lucy, in her preparations made a delicate dessert to eat while crossing the plains. She made a lot of gingerbread, dipped it in molasses and packed it in a tight chest. She brought with her a crayon box filled with potatoes the size of walnuts which they planted almost immediately on their arrival in the valley. Some of them grew to about the size of an egg and they were all saved for seed the next year.' Company organized: John Young (brother of Brigham Young) - immediate command John Van Gott - marshal Edward Hunter - Captain of one of the hundreds other captains of 100s: Daniel Spencer, Jedediah M. Grant, and Abraham O. Smoot Joseph Horne, Captain 'As usual the divisions of fifty were divided into tens..... John Taylor [traveled] with Edward Hunter's.' She arrived in 1847 in Salt Lake City After 1847, 'Lucy was a good seemstress. She made dresses, men's clothing, and even coats. She used the wool from her husband's sheep. She would clean the wool, card it, spin it into thread, and weave the threads into cloth. She raised flax which she cured, spun, and wove into cloth.' After 1847 in Farmington, Utah 'She made soap from every scrap of meat rind or bone she could obtain. She and her family raised a good garden and willingly shared the vegetables with neighbors.' '"Aunt Libbie" says she remembers seeing three or more people at a time picking peas, beans, etc. in the garden for which the Rice's would not accept pay. She also said that half a dozen families carried their drinking water from the Rice's 48 foot well which had to be drawn with a rope and two buckets.' - A History of William Kelsey Rice 'Lucy was very careful in savings. She had a place where she kept every bit of fat, meat, rhine, and bones. In the spring she would have fire out of doors and boil every bit of grease out to make soap. Lye was made for making soap by saving wood ashes in barrels, then mixing with water and draining it off. Often she would divide this home made soap with her neighbors.' 'To get soda for biscuits, etc. the children would go to the shore of the lake and gather the white powdery stuff where the water had gone back. This they would wash and let settle.' 'They made one kind of sweet syrup by cooking red or white beets then boiling the juice till it thickened. Sugar was extremely scarce and hard to get even at $1 a pound.' After 1848 in Farmington, Utah 'Lucy was one of the first Relief Society teachers and assisted with quilts and other activities of the Relief Society in Farmington After 1847 in Farmington, 'Besides raising her own twelve children, she raised two Indian children who were saved by her husband when he saw they were about to killed by other revengeful Indians.' 'Once when food was scarce and there was only one loaf of bread for the family, Lucy cut this into thin slices. When she offered on to the adopted Indian brother, Mochiem, he said, "No Mother, give to the other children, Indian can eat parched corn."' 'Mochiem lived with the family for over 40 years but never married. He was raised among white girls who wouldn't marry him and he never would try to marry an Indian girl.' 'In after years, Lucy told her children and grandchildren that she made the first white bread that was made from wheat grown in Utah. She gleaned the heads that ripened first around ant hills, threshed them out, ground them through a coffee mill, sifted and finally, bolted the flour through a piece of her white lawn wedding dress that she had brought with her. The she made biscuits about the size of walnuts and had enough for each of one of those assembled to taste. The occasion? The first anniversay of the arrival of the Saints in Utah, July 24, 1848.' 'In the Spring of 1849, they moved to Farmington, Utah. They had a two-room home in which she taught school. "She brought a crayon box filled with potatoes the size of walnuts which were immediately planted after they arrived in the Valley. They were all saved and used as seed the following year." ---- http://www.familyheritageseries.org/site/articles/11/1/Lucy-Witter-Geer-1824-1899/Page1.html Lucy Witter Geer (1824-1899) By FHS Editor Published 04/1/2007 Rice Family FHS Editor Life Sketch Lucy Witter Geer was born on February 23, 1824, at Perry, Ashtabula County, Ohio, and the daughter of Moses Geer and Sarah, his third wife. Lucy was eight years of age when she and her father and older sister, Sarah, were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Lucy and her sister became expert seamstresses and helped the family financially in this way. This skill proved invaluable to Lucy in her later life. Her parents died and were buried at McHenry, Illinois. Lucy was the only one of her family that traveled to Utah. After Lucys marriage to William Kelsey Rice, October 9, 1845, the newlyweds became involved in plans to leave Nauvoo to their enemies and join in an exodus to new places. They were among the sorrowing Saints at the time Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed. They were among those first to leave Nauvoo in the winter of 1846. They drove a team that consisted of a steer and a milch cow. The cow gave them milk along the way. It took a certain kind of courage for this young couple to leave a warm home to face the winter blasts of parts unknown. It was a case of Ill go where you want me to go, Dear Lord. Their first camp was called Sugar Creek. Winds howled and snow flew. Sickness and death visited many of the homeless outcasts, but a faith stronger than the elements carried them on. Their next camp was Mount Pisgah. While Lucys husband was away (returning to Nauvoo for additional supplies) Lucy gave birth to her first child. She was living in a wagon box backed against a hillside and banked with dirt. A Brother and Sister Martin H. Peck had made her bed comfortable with pine needles and cared for her and the baby, Ellen, faithfully. This was the first of twelve children born to Lucy. They finally arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847. They subsisted during the first winter in the Old Fort on the meager provisions they had brought with them and what they could procure from neighbors in exchange for milk. In the following spring, they planted a crop of wheat. Although crickets almost devastated the field, they harvested about seven bushels to the acre and ground meal for flour in a coffee mill. Lucy gleaned early-ripened wheat heads from anthill areas and when her husband harvested, she gleaned all that was missed. When William Kelsey was in Parowan, Utah to settle Indian trouble, he gave a black whip and a lariat for a small Indian boy and girl about to be killed by revengeful and quarrelsome Indians. These children grew up in the Rice home with Lucys twelve children. Lucy raised flax, which she cured, spun and wove into cloth. She sheared sheep for wool and made many articles of clothing for men, women and children. She took an active part in early Church activities and, like all the rest of the pioneers, was too busy to ever feel sorry for herself. She died in Lewiston, Cache County, Utah, March 28, 1899, at the age of 75.
Arrived in Salt Lake Emigrated in the Edward Hunter Company Emigrated in the Edward Hunter Company in 1847 Company organized: John Young (brother of Brigham Young) - immediate command John Van Gott - marshal Edward Hunter - Captain of one of the hundreds other captains of 100s: Daniel Spencer, Jedediah M. Grant, and Abraham O. Smoot Joseph Horne, Captain 'As usual the divisions of fifty were divided into tens..... John Taylor [traveled] with Edward Hunter's.' She arrived in 1847 in Salt Lake City
He married Lucy Whittier Geer 25 Oct 1845 at Joseph Smith Home, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois . Lucy Whittier Geer was born at Perry, Ashtabula, Ohio 23 Feb 1824 daughter of Moses Geer and Sarah Thomas .
They were the parents of 12
children:
Ellen Mariah Rice
born 13 Sep 1846.
William Kelsey Rice
born 22 Aug 1848.
Lucy Augusta Rice
born 5 Mar 1850.
Sarah Minerva Rice
born 10 Oct 1852.
Ira Moses Rice
born 21 Jul 1854.
Elizabeth Adelaide Rice
born 15 Mar 1856.
Maryette Rice
born 14 Feb 1858.
Kelsey Leonard Rice
born 29 Aug 1859.
Julliette Rice
born 18 Mar 1861.
Rose Etta Ann Rice
born 12 Jun 1863.
John Asaph Rice
born 19 Sep 1865.
Loura Adella Rice
born 23 Oct 1867.
William Kelsey Rice died 6 Jul 1913 at Centerville, Davis, Utah .
Lucy Whittier Geer died 26 Mar 1899 at Lewiston, Cache, Utah .