History of Isaac Morley
By Hattie Esplin - Great Granddaughter
Salt Lake City, Utah 1950
One of the truly great leaders of this dispensation whose unselfish service will live through the ages was Isaac Morley. His undying faith, his divine courage, and unwavering loyalty were unsurpassed.
Descended from noble New England ancestry, he was born March 11, 1786 in Montague, Massachusetts, the oldest son and second child of Thomas and Editha Marsh Morley. His father was born in Glastonbury, Connecticut and was a Revolutionary War solider. When he returned from the war, he settled in Montague and in 1782 married Editha Marsh the daughter of Ebenezer and Martha Marsh Marsh. (Cousins)
Montague is located in a bend of the Connecticut River and was settled by descendants of the early Puritan Fathers. In 1726 Isaac's Great-Grandfather, Ebenezer Marsh Senior, was the first to build a rude cabin near Taylor's Hill when the township was called Hunting Hills. The Morleys belonged to the Congregational Church, which was the prevailing church of New England and the religion brought from their English homeland, which formed the basis of all their institutions in community life.
The schools of Montague at the time when Isaac was growing up were of necessity crude as the settlers had only scanty funds for their support, it being typical of all settlements during the early period when our forefathers were conquering the desert and fighting the Indians. In the "History of Montague" by Edward P. Pressey he states: "In 1800 and even later the schools were deficient in perhaps everything except earnest and high moral purpose on the part of the teacher. The New England schools did much in forming good, solid, true characters." Isaac raised in this humble environment received an education of the mind and heart, which resulted in the development of a high and noble character.
During his youthful days in Montague, Isaac had enjoyed the association of a beautiful young maiden, Lucy Gunn. At the age of 26, he began thinking of making a home for himself and Lucy, who had consented to become his wife. At this time, the people of Massachusetts were becoming interested in the glowing accounts of the Western Reserve in northeastern Ohio. Isaac's uncle, Ezekiel Morley, was one of the company of surveyors who went to survey this land that had been purchased by the Connecticut Land Company for one million two hundred dollars. They reported that the "New Connecticut" was a veritable Garden of Eden, whose nature and beauties were unsurpassed. Forests of magnificent growth, endless variety, and of the tallest kind. A thick growth of underbrush grew beneath, flowers of rare beauty blushed unseen, birds of varied plumage filled the air with music. The air itself was fragrant and invigorating. Streams of clear sparkling water; deer, elk, and fish in abundance affording food to man, abounded.
Such was the scene that greeted the onrushing settlers. In the spring of 1811, leaving family and sweetheart, Isaac traveling with his team and wagon to the Reserve made a commencement on a farm taking up land near two fountain springs in Kirtland township. His log cabin was one of the first to be built at the site which afterward became the town of Kirtland. In the fall he returned to Montague and on June 20, 1812 married Lucy Gunn, the daughter of Asahel and Lucy Gunn Gunn (Cousins). Three days after they were married they left their home in Montague to begin the arduous life of pioneers in the new country.
Scarcely had they become settled when Isaac was called to go to Maumee, a river in the northwestern part of Ohio, to assist in the war of 1812; there being several forts stationed here for the defense of the United States against England. He held the position of captain in the Ohio Militia and also had a band and played the fife. At the end of three months, he was taken home ill with the chills and fever. During his absence, his young wife lived alone in the woods in constant fear of Indians and wild beasts, never once seeing a human face although their cabin was only a quarter of a mile from one of their white neighbors.
Isaac soon recovered and went to work clearing his land preparatory to planting crops. The winter of 1812-1813 was the coldest, the Indians said, that had been known for years. Soon Isaac had a farm and orchard one-half mile long and one-fourth mile wide. He raised wheat, corn, buckwheat, rye, and all kinds of vegetables and fruits. They had 15 milk cows and made cheese in the summer. There was an abundance of nuts in the forests, which they gathered for winter.
Prior to 1815, there were only nine settlers in Kirtland. On July 6, 1815 Isaac's father, mother, sister Diantha, and brothers, Thomas Milton and Alfred arrived. Isaac's father cleared and developed a farm on East Branch River.
Isaac and Lucy had seven children, six girls and one boy, all born in Kirtland. All grew to maturity except Calista, who died at the age of two years. The others were: Philena, Lucy Diantha, Editha Ann, Cordelia and Isaac. The children were early taught the principles of truth and righteousness. Their educational advantages were limited to not much more than the three R's but they became proficient in some of the domestic arts learned on the farm and in the home. On the Sabbath day the family attended services, usually at the Presbyterian Church in the city of Shagrin, now Willoughby, Ohio. They had high ideals and industrious habits and had instilled in their hearts faith, hope, love, and kindness.
Isaac took an active part in the political and religious activities of Kirtland. He was one of the qualified electors of Kirtland township, who met on the 5th of January 1818 for the purpose of electing town officers, and was elected one of the trustees of the first town board. In 1828 Isaac was attracted by a new religion that had sprung up in the vicinity of Kirtland. Sidney Rigdon, who had been a Baptist minister in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, came into Ohio and formed the acquaintance of Alexander Campbell, a noted scholar and theologian and founder of the Campbellite sect, and a Mr. Walter Scott, a Scotchman. These three gentlemen in their discussions of religion decided there should be a reformation among the religious sects, so all joined in a new faith in God, repentance of sins, and holiness of life, as a result of remission of sins and baptisms by immersion, therefore more explicitly following the teachings of Christ. Sidney Rigdon, preaching the new faith, established his ministry in Mentor, Ohio. When Isaac heard of this new religion, he though it seemed more like the true gospel of Christ than any he had heard. He and his family were baptized into this church in 1828. This religion came to be known as the "Church of Christ".
Such was the condition religiously when the message of Mormonism came to Kirtland in the fall of 1830. This message was brought by the first missionaries sent west after the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in New York. The missionaries were Oliver Cowdery, Parley P. Pratt, Peter Whitmer Jr., and Ziba Peterson. Parley P. Pratt had been acquainted with Sidney Rigdon as he also had been a preacher in the Baptist Church. So he felt impressed to visit Rigdon and his church members. At Kirtland there lived a number of the members of this "Church of Christ", who had all things common. Isaac Morley was one of the leaders of this communistic society, which was sometimes called the Morley Family because a number of the members were living on his farm. Isaac Morley and Sidney Rigdon and a few other followers readily accepted the message of truth in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith. On November 15, 1830 Parley P. Pratt baptized Isaac Morley, his wife, and three of their children, Philena, 17; Lucy Diantha, 15; and Edith Ann, 12. Titus Billings is said to have been the second one baptized in Kirtland. Isaac's sisters, Diantha was also baptized at this time and later became the wife of Titus Billings.
At this time, Isaac was ordained to the ministry as was also Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, and Edward Partridge by the brethren who brought them the gospel and these four were left in charge of the newly baptized saints in Kirtland and vicinity, which numbered about twenty souls.
Isaac and family soon realized their desire to meet the Prophet Joseph and his family. At a conference of the church in Fayette, New York in January 1831, the Lord made known to the Prophet that it was His will that the Church be moved to Ohio. In the same revelation the Prophet's father was told to meet Hyrum and accompany him to Kirtland. Samuel had been sent into the same region of country while the Prophet's mother and her sons, William and Carlos, were to take the remainder of the branch at Waterloo, New York and move also to Kirtland. Accordingly, after all arrangements were made for the removal of the Church, Joseph and his wife, Emma, left Waterloo, accompanied by Sidney Rigdon and Edward Partridge and arrived at Kirtland the latter part of January 1831. They found the Kirtland Branch had increased to nearly one hundred members. After the Prophet and Emma had been entertained at the home of Newel K. Whitney for several weeks, they accepted an invitation from Isaac to abide with him. He had added another room to his house that he might make them comfortable. The family rejoiced in his association receiving of his loving kindness and being uplifted by the teachings of their divinely inspired leader.
In the "History of Joseph Smith" by his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, she speaks of her first arrival at Kirtland thus: "The first house that I entered was Brother Morley's. Here I met my beloved husband and great was our joy in the reunion of our family. We remained two weeks at Brother Morley's then removed our family to a farm which had been purchased by Joseph for the Church."
At the fourth conference of the Church, but the first one held in Kirtland, in the early part of June 1831 the first High Priests in this dispensation were ordained, Isaac being one of them. He was ordained under the hand of Lyman Wight, June 6, 1831. He was also sustained and ordained as second councilor to Bishop Edward Partridge, John Corrill being the first. They were ordained to these offices by Lyman Wight, all this being done by a commandment of the Lord. The spirit of prophecy was abundantly manifest and during the sessions of this conference a number of elders were called to take their journey through the western country going two by two preaching the gospel and were to assemble in Jackson County, Missouri. Isaac traveled with Ezra Booth and both walked the entire distance except the crossing of the rivers. The Lord had revealed that here would be built the City of Zion.
Elder Morley was present at the dedication of the "Land of Zion". The dedicatory prayer was offered by Sidney Rigdon. Isaac's duties and responsibilities in the land of Missouri in his calling as councilor to Bishop Partridge were great. First in helping divide the inheritances to the members according to their needs after the land had been purchased by an appointed agent of the Church. Additional information concerning their duties were defined at a special conference held in Independence on July 13, 1832 in which the Lord explained how to divide the Church in the land of Zion into branches for the better convenience of holding meetings and organizing the Church.
Isaac was one of fourteen elders present at a conference held in Kaw district, Jackson County on August 4, 1841. At this time, the word of the Lord through the Prophet came "to the disciples in Kirtland that dwell on the Morley farm" to arrange their temporal concerns preparatory to taking their journey in the spring to the land of Zion. Titus Billings who had been left in care of the farm was told to dispose or sell the farm and to let the "monies" which could be spared to sent to the land of Zion unto whom the Lord would appoint to receive it for the building of Zion. (D&C 63:38-40) The instruction directly to Isaac Morley from the Lord explains another reason for the farm to be sold: "And again, I say unto you, that my servant, Isaac Morley may not be tempted above that which he is able to bear and counsel wrongfully to your hurt, I gave commandment that his farm should be sold. (D&C 64:20) Doctrine and Covenants Commentary (page 491) gives the following concerning this: "His farm had been sold and the Lord here explains the reason. As owner of the farm, Isaac was not a safe councilor. When he had been released from the responsibilities of the ownership of the land his talents could be fully utilized."
It was but a few days after the conference held September 2, 1831, that a rebuke was administered to Ezra Booth and Isaac Morley in these words: "Behold, I the Lord, was angry with him who was my servant Ezra Booth and also my servant, Isaac Morley, for they kept not the law, neither the commandment; they sought evil in their hearts, and I the Lord withheld my spirit. They condemned for evil that thing in which there was no evil; nevertheless, I have forgiven my servant, Isaac Morley. (D&C 64:15-16) Upon this occasion Elder Morley was called upon to speak and he exhorted the saints to pray for Joseph Smith Jr., Sidney Rigdon, Bishop Partridge and himself.
At the time that the Lord commanded it, Isaac Morley could not see the need of selling his farm, but when rebuked by the Lord after going to Missouri, he sincerely repented and was forgiven. Had he sold it when the Lord told him to, he would have realized more from the sale of the property. It was different with Ezra Booth who had been a Methodist minister and was brought into the Church through seeing a miracle of healing performed by the Prophet.
The Morley and Partridge families traveling from Kirtland reached Independence late in the year 1832 after a long and tiresome journey. The Morley family had forsaken all their worldly possessions, a comfortable home, and a prosperous living to cast their lot with many others who had forsaken all for the gospel's sake. Isaac never again had a home of any pretensions, just a place of shelter for his family. He lived the life of a pioneer the rest of his life. But the gospel gave them something worth more that all the wealth of the world, which would insure them, if faithful, eternal happiness in an eternal home.
Jackson County and the place that had been dedicated for the building of the City of Zion was a beautiful location. The soil was rich and things grew rapidly. As described by Elder Rigdon, "As far as the eye can see the beautiful rolling prairies lie spread out like a sea of meadows; along the streams are luxuriant forests; wild game is plentiful and the soil yields in abundance, wheat, corn, sweet potatoes, cotton and many other agricultural products." But the people of Missouri objected very much to their settling here for reasons of their own. The Missourians were from the south and as nearly all the Latter-day Saints were from the northern and eastern states they feared the Mormons would take away their political power. The question of slavery was becoming quite keen and they wished the state to be controlled by slave-holders. But that which engendered their hatred was the fact that the Mormons believed in revelation by heavenly messengers who had appeared to their leader.
Seven Elders had been appointed to preside over the Saints in Zion. Elders Morley and Partridge being among the number. On the morning of July 23, 1838 a mob of Missourians numbers about five hundred assembled the second time at Independence armed with all manner of weapons and carrying a red flag, the emblem of lawlessness. They went yelling through the streets searching for the presiding elders of the Church. They threatened to whip any Mormon whom they captured with fifty to five hundred lashes each, demolish their dwellings, and turn the Negroes loose to destroy their fields. The leading elders made no resistance but offered themselves as a ransom for the Church. They were willing to be scourged and even die if that would appease the wrath of the mob. The Missourians would not accept the sacrifice of the brethren, but with blasphemous oaths assured them that every man, woman and child would be whipped and scourged even to death if they did not leave the country.
On the 20th of July 1833, the mob demolished the Printing Press and dwelling house of William W. Phelps at Independence and tarred and feathered Bishop Partridge. The brethren knew that resistance was useless and to save the saints and avoid the shedding of blood, entered into an agreement with the mob to leave the country within a reasonable time. The mob pledged themselves to use no violence so long as the brethren complied with this agreement, which was written and signed by the leading elders. But the mob failed to keep their part of the agreement and went out among the saint's homes breaking windows and offering all kinds of abuse. They took the six elders and cast them into prison to await the decision of the mob as to what their fate would be. After three days the mob informed them that the next day between ten and eleven o'clock they were to be killed and gave them a half hour in which to bid farewell to their families. Each was accompanied by two armed men. Upon arriving home, Isaac called his family together that he might eat and pray with them for the last time. He invited the guards to eat; one did so, but the other stood silent and sullen. During the repast, Isaac asked the guards if they thought it was right to persecute and kill innocent men in a land of freedom who had done no harm to any one. Then he proclaimed the word of the Lord unto them. The one wept and the other was stirred to anger. Isaac then bid his family good-bye and while they stood weeping, the angry guard said in cruel tones, "Now look upon your father for the last time for tomorrow morning you shall have none." They they hurled him into prison with his brethren.
That evening the families of the brethren assembled at the home of William W. Phelps where they prayed every half hour all night for the Lord to deliver their devoted husbands and fathers. The next morning the mob gathered about the prison at the appointed time. Some of them wanted to shoot the victims, others wanted to hang them, and still others wished to inflict tarring and feathering and burning. They contended and debated over the question, becoming very angry and calling each other vile names. Soon the prison guards forgot their duty and all were lost in the depths of a fight. In the midst of their strife, the prison door opened and the prisoners walked out and past the mob and returned to their homes, verifying the proverb: "The wicked are snared by the transgression of their lips, but thy just shall come out of trouble." (Provers 12:13)
Isaac's family, stricken with sorrow and grief were silently waiting and watching for the signal of the martyr of their beloved one when to their profound surprise he stepped in the doorway. Isaac said there was no time to be lost, that the enemy might be after him any minute. He carved a hooked cane and hanging a suit of clothes done up in a bandana handkerchief unto it, rested it on his shoulder, again bid his loved ones adieu and was out of sight in the forest. He had gone about five miles when a voice said to him, "Go back to your family and if they perish, perish with them." After an absence of about four hours, he again met his family and friends. Close by his house grew a large cornfield in the midst of which grew a great tree. Here, he made his refuge from the mob.
Mob violence became so severe that they were forced to leave. Isaac had but one span of horses and one wagon and eight in their family with their provisions and bedding. They went leaving a lovely garden and thirty bushels of sweet potatoes buried in the pit. Crossing the Missouri River into Clay County, they camped on the river bottoms. This was a very unhealthy location and the family took down with malaria fever. Isaac was called to accompany Bishop Partridge on a mission to his native state, Massachusetts. He went leaving his family in this condition, trusting in the Lord for their welfare. They were treated kindly by the people of Clay County.
Joseph Stewart Allen, an Ohio convert to Mormonism, who had marched with Zion's Camp to Missouri, came to the assistance of the Morley family. He rented a farm in a better location and moved the family where they lived for some time, Joseph remaining with them to assist mother Morley and her family in the father's absence. During this time, he became attached to the second daughter, Lucy Diantha, and they were married September 2, 1835, by the Prophet Joseph Smith.
In June 1833, the Prophet had been given instructions that Isaac Morley be "ordained second Bishop in Zion" with Christian Whitmer and Newel Knight as his councilors. John Corrill and Isaac who had been Bishop Partridge's first councilors were now ordained first and second bishops in Zion. At a conference in Far West on November 7, 1837, Isaac Morley was chosen to act as first councilor to Bishop Partridge, Titus Billings being the second councilor, which position Isaac held in the bishopric of the Church until the demise of Bishop Partridge in 1840.
In 1834 the High Council in Zion assembled in Clay County and appointed Edward Partridge, Isaac, and others to visit the scattered saints in their afflicted condition and encourage them to remain faithful and true and ready to receive any instructions that the Lord might direct for their benefit. It was not considered wise for the elders to hold public meetings in that region.
On Monday June 23, 1834 a council of high priests met according to revelation and chose some of the first elders to receive their blessings in the Kirtland Temple. Elder Morley was chosen to go with Colvin Beebe. Leaving Clay County on the 17th of February, they preached by the way, without purse or script, and arrived at Kirtland in April 1835. They reported to the Bishop in Kirtland that they had traveled 875 miles in the 71 days that it took to make the journey, through the states of Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio; that they had held eight meetings, baptized two and found friends all along the way. They had also had many private conversations with the people concerning the new and everlasting gospel.
After the Kirtland Temple was dedicated March 27, 1836, Elder Morley received his blessings in the Holy Temple of the Lord. In the interval since his arrival in Kirtland the previous year, he was priviledged to attend the School of the Prophets, which increased his faith and knowledge of the great Latter-day work of the Lord in the last dispensation. At a conference in Kirtland, in a revelational given through the Prophet November 7, 1835, the word of the Lord came as follows: "Behold I am well pleased with my servant Isaac Morley, and my servant Edward Partridge because of the integrity of their hearts in laboring in my vineyard, for the salvation of the souls of men. Verily, I say unto you, their sins are forgiven them, therefore say unto them in my name that it is my will that they should tarry for a little season and attend the school and also the solemn assembly, for a wise purpose in me.
Later in the same month the Prophet wrote concerning these brethren: "went to meeting at the usual hour. Elder Morley preached and in the afternoon, Bishop Partridge. These discourses were well adapted to the times in which we live, and the circumstances under which we are placed. Their words were words of wisdom, like apples of gold in pictures of silver, spoken in the simplest accents of a child, and yet sublime as the voice of an angel." The saints appeared to be much pleased with the beautiful discourses of these two fathers in Israel." Elder Morley did not use eloquest language but with simple plain spoken words he delivered unvarnished truth with a directness that reached the hearts of all who heard him.
Elder Morley with others left Kirtland on April 9, 1836, to return to Missouri, having been in Kirtland a year. The Prophet said of this incident: "My self and the principal heads of the Church accompained the wise men of Zion, Bishop Partridge and his councilors, Isaac Morley and John Corrill on their way home as far as Chardon, Ohio; and after staying with them all night, blessed them in the moring and returned to Kirtland."
It was the purpose of Zion's Camp to help to re-instate the Missouri saints to their homes in Jackson County. This failing, the scattered saints looked to Caldwell County for a new home. Isaac moved his family to Far West and in the spring of 1838 he, in connection with Joseph S. Allen and his brother Daniel, took up some land three miles north of Far West. Isaac built a good house for his family, in fact all the saints built as though they were going to be there permanently and a corner stone for a temple was laid.
At the conference in Far West on November 7, 1837, in which Elder Morley was advanced to first councilor in the Bishopric, he was also selected as patriarch of the branch of the Church at Far West and ordained to that office under the hands of Presidents Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith.
The Morley family had become quite comfortably situated again and there were many happy homes in Caldwell County, but it did not last long. There were enemies both within and without the Church. The mobs began to carry out their old threats, Isaac's daughter Cordelia, in writing of these times said: "We did not know what to do; there was no place to go, nothing but trouble and vexation all the time. There were traitors in our midst that were conspiring against the saints."
One day about five hundred men under the command of General John Clark with the exterminating order of Governor Lilburn W. Boggs, came riding into Far West calling themselves militia, their guns and bayonets glistening in the sunshine. They rode up to the public square, called the men together, and made them lay down their guns and ammunition. A consultation was held among them and between forty and sixty of the men were taken prisoners, Elder Morley being one of them. He asked to see his family before going, which request was granted and two of the mob went with him, their guns in their hands. Isaac told his family that he was a prisoner and would have to go to prison. He told his wife how to plan and what to do, then kissed her and said, "Be brave and trust in the Lord." He kissed the children; their crying and sobbing was heart-rending, and was whisked away. The prisoners were driven thru mud and water for fifty miles while the mob rode horses, treating the brethren like so many hogs driven to slaughter. They were put into Richmond Jail and there confined to await trial. Isaac had an Indian blanket with a rope run through it to tie it to his neck. He took it at night for a bed with one half under and the other over him and his boots for a pillow. He had corn bread to eat and cold water to drink. He was kept there three weeks and then a trial was held for the brethren, but nothing could be found against them and they were released and had to return home as best they could. They were discharged by Judge Austin A. King, November 24, 1838.
Cordelia speaks of these times in these words: "All the days of my youth were years of mobbing and hardships of every conceivable kind for my parents. My dear mother was left with the cares of a large family while father was thrown into prison. So inhumanly was he treated that when he came back to us we stared some time before we could recognize and call this gaunt man, father. And so it was from year to year, persecution which increased our faith in our Creator."
The saints in Adam-ondi-Ahman had left in November 1838 and gone to Illinois. The Morleys left Far West February 6, 1839, and after camping out twenty-one nights, arrived at Quincy , Illinois. Father Morley pitched his tent in the back woods. It was very cold weather and the snow began to fall. They had but little to eat and very few clothes to wear. They settled near the town of Lima in Adams County at a little place called Yelrome, two and one-half miles northeast into the south end of Hancock County. The body of a log house had been built near by for a claim. It had no doors, windows, or floor, but Isaac bought it and fixed it the best he could and moved his family into it and in the spring built an addition to it. In the course of a few years the place became a village and was called Morley Settlement. From the Encyclopedic History of the Church by Andrew Jensen is given the following: "A Stake organization embracing the saints in Lima and vicinity (both in Adams and Hancock Counties) was organized October 22, 1840 with Isaac Morley as President and Gardner Snow as Bishop. At a conference held in Lima, October 23, 1842 the branch was represented with 424 members. Frederick Walter Cox and Edwin Whiting were councilors in the Stake.
Isaac was a cooper by trade, probably learning it back in his native state. He made barrels for which there was a great demand, also buckets, tubs, and churns for household use. He built a small schoolhouse in Morley Settlement where his daughter Cordelia taught school for the younger children. She was sixteen years old at the time and attended a school for the older people in the evening. Father Morley's cooper shop, built adjoining their house was used for a place of recreation for the young folks. They would gather in the evening, clear out the barrels and rubbish, and make merriment in dancing, playing games, and having spelling matches. They had five years of peace and prosperity, which was a gleam of sunshine they long remembered.
Dark clouds still hung over the Church. Their enemies were continually hounding the Prophet and other leaders, which resulted in the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum casting a gloom over the saints. In September 1845 the mob burned the Morley Settlement. Cordelia relates: "The labor and toil of years was ruthlessly destroyed; houses and hay stacks were burned, cattle taken possession of and driven away. Helpless old people, women, and children robbed of shelter and the necessities of life. Oh! The inhumanity of our countrymen, for they left ruin and desolation where had been happy prosperous homes."
Father Morley rented a house in Nauvoo, 25 miles north, and moved his family there with the body of the saints, this being the fifth time he had moved since leaving Kirtland, four of those times being driven by an angry mob. At Nauvoo, he had the distinction of being called to act as a councilor to John Smith, President of the Nauvoo Stake and the following year, he was appointed to the High Council of that stake. He was also made secretary to Edward Partridge in his position as collector of revenues for the erection of the temple.
The saints were making every effort possible to finish their temple although being hampered by the insistence of the unlawful Anti-Mormons of Illinois, who disregarded the agreement they had made with the saints to allow them to remain unmolested until spring when they would take their departure to the west. Isaac was a member of the Nauvoo Legion, which was ordered to be disarmed by the state officials after the imprisonment of Joseph Smith, who was the Lieutenant-General. The members of the Legion sill acted in defense of their homes and city. The prophecy uttered by their Prophet-leader on August 6, 1842: "You will be driven to the Rocky Mountains," was fast nearing fulfillment. "Some of you will live to go and assist in making settlements -- and see the saints become a might people in the midst of the Rocky Mountains." A promise to the faithful and enduring.
The saints for a few weeks from the 10th of December 1845 to the 7th of February 1846 were permitted to enjoy the blessings of the temple before they took up their forced march from Nauvoo. On December 23, 1843 Isaac and Lucy had received their endowments and were sealed in a room over Joseph Smith's store in Nauvoo. They had their children sealed to them in the Nauvoo Temple on the 3rd of February 1846. In 1844 Isaac had married another wife, Hannah Blaixley Finch, the daughter of Daniel and Mary Blaixley Finch. On January 14, 1846, she was sealed to him in the temple. Leonora Abigail Snow, the daughter of Oliver and Rosetta L. Pettibone Snow was sealed to him on the same day.
Hasty preparations were made; working night and day to get his outfits ready, assisted by his son Isaac, then 17, and his three wives (his daughters were married) managed to get food and clothing and other things necessary for the journey. In February 1846 a long line of wagons trailed out of their beautiful city to take up their trek to the west. There they would again build homes this time far enough away that the storms of persecution and religious prejudice could not interfere.
Many of the exiles from Nauvoo were descendants of Americans who had given their services to obtain freedom from oppression, now found themselves outcasts from that country whose independence they had fought and died for to "secure the blessings of liberty and justice to ourselves and our posterity." Isaac Morley was one of that number.
The weeks to follow were intensely severe on account of the inclemency of the weather, snow, and intense cold on the first part of the journey and then rain. John R. Young in his "Memoirs" says that "From the first part of March to the 19th of April not a day passed without rain, making the roads almost impassable." Yet they plodded on doubling teams to cross the worst mud holes. President Young was heard to declare that he doubted if there had ever been a body of people since the days of Enoch who had done so little complaining under such unpleasant and trying circumstances.
The Morley family reached the Missouri River in June with the main camps, where they made preparations to stay for the winter, building temporary homes at a site selected by Brigham Young and the Twelve across the river on the Nebraska side. That winter in Winter Quarters was a sad one for the Morley family. Isaac and Hannah's little son, Joseph Lamoni, one year and three months old, took pneumonia and died October 18, 1846. The next winter the family was again saddened by a death. Isaac's wife Lucy became very sick. Weakened by the privations and hardships she had to pass through, the lack of proper food and shelter, she became a victim of black canker. She died January 3, 1848, and was buried in grave No. 4, 13th row, camp of Israel, near where the city of Omaha, Nebraska now stands.
On October 31, 1847 Brigham young with a company of 107 men with 36 wagons and three times that many horses and mules had arrived from Salt Lake Valley to prepare to emigrate the pioneers in Winter Quarters in the spring. These men were such of the 1847 pioneers and Battalion, who had families at Winter Quarters or on their way west who returned to bring them into the Valley. It was called the Woman and Children Company.
The Morley family rejoiced in seeing their leaders again and learning about their new home-to-be in the Great Salt Lake Valley. Much was to be done that winter to get outfits and provisions ready to continue their journey.
Isaac Morley and Bishop Whitney were appointed as a committee to organize the company. Due deference had been paid by this committee, however, to the Apostles Parley P. Pratt and John Taylor who were present and took part in the organization. They were invited by the committee, inasmuch as it was their purpose to accompany the emigration, to exercise a general superintendency over all the trains.
"A meeting of those going west was held at the stand in Winter Quarters at 10:30 a.m. on May 1, 1848, when Brigham Young proposed that the companies emigrating west be organized at the Elkhorn River. It was suggested that the road to the Elkhorn could be shortened three miles by building a bridge across the Papillion River. Several brethren were appointed to do this and it was voted to organize at the Horn. President Young then gave timely instructions to those who were preparing to start for the mountains." From Journal History of the Church, 1848.
On May 26th, President Young left Winter Quarters to begin the march to the Elkhorn. That evening Patriarch Morley arrived with eight wagons and tied the cattle to stakes for the night. The next day, Saturday the 27th, Patriarch Morley yoked on three yoke of cattle and accompanied by Thomas Bullock, the scribe, dragged the record wagon up the hill. They traveled over the hills and dales until about 11:30 p.m. when they turned their cattle out to feed. The journey beyond the Papillion was over gently undulating country. The brethren had commenced ferrying across the Elkhorn on Tuesday, two days before. President Young gave orders not to ferry any wagons on the Sabbath. He expressed his intention to so regulate his teams that they might travel about 100 miles a week.
The emigrants were divided into three divisions each division being in charge of one of the First Presidency. Brigham Young the first division, Heber C. Kimball, the second, and Willard Richards the third. Brigham Young's division had three companies of 100, subdivided into fifties and tens. Patriarch Morley was chosen captain of the first one hundred under Brigham. Patriarch Morley with Titus Billings and William W. Major, formed a general presidency over all the companies under Brigham Young. In this action President Young recognized the leadership qualities of Brother Morley whose knowledge and experience were of great value in assisting that great body of people.
President Morley and his councilors with Thomas Bullock assisted in organizing Lorenzo Snow's and Zera Pulsipher's companies of 100 and then President Young and President Morley gave instructions to the leaders of the camps, President Young outlining the procedure they should follow in their camps. When fully organized, President Young's division contained 1229 souls and 397 wagons, besides their horses, mules, oxen, cows, pigs, chickens, etc.
About nine o'clock on the morning of June 1st, President Morley and his councilors went to President Young's corral and conversed with him concerning the organization and then accompanied President Young to the east side of the river to confer with Heber C. Kimball, and then returned about dusk to the big corral in order to get one of the companies started on the road the next morning. Lorenzo Snow's company had left that day about one o'clock.
In Hannah Morley's diary that she kept while crossing the plains from Winter Quarters she says that on June 5th at 7 o'clock they took their departure from the Horn it being quite cold, and uncomfortable riding, and arrived near the Platte River about 3 o'clock in the afternoon, had a pleasant place to camp, singing and prayers at Brother Morley's wagon. The next day they journeyed 13 miles and camped beside the Platte, a pleasant place and all well except Father Morley, his side being very sore. On June 7th thy traveled 10 miles to Shell Creek and encamped about 2 o'clock. After a heavy shower, the men went hunting and Brother Potter killed an antelope. There were plenty of fresh clams in the creek, also fish; one of the brethren caught one that weighed 10 pounds. On June 8 one of the brethren brought in another antelope. Singing and prayers at Brother Bullock's wagon, peace and harmony prevailing in camp. On June 9th they left Shell Creek and traveled 15 miles, and on June 10th, which was a very warm day, they traveled 13 miles. Brother Bullock's oxen gave out so camped by a lake, which abounded in fish. Amasa (her son by a former marriage to Edwin T. Merriam) caught six in a short time. Good clear water and plenty of good dry wood, and all well. Singing and prayers at Father Morley's wagon, followed by some useful instructions by Father Morley. On Sunday June 11th at 12 o'clock meeting was held in the center of the corral at which Patriarch Isaac Morley and President Young preached. Evening services at Father Morleys. June 12th: A fine day, but cool, traveled 16 miles through a beautiful country, crossed Beaver River and encamped at Rump Creek.
There is a gap in Hannah's diary, but from the Journal History of the Church is given the following: June 20th: President Morley's three teams went ahead to a feeding place, and on June 27th President Young and Patriarch Morley rode out in the coach to meet Heber C. Kimball. On July 1st, the distance from Winter Quarters was said to be 302 1/2 miles (from the junction of the North and South Forks of the Platte River.) July 2nd: Meeting held with President Young's and President Heber C. Kimball's camps at 3:30; Isaac Morley was one of the speakers. July 12th: In sight of Chimney Rock. July 19th: President Young came down to chat with Father Morley after which the brethren assembled and sang several songs and received instructions. August 2nd: Thomas Bullock wrote: It was a pleasant morning. Father Morley and I ascended to the top of Independence Rock and gathered gooseberries, which grew on top of a granite rock. Sunday August 13th (from Thomas Bullock's journal): Cool night, warm clear day; Captain Daniel Garn's company gave us a part of a buffalo bull, which was gratefully appreciated. Captain Stephen H. Goddard and Joseph S. Allen went out to hunt buffalo. The sisters generally washed clothes. About 4 p.m, Brothers Goddard and Allen returned having killed two buffaloes. We unloaded the wagon and sent the meat around to the people with 4 yoke oxen. On August 14th, the day was clear. The two buffalo in Captain Morley's camp were cut up and divided and distributed, and all were busy drying the meat on small scaffolds.
In Hannah Morley's diary, she writes on July 26th: Traveled about 14 miles and camped in a hollow where we had a little better feed, no water or wood except pine. Commenced raining about sundown, rained all night. Had a good road all day with the exceptions of hills and cobblestones. Theressa appears a little better, but tired. Passed Brother Kimball's camp in the morning, health generally good. Currants and cherries in abundance all along the road. (Theresa Morley had delicate health. She was a plural wife of Heber C. Kimball) On July 27th she wrote: Traveled 4 miles and camped at Heber Spring, thick timber underbrush, a little grass, choke cherries, currants, and gooseberries in abundance, but poor chance for cattle. Wrote some letters to send to our friends in Iowa State. July 28th: We went on 43 miles, camped for the night, found various kinds of currants and first service berries we had seen. July 29th: Cloudy and cold all day, uncomfortable riding; traveled 13 miles over hills and hollows, camped at LaBonte River, a small stream of red looking water. Wednesday August 30th: Here mild and pleasant. Isaac went back to assist Brother Billings with a team. Forty six wagons arrived from the valley. September 1st: Brother Kimball's company arrived on the Sweetwater, camped one mile below us. Sunday September 3rd: Very cold, traveled a few miles, camped at Pacific Creek, weather moderated some. (This is Hannah's last entry.)
Sunday, September 24th: Captain Isaac Morley's company of President Young's division arrived in Great Salt Lake City. (This from Journal History)
Patriarch Morley settled his family in Sessions Settlement (Bountiful) where they lived for about 13 months. That first winter in the valley they suffered from hunger and cold. The year's crops having been partially destroyed by the crickets made food very scarce. They gathered sego roots, greens, and wild berries to supplement their meager rations. But they rejoiced in having reached this promised land, in which, though a wilderness, they could rest their weary feet and dwell in peace from their enemies.
The Salt Lake Stake was reorganized by President Young and the Council of the Twelve February 14, 1849, Daniel Spencer being made president. Isaac Morley was appointed President of the Stake High Council; his brother-in-law, Titus Billings, was made a member of the Council.
Settlement of Sanpete Valley.
"I have mentioned that Isaac Morley with two hundred settlers went into the Sanpete Country in 1849. On the 14th of June 1849, a council was held in Salt Lake City, at which were present a Ute Indian named Walker and twelve of his tribe. Chief Walter's headquarters were on the Sevier, generally. He would pay a visit to Sanpete once a year. After a pipe of peace had been passed around, Walker declared himself a friend of the settlers, and asked their sachem (chief) to send a party southward to the valley of the Sanpete, where they might teach his people how to build and farm and learn about the white man's God. Within six moons,' answered Brigham, I will send you a company.' In the spring of this year the party went to explore this valley and had already selected the site of the present site of Manti on a branch of the Sanpete Creek, though there was little in the neighborhood to invite the settler; sage brush, and rabbit bush, the red men and the coyote, being the principal features." Extract from Bancrofts History.
The exploring party left Salt Lake City in August with Walker for a guide and entered the Sanpitch Valley, crossing the divide from Salt Creek and reached the present site of Manti, August 20, 1849. They were royally entertained by the savages and after a few days, returned and reported everything favorable for the founding of a colony. The request by Chief Walter had a special significance with the Mormon people as they had manifested a desire to be taught the gospel.
The request from Brigham Young for volunteers to go settle this valley was met with a response of about fifty or sixty families from Salt Lake City and Centerville under the leadership of Isaac Morley, Seth Taft, and Charles Shumway, who represented Higgins, the civil and ecclesiastical authorities and Nelson, the miliary. They left late in the fall. They cleared roads, built bridges, and successfully passed through Salt Creek Canyon without any great hardships and moved to the south in quest of a suitable location. Following down the Sanpitch Valley, they selected a camping place on the river. Soon the snow began to fall and continued incessantly so the settlers decided to go and make camp near the hill to the east of the valley where some of the families made dugouts in the side of the hill while others occupied their improvised wagons and tents, this site on the south side of the hill giving better protection from the elements. The snow continued to fall until by the middle of December, there was a depth of three feet or more. The Indians claimed that it was the most severe winter in their memory. Having no hay or grain for their animals, the men and boys shoveled the show in windrows for protection of their cattle and uncover the dry grass found near the Sanpitch River slues. The Sanpitchers, a vassal tribe of local Indians, camped near the settlers and greedily devoured the animals that died from cold and starvation and praised their white neighbors for giving them the beef to ward off starvation.
As soon as the camp was settled, Isaac Morley and his councilors dispatched twelve men under the direction of Jerome Bradley to Salt Lake City to get provisions. Indian troubles and the heavy snows delayed their return trip and they finally reached the camp in March much to the gratitude of the starving settlers. Notwithstanding the severity of the winter and scarcity of food, the people of the little colony enjoyed remarkable good health. Their animals fared not so well. Of the 240 head of cattle they brought with them, there were only 113 living the following June. And of this number, there was only one team able to draw the plough, until feed was obtained from the growing grass. This one team belonged to Jezrell Shoemaker and was used to break small garden patches, while the other animals were feeding and recruiting on the new spring grass. Because of this, there was no crops sown until June. By then, they had to irrigate the hard parched ground before it could be ploughed. They had a fair supply of seeds and the soil proved very productive thereby giving some green vegetable within a short time after planting. Although the settlement was hard pressed for food, the Indians (Sanpitchers) camped around the colony and devoured morsels of food given them by their white neighbors.
The valley of the Sanpitch River with its great altitude and fertile soil with abundant water made it a most healthful and desirable location. The Wasatch mountains with it towering peaks on the east and the Sanpitch Mountains on the west enclosing one of the most delightful valleys of Utah.
The site of the new settlement, which comprised ten square miles, was surveyed by Jesse W. Fox under the direction of Brigham Young, and included 110 blocks, each 26 rods square with eight lots to each block. The people then left their camp under the hill and moved to their city lots. Titus Billings and Jezrell Shoemaker built the first houses and the others followed before winter.
In the spring of 1850 President Morley attended a conference of the Church in Salt Lake City. He there expressed thankfulness in meeting with the saints again and his heart was full of solicitude for the welfare of their new colony. Then he said, "I want a company of good people to go to Sanpete to strengthen our settlement and I say that we want good saints who will honor the Lord in all things and I say no man shall dwell there who is in the habit of taking the Lord's name in vain." About one hundred families went to Sanpete valley at that time.
On March 6, 1850, President Morley and his councilors with Bishop Lowry and his councilors met at the home of Titus Billings to adopt the best plan to lay the walls of a council house. They decided to build it near the stone quarry near the hill that had been their home the first winter. This building was struck by lightening before it was finished, and in favor of a sentiment toward moving the settlement up near the Tabernacle block it was never finished. In the fall of 1854, the same year that the big fort was built the council house was torn down and rebuilt on the northeast corner of Tabernacle Block. In the summer of 1850 they built a large bowery on this block were they held their meetings.
The first visit into the valley by Brigham Young was in July 1850 when, with Heber C. Kimball, they spent several weeks with the colonists. President Young named the place Manti for one of the notable cities of the Book of Mormon. He called the county Sanpete after the Indian tribe then inhabiting the area, the chief of whom was "Sanpitch". On August 5, 1850, accompanying President Morley and other leaders of Manti to the top of the hill that jutted out on the east, the same one that had been their protection from the severe winter blasts, President Young pointed out the site for a temple and he stated that the temple site had been designated by the Angel Moroni.
Soon after the visit of Brigham Young, a grist mill was erected in the canyon east of the town by Phineas W. Cook, the capital being furnished by President Young and President Morley. President Morley operated the mill. The only mill in use previous to this time was a large coffee grinder, which was passed about from house to house as needed. Then later Brother Parcell, who was a carpenter, had placed his work bench in the middle of the fort and on to this he nailed his coffee mill. In the mornings and evenings people could be seen coming from all directions, with their grain to be ground for the baking. A log schoolhouse was erected under the direction of Father Morley and Jesse W. Fox was the first school teacher.
Father Morley was President of the colony for about four years. He was a wise councilor during those trying time. In their hardships he exhorted the brethren to diligence, faithfulness, and good works that by doing so the Lord would bless them. He inspired their confidence and respect by being himself an example of meekness, obedience, and genuineness. He once said that without the power of example, all the precepts that could be set forth for the benefit of a family or a people would be of no efficacy whatsoever. He told the people that this settlement would be one of the best in the mountains and he lived to see the Sanpete Valley dotted with thriving villages and termed the Granary of Utah.
President Morley also took an active part in the political affairs of the state. He and Charles Shumway represented Sanpete County in the first Legislative Assembly of the State of Deseret. This was a provisional government and remained the governing unit until April 5, 1851, when Utah was organized as a territory. President Morley held a seat in the Legislative Assembly of Utah Territory, in 1851, as a representative from Sanpete County to which office was was re-elected in 1853 and 1855, and held the seat until 1857. During the time that he was a representative, Manti City was incorporated by an act of the General Assembly of Deseret, February 6, 1851, (the same time that Ogden and Provo were incorporated) and Sanpete County was organized by an act of the Territorial Legislature passed February 3, 1852 and Manti was made the county seat.
Indian Troubles
Now that the settlers had established themselves in the Sanpete valley, Chief Walker's motive for wanting white settlers to come among them was discovered to be only an act of treachery. According to President Morley, this hypocritical chieftain only wanted colonists among his people so that he might have more innocent victims to slaughter. However, Brother Morley reports that the aged diplomatic chief, Sowiatt, had pleaded with his people to let the white men build homes and dwell among them in peace. Up to now, Sowiatt's counsel had prevailed because the Indians knew that Chief Walker was treacherous and could not be trusted even in his own tribe. The chief had a grievance against Charles Shumway and was determine to make an effort at getting someone to torture so he could frighten his pale faced friends. On returning from one of his plundering trips against the Shoshones, he came around the settlement proudly exhibiting trophies of war. Scalp dances were frequent, Walker menacing the little band of settlers with the possibility of the same treatment. Fear constantly stalked the hearts of the women and children when the men were alerted for fear of an attack while the Indians would carry on their fiendish taunts all through the night. Their constant threats then broke out into open rebellion. Early in the summer of 1853, a white man in Springville had interfered when he saw an Indian beating his squaw. He hit the Indian over the head with his gun and a fight ensued in which several of the Indians were injured. This enraged Walker; he gathered his warriors together and attacked the settlements and drove off their stock. The settlers of Mt. Pleasant and Spring City made haste to get to the Manti Fort.
The people of Manti had completed a fort in June of that year, the walls being eight feet high and two feet thick. Under date of August 15, 1853, it was related that the entire population of Sanpete County is now residing in Manti. According to President Morley, there were 765 men, women, and children residing inside the fort. All parties engaged in wood hauling, herding, and other outside pursuits are armed and consist of a dozen or more men, part of them standing guard while the others work. A guard was kept at the little mill near the mouth of Manti canyon until sufficient flour could be ground for the winter's supply. On October first the miller and the guard at the mill were killed by Indians who made their escape leaving the mill undisturbed. However, they returned later and burned the mill, claiming it was done for the retaliation for the shooting of five Indians convicted of stealing cattle and ordered executed by Major Higgins. Four Manti settlers were killed while on their way to Salt Lake City with a load of grain and the Indians scattered the grain over the ground to complete their work of destruction and show their hatred for the settlers.
President Young and other leaders went to Walker's headquarters to make a treaty of peace with him and his tribe, taking with them cattle, blankets, and other articles to give them and through kindness secured peace and friendship with them. This was in the early summer of 1854 and it practically ended the Walker War. President Young had continually advised to leave Walker and his band alone and had they obeyed, it would have averted much trouble.
On January 26, 1855, Chief Arropine and some 30 braves rode into Manti and told of the death of his brother, the blood-thirsty Walker. This word brought great relief to the settlers, but at the same time consternation as to what policy would he pursued by the new chief. However, Arropine professed great love for the Mormon settlers, made a treaty of peace, and as evidence of his friendship, agreed to deed the entire county to Brigham Young, trustee in trust for the Church.
During the conference that Brigham Young had with the Indians, there were a number of chiefs from other tribes present. The chief of the Sanpitch Indians arose and told how his son had been killed and the same bullet from the rifle of an American had killed his wife who had gone in search of the son.
The following true incident coincides with the above statement of Chief Sanpitch, it being related by Lucy Cordelia Hansen Neilson, a granddaughter of Isaac and Hannah Morley.
Late in the fall of 1850 a severe storm arose while some of the Manti men were in the mountains cutting timber. Two of the men sought shelter in an old cabin, which they found occupied by two Indian boys. The two men whipped the young Indians out so they could occupy the cabin. One of the boys was a son of Chief Sanpitch. This unscrupulous act incited the chief into a rage and with a number of warriors, he went to Manti determined to get revenge. There were only twelve men in the town to defend the settlers, as most of them were in the mountains. Father Morley went to meet them and the chief related what had happened, and demanded to see the two men, who had whipped the two Indian boys and killed his son, so the chief said. Father Morley told the chief that he could not do that. He had learned the use of diplomacy in dealing with the Indians and if the settlers had obeyed his counsel, there would have been no trouble. Sanpitch then demanded a ransom of 30 ponies, 30 blankets, and 30 bags of flour. Father Morley knew that the settlers of Manti could not furnish all this, so he asked the chief to give him three days so he could send to Salt Lake City to get what he requested.
This Sanpitch agreed to, but he wanted a guarantee that the promise would be kept, so he asked Father Morley to let him have his 18 month old baby boy Simeon to take with him into the mountains until sundown. Fear gripped the hearts of Hannah and Isaac, but they knew that they must grant the chief's request or suffer the entire colony to be slain, for the chief had said, "Let us have your little papoose or we will scalp all your people." As the father handed the little fellow to the chief, the mother fainted. The chief and his braves marched away with the baby. There was sorrow and excitement all that day and the parents and friends of little Simeon sought the Lord in prayer for Him to protect their precious little darling and bring him safely back to them.
True to their promise just at sundown they saw coming out of the west mountains a line of braves led by Chief Sanpitch and when they came closer, they saw that the chief was carrying little Simeon. How great was the joy in the hearts of the parents. Many of the neighbors and friends gathered to Father Morley's house to rejoice with them. When they arrived with the baby the chief handed him to Father Morley and said, "Your squaw feed bad, we bring him back to her." And the chief's squaw said, "He laid in my arms and slept tight." Little Simeon was dressed in Indian clothes and his body had been bathed in some kind of tea to make his skin brown. Lucy C.H. Neilson remembers of seeing years later, one of the little Indian beaded moccasins that had been kept by her grandmother. Simeon Thomas, for such was his name (Thomas for Isaac's father) died at the age of 3 years and 9 months.
An incident related by Cynthia Abiah Bradley Morley, wife of Isaac Morley Jr., portrays the true character of Father Morley. In the early days of Manti, Father Morley's younger brother, Thomas, a Methodist who still lived on the Morley Homestead in Kirtland, came to visit him. Before returning home, he asked Father Morley if he could take young Isaac back with him to Kirtland and he would give him a good living and the opportunity of getting an education. Father Morley declined the offer because he knew that it would deprive him of that which he held more dear than anything that his brother could give him; that of the influence of the gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its opportunities and teachings. No doubt, Father Morley had another reason, too; Isaac was the only son he had to carry on the Morley name and he did not want his life tainted with the things of the world that would deprive him of his birthright. Isaac later had two wives and a large posterity whose privilege it is to follow the footsteps of a great and noble father, and to have the honor of being descended from one who honored the Priesthood of God and magnified his callings in the same for the building up of the Kingdom of God on earth for the benefit of those who would heed His teachings.
Although there is no word left to give an idea that Isaac, after his conversion to the restored gospel, used very opportunity to teach the gospel to his brothers in Kirtland and his parents who both lived to be over 80 years old, dying shortly before he left for the Rocky Mountains; yet, it is unbelievable that he did not try to teach them the ways of truth and eternal salvation. No doubt during his year's sojourn in Kirtland in 1835-1836, he was welcomed into their homes and had the privilege of teaching them more of the divine truths. The blood of Israel as it was scattered through all nations must have flowed in greater proportions to some individuals than others, even in the same family. Isaac's family, although being most honorable citizens, preferred the riches of this earth than the most priceless thing ever offered them.
Father Morley's six children all married in the Church and five of them raised large families. His two daughters, Philena and Editha Ann, did not emigrate to Utah. Philena and her husband, Amos Cox, remained in Iowa; Editha Ann and her husband and children went to his former home to Portage County, Ohio, then to Iowa and then to Minnesota.
During the last ten years of his life, Father Morley devoted himself exclusively to his calling as a Patriarch, conferring blessings upon thousands of Saints. His wife Leonora traveled with him and acted as scribe. During his later life, he suffered with rheumatism. He died at Fairview at the age of 79 years and was buried at Manti in the Manti Cemetery at the foot of Temple Hill.
Isaac Morley had the qualifications of a great leader, having a kind and gentle disposition, unassuming in his manner, loyal to every trust and obedient to every call. He loved his leaders and his friends and would have rather died then prove false to any of them. He had ample opportunity to show of what metal he was made, being tried in the furnace of hate and afflictions, yet never faltered.
His loyalty to the Prophet Joseph Smith was evident throughout the life of his beloved leader. He was willing at all times to sacrifice his life, if need be, or anything he possessed to assist the Prophet and the progress of the Church. Likewise, under the leadership of Brigham Young, he manifested the same qualities of meekness, devotion, obedience, loyalty, and brotherly kindness.
He has been likened unto Nathaniel as being a man in whom there is no guile. He was a stalwart of the Church and one of God's chosen noblemen.
He stands at the head of his family in this dispensation and hold the keys of the redemption of his family and is the rightful heir for the redemption of his progenitors who will be given a chance of attaining immortality and eternal life along with him who made it possible for them to receive this great blessing and glory.
Sources of Information for Historical Facts
History of Montague, Massachusetts. Edward P. Pressey, Published 1910.
Montague Vital Records.
History of Geauga and Lake Counties, Ohio. William Brothers, Published 1878 in Pennsylvania.
Bancrofts' History.
Journal History of the Church and Emigration Records, 1848.
History of the Church, Vol. 1.
Doctrine and Covenants and Doctrine and Covenants Commentary.
Whitney's History of Utah, Vol. 1.
Essentials in Church History of Joseph Fielding Smith.
History of Joseph Smith by his mother Lucy Mack Smith.
Memoirs of John R. Young. Utah Pioneer of 1847.
History of Sanpete and Emery Counties. W.H. Liver, Published 1898 in Ogden.
Encyclopedic History of the Church by Andrew Jensen.
Andrew Jensen's Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1.
Heart Throbs of the West. Kate B. Carter, State Central Company Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
Daughters of Utah Pioneers Pamphlet, "They came in 1848." Kate B. Carter.
Deseret News Obituary, July 5, 1865.
Sanpete Centennial 1849-1949, with Deseret News of August 17, 1949.
The Gospel in Action, Sunday School Pamphlet 1950, by Thomas C. Romney.
Life History of Isaac Morley Sr.
From Massachusetts to Utah - 1786 to 1865
The home of our early American ancestry and that of our Puritan forefather Thomas Morley, was born in Glastonbury in Hartford County, Connecticut.
The second child and eldest son of Thomas and Editha Marsh Morley was Isaac Morley Sr. who was born March 11, 1786 at Montague, Franklin County, Massachusetts. The three brothers and five sisters were: Arthursa, Horace, Tirza, Editha, Thomas, Diantha, Louisa, and Alfred.
Isaac spent his childhood days and most of this younger years in Massachusetts until 1811 when he went to Kirtland, Ohio and began development of a farm. Then, he returned to Massachusetts and was married to Lucy Gunn.
Returning, he and his bride began in the wilderness the arduous life of pioneers. Scarcely had they become settled, when he was called to assist in the War of 1812 and served until 1815. He was immdeiately made Captain of the Ohio Militia. At the end of three months, he was taken home very ill with chills and fever.
After the war, he cultivated a great farm, raising wheat, corn, rye, and all kinds of vegetables, and an orchard. They had cows and from the milk made their own butter. They also made their own cheese, sugar, molasses, and vinegar and were provided with honey from their own beehives. Sheep, chickens, geese, and hogs were other animals raised on the farm. He also made barrels, which at that time were in great demand.
On the hill near his home grew peppermint plants, which he harvested and distilled into oil and sold. He also made lye from ashes burned in the neighborhood.
They raised flax, cotton, and wool, which made their linen, thread, and woolen goods. Isaac and Lucy were the parents of nine children, the seven who grew to maturity were: Philena, Lucy Diantha, Editha Ann, Calista, Cordelia, Therissa Arathusa, and Isaac Jr. These children received education such as the new settlement afforded. On the Sabbath Day, the family attended church, usually the Presbyterian meetings, but did not join any church until 1828 when they were baptized into the Campellite Church. These good parents always taught their children high principles and set worthy examples of kindness and love.
The year 1830 saw the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints organized with six members in New York by the Prophet Joseph Smith. In the fall of that same year, the Prophet came with his wife to Kirtland, Ohio. Though they were strangers, father Morley took them into his home where they remained all winter.
Isaac's family heard and accepted the gospel and all that were old enough were baptized November 15, 1830. Isaac Morley was ordained a High Priest June 3, 1831 by Lyman Wight, and set apart as first counselor to Bishop Partridge, who was the first Bishop in the Church, the same day, which position he served for nine years. When, in 1841, he was called by revelation to fill a mission in Jackson County, Missouri, he started in June, and walking the entire distance, reached his destination in October.
Isaac built a home there for his family and they with other families of Saints, joined him in February 1832. They had been in this locality only a short time when persecutions began and a mob came to kill them by shooting, hanging, tarring and feathering, or burning. Isaac and six other elders were taken to prison to be tried. After remaining there three days, nothing could be found against them and they were released. Through prayer and faith in God, they were delivered from their enemies.
Isaac returned home, prepared a knapsack, hung it on his cane and throwing it over his shoulder he left the house with a determination to find a new home and peace. When he reached the corn fields, a voice said to him, "Return to your family, if they perish, you perish with them."
They were then driven to Clay County, Missouri, and from there to Caldwell County, and thence to Hancock County, Illinois, where they lived in tents until houses could be built. This became a large town and was called Morley Settlement.
In 1844 Joseph and Hyrum Smith were martyred, and the mobs began driving the Saints again, taking their cattle, burning their homes, and stacks of grain. This same year Isaac married Hannah Blaixley Finch and had three children; Joseph Lamoni, Simeon Thomas, and Mary Leonora. The latter was the only one who lived to maturity. He also married Leonora Snow Leavitt in 1844, but there apparently were no children from this union.
In 1845 he moved his family to Nauvoo and remained there until persecutions began again in 1846 when the Nauvoo Temple was burned and the Saints began their journey westward. They went to Winter Quarters where Isaac's first wife, Lucy Gunn Morley, died January 3, 1847. Soon, they started on their long journey to the valleys of the mountains, arriving in 1848 in Brigham Young's company.
On November 19, 1849, President Brigham Young sent a band of staunch pioneers under charge of Isaac Morley Sr., Seth Taft, and Charles Shumway, into the Sanpitch Valley to establish a new settlement. This company of fifty families, men, women, and children, who had passed through the hardships and persecutions of the exodus from Nauvoo, but whose spirits were still undaunted, made their camp a short distance south of the lowly spur of the East Mountain.
Favoring the site selected for them by Brigham Young, was Isaac Morley, a veteran of the War of 1812. Strong in the face of adversity, this man had seen his home, shop, and grain burned by a mob in Hancock County, Illinois, in 1845. When Edward Partridge and other leaders of his Church were tarred and feathered, he offered himself as a ransom to be scourged. This respected pioneer said to the wavering colonists, "This is our God appointed abiding place, and stay I will, though but ten men remain with me." He was the first man to settle in Manti; plowed the first furrow; built the first table in that new settlement.
The first account of the Old Council House in Manti that we are able to find is that of March 6, 1850, when Isaac Morley Sr., President of the Stake and his counselors, with Bishop Lowry and his counselors, met at the home of Titus Billings to adopt the best plan to lay up the walls of a council house. The Indians would often meet with them in this house for worship, sit still all through the services and bow their heads in prayer. They seemed to be very docile.
At a general assembly of the Church held November 7, 1837, he was chosen Patriarch of Far West and ordained to that office under the hands of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith. He emigrated to Salt Lake Valley in 1848. He served as a Senator in the General Assembly of the Provisional State of Deseret. In 1851 he held a seat in the Legislative Council of Utah.
The last ten years of his life were devoted exclusively to his calling as a Patriarch. He was of a kind and gentle disposition, unassuming in his manner.
He died in Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah, June 21, 1864 and was buried in the cemetery beneath the shadows of the Manti Temple.
Sweet sleep to them, our early parents until the morning of the first resurrection, when they come forth and receive a just reward for all the hardships they endured for the gospel's sake.