The Huntsman Family, Early Mormon Pioneers !

Back before the 49'ers ever thought of California, before the Sutter's Mill discovery there was only a few who dare travel across the western desert. The Mormons were the early pioneers who were looking for more than just gold. Sure Jedediah Smith and John C. Fremont explored the west, but they had no intentions to settle there. It is one thing to travel across a vast desert, but to try and live there is another. All of the first settlements in Nevada were Mormon. Mormon Station, Las Vegas, Panaca, Bunkerville, St. Thomas, these are but a few. James William Huntsman, photo to the left!

James William Huntsman, born October 8th 1806, was making lumber in White Pigeon Michigan when he first met Hanna Davis who was 15 at the time. On January 28th 1831 they were married. It was long about this time that he became a Mormon. Between Michigan and Shoal Creek Utah, they would bare 11 children, and suffer more pain than most in just trying to live a peaceful life. James and his family moved to Nauvoo in about 1839. They had two children born there before the exodus to the west, in search of the promise land that Brigham Young had hoped to find.

In the early days religion was the main part of life. Everyone was judged by what he or she believed in. The Mormons came fall to heavy persecution in the New York states in 1829. They then started looking to move west to find a place where they could live in peace and follow their beliefs. Then after a ten-year span, they found themselves in the same battle. This time it was in Missouri, known as the War of Missouri, the Mormons were in need of a new place to settle. It was at this time that they reached out to Illinois for a land that was thinly populated and free of gentiles, in hope of building an empire for all the Mormons to live. The village they found was called Commerce; the saints purchased the town and the property surrounding it. Soon a town was laid out and the name Nauvoo was given it. On his escape from prison in Clay County Missouri the prophet Joseph Smith visited Commerce among others, and seeing the advantages of the site, determined to establish there the headquarters for the church. As the story goes, persecution soon followed, Missouri was still after them and Illinois soon turned against as well. At the time, any robberies for miles around the Mormons were to blame; were there any house-burnings or assassinations anywhere among the gentiles, the Mormons were to blame. The persecution was so heavy, and the fighting so strong that soon after the prophet Joseph Smith was murdered. In 1846 the Mormons made peace with the state of Illinois, that given one years time they would leave for the west in hopes of finding a new land to call their own. In December of 1847 Brigham Young was made president of the whole church.

James Williams Huntsman brought his family to Nauvoo and lived on lot 3, block 64. He labored as a carpenter on the Temple and was one of the guards as well. When the exodus started he built wagons for those desperate to leave. After the Mormon Church members were forced to sell their property for little of nothing, James hired out his labor to earn enough to outfit his family to leave Nauvoo. His first job was to shell corn, but the persecution was still strong from the gentiles. One day James, six Mormons, and a gentile were walking 12 miles east of the city to a field to cut wheat. They were surrounded by seventy men who gave each man twenty lashes with a hickory whip. After having their good team and all other possessions stolen with nothing left but a two-wheeled cart and an old horse, the Huntsman family left Nauvoo. By late September they had made their way to winter in Montrose, Iowa. They finally made their way to Council Bluffs in October of 1847. After building two good wagons and gathering provisions, James and his daughter Sarah, now 17, when on to Salt Lake Valley to find a place to settle, the family would follow later. This is where David Orin Huntsman was born. James upon finding some rich ranch land in Tooele County worked around Salt Lake City the winter of 1851, then travel east to Fort Bridger to meet his Family upon their arrival. The whole family returned to Salt Lake on September 11th, 1852.

The Huntsman family started their ranch by leasing cattle, sheep, and horses to raise on shares. This was at the time where produce and dairy products were in great demand. The gold seekers bound for California paid a good price, and the need was great. Many different types of traveler came by, on horses and in wagons, and some even on foot. There was one such man, on foot, claiming to be an evangelist, he stayed for several days. With the misunderstanding of the Huntsman family, he seem to drop to his knees and pray for hours for the redemption of this poor sinner Huntsman and his family. It seems even the Mormons have a limit as to what they can take. One morning after being delayed for breakfast waiting for him to finish his prayers, James rushed out the back door, picked up the "religionist" and threw him twenty some odd feet into the yard. Upon this Hanna Yelled, "James Williams", you could have let him finish praying, James William replied, "He can do that as he goes down the road." Reference to the "Huntsman Annals."

The family was called upon to settle in southern Utah at Shoal Creek with their sawmill. James was told to divide the land in the little valley into one-quarter acre plots. In doing the task asked of him he caught pneumonia and died on February 26, 1867. The town plots were later named Hebron, and James William is buried in the Hebron Cemetery, Washington County Utah.

Now thinking the westward travel has ended, not hardly. David Orin, son of James William was raised in Hebron. He married Emmeline Davis Vaughn on August 20, 1870. They together would have ten children and the first-born was James William, named after his grandfather. Ranching and farming in Hebron until 1875 when they moved to Gunlock Utah. Moving again in 1878, this time to Mesquite, slowly working their way west. To over come the land and ranch in these times was about a hard a task as one would want. The Mormon movement was heading west to control as much of the new country as possible. Brigham's plans were to hold all the land between the Middle West and California. At this time they considered southern Nevada to be within the Utah Territory. David and Emmeline finally moved on to Bunkerville until 1881 and then to St Thomas, all Mormon settlements.

While they live in St Thomas, David worked for Harry Gentry, of the Gentry Hotel, and Brig Whitmore. Emmeline's mother was a nurse in England and taught her daughter much about medicine. Not having a doctor in St Thomas this caused a great deal of need for Emmeline's special talents. She became the only midwife for miles around and travel many a night with her little lantern held high to light the way. The people in the area referred to her as the lantern Lady, and were surly glad to see the little light coming when in need.

However, the Huntsman family in 1891 left St. Thomas to homestead 160 acres up the little muddy north of Moapa. The ranch was called Kane Springs. In 1905 the railroad was built through Moapa to Caliente and went through the Huntsman Ranch. It was Emmeline again who become famous for her cooking and special medical help to all those who needed it. It was said that the trains made many unofficial stops at the ranch. This goes to show that not only men were the great pioneers, but that to be a women in those days you had to be tuff and could be as great as any man. When the first flood hit the wash, it was Emmeline who got the credit for saving many lives by riding up the wash looking for those who were injured. Then again in the disastrous flood of 1910, Emmeline who by now was not in her youth arose to the occasion. This time she rode to Elgin and delivered the baby of the stranded station master's wife. Then in 1905 when her husband died, she remained on the ranch alone. Her son's tried to persuade her to leave, but she said the railroad men will take care of me, and they did. Photo Courtesy of the James William Huntsman Family Research Organization.

Emmeline had two sons that worked for the railroad, Ed and Frank. Frank was the section foreman at the Rox Station just three miles north of the ranch. On August 4th, 1920, there was a severe storm blowing in at the Rox Station siding. Frank went down the canyon to make sure that all points were clear and then return to the station. After his return, he went down to check on his mother. He found Emmeline Huntsman lying dead in the front yard. Fearing that she might have been murder he call for the coroner who arrived later that afternoon. The careful examination of the body and the surroundings showed that she had died from hemorrhage of the lungs.

David and Emmeline both are buried in Overton. The Huntsman family was well and favorably known by the majority of the people in both Clark and Lincoln Counties. When you see the history on Nevada you will find that the Mormons were the early pioneers and if events had not worked out as they did, Nevada might still be Mormon Territory. Every event that took place in the early days, there was a Mormon leading the way. Egan, who found a shorter route and who Egan Canyon is named after. Even though the whole world tried to persecute them, they led the way West.

I want to give a special thanks to the Huntsman Family, for giving me access to the Family Web site, and to Robin Adair of the Huntsman Family. With out the help from Robin, I would have never known about such a great Women Pioneer or the Family that braved to travel west.