If you are a grandchild of Ruth Blacker Waite, Daniel Durham HuntDaniel D. Hunt
Martha Elizabeth Hunt
Hettie May Wilkes
Edward Loyn Blacker
Ruth Blacker Waite is your 3rd great grandfather, born 1 February 1880 in North Carolina. His mother died when he was eight days old, and he was taken 500 miles to be raised by his Uncle Gashum and Aunt Elizabeth Hunt. He recorded his life history with many experiences, including his education, fighting Indians, his carpentry skills, and marriage to Nancy Davis and the births of their seven children. He heard of Joseph Smith and traveled to Nauvoo where he was baptized and helped build the Nauvoo Temple. At some point, Nancy died, and at 6:56 on January 19, 1846, he was sealed to Nancy’s sister Susan, who then stood proxy as he was sealed to Nancy. There is no record of Susan having children.

When Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum were murdered, and the members were driven from Nauvoo by mobs; Daniel, Susan and his seven children traveled west first to Garden Grove and then to Kanesville, Iowa. Later, they were assigned to travel to the Salt Lake Valley with 135 wagons under the direction of Aaron Johnson. Six of Daniel’s children were with them; his oldest daughter had married. Included in that group was Edward Bunker who later settled Bunkerville, an important place in the Waite/Iverson history, and Jacob Hamblin who was the great Indian scout so important to the settling of the west. Also, included was a young woman by the name of Martha Eynon, my ancestor. Interestingly, Jacob Hamblin was a great friend of both Daniel D. Hunt, my ancestor, and of Dudley Leavitt, Laron’s ancestor. The wagon company left Kanesville June 7, 1850, and arrived in Salt Lake City Sep. 9,1850.

Various members of this wagon company kept records of their experiences, and I am including some of them who either mention Daniel Hunt, his wife Susan, or tell of some of the experiences Daniel and family would have endured. Also traveling west at the same time were nonmembers heading toward California for the gold rush. Among them were many well-known individuals who had persecuted the Saints and driven them from Missouri. Both groups suffered greatly from the dreaded disease of cholera, caused by bad water. This terrible disease seemed to have been especially rampant during the first areas of their travels. A person could be well in a morning, contract cholera around 10:00, suffer from terrible fever, violent diarrhea, vomiting, painful muscle spasms, and after terrible suffering, would be dead within just a few hours.

Eliljah Averett recorded the following experience... “We crossed the Missouri River and struck out for the mountains. We traveled on until we crossed a little river by the name of Salt River. Here, if I recollect right, the Cholery struck our Camp. We lost 17 persons in my company. I had a touch of it myself. We traveled on and kept above Fort Cerney (Kearny) We felt that the cholery had ought to be stopped, and brs Johns, HUNT, Isaac Hill and myself went out on the prairie and prayed that the Lord would stop the Cholery, and we had a testimony that it would stop. We heard a stamping in the grass nearby, but nothing was to be seen. We never had another case in our company. We saw a great many gentile graves on the road. The Cholery had slayed them terribly. There was wagons, wheels, clothing, guns, bedding, boots and shoes scattered along the road.”

Harrison Burgess... “There were a few cases of Chlolera in the Camp. One case of a healing I will mention. A Sister McGaw was taken with it in its most dreadful form. I administered to her in the morning, and she seemed to be healed, but after a while it came on again, worse if possible. She said if I could lay my hands on her again she would live. I was a mile back assisting some of the Brethren through some bad places of the road, but the woman seemed sure she would live if I could administer to her again. They sent a horseman after me, in all haste. I rode back as fast as possible, found her in extreme agony cramped so that her head and heels nearly touched each other. Jost as I entered her waggon, I felt the power of God resting down upon me in mighty power. I layed my hands upon her head, “In the name of Jesus Christ and by the Authority of the Holy Priesthood, I commanded the Destroyer to leave her instantly and to leave the waggon and trouble her no more. It did so forthwith, but as it retreated I heard it hiss like an adder. The woman was healed and went on her way rejoicing.”

Jacob Hambln’s Autobiography recorded dates and miles traveled by the wagon train. The following dates have events concerning our family, or telling about the trials endured by all...

An article written in the Frontier Guardian newspaper, the 8 January 1851 reported the following: “Mr. Lorenzo Johnson of this place received a letter dated Great Salt Lake City Oct 15, 1850 from Bishop Aaron Johnson, his brother, who left this section last spring with a company of 135 wagons, and in the letter he solicits his brother to have published names of those who died in his company on the way, believing it might afford some satisfaction to their friends at this place, or wherever they might at present reside. The names copied from the letter are as follows: John Shipley, Willis K Johnson, Adalaid Redfield, Thomas Kirk, Ruth Ann Knighton, Abel Sargent, Thomas Sargent, Alonzo Russell, Polly Z. Johnson, SUSAN HUNT, a son of Elijah Pond, Elisa Hill, Lester Russell, Sarah M. Johnson, Margaret McDougal, Sister Ritchie, Sister Browell, and a gold digger.”

As mentioned before, another of our family in this group was a young woman by the name of Martha Eynon. She and her family had come to the US after joining the Church in Wales. Her mother died from cholera soon after the family entered the US. Her father, Martha and two sisters traveled on to Kanesville. We do know that Martha was in the Aaron Johnson company, without any of her family. She was listed as Martha Eynon, not Hunt. However, in the first Utah Census, called 1850 Utah Census, which was actually taken in the spring of 1851, Marth was listed as Martha Hunt, wife of Daniel D. Hunt. But we do know they were married sometime between June 7, 1850 and the spring of 1851.

The Aaron Johnson company arrived in Salt Lake City September 9, 1850. One must wonder why some cholera victims were healed so miraculously, and others were not. We will never know that answer in this life, but these of our family were willing to give all to gather to the Salt Lake Valley for their absolute belief in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and we, their descendants owe them our gratitude.