Lip Smacking Good

February 21, 2012

Katie turned 5 months on February 9th

Happy Valentine's Day

 Emily was excited for Valentine's Day. She is taking a picture of her Valentine gift, which was in a balloon.

 Emily is a wonderful, happy, young lady. She still likes holidays, like Valentine's Day

 Here is Emily's balloon and mom's flowers.

 Here is mom's door decorated with hearts.

This is Emily's door to her bedroom decorated for Valentines.

We send our love to all our family today on this holiday. We want you all to know how much we love you and are very proud to be your parents. Have a wonderful Valentine's Day! Mom and Dad

Emily's Big Date - Dinner and a Dance

 Emily is excited to go on her big date. It is a dinner before and then off to the school dance afterwards. She is driving the car for the two couples.

 Mom made the dress for Emily and she looked so beautiful. She is looking forward to going on this double date with her friend to the school dance.

Emily's shoes made her height 5'6" tall. She liked being taller than Mom.

Gibson Condie - Member of the Rescuers of the Handcart Companies of 1856

GIBSON CONDIE

Born:   10 March 1835 Scotland     Age: 21   Rescuer

As part of General Conference in May 1997, the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints broadcast a presentation from sites along the Mormon Pioneer Trail to Utah. The presentation was titled, "Faith in Every Footstep: The Epic Pioneer Journey." Included in that broadcast is this statement from President Thomas S. Monson: "Big Mountain holds a special place in my heart. A pioneer ancestor, Gibson Condie, came over this summit on his way to help rescue the stranded handcart pioneers. At the call of the prophet, he journeyed to this very spot in the bitter winter of 1856. The snow was 16 feet deep on the road. How grateful I am for this pioneer ancestor, who, leaving the comfort of home and family, risked his own safety to help those in such desperate need."

Brigham Young called the for the first party of rescuers to go out from the Salt Lake Valley in early October, as soon as he learned that the last companies of 1856 had been delayed and were still out on the plains. As reports were returned, needs assessed, and inspiration received, President Young continued to call for others to go out and help for the next six weeks. In his own account which follows in this sketch, Gibson Condie records being among those who helped clear the canyons of snow in November so the Martin, Hodgett, and Hunt companies could get through. (The Willie Company arrived three weeks prior to the Martin Company, before the snows were so deep.)

Condie has also left a priceless and honest account of the visions of Jedediah M. Grant, counselor in the First Presidency to Brigham Young, in the days prior to President Grant's death. President Grant had been very ill and finally succumbed to death on December 1, 1856, the day after the Martin Company finally arrived in the Valley. Grant's visions had been shared with Heber C. Kimball, who then spoke at Grant's funeral. Condie attended that funeral and records that those visions reported there were "listened to with rapt attention by the large Audience and was repeated for years after by many who heard it."

Of the many difficulties through which these late pioneer companies passed, one of the hardest came in the last weeks during the bitter cold, in seeing their deceased loved ones placed in shallow graves, covered sometimes with only snow. The wolves would then exhume the bodies. President Grant had experienced this in his own life. He certainly was a man who put his trust in God, but the visions mentioned herein of seeing his little child in the Spirit World was surely a comfort to himself and hundreds of others as they heard this account soon after their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley.

Condie also records information about the George and Margaret Robinson family in the Martin Company. He married Elizabeth Robinson of that family. (There were a total of three women by the name of Elizabeth Robinson in the Martin Company.) Also, note that prior listings of names of rescuers in this and other books have indicated that the man called "Handsome Cupid" by Dan Jones of the first rescue party was possibly the Condie that married Elizabeth Robinson. This is not the case, as it can be seen from Condie's own account that he was not with the advance rescue party.

The following excerpts are from Condie’s autobiography, on microfilm at the Church Family History Library in Salt Lake City, as written by Condie and transcribed by myself, Jolene Alphin, Oct. 12, 2005. (Some spaces "between sentences I have added, also words in [ ].

424

(Gibson Condie - Page 2)

Some punctuation in the original writing could not be discerned whether it was a comma or a period. I did my best to retain the placement of these as written by Brother Condie. Some punctuation marks were made directly after the phrase or sentence, and some had spaces, as transcribed here. Condie's spelling and capitalization I also retained. [...] indicates where I left out some of Condie's words. I have italicized the account related by Heber C. Kimball at the funeral of Jedediah M Grant, as quoted by Condie, for easier readability. Grant died on December 1, the day after the Martin Company entered the Valley. &c was a common way of expressing "et cetera" in pioneer times. Words added between lines are also exactly as Condie placed them.)

[ . . . ] Sept 26th [1856] first Hand Cart companies arrived under the charge of Captain Edmund Ellsworth and D. D. McArthur      they were met by the first Presidency of the church     a Brass Band and a company of dancers and a large concourse of influencial Citizens, in October Conference, called upon the Brethren with their teams to take provisions, wearing apparel, stocking, &c. to meet the companies of Saints, as they were [in] destitute condition. Pres Brigham Young went, but he was took down sick, he went as far up the Kanyon, [but] he was obliged to come home, they were a good many Brethren with their teams they took provisions &c teams were loaded, it was getting late in the season, they were anscious.    to help the poor saints, they went (back) as far as four hundred miles with their teams.  they find the companies in ; deplorable condition, the cattle died      they were obliged to leave their wagons, the hand carts in Martins company     they had to leave them also,   a great many died of starvation not much to eat.    short rations, and many frozen to death.  snow very deep hindred their progress from traveling.   it was very dark before them,    death stare before them, four hundred miles from the valley , but Providence smiled on them.    Our Brethren with their teams from the valley gave them fresh courage, giving them flour, meat, onions, &c      the Brethren wept when they heard of their sufferings they suffered       in one day they would bury eleven in that day , my Bishop called on me if I would not drive an oxteam three yoke    hauled a load of hay to meet the companies for their horses and mules, as the feed were covered with snow , I then went go: everything ready to start I traveled as far as the foot of the Big Mountain could not go no further on account of the snow being so deep . we left the team at camp [with?] a young man named Bill, jide traveled with me from the City assisted me and also company [be]for me. I went

also Thomas Shipham

with a few more Brethren with our shovels to clear the roads     they were drifts of snow piled up when we reached to the top of the Big Mountain    the snow was so deep as sixteen    feet of snow on the road  .   we all went to work and clear the snow for the teams to pass as they were a large company on the other side of the Big Mountain    we were just in time to assist them and clear­ing the road for them we all descended down from Big Mountain to camp    it was dreadful cold and stormy    we had to have a large fire burning al night [to keep] from freezing to death, my feet was frozen   I could hardly walk .   we traveled and then crossed little Mountain and on to the city . I was glad that I arrived at home . I suffered considerable with my feet [they] pained me so . I could not go home for days .  in November 30th the last companies arrived in Salt Lake City on Sunday the streets was all along crowded to see the emigrants . even Pres Jedediah M. Grant who had been sick.   with the attendants to carry him to the window as he

passing house

could see the emigrants    Bishops with their counsellors, was on hand to see that the emigrants

(Gibson Condie - Page 3)

have places to go and [were] well cared for.   it was a sad time for the poor Saints to suffer as they did.   Edward Martin hand Cart company suffered the most, it being [the] last company   they were some have their legs froze    if the hand cart company left the states about two months sooner they would not have suffered as they did .    first hand carts company thru all right.

December 1st Jedediah M. Grant Died     it cast a gloom over the territory   he was a great and noble man for the truth [...] I attended his funeral, very large .[...] Pres. Heber C. Kimball related ["]  I went to see him one day last week and he reached out his hand and shook hands with me. he could not speak [. . . ] I felt for him and wanted to raise him up . and to have him stay and help us whip the devil and bring to pass righteousness .  why , because he was valiant and I loved him. [ . . . Kimball blessed Grant, asking God to strengthen his lungs so he could breathe easier after which Grant raised himself up and] talked for about an hour as busily as he could. [ . . . Grant spoke to Kimball of the spirit world where he said he had been for] two nights in succession. [ ... In great detail] he would mention one item after another . and say: why, it is just as Brother Brigham says it is: it is just as he has told us many a time. [. . . Kimball then recounts, in Condie's narrative] He saw his wife: she was the first person that came to him . He saw many that he knew , but did not have conversation with any but his wife Caroline . She came to him and he said that she looked beautifully and had their little child that died on the plains, in her arms , and said. Mr. Grant, here is little Margaret; you know the wolves ate her up but it did not hurt her; here she is all right:["] This imperfect account of the wonderful vision of those two nights was listened to with rapt attention by the large Audience and was repeated for years after by many who heard it. [. . . ] he [Grant] was forty years of age when he died . but had spent those years to such advantage in laboring for the welfare of his fellow men that he was mourned by thousands and left in their memories a name that will be forever throughout the Territory [. ..]

the winter was excessively severe, snow falling to a depth of Eight feet in places in the valleys. [. . .] proposed marriage to [a] young woman who came in Captain E. Martins Hand Carts

(with mother and sister Dorthy)

Company[ . . . ] her Brother William Robinson (Carpenter) was living in the 9th ward . he came out to this country a few years before [. . . ] we lived in fathers house a good many months untill we have means to commence housekeeping    both of us were very poor   times was very hard no money . clothing . furniture . beding   cooking utensils we had none . they loan us things . I do not think any person on the earth was so poor as were to be married as we where, but the Lord knew our hearts and the Lord Blessed us . [ . . . Condie then names Elizabeth's family members and when they were baptized (April 26, 1856) . . . ] her Father George Robinson   her mother Margaret Angus Robinson her sister Dorthy and her little Brother George. [ . . . ] they all set sail for America bound for Salt Lake City . When they came to Iowa pulling their hand carts, little George ran away from camp . his father went in search for him    he did succeed, in where he was it appears a man induce him not to go to Salt Lake    made great promises if he would live with him . give him horse money &c and soon be rich . Father tried hard for George to go with him to camp , but George would not go . the man then induced the Father to stay and not go , it was late in the season to cross the plains they would be work for him to make furniture   he would do well and have money enough to buy an outfit for next spring to go to the vallies and not pull a hand cart across the plains. Father then persuaded his wife and his daughters Elizabeth & Dorothy to stay in Iowa   wait untill next spring : Mother were willing to stay but Elizabeth would not stay

(Gibson Condie - Page 4)

she had great inducements   they would give big wages to live with respectable families but she would not stay   she was determined to go to the vallies.  there then the family were separated . Father would not leave little George , he stayed , the mother then with her two daughters went on . Elizabeth and Dorthy had a cart to pull   it was very distressing  scarcity of food   winter set in passed thru severe trials and hardships   hundreds died  starvation and cold   it was a hard relating scene to explain  I do think the ones who passed thru this trial, will have a great reward God will bless them. [... ] my wife folks were comfortable in England . her father made furniture and sold them he was a good mecanic and made a comfortable living. [... ] Shortly after we were married her sister Dorthy got married to Solomon Rossiter in the twenty ward. Dorthy was the oldest of the family . she had a good home .[...]

George Robinson, Sr. died in Panora, Guthrie, Iowa, in 1857. George Robinson, Jr. also died in Panora, Iowa, in 1909, having married and had a family there. Panora is about halfway between Iowa City and Florence, so if Panora is also where they left the company, they would have traveled about 150 miles before the family separated.

Elizabeth Robinson Condie (pictured below) bore 12 children to Gibson. One died in at the age of 2. Elizabeth's posterity has written of her: "Elizabeth was always home darning, patching, cooking, sewing, knitting, and cleaning for her family. At night she would gather her children around her while she was knitting and tell them of her childhood days, crossing the Atlantic Ocean and the Plains, or teaching them Gospel Principles. Elizabeth had an attack of appendicitis and died at the age of fifty."

The above information is found in the book, Tell My Story, Too, by Jolene Allphin, pages 423-426 (sold by Deseret Book and Amazon.com). Gibson Condie was one of the Rescuers for the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. In addition, there were also two other wagon companies, the Hunt and Hodgett that were also stranded on the plains and were farther back of the handcart companies. They were also helped by the Rescue Company. Gibson is related to Mom on the Coffin side. Gibson is also related to President Thomas S. Monson. Please contact Mom or me if you have additional questions.

She can't wait to grow up

Katie is now sitting up at 4 1/2 months.