Freeborn DeMill

Freeborn DeMille our first ancestor of the DeMill line to join the church and eventually come to Utah with his family was born 3 March 1795, in Platskill, Ulster co. New York (twin brother to Garrison DeMIlle). He married Anna Knight 11 March 1819. She was born 5 March 1804 in Marlborough, Windham Co, Vermont. She would have been just a few days passed her 15th birthday at the time of her marriage. Melvin Hall writes that in this part of our ancestors history we are especially interested in their lives as they were early members of the L.D.S. Church. They were the first to go west and they were persecuted and driven from one place after another until they finally settled in Manti, Utah. It is easy to see that Freeborn DeMIlle was closely associated with the beginning of the church. As the 5th child was born in Missouri in Jackson County in 1832, the next in Caldwell County in 1838 and the 7th born in Nauvoo in 1843. Joseph Knight had been a friend of Joseph Smith and he had given material assistance to the prophet. Joseph Knight was there with a group of close friends of the Prophet the day the church was organized. He kept a record of what took place that day. It is likely that Freeborn would have been there. There is no doubt that Freeborn DeMille and Anna Knight DeMille were familiar with all that took place in the beginning of the church. Freeborn DeMille was baptized the 30th of June 1830 and Anna Knight DeMille was baptized 6 Sept of that year. They were numbered with a total of 70 members in all of New York State in December 1830. The Colesville branch was the first organized branch of the church, it included all the Joseph Knight family. " In December 1830 Section 37 of the Doctrine and Covenants was given by the Prophet in which the Lord told him to visit and strengthen the church at Colesville and commanded the church members in New York to assemble in Ohio." "The latter part of January 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith, and his wife with Sidney Ridgon and Edward Partridge left New York for Kirtland, Ohio, with instruction from the Prophet that the members of the church in New York should follow in the spring." "In Freeborn DeMIlle's own written record, he states that on 21 April, 1831 he with his wife and family, the oldest being eleven years old and the youngest thirteen months, left Colesville for Ohio. They arrived in Thompson, Ohio on 16 May 1831." The Colesville branch included all the Joseph Knight family. Instructions had been made to settle at Thompson, Ohio about 10 miles east of Kirtland. Quotations above and some of the following account is taken from Loren Squires Family Genealogy published in 1960. "Arrangements had been made for them to settle on a tract of land owned by Leman Copley, a member of the church...work was began in good faith, however Copley broke the agreement and some trouble over it caused the Prophet to receive Section 54 of the Doctrine and Covenants early in June 1831. "As a result of this revelation the church at Thompson composed of the members of the Colesville branch made all possible haste to leave Ohio for Missouri." "Newel Knight was appointed leader of the group and under his leadership they made the entire journey from Thompson, Ohio to Missouri." In the record of Freeborn DeMIlle, he states that they left Thompson, Ohio June 28, 1831 and arrived at Independence, Jackson County Missouri on 25 July, 1831, in 27 days. The Colesville group was the first branch of the church of which Freeborn DeMille and Anna Knight DeMille were members. They were also the 1st to move west to Ohio and Missouri as a group. Also they were the first to move by River boat as I will relate. They were the first to start a school in Western Missouri, under the Prophets direction and were so honored 100 years later by the Missouri Historical Society placing a marker in Kansas City, Missouri in 1932. The information about the Colesville Saints being the first group to travel by river boat has been published by Conway Sonne in his new book. "Saints on the sea, 1830 to 1890" published 1983. He said, "At the war the Chiefton, discharged about 60 Mormon passengers, the first organized Company of Latter Day Saints to gather in the west. These emigrants were the Colesville branch of the Mormon Church from Broom County New York." The Captain said they were very well behaved. "They had come a long way, about 1200 miles, part of the Journey had been on water, a lakes loop from Buffalo, New York, to Fairport, Ohio and then the river trip aboard the steamboat." From the church section 1 March 1980 in an article by Arrington & Bitton,"We were told by teamsters that we were the most peacable and quite emigrants that had ever carried west: no profanity; no bad language,; no gambling; and no drinking." The Colesville branch did not settle in Independence, but Kaw Township a few miles west of Independence, in the Valley of the blue river. Just 8 days after their arrival, on 2 August, the Prophet Joseph Smith said, "I assisted the Colesville branch of the Church to lay the first log for a house, as a foundation of Zion in Kaw Township, 12 miles west of Independence." This was in between Independence and Kansas City, and is now covered by suburbs of Kansas City. The log was carried and placed by 12 men, in honor of the 12 tribes of Israel. At that time the land was consecrated and dedicated by Elder Sidney Rigdon for the gathering of the Saints. Freeborn was one of the 12 men to help carry the log. Freeborn recorded those 12 men and Lorin Squires said they did not have all the names and he gave them their names. (The church did not have all 12 names). There was a lot of early church history that took place in Kaw township. For our history the most important is the death of Polly Peck Knight on 6 August, 1831 (Anna Knight DeMille's mother) She was the first member of the church to die in Missouri. Then in a little over 1 year on 29 September ,1832 Freeborn and Anna Knight DeMille's 5th child was born there. Newel Knight continued to be branch president and leader of the Colesville Saints. They continued to live as a group. The Prophet Joseph Smith was so impressed with their unity that during a visit to Jackson County in 1832, he called the Colesville Saints together and sealed them up to eternal life. This account was given in the Church Sec. of the News, 1 March 1980 - Knight family aids gospel Restoration. The mobbing and persecutions became so bad that the Saints were forced to leave Jackson County. From Lorin Squires account I quote, "In Freeborn's own account he relates that on 1 December 1833 as winter was setting in they were driven from their home by mobs and out of Jackson County. They crossed the Missouri River to the north into Clay County where they took up their new homes. Here a little over two years later, in the spring of 1837, they were driven with the rest of the saints out of Clay County and went north-east to Far West in Caldwell County Missouri. Here on 12 January 1838 their 6th child, a son was born and given the name of Elias DeMIlle." "Freeborn states that in the spring of 1839 they, with the rest of the saints, were driven out of the State of Missouri. They crossed the State for about one hundred miles to the east, came to the Mississippi River, crossed that and settled in Quincy, Ill. on the bank of the Mississippi river. While here in Quincy, their oldest daughter, Mariah at the age of 21, on 22 April, 1841 was married to Daniel Buckley Funk. After coming to Utah this couple made their home in Sterling, Utah(six miles south of Manti) and raised a family of 9 children. Freeborn's record states that they left Quincy in 1842 and moved to Nauvoo, Ill. Here on 8 January 1843, their second daughter Orpha, at the age of 21 was married to Perry Davis and she died the same day. Here also in Nauvoo on 13 May 1843 the seventh child of Freeborn and Anna Knight DeMille wa born, names Lovina Esther DeMIlle." "On Thursday 25 Dec 1845 Christmas day Freeborn and his wife received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.(There was 107 endowments given that day) On January 27, 1846, they were sealed into the Nauvoo Temple." "Freeborn states in his record that they left Nauvoo for the west on 22 April, 1846, being again driven out of their home by mobs, they arrived in Mt Pisgah on 26 May 1846. Freeborn DeMille had injured his leg with a saw and was laid up for about five years while in Missouri. Most of the time they were in Mt. Pisgah he was laid up with fever sores." "Here in Mt Pisgah on 1 Oct 1848 , their third daughter Lora Ann DeMIlle married Samuel K. Gifford." They came to Utah and settled in Shonesburg and were the parents of 10 children. "In the spring of 1850 Freeborn and Anna left Mt. Pisgah for the valleys of the Great Salt Lake City. They arrived 17 Sept 1850, with the Capt, Warren Foot Company. After a short rest in Salt Lake, they left for Manti, Utah and arrived there 5 Nov 1850. Manti was their home for the rest of their lives, never again to be driven by mobs. Freeborn was just past 55 and his wife past 46. They had been driven from 5 different homes, they deserved a rest. So they lived, for Anna 28 years and Freeborn 31 years in Manti, Utah. On 31 Dec 1852, their fifth child, Adelia married John P. Squires Sen; Manti's first school teacher. They made their home in Manti and had a family of 8 children. On 13 May 1855 the oldest son Oliver at the age of 25 married Emily Almina Beal. She was 16. They had eleven children. He married a second wife Fidelia Winget 3 June 1865 in the Endowment house in Salt Lake City and they had 7 children. Oliver also married a 3rd wife, Rebecca Jane Allred 10 Oct 1865, and they had one child. On 11 Dec 1859 the youngest child, Lovina Esther DeMille, not quite 17 married John Alma Beal. They had eleven children. They lived in Manti and Glenwood and they moved to Shonesburg in 1875 or near then. Their youngest son Elias married Melvina Winget on 11 June 1863, he was 25 years old. They made their home in Manti and were the parents of 9 children. This makes a total of 66 grandchildren for Freeborn and Anna Knight DeMille. Freeborn was a member of the first High Council organized in Manti and was a member for many years after. Anna Knight DeMille died in Manti 22 July 1878 at the age of 74 and is buried in the Manti cemetary. Freeborn died in Manti 23 January 1881 and is buried in the Manti cemetery by the side of his wife Anna. If you read of the trials that took place in Church History or any accounts of the period from 1831 to 1850 and from 1850 to 1881 you will know that Freeborn and his family experienced them. they lost loved ones. Anna's mother Polly Peck Knight died in Missouri 6 Aug 1831. Then their daughter died in Nauvoo 8 January 1843. Then Anna's brother Newel Knight, who had been their leader died 11 Jan 1846 and her father Joseph Knight died about one month later, also other family members died also. Conditions did get better in Manti. We cannot comprehend the trials and hardships that our early ancestors went through. They had expected to make a permanent home in Missouri as the Prophet Joseph Smith had said this is the land of Zion where the Saints were to gather. In each place they had been planning to stay but were driven on. After reaching Manti they still endured many hardships and privations, famine, pestilence, Indian wars, the disadvantages of pioneer life, building roads and ditches, clearing land, building log and rock houses, fencing farms etc." With all of these problems to face, it certainly was a time of peace compared with the previous 19 years, 1831 to 1850. Even during this 30 year period, 1850 to 1880 they had two Indian wars, also the uncertain time in 1858 of not knowing whether they would have to leave the country and flee to Mexico to keep from being hounded by the U.S. Army. There is a thin line between this life and the next and I am sure that Freeborn DeMille and Anna Knight DeMille can look with joy upon the large number of their posterity who are active members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Each of us who is a descendant of them have traces of their characteristics in our blood stream, as well as the characteristics of all our other ancestors. Our lives are influenced by all these things as well as the environment past and present. We certainly can be proud of the decisions that Freeborn DeMIlle made in staying loyal to the church.