Lucy Nutting

LUCY NUTTING FERGUSON. There is very little written about the women in the scriptures or even history, and yet they play a very important roll....in fact without them none of us would be here, would we? You remember Irvin gave a very interesting history on Grandfather Ferguson at one of our meetings, but just to refresh your memory, James Ferguson was an Adjutant General in the Nauvoo Legion, a Sgt. Major and historian in the Mormon Battalion, he was leading man in the Salt Lake Theater, editor of the Mountaineer paper, he served a 2 year mission to Britain, was Brigham Young's body guard and Attorney General, he was married 4 times had 13 children and get this....died when he was 35 yrs. old. Now Lucy Nutting, the wife we are interested in was Grandma Fox's mother. She was born in 1825 in Hatfield, Mass. She joined the Church, and according to family tradition she was the only member of her family that did join the church, and was ostracized from her family because of it. Irvin couldn't find anything about her before 1846 when Orson Pratt, who was then President of the Eastern States Mission, advised the saints in that area to follow Samuel Brannan, a 27 year old printer and a prominent church man, and take a ship to California (then in Mexican Territory.) After enormous difficulties, Brannon was able to charter the ship "Brooklyn" for his proposed voyage. The "Brooklyn" was a sailing boat of 450 tons and required a substantial expenditure to overhaul her and convert the "old hull" into a passenger carrier for 238 saints, which was described as a "problem of no mean proportion." The old tub was loaded with everything from saw mills to encyclopedias, including seeds, chickens, pigs, farm equipment, tools, printing press, guns and ammunition. On Feb 4, 1846 the "Brooklyn" hauled anchor and put to sea with 238 saints.... 70 men, 68 women and 100 children, including grandmother Lucy Nutting. It also had a substantial cargo for the Sandwich Islands, which later became Hawaii. The fare from New York City to Yerba Buena (now San Francisco) was $50.00 for each adult plus $25. for food, the children went for half fare. The date of Feb 4, 1846 by coincidence was the same day the Saints under Brigham Young crossed the Mississippi ice and plunged into the unknown west. The lower deck and a portion of the evil smelling hold of the "Brooklyn" had been converted into tiny cabins and bunks, with one large room for religious services, socials and a mess hall. There was lack of room below deck, only a dwarf could stand erect, and strict rules of conduct were set up. In less than a week a howling gale descended on them, and after four days of terror it finally subsided. The wintry days gradually grew warm and comfortable as they approached the equator. The south trade winds kept them on their way until April when it again turned cold, and they finally reached Cape Horn, that graveyard of ships, and were able to pass through. As they were heading north an offshore gale broke its fury on them again, and they had to give up trying to land at Valparaiso, Chile, where they had intended to replenish their water, food and fuel supplies. They were, however, able to land later at San Fernandez (this was the island which was the setting for Robinson Crusoe.) They found a lush and verdant island with pigs and goats running wild and old fruit trees loaded with the surest antidote for scurvy now rampant among the pilgrims. They stayed five days on the island. They filled the ship's casks with fine drinking water, replenished the fire wood, and barrels of food were packed and salted. After the five days the little ship struck boldly out across the trackless Pacific and good weather held almost to the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii). The little company had suffered ten deaths in the storms and sicknesses, and two babies had been born, For thirty days they had sailed west by north. Then suddenly the wind died, and they became becalmed on a glassy tropic sea. This lasted a week and was a grievous experience for the Saints, who had already suffered in cramped quarters for some months. The first breeze brought a joyous shout. A week later (136 days from New York) they reached Honolulu harbor where they were to discharge 500 barrels of freight and take on water, supplies and fuel again. They saw a number of U. S. warships in Honolulu harbor and found out for the first time that the U.S. and Mexico were at war. Brannon thought (and hoped) that he might be able to take Yerba Buena for the U. S. with his company of men, guns, and ammunition. The trip to Yerba Buena or San Francisco, took 162 days from New York and they entered the Golden Gate with some trepidation, expecting action from a Mexican garrison. Instead they found the Stars and Stripes flying. The sloop 'Portsmouth' had taken the town and garrison, just a few days before. There would be no fighting, but they were the first California settlers under the American flag. They filled the old 'Brooklyn' with timber as part of the transportation costs and planted 145 acres of barley. The rest of the story of Samuel Brannon's party is not relevant to this little article. The Mormon Battalion had reached San Diego on Jan 29, 1847 after a march of some 1400 miles and was discharged 6 months later. One group re-enlisted for six months. Another group escorted General Kearney to Fort Leavenworth and then went to Council Bluffs to join their families. Another group headed for north central California as instructed by Church officials. James Ferguson went to Yerba Buena, contacted the saints of the Brannon party, met Lucy Nutting and married her. Irvin couldn't find the exact date but a letter dated the 3rd of April 1848 said they were married then. A group of the Battalion boys planned to start en masse for Salt Lake City and left the Sacramento-Sutter's Mill area in July 1848 and arrived in Salt Lake three months later. The company leaving the area numbered about 37 individuals, 16 wagons, and two small Russian cannons. They subsequently obtained about 150 head of horses and mules (for packing freight) and about the same number of horned stock. They pioneered and built a road over the Sierra Nevada range about which Tyler (the historian ways) and I quote... "They had no guide, nor as far as known, had the foot of white man ever trod upon the ground over which they were then constructing, what subsequently proved to be a great national highway for the overland travel." It connected with the then existing immigrant road near the Truckee River. According to family tradition the Fergusons rode horses from California to Salt Lake City. Lucy was four months pregnant when they arrived. Imagine riding a horse for that long and pregnant to boot. In Salt Lake City grandmother Ferguson started a rather hectic existence as the wife of a sheriff, actor, missionary, lawyer and Attorney General, editor and soldier. But she was a devoted mother to 5 children. She was a stalwart church member and strongly opposed polygamy. After her husband died at age 35, she moved with her family to Lehi and she died at age 69 and is buried beside her husband in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.