the life story of elijah hancock
TRANSCRIPT
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The Life Story of
Elijah Hancock
compiled by
Elizabeth A. Cook
Snow
Jan 2011
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The Life Story of Elijah Hancock
Elijah Hancock, son of Solomon Hancock and Phoebe
Adams was born on 13 April 1844, in Hancock County, Illinois, the
fourth of five children, Isaac Adams, Alta, Solomon Jr., Elijah and
Jacob. Solomon Hancock was called by the Prophet Joseph Smith
as a missionary with Simeon Carter, as found in the Doctrine and
Covenants, Section 52 verse 27. "And let my servants Solomon
Hancock and Simeon Carter also take their journey unto this same
land, and preach by the way."
Solomon went on three proscelyting missions for The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. During one of those
missions, his wife, Alta Adams Hancock died on 18 January 1835
from mob violence in Missouri and he had to come home to his
family. (Solomon and Alta had ten children, but only four lived to
adulthood.) In a few years Solomon was sent back to finish his
mission in Coldwater, Michigan. While serving he became
acquainted with Phoebe Adams, the niece of Alta his first wife,
who joined the church. Phoebe later became his second wife. She
left her home and loved ones and went with him. Her people were
so prejudice they threw rotten eggs at Solomon and Phoebe as they left and gave them an old blind mare
to ride out of the state on. One change of clothes tied up in a big handkerchief was all she had, but she
went any way and never saw any of them again.
Solomon and Phoebe arrived in Illinois after their marriage 28 June 1835 in Wayne, Wayne
County, Illinois, and she helped him care for his remaining four children. Phoebe had five children
making a total of 15 children in all for Solomon.
Just before their son Elijah was born, Solomon and Phoebe had an experience helping the
Prophet Joseph Smith. As told by their great-granddaughter Alta Irene Cloward O'Driscoll. "She told me
that when she was to give birth to her fifth [fourth] child, she had saved the money from her eggs for
eight months to buy the baby's clothes, and having five dollars and two dozen eggs she rode with her
husband, Solomon, thirty miles on a board over a wagon bed, happy to be on the way to town for a day
of shopping.
"When she arrived, she traded out her two dozen eggs, buying two yards of factory or
unbleached muslin. She brought out the cherished five dollars to spend when Solomon touched her
shoulders and said, 'Phebe, don't spend that five dollars. I am impressed that you must not spend it.'
"My great-grandmother, being just as human as you or I, left the store angry and her eyes filled
with tears. She and Solomon had driven twenty miles toward home without speaking when Joseph Smith
rode up out of a deep wash and said, 'Solomon, we are hungry.' My great-grandfather proudly handed
him the five dollars. Joseph Smith waved the bill over his head and said to those with him, 'Brethren, I
told you God would provide.'
Elijah Hancock
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"Great-grandmother
told Solomon she was sorry
and that she could manage with
two yards of muslin, and she
did."1
Solomon and Phoebe
had one daughter Alta Davis
and four sons Isaac Adams,
Solomon, Elijah and Jacob
Hancock. At present date July
28, 1927 they are all dead
except Elijah Hancock the
eleventh son of twelve sons. He
is 83 years old, born April 3,
1844. Elijah gives credit to his
mother, Phoebe, if he has ever done any good or amounted to anything.
Elijah's father, Solomon Hancock was the presiding Elder in Yelrome, Hancock County, Illinois,
when the local citizens were persecuting the people and driving them away from their homes. The mob
came to the Hancock house when Phoebe was sick and still recovering from child birth. Elijah, the baby,
was about 10 days old. The mobbers got on the house, tore the chimney off and pushed slabs and mud
down to make it burn faster. Solomon grabbed his gun, a Kentucky Rifle, set the trigger and moved his
wife, baby and other children out under a big elm tree. Then he returned to get what he could of their
clothes and bedding. When he saw the men on top of the house, he drew his gun ready to shoot and a
voice came. "Don't shoot Solomon. You know your gun goes off easy." So he pulled the gun down and
went over where his wife was. He felt so bad seeing his house burned down. The second time he lifted
his gun up and said, "I'll kill them men." The second time the voice came so strong, "Don't shed blood,
you know your gun goes off easy. Spare their lives. The promise is made that neither your children nor
your children's children will be in bondage." Then he laid his gun down and watched his house burn and
wept.
Solomon's desires were to get to Utah. He had his cattle yoked and started, but he died on the
way along the journey at Winter Quarters. Phoebe had to drive the oxen the remainder of the way with
five little children ages 2-11 years of age. They had seven sheep to drive along, one yoke of oxen and 2
cows which pulled the wagon. The family had many trials while traveling. The Indians were so bad they
had to watch out for them all the time, and stand guard at night. They would all milk their cows and then
divide the milk according to the size of the family. They had corn and ground it on a coffee mill and
made bread for every night and morning and then traveled all day. They had to watch for buffalo that
came through in herds because they would scare their cattle. Sometimes they would have to stop and
1 Leon R. Hartshorn. "Phoebe Adams Hancock- Don't Spend that Five Dollars", from the book Remarkable Stories from the
Lives of Latter-day Saint Women. Provo, Utah: Spring Creek Book Co, 2006, p43-44.
Burning of Morley Settlement
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turn the buffalo another way. They were traveling in the
Allen Taylor Company that departed Winter Quarters 5/6
July 1849 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on 10-20 Oct
1849.2 Redding Allred was captain over the tens and was
their captain. Traveling in this same company was Phoebe's
step-son George Washington Hancock, his wife Betsy and
their infant son Charles.
The people traveling along the trail heading to the
gold mines in California were in such a hurry and their
loads were too heavy. They would unload some of their
belongings and bury articles of all kinds along the
roadside. Elijah Hancock can remember finding all kinds
of articles that helped them very much. He found a big
heavy flat iron and his brother found a pocket knife. They
found chains they could use on their wagons and they
could leave their poles behind. They found clothing of all
kinds. Heber J. Grant's father Jedediah M. Grant would
take his knife and cut the best from old overalls, coats and
clothes of all kinds. Then he would tie them on the bow of
Wilford Woodruff's buggy where he was riding. Elijah's mother would get them and make clothing for
her children.3 When the company got to Salt Lake City, Elijah can remember the suit and cap she made
him out of these pieces and that was all the clothes he had all winter.
In 1851 Phoebe and her children moved to Payson. Elijah's older half-brother Charles B. was just
called to preside there. Phoebe, Elijah's mother, was a favorite among the Indians because she would
invite them in and give them food when they would come. Most of the time people would shut the door
and were afraid and would not give them anything to eat. The Indians were friendly to the Hancock's
because they were good to them. Elijah's mother gave the chief a shirt to be buried in (at that time who
was very sick) that belonged to her oldest son Isaac. So before the chief died, he made an oath and called
his family around. Isaac was the interpreter and the Indians all raised their hand to God and said they
would not kill any of Isaac's family. Isaac's mother Phoebe called her family and they all made an oath
they would not kill any of the chief's family. Then a short time after, in war time, their mother had to
plow the ground to plant a crop. The younger boys Elijah and Jacob were helping her. They heard the
Indians approaching, shooting arrows all around them and giving their war whoops. They stopped and
tried to hide in the brush. The Indians came closer and the boys heard an Indian saying loudly, "Issacie 2 The information about the company and the dates is from the Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail website at
http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompany/1,15797,4017-1-298,00.html. 3 The story about Jedediah Grant and Wilford Woodruff and the clothes was related in the history given by Lottie Wilkins
Fuller, however according to the Mormon Pioneer Overland Trail website and the list of people with the company that
included Phoebe Hancock and her family in 1849, neither Grant or Woodruff were included in that Company. Phoebe may
have used clothing that she found along the trail, to make make-shift clothing for her children, as she was a widow with very
little means.
Elijah as an older man
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Peage, [Isaac's Brother] and not kill them." They came and put their food down and they ate together.
They had war paint on and they meant to kill them, but they spared their lives because they remembered
and kept the oath. The Indians went a little farther to another
farm and killed a man, so the Hancock's felt their lives were
spared several times by the oath of that chief's family.
Phoebe always had a son ready for any call that was
made. Elijah was always willing and ready to do what his
mother wished him to do. He was almost always the one
called. He worked on the Salt Lake Temple one year,
helping to haul the rock.
In 1862 while in Payson, a call was made to go to the
Missouri River to meet the poor converts. Elijah was sent.
The train was delayed so he got a job breaking oxen to drive,
and got money enough to get clothes for every member of
the family. Homer Duncan was captain for the company that
year while on his way back. One night while they were
camping, their cattle got stampeded and ran and crossed the
Platt River. Elijah was one of the three that was sent to bring
them back. They had to swim the river about one mile wide
and fight wolves with a club, but they brought the cattle
back.
Elijah was called to go to Gunnison, Sevier County,
to fight the Indians and build a fort. He fought in the Black
Hawk War years 1865, 1866, 1867 and he now gets a pension
for it which he is glad to get. Here is one incident from those Black Hawk War years. A man named
Turnbridge was shot through the leg by the Indians. The men sounded the bugle to retreat. They all
began to run and did not notice the wounded man. Elijah and John Tanner saw Turnbridge and would
not leave him to die. They stayed while the Indians were shooting all around them. Turnbridge was shot
in the left leg and was bleeding very bad. Elijah took his handkerchief and tied around the bleeding leg.
He knew the importance of stopping blood, so he soon had it stopped. They tried several times before
they could get the injured man on a mule, as it would jump from under him when they went to throw
him on. They finally succeeded and the Indians stopped shooting at them. They watched them and
laughed as they could have easily killed all three of them.
A short time after peace was declared, Elijah got his leg cut very severely and blood poison set
in. He buried it in the mud. It drew the inflammation out and with his faith he was cured. Many times he
was cured when doctors and everyone had given him up to die. He was also working in the mountains
one time when a black-timber tarantula bit him. He got very sick, but his life was once again spared. He
was Brigham Young's body guard for about eight years along with many others.
On December 26, 1867, Elijah age 23, married Eliza Rudd, age 17 in the big Christmas dance.
liza was born December 18, 1848 at Harris Grove, Pottawattamie, Iowa, to parents Erastus Harper Rudd
Eliza Rudd and Elijah Hancock
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and Caroline Bradford. Together Elijah and Eliza had a family of eleven children, eight boys and three
girls. Their children were:
Erastus Elijah b. 16 May 1869, Payson, Utah, Utah
Franklin Lionel b. 9 Aug 1871, Payson, Utah, Utah
Jacob Alonzo b. 20 Jan 1874, Payson, Utah, Utah
Phoebe Caroline b. 6 Aug 1875, Long Valley, Kane, Utah
Alta Eliza b. 19 Feb 1879, Payson, Utah, Utah
George Hyrum b. 31 Jan 1881, Payson, Utah, Utah
Alvin Solomon b. 24 Feb 1883, Eden, Graham, Arizona
Charles Ira b. 6 Jul 1885, Eden, Graham, Arizona
Laura Jane b. 29 Feb 1890, Eden, Graham, Arizona
2 more sons, unnamed who died at birth or were stillborn, in Eden, Graham, Arizona
Elijah's wife Eliza, went through many hard trials of pioneer life after they settled in Eden,
Arizona. Here she took an active part in Church activities. She was President of the Young Ladies
M.I.A. for a number of years. This was just one of the offices she
held. She was a woman who was joyous and full of fun and ever
ready to do her part. She was ill for several years with sugar
diabetes. A few years before her death, she went back to Payson,
Utah. On May 10, 1895 she passed away and was buried in the
Payson City Cemetery.
Elijah was called by Brigham Young in the year 1876 to
build up the Arizona country. He was appointed captain when
Moses Curtis, Merlin Plumb, Lib Coons, George Killian, Billie
Ballard, Fred Myers and others came to Arizona. Then he and
Levi Curtis got food of all kinds for the people and they hauled
lumber for the big building to cross the Colorado River. While
traveling on this journey, the oxen all became very lame and sore
footed. A man named Johnson who lived just on the river told
them how to care for the oxen's feet so they would not have to
pay for shoeing them. They should take soft gum from the pinion
trees, tar and tallow and boil it. Then throw the oxen down and
clean out all the cracks in their feet.
Erastus H. Rudd and Caroline Bradford,
parents of Eliza Rudd Hancock
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Elijah’s mother-in-law Caroline Bradford did not want her daughter Eliza to go to Arizona. She
persuaded Eliza to beg Elijah not to go. However, he would not be dissuaded because he felt he was
called. It was the work of the Lord and he should go. After twenty-four days the company had only
traveled forty miles in the snow and cold weather. The Hancock’s had three young sons at this time.
They arrived in Long Valley, Kane, Utah where their first daughter Phoebe Caroline was born on
August 6, 1876. Then Elijah took the little family back to Payson and left them because his wife did not
want to go on. Elijah traveled on to Arizona and stayed there long enough to get settled and build a
house and farm. Then he went back and got his wife and children. Elijah said, "I have been cured of
cancer twice, the first time they were inwardly, and the best doctors in the city of Salt Lake said there
was no hopes, but I was healed through faith. The second one came on my face and Elizabeth Hanks
Curtis put cancer medicine on it and it is cured now. I am in fairly good health now and can work hard
yet. My desire has been to always do my share of work and everything I was called on to do in the
Church all my life. I have tried to do what was right and hope to remain faithful unto the end."4
4 "Quote by Elijah from the book "The Life and Ancestry of Erastus Elijah Hancock", by Spencer J. Palmer.
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Elijah died at the age of 85, on 27 November 1929 in Eden, Graham, Arizona. He was buried there in
the Eden Cemetery two days later on 29 November 1929.
This history was edited and retyped by Elizabeth A. Snow, Mapleton Utah in Nov 2010.
Sources:
“The Life Story of Elijah Hancock” by Lottie Wilkins Fuller, written before 1929, unpublished.
“The Life and Ancestry of Erastus Elijah Hancock” by Spencer J. Palmer
Leon R. Hartshorn. "Phoebe Adams Hancock- Don't Spend that Five Dollars", from the book Remarkable Stories
from the Lives of Latter-day Saint Women. Provo, Utah: Spring Creek Book Co, 2006.
Picture of Morley’s Settlement taken from- Mob Burning Morley’s Settlement, Painting by C.C.A. Christensen,
commissioned by Charles B. Hancock. “the 1845 Burning of Morley’s Settlement and Murder of Edmund
Durfee” by William G. Hartley, August, 1997.
Elijah Hancock tombstone_Eden Arizona Cemetery
Eliza Rudd Hancock Tombstone_Payson cemetery