Missouri Period

By this time 1838, Hiram's boys of the ages: Hiram Miles was 17, Lysander was 11, Moses Bundy was 7, William Wallace was 6, Moroni was 4.

As recorded in "the Family Record of Hiram and Permelia Bundy Dayton"

Then we settled in Daviess County Missouri. We bought out the settlers there. I turned over my part, one pair of good horses, one new wagon and one set of new harnesses, worth in all $600. We were driven from Daviess County in 1838, losing everything.

We then went to Far West, Mo. where we suffered considerably. When we were forced to leave here by order of the mob. I was sick and also my family of ten, except one daughter. I had to leave my three children in the hands of the mob. It was in February and extremely cold weather. I drove the distance of thirty miles when I stopped to bait my team. Three of my children begged me to throw them out of the wagon to die, for they would soon freeze to death. Next day I could not stand to think of my children in the hands of the mob, so I drove back for them. The army numbering 14,00 was at that time in Far West. They had destroyed all they stock they could get hold of, and even took the hogs out of their pens. Before leaving Far West we had just completed a horse mill, and I had soy corn in a field. While gathering the corn from the field, two men were killed by the mobbers, and I had to flee for my life. (My son Lysander gathered the corn.) I shelled out two bushels and put one of my horses on the mill and ground it out in the night. There being nothing to eat in Far West, we hid hogs about the mill. I being so sick and not being able to do anything myself, and the soldiers still being there, I asked one of them to shoot a hog for me. He said he would shoot it for a bit. (12 1/2 c) I had no money, not even a bit, and while pleading with him to kill the hog, I saw one of the Brethren coming toward us. I asked him if he had a bit to let me have. He gave me all the money he had which was 25c. The soldier shot the pig but did not kill it. I wanted him to shoot it again but he would not do it unless I paid him another bit, which I did.

He then shot and killed the pig. I then asked him if he would please help me get the hog in my wagon, and he utterly refused to help me. I was not able to lif t fifty pounds. My son Lysander drove my team into a deep hollow, got a couple of poles and put them in the back of the wagon. We then snoked the hog to them and rolled it in on them. We had cleaned the hog before putting it in the wagon. I then started back to Far West, crossed the river whore my children were. Two of them were sick and I had nothing to give them but some frozen corn bread. Having arrived at Far West, I got into a house of Sister Rigdons. Her husband, some of the Twelve and the Prophet was then in Liberty Jail. This was the first time my wife had been in a house for ten months. She was therefore very feeble, having been confined two months previous to our coming back to Far West. We stayed with the Rigdons about ten days. I then rented a small house of one of the Brethren. We stayed there for two weeks and then had to give possesion to the owner. Some few days after this a merchant heard my conversation with several friends and the owner of the house I had just left. I was talking about what I should do. He, the merchant proposed giving myself and team and labor, to freight merchandise for him and some of his friends. He said the Missourians would get drunk and steal his goods. He had a log cabin and stable one and a half miles from the city, which he said we could occupy. I loaded up what things I could take and moved out there. One of my daughters (Nancy) the one who had been well all through my sickness, rode horseback without saddle or blanket. She caught a violent cold while going out there, and took sick in a few days and lived about two weeks and died. I took her body down to the City to bury her.. The ground was frozen very deep. I was very feeble and not being able to dig her grave. I asked several bystanders to assist me, but I could not get them to help me at all. I then borrowed some tools and went to the graveyard when a negro came to me and said, "Massah, I will dig the grave and bury your daughter."

At that time we were destitute of food and clothing. My son Lysander drove the team, freighting for the merchant. He worked for him seven weeks and earned about $30. per week. I began to feel a little better in health. I felt as though I could do pretty well. On the eighth week I took one of my horses to haul up some wood to the door. I hitched on to a stick about thirty feet long. I got bound between two stumps. I took hold of the top end to raise it up when I fell as quick as though I had been shot. My wife and daughter was standing in the door and came to pick me up. I was about eight rods from the house. They helped me along, about half of the way I fell again. They lifted me up and carried me in the house and laid me upon the bed. I was bedfast for eleven weeks racked in most violent pain, the doctor called the disease "Theatic Rheumatism" in the kidneys. It finally broke and discharged, and I felt a little better. My eldest son Lysander and the team made out enough to keep the family up, until the first of April 1839, we then all had to leave Missouri or be exterminated. Four days previous to our time of starting, one of my neighbors came to me and said he wanted to have my son and team work for him one day. I had a very fine mare. He had tried very often to buy from me. My son performed the labor and turned the horses into a very strong yard. In the morning the mare was gone. My son hunted for her and of I hired a man to help him, three days, and she could not be found. We had I to leave and I was then amongst strangers, thirty miles from Far West. I then took an old horse that had followed me from Far West and harnessed We him up with my good horse. I chained the good horse back so he would have all the load to pull, the old horse coming along just to hold up his side of the tongue. A portion of the family being able to walk we traveled eight miles the first day. The boys nursed the old horse up the best they could. He improved so that in a few days he could pull his portion of the load."