Person:Levi Hancock (1)

Email from Kerry Petersen, 10 Aug 2002

The following transcription is the biography of the first wife of Levi Hancock who later married Emily Richey of the Richey family associated with the Adairs. It is a fascinating account. I especially like his keeping and bearing arms in the Missouri persecutions. I have always maintained that the right to bear arms is to protect us somewhat from the government more than anything. A democracy is truly a democracy when the citizens could protect themselves from a government gone astray and the government knows it. An armed citizenry is what the British did not like of course in the Rev. War. When the quasi-government-militia- mob tricked the Mormons into giving up there arms as a sign of goodwill towards the Government with an eye to no violence and for peace, it opened up the opportunity for the militia-mobs to do their worst violence starting that night until the Governor could eventually issue a proclamation permitting Mormons to legally be shot. The fearless mountain man Orrin Porter Rockwell recounts giving up his arms and being so terrified that night that he actually wetted himself. It turned his life around and he learned his lesson well as history later recounts. He never was without a gun thereafter. The quote:

The book "Five Hundred Wagons Stood Still - Mormon Battalion Wives, by Shirley N. Maynes, 1999, p. 227:

"Clarissa Reed was born on Dec. 18, 1814 at Acworth, Cheshire County, New Hampshire to John Reed and Rebecca Bearce. Levi Ward Hancock met Clarissa when she was working in the home of the Prophet Joseph Smith. They were married on March 29, 1833 in Kirtland, Lake County, Ohio. Soon after their marriage, Levi moved with his father and family to Kirtland.

Clarissa and Levi lived with his father's family for a period of time and Levi became one of the workers on the Kirland Temple. He related: 'He was one of the men assigned to guard the Temple walls for some men had threatened to tear them down and at times the conditions grew tense.' Levi was called and ordained as one of the seven presidents of the First Quorum of the Seventy when it was organized on Feb. 28, 1835 at Kirtland.

Levi and Zebedee Coltrin left as missionaries to serve in the Indian mission. They met with great success baptizing over one hundrde converts. In one of Levi's sermons, he related: 'His father had fought in the Revolutionary War and that his relative, John Hancock, was the first signer of the Declaraton of Independence.' After the meeting was over, Levi and Zebedee 'went to the water and baptized seventeen out of the crowd who the day before were going to mob them.' The two Elders then went on to Missouri where Joseph Smith and his company of Saints were living.

After completing his mission and on his way home, Levi bought himself a pony and arrived at his father's house in Nov. of 1835. Levi was happy to see Clarissa and his son again. Clarissa gave birth to three children in Kirtland: Mosiah Lyman born on April 9, 1834, Sariah born June 5, 1835, and who died the next day, and Amy Elizabeth born May 14, 1836. Clarissa was a good manager and saw to it that she and Levi stayed out of debt. Levi recorded in his journal: 'My wife managed to get along with the baby without running me in to debt. Some men have to pay many dollars for thier wives debts. I feel thankful for this and loved her dearly.'

At Kirtland they moved to a place in the woods that was owned by Levi. Later, they bought a city lot in Kirtland and Levi built a frame house for his family, but they lived there for only a short time. The son of Levi and Clarissa, Mosiah Lyman Hancock, wrote in his journal: 'Our house was on a hill in Kirtland; it had two rooms. The room on the east was used as a kitchen. It was about 20 by 12 feet. The front room had a cone roof about one-fourth pitch. It had a door that opened to the south, and often my mother would tell me to look and see if the sun shone vertical in the door and if so, it was time to set Father's dinner. Mother used the front room as a parlor, and a room to quilt and spin in. Often Grandmother Reed would be there, also mother's sisters, Rebecca and Laura. What joyful times they had carding and spinning.'

By Aug. of 1836, Levi and Clarissa sold their house, made a wagon of wood and started with their two children for Missouri. While traveling, the Hancocks visited with Clarissa's father and mother. The Hancocks also stopped in Illinois for two weeks and laid a floor for a man in order to obtain additonal money for their journey. Their next stop was in Caldwell County, Missouri. Here, Levi built a house of logs sixteen feet square. He also constructed a small shop nearby for his carpentry and cabinet making business. He immediately fenced in four acres and planted corn. Levi also purchased ten acres of land in the city of Far West. He partly paid for a city lot near the Temple block site at Far West. With the careful management by Clarissa, they soon had sixty acres of land besides their city lot. They had cows, hogs, horses, sheep and hens. They were happy in their home.

Their farm provided them with a surplus of food. Levi said that when he got weary, he would take his baby and little boy on his lap and sing to them. This was his original song: 'Here far in the realm of Missouri I'll sit and sing and tell a story How many trials I have passed over Before I found this dwelling in peace. O' here, here beside the fire I have my sweet babe and little Mosiah And here is mother: I'll set me down beside her And sing I've found a dwelling of peace.' The verses go on, but they told a story of a happy family living together, in a snug, warm home with plenty to eat, surrounded in an environment of peace and contentment.

The Hancock family attended the Fouth of July celebration at the Far West Temple site. The Prophet Joseph Smith had asked Levi to compose a song. He worked on it much in the night and had it ready for the occasion. Solomon Hancock, a brother to Levi, helped Levi sing the song. It was entitled 'Song of Freedom.' The two performed on the southeast cornerstone of the site of the Far West Temple. Levi, Clarissa and family lived for three years near Far West, Missouri.

On April 16, 1838, Clarissa gave birth to a boy whom she named Francis Marion. Their time of contentment soon came to an end. Governor Boggs and his militia were determined to drive the Mormons from their state. Their efforts proved successful and in 1839, the Saints left Missouri when Bogg's 'extermination order' went into effect. Mosiah Lyman related in his journal: 'The night before the surrender, mother had run 250 bullets for Father's musket. Father and his brothers and few others did not give up their weapons. There were sixteen guns that were not surrendered. The owners, taking their sixteen guns into the thicket, caused more consternation against the mob than all the mobbers' guns caused against the Saints. It is a fact which should be remembered; the Hancock brothers, Levi, Joseph, and Solomon, with their guns, guarded and fed 600 men, women,and children while camped in the woods after they had been driven from their homes. They were waiting for an opportunity to get away. I saw the Prophet marched away, and I say, oh, the scenes I witnessed. I do not think people would believe me, so I will forbear.' One day about twenty women met in the home of the mother of Prophet Joseph Smith. One of the women asked: 'Now that the mob has taken our guns, what shall we do?' Clarissa spoke up and replied: 'We can do as the Carthage women did when the Romans tood the arms off their husbands, we can pull the hair out of our heads so the men folks can make bowstrings.'

The Hancocks were part of the great exodus of Saints to leave. Mosiah Lyman recorded in his journal: 'One day a deputation of men came to our place and 'generously' gave father three days to get away, which pleased us very much, for we certainly had no desire to stay.' Levi soon had a cart rigged up that he filled with corn and the family left Missouri. Mosiah Lyman's journal again related: 'The snow was deep enough to take me to the middle of the thigh, and I was barefooted and in my shirt tail. Mother had made me two shirts in Kirtland, and the shirt I had on stuck to me, or rather, I stuck to the shirt. We had old Tom hitched to the cart, and Father drove the horse and carried the rifle on his shoulder. Mother followed the cart carrying my little brother Francis Marion in her arms. I tried to follow in her tracks. We finally stopped to rest and get something to eat, but Mother said she could not stand it much langer. She cried, and Father said: 'Cheer up, Clarissa, for I prophesy in the name of the lord Jesus Christ you shall have a pair of shoes delivered to you before long, in a remarkable manner.' After we had made our fire and eaten of our roasted corn on the cob, Mother reached down on the side to get her old shoes and held up a new pair. Father answered, 'Clarissa, did I not tell you that God would provide you a pair in a remakable manner?' That night they made their bed on the ground covered with leaves and a blanket over the leaves. They used whatever clothing they had available to place over them.

The family gathered elmbark to eat with their corn on the cob. Elmbark and buds helped the Hancocks survive until they came to the Mississippi River. They camped that night by the Mississippi River because they didn't know how they would cross it. The found some herbs growing on strings, which turned out to be wild potatoes. They were good roasted or raw. The next morning the river was frozen over with ice. It was slick and clear. That morning the Hancocks crossed over to Quincy, Illinois. The family did not stay in Quincy, for there were so many poor Mormons there. Clarissa said she wanted to get where she could have a home of her own, even if they had to camp under a tree for awhile.'

They left Quincy on Feb. 9, 1839 and arrived at Commerce on the 11th. Levi was able to purchase thirty acres of timberland and forty acres of farming land. The timberland was about two miles below Nauvoo, on the bank of the river; the farm and meadowland was four miles from Nauvoo, a little south of the road to Carthage. Their city lot was two blocks from the Prophet Joseph's home, and they camped under cherry and hickory trees on the lot. They always had fruit and nuts from the trees while they lived in Nauvoo. Levi went back to his old farm in Missouri and brought back some peach and plum trees and planted them on his lot. The family had plenty of fruit until they left Nauvoo.

Before leaving Nauvoo, Levi traded his dry wood on his ten acres of land for a nice yoke of two-year old steers. Another man traded his yoke of oxen and covered wagon for the right to farm Levi's land. Levi was determined to return to his property with an army sufficient to protect him and his rights. The mob burned their home and everything in it. Clarissa was trying to get out her featherbed, but was unable to. A friend of the family gave them corn, frying pans and bake kettles. They ground up twenty pounds of corn for their journey to Iowa. Before leaving, the family said goodbye to their friends in Nauvoo, Levi and Clarissa received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple on Dec. l2, 1845, and they were sealed to each other Jan. 16, 1846.

They had two more children while living in Nauvoo: John Reed was born April 1841 and Levison born June 9, 1845. Levison died in 1848, at the age of three. Mosiah Lyman was twelve years old when he wrote about their travels. He related: 'We went back to Sugar Creek, where my father, George Myers, Andrew Little and myself were detained to make wagons for the poor. So it was quite late when we left. Besides we had rain every day while there. Oh, the storms. When we did get ready to start, father would take us on one day's travel; then the next day he would go back and get Grandmother Reed and Uncle Levi and Uncle Ira. And father would bring them all up so we would all be together at night. Thus, father traveled, and kept the two families along by traveling the road over three times until we caught up with the Pioneers at Counsel Point. We got there just in time for Presidents Young, Kimball, and Richards, to come and choose father to go and spiritually preside over the Mormon Battalion.' [Kerry's note: Levi was the only General Authority in the Battalion.] Levi also became a Fifer in Company 'E' under the command of Captain Daniel Davis. Levi felt that 'his experience in the Mromon Battlaion caused him joy, sadness, many hardships, difficulties with some of his brethren, and much valuable training for his future life.'

On Aug. 10, 1846, Clarissa and children moved to Indian Mills, Iowa. Indian Mills was a short distance from Garden Grove, Iowa. The family was able to acquire some rooms on the bank of the big Mosquito Creek. They were close to water, timber and an abundance of fish in the stream. In the fall, Clarissa bought ten tons of hay by sewing for a 'half-breed' by the name of Alex Miller. They also had berries and gathered many nuts.

Her children attended church meetings and school. Dishonest men cheated Clarissa out of her steers and tools. One time, she had to send Mosiah Lyman to retrieve their stolen cow. On Feb. 28, 1847, Clarissa gave birth to a son whom she named Levi. During Levi's Mormon Battalion enlistment, he kept a journal. At one time, Levi wrote Clarissa a letter telling her that he was sending his journal back with Howard Egan and John D. Lee. He instructed her to keep this journal in a safe place until he could return to her.'

After his discharge in July of 1847, Levi Hancock, the presiding Chruch Elder in the area, led a large group of the ex-battalion back to Salt Lake Valley. The two captains of hundreds were Andrew Lyttle and James Pace. On Oct. 16 and 18, 1847, the two companies arrived in the Valley. The James Pace Company came in first. Levi remained in Salt Lake until the next spring. He obtained a room at the fort for his family and pruchased some land in Warm Springs, just north of the fort. He received word that Clarissa would be leaving for the Valley in the spring of 1848.

During the winter of 1847-48, Clarissa sent Mosiah Lyman to Winter Quarters to call on Brigham Young to find out if she and the children could go to the Salt Lake Valley. President told her she could go and provided her with two teams. Clarissa and children left Iowa with twenty-seven bushels of cornmeal, fourteen pounds of flour, two pigs, a dog and a cat. Levi and Ira Reed, her brothers, went with her. Levi and Ira drove one team and Mosiah Lyman drove the other one. When Mosiah Lyman went out hunting for food, Clarissa would drive the team. The family all walked because their wagons were heavily loaded. They left Indian Mills on May 14, 1848, and traveled to Winter Quarters where they left on May 18th. They journeyed to the Elk Horn river and their wagons joined the Zera Pulsipher's company of fifty. Along the way the men killed antelope and buffalo. It took seven yoke of oxen to bring their slaughterd buffalo to camp. The men also caught catfish.

When the company reached Cache Cave, they met Levi and Brother David Pettigrew. Levi returned with Clarissa and family to the Valley. While they were going down East Canyon Creek, Clarissa's foot got caught in between the box and wagon tongue. As a result she broke one of her toes at the upper joint. The skin was not broken, so Levi anointed her foot and administered to her and the toe healed quite soon. They continued on to the mouth of Emigration Canyon, when one of their wagon wheels broke. Levi repaired it with some of his carpenter tools.

When they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Aug. 3, 1848, the family drove into the old fort and stayed in a small room on the westside of the north gate. They turned their teams out near the Warm Springs. They began to make adobes for a house at Spring Creek. They soon made a dam and had a pond where they put up a wheel; then attached some machinery and ran a turning lathe so they could make bedsteads, chairs, tables, cupboards and other funiture. The children had very little to eat because Levi was constantly feeding his ex-battalion comrades. Their bushels of cornmeal soon diminished and by Christmas of 1848, the children were given two spoonfuls of mush at each meal. Mosiah Lyman and Francis Mariaon planted about five bushell of wheat on their property. When the harvest time came, Clarissa decided to help her sons harvest the wheat. Mosiah Lyman said: 'Mother if you come into the field, I will not stay.' He felt that his mother shoud not have to work in the field. Clarissa: 'Mosiah, can't I stay and cook for you?' Mosiah replied that she could. But when a procession of workers was being formed, there was his mother and young brother John ready with a rake. Because the family worked together, they were able to stack their wheat at their home berfore the snow fell. The family had many suppers of boiled wheat and milk.

On Sept. 24, 1849, Clarissa gave birth to a boy she named Joseph Smith. Five years later, she obtained a divorce from Levi and married Thomas Jones White on April 11, 1854. Levi had married another woman and was called to go to Sanpete County to help in settling the area. Clarissa did not go with him. The Whites remained in Salt Lake and Clarissa gave birth to three children. Not long after the birth of her third child, Clarissa Reed Hancock White died Jan. 17, 1860, in Salt Lake and is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake County, Utah.

Levi Ward Hancock, Sr., a son of Thomas Hancock and Amy Ward, was born April 7, 1803 in Old Springfield, Massachusetts. Levi died on June 10, 1882 and is buried in the the Washington City Cemetery, Washington County, Utah. Thomas Jones White was born Jan. 17, 1823 in Dorstone, Herefordshire, England. His parents were Christopher White and Catherine Jones. Thomas died on July 17, 1885 and is buried in Plano Cemetery, Madison County, Idaho. [Kerry's note: A list of children with birthdates and places are in the article but omitted by me in this transcription.] Information obtained from:

1. The Levi Ward Hancock Journal -- compiled by Clara E. H. Lloyd, great granddaughter -- Special Collections, Utah State University, Merrill Library, Logan, Utah. 2. Levi Ward Hancock's journal is on file witht he LDS Church Historical Department, SLC, Utah, no. MS1395, and microfilm copy. 3. Church History in the Fullness of Time, Religion 3341, 343, prepared by the Church Educational System, p. 105, pp. 104-105. 4. Chronicles of Courage by Kate Carter, Daughters of Utah Pioneers, vol. 6, pp. 185-238 -- Journal of Mosiah Lyman Hancock, compiled by Naomi Melville Cottam. 5. Pioneer Soldier -- Political and Religious Leader of Early Utah by Dennis Clegg - Found at the LDS Church Historical Dept., SLC, Utah. 6. A Concise History of the Mormon Battalionin the Mexican War, 1846-48, by Sft. Daniel Tyler. 7. Family Group Sheets, LDS Family History Library, SLC, Utah."