William Field is listed in the Prominent Men of Utah, and his picture is on mircofilm at the LDS Family History Center in Gresham, Oregon where initial research was done. He came to Utah October 11, 1862, according to this record, and there are no references to an American location other than Utah.
However, January 2003 we received a copy of the "Story of the life of William Field and Charlotte Bult" from a descendant, Rick Field, which indicates that the Field and Bult families both emigrated to America from England. The Fields went first to Nauvoo, Illinois, then to Iowa, and then on to Utah, arriving there in late October 1852 (some 10 years earlier than the LDS Family History records). The emigration of the Field family to America occured sometime between their conversion in 1840 and William Field Sr.s' death in Illinois in 1845, according to this biography. Thus, William Field Jr. was only a small boy when his father died in Illinois. He did not emigrate overland to Utah until after his mother, Mary Harding, had remarried a man named Elzy Enzlow, and was widowed again while in Burlington, Iowa. They were some of the hand-cart emigrants to Utah in 1852 with the Warren Snow company, arriving very late after an arduous trek.
WILLIAM FIELD JR.WILLIAM FIELD JR.
Life Story
William Field Jr. was born 19 January 1835 at Stanley Hill,
Herdfordshire, England. He was the fifth child and second son, born to William
Field Sr. and Mary Harding. His parents were first cousins. Three more
daughters were added to the family but the last one, Harriet died in infancy.
William's father made his living as a shoe maker and his mother was
skilled in the art of making gloves. It was a poor living. When William was
but a child, the Mormon Missionaries arrived in Stanley Hill. William¹s
brother James states that he, his parents and three oldest sisters were
baptized in 1842. There is a possibly that the parents were baptized earlier,
because it took them probably longer than two years to save for the trip to
America.
We are viewing events, here, through the eyes of a seven year old.
Most of the family's friends had already left for America.Those that were left
came to their home for meetings and William's father took charge. There must
have been some unfriendliness from the non-Mormons because baptisms were
performed at night. The people would then come back to the house for
confirmations.
Two years later, William traveled with his family to Liverpool. He had
to leave all of his toys and other possessions behind and could only bring a
minimum of clothing, because his parents didn't have enough money to pay for
their household goods to be shipped. They boarded a big ship with the word
³Glascow² painted on it's prow. The living conditions aboard ship were crowded
and smelly. They were in the bottom of the ship, people were sick and
sanitation was very poor. Babies cried and sometimes people died, and their
bodies were dropped overboard. After a long time with nothing but water to
see, land was sighted. It was several more days before the ship docked at New
Orleans. William saw strange sights which included a lot of black skinned
people. It was very warm and there were trees and flowers which William had
never seen before. The family traveled to the largest river William had ever
seen. It was called the Mississippi.
William and his family boarded a different boat. It was smaller and it
bad an enormous paddlewheel which powered the boat. With the curiosity of a 8
year old William probably explored as much of it as he could.
They could usually see the shore and that was much more interesting
than being able to see nothing but water. When they arrived at Nauvoo, they
were met at the dock by an old friend from England. Mr. John Chees took them
to his home and provided for them until Williams parents could get their own
place. William was now old enough to be baptized and this ordinance was
performed by Brother Chees.
They had not been there long when William's father became very ill
from sunstroke. Shortly after that the Prophet Joseph Smith and brother were
murdered. William stood by the side of the road with his mother and brothers
and sisters while the wagons bearing the dead bodies passed by. He also
attended the viewing and the public burial.
Life could not have been easy for young William. The family was very
poor. The next year, they experienced great sorrow. On a Friday, in Sep. 1845
William's aunt died. The following Sunday, the oldest Sister, Eliza died at 8
O¹clock in the morning. By 2:00 P.M. William's father had died and three days
later the next oldest sister, Rachel, died. No reason has been given for these
multiple deaths. Four months later William's mother gave birth to a boy named
Joseph Henry. Mobsters were in the town burning homes and forcing people to
leave. Many of the people the Fields knew, left Nauvoo that year. The Fields
had to stay. Terror and hunger were their companions that year and the next.
In the spring of 1846, there was a brief battle between the remaining
Mormon's and those who would oust them from Nauvoo. James may have been one of
the defenders. The defenders soon ran out of ammunition and were forced to let
the aggressors into the city. They were also forced to lay down their arms.
Later in the year the mobsters showed up at the Field home. They pointed a gun
at James and told him that they would shoot him if the family was still there
in 20 minutes. They were renting a house from a Mr. Kimball and they ran to
his house. He loaned them a wagon and the family made haste to get to the
river before the mob could make good it's threat.
Sister Mary had been tending the Kimball baby and she had met a Mrs.
Holdridge who lived across the river in Burlington, Iowa. Mrs. Holdridge
offered to give Mary a home with her until the family could sort out their
problems.
William was now 11 and may have been sitting on the drivers seat while
James drove the team towards the river. His mother, baby Joseph, and sisters,
Elizabeth and Sarah were in the wagon when they were stopped at a Mobster
checkpoint. The men searched the wagon. They found nothing worth stealing.
William and the others watched in terror as one of the men put his gun on
James¹s shoulder with the barren pointing forward and pulled the trigger.
James received powder burns all over his head. William may have had to help
him to drive the rest of the way to the river.
They were ferried across the river to the Iowa side, lo a camp called
"Montrose². There was no shelter. The only food was corn meal which was
rationed. The family received 1 pint a day to feed 6 people. A crude shelter
was erected for the sick and the dying. It rained almost every day while they
were there and even those beneath the awning got wet.
Eventually, the corn meal was all gone and there was nothing to eat.
It was possible to see the mobsters moving about on the other side of the
river looting homes and gardens, while the Saints starved. The two boys went
looking for food, but found nothing. Then they came upon some quail. They
looked about for a stick with with which to stun them. Finding nothing, they
decided to try to catch them. This they did very easily, until they had enough
to feed the family that day. The rest of the quail flew away. This miracle was
repeated every day, while the Saints remained at this camp. If they managed to
catch more than they could eat, the meat would spoil. Only on Saturdays could
they catch enough to last two days and there would be no spoilage.
The weather was turning cold and some place had to be found where
there was shelter. The boys earned money chopping wood and were able to move
the family farther up river where there were some log huts without doors or
windows. Mother Mary says that this was Nickerson Island. The family selected
the largest of the cabins and settled in. After the river froze, it was
possible to walk across the ice to collect whatever food they could find.
Whether this happened while they were at Montrose or after they moved to the
cabin, I do not know. It was deep winter when a cousin, Richard Hill came to
their rescue. He moved them to Burlington, Iowa where they stayed until the
early spring of 1848. Daughter Mary remained in Burlington with the Holdridge
family, but the rest of the family walked across the ice to Nauvoo. There,
they shared a duplex with the Lee family.
Life was easier now. The mobs were gone. James was able to get a job
as a dock hand and 13 year old William would have been able to give more help.
William's mother met a Mormon Gentleman, a widower, named Elzy Enslow. They
were married in September, of that year. The family stayed in Nauvoo until the
next spring. Elzy had a wagon and team and the boys helped him to haul wood,
people and many other things. It was wonderful to have a man in home again.
William later named a son after his stepfather.
Early in the morning, on the 19th of November, Mary awakened her
family. The Temple was on fire and was burning brightly. It was completely
consumed, with only one wall left standing. Two years before on Feb. 9, 1846
the roof of the Temple had caught fire and Temple had been closed. Since then
the mobsters had taken it over and used it for a slaughter house, among other
things. The people mourned the loss of a beautiful building, but its use as a
Temple had ceased in 1846.
In the early spring of 1849 Elzy and the boys were helping to ferry
Saints across the river, when the mobsters returned to Nauvoo. Mary gathered
up 3 year old Joseph, Elizabeth and Sarah and fled to the river. There was
still ice on the river, but it was still dangerous. Mary walked across it with
the children. William, Elzy and James were astonished at her bravery when they
learned about it.
The family stayed in Burlington, Iowa. That September, Elzy got
cholera and died after a brief illness. William mourned with the rest of the
family, their great loss. However life goes on and they now bad a team and
wagon, plus tools and other items. Another sister was born in November, two
months after Elzy¹s death.
Early in the spring of 1850 they began their westward trek. It¹s not
known when sister, Mary returned to the family, but she was with them on this
journey. They arrived at Council Bluffs, (Kanseville, Iowa). They planted
crops and started gathering the things which they would need for the longer
journey to the Salt Lake Valley.
The following year 1851 James received an offer to drive a wagon for
James Brown, a wagon train Captain. He left Kanseville,Iowa on 7th of July of
that year. William at 16 was now head of the family who settled in for another
year at Kanseville. James would stay out west and make preparations for his
family's arrival. Before the family could leave on the western trek, Elizabeth
died. William had lost all of his sisters from England, except Mary. One more
sorrow, one more abandoned grave.
In June of 1852 they loaded the wagon with the goods they had gotten
together and prepared to leave Iowa. They left with the "James C. Snow"
company. They hoped to arrive in the Salt Lake Valley the last of August but
they did not arrive until the 9th of October.
There was sickness, cholera and other illnesses which caused numerous
stops. There were deaths and burials. When a person was buried, they would
usually light a fire an top of the grave to keen animals and Indians from
disturbing it.
Indians were troublesome. They ran off cattle and menaced the company.
William had his own special problem with Indians. His sister, Mary was 16, a
pretty girl with long red hair. She was seen by a Souix Indian Chief who took
a fancy to her. He wanted to marry her and offered material wealth for her.
William and his mother turned down the offer twice, but the Chief would not
give up. He followed the wagon train for several days. They hid Mary under
some of their goods and put a feather mattress on top. She had to be carefully
guarded so that the Indians could not steal her. After several days the Chief
again approached the wagon, demanding that Mary be produced. They told her
that Mary was lost. She had wandered off and they had not been able to find
her. Chief didn't believe them. He and his braves searched the other wagons.
They returned to the Field wagon and searched it. The Chief felt the feather
bed, but did not find Mary. He and his men left but he made the comment, that
one day he would find her.
On October 8th, they camped in Emigration Canyon, just east of Salt
Lake City. It snowed that night. The next morning, men came from Salt Lake to
help then into the valley. Some of the wheels had to be pried from the frozen
ground before the wagons would move. A hot breakfast was prepared for them of
bread, meat, potatoes and gravy. It was 9 October 1852, Conference was in
session, but had been dismissed until evening so that the saints could welcome
the newcomers. It was Saturday.
After a short stay in Salt Lake City, the family headed north to
Ogden. They may have spent that first winter at Bingham Fort. Probably in the
spring of 1853 they moved to the new settlement called Slaterville. They
located on the north end of this community and were members of the Lynn
Branch.
William and James with the other members of the family worked hard. A
cabin was built, the land was cleared and crops were planted. The first and
possibly the second crops were poor, as usually happens with uncultivated
soil. After that the farm prospered and the family were comfortable.
In 1854 and 55, the grasshoppers came. Sister Mary relates her
family's crops were not eaten and that her mother shared what she could with
others.
In 1856, sister Mary married William Garner and moved to Hooper. In
1857, sister Sarah died. Only Mary was left of the 5 girls who had come to
America. Is it merely a coincidence that they all died in there late teens,
with no illness being mentioned? Did their parents first cousin relationship
cause the problem? As if to make up for the early deaths of her sisters, Mary
lived to the age of 107. Could this also be genetic?
1857 was the year that Johnson's Army was sent by President Buchanan
to invade Utah and conquer the Mormons. President Buchanan had been told lies
about the Mormons and was convinced that they were building an army and
preparing to invade the United States. The Mormons were having a hard time
holding body and soul together. The charges were totally false.
Men were sent to fortify Echo Canyon. They used a ruse to make the
government forces believe that they had many well armed men. This was not
true. James was one of these men. William was in the local militia and
probably stayed home to protect family and community. In 1858, Thomas Kane
used his influence with the Federal government to bring about a truce. The
army would be allowed to march into the valley, but would not disturb the
occupants or their property. The women and children were sent south to Utah
County. James took his family there and William, as part of the militia stayed
behind as guard. The army did as they had promised and James and the rest of
the family returned to Slaterville. Before all this happened, William took out
his endowments in the Salt Lake Endowment House Mar. 9, 1858.
In 1861 more changes came to the family. James, now 31 decided to
leave and make a life for himself. William was called to take relief supplies
to the Joseph Horne wagon train. The food supplies for this wagon train had
been exhausted. On this mission he met a young women named Charlotte Bult,
daughter of Thomas Bult and Louisa Haberfield. After a short courtship, the
couple were married 29 Oct.,1861. Mother, Mary was left with 15 year old
Joseph and 11 year old Lucy.
William and Charlotte set up housekeeping in a one room cabin. For
unexplained reasons, Charlotte¹s younger sister, Jane, lived with the couple
for 3 years. The Bult's were trying to get settled in North Ogden and
Charlotte may have been stressed to be separated from her sister and family. 3
years later the Bults moved north to Wellsville, Utah and took Jane with them.
They returned to North Ogden 1 year later and lived in North Ogden until their
deaths.
Charlotte now had a baby girl to keep her company. Named Charlotte
Ann, she was born I Apr 1863. A bigger home was needed and William had a frame
house built, which he painted red. It lead 2 or 3 bedrooms, a large living
room and a room called a "buttery" in the back.
Seven more children were born to the couple. William Heber on 1 Jan.,
1865, George Wesley on 10 Nov 1866, Elzy Howard on 14 Jan 1869, Lucy, on 2 May
1871, Mary Olive on 7 Jun 1873, Robert Warren on 17 Feb 1876 and Levi Edward
on 18 Jun 1879. After George Wesley was born, on 18 May 1867, Charlotte took
out her endowments.The couple were sealed at that time and the first 3
children were probably sealed to them at that time. Records have been lost and
these sealings have been redone.
William was a farmer and apparently made a comfortable living. The old
one room cabin was turned into an ice house. Every year, in the early spring,
William would harvest the ice from rivers and lake and store it in the ice
house between layers of sawdust. As long as the ice lasted, Charlotte would
make ice cream for her family and later for her grandchildren.
On 4 Nov 1886 daughter Charlotte Ann was married. She had chosen the
best friend of her brother William Heber. Her husbands name was also William
Heber and his last name was Perry.
It was probably about this time that William Field's mother Mary came
to live with the family. Mary was too old to remain alone.
Olive and Lucy were married in 1891. On 25 October, son, William Heber
married Henrietta Campbell. William and Charlotte had objected to the marriage
because it was known that Henrietta had a bad heart. She died after giving
birth to their second child, a girl. William and Charlotte raised the two
babies until the youngest was eight years old. They then went to live with
their father on his ranch in Idaho. It was probably during this period that
mother Mary went to live with her son James. She died there on 14 Sep 1899 and
is buried in the Ogden City Cemetery with James's family.
In 1901, the last child had married and left the home. Grand children
with their parents were constant visitors.
Charlotte suffered from a bad heart in her later years. On 2 Feb 1908,
daughter Charlotte Ann sent her daughter, Ada Ann Perry to check up on
Grandma, because she had been quite ill. Ada rode her bike to the Field home
and found Grandpa cradling his wife in his arms and walking her back and forth
across the floor. Saying ,²O Lottie, Dear Dear Lottie. Grandma appeared to be
almost unconscious. Ada hurried back to her mother, who started at once for
her parents home. It was a long way and Ada hoped that she would get a ride.
Charlotte called the doctor. He came that afternoon, examined her mother. He
told her and William that the situation was hopeless, that Charlotte's heart
could not be made well. She died later that afternoon and was buried in the
North Ogden Cemetery.
William was desolate without his beloved Charlotte. He stayed at his
house alone for awhile, then his son Elzy and daughter-in-law Lucy moved in to
keep house for him.
William would drive his buggy into Ogden to get supplies. He was very
Lonely and would often pick up his granddaughter, Ada, to go with him. She was
always given a bag of candy when he dropped her off an the return trip. This
she shared with her brothers and sister.
William lived for three years after Charlotte died. He had gone to cut
the tall grass which grew around the trees in the orchard. He had only taken a
few swipes with his scythe, when he fell to the ground, his scythe beside him.
His son found him and carried him into the house. He was still alive, but
could not speak. The doctor confirmed that he had suffered a stroke. He died a
few days later an 16 June, 1911. He was buried beside his wife.
© Copyright 1998 Terry L. Chadwick. Descendants of this person are welcome to
copy this history for their own use and the use of their families.
Charlotte Bult's last name was variously spelled Bult, Balt, and Bolt in the LDS records we researched. Bult was the spelling on the record of their marriage in the Temple at Salt Lake. Much of the Mormon records are handwritten and often not easily deciphered. From these records we were unable to find any information about her parents or where she came from originally.
However, from the "Story of the Life of William Field and Carlotte Bult" provided to us by a descendant, Rick Field, in January of 2003, we learn that Charlotte's entire family, except for an older sister Martha (who joined them a year later) emigrated to the U.S. in 1855 on "the good ship Columbia," arriving in New York on New Year's Day, 1856, spent 6 years in New York before traveling first by train to Florence, Nebraska, then by ox-team to Utah, arriving in Salt Lake City Sept.13, 1861 (nine years after Fields arrived in Utah).
Charlotte must have immediately met William Field, as they were married scarely more than a month later (if the LDS records of October 29th are correct), or less than one month later (if the Story of the Life..." date of October 6th is correct). They lived to be grandparents and even raised William Heber's two children for awhile when their daughter-in-law died. In any event, the biography says William was "very much in love with his wife Charlotte and great was his sorrow when she died." In Ida Clifford Field's autobiography, she writes that her father-in-law was "so full of grief at losing his wife he hadn't a thought for us" (Ida and George's daughter Delta was dying of scarlet fever at the time of Charlotte's funeral).
Mention is made that there was always talk of a set of twins that William and Charlotte had besides the 8 known children (5 boys, 3 girls); since there are no records, the assumption is that the twins were still born. This is an interesting fact, since their daughter Lucy (my great-grandmother) most certainly did have a set of still-born, unnamed twins that are buried beside her in Pocatello, Idaho. Also, another child, their son George Wesley, married a twin, and there are other twins in this family down to and including the twins I, Janet Wilson Blair , had in 1973 (also still-born!)
The above is written by Janet Wilson Blair in January 2003, (descendant of Lucy Field).
Charlotte Bult Field Life Story of Charlotte Bult Field
by Lamon Field Cheney
Charlotte Bult was born the 11th of August 1840 in North Petherington,
Somerset, England. She was the third child of Thomas Bult and Louisa
Haberfield.
In 1855 the Mormon Missionaries made contact with the Bult's.
Charlotte's parents were baptized in 1855 and Charlotte on the 21st of May
1856 at the age of 16.
Charlotte was a petite young woman, probably under 5 feet tall with
dark hair and snappy brown eyes that were described as almost black. It is
said that her grandparents were midgets. This is easy to believe since many of
the people in the Field family in the present generation are quit small
people.
On the 18th of November 1856 the Bult's set sail for America aboard
the ship "Columbia" being six weeks and three days on the ocean. Charlotte's
older sister, Martha, stayed behind and would come the following year with
Dudman's. They arrived in New York harbor on New Years day 1857. They lived in
New York for a period of five years. Charlotte's father and brother, Robert
Standard Bult found jobs on the railroad. Robert Standard became an Engineer
and years later would drive the first train from Ogden, Utah to Salt Lake
City. There was illness that winter and spring and the family had not the
means or the strengh to proceed with there journey to the Salt Lake valley.
It wasn't until 1861 when Brigham Young organized "The Church Train"
to bring Saints who were stranded from the east coast to the Missouri River to
Salt Lake, that the Bults were able to make the trip west. Charlotte was 20
years old.
Under this plan, wagons and supplies traveled from Salt Lake to theMissouri river. Elders were sent to bring the east coast Saints to Nebraska.
This was usually done on the railroads. They would then be assigned to a wagon
train headed for Salt Lake City.
The Bult's left New York City om May 23, 1861 in the Charles W.
Penrose Company. They traveled by train and arrived in Florence, Nebraska on
June the 2nd. They left Florence on July the 9th by Ox team in the Joseph
Horne train. Mrs. Dudman states that the trip was quite pleasant with singing
and dancing around the camp fire at night. One child got sick with the
measles, but recovered. There were no deaths or plauges as there had been on
other trains. The train did run out of food and were reduced to eating tree
foliage, grasses, etc. Relief supplies were sent from Salt Lake City, bringing
foodstuffs, so that they could contiue their journey safely.
A man named William Field was driving one of the wagons. He was a
small man and he and Charlotte found enjoyment in one another's company. They
fell in love and agreed to marry after the train reached the Valley of the
Great Salt Lake.
The Horne train arrived on 12th of September 1861 and the couple were
married on the 29th October 1861, 47 days after the arrival of the wagon
train. The newly weds lived in Slaterville in a one room cabin. For the first
year, Charlotte's younger sister Jane lived with them. There may have been a
special bond between these two sisters, or perhaps Charlotte was lonely, being
away from her family. Her parents were getting started in North Ogden. Three
years later they moved to Wells, Utah and took Jane with them. They came back
the following year and stayed in North Ogden until their deaths.
When their 3rd child was born, they were endowed and sealed in the
Endowment House. Presumably the first three children were sealed to them.
Never-the-less, all the Temple work has since been done over.
The one room log cabin had been replaced by a frame house painted red.
It had 3 or 4 bedrooms and included a "buttery" in the rear.
Charlotte was meticuously clean and neat with herself and her enviornment. She
had a hand made rag carpet that completely covered her kitchen floor. She did
her washing with the popular hand turned washer of the day as well as
scrubbing on the board and never spilled a drop of water on her floor. The
family were trained to remove their shoes before entering the house and step
into slippers. Besides being a very neat housekeeper, Charlotte grew herbs and
the air around her home was fragrant with the smell of them.
She was the mother of 8 children. Charlotte Ann born 1 Apr 1863,
William Heber born 1 Jan 1865, George Wesley born 10 Nov 1866, Elzy Howard
born 14 Jan 1869, Lucy born 2 May 1871, Mary Olive born 7 Jun 1873, Robert
Warren born 17 Feb 1876 and Levi Edward born 18 Jun 1879.
When the frame house was built, William turned the log cabin into an
ice house. In late winter and early spring, he would harvest the ice from
ponds and rivers and place it in the ice house between layers of saw dust. As
long as the ice lasted, Charlotte would make homemade ice cream for her
family, including her grand children when they came.
In November 1886 their oldest daughter married William Heber Perry.
The Fields now had both a son and a son-in-law of that name. The two William
Heber's were also best friends and their son went by the nickname "Hebe", so
that their relatives could keep them straight.
When William's Mother was too old to care for herself any longer
(probably 1882), she came to live with William and Charlotte. In 1895 their
son, William Heber fell in love with and married Henrietta L. Campbell.
William and Charlotte had opposed the marriage because it was known that
Henrietta had a weak heart. After her 2nd child was born Henrietta died,
leaving her husband with 2 babies to raise. William's Mother was sent to live
with her older son James in Ogden and William and Charlotte took in the two
babies to raise. They stayed with their Grandparents until the youngest was 8
years of age and loved very much. They were very sad the day their son, Heber,
came to get them. They were cared for by other members of the family who lived
close to him.
Charlotte had a weak heart and I'm sure that the strain of caring for
these two children didn't help. On the 2nd of Feb 1908 her 19 year old
granddaughter, Ada Ann Perry, was sent to see how she was. Ada pedaled her
bicycle as fast as she could. Grandma lived quite a ways from the Perry home.
When Ada arraived she found her Grandfather cradling her Grandmother in his
arms, walking her back and forth across the room. Grandma looked very ill
indeed and Grandpa kept saying, "Oh Lottie, Dear, Dear Lottie". Ada got back
on her bicycle and hurryed home to tell her Mother. Her Mother started walking
and Ada hoped she would get a ride. When Charlotte Ann Perry arrived, the
Doctor was called. He told them that Charlotte's heart was too badly damaged
for her to live. She died later that day.
Her husband deeply mourned her loss, a tribute to the deep affection
that they had for one another. He survived another three years before his
death on the 16th of June 1911. They are both buried in the North Ogden. Their
daughter-in-law, Henrietta is also there.
© Copyright 1998 Terry L. Chadwick. Descendants of this person are welcome to
copy this history for their own use and the use of their families.