Ancestral Histories!

Daniel Mark Burbank was born December 3, 1814 somewhere in the western part of New York. In his own record, he says, as far as it can be transcribed, (Dethy Co.) But no such County can be found in New York. He was the historian of the family and it is through his little leather-covered record book that I obtain the quite complete records of his father. For his younger days read the records of his father, Major Daniel Burbank. I start his record from his book, at the time his father died, while he was in Cincinnati, Ohio learning the trade of carpenter.

His record: so then in the year of 1833 late in the fall, I left my trade and came on down to the Ohio river to Shawneetown, Illinois then out to my two sister (meaning Sophia and Loisa Maulding who married the brothers, Ennis and William who lived in or near McLeansborough, Hamilton Do. Illinois). There I stayed until in the spring of 1834, when I left and went home to my sister Avelines, where my younger brother Augustus lived, in the town of Naples, then Morgan now Scott So., Illinois.

At the town of Naples I lived with my sister Aveline for some time. Her husband Orlando Kellogg being chosen as guardian for my younger brother Augustus. I entered into service with my brother on the farm for a while then went on a steam boat as Bar Keeper for my brother-in-law, Orlando Kellogg at $10.00 a month, then as Steersman until late in the summer then I left him and went for myself at $50.00 a month, so in this business continued as Pilot for some time mostly on the Illinois River, When in 31 December 1835 I was married to Lydia Vanblaricom, one mile south east of Naples. In this town I then moved and then continued to follow Piloting the river seeing my wife twice a week. My wages was from $100.00 to $125.00, yet some transient trips I get much more.

In 1836, my wife had the smallpox, and lost her child and came very near losing her own life. On 12 January 1838, my son Augustus Ripley was born and 8 months later, September 18 1838, my wife Lydia died leaving me with a small baby which my sister Margaret took to raise, but it soon pined away and died 28 Sept 1838, dying 10 days after its mother, aged 8m-16d.

I sold all out and continued Piloting the river until August 3 1839 at Naples was again married to Abigail King, widow of Elijah H. King of Boston, Mass. We lived at Naples until the spring of 1841, we went to Nauvoo, Illinois being about 90 miles west on the Mississippi River and on the eastern bank and in pr.,11, 1841 was baptized in the Mississippi by William Smith at the place called the Nauvoo House. Here in the North part of the City three blocks from the Temple, I lived until the fall of 1845, when I moved Northeast three miles to a farm.

Whilst living in Nauvoo, times was very hard for the Saints to live whilst building the temple our labors were great for we had to labor days and guard nights. There was many attempts made to burn the temple, sometimes by false brethren to kill the prophet, Joseph Smith—kidnap him and run him into Missouri and there hang, burn or otherwise destroy him. So many times we had to turn out and take the prophet away and fetch him home again. At one time while at Poppaw Grove on Rock River on a visit the Mob Sherriff and Possey took him and much maltreated him. Bro. Hiram Smith sent out Col. Charles Kitch,, Col. Steven Markam and others each with a party of horsemen—one to head toward the Mississippi and the other east to head toward the Illinois river while some 30 others went to by water o’board the steam-boat “Maid of Iwoa” This boat was commanded by Da. Jones, while the Possey was commanded by Feneral Jon C. Dunham; John Taylor, Chaplain; John Venhise, surgeon; Daniel Mark Burbank, Pilot and 1^st Sargent; George Langley, 2^nd Sargent; Thomas Briley, Steersman.

We started down the Mississippi then turned up the Illinois River. We soon found that there was a boat that had been manned out at St. Louis to receive Joseph and the mob at Ottawa, which is on the west side of the river at the mouth of Fox river, and run him into St. Louis then back into the country and there destroy him at their own pleasure. This boat had an armed force and two swivels on board. Her name was Chicago Bell, a very large and strong built boat with some hundred men well armed. When we got this news, we crowded all steam for the Bell was some 40 miles ahead. At the town or Bary, west bank, we had to stop and buy some bricks and mound up our back wall of our furnace, but this was soon done and we again was under way, crowding our little boat day and night until one morning about 3 o’clock we came in sight of the town of Pekin east bank.

When in about one and a half miles of Perkin, we saw a boat leaving the wharf running out across the river west for a small Island shoal or chute, which was the main passage and channel. In her rounding into the right into this channel, she caught fast on a sand bar and there she was fast and could not back off, so nearing her we found it to be the Bell. We stopped and hailed her with a speaking trumpet from the Pilot stand—if she would not let us pass. She wanted to know what boat we were. We told her. She then answered that she would not let us by. She then swung around with her stern in the willows and there made if fast. We then asked if she would not cast off her line and let us pass. They sore that they would not. At this time her decks was black with men. When the Spirit of God whispered to the Pilot (D. M. Burbank) which was at the wheel, to go around her through the brush or Island, so at this moment the Pilot rang the bell, sang out through the lower speaking trumpet to the engineer to put on the steam. On we went through the woods till we reached the main river above the Bell—so one we went and at the twilight in the morning we was at the town of Perry. Here we go news from the brothern that went by land, so on we went to Peru, a town on the West side, at the mouth of the canal. Here we got word again that our brothern by land had retaken Joseph and they were on their march for Nauvoo, and for us to return to Quincy, Ill. And wait there until further orders. So back we went passing the Bell again at Kimond Island on a place known as the Buckhorn wood-yard, lying to a wooding.

On to Quincy we went from this place on up to Nauvoo. Joseph was then undergoing his trial. He called to us to wait, we wanted to see us and in a little while he and brother Hiram came into our midst and they blessed us in the Name of the Lord and we again went to our homes. Then for a while we lived in peace will about the time that Joseph gave himself up to go to Carthage, being charged with treason against Government. This was only a sham, as he was always true and loyal. They only wanted to destroy him and this was the desire of the whole and entire Government, and then after the Governor Ford, promised him protection by their own men and while in prison they shot him and brother Hirum.

Daniel, Mark Burbank, JR. was born June 10 1846, Farmington Iowa. His father was enroute to the Great Salt Lake Valley and had stopped here to work for food and clothing, and it was while here that he was born in that rude fronties home with scarcely the necessaries of life. In the fall of the same year, his parents moved on again to a place called Old Agency, where they spent the winter. In the spring they moved to the Bluffs called Hanerville. The remained in this vicinity about five years always working and planning to go on west where the Saints were gathering. This was realized in 1952, when Daniel Jr. was 6 years old, they started west with the Saints for Salt Lake Valley.

As they were crossing the plains in the alkali desert of Wyoming, Cholera broke out among the company, and his Mother was among the first to die of the plague. She was hurriedly placed in a shallow grave, wrapped in a quilt for a coffin and covered over, burning a fire over the grave to keep the coyotes from digging up the body. He with his three sisters, one older and two younger, was left Motherless, but were fortunate in having a step-mother who gave to them a mother’s care. A few months later they arrived in Salt Lake Valley, and moved on south to Springville, in Utah County. In April 1853, they moved to the Fort, Grantsvilli. In 1860, Daniel Jr. crossed the plains again to assist others who were coming to Utah. When Daniel was 17 in June of 1863, the family moved to Brigham City, Boxelder Co., Utah.

On 20 April 1867, he married Sarah Adeline Lindsay at Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born November 6, 1852 in Pottawattaie Co., Iowa the daughter of Edwin Reuben & Tabitha (Craigun) Lindsay. He made his first home in Brigham City along with the first settlers there. Less than 4 years later, 2 Jan. 1871, he took a second wife, Mary Jane Lindsay, a sister of his first wife. They were also married at Salt Lake City, Utah. Both marriages were performed at the Endowment House, and as far as the writer knows, this is the first and only polygamist marriage in the Burbank family.

About the year 1874/75, he moved to Dewyville, Utah, again a pioneer to a new county. Here he lived for about 12 years helping to build up a new country. When the Government began hunting and persecuting those who had entered into plural marriage, he took his first wife and moved to Bear Lake County, Idaho, and settled at what was later called Bennington. After the persecution had quieted down his second wife and family were moved to Bennington. His home was built upon a hill near a spring of clear cold water. The town was built below him about two miles. Later he bought a lot in town and built a home there. He lived here until his death February 12 1931, age’s 84y-2m-2d, and was buried three days later at the same place, besides his two wives and others of the family who had gone before. His wife Sarah Adeline (Lindsay) Burbank died 16 November 1919, Bennington, Idaho and the other Mary Jane (Lindsay) Burbank died 5 January 1918, same place.

He was at one time a body guard of President Brigham Young. He did a great deal of missionary work among the Indians and learned their language almost as fluently as themselves. He was well acquainted with Brother Warner, the Indian. When living in Brigham City, he served as policeman for some time. He served in many capacities in the Church, especially in Sunday school as a ward teacher. His last days were spent doing Temple work for his departed ancestors. He did the men’s names himself and then when he couldn’t get the women’s names done any other way he would hire it done. He has the courage to do any work which came to him to be done.