Max's Ancestor report

Max was assigned to do a report on someone in his family.  He chose David P. Kimball.  David was one of the pioneers who carried the Martin hand cart company across the Wyoming Sweet Water River.  Max did a little interview (which will not upload for some reason) and this is him dressed as David Kimball.

 

Also included below is a copy of his report.

I have chosen to do my Ancestor Report on David Patten Kimball, My 4^th great Grandfather. David was born on August 23, 1839, in Nauvoo Illinois.  He was named after David W. Patten, who had just been killed by a violent mob.  David W. Patten was a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. David’s parents, Heber C Kimball, and Vilate Murray Kimball admired Mr. David Patten and thought it would be a suiting name.  Vilate was the first of Heber’s 43 wives.  There was a command given in the church, by the Lord, which enforced plural marriage. Due to this commandment David had 64 brothers and sisters.  From his direct mother, he only had 2 sisters and 7 brothers.

            Even at a young age, David’s Mother thought he was a smart boy, and wrote this poem about him:

LITTLE DAVID

Our darling little David P.

Is just as sweet as he can be;

He surely is the finest lad

That you and I have ever had.

His eyes are black, his skin is fair,

His features good, and brown his hair;

He's just as fat as butter, too,

We therefore think that he will do.

David was born in Nauvoo Illinois. When David was just 7 years old his family made the choice to follow Brigham Young, President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, in migrating to the Salt Lake valley. Before leaving on this long and treacherous journey, David’s dad gave him a black mare, which David rode as they crossed the plains. What an awesome gift.

One story I found very interesting is one about when the Martin handcart company came to the Sweet Water River.  As David and his family had done earlier, another group of saints started their trek to Salt Lake later in the year.  They traveled along in the cold, and came to a halt when they found they would have to cross the great Sweet Water River in Wyoming. With snow 18 inches deep, and ice flowing in the freezing cold water, the pioneers had no choice. Either to suffer death from the freezing cold, or go through the water. When the pioneers were almost out of hope, a group of heroes came to their rescue.  After President Brigham Young heard of the difficulties the Martin Company was having he sent out a rescue party. The rescue party came at just the right time. It has been told that 3 young men in particular assisted in carrying over 1,000 of the freezing and hopeless pioneers across that river.  Their names were C. Allen Huntington, Geo W. Grant, and last my great grandfather, David P. Kimball.  I think these boys were true heroes.  I am proud to have such an amazing ancestor.

Shortly after his return from the rescue, David was married to Caroline Marion Williams, who was just 13 years old, he himself being just 17. These two had eleven children in all.  David P. Kimball worked hard to build rail road track.  He brought mule teams that hauled heavy machinery under any circumstance.  It sounds from the story that he was the best at doing it.  Some people say he was crazy, and that he couldn’t do it, yet he always did.  This is how he made a living. He also was a big part in making tracks for the Union Pacific.

I think this person is interesting in many ways.  Another story that was kind of cool was about when he was traveling home from working, in a neighboring city. He was with his son Patten, and became very ill.  The interesting part was that David had a vision from his father.  His father told him that he could stay on Earth 2 more years, and make right all of his wrongs.  David was still very ill, and also saw evil spirits as he and his son continued to travel home.  One night David was driven insane from a few of these evil spirits he was seeing.  He tried to escape them by running off into the desert. He was stranded in a desert for 4 days without food or water. One night when his mind was restored, and his fever gone, he wished he could die.  His body was full of cactus from head to toe; he had no energy, and could not see any sign of rescue. I’m going to include an excerpt from a letter he wrote about the incident:

 "On the night of the 21st, I could see a fire about twenty-five miles to the south, and felt satisfied that it was my friends coming after me. I knew the country where I was; I was about eight miles from houses where I could have got plenty of water and something to eat, but my strength was gone and my feet were so sore I could not stand up. Another long and dreary day passed, but I could see nothing but wolves and ravens and a barren desert covered with cactus, and had about made up my mind that the promise of two years' life, made by my father, was not to be realized. While in this terrible plight, and when I had just about given up all hope, my father and mother appeared to me and gave me a drink of water and comforted me, telling me I would be found by my friends who were out searching for me, and that I should live two years longer as I had been promised. When night came I saw another fire a few hundred yards from me and could see my friends around it, but I was so hoarse I could not make them hear. By this time my body was almost lifeless and I could hardly move, but my mind was in a perfect condition and I could realize everything that happened around me. On the morning of the 23rd, at daylight, here they came, about twenty in all, two of my own sons.”

David P Kimball tried to straighten out his life the best I could tell. David eventually died on November 22, 1883, 2 years from the time of his vision, just as his father told him.

David P. Kimball, as I mentioned, is my 4^th great grandfather. This is the line starting with David’s parents. Heber Chase Kimball was married to Vilate Murray, they had a son by the name of David Patten Kimball, David married Caroline Williams, and they had a child by the name of Lola Gay Kimball.  Lola married Daniel Eldredge and they had a boy by the name of Earl Eldredge.  Earl married Josephine Pipkins, and Earl and Josephine had a daughter by the name of Grace Eldredge, Grace married Joe Blackwell Sr., and they had a little boy by the name of Joseph David Blackwell.  Joseph Blackwell (my grandfather) married my grandmother, Geraldine Montoya.  My grandmother and grandfather had a little boy by the name of David Maurice Blackwell.  David “Reece” Blackwell and Jessica Wise married and have three children, one of which is me, Maximus Blackwell.