History of William Arnold Rose

William Arnold Rose, son of Jonathan and Aurella Minerva Peete (Peet) was born 17 Oct 1839 on Lee Co. Iowa. He was the third son of a family of ten children.

His father Jonathan was born 25 Dec 1807 at Neward, New Jersey. He was a faithful L.D.S. and crossed the plains in Captain Foote’s company and arrived in Salt Lake City in the year 1850.He died in Park Valley, Box Elder County, Utah.

His mother Aurella Minerva Peete (Peet), was born 11 Dec 1815 in Eastern Canada. She was in company with her husband across the plains in the Captain Foote company. She died and is buried at Park Valley, Box Elder County, by the side of her husband.

His grandfather, Andrew Rose, was the first member of his family to join the church. He was endowed in the Nauvoo Temple and therefore is the heir of this particular family. He also crossed the plains in Captain Foote’s company, but died of cholera, that dreadful disease, before reaching their destination. He was buried on the plains.

His Grandmother, whose maiden name was Elizabeth Daniels, came across with the same company.

William Arnold Rose, the subject of this sketch, when a lad of only 11 years of age, crossed the plains with his parents and grandparents and arrived in Salt Lake City in 1850. He walked the entire distance and drove cattle in front of him. This company endured all the trials and hardships, which are many, with the others of their faith. He was truly one of the pioneers of this district and this state. It was through the efforts of such men as he that Utah and the West were developed.

He was a tall blue eyed muscular man and he always wore a vest and a red bandana handkerchief around his neck. He was a crack shot with a rifle and a pistol and he rode and tamed wild horses when he was passed 70 years of age. He had a special team of horses when he was an old man, that he called Dan and Buck. He had them for many years and they minded him just like a couple of kids would. One stormy day lightning hit and killed Buck and Dan would not eat or drink for many days. He would just wander around and whinny. He would not mingle with the other horses and about 30 days later he went out to where old Buck was killed and died. After that Granddad used a saddle horse to get around on.

He held many positions of trust. At the age of 19 years he was one of the guards when Johnson’s army was about to enter Salt Lake City. He and the other men chosen as guards were stationed at Echo Canyon. They were cold and hungry and needed food and clothing. He and one of the other guards decided to ride their horses back into Salt Lake and talk with President Brigham Young concerning their condition. He in reply sent them back with plenty of food and clothing, bedding and also more men to help with this great task.

Brigham Young was determined the Johnson’s army was not to enter Salt Lake City and drive the Mormon’s from their home and take possession of their property. so they sent their families to the settlements in Springville, Spanish Fork, Payson, etc., and men stayed on guard. They arranged to set fire to the city if they entered for they would rather destroy it themselves than be driven out by the army.

The wife of William Arnold Rose whose maiden name was Agnes Ann Callahan was also a pioneer. When a child she crossed the plains with her parents in the Brigham Young Company.

She and Granddad Rose were happily married and reared a family of 15, as one died in infancy. Besides caring for her own family she helped others in sickness and sorrow and was in great demand. She was one who loved to do good.

They came to Tintic, Juab County, Utah in the 1870's when Diamond was the principle town in the district. He was one of the first residents of Homersville, during the time the mills were operating at that place. Although he had a love for mining and enjoyed the thrills of the mining game, only once that I know of did he actually mine. He had laid a claim and was mining in the Tintic area. However, in those days the claims were so inconsistent that many times the mines overlapped one another or would actually tunnel into another mine. Granddad's mine was quite large and very rich. He had not been mining long when another man told him he was on his claim. They had quite a argument and Granddad could see there was trouble brewing. The next day when he started to his mine the other fellow had blocked him off and placed hired guns to protect the property. Granddad recruited some of his friends and they started to battle, but he could see he had less guns and men and the enemy was so fortified that to obtain his mine was an impossibility and so he left before any of his friends were injured. He did freighting and hauling for the mining companies and in the early days he drove six horse outfits from Utah, to Nevada, California, Idaho, Montana.

Affidavit given to State of Utah age 85:  The next trip, in the late summer of 1863, I went from Ogden, Utah to what was then Virginia Montana, a Placer mining camp.  I freighted a load of supplies to Babner and Sledy (not sure of spelling names right but sure that is the way they are pronounced) who were merchants at this place Virginia.  After I had unloaded and started back, on my second day out I fell in company with a man by the name of Boyd.  He had a saddle horse and a pack horse and we heard there had been a battle fought between the Indians and the United States troops and we knew we had to pass the place where the battle had been fought and we made it a point to stop, look and see, what we could see after the battle had been fought.  This was my second day out, a few hours after meeting Boyd.  It was the next forenoon after the battle had been fought and by looking over the battle ground we found several dead Bannocks and one was a Bannock squaw with a baby laying on it’s dead mother’s arm and we found out that the mother was killed by a stray bullet.  The baby had a piece of blanket over it and we was quite sure that this blanket had been put over it by some soldier after the fight.  I judge the baby was but several months old.  We did not stay long there as it was a bad place to stay.  We took the baby and put it in my wagon.  This place where we found the baby was the second day out from Virginia Montana, what was then a Placer mining camp.  I would estimate the place where we found the baby to be about thirty miles from Virginia, Montana or about fifty miles from what is now Lemhi, Idaho.  We took the baby from where we found it and put it in my wagon and got away soon for it was a bad place to stay.  The next day after we found the baby we was traveling and saw a big dust and not knowing but what we was in a wild country alone but when they came close enough we saw that it was United States soldiers and they came to a halt and wanted to know where we was going and we told them and they hollered “bully boy”, you calculated to give us a game if we had been Indians.  We said we sure did and the captain said, you, and you would have given us a good one from down under that bank and after they told us they were going to reinforce the soldiers who were ahead we told them of the battle ground and we told them we found a dead Bannock squaw and a baby lying on it’s mother’s arm.  Some of them looked at the baby and they gave us good advice saying boys be careful you are in danger, good-bye.  They were cavalry troops.  They said they were General Conner’s troops.  I freighted for three or four years after that through the same country.  We killed rabbits (the small kind) and made soup from them for the baby until we got to the south end of what is now Cache Valley, Utah near what is now Wellsville, Utah and there we got milk from the Utah folks and told them that we wanted it for our baby and they wanted to know what we would do with the baby and we told them and they all wanted to see it and brought us some clothes for it and finally we got home at Ogden and we kept the baby for about a week, my wife letting it nurse her.  This man Boyd wanted us to keep the baby but I told him, no, we had two small ones.  I found he was acquainted with Leonard Rice of Farmington, Utah and I gave him my consent to take it to Leonard Rice at Farmington, Utah.  This he did.  I know Leonard Rice’s father who lived at North Ogden, Utah and saw him many times after this for a number of years and during this time I often talked with him about the Indian baby girl that I had sent to his son’s home, with Boyd. 

            I knew the Bannock Indians well.  I met with them and sold flour to them on my first freighting trip to Meeks Ferry, which is on the Snake River.  I would say about forty or fifty miles from what is now the Montana-Idaho border line.  I was with them about a month and have seen lots of Bannocks since then, both in Idaho and in Montana and later on the reservation.  One time when I was freighting to Montana a Bannock chief came back with me.  He could talk fairly good English and he used to tell me about the Bannocks, where the country was that belonged to the Bannocks and since then I have been on the Bannock reservation a number of times.  I personally knew two Bannock chiefs.  I met them at Meeks Ferry on Snake River Idaho.  Their names was Chief Snag and Chief Mybo (not sure of spelling last name but sure of pronunciation).  I know this baby was a Bannock because it was in a Bannock country where I had seen and dealt with the Bannocks.  I am sure the dead squaw was Bannock because she looked like one.  I had seen and dealt with many Bannock Indians before I saw her and seen and dealt with many for years afterward and have always been sure the dead squaw was a Bannock.  There were no other Indians there in that day but the Bannocks and the Bannocks wouldn’t allow other Indians to come on their land.  I know beyond a doubt that this baby we found and brought home was of the Bannock tribe. 

                                                                        (signed)  William A Rose

Subscribed and sworn to before me this second day of August A.D. 1924 at Salt Lake City, Utah.                           

                                    (signed)  A W Duvall

(seal)                                         Notary Public, Salt Lake County, Utah.

.

Leonard Gurley Rice and Elizabeth Almira Rice from Farmington adopted Ida Ann (Annie) Ann later in life. Granddad and Grandma Rose consented to let the Rice's raise her as, Granddad and Grandma had a large family already to care for. They finally consented to let her have the baby and she took it to Farmington, Utah, and reared her to womanhood. She (*see book called Ida Ann) became the wife of a white man and the mother of large family of children who also married. Ida Ann was married to Jonathan Francis Wilcox (58) she was (18) on 2 Feb 1881. They had nine children, Guy Ferris, Francis Darvil, Valeria Celestia, Gilbert Harvey, Reuben Brooks,  Myrtle W, Edith Ann, Dorothy Rosetta, Sherman Miller .

Later in life Granddad had the opportunity to re-enter Ida Ann's life and went to see this family often and also the families of her children. He enjoyed visiting with them.  She and her family appreciated very much him saving her life and giving her the privilege of being reared with white people. She was very happy.  While he visited with Ida Ann Wilcox's children and through them he began to study the gospel and after he was 75 years old he went through the Salt Lake Temple. See book reference below.

Granddad didn't like to work with his hands or care much for farm work. He hunted and broke wild horses and panned for gold. He spent much of his time in and around mining camps where law and order did not amount to much and granddad was often called upon to bring some outlaws to justice which he was very capable of doing as he was very severe and quick with a gun and a very deadly shot. Most men didn't care to tangle with Granddad. On one occasion two Indians killed two young boys that were herding cows. The tribe was very peaceful and friendly and Granddad and Grandma knew the chief very well. The chief wanted to catch and punish the two outlaw Indians so he came to Granddad and ask him to help catch them. The morning they were to leave the old chief rode up to Granddads house and ask Grandma to sew two strings on a straw had someone had given him and of which he was very proud, but it keep blowing off and he wanted strings to tie under his chin. The outlaw Indians were found and shot and Granddad said the old chief rode his horse over their bodies several times as punishment and a lesson to the rest of the young braves.

One day when Granddad was away from home. an Indian came into the house, Grandma was cooking some gravy. The Indian came right in, pushed Grandma out of the way and began stirring the gravy. Grandma was very frightened as she knew the Indian had been drinking and she had several small children. It was summer time and the Indian just had on a britch cloth. Grandma picked up a long Indian bow and walked up behind him and hit him as hard as she could across the bare back. He let out a scream and ran out the door. She said he ran through a small corn patch as fast as he could. The next day the old chief came to the house and told Grandma she was a very brave squaw and the Indian she hit was a "heap bad Indian".

She died at the age of 38 at Diamond, Juab, County, Utah when her last child was born, and was buried at Diamond.

Their children were, William Alma b1861, Lucinda Ellen b1862, both in Ogden, John LaFayett b1864, Rozina b1866, Alveretta and Alvero, twins b1867, Arnold Elmer b1869, Lydia Agnes b 1870, Robert Andrew b1872, all born in Mendon, Albert b1873 in Fairfield, Ethel Barbra b1875, in Park Valley, Louisa Kay b1878 and David b 1879 both were born in Homersville, Arthur Leroy 1882 and Olive Lucreta b1884 in Diamond.

After the death of his wife, Granddad married Annie Williams, She had one child who died in infancy. After several she also passed away and then Granddad lived among his children.

He was very spry and lively and at the age of 96 and he was staying with his daughter and he went to the post office and fell down the steps, injuring his back to such an extent that he was confined to bed. The accident no doubt had much to do with his death as previous to this he had enjoyed good health.

He died at the age of 96 years and 11 months. His services were held in the L.D.S. Church at Eureka. He was buried in the cemetery in Eureka.

The story about his Montament mine is mentioned in the book "The Towns Of Tintic" by Beth Kay Harris, copy right 1961, Sage Books are  published by, Alan Swallow, 2679 South Fork Street, Denver, Colorado.
Book: * "Ida Ann Beloved Bannock Papoose" by Carol Gates Sorensen
Copa Publishing
PO Box 370506
Las Vegas NV  89137-0506
Shows to be out of print. The only Ida Ann book I could find on the internet was at Amazon (used) $195.04