LIFE HISTORY OF WILLIAM BATE Written by Edward William Bate
William Bate was born May 12, l846 at (poteries) Hanley, Staffordshire, England. My father Peter Bate, was born in Bucknell, Staffordshire, England in l8l4. My mother's maiden name-Margaret Cross Bate was born in Liverpool, Lancashire, England. I was taken to work in the coal pit by my father before I was seven years old, with five miles to walk morning and night for over three years. The pit was one hundred yards deep. I got up in the mornings at three o'clock.
I was baptized in the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints May l854, by Elder William Pool. He also confirmed me. We took passage on the good ship named after its Captain, William Orized, starting from Liverpool May 15,l856. Our first few days out there was mutiny or disagreeing on board between the sailors and the Captain. After sailing two months, the first ship stopped, leaving some of the sailors on shore and got some more men. There were about nine hundred passengers on board, most of them Mormons. Some of them were going to cross the plains to Utah with the first handcart company that crossed the plains. While crossing the sea we were three days and nights in a calm tossing to and fro with not one sail spread.
Sometimes it threw us out of bed on the floor. Our ship was a three decker. One night as we were all asleep we heard the cry fire, fire, fire the ship is on fire, but it was soon put out by the sailors. It started in the cook's house. We landed in Boston, Massachusetts. We stayed in Boston about two weeks, then left for Philadelphia and then l00 miles to Minersville so I could get work in the coal mines as I had to make money to keep my mother and sister. My mother had poor health. We were strangers in a strange land without a penny to buy food. For three days I traveled looking for work. I became very hungry. The fourth day I ran on the boss of a large coal mine. He gave me a job turning a fan. He paid me $.50 a day. I worked at that job for l8 months. It became very tiresome. There were many accidents while I worked there, caused by sulphur or gas being set on fire. One morning the boss's boy was driving a mule on a coal car or wagon with a lighted lamp on his head which was against the rules of the pit. He should have had a safety lamp being early in the morning. The lamp set the mine on fire.
Shortly after leaving the coal mines, he and his mother and sister rode the train west to Winter Quarters where they joined the rest of the Mormons. With what money they had left and the help of the Latter-day Saints, they got enough supplies, wagons, and oxen to come to Salt Lake Valley. Father drove the team from Winter Quarters all the way across and walked the entire way. His mother was sick most of the way.
When they were about half way they stopped at night-his turn to herd the oxen. Three indians came and stampeded the oxen away so he walked down a little way from camp by himself to pray to the Lord to help him find the oxen. To his great surprise when going a little way over a hill he met the oxen still stampeding coming toward him and he herded them back into camp. The Lord had answered his prayer right away.
They had many difficulties with the indians during the journey but through faith in the Lord, they reached Utah safely with nothing missing from their possessions.
Upon arriving in Salt Lake, father worked for Brigham Young for some time and at his bidding he moved to American Fork to take up some farm land. The first year there he had a lovely crop until almost ripe, then crickets came by thousands and started eating the crop. Through the Lords goodness and mercy, gulls were sent to devour the crickets and saved about half his crop.
After farming there for some time he got a sunstroke (this was shortly after his marriage and Arthur was born). The doctor told him he could not work in the sun for at least two years so he got a store in American Fork. He played the Violin, gave violin lessons, sold music and groceries. During this time his mother married Samuel Vowels. Then father went to Riverton.
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