William Bate

Born Staffordshire, Pteriss, Hanley Co. England on May l2, l846

I was taken to work in the coal pits by my father before I was 7 years old, with 5 miles to walk morning and evening for 3 years.  The pit was l00 yards deep.  I had to rise to the morning by 3:00 o'clock.

My father's name was Peter Bate, born in Staffordshire England.  My mothers maiden name was Margaret Cross, born Liverpool, Lanchire, England.

I was baptized in the church of Jesus Christ of Latterday Saints in May l854, by Elder Wm. Poole and confirmed by Elder Wm. Poole. We sailed on a boat named after it's captain William Orizen, starting from Liverpool May l5, l856.

After sailing two months, but when we had sailed two or three days there was a mutiny on board between the sailors and captain, the ship had to stop and leave some of the sailors on shore and get some more men.  There was on board ship about nine hundred passengers, most of them Mormons.  Some of them were going to cross the plains to Utah with handcarts.  That was the first handcarts ever across the plains.

Crossing the sea we were three days and nights in a calm, tossing too 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 in the middle of the night there was a cry of fire! fire! fire! the ship is on fire!  But it was soon put out by the sailors.  It started in the cook house.

We landed in Boston, Mass. on July 3,l856 (30 June).  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, and I had to work to maintain my mother and sister.  My mother was quite sickly and we were strangers in a strange land.  Without money not having $.05 to buy food with, I was very hungry for three days.

I was traveling asking for work. The fourth day a man, the boss of a large coal mine gave me work turning a fan, which he paid me $.50 per day.  I worked at that job for l8 months. There was many accidents while I worked there with the 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.  (This much I (Esther B. Green) copied from his own hand writing May l93, my mother told me the rest.)

When he was l3 years old he brought his mother and sister out to Utah.  They came with the Horton D. Height ox team Co.

He was even at that early age very musical talented and shared in the entertainment around the camp fire at the close of a weary day.

They landed in Salt Lake Sept 1, l859.  His hair was completely white by the time he was l9 years old.

He married Hannah Shelley on March l4, l868, at the Salt Lake Endowment house. She came across the plains with the hand cart Co. and was living at American Forks.  To this union l0 children were born, 5 of them lived to grow up.  He lived at Riverton, Utah, where he owned a blacksmith shop, Dance hall, store and post office.  He also supplied the town with ice.  He always played to his own dances.  He had a brass band also an orchestra.  He married, (2nd marriage) my grandmother Maud Jannet Nell, Oct., l886, at the Logan Temple. 

To this union l0 children were born, my mother being the third child.  He had a fire burn down his store in l899.  He at that time moved to Provo Valley or Charleston.  There he started another store.

His first wife made candy and ice cream to sell in the store.  He also sold the first phonograph that came out.  You had to put tubes in your ears to hear it. 

In Charlestown he built grandmother a seven room house and aunt Hannah had a two story home.  He lived there for 5 years.  Then they came to Idaho in April l904.

Now at the age of 58,  He was pioneering again.  He settled on a place in what was later made Garfield ward.  His 2nd family, my mothers family moved in a log house by the Burgess or the Swale as we always called it.  They always built the home by a stream if possible to save carrying the water so far.  All that was growing over the ground was sage brush.  They planted trees, an orchard and a raspberry patch.

As his own family was his dance orchestra he started playing for the dances in Willow Creek (now known as Ucon).  Mother was old enough to play the piano for him.

Being a musician he was always in the music department in church.  A very good church member, he taught the adult class in Idaho in Sunday School.

He tried to start a store here but took sick, and after being ill for a year he died of dropsy, March 5, l907.  Buried March 8, at Grant Cemetery.

Grandfather's second family were very young at his passing -the baby, Otis, only 6 months old.

He was a very stern man, never believed in going in debt.  He was a good family provider.  He was certainly a community builder and leader.  His talent for music was handed down to most all his children in singing as well as playing.