Benjamin
Freeman Bird Marabah Reeves
1778-1862 1784-1833
In the winter of 1832, Benjamin
Freeman Bird and his wife Marabah Reeves lived in a comfortable home in
Southport, New York with eight of their nine living children. As the snow blanketed the New York
countryside, a single Elder from the Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-Day-Saints knocked at their door.
He asked for admittance and keep since he was a minister of the Gospel
of Jesus Christ and was preaching without purse or script. Benjamin and Marabah were touched by the
testimony that he bore. Over the next
few weeks, by reading the Book of Mormon, they became convinced that his
message was true. Since the Elder had
moved on, the Bird’s grasped at the only link that would tie them to the
glorious message that they had received, they subscribed to the STAR. Because the Church was in its very early
infancy, having been only 31 months since the church was organized, the Bird
family had nowhere else to turn for additional information.
In the first edition of the
MESSENGER AND ADVOCATE printed at Kirtland, Ohio in October 2, 1834; Oliver
Cowdrey, then Second Elder in the Church, published the following excerpt: Mr. Benjamin F Bird, of Southport, Tioga Co.
New York writes under date of November 14, 1833 and says, “I have received your
papers almost one year; and because I held the Book of Mormon as sacred as I do
the Bible, the Methodist Church (though I had been a regular member almost 37
years)., turned me out; but I bless God for it, for though they cast me out
Jesus took me in.
“He further adds, that he does not
know as he shall ever have a privilege of uniting with his church, as he never
saw but one Elder, whom he solicited to preach twice; that it caused a great
stir and noise among the people, & c.”
“If any of the Elders are passing
near, would they not do well to call? - - - We circulate some few papers in
that place, the most of which is through the agency of our aged friend of whom
we have been speaking, and from whom we acknowledge the receipt of money for
the same.”
Before a team of Elders could
respond to Benjamin’s request, he lost his sweet-heart Marabah in the winter of
1833, leaving him with a heavy heart and the responsibility of raising eight
children. As he shared his testimony of
the truthfulness of the Church of Jesus Christ with his friends, many mocked,
but a few hearts were touched. One who
came to know by the Spirit that Benjamin’s testimony was true, was a woman
named Margaret Crain. After a short
courtship they were married on the 25th day of April, 1833. A year later, Margaret bore Benjamin a
beautiful daughter whom they named Margaret Jane. Finally in June of 1834, a team of Mormon
Elders came to the area and having the necessary authority, Benjamin, his wife
Margaret and several of the married children of Benjamin and Marabah, with
their spouses, were baptized.
Shortly after the birth of their
next child, Benjamin, his unmarried family and his three married sons with
their families, moved to Kirtland, Ohio as part of the gathering of
Israel. Upon their arrival they found
the spiritual condition of the Church to be very gloomy indeed. Several members of the Quorum of the Twelve
including two of the three witnesses had spoken out against the Prophet. Secret meetings were being held, which
finally culminated in Joseph having to escape for Kirtland in the dead of the
night in January of 1838. The Bird
families were convinced that the Prophet was in the right and that those who
had come out in open rebellion against him had: the waging tongues of apostate
devils.”
Charles Bird represented his
father’s large family at the meeting of the Counsel of the Seventies in the
attic story of the Kirtland Temple. He
pledged the support of the Bird family in what later was to be known as the
Kirtland Camp. By commandment from the
Lord, this camp of Saints, who were faithful to the Lord’s Prophet, took the wearisome
trek to Jackson County, Missouri, ending their seven month march by camping at
the site of Adam-Ondi-Ahman.
In January, 1839, the Bird families
were residing at Far West, Missouri, and were aggrieved participants in the
maleficent scenes of murder; rape and pillage have since proved to be one of
the worst persecutions ever imposed upon any people, the so-called Far West
War. Benjamin Freeman Bird and his son
Charles Bird had signed the affidavit wherein they covenanted with the other
inhabitants of Far West to stand by and assist one another “to the utmost of
our abilities in removing to the State of Missouri.” They bound themselves to the extent of all
their available property to be disposed of by the committee for the purpose of
providing means for the removal of the poor and destitute from the state. Their covenant was in vain when they were
ruthlessly driven from Far West. As they
left Far West, the Bird families looked back and saw their homes in
flames. They left Missouri with only the
clothes on their backs in the dead of the winter, with nowhere to go, after
suffering the Far West holocaust.
While at Kirtland and Far West, the
Bird families and particularly Charles and his wife Mary Ann Kennedy, became
personal, close acquaintances with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife
Emma. They gathered at Nauvoo with the
rest of the Saints. In January 1840, Benjamin
purchased the property now known as the Bird-Browning on Main Street from the
Prophet Joseph Smith for $300.00 They
built a nice two room log cabin with a root cellar, which has been restored by
the Church, and dug a well which is now the south side of the property. In the spring of 1843 they built the
two-story brick structure. (Later, they
sold the property to Jonathan Browning who then added on the first story of the
middles section and even later the gunsmith and blacksmith shops. Browning lived in the brick home
approximately 2 years, and then it was occupied by Lucy Mack Smith (1845-1846),
the Mother of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
It was while she was living here that she wrote her autobiography which
included the biography of her son. This
is one of the most popular histories on the life of the Prophet Joseph Smith
even to this day (1980). Subsequent
owners are thought to have added the small second story onto the middle
section, the kitchen and probably even later individuals with German
architectural liking, added the porch onto the back of the original two story
living quarters.
Benjamin and his family lived in the
log cabin for three years and in the two story brick structure for a few
months. During this time they enjoyed
all of the special cultural events that have come to mark the Nauvoo period as
being one of the most unique in history.
Since converts from all over the world came to Nauvoo and established
their homes during those years, there was a great mixing of culture and arts. Bound by oneness, all being
Latter-Day-Saints, there was a friendly blending of a variety of cultures and a
feeling of personal pride and friendliness.
The people, who had been persecuted and driven from Ohio and then
Missouri, now lived in relative peace.
They enjoyed a pronounced zest for life, which enabled them to live and
appreciate the unique cultural advantage that was theirs.
The Bird families traded at the
store of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and often attended parties and socials at
the Mansion House. There were several
occasions where Benjamin played a friendly game of croquet with his friends and
neighbors, which included Joseph, Hyrum, Wilford Woodruff and Heber C. Kimball.
While living in the log cabin,
Benjamin and Margaret were blessed with a baby daughter, who being born at this
time of relative peace and prosperity, brought a great deal of joy and
happiness into their lives. Also at
Nauvoo, Benjamin enjoyed the association of several of his children and many of
his grandchildren. His sons Phineas,
Charles, James and Samuel all had their families at Nauvoo. He still had living at home two sons by
Marabah and the 3 children by Margaret.
In the fall of 1843, disruptions,
both internal and external to the Church were caused by John C. Bennett and William Law, who were at one time
counselors to the Prophet Joseph in the first Presidency. Benjamin with his home on Main Street was in
the middle of all the excitement and persecution. Because Benjamin was now 65 years old and had
three children at home under the age of 9, he desired to move to a quieter
location. As mentioned earlier, he sold
his property and the newly built brick home to Jonathon Browning and purchased
a large 50 acre farm on the outskirts of Nauvoo.
Benjamin and all of his sons
participated in the building of the Nauvoo Temple. One of his sons, Richard, was called on a
mission to the Wisconsin Pineries. Here
he served on a Council of Directors under Bishop George Miller (who was called
at the death of Bishop Edward Partridge) where he was involved in making a
schedule of every man’s property and making a general distribution under an
order similar to the law of consecration.
While on his Mission Richard was involved in cutting down pine trees,
which were then floated down the Mississippi River to Nauvoo where they
ultimately were used in the building of the Temple according to family history
two of his sons were called on proselyting missions in the Eastern States.
Because Benjamin’s son, Charles and
wife Mary Ann, had become so close to Joseph and Emma the Prophet invited
Charles to be one of his personal bodyguards.
In 1839 the Prophet had called Charles to the First Quorum of the
Seventies. He was ordained by Joseph
Young. In December 1844, Charles was
made the Senior President of the Nineteenth Quorum of Seventies, Joseph’s
bodyguards used the system that when it was Charles turn to take over on guard
duty, one of the men previously on duty would ride to the top of the hill close
to the Bird home and take off his hat and wave it. Charles would wave back to let them know that
he had received the signal to come and take over. Charles had been on duty the day before the
Prophet was murdered and had gone back home for fresh clothing and supplies for
the Prophet and the men imprisoned with him.
The day the Prophet was killed, the messenger rode to the top of the
hill, dismounted his horse, knelt on the ground and bowed his head, Charles
knew by the sad motion the the Prophet was dead. Charles went into town, and it was his team
and wagon that carried the bodies of the prophet and his brother Hyrum away
from the team and wagon that carried the bodies of the Prophet and his brother Hyrum
away from the Mansion House. Charles was
always proud of his wagons and outstanding teams and always kept them in
excellent condition. It is ironic that
the hill on which the messenger knelt to signal Charles that the Prophet had
been murdered is the same hill on which the old graveyard now stands.
After the death of the Prophet
Joseph, the Birds along with the other Saints worked under armed guard to
complete the Temple. Most of the Birds
received their endowments on the third floor rooms of the Nauvoo Temple. In the large third story at the front of the
building was where the dressing rooms and chambers for the preparatory
ordinances were located. They were
sealed to their spouses in the large rectangular room beneath the Gable. In fact, Nauvoo Temple records indicate that
Charles Bird was an ordained Temple worker, which means that he worked night
and day to assist those Saints who desired to receive their special endowments
to do so, before the mob could destroy their Temple or drive them out. In two months (December 10, 1845 to February
5, 1846) Charles assisted the more than
5,000 Saints who were endowed in the Nauvoo Temple in the twelve and a half
hour ceremony. This included washings
and anointing’s, the endowment and the sealing of families. The ceremony was basically the same as it is
today except it was acted out on platforms, sheets were hung from the ceiling
to make rooms or compartments and there were several lengthy discussions
instructing the candidates on the covenants they were entering into.
Emma was so concerned that the
mobocrats would dig up the body of her husband, the Prophet Joseph and desecrate
his grave for the $1,000.00 reward that was pending for him “dead or alive”, that
she had ten men bury the remains of her husband and Hyrum in the basement of
the Nauvoo House. Because at least ten
people knew that they were buried there, her concern continued to mount, until
one night she appeared at the home of Charles Bird and asked that he be one of
the four trusted men to help her rebury the bodies in a secret tomb near the
old Spring House, near the Old Homestead.
Charles used his team and wagon.
They loaded the dirt from the floor of the Old Homestead. Charles used his team and wagon. They loaded the dirt from the floor of the
cellar of the Old Spring House onto the back of Charles wagon. Charles then drove his wagon out as far as he
could into the back of Charlie’s wagon.
Charles then drove his wagon out as far as he could into the Mississippi
River and unloaded the dirt, thereby leaving no evidence that the martyrs were
buried there. Then Charles, Emma and the
three loyal friends dug up the coffins from the Nauvoo House put them in
Charles’ wagon and drove them across the street to the old Spring House and secretly
reburied them.
Emma’s trust and confidence in these
four men was so complete that she did not tell anyone, not even her own
children, where Joseph was buried, until on her death bed some 14 years
later. What a special tribute to the
integrity of Charles Bird and his reciprocal love towards Joseph, Hyrum and
Emma.
Benjamin and his sons and their
families were present after the martyrdom when Sidney Rigdon claimed that he
was the guardian of the Church. They
witnessed President Brigham Young transfigured into the voice, appearance and
personality of the Prophet Joseph Smith and felt the Spirit bear witness to
their souls that the Twelve should preside.
In January 1846, the presiding
Brethren decided to move west. President
Brigham Young, knowing that Charles had one of the best teams of horses in the
City of Nauvoo. He asked Charles if he
would be the first person to cross the Mississippi River on the ice. On February 25, 1846, Benjamin Freeman Bird
stood under the old tree at the end of Teardrop Lane and watched his son drive
his loaded wagon across the frozen river to see if the ice was firm enough to
cross.
Because several of the Birds’ were
weavers by trade, Benjamin and his sons and their families were asked to remain
at Council Bluffs and Winter Quarters and assist in the outfitting of the
emigrant Saints. Many had been driven
out of their homes without an opportunity to take the necessary clothing and
other items that they would need to make the long trek into the wilderness to
they knew not where. The Bird family set
up a woolen mill, of sorts, similar to the one that they had at Nauvoo, and
thereby assisted in the emigration of the thousands of homeless Saints. In 1850 the Brethren invited the Bird
families to come west. They emigrated
with the Milo Andrus Company. There were
206 persons and 51 wagons in the Company.
On this train with Benjamin Freeman Bird were his wife and small
children and Richard and James with their families. This was the first company of emigrating Saints
for the season, leaving Missouri in June of 1850. They took the pioneer trail on which the year
before trains had passed which had been stricken with cholera. As the pioneers moved along they saw the
bones of their dead comrades, as their bodies had been ripped out of their
shallow graves by wolves and other scavengers and scattered over the country
side.
Benjamin’s son William marched with
the Mormon Battalion in the historic trek that has come to be known as the
symbol of dedication and patriotism of the Latter-Day-Saint people. To show the magnanimity and noble characters
of the Bird’s and their spouses, and the love the Bird’s felt for their
spouses, the sacrifices of Charles’ wife Mary Ann Kennedy, is illustrative. Mary Ann, after leaving her comfortable home
in Hampton New York (She was the daughter of a doctor) experienced the apostasy
of the Kirtland era and of the Far West War with six children under the age of
11 and at the time was six months pregnant.
She bore child while destitute in the wilderness before reaching Nauvoo,
bore three children at Nauvoo, one at Winter Quarters, one while crossing the
plains at Council Point and another at Salt Lake City. This means that she bore children at or near
every major church historical site during these periods of driving’s and
persecutions. She was pregnant and had a
small family to care for during those times of serious trial when so many
people of less character left the church.
Mary Ann recalled having seen her come being burnt to the ground by the
mobs four times during her lifetime as she is fleeing with her family for their
lives. On one occasion, Charles and Mary
Ann and their small family found themselves in the middle of the wilderness in
the snow. They had to abandon their
wagon containing all that they owned in this world. Mary Ann, pregnant, so over-extended herself
in the care of her small family that her toes on one foot became so seriously
frost bitten that she had to have them amputated without anesthesia. When the Charles and Mary Ann Bird family
eventually arrived in Salt Lake City, they had only the clothes on their backs
as possessions, but were grateful to be alive.
The Bird families had paid a dear price indeed, to be gathered in the
tops of the mountains to worship the God of Abraham.
Soon after arriving in Salt Lake
City, Benjamin had the privilege of being present when Apostle George A. Smith
called his son James Bird to be the first Bishop of the Provo Second Ward and
was also present when Elder Smith ordained him to that Office.
Because of his advancing age and the
trials he had been subjected to for the last 14 years, Benjamin found the
peaceful seclusion of the Rocky Mountains particularly delightful. Several of the Bird families settled in the
beautiful area of Springville and there Benjamin enjoyed the association of
many of his numerous grandchildren and watched them wax strong in the
Gospel. Benjamin crossed over into the
Spirit world a content and happy man in 1862 and is buried near the home of his
dreams in Springville, Utah
References:
Family Bible of Benjamin Freeman BirdLDS Temple Records
Stake and Ward Records in the possession of Clifford J. Stratton
The Documentary History of the Church
Numerous family histories and family records in the possession of C.J. Stratton
Cody Allen Jones
Tammy Rae Bentley (Mother)Floyd Charles Bentley (Grandfather)
Vivian Ladema Hamilton (Great Grandmother)
Eliza Jane Bird (Great-Great Grandmother)
Kelsey Bird (Great-Great-Great Grandfather)
Charles Bird (Great-Great-Great-Great Grandfather)