6/12/09

David Keele Autobiography

"My Life Story"
By David Keele

I was born at Farmington, Davis county, Utah, on June 10, 1854. We moved when I was 9 years old to Kay’s Creek, north of Salt Lake City. Moved from there to Salem.

David Keele in UtahWhen we lived in Salem the creeks around there had wonderful trout in them and the Indians were in the habit of fishing, and then trading them to the whites for food and clothing. One day a squaw came up to a ranch house and traded some trout for some clothing before the bucks came. When the buck came, he was angry at the trade that the squaw made, and started to abuse the squaw. The man of the ranch, who was chopping wood, did not relish seeing the squaw being treated so badly, so he picked up an iron bar, with the intention of making the Indian quit, but he made a mistake and knocked the Indian down and it resulted in concussion of the brain and the Indian died. The Indians in those days believed that old motto, "an eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth, "so they demanded of the white men to give a white man in exchange. They held a council with the Indians, and while in council my Uncle, Alexander Keele, was guarding the house. An Indian brave rode up and shot my uncle, but afterwards he felt very badly about it and came in and gave himself up to my Father, and offered his life for the life of my uncle, but my Father told him that under no circumstances would he take his life.

Afterward this band of Indians moved over into Manti from Utah County. While in Fairview, one morning a boy friend and I went out to herd the sheep. We were suddenly accosted by an Indian brave, one of the Black Hawk Band, who demanded that we give him our lunch. We refused to do this, so the brave made the threat that he would have our lunch before noon and rode on. He was dressed in loin cloth, and had the upper part of his body painted red and also had moccasins on. About 11:30 a.m., a small group of Indians rode up to us, headed by the brave that we had seen earlier in the day. I guess I had been extra sassy that morning, at least more so than the other boy, as the brave took me and gave me about 15 lashes with a whip, and then got on his horse.

He rode a small distance away and then headed back toward me with his bow and arrow pointed straight at my heart. He did this several times and then rode away they drove the sheep over the ridge. Elias Cox was out hunting horses and he ran on to these sheep. He took the sheep away from them then they surrounded him and demanded the sheep or his life, but in the meantime we boys had gone home and given the alarm. Five or six men then went out and took three Indians as prisoners. They brought them into Fairview and held them overnight. The next morning one of the Indians and his white horse drove up and down main street about three times and then gave the alarm. The Black Hawk Band at that time was about a mile out of town, the alarm the Indian gave resulted in 100 Indians mounting and riding into Fairview. The bishop being the head of the ward, held a council at his house and paid the Indians three beefs and clothing to satisfy them. Brigham Young had told them that it was easier to feed the Indians than to fight them.

There was a man preaching to volunteers, and he wanted them to go to the Muddy Valley now called Overtone, Nevada. Father came home and we all voted to go but my brother Sammy. In April or May, with ox teams we left for the Muddy Valley. I was 10 years old and I walked all the way south as far as St.George. At Harmony, my brother became worn with dropsy and died there. He was also buried there.

After burying Sammy in June, the head of the mission gave us the privilege of coming to the Muddy Valley, but the Muddy Valley broke up about September, 1865. When my brother Sammy was so feverish, he craved snow and we could see some on a mountain about 10 miles from camp. My father walked ten miles to get snow for Sammy.

We, as children, had always been taught that we were Latter-Day Saints, and that those not believing in Mormonism were Gentiles, and the Gentiles thought the Mormons had horns. When we camped in the cold spring field about three miles from Panaca, Nevada, my father walked from our camp into Panaca and when he returned he told us how many Latter-Day Saints there were and how many Gentiles also, and we were never satisfied until we were privileged to see one, because we had pictured them as everything but what they were.

When we arrived at Panaca the next day, we found them forted up from the Indians. These citizens we found in the old fort consisted of about half mormons and half gentiles, among them were the best people I expect to know frontier people, fine people, consisting of the Lees, Atchisons and Slades.

From then on, we proceeded to promote our agriculture pursuits, such as taking up the land. First thing that was done was to survey and lay off said lots and build homes in the said lots. At that time the Indians were poorly pacified and would kill and eat everything they would get in the shape of horses and cattle.

For about three years, I herded sheep as a boy for Grandmother Lee. After herding sheep, my activities were bringing coal for the mines in Pioche and to sharpen the picks to open up the mines, that is, when they were first located. At that time, we had no roads in Pioche, and I put the coal on the horse's back and followed on another horse on the trail. I chopped cord wood and hauled it into Bullionville and proceeded at that for about six years.

Father and I came down here with one yoke of cattle and Father took a liking to the valley and location, put up 17 rods of fence, stacked about 6 or 8 tons of hay. A man by the name of Simpson came and took the ranch and burned the hay. Then we started in first by stacking and freighting it up to Bullionville and Pioche, all done with ox team. It was during this time we were stacking hay down here and arrived at the Dow Barton ranch on our way home and stacked hay there about two days and decided to go to Panaca to load up some baled hay to ship to Panaca camp at the ranch called the Keele.

There was a jumper on it. We stayed down on the land commenced by different ownership and paid out $1800.00 to the original owners --cleared and bluffed the jumpers and came into possession of the ranch. I was in possession of the ranch 45 years--that was during all of the time I was raising my family at Panaca. This ranch is about nine miles from Panaca.

I met a young woman by the name of Eliza Jane Geary and got married in the spring of 1879, or on March 29,1879. Eliza Jane Geary was left an orphan about 12 years old, fought her own way until she was about 16 years old and commenced working at the Silver Reefe Mine. Later on, when she was 19, she came to Panaca. I met her at Jim Wadsworth's home one morning and was introduced to her by Liza Llangford, at that time she was working there. From that introduction, I commenced taking her to dances. I finally decided one night I would have to quit keeping company with her or we would have to agree to go through life together. I made her the proposition and got up and was going to leave and not come back unless she agreed to it. She told me to keep coming. I kept company with her for about three months and we were married.

I first fell in love with a girl by the name of Lizzie Davis but her parents took her away so that we would not fall in love. They took her to Utah and later she married Jack Hatch and she is the mother of 11 children. We were promised but her parents wanted her to marry a Henrie. There were about 4 boys but she got a cousin of the Henries.

When I was 12 years old I was ordained as a Deacon, ordained to office of Elder in the temple when 24 years of age when I went down to get married. I was President of the Mutual, Assistant to the Superintendent of Sunday School, Second Councilor to the Bishop for 6 years and general all around public servant.

I worked in the public works so much that is the name I received. At the time I was put in as Councilor to the Bishop, I was ordained to the High Priest at that time under the hand of David H. Cannon. For at least 50 years, every time they wanted something such as getting funds I had to canvas the town. As a ward teacher I would serve 14 days a month.

I bought a home in Panaca for $200.00 and paid for it, and then a man took advantage of me, got in with the original owner in Salt Lake City, bought it and took it away from me. I had to leave it. We moved to Dutch flat and proceeded to garden, raised some of the finest crops that I have ever seen or expect to grow from the ground--prosperous that summer. When all debts were settled in the fall, I had 6 ten dollar gold pieces in my pockets, an abundance of potatoes and garden truck for a year's supply.

I moved back to Panaca to work for a man by the name of Jim Wadsworth. Bought a dais lot of him and built a house on it. It was about 11 ft. Square. The night we moved into it we were the happiest couple on the earth. After being run off, we had been living with in-laws, but to own your own home is the best. Nothing like having something of your own. We added on to this house until it was one of the best homes in town. I laid something like $225 away and was going away and was going to get me a harp for $91.50 in Battle Creek, Michigan when my wife asked me where I was gong to put the harp, so I immediately went and bought lumber and built two fine rooms so there was no money left to buy the harp, so we proceeded to raise children to fill that home up. Had a fine home there and everybody enjoyed it. The next two proceeding years I worked the garden for Jim Wadsworth. We sold garden truck, that is potatoes as high as 25 cents a pound.

Right at this particular time I was called to go and settle Moncopi with other young men. The first effort to sell out my belongings, a man showed his disposition and beat us out of it. My father said he would not let me go alone. A good friend told me that I would not have to go for awhile. You have 5 years to settle up your business before you need to go. It was Mark Burgess who knew the activities of the church. I simply refused to go so I did not have to go to the new settlement.

I served 6 years in the bishopric with Bishop F.C. Lee. I was a director and president of the Panaca water and irrigation company for 25 years. I spent 6 months at St. Johns, Tooele County, and while there I met a man by the name of Bill Reese. It was at his place I saw the harp, and got the idea of wanting a harp. When I left there he made me the offer if I would go to work for him he would let me have the harp and teach me to play it. I fell in love with the harp proposition. That is why I saved my money, but when I got home my wife changed my mind. I wanted it for my children.

I played the accompaniment on the organ for the violin for 14 years. I was a great lover of dances, but after I took up playing I had to give up dancing I got as high as $4.50 for playing all night.

About the year 1879, or maybe a year before, in the winter I was logging. That winter the snow got three feet on the level. We were to have a very enjoyable time in Panaca. Had two wedding dances. The young ladies and men were each giving a fine dance. The young ladies had sent for me to help them out with their music. I had set a day to go. In the morning I was to start out for Panaca with two yoke of oxen. It started to snow. The snow kept piling up, but I was determined to go home. I proceeded about three miles and ran to a snow bank anywhere from 10 to 15 feet deep. The cattle could not get through. Got the yoke slid over the top of the snow. I had an ox I was just breaking and I got him excited. I finally managed to get them loose from this snow. I proceeded 4 or 5 miles and left them in the shallow snow. I went on down to Dutch flat and found a man by the name of Adolph Launders. He gave me a bed and gave me food that night and the next day I went up and drove my cattle where they would not perish. That was the day I met the man and he filled my pockets with chopped corn and was glad to get it, stayed in Dutch Flat.

In my younger days, we used to have candy pulls. We went one night to Macintoshes. It was our habit to make the candy and play games while the candy was cooling. Someone stole our candy and carried it off, put it in good shape and gave it to our sweethearts while we were looking on. It was the habit to put it around the girl's necks and it would take them a long time to get it off. Sometimes it would get into their hair and they would have a terrible time.

I got tired of hauling hay to Panaca and sold the ranch out. Sold it to Jim Ryan for $3500.00 and bought other property up around Panaca, the old John N. Lee farm and the Turnbaugh home. My farm experience that time lasted about 13 years. After my wife got through raising her family, she decided to buy the Turnbaugh home and make a hotelry out of it. She ran this for about 7 years, that is up to when she went to Cedar City for an operation, which was the beginning of the end. She passed away January 8, 1930, at 4:30 a.m. Soon after her death, or about a year after, I went up to conference at Salt Lake City, Utah, and went to the hospital and had an operation. Fell in love with all of the nurses and was in love with two of the doctors. Loved everybody. Was there about two months.

Since that time I have been prospecting around these hills. Was 82 last birthday and I am still going.

(David Keele died November 28,1928. Prior to his death, he lived with his daughter, Leah Ellison, in Caliente, Nevada.) These thoughts were given to Effie Keele by Henry Lee on March 4, 1964. As he remembers the Samuel Keeles. Mr. Lee is 86 and says he cannot remember too well.

4 comments:

  1. My grandpa is david rue keele! My mother is Carolyn keele, This is a great website!
    Travis wingo
    wingysataday@aol.com

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  2. We appreciate all the comments and hope more ancestors can contribute information and photos for us to post.

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  3. I lived with my Great Grandmother Effie Scholes Keele when she died, and it was great to see the photos of her and Grandpa Keele. This is a great web sight.

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  4. My lineage came through Samuel Keele and Annie Elizabeth Hess's son, Jacob Keele, and his wife Melissa Jane McIntosh! Thank you for all of your wonderful postings!!!

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