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In Butler County, Kentucky, several families became very close friends. They were the Haws, Sessions and Hargraves. Members of these three families moved to the vicinity of Johnsonville, White County, Illinois, where the Hargrave school house stands.
Solomon married Mary Hargraves before they moved to Kentucky. Census records show most of these three families living in Kentucky in the 1830 census. However, Richard Sessions and Lucretia Haws were married 14 April 1821 in White County, Illinois. By the 1840 census all three families were located there. Having met the Mormons, and listened to their preaching, Thomas Broady, Richard, and possibly William Sessions joined the Mormon Church. Several of the Haws also joined.
The Mormons were driven out of Missouri in the winter of 1839. Joseph Smith had purchased some swampland in Illinois along side of the Mississippi River for the Saints to build a city. In the spring, this land was full of mosquitoes and many of the people were ill and some died. However, the swamps were drained and they began building a beautiful city. They called it Nauvoo, a Hebrew word, meaning 'beautiful'.
Jacob Baum lived in Brandywine Township, Chester Co., Pennsylvania. He was a very religious man who read the Bible each morning before breakfast, always had a blessing on the food before eating. Nothing but the Bible was read on the Sabbath Day. His father, Jacob, came to live with him and Agnes during his last days. On his deathbed, he called Jacob beside him to give him these last words, "Jacob my boy, I have never been satisfied with churches. All have some good in them, but the True Church of God is not yet on the Earth. I will not live to see it, but you will. Study the Scriptures with spirit. The Bible will show the Church of Christ. When it comes – join it." Jacob and his family did join the church. He was baptized August 29, 1839 and Agnes on February 12, 1840. He served as a bishop a short time in Brandywine before taking his family to Nauvoo to live.
Henry Nelson's parents emigrated from England in 1838 and lived in New York for one year. (in Henry's history, it says his parents joined the church and he was baptized July 17, 1839, and the family left for Nauvoo arriving September 1, 1840. Two of his brothers, William and Issac went with them.} (In the history of Thomas, Jacob's father, it says he never joined the church but went with four of the children, Jane, Henry, Isaac and William who had joined the church. He also accompanied them when they started across the plains on their way to Utah. In August, 1846, Thomas Nelson died somewhere between Mount Pisgah and Soak Creek, Iowa. He never joined the church. His wife, Elizabeth, lived in Provo, Utah with her daughter, Jane. She did join the church and was later sealed to her husband). Further investigation needs to be done on this.
Richard Sessions, Jacob Baum, and Henry Nelson all built homes in Nauvoo. Thomas Broady lived in the woods near Johnsonville, not far from Nauvoo. During their stay in Nauvoo, records indicate the following: Richard was baptized 1 August 1843. Was ordained a seventy and became a member of the Quorum 28. Son, Daniel Alexander baptized for the dead 1846 by T. Woolsey. Jacob & Agnes Baum endowment 2 Feb. 1846. On Wednesday, August 2, 1843, Jacob lent money to Joseph Smith. Journal History 10 Jul 1846 from Brigham Young: Poorocks and son and the braves of the Misqawkies, who wanted the Mormon chiefs to wait till they could send for Powskeek, who had something to say. The brethren consented to stay, and their messenger started; a heavy rain commenced, dined with Jacob Baum about five. Jacob baptized 1/29/1839, ordained Elder and then High Priest 07/13/1850. Henry Nelson was baptized 9 Sept. 1839. Ordained a Seventy 13th Quorum in Nauvoo Seventies Hall. Helped to build the temple and was endowed 3 February 1846. Sealed to spouse 6 Sept. 1852. Vocation listed: fisherman.
Persecution of the saints became stronger and the enemies felt if Joseph Smith could be done away with, the religion would fall apart. Mobs killed him on June 27, 1944. Isaac Baum, the son of John a brother to Jacob, records the following events. He writes: "On July 27, 1844, I was helping my father cultivate the corn when shots were heard. I called to father saying, 'They have killed the prophet' and father asked, 'How do you know they have killed the prophet?' I said, 'I heard the shooting.' Father told me to go to the house and tell mother to have his clothes laid out for he was going to town. When I got home, mother was starting for a bucket of water to start the noon meal and when I met her I said, 'Oh, mother, they have killed the prophet' and she said, 'My son, I fear they have.' I took the brass bucket and go the water from the well, and as I came back and gave it to her and she looked into the bucket, she said, 'Son, there is blood in this water, throw it out and get some more'. The water was much better this time. A boy like I was, too excited to wait for father, and as I put the bucket down, I started away, calling back to mother, 'Tell father I have gone ahead.'
Not taking time to go around the road, I crawled through the fences, backyards and arrived at Carthage Jail, where a large crowd had gathered. I heard the (enemy) militia shouting, profaning and boasting what they were going to do. The body of Joseph was sitting propped up by the old curb. One of the militia took hold of his hair and jerked his head up, and raised his sword which was sharp on both edges, but just then lightening came out of the clear sky and he dropped to the ground. The mob thought he was dead, so they galloped away on their horses, anyway to get away quickly.
The Saints took the two bodies to the temple. Funeral services were held on the Temple lawn. The caskets were taken back into the temple before the journey to the cemetery began. Father went with them and he said he remembered seeing Emma Smith, the wife of the prophet, march and carry flowers, which she placed on the graves."
Persecution did not end with the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Brigham Young saw more clearly than most that for the Church to survive the encircling climate of hostility and lawless brutality, the only way was out. He signed an agreement in late September 1845 with the so-called Quincy Committee promising to get his people out of the city by the following May in return for a pledge of safety and non-interference. Five days later other groups drew up another resolution of their own, the Carthage Convention, calling for mob rule, expulsion and destruction. Brigham Young and 2,500 left Nauvoo 4 February 1846 on the first leg of their journey to the West. Richard's Sessions family was in this group and his wife had just born a baby girl January 19th. Hannah was their 12th child. Thomas Broady could not go as he was badly beaten with a whip by a man who he had gone to for money he owed him. By the end of June 6,000-7,000 left leaving only 600 brethren to defend the city. Six weeks later less than 1,000 remained. Many were too ill or too foolish to leave. The Carthage Greys, who played a prominent role in the murders of Joseph and Hyrum came into the city, heavily armed. Defending were the Spartan Band of heavily armed Latter Day Saints and the Kill Devils made up of the new citizens who had taken over many of the homes. Governor Ford ordered all to return to their homes and preserve the peace. On Sept. 10, 1846 the first assault on the city was made. The temple bell tower was used to view what was going on. On the 16th the defenders agreed to surrender the city. On the 17th 1500 marched down Main Street to Parley Street where Henry I. Young gave up the temple keys to Andrew Johnson of the Quincy Committee. They desecrated the temple, ordered families to leave within two hours. Many sick were treated with cruelty and families were molested while burying their dead. Others went from house to house plundering cow yards, etc., destroying property with impunity. A preacher ascended the temple tower and with a loud voice, shouted, "Peace, Peace, Peace to the inhabitants of the Earth, now the Mormons are driven." One witness described what he saw, "Scenes of destitution, misery and woe met the eye. Families were hurrying away from their homes, without a shelter, without means of conveyance, without tents, money or a day's provision, with as much of their household stuff as they could carry in their hands. Sick mean and women were carried upon their beds, weary mothers with helpless babes dying in their arms hurried away—all fleeing."
On the very day the Nauvoo War broke out, several men volunteered to leave Winter Quarters and return to Nauvoo with teams to bring up the poor Saints as soon as their hay was cut. Brigham Young called others to help.
In addition to Allen, James Murdock set out to travel the 327 miles back across Iowa in express-like fashion with scores of spare teams of horses and mules, with instructions to save as many as possible. Their missions of mercy will ever stand tall. On Oct. 7, Allen reached the so called misery camps at Montrose where he found more than 300 men, women and children bivouacked on the western banks of the Mississippi (across from Nauvoo) subsisting on boiled and parched corn and river water. Some had died, others were victims to exposure, typhus and other fevers. Allen soon gathered up a company of 157 souls in 28 wagons. Thomas Bullock with a sick and starving family of his own at Montrose recorded the following: "This morning we had a direct manifestation of the mercy and goodness of God. A large, or rather several large flocks of quails flew into camp. Some fell on the wagons, some under, some on the breakfast tables. The boys and the brethren ran about after them and caught them alive with their hands. Every man, woman and child had quails to eat for their dinner and after dinner the flocks increased in size." Allen and Murdock brought all that remained out of the poor camps of Nauvoo. To many, the future looked bleak and though some left the Church, most stayed on in faithful hope of a brighter day. One stated, "Here we are exiled from the United States and without a home, dwelling in tents and wagons exposed to the inclemency of the weather. We are even like the Saints of old having no abiding city but are wanderers and pilgrims on the earth but we count the present suffering not worthy to be compared with the glory that is to be revealed to his Saints."
The Saints who left in the earlier migrations, all was not good for them either. There was snow and cold weather from the beginning. The rain fell almost constantly and roads were so muddy as little as 3 miles a day were made, when they were able to move. An establishment was made at Garden Grove, Iowa, Jacob Baum was chosen to oversee the planting of crops and vegetables, building of temporary homes, barns, making fences and see that sufficient food would be available to those who were coming. His wife, Agnes, became ill here and never improved, passing away in Council Bluff, Iowa.
The Richard Sessions family was in Mt. Pisgah when the call came to join the Mormon Battalion. He and two of his sons, William Bradford and John (who had just been married a week) joined along with John's wife. This left Daniel Alexander to take care of the family. Richard's mother and two sisters died here while he was away marching. The rest of the family went to Council Bluffs before he came back to take them to Utah.
Rarely in the histories are tribulations discussed, but we should be aware of some of the difficulties they encountered. Their testimonies show us that they walked ahead in faith, nothing wavering, with a strong belief in God and in the Church and doing what they did, because they knew the gospel was true. They were willing to give their life for it. Agnes Nancy Harris Baum gave up everything; her family, her life and did so willingly.
Please read these histories with a deep feeling of respect and gratitude for what they, our family, has passed on to us.