- The following is an account, compiled by David Carl Houghton (great-great-grandson) from various sources (William Houghton's autiobiography; Mormon Immigration Index: Autobiography of William H Hill, Reminiscences and Journal of John Orr Freckleton, Journal of John Henry Humphrey Barker, Journal of John Daniel Thompson McAllister; Jones, Albert, Journal, in Journal History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 24 Sept. 1862; Leatham, Mary Evans Williams, [Reminiscences], in Utah Pioneer Biographies, 44 vols., 18:94-95 and 37:59-60; Lindsay, William, Reminiscences, 1927-1930, 274-76)
William Houghton was born in 1845, the year the Latter-Day Saints were being mobbed in Nauvoo after the murder of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He had a twin brother who did not survive. His parents had joined the Church in 1841, just a few months after the twelve apostles, including Brigham Young and Heber Kimball, had returned to America after great success in building up the Church in Britain. Three of his aunts, his dad’s sisters and their husbands, were also members of the Church. They belonged to a faithful branch, many of whom would journey to Utah to build Zion. William’s father was a coal miner. His mother was a corset maker and was sickly. Little William was smart and his parents sent him to school, but when he was 7 years old his mother died, which was a very severe trial for her only son. After his mother’s death, he and his father moved in with his aunt and uncle, Ann Houghton and James Singleton, who were also Mormons. After a few months the Singletons left for Utah. William’s father had saved money to take his son to Utah as well, but just as they were making preparations to go, a brother in their branch died, leaving a widow and 6 children under the age of 18. William’s father gave his savings to the widow, Margaret Kay, and she and her children left with the Singletons. One of her adult children, Edward, had married William’s cousin Sarah Partington. So William and his father moved in with his aunt Margaret Houghton and Thomas Partington who also belonged to the Church. The following year William’s father developed a lung infection while working in the coal mines and died. Before he died he wished young William farewell and left him to the care of his aunt Margaret. His aunt and uncle were poor, so William had to leave school at age 9 and go to work in the coal mines, where he worked for the next 7 years. Once he was partially buried and another time burned by the blast powder, but was never able to take a day off. He remembered being ridiculed by his peers for his Mormon faith, but he also remembered the strong gospel testimony of his father, and relied on that until he gained his own. When William was 16, one of his male cousins who had already gone to Utah made arrangements to bring him and his aunt and uncle to Zion. The Partingtons, who had become William’s guardians after his father’s death, had a son named John who had gone to Utah the year before at age 26. He’s the most likely the one who made the arrangements. After arriving in Utah, William’s cousin William Newton had married one of the girls from the Kay family (Martha) who had emigrated to Utah with the help of his father’s savings, so this cousin may have helped William also. William said that the trip was paid for by the Kay family in return for his father’s help years before. William remembered the day he was lifted out of the coal mine for the last time, grateful that he was still alive and healthy after so many years working in such a dangerous job. William and his aunt and uncle sailed on the ship Manchester in May 1862, with 376 Mormons on board. The voyage lasted 6 weeks, through icebergs, sharks and whales. Along the way a stowaway was discovered, nearly starved to death, having been driven to eat a rat. William remembered one of the sailors being hung up by his thumbs for some trespass, but the Mormons insisted he be cut loose. The sea was often rough, and no lights were permitted below deck due to the risk of fire, since the lamps would get knocked around. Loose objects would fly around through the dark and many were injured due to falls. The saints sang hymns and on one occasion someone spoke in a heavenly tongue, which was interpreted by another as saying that the group would be blessed on their journey. When the sea was calm they would dance on deck, playing the violin and concertina. After arriving in New York, they took the train to Niagra Falls where they crossed the suspension bridge. They proceeded to Missouri where they found all the bridges guarded by Union soldiers, since the Civil War was raging. They then boarded a steamboat and traveled down the Mississippi, listening to the cannon fire from battles between the Union and Confederate troops. They continued to Florence (Omaha), Nebraska, where they prepared for the wagon trip to Utah. A severe storm arose there and killed several men whose heads were split open by the lightning. William and his group joined the Homer Duncan wagon company of 1862, which included about 500 people. They walked, since the wagons carried provisions. They saw many Indians along the way as well as some bison stampedes. They saw pioneer burial spots that had been dug open by wolves. There was a lot of flooding that year so the river crossings were very difficult, but they made it to Utah faster than any previous pioneer company. They camped in Brigham Young’s yard, and as they were sitting around the fire, a stranger walked up and began asking about their travels and whether they needed anything. He then introduced himself as Brigham Young and said they could stay in his yard as long as they needed to. William made his way to Mona, Utah, where he was taken in by William Kay, one of the children of the widow who had been helped by William’s father, and his wife Mary Ann. She was 20 years old, only 3 years older than William, but she became like a second mother to him. She was born only 10 miles from his birthplace in England, and so it’s likely they had belonged to the same branch of the Church there. William was able to earn his keep by herding sheep for another of the Kay children, Edward, who had long ago married William’s cousin, Sarah Partington in England. Later William herded cows to earn more money. He married Elvira Carter, daughter of one of the seventy, in 1864 at the age of 19. They had 13 children, and after she died he remarried and gained 6 more. He worked a variety of jobs and served in a variety of positions, including county commissioner and city sexton. He was musically talented, witty and optimistic. He wrote many pieces of poetry and was an entertainer at social events. He died at his daughter’s home in Kaysville, Utah sometime during the night between New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, 1930. Having made such an eventful ocean voyage from his native England to the promised land of America,it’s appropriate that one of the pieces of poetry he wrote he called “The Old Ship Zion”:
As we sail the gospel billows, o’er that great and tidal wave
That leads to life eternal, our precious souls to save
We must sail along with wisdom, we must row our boat with care
If we’re to gain those heavenly blessings that await the righteous there
Then be cheerful saints of Zion, we’ll Israel’s God rely on
We’re on the Old Ship Zion, and our Savior’s at the helm
He has marked the narrow channel which you and I must sail
If we’re to gain those heavenly portals, we must row against the gale
Though the enemy oppose, and Satan does his best
Ye saints of God keep rowing, we can’t afford to rest
Though the road often looks dreary, and there’s breakers seen ahead
Never say you’re weary, there’s naught to fear nor dread
The cloud that hovers o’er us, in the future will look bright
And display a silver lining if you and I do right
Let not your hopes be blighted in so great and grand a cause
But let us be united, showing reverence to God’s laws
We’re on the Old Ship Zion, and she’s always going to float
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1845 - 1930 (84 år)
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