Joseph Crumb Fackrell

1822- 1900

Joseph Crumb Fackrell was born at Grafton, Windham Co., Vermont, Sept 9th, 1822, the son of James Fackrell Sr. and Amy Crumb Fackrell, first settlers of West Bountiful, Utah. Little is known of his early life but our records show that he migrated from Vermont to New Hampshire, then to Michigan.

Married Clarrisa Dempsey
Aug. 28th 1845 he married Clarrissa Dempsey at Bertrand, Michigan. She was born in Cayuga Co., New York on the 6th of April, 1824. The birthplaces of the five oldest children show that this couple lived in Michigan, Wisconsin, and Illinois before coming to Utah. In Michigan their home burned and they sought a new one elsewhere.

Conversion
Joseph's father and mother were early converts to the Latter Day Saints Church and they started for the Rocky Mountains with the first companies. After they left, Joseph gave serious thought to Mormonism. He was plowing in the field one day when a member of the L.D.S. Church called to him saying, "Joe, come over to the meeting." He left his horses standing where they were and went to satisfy his curiosity.

The meeting was long but of special interest to Joseph. Someone talked in tongues and the interpretation revealed that Joseph should get to the Valley, the next spring.

A few nights later when lying in bed he saw the place where he was to go in the valley of the Mountains. In the dream he saw his Brother standing near a spring of water holding a team of horses while they drank.

When he told his wife she said she would go with him, and if they found the place he had seen she would join the church. Joseph believed this new religious plan and was soon baptized. They lived near Springfield in Joe Davies Co., Illinois, at the time. They began making preparations to leave their home.

Move to Utah
Joseph Crumb Fackrell, his wife Clarrissa, their four oldest children and the Higgley family (friends of the Fackrell's) traveled west in the Biglow Company in 1852. Joseph took his family to what is now West Bountiful, where he found his brother James standing by a spring holding a team while they drank. His brother, the team, the spring and the surroundings were just as he had seen them in his dream back in Illinois. This satisfied Clarrissa and she became a faithful member of the Church.

Settled in FarmingtonJoseph built a log cabin near the Robert Ure home (1/2 mile west of the D&RGW Depot at Woods Cross) but after a short time they moved to Farmington and built a log cabin on the property now located between the Farmington First Ward Chapel and the County Court House on the east side of the highway. One child was born there. About the fall of 1855 James Fackrell Sr. decided to let his sons take over his farm of 92 acres because he was getting old.

Joseph received the north one third of the farm, located two hundred rods north of the OSL Depot on the Woods Cross road. This land was mostly covered with willows, but was of the most fertile soil in the state. James Fackrell, a son, now living in the old home, remembers helping to take out the willows with a grubbing hoe. It took many years to clear it. In the northeast corner there was a spring that furnished clear cold drinking water and afforded some for the garden. In the late summer the people came with barrels from East Bountiful to this spring to get water.


Testimony building experienceThere was an incident that happened in the lives of Joseph's family that imbedded in them a lasting faith in our Heavenly Father. In 1856 there was a shortage of wheat. The grasshoppers had taken the greatest share, but by rationing there was enough wheat for flour to last them through the winter.

However, when planting time came there was only one half bushel to the acre left to plant. Ordinarily, one & 1/2 to two bushels were planted to assure a good crop. Before the wheat was planted the family knelt and prayed. During the growing season the father, Joseph, went to the field and prayed that the wheat would yield a good crop. When the crop was harvested the yield was good, and as much as was taken off other years with larger plantings.

Johnston’s ArmyIn 1857 Joseph sent his family to Shanghi Bottoms near Lehi and he went to Echo Canyon to meet Johnston's army. This was a time of terrible suspense. Every one was tense with fear and moved quietly for fear of someone who might be lurking near who would hear and interrupt their plans. Joseph was quick and decisive in his actions when his family or Church was in danger. In later years Joseph indicated to his son James a point close to the road in Echo Canyon as the place where the rocks were piled to be rolled down on Johnston's army. When the trouble was over and Johnston's army had encamped at Camp Floyd he took vegetables and flour there and traded them for crackers, arm-chairs, clothing and blankets. Flour sold for $24.00 per hundred.

Sad timesIn 1863 or 1864 he went to meet a Company of Mormon Emigrants. While there he heard of the death of Sister Howard. Upon his return, he brought this sad news to her sons, Bill and Tom Howard, who had come on ahead of the others into the valley. When the sons received this word, they sat for a long time without saying a word. These were very solemn times.

Nursery
Joseph cultivated one of our state's earliest nurseries. He budded fruit trees and raised many kinds of berries. He introduced the first Quince and Greengage to be brought into the state. In 1868 he took a load of fruit trees to Oxford, Idaho.

Wife died
Clarrissa Fackrell contracted measles and passed away July 5th, 1869, leaving Joseph with ten unmarried children to care for. The home, located as it was, was a natural gathering place for young people, so Joseph saw to it that his own and other young people of the community had wholesome entertainment.

He invited them in and they played such games as blind man’s bluff. In the summer they ate watermelons and grapes from his garden. People were often heard to say, "There is someone going to Fackrellzes."

He and some of his sons extended their enterprise to Randolph where they engaged in cattle raising. He was a very good farmer. At one time the Church authorities wanted him to take a responsible position but he thought he wasn't suited for it. He said, "I want to be just plain Joe Fackrell." He had an unusual sense of wit about him. I'll quote from an old letter he wrote to his son:

Letter
"Woods Cross, Davis Co., Utah
Oct. 3rd, 1899
Dear John,
I got your letter, glad to hear from you. We are all well, at least we call it so. Other folks wouldn't. I am busy at work or would have been but it sprinkled a while ago and that excused me. It is now twelve, at least the clock will soon strike, or would but it is a watch and don't strike."

I quote from the history of West Bountiful Ward by Priscilla Muir Hatch, "In 1879 a commencement was made for building a new meeting house on land which Joseph Crumb Fackrell donated and deeded to the Ward for the building of the Church. The present Church and amusement hall now stand on this land. The land also extends north where their lawn and grove are. Not many men in these days were so philanthropic, and it is to be hoped that the people of West Bountiful will give to the memory of Brother Fackrell the appreciation and honor that is due him." He also donated for the Randolph Ward meeting house.

Death
Joseph spent the winter of 1870 & 1871 in Michigan, visiting his wife's relatives. About 1889 he married Grace Holden. He passed away Dec 14th, 1900. (Deseret News clipping) Funeral held Dec. 16th at one p.m. in West Bountiful. There was a large attendance and lengthy cortege. He was an honorable man, and highly respected by all who knew him, was always generous and kind to all he met. Five of his twelve children are still living.
The names of the children follow:
Mary Ann died child 13 Jul 1846 - 16 July 1846
David Edwin married to: Sarah Hanna Barrett
Juliette married to: James Howard
Betsy Jane married to: William Howard
Joseph Norman married to: Sophia E. Fackrell
Lucy married to: Jedediah Morgan Grant
Amy Viola married to: M.M. Brown
James W. (bachelor)
Clarrissa married to: Augustus Sprouse
Alvarette married to: Daniel Corbett
John Dempsey married to: Luella Belcher
William Henry (bachelor)
Estella died child 23 Mar 1865 - 17 Mar 1869
Jemima Ann married to: Peter Clawson

written by Ruth Brown Irving, May 12th, 1941

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Part of a talk given by Joseph Crumb Grant in West Bountiful Chapel on June 18, 1966. Joseph C. Grant was a grandson of Joseph C. Fackrell.

Joseph Crumb Fackrell used to be a successful horse breeder. He owned a ranch out on Bear River on which he raised horses. When I was about 13 years old he gave me the pick of his yearling colts, about 40 in number, because I was named for him, for which I was quite thrilled. Joseph C. Fackrell received the land on the corner, he had joined the Church after his father came to Utah. They followed, settling in West Bountiful in 1852. Joseph was a quiet, unassuming person. He never sought notoriety or high places. He liked to till the soil and deep close to the Lord. Whenever he was given an assignment by the Church he filled it to the best of his ability. He had developed quite a lot of ability and understanding as to how to care for the sick. So he spent quite a lot of time helping people who had sickness. He knew how to use the greatest medicine they had in those days - herbs. He also knew how to put together some valuable poultices for different ailments, which were widely used in those days.

After he joined the Church he built up a definite and implicit faith in God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He carried that faith, along with the priesthood he held, into the home where he went, so that he could pray with them and bless them when occasion required it. He was one of those the Master spoke of when he said, "When I was sick ye came unto me." "In as much as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my children ye have done it unto me."

I knew him until I was 19 years old. He had a very kindly disposition. In handling his horses he never mistreated them. As a boy I remember a little incident that happened. He was trying to get a horse to cross a small ditch with some water in it, but the horse just would not step over it. He coaxed and persuaded but it still would not go. Finally he turned to me and said, "Joe will you go across there and swear at that horse." I never heard him swear, so of course he didn't expect me to swear. But he finally got the horse across without mistreatment.

When it came to giving the land to the Church, he had been asked about it and he was thinking and praying about it, (and this story comes to me from his son James W. Fackrell). He was out along the street one night after dark, as he came home he came passed the ground the Ward wanted, just as he came in front of the land, quite a bright light appeared on the walk right in front of him pointing toward the land, he looked at the light then at the land, then he said, "That settles it. The Ward gets the land." Then the light disappeared and he went home and told his son. Then he proceeded the next day to take care of it.

May we appreciate the lives of our pioneer ancestors and the foundation which they laid for us to build on, and may we have the faith and courage to continue to build so that the generations following us, my catch that note of faith and continue to build in faith.