Albey Lyman Sherman biography (by Mary Jones Brown)

ALBEY LYMAN SHERMAN

by Mary Jones Brown

Albey Lyman Sherman was born 30 October 1832 at Pomfret, Chautauqua County, New York, son of Lyman Royal Sherman and Delcena Diadamia Johnson. Pomfret was no far from Palmyra and Hill Cumorah from which Joseph Smith got the gold plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated.

His parents were converts to the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints before he was born, they being baptized in the fall of 1831, thus being among the earliest members.


Persecution began as soon as they accepted the Gospel and the powers of evil were turned loose against them to do everything possible to turn them away from the truth but their testimonies were not shaken. It was in these trying times that Grandfather made his advent into the world.

The persecution became so great that the Prophet Joseph Smith received a revelation that the Church should move to Ohio. So Grandfather’s parents moved to Kirtland, Ohio where his father Lyman Royal Sherman assisted with the laying of the corner stones of the Kirtland Temple 23 July 1833.

His father made the famous trip as a member of Zion’s Camp from Ohio to Missouri May 1834. After his return to Kirtland he was ordained a Seventy and became one of the first seven presidents of Seventies in the Church. He also became a High Councilman at Kirtland.

From Kirtland he moved his family to Far West, Missouri. Here also much persecution was experienced. He visited the Prophet Joseph Smith and others when they were in prison at Richmond, Missouri in the winter of 1838-1839. At this time he was called to the Apostleship by the Prophet Joseph Smith to take the place of Orson Hyde, but he took cold on this mission and died before receiving ordination to this high calling. He died in January or February of 1839 at Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri.

Benjamin F. Johnson says that Delcena, Albey’s mother was left a widow at Far West with six small children, Albey being about seven years old. From this time on he was dependent on his mother for guidance.

The persecution became so bitter that the Saints were forced to leave Far West about the last of March. Assisted by her brother Benjamin F. Johnson and her brother-in-law Almon W. Babbitt, they crossed the Missouri River at Quincy, Illinois to find a home elsewhere as best they might in the cold weather. The citizens at Quincy were showing great kindness to the persecuted Saints. Here his mother decided to stay with her children until it should be known where the next gathering place of the Saints would be. --Reference- B.F. Johnson.

His boyhood days were spent being persecuted by the mobs and being driven from town to town and from state to state. He must have had many frightening experiences.

The next move to Nauvoo, Illinois where the faithful mother took her little family. He and his brothers and sisters attended school in Nauvoo, their names being on the school records during 1842-1844.

John Seter baptized Albey in 1844. (Later he was re-baptized 24 June 1855 at Payson, Nebo Stake, Utah and his wife was re-baptized at the same time. Joel H. Johnson performed his re-baptism. William B. Maxwell ordained him a Seventy in the forty-sixth quorum 19 May 1857.

As soon as the Nauvoo Temple was ready, Albey’s mother went there and was sealed to her husband 24 January 1846. She also did baptisms for many of her dead relatives.

Grandfather told my mother that he knew the Prophet Joseph Smith better than he knew his own father. His father having died when he was very young and also the Prophet’s son Joseph being about Grandfather’s own age, he was in the Smith home a great deal. He remembered sitting on one of the Prophet’s knees while his son Joseph sat on the other.

He witnessed the burning of the Nauvoo Temple, which according to Church history took place 19 November 1848 about three o’clock in the morning and although it was still dark the streets and houses for nearly a mile distance were lighted up so as to render the smallest objects discernable. Grandfather said, “It was so light that they could see to read a newspaper several blocks away.” The sorrow of the Saints at the loss of their temple was great.

Grandfather lived in Nauvoo at the time when great persecutions were taking place when the mob was after the Prophet Joseph Smith and other leaders of the Church. He witnessed the sorrow and mourning among the Saints when their beloved Prophet and Patriarch, Joseph and Hyrum Smith were shot and killed by the mob. Grandfather was about fourteen years old at that time.

The persecution became so great that the Saints were threatened with their lives if they did not leave Nauvoo and the state of Illinois. So in the middle of the winter they left everything they had, their homes, farms and everything they had except what few things they could take with them in their wagons and crossed the Mississippi River on the ice and made camp on the other side, which was in the state of Iowa. Church History reports that on the first night of their encampment nine babies were born in the extreme cold weather, the people being without proper shelter. Some were in tents, some in wagons in snowstorms and rainstorms. The weather was extremely cold and a great number of the people were without proper clothing and necessary shelter. Many of the wagons were without covers and others had covers with would not shed rain. The roads were almost impassable because of constant storms. Many died of sickness and exposure. Such were at the sufferings of the Saints. My Grandfather Albey Lyman Sherman, his mother, brothers and sisters were probably traveling with his group.

They arrived in Council Bluffs, Iowa 11 July 1849. Here they went through many hardships and much sorrow. Here one brother and two sisters died; Alvira 20, Mary E. 19 and Seth 15 all in the same year 1850, (Reference, MS 844, S.L. Library) also the gravestone of Mary E. Sherman still stands in the Council Bluffs cemetery. Another brother Daniel died somewhere along the way. The mother Delcena arrived in Utah with only two of her six children.

In 1854 Albey Lyman Sherman, his mother and his youngest sister, Susan Julia started across the plains on the last lap of their journey. He married Mary Elvira Swan on 10 June 1854 at the Platt River. She was born the 15 December 1835 in Scotland and was the daughter of George Swan and Elizabeth Warrender. It had been reported that there had been a birth and a death on the trip and it was suggested that they have a marriage so they were married on the plains. In October of that same year, shortly after they arrived in the Valley, Albey’s mother died 21 October 1854 in Salt Lake City. She had developed very poor health while crossing the plains but had struggled on until she reached Zion. Her passing was one of the greatest sorrows of Grandfather’s life.

On 28 August 1857 they went to the Endowment House in Salt Lake and had their work completed.

In the spring of 1855 he and his wife moved to Payson, Utah where their first child was born 29 April 1855 and much to their sorrow died the following day. From there they moved to Santaquin, Utah where their next two children were born, Mary Elvira and Albey William. In 1860 they moved to Fountain Green, Sanpete County, Utah pioneering all along the way and were one of the first settlers there. In Fountain Green the rest of their children were born. My mother, Ada Cornelia Sherman being the 14th child was born 15 August 1879.

He took an active part in the Black Hawk War, which was going on at that time. The Indians under a chief named Black Hawk raided the settlements, stole their cattle, horses and many innocent people were killed. The men would have to pursue the Indians in an attempt to recover their livestock and the Indians in Ambush killed many. This war lasted several years and the people had to build Forts and live in them for protection from the Indians.

In the year 1866 President Brigham Young made a call for men to go to Missouri to assist the “poor” emigrants to cross the plains and grandfather was one who volunteered to go. He was gone about six weeks making three times that he crossed the plains.

Grandfather had many talents. He was considered a very good butcher. He also made good soda crackers to sell. He was a life guard in his earlier years. He would accompany swimming parties to serve as a rescuer in case of drowning. He also could understand and speak the Indian language and on many occasions acted as an interpreter. Grandmother could also speak and understand the Indian language.

He was considered a very good teamster and has very fine, well-trained horses. Grandfather was a good L.D.S. man, had a good disposition and was a good provider.

He received a call from the church authorities to help settle Huntington so he left Fountain Green in the spring of 1879 accompanied by some of his sons and a daughter and went to Huntington. He took up 160 acres of land north of Huntington then he went back and brought his family in October 1880.

The first winter they lived in a dug out on the Huntington River. The following summer they built a large log room, later they built another room about the same size and connected them together with a lumber-room, which they used for a kitchen.

In 1897 they built a home on Main Street in the Huntington Town Site where he spent the remainder of his life. He died 18 September 1911 at the age of 78. He spent his pioneering, making roads building bridges and canals. He was a great and noble man and leaves a large posterity to honor his name.