Archibald McPhail and Jane McKinnon

This is interesting in our family history in part that the Bingham and Mckinnon line crosses here...just a few generations before Ella Mae and Byron get married and it crosses again. Jane McKinnon is Archibald McKinnon's older sister. Archibald is who Byron comes out of and Jane is who Ella Mae comes out of.

How we relate:

Parents of Jane McPhail Peart

who is the mother of Mary Jane (Mae) Peart Brough

who is the mother of Mable Brough Bingham

who is the mother of Ella Mae Bingham McKinnon

who is the mother of Don McKinnon

Archibald McPhail was born on May 11, 1816 in Renfrew, Scotland. His parents’ names were Archibald McPhail and Margaret Milloy. 

            On April 26, 1839 Archibald McPhail and a woman named Elisabeth Love booked their names for three days proclamation of banns on purpose of marriage with their Parish. (The banns of marriage was a public announcement from the Christian church of the impending marriage. The purpose of banns was to enable anyone to raise any legal impediment to the marriage, prevent marriages that are invalid. People would “book” their names for a few days in advance of the marriage to give people a chance to bann it).

            In 1840, the first Branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints was organized in Paisley, Scotland by Orson Pratt on May 8. Archibald and Elisabeth were baptized two months later on July 19. On August 3^rd of the same year of 1840, Archibald and

Elisabeth had their first son, John, in Argyll.  Later the next year, Archibald was ordained a Teacher.

            On September 5, 1842 they had a daughter and named her Henrietta.  Archibald worked as a boot and shoemaker and they lived in Renfrewshire for the next few years. The family also had opened their home as a boarding home for saints to live.

            In May of 1847, Archibald’s wife Elisabeth died at the age of 28, leaving him a single father of two young children. In July of that year, Elisabeth’s sister Jane Love went to live at the home of Archibald to care for her older sister’s children. Jane was baptized right after hearing the gospel that was taught to her in the McPhail home. Robert Baxter was a man that was boarding in their home and he eventually married Jane the next year. They continued to live with Archibald and care for the children.

            On March 4, 1848, Archibald, along with about 12 other saints, were excommunicated from the church for unknown reasons. (I am going to find out why. Some sources say that he was ordained an Elder in 1849 – but that doesn’t fit in the timeline, so I need to find that out as well)

On December 4 of 1849, Archibald McPhail and Jane McKinnon were married. Some records have stated that Jane McKinnon and Archibald’s first wife were first cousins.  

In 1851, the McPhail family was living in Greenock, Scotland. Archibald was 35, Jane 28, John 11 and Henrietta was 9. Henrietta and her stepmother Jane did not get along. Henrietta wrote later in her life that she and Jane were never on friendly terms.

Sadly in 1854, Archibald’s son died at age 14. This event may have spurred Archibald and Jane to be rebaptized as they were reconfirmed in 1855 on November 4^th with about 12 other people at the Port of Glascow. Also in 1855, Robert and Jane Baxter leave with the Saints for America.

According to research done by McPhail and Peart descendents, Jane McKinnon had a sister named Catherine McKinnon McDonald. She had a daughter named Jane McDonald that was born in 1852. There are notes on an archival sheet of Archibald and Jane that say they adopted this little girl. Jane (the daughter) was found on the 1856 census, but not before. (I’m going to look more into this)

Henrietta was baptized in March of 1856 and in May of that year, they embarked on the ship The Thornton and left for America, James G. Willie was the leader for this journey. They arrived at the New York Port a month and a half later in June. While in New York, they boarded a steamer boat and sailed to Ohio, and then to Chicago where they took a train to Iowa City on June 26.

When they arrived in Iowa, the saints built the handcarts themselves and outfitted each cart with 90 days rations. The company was divided into 20 carts per group with a man placed over each group. Archibald McPhail was chosen to preside over one of these groups. In his group there were 100 saints. The company left for Salt Lake on August 27, 1856 – which was late in the year for saints to travel across the plains. This pioneer company became famous for all the trials they went through.

He was a captain in the Willie handcart company. He was a captain of 100. In this group there were two women who constantly lagged behind the others. Archibald’s daughter Henrietta tells of what happened:

"A terrible blizzard had been raging all day and when they reached camp Father found one of his group was missing.  There were two old ladies in his company who often lagged behind, coming into camp later.  When this one didn’t soon follow, Father felt it was his duty to go back after her.  It was indeed an undertaking for one so exhausted by the lack of food and nearly perishing with cold.  But he cheerfully accepted his responsibility and went in search of the woman.  He found her sitting by the wayside on the other side of a frozen stream they had crossed earlier.  He pleaded with her to come on, but she refused saying she was going to stay there and die.  There was nothing to do but cross the stream and get her.  He picked her up and as they recrossed the stream with his burden the ice broke and he was soaked with icy water to the waist.

By the time he reached camp his clothes were frozen to him and he was taking heavy chills.  The air was cold and wet and the men were so weak and hungry they could not go in search of dry wood to make a fire.  So without anything warm to eat or drink, he was placed in a cold bed with the covering of the handcart pitched over him for a tent.  There was a strong wind blowing which blew the tent over three times and they stopped trying to keep it up.  He was in a high fever and Henrietta sat by his bed, brushing the snow from his face as he lay dying.

After his death he was wrapped in a sheet and soon after day-break, after a short service, the snow was scooped away and he was laid on the ground and the snow covered back over him and they proceeded on their journey knowing full well that soon after they left the wolves would devour the body.  This account is well bourne out in other accounts of this company and the Martins to follow.  Because of the weakness of the men and the frozen condition of the ground it was impossible to dig graves for those who passed away.”

Below is an excerpt of the pioneer company journal written by James Willie:

       

  "Archibald McPhiel, from Greenock, Argyleshire, Scotland, died about 2 a.m. aged 40 years. Much snow on the ground this morning & still more falling. Go down Echo Kanyon, roads very bad at the crossing of streams; forded Weber River & camped on its banks. It snowed most of the day. The camping ground presented a most dismal appearance, as we rolled on to it there being much snow on the ground & it being late at night. Rasmus P. Hansen, from Lan Denmark, aged 16 years, died this evening"

Church historian  Paul Lyman said:  

 

“Cold” was noted on the 3rd and the 5th. After mentioning a snowstorm coming on the evening of the 5th, the record for the 6th reported that “it snowed most of the day,” which caused people to start dying again.

Archibald McPhail, like many unsung heroes, died simply doing his duty. He had been responsible for the 20 people assigned to his tent. On the evening of the 5th he noticed that one of two women who often lagged behind was missing. He went back along the trail and found her. She was on the opposite side of a creek. She refused to cross, saying she was going to die anyway and saw no need to cross only to die. He crossed over the creek on the frozen ice, picked her up, and started back across the ice. The additional weight of the woman caused the ice to break through and he was soaked up to his waist. He guided her into camp with his clothes frozen to his waist and legs. As the snowstorm raged, he went to bed on the snowy, cold ground wearing his frozen clothes. His wife used a handcart for a tent that night. Due to the wind, their handcart tent blew over three times. He died, with his wife holding him, never having gotten warm after rescuing his unnamed charge.¹
Archibald McPhail left a wife and children ages 3, 4, and 15. With the death of Rasmus P. Hansen, Anna Hansen, age 40, his mother, was now alone. She had lost her husband on October 19th.
Echo Creek meandered back and forth across the canyon floor in 1856. The main trail crossed Echo Creek over a dozen times. In the heavy snow, the river crossings would have been even more difficult than usual. The journal confirmed that the road was particularly bad at the river crossings. The journal writer commented even more harshly on the campground. It was on the west side of the Weber River in the river bottom. It was late at night when they stopped and it had snowed all day. The snow-covered grass must have been particularly difficult to sleep on with their thin bedding. "

 Julie Rogers is a contemporary artist who paints pictures of stories of the pioneers and the selflesss acts that they did. She painted 3 of Archibald and his story. They are below.




Bishop McPhail by Julie Rogers




The Light Comprehendeth by Julie Rogers

  

The Light - Archibald and Jane McPhail by Julie Rogers



 Archibald is well known for his courageous and selfless act. The missionaries at the Pioneer Trek locations and other historical sites all know about him and talk about him with reverance.  Jane and her daughter continued on the trek. Henrietta was sent to live with and uncle. Jane later married Robert Baxter as a plural wife. He was the man who had boarded with them in Scotland. They later divorced and she married again. I will write about Jane in another post.

Sources:

• Mary Harper, “History of Henrietta McPhail Eckersell Utah Pioneer 1856,” Daughters of Utah Pioneers Library, Salt Lake City
•  http://tellmystorytoo.com/julie-rogers/sacred-sacrifice
• http://handcart.byu.edu/Default.aspx
•  http://www.authentiquegallery.com/Artwork-Detail.cfm?ArtistsID=53&NewID=184
• Artwork by Julie Rogers