Daniel Stillwell Thomas' family history places the Thomas home in the Allred Settlement in Caldwell County, in 1838. The Allred settlement was located near present day Polo, Missouri, about 9 miles southeast of Far West. William's farm was located in the southeast 1/4 of the northwest 1/4 of Section 20, Grant Township.
Isaac's and John's farms were nearby. In late 1838, the Thomas family moved into Far West to help defend the city. Daniel Thomas was among 60 arrested by General Clark and marched to Richmond for trial. "We accompanied Gen. Clark and his army, there being in number of us prisoners about 50. Our guard marched from 4 to 8 abreast with a heavy front and rear guard. The first day's march brought us to Long Creek where we encamped on Br. William Allred's timber and that night I could see my own corn and fodder fed out by the mob." [Daniel Stillwell Thomas Famiy History, page 51.]
William Moore Allred was a son of Isaac Allred and Mary Calvert. The latter being a descendant of George Calvert (1st Lord Baltimore). Isaac Allred was a son of William Allred and Elizabeth Thresher. William Allred was a son of Thomas Allred and Elizabeth Twiggs. Throughout the five generations mentioned, all had large families. [See, R. Allred, Allred Family in America] In 1830, Isaac Allred with his wife and seven children moved from Tennessee, into Missouri. They located on a farm in Monroe County in the Salt River district. [Monroe County land records place James Allred on sections 10 and 15, in township 55, range 8, and William in section 15. The purchase date for James' property is 22 October 1830] With Isaac's family came the older married sons of his brother James, who was Isaac's senior. They began buying farms in this frontier region that was brush and woodland with meadowlands here and there. Isaac's farm was within three miles of one of the forks of the Salt River. William wrote in his journal:
"... But the first winter we lived in Missouri, I think the snow fell in November about two feet deep and stayed on the ground all winter, and towards spring there came a thaw and then froze a crust on the snow so we could walk on it, and as there were plenty of Deer in that Country, we could go out and find the Deer and when they would jump they would break through and the dogs could run on top the snow, so we could catch them. While living at this place I killed the first deer I ever killed. I was about twelve or thirteen years old. I remember the first winter. I frosted my feet some and could not be out much for a long while, and my two younger Brothers Reddin A. and Reddick N. (twins) had no shoes, and my oldest Br., John C., would bring in wood for us, and we would spell and read, and that was the way the twins commenced to learn to read, if I remember right I was the first school teacher they ever had, and that was the first school I ever taught and the only one." [Unpublished Biography and Journal of William Moore Allred, 1-2] The complete family of Isaac Allred with their respective ages in 1831 were as follows: Isaac 43, Mary 38, John C 18, Nancy Weakly 16, Louisa 14, William Moore, 12, Reddick Newton and Reddin Alexander, 9, Mary Caroline 7, James Riley 4, Paulinus Harvey, born April 1831, Elizabeth Mary, the oldest child, died before her eighth birthday, in Tennessee. . . . The first opportunity to hear the gospel came when Hyrum Smith and John Murdock, as missionaries, visited their settlement in 1831. Later, three other elders came, and on September 10,1831, they baptized nineteen people in the Allred Settlement. These included William, his parents, and "one or two of my sisters."
... William stated George M. Hinkle baptized him. His Uncle James, his wife Elizabeth Warren and a number of their family were included in the list. [See, Life Sketch of James Tillman Sanford Allred Sr., located at the Utah State Historical Society Archives]
Reddick recalled they lived "on the great highway from east to the west. [Biographical Sketch of the Life of Reddick Newton Allred, copy in Utah State Historical Society Archives] June 7, 1834, was a great day for the Allreds, Ivies, and other families of the settlement. A large encampment of men known as Zion's Camp stopped to rest at William's uncle James' farm. Joseph Smith was leading the company. William's grandson Theras Orson Allred and his daughter Iris, write: "William first saw the Prophet Joseph Smith in the summer of the year he turned 14 in December. The Prophet was on his way with Zion's Camp to relieve the suffering of the Saints in Jackson County and arrives at the Salt River settlement, June 7,1834. They camped there four days refreshing and reorganizing the camp. William's uncle, James, raised 10 volunteers and joined the camp. On the return trip the Prophet visited the Salt River Branch and advised the saints to "gather" in Clay County. William's impressions of the young Prophet, 'I thought he had a very noble appearance, very kind and affectionate, I visited the Camp several times while it was at my Uncle's farm. I knew he was a true Prophet of God and I have lived to see many of [his] prophecies fulfilled and I am willing to have this testimony go to all the world. As I was not quite 14 when I first saw the Prophet I cannot remember many of his sayings then but I heard him preach in the Salt River Branch.'" [Unpublished, Incidents in the Life of William Moore Allred, by Theras Orson Allred and Iris Allred Nielsen, 2] "We then moved to Clay County I think in 1835. While living there my Br. Harvey, when he would laugh his mouth would draw around to one side. Father sent for the Elders and he was healed immediately. [Journal of William M. Allred, 2] [Clay County land records list James Allred in section 25, township 53, range 30W, above Excelsior Springs]
A Compilation of Allred Sources Covering Salt River Branch, Monroe County, to Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri
William also moved with the Saints to Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri, and was one of the defenders of the city when besieged. "At eighteen he was a regular soldier and guard in defense of the Saints. Many times, his life and the lives of his companions were miraculously spared when bullets fell thick and fast around them, when exposure to cold and hunger stalked them, and when the state militia of thousands moved in on Far West. William and about fifty Mormon guards passed by a breast-work [defending the southern portion of the city], and the enemy, thinking the saw five hundred men or more, quickly retreated. [See, Elder John Brush, Autumn Leaves, 4 (1891) for an expanded narration of this incident]. William witnessed George Hinkle's delivery of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, Lyman Wight, and others as hostages into the militia's camp. "Such yelling and screaming and swearing, I never heard. We could hear them up to Town." [Journal of W.M. Allred, 5] He witnessed the arrival of Joseph and other brethren to the Public Square with [Samuel] Bogart, and Doniphan's defiance of orders to shoot the prisoners. Instead, Doniphan commanded his men to leave Far West. He saw the sad leave-taking of the prisoners from their families, en route to Independence. He was present when they surrendered their arm and heard General Clark's infamous speech to vanquished church members. Throughout the trial of church leaders, William and nine other men hid themselves near the courthouse, to be available if needed. During the expulsion from the state, following these events, William's health broke. He was nearly an invalid for about a year. [All the above cited in: Rhea A. Kunz, Voices of Women Approbating Celestial or Plural Marriage, Vol. 1 (Draper, Utah: Review and Preview Publishers, 1978).]
-edited by Romig, 10-1-99
Along with the church, the Allred family moved to Caldwell Co. This county was sparsely populated and in 1836 was a refuge for outlaws. Nonetheless, Isaac prospered and in 1837, the year ground was broken for a temple in Far West, purchased land on Long Creek, 8 miles from Far West. On March 18, 1838 the Prophet and other Church leaders moved into Far West and the population swelled enough to cause the counties to split into Davis and Caldwell. As the Church expanded the natives panicked and violence was triggered on election day at Gallatin, Davis Co. Isaac had by that time three living daughters and nine sons. William declares that, "...we suffered considerable from persecution and exposure." [Diary of R.N. Allred page 299; and Deseret News article in JHC, 26 October 1935; Diary of W.M.Allred, page 3 and Diary of R.N. Allred, 300.]
Both William and Redick have vivid accounts of the turbulent months in 1838 when the prophet urged all outlying settlements to Far West for their protection. Preparing to withstand a siege, a company of men supervised by Captain Buchannan dragged a horse mill from Davis Co. into Far West. Redick, 16 years old at the time, took his father's ox team and assisted the company.
This is his recollection of the events on Oct. 24 and 25, 1838 as he returned to the city:
"I put up at Father Morley's not having time to go home, eight miles out, before night. I had just fed my team and was eating supper when father came to town with a report that the mob was making a raid upon the scattered settlements on the head of Log Creek. He told me to hitch up and go home as soon as possible to guard his family. It was pitch dark when I started and as I crossed the square Apostle David Patten was in his saddle raising his men to go out to protect our people. Having had scarcely any sleep for two nights, I could not keep awake in the wagon, so I walked by the side of my oxen, and there I even slept as I walked, at the same time not knowing at what moment I might be in the hands of the mob. I got home at 1 o'clock and found all safe. Father kept on the alert, and at the break of day he heard the guns at the "Crooked River Battle", it being only five miles from our home. That morning we moved into Far West, and witnessed the approach of the army, the capture of the Prophet and others, the surrender of arms, etc., etc." [Diary of W.M. Allred, page 3; Diary of R.N. Allred, page 300; and Deseret News article in JHC, 3 May 1894, page 9.]
William was listed in George Hinkle's company (the man who baptized him) during the violence in Carroll and Davis Co. The company marched to the town of DeWitt to aid a settlement besieged by the mob. Their opponents repulsed their aggression and William mentions, "...they commenced shooting toward us but the bullets went over our heads (it being a lumbered Country) but there were of us hit." They struck a truce with the mob and moved on to the support of the Saints of Davis Co. William saw the altar where Joseph revealed that Adam had offered sacrifice and built a breastwork with a detachment of fifty to defend the Saints from the Missouri militia of Generals Clark and Lucas. Capitulating to superior numbers, Colonel Hinkle agreed to surrender Joseph and Hyrum and his men's personal arms and property. As Joseph left for trial in Davis Co., mob threats increased and William joined a self-appointed group to protect him. [Diary of W.M. Allred, 3, 4, and 5; cited at: http://www.allredfamily.org/allredfirstconverts.htm.]
William Allred, Isaac's younger brother, also took an active stand against the enemies of the Church. As a Captain over ten mounted men he went to intercept a wagon of guns and ammunition, destined for use against the Mormon forces, in September , 1838. The wagon was hijacked and the guns scattered. Three men, issuing from the Missouri camp, were seized by Captain Allred who had authority from a writ to arrest any man abetting the mob. The culprits and the munitions were taken to Far West. The inhabitants exulted in having frustrated the machinations of the mob. [Documentary History of the Church, vol. 3, 74.]
In November, 1838, after the surrender of the Saints, General Clark brought William Allred, Martin C. Allred (James' son), and Andrew Whitlock (James' son-in-law) before Judge King and charged them with high treason against the state, murder, burglary, arson, robbery and larceny. They were incarcerated with Joseph, Hyrum, Sidney Rigdon, Parley P. Pratt and forty-eight other alleged war criminals at Richmond, Mo. Having found no evidence to accuse Andrew, Martin C., or William of a crime, Judge King discharged them on November 18th. [DHC, vol. 3, 209-211.]
Two months after his release from prison, a public meeting was held in Far West. In attendance were the Saints from devastated Caldwell Co. On a motion made by President Brigham Young, it was resolved to enter into a covenant to assist themselves and the worthy destitute Saints in leaving Missouri until all were out of danger of General Clark's extermination order. William, Martin C. and two hundred and twelve other members signed the covenant. William was compelled to move to Pike Co., Ill. where Hyrum ordained him a bishop. He had left over 600 acres of land in Missouri. [DHC, vol. 3, 249-253; History of Sanpete and Emery County, page 479.]
[http://www.allredfamily.org/allredfirstconverts.htm.]
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