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A Sketch of James Moroni Richeys life I want to leave for our descendants. These are things Grandmother Richey (Lucinda Mangum) used to tell me about my Dear husbands youthful years before I knew him.
He was born the spring after his parents arrived in Salt Lake City April 16, 1848 in the Old Fort, the first male child born in Salt Lake City. His grandmother Rebecca Mangum died at Winter Quarters. His mother had her clothes to make clothes for Moroni as the only cloth of any kind in the valley was what the people had brought with them. He was about 2 years old when his parents were called to Manti 129 miles Southwest. Indian Chief Walker & his people moved into the valLey for the winter. They would come to the houses while the families was eating, stand & wait until they finished the meal then eat all that was left, besides begging for food from house to house. Moroni would keep so still when his mother told him Indians were at the door or coming & keep so quiet till they left. There was just one hen he would watch for the daily egg that his mother cooked for him. The snow was very deep & the people had only time before winter came on to build houses. There was no shelter for cattle & the snow was very deep. The men would shovel the snow off the grass for cattle & horses. Still many died & then the indians made a feast of them, so loud & noisy that the people wondered if they were planing to kill them. With feeding the Indians their supplies ran low so a few men went out on snowshoes to S.L.City to get flour and
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seed to plant. James Richey was one. When they went to Manti they took supplies to last them till harvest but Brigham Young always said "It is better to Feed the Indians than to fight them," so he sent provisions & Seed back with them.
It was always a great treat for the Mormon settlers to have the Authorities visit them & all rejoiced, they cleaned the town & their homes. The Indians seeing this, that whenever they cleaned the Indians would say "Bligam comin." If told no they would say "Oh, yes Bligam comin." When Moroni saw the authorities he would say as a small child, "which is Brigham, which is Brigham?" so excited with it all. He was always kind & loving, his Bro. & Sisters loved him for it. He would give his Sisters money for clothes, all he made was given to help the family.
When Moroni was 10 years old his Father was called to Southern Utah because he was from the south & knew how to raise Cotton & build cotton gins. First they lived on the Santa Clara River, then St. George, then to the town 5 miles east to the town of Washington as it was a better place for a cotton Gin. That is where Moroni grew to manhood. The young folks of both towns joined their parties. Moroni's father belonged to the Nauvoo Legion, as a young man Moroni joined. As the Indians would drive off cattle & horses, he with others of the legion followed to try to get them back. He had a Sweetheart, a very fine Girl, Emily Duncan, they were engaged to marry. He went with a freight
team to Pioche in Nevada
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