BIOGRAPHY OF DAVID BROADHEAD

by granddaughter, Joey B. Olpin

David Broadhead was the third son of William and Sarah Golding, born 2 October 1829 in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.

In the winter of 1844 an Elder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints came into town where they were living, preaching the gospel. David's father, having investigated the principles of the said Church, became convinced that they were true and in the spring of 1845 was baptized. Shortly afterwards, he was ordained an Elder and was appointed to preside over the branch of the Church in Coventry, Warwickshire, England.

David was baptized a member of the Church on 12 October 1845 by his father, William Broadhead, and confirmed by the same Elder. He was sixteen years of age at the time. He was living with his parents and employed as a ribbon weaver, which occupation he followed for his support.

Whenever opportunity offered, he devoted his time to reading the works of the Church. On 19 September 1847, he was ordained to the office of Priest by Elder Thomas Smith. By appointment he traveled with the Elders in the villages and branches of the Church, preaching the gospel to the people and acting as teacher among the saints, visiting the families in their homes.
On 29 January 1850, he married Harriett Betts, daughter of Jos. and Elizabeth Bennett. Three days later they set sail from Liverpool, England for America, on the ship "Josiah Bradley". After being on the ocean for nine weeks, they landed in New Orleans, 18 April 1850. In about three days they took the steamer for St. Louis and arrived about 15 May. They stayed there about three weeks, then boarded the ship for Council Bluff, State of Iowa. They arrived at Council Bluff about the middle of May 1850. They were without friends and money but the Lord raised up friends to them and they soon found work.
It was three years before they had money enough to go on to Utah. Here they suffered much for want of food but they always shared the one little room they had for shelter with other saints.

On July 24, 1852 after grandpa had gone to work, grandma discovered the cow had a calf. Being fearful that the cow would take her calf away and lose it, grandma lifted it over the fence. That night she gave birth to her first child, a girl, who died the same day. Having no doctor or proper help, blood poisoning set in and for three weeks she was very ill and not expected to live, but the Lord spared her life, for she had much yet to do. She told us of how they lived in one small room. Another brother, living with them, had died that day, and as she gave birth to this child, her bed was so close to his dead body that she could stretch her hand out and lay it on his forehead.

After remaining in Council Bluff for three years, they started on June 22, 1853, with a company of saints, under the leadership of Captain Clauson, to the valley of the mountains. David was given a wagon to drive, which was loaded with stoves, and his young wife trudged beside him. At night they slept on the stoves in the wagon. Three months were spent in travelling. They arrived in Salt Lake City on September 16, 1853. Two months later, November 16, their daughter Harriett was born. They were anxious to be on their way and when their baby was six weeks old they started with an ox team to Nephi, to join the settlement which had been ordered there. Today the trip can easily be made in three hours. It took them three weeks. Between the towns of Spanish Fork and Payson, the oxen, exhausted by wallowing through two feet of snow in the face of a driving snowstorm, lay down and refused to move. The other man in the party told grandpa that one of them must go for help. With his infant daughter on one arm and her young mother clinging to the other, they walked six miles to the nearest house and sent aid to the rest of their party.

When they arrived, they were received kindly by the few saints who were already settled in Nephi and who were living in a small fort, serving as protection from the Indians. They were taken in and made comfortable by President Haywood and his wife, who only had two rooms. They stayed with them until spring, grandma doing the house, while Sister Haywood
taught school. While there, in the spring of 1854, grandma had a dream or vision in which she saw clearly the Nephi Tabernacle in construction and also the spot on which it was built. This was seven years before it was built. The dream was so clear to her and impressed her so much that she related it to the President, who with pleasure, raised his hands and said, "As the Lord lives, it shall be so."

As the weather grew warm, living inside the stockade became very unpleasant, as it was necessary to keep all the livestock inside of a space less than two blocks, to keep them from the Indians. From President Young, they obtained permission to build a larger fort. The work was soon begun, each man being assigned five rods to build. When grandfather's share was completed, he was employed by two other men to build their portion, and he was very glad of the opportunity to earn a little to support his family.

Brother David Cazier often told of how grandpa came here with hands like a baby, so soft from the work as a ribbon weaver, a man who had never known hard work, and how he did three men’s share on the fort wall, how they carried mud and rock and worked from morning until night, so anxious were they to complete their task. When the fort wall was finished, it was three blocks square, 12 feet high, six feet wide at the bottom, and three feet wide at the top, with two large gates at the north and south sides. It was on this wall that grandpa spent many nights and days as a guard. They were now much better protected from the Indians, and they could have more land on which to plant gardens and raise corn and other necessary foods.

They suffered all the hardships of the early pioneers of this valley. They lived at one time in one large room with three other families. There was but one fireplace where each took his turn to prepare their scant meals, and each had their corner or fourth for their possessions.

For fifteen years all the clothing that was worn by the family was made from wool clipped from their sheep then washed, carded, spun and woven into cloth by members of the family. Grandma often said the best days work she ever did was when David cut the wool from a sheep and she carded, spun and wove the cloth, cut and made a pair of trousers for him, which he wore to his brothers wedding that night at 8 o'clock.

They told of how they starved for white bread and many times did not have enough to supply the necessities of life. On one occasion there was so little, grandma felt there was no need to set the table, but grandpa said, "Well, Harriett, set the table and let's have what we have in order."

One time when she was alone, an Indian stole into the house, and seeing grandpa's white linen shirt, the only one he had, as it was drying on the back of a chair, he demanded it and was determined to have it. He became very insulting and threatened grandma, but she managed to stay between him and the shirt. For a moment she was afraid and wondered what she was going to do, when she saw the poker in the fireplace, which was red hot. She seized it and backed him out of the house. These are but a few of the hardships they suffered.

November 1, 1855, he was ordained to the office of an Elder and they received their endowments and were married for time and eternity, by Heber C. Kimball, in the House of the Lord. Twelve children were born to them, two dying in infancy. The rest grew to manhood and womanhood. Besides their own, they raised three others and were always found willing to share their scant possessions with others who were less fortunate than themselves.

On the 17 February 1856, he married Mary Morris, daughter of James and Mary Morris, as his second wife. They were married by Pres. Brigham Young in Salt Lake City. Three children were born to this union.

This was an eventful-year in the history of the Church. The Government of the U.S. sent an array of several thousand soldiers to break up these people, their Church, and destroy their leaders, but God, through his servant, the Prophet Brigham Young, delivered his people and thwarted the designs of their enemies.

In the first part of the month of October, lS56, fifty of the brethren were called upon to be ready to march, armed and equipped, one hundred miles to Salt Lake City. They camped there about three weeks, expecting to be called upon to go into the mountains to fight their enemies. The enemies broke camp and returned home.

On the 1$ May 1856, he was ordained a Seventy in the 49th Quorum of Seventies, by Elder John Bouman.
He was again called upon, in the spring of 1858, to go into the mountains in defense of his brethren and their homes and families, in as much as their enemies and the Indians continued to devise plans for their destruction.

On March 1, 1876, he was ordained one of the presidents of the 71st Quorum of Seventies, by Elder Thomas Crowley. He was set apart to preside over the Teacher's Quorum in Nephi, Juab Co., January 1, 1877. He was ordained a High Priest by Apostle John Henry Smith, January 20, 1890; and set apart to High Councilman in Juab Stake of Zion. He was ordained a Patriarch by Apostle George Teasdale, January 30, 1898.

On May 4, 1868, he was married to Elizabeth Betts, his third wife, sister of Harriett and daughter of Joseph and Elizabeth Bennett, by Heber C. Kimball in Salt Lake City, Utah. To this union five children were born making a total of twenty. In 1884, he and his wife, Elizabeth were called to the temple at St. George to do temple work for the dead. They remained one year at St. George.

He followed the occupation of farming, and in the year 1876 they moved to what has since been called Four-Mile-Creek, seven miles south of Nephi. Here they homesteaded land that they might have work for their boys, who were growing into manhood. It was here that they spent the greater part of their time, and their boys are, to date, occupying the home they built and continuing to farm the land. They were pioneers of this valley in dry farming, having raised all kinds of grain and much fruit without irrigation water. About 1897, when their children were all grown and had homes of their own, they moved back to Nephi, where they could have closer contact with their church and old pioneer friends. Here they remained until their deaths.
His last years were spent as a teacher of the gospel and giving blessings to his family and the saints. Much of his time was spent as a home missionary in nearby towns. He was loved by everyone and was a wonderful example to his family. He was ready to respond to any call of the Church and Priesthood.

Three days before his death he drove his horse and buggy to the old farm and visited with all of his children. He died June 26, 1905 at his home in Nephi, following a sunstroke and illness of two days. He died as he had lived, firm in the faith of the gospel and hopes of a glorious resurrection to immortality and eternal life.

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