She grew up in Renfrewshire County, west of Glasgow, Lanark, Scotland. She married James Young, Jr. on 11 Aug 1840 in Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland. James Young Jr., born 20 Feb 1795 and was the third of four children of Grizel (Scottish name for Grace) Christie and James Young, Sr. of Kinross, Kinross, Scotland. James Young Jr. died the 21st of April 1847 in Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland.
This story begins with widow, Janette Carruth and her 3 daughters’ immigration with the LDS Saints to America. The story comes from accounts from the Autobiography and Journal of her younger brother, William Carruth and his wife, Margaret Ellwood Carruth, from the Captain McKensie of the Ship Carnatic, and President Franklin Dewey Richards, LDS Saints company leader.
On Feb. 12, 1848, Janette Carruth Young and her 3 daughters, Mary Barr Young, Grace Christie Young, Janet Carruth Young; her father in law, James Young, Sr. and her brother and sisters, James Carruth, Mary Carruth, Margaret Carruth Cahoon and her husband, Andrew Cahoon, by command of the Lord, the Carruth & Young families took their farewell of their aged parents, brethren, friends, home and country. The family experienced a very severe storm the night before landing in Liverpool. They met her brother, William and his wife who had left on 14th of Feb 1848 from Paisley Station and traveled by steamboat and railway trains to Liverpool, England.
James Carruth and Margaret Carruth, Janette’s brother and sister, were baptized at Liverpool on Feb. 17, 1848 by Elder Littlefield. From that time on they were under the guardianship of Elder Andrew Cahoon, brother in-law, who was returning to his native land from a mission to England.
The Carruth family had made arrangements to sail to New Orleans on board the ship Carnatic, commanded by Captain McKenzie. There were 120 Saints on board. President Franklin D. Richards and his counselors Elders C. H. Wheelock, Andrew Cahoon, brother in law, and & Samuel W. Richards; took charge of the company during the travel from Liverpool to New Orleans. They weighed anchor on the 20th of February and were 13 days in the Irish Channel and Sea. This was the roughest part of the journey as a severe gale blew through, tossing the ship violently. Several times they ran so close to the rocks and shoals that the captain ordered all sails up which made her role and wallow in the seas but the danger was avoided. Needless to say the emigrants suffered from seasickness.
As soon as the elements and the seasickness subsided the men were organized into groups of labor that included cleaning, building fires, receiving water, maintaining watch, etc. Regular hours were appointed for prayer and meetings held on the Sabbath and the sacrament was also administered. The captain was most impressed with how diligent the Saints were in observing good orders, and so he relaxed the formality of ship rules, and granted them every comfort and convenience which the vessel afforded. When warmer latitudes were reached, he also prepared shower baths which added to the health and comfort of the company.
On the 16th of March, the Carnatic passed between the Azores and mainland (off the coast of Spain), and entered into the region of trade wind influence. About this time Janette’s father in law, known as Father Young, age about 65, began to fail in health. Despite being anointed and prayed for he finally passed away on the evening of the 30th of March. The following morning (the 31st) at 6:40 am he was neatly laid out and his body was enclosed in a new piece of strong canvass. A heavy weight of coal was attached to the feet and his body was consigned to a watery grave, in the Atlantic Ocean at latitude 19 degrees 10' north, and longitude 58 degrees 40' west (east off the coast of San Juan Islands, Dominica Republic). The water was so still that the corpse was seen as it sank to a great depth.
The ship Carnatic passed into the Caribbean Sea, between the islands of Antigua and Guadeloupe on Sunday, April 2nd. She passed Cape San Antonio (island of Cuba), on the 13th, and on the 19th of April1848 at 7 pm they arrived in New Orleans. Tears were shed between the Saints and Captain McKensie and his crew because of the strong attachment and warm feelings developed over the months of crossing the mighty deep. The crew gave three cheers for the Saints as they disembarked from the ship.
Elder Lucius N. Scovil, who was the Church emigration agent at the New Orleans port, received the company and without delay they passed through the custom house officers, who allowed the baggage to be landed without opening a single box, barrel or parcel of any kind.
The entire group of emigrants left New Orleans on the steamboat Mameluke on Sunday morning, April 23rd and arrived at St. Louis a week late (30th of April). They had a pleasant, uneventful trip.
The Saints were counseled not to remain at St. Louis any longer than it was necessary to make preparations to continue their journey up the river to the Pottawattamie lands on their way to the Great Salt Lake by way of Council Bluffs or Winter Quarters. Arrangements were made with Captain Patterson of the steamboat Mustang to take the Carnatic company, as well as other emigrating Saints who had arrived in St. Louis, to Winter Quarters at a cost of $5 per person 12 years of age and older which allowed each one 100 lbs. of luggage. There about 150 fifty individuals who left St. Louis on the 9th of May and arrived mid-May at Winter Quarters.
Janette’s brothers James and William went by land with a span of horses and met them at Council Bluffs. The families set off across the plains in President Brigham Young’s Company from Winter Quarters, June 1st 1848. They had eighteen yoke of oxen, six cows, two horses, seven wagons, and a spring-wagon which Janet and her three children rode in. The company was later divided into smaller groups and their families were placed in Father Morley’s company.
The long and tedious journey was hampered by poor or not existent roads and inexperienced guides and drivers. Some days they camped while the men went out to kill buffalo and other wild animals for the company to use as food and the women remained at camp to wash clothes, bake bread, and prepare for the next day’s journey. They men also had to stand guard at night to protect their cattle and camp from the Indians.
Though it wasn’t yet winter they encountered a very heavy snow storm at Sweetwater. While stopped at Sweetwater, President Young asked the Saints to send back some of their wagons and oxen to assist the poor Saints at Winter Quarters in preparation for their journey the following season. The family sent back two wagons, four yoke of oxen and two young men teamsters who had driven their wagons for them to Andrew Cahoon’s brothers, William F. and Daniel S. Cahoon and their families to bring them on to the valley. Andrew’s father, Reynolds, mother, Thirza and two unmarried sisters were already part of their company.
Andrew Cahoon, husband of Margaret Carruth, married her sisters Janette Carruth Young and Mary Carruth by Chimney rock, 16 July 1848. The Young’s, Carruth’s, and Cahoon’s shared unselfishly their provisions, wagons, oxen, and all they possessed to assist their families across the plains.
It was like moving a whole city across the dusty plains. Wagons, herds of cattle, sheep, pigs and chickens, people young and old all traveling to the Great Salt Lake because they had been called by the Lord to come and build up Zion. That was the faith and the determination of the Mormon Pioneers. They arrived in Great Salt Lake early September 1848.
Sixteen years later, Janette’s youngest daughter, Janet, also known as Jessie or Janette Carruth Young, married Enoch Covey in the Great Salt Lake Valley. Enoch, at age 10 was in the same company as Janette as they traveled across the plains to Salt Lake City. His parents were Benjamin Covey and Almira Mack Covey, niece to Lucy Mack Smith and cousin to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Resources:
•Cahoon, Margaret Carruth, [Autobiography], in Stella Cahoon Shurtleff and Brent Farrington Cahoon, comp. and ed., Reynolds Cahoon and His Stalwart Sons--Utah Pioneers [1960], 117-18, 121.
•Carruth, William. Autobiography and journal (Ms 8139), pp. 15-17, 19. (HDA)
•Millennial Star, Volume X, pages 74, 169 and 204. Kirkens' Historie, page 211.)"
•Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868. LDS Church History. https://wiki.familysearch.org/en/Mormon_Pioneer_Companies_(1847-1868)
•Parish Registers for Houston, Renfrewshire, Scotland – Burials, v. 2, 1844-1854 – film 1041066 item 1
•Richards, Franklin D. Letter of Franklin D. Richards - On board the steamer “Mameluke,” St. Louis, May 1st, 1848.
•Scotland Marriages 1561-1910 film number 1041066 (Family History Library SLC)
•US Federal 1860 Census – Great Salt Lake Territory
•Utah Deaths and Burials, 1888-1946 film number 485535
•Utah Death Certificates 1904-1956 film number 2230662
It's neat to learn a little bit about my ancestry. I can't imagine the faith required to give up everything and everybody you ever knew to make such a journey of faith.
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