Rebecca Huff

Rebecca Huff was born Jan 28, 1825 in Hancock, Georgia to Thomas and Elizabeth Virginia Adams Huff. Rebecca is a Pioneer of Richmond.

History

Very little is persevered about Rebecca's early life. The Huff family was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1850. Rebecca married John Tillery Mitchell on Sep 10, 1845 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama.

In 1852, the Micthell family started their way to move to Utah. They joined the paddle wheeler Saluda.

"Accordingly, they sold their home and belongings and took passage on the Saluda, which plied up the Mississippi and Missouri rivers as far as Lexington, Missouri. Among the travelers were 110 saints, many of whom were from Europe and had crossed the Atlantic on the Kennebec which had arrived March 14, 1852. The Saluda was an old dilapidated steamboat charted by Eli B. Kelsey and David J..Ross to take the immigrants up the river to Council Bluffs, Iowa where a large body of saints were encamped at Winter Quarters. After leaving St. Louis, the steamer made slow progress as the floating masses of broken ice made navigation very dangerous.

However, they arrived at Lexington April 4, but were compelled to cross the river and tie up for the night as the gloating ice had broken the paddle wheels, making repairs necessary. Five days later, on the morning of Good Friday, April 17, they made another effort to get under way, but in the attempt to get enough steam to round the point, just above Lexington, the engineers carelessly let the boilers get dry and red hot. As the engines started, the pumps forced cold water into them , causing them to burst. The force of the explosion was felt in every part of the city of Lexington. It completely wrecked the boat, throwing timbers, people, and machinery in every direction.

The editor of the Lexington express wrote: "we haven't the heart to describe the scene 26 mangled corpses and as many more passengers with their limbs torn off or scalded-nigh unto death .... wives and mothers frantic at the loss of husbands and children...."

Rebecca Mitchell was one of those frantic women. Her husband was one of the passengers whose limbs had been mangled and he subsequently died after having his legs amputated. Their little children, Preston, 2; William, 4: and Josephine 6, were among the dead. Rebecca and her young daughter, Ann Eliza were rescued from the freezing river. They were befriended by Elder Abraham 0. Smoot and Elder Ballard who were at Lexington to meet and accompany another band of saints who had also come from Europe on the Kennebec and were bound for Utah.

Bereaved, grief-stricken, and heartbroken, Rebecca gratefully accepted their solicitous attentions and advice, and continued on to Utah with that group. In all there were 33 wagons with 250 people when they arrived in Salt Lake City on September 3, 1852. They were met at the mouth of Emigration Canyon and warmly welcomed by the presidency of the church accompanied by William Pitt's brass band and many leading citizens."

While working in Woods Cross, Utah, Rebecca became associated with widower Arthur Walton. Arthur and Rebecca were married on Nov 10, 1855 in Salt Lake City, Utah. Soon after, they moved to Bountiful, Utah.

In 1860, the Walton family moved to Richmond.

Epilogue