Uintah County

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Geo A. Goodrich was born in Sunenburg (sic), Mass. March 3, 1839. His father, Benjamin Franklin Goodrich was the son of Levi,* who was a son of one of the sturdy welchmen* who landed in America soon after the advent of the Mayflower.

When eleven years of age (1850) George left his old home for the far west. They fell in with Wilford Woodruff's company of Saints at Philadelphia-though the Goodrich family at that time were not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He and his parents were baptised by Elder Woodruff in the Platte River July 10, 1850.

Soon after their arrival in Utah George became conspicous in frontier life. On the approach of Johnson's Army he was called into the Utah Militia and went with his company into Echo Canyon to prevent the army's entrance into Salt Lake City. The militia was so poorly clad and the weather was so severely cold that sixteen men were badly frozen the first night out that they returned to the city for medical treatment. George, however remained with the troops until a compromise was effected. In 1862 he was called to drive a team back across the plains to assist in immigrating the Saints. On his return he again took up his work in the militia, was made a captain and became active in the "Black Hawk War."

In 1863 he was united in marriage with Eliza Ann Taggart, three years later he accepted the order of plural marriage and took to wife Harriet Taggart. Soon after the latter union he was called with his families to assist in colonizing the "Muddy" in Southern Utah . In consequence of the barren and unproductive condition of the country in it's wild state they were soon ..(illegible). For weeks at a time all they had to eat was melon and bran bread. On one occasion the men were obliged to leave their families in the wilderness and go in search of food. Crossing the desert they were threatened with death from thirst. So desperate did their condition become that on killing a rabbit they shared it's blood to quench their thirst. They came to an old well so badly caved in that no water could be seen, no one dared go down to dig for water owing to the uncertainty of the walls. Finally Mr. Goodrich entered the well with the remark "I would rather die in the attempt to get water than to choke to death." He found water and with a tin cup dipped up sufficient to satisfy the wants of all the men and teams. He was in the well for more than two hours and shortly after he got out the walls all caved in.

He and one other man sawed enough lumber with a whip saw to complete an adobe meeting house. Scarcely had they completed their ardous task when it was determined by the state boundary survey that they were located in Nevada. The taxes became so high that they could not pay them and the State seized many of their horses and cattle and sold them for taxes.

Brigham Young sent them their release and they left their crops almost ready to harvest. Their hard earned meeting house barely finished, and came back as far as Orderville.The following season crops were planted there only to be destroyed by grasshoppers. It was necessary in order to obrtain food to leave that county and in 1871 Mr. Goodrich and family settled in Morgan, Morgan Co. There he engaged in milling, first operating a saw mill and later a flour mill. He served two terms as sheriff of Morgan County. He here married a school teacher, Miss Rhoda Slade. His three wives bore to him thirty-two children, sixteen boys and as many girls. Until the death of his daughter, Mrs. Rhoda Roberts a few weeks ago there were still living eleven boys and eleven girls. Besides his children he leaves to mourn him his three wives and sixty-two grandchildren.

He remained true to his religion to the last. In virtues such as honesty, charity, brotherly kindness and purity he was a monument of strength and an example to all. His large posterity remains an honor to his name being among the pillars of strength in every ward where they reside. His name can never die nor can he in generations to come be forgotten.

*note- grandfather's name listed here is wrong

For more information, contact contributor, Lori Reynolds Weinstein

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