Robert Michie

The foregoing is a history of the life of my grandfather, written in his own hand just before he died. I wish to add a few things which I know about my grandfather, some were told to me by his daughter, Alice, others I heard from my father, and I heard grandfather tell some of the things himself.

When Grandfather Michie was a boy, probably in his teens, he worked on a farm near his home in Scotland, evidently with another boy. They got their board, lodging and a very meager wage. They seldom got an egg to eat as they were a luxury kept for the boss and his family. Grandpa's fertile imagination figured out a solution to this problem. With a fine needle he pierced a tiny hole in the end of an egg or two and inserted a hair from a horse's mane. When the lady who cooked for the family broke an egg and discovered the hair she was thoroughly amazed. Not being able to figure out a solution as to where it came from, she removed the hair and decided such eggs would do for the hired help. Thus Grandpa and his partner in the trick had eggs to eat.

My mother said that Grandfather pulled this trick again when living in Heber, [Utah], and had a lot of fun watching people's astonishment when they found a hair in an egg, and their efforts trying to solve the mystery. One of Grandpa's neighbors made this remark, "It's beyond the comprehension of man."

While in Africa or on board ship, he met a young man by the name of Thomas White. This young man had a sweetheart in England. It happened they were traveling on the same ship back to England and Mr. White invited Robert to go with him when he went to call on his sweetheart, Alice Potts, whose family lived in Canterbury. He did so and there met Alices's sister, Frances Potts, who became his wife March 16, 1857, and on March 28, 1857, they sailed from Liverpool, England for America on the ship George Washington.

I heard my grandmother [Frances Potts Michie] say the Elder who had the saints in charge held a meeting on board ship and promised them that if they would do right and be prayerful they would have a safe and quick journey over the ocean. They made the trip in 21 days and the captain said it was the quickest trip the old ship had ever made and he had traveled the ocean for years. The usual time required for those old sailing vessels was six weeks, some required eight weeks. This was a testimony to all the saints. Grandmother also said she was sick the whole of the way. How thankful they were to get to land. They arrived in Boston April 20, 1857, where all were required to pay a certain sum which left grandfather practically penniless. However, he was able to get employment, the most important was as a foreman in a salt mill which hired quite a group of girls.

In the fall of 1858 their first baby was born, a girl whom they named Agnes Catherine Harriett. Another little girl was born two years later whom they named Eliza Ann Helena. They stayed in Boston about four years and by that time had saved enough so they could buy supplies and equipment to make the trip across the plains and come to Utah.

The men all walked and drove the oxen and the women who were able walked, too. Because of improper food, little Eliza Ann Helena became ill and died, 26 August 1861, and was buried somewhere on the [banks of the] Sweetwater [River, in Wyoming]. Grandpa made a little casket for her out of part of his wagon box. Short grave-side services were held as the caravan had to go on. Grandpa stayed behind to carry rocks and pile them on the grave to keep the wolves from digging up the body. He didn't get into camp until one o'clock in the morning. They arrived in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1861, sometime in September or October.

I heard Grandpa say he walked every step of the way from the Missouri River to Salt Lake City, 500 miles, barefooted when his shoes wore out there were no more to be had. This little poem fits his trip very well:

My boy, I walked across this plain
Where now the cars rush by;
I walked across the barren plains,
Where now the airplanes fly.

You cannot know how far it is,
With hills and deserts whirling past.
My steps have measured every rod.
My body bedded on the sod.

You cannot know how far it is.
You hear the throbbing motor's sound.
I've listened to the throbbing cart wheel's creak,
The tramp and tramp of bandaged feet!

I know how far it is!

A few weeks after arriving in Salt Lake City, their third child and first son, Robert Moroni, my father, was born. Soon after, they lived in Malad, Idaho, for a time and then moved to Nephi, Utah, where two more children, Harriet Frances and Alice Matilda, were born. After living a few years in Nephi, grandfather returned to Sugar House to run a flour mill and salt refinery. Here three more children were born, John Thomas, Mary Ellen and Della. They lived for a time at Mountain Dell, a place near Parley's Canyon, and there their son William George was born. Their last child, Christiana, was born at Woodland, Utah, where they later moved.

Grandfather was a miller by trade and moved to all these different places in order to find work. He lived in Heber, Wasatch County, [Utah], for several years and ran a flour mill there. For a time he farmed on Bench Creek and this [incident happened] when he was living there:

During the summer time, the settlers turned their horses and cows out to graze on the nearby hills and mountains. One time Grandpa was out looking for his horses in these mountains. He was following a sort of trail up over a ridge. When he reached the top he stopped dead still. Only a short distance ahead of him there stood a large black bear staring him in the face. The bear was just as surprised and shocked as he was. For a few seconds neither made a move. Finally grandpa said, "Hello, Mr. Bear, what are you doing there? If you'll let me alone, I'll let you alone." At this the bear whirled and bounded off into the nearby timber.

Grandpa returned to Woodland, took up a homestead there and farmed the latter part of his life. He built a nice home and when too old to farm he still raised a nice garden with currants, gooseberries, strawberries and raspberries. He also kept several colonies of bees and supplied his married children and their families with honey. As a hobby, grandpa made grindstones and willow baskets. I remember my mother had a nice clothes basket and an egg basket that he had made. Grandpa also had a blacksmith shop and did his own blacksmithing, also did it for others, too.

Robert Michie had a good education for his time. He wrote a good hand and served as ward clerk on several occasions. In Woodland he had charge of the tithing barn when people used to pay their tithing with farm products instead of money. He was a faithful Latter-day Saint, always kept the word of wisdom and always had family prayer in his home. He never swore as many others sometimes did. One thing he used to say while praying was this: "Help us always to remain steadfast to the truth."

Grandpa was ordained a Seventy 19 February 1886 by B. Riches and while in Heber was Senior President of the 20th Quorum of Seventies. He was a High Priest when he died. He was postmaster in Woodland, Utah, from 1893 to 1901. He was loved and respected by all who knew him.