Lucretia Hancock (1807-1889)

Lucretia Hancock (1807-1889)
Born	1807
Died	1889
Father	Benjamin Hancock
Mother	Lucretia Proctor
Husband	Joseph Robison Jr

Birth

Lucretia Hancock was the daughter of Benjamin Hancock and Lucretia Proctor, and was born on the 24th of August 1807 in Shrewsbury, Rutland, Vermont. Joseph and Lucretia made their first home in Clay, New York, where their first five children were born.

Marriage in New York

She met and married Joseph Robinson II in New York on the 5th of February 1829, at Clay, Onandaga, New York. They made not only their syrup and sugar, but they wove their cloth and made their own clothing; they sheared the wool from their own sheep, spun it inot yarn, and knit their own stockings. They made their own lye, their own soap, prepared their own food, made much of their household furniture, and produced the greater part of everything they consumed. They baked twice a week in their commodious brick ovens. It was a written big in their philosophy of life that all honest people were producers, and living by the sweat of their own faces.

Lucretia relates that she made her first washboard; she made her own lye, her soap and her candles. She figured that her fingers should be kept knitting or spinning or sewing during all her waking hours. She could knit an inch on a stocking while it took a candle to burn down an inch. Sometimes with her urgent knitting requirements she walked the floor to keep from going to sleep.

She made clothing, she worked in the garden, she improvised household furniture. Her boundless energy had to have constant employment.

Joining the Church

After Joseph's baptism in February 1841 great changes were brought into their lives. Lucretia’s father disowned her, declaring that no Mormon should have any of his property. This also meant a change in their temporal affairs for they were no sooner affiliated with the new religion than they had a great desire to join the main body of the Church at Nauvoo, Illinois. Preparations went steadily forward until the early summer of 1844 when with six boys and one girl, (they had left two little graves behind) they came near to the city of Nauvoo. Here they learned for the first time that the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum had been killed by a ruthless mob and were advised not to go to Nauvoo because of the feeling of hatred against the Prophet’s followers.

With saddened hearts but undaunted faith they went to Crete, Will County, Illinois where they bought 160 acres of prairie land and traded horses and wagon for 20 acres of “heavily wooded land.” Crete was then about thirty miles from Chicago, but is now the suburbs of that city. During the winter they split rails and fenced the land. They hauled lumber the thirty miles from Chicago for the house they built on the farm. They made many improvements and lived there ten years and had a flourishing farm.

While here, Lucretia’s father came to visit them and was so pleased with their industry and everything in general that he changed his mind and Lucretia was given her share of his property. Four more children were born here.

The Trek to Utah

Although they seemed to be prospering in Crete, Joseph and Lucretia never lost sight of their great objective to join the main body of the Church. The farm was sold for twenty two hundred dollars. Lucretia made a deep hem in her petticoat and very carefully quilted the money into that and it was carried safely to Utah.

When they were about ready to start, Lucretia baked up a forty gallon barrel full of crackers, or hardtack, to eat on the road. She was expert at baking and cooking and she had there at Crete a brick oven spacious enough to bake eleven pies at one time. She used to make that many mince pies at once. They had no raisins but they had meat and apples and sugar. On the 25th of March, 1854, they started on their long Western trip, later joining Peregrine Session’s company.

That barrel of hardtack was but one of the items Lucretia prepared for their long journey. They had beans, bacon, flour and other provisions to last them two years. They had two hundred pounds of sugar but no one got any of it unless they were sick. They had seven wagons in their company, four with horse teams and three with oxen. An ox team consisted of three yokes, that is, six animals. Joseph and his son Joseph, each drove a four horse team. Benjamin drove his own outfit of six oxen. Just which ones of the boys wrangled the other four outfits and drove the loose stock we are not told. Among their loose cattle they had some mild cows, yet some of the cows they milked they also worked under the yoke as oxen. They had plenty of milk and butter all the way. The Night’s milk they used for supper, the morning milk they put in a churn and the jolting of the wagon brought the butter in it before night. They also made cheese. Lucreta bake bread every night for fourteen people of that company. And every morning they harnessed up and yoked up their long string of horses and cattle and moved slowly off along with their loose stock towards the west where the sun seemed to drop beyond the edge of a flat earth.

The Robinson family was quite well prepared for the long hard trek ahead of them. Lucretia’s brother, Joseph V. later wrote of this trip, “All of the wagons were especially constructed for such a journey and as comfortable as could be made, and the best I ever saw crossing the Western Plains. We reached and crossed the Missouri River the 25th of May 1854. The journey across the plains was uneventful but pleasant and happy.”

Of the trip across the plains Alvin Says, “Some of the Indian tribes were a thieving set and we had to stand guard over our cattle each night, while passing through their territory. Our party was ell armed and by standing guard and watching closely we kept our belongings.” Although they saw results of heartbreaking depravations that befell companies in route to Oregon, they were not molested.

On to Filmore Utah

They arrived in Salt Lake City about July 16th, 1854, and camped southeast of the city. Joseph and Lucretia went to President Brigham Young and “gave a tenth of all their belongings according to Church regulations.” President Young instructed them to go to Fillmore, which was the first settlement south of Salt Creek (now Nephi) a distance of sixty miles were they found the settlers living in a fort. The new settlement came in for its share of trouble with the Indians.

Joseph V. says speaking of these times, “These were stern realities we were facing. We were living life in the raw and did not have time or inclinations to write it for posterity.”

Alfred Hancock

Alfred, the oldest son of Joseph and Lucretia Robinson was very much opposed to Mormonism and refused to accompany his family when they left Crete, saying that if they would go anywhere in the United States but Utah he would gladly go with them. He lived the rest of his life near Chicago, never joining the Church.

Alfred wrote to his uncle Proctor Hancock on November 8th, 1854 reporting that they had heard from his parents in Utah, “They reached Fillmore August 22, 1854, with 10 children, 1 daughter in law, 1 grandson making 14 in number. They had seven wagons, 16 yoke of oxen, 2 cows, 4 horses, and 2 colts, they also had some loose stock.” They lived in the fort at Fillmore several years and after moving from there they built the first rock house in Fillmore the first story having walls two fee thick, and eighteen inches in the 2nd story. The house is still standing and in good condition (1958).

Death

Lucretia died in Fillmore, Utah, 27 August 1899, at age 92, leaving 176 descendants. In her old age she became very homesick for “York State” and declared that if all the mountains in Utah were made of pure gold she would not stay here if it were not for Mormonism.

Legacy

The experiences and rigors of early American frontier life produced a strong willed, capable and independent mother, a loving husband, and a strong family who left us a legacy of love and pride and a strong faith in the true gospel of Jesus Christ. We ho are their descendants will be ever grateful to them for their sacrifices and our rich heritage.