HORATIO PICKETT, COLONIZER AND BUILDER
Horatio Pickett was born May 10, 1848 in a dugout at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. His mother,
Susanna Mehitable Rogers Sangiovanni Pickett, had traveled west from St. Louis with the Preston
Thomas Family and endured a difficult journey through Iowa and across the Missouri River,
arriving the first week in December. She was four months pregnant and alone, save for her son, 11
year old Gugliellmo Giosue Rossetti Sangiovanni, known as Sanjo and new baby. Her husband of
one year, William Pickett, chose to not follow the Saints west and later apostatized from the
Church.
Susanna hoped to find her parents and siblings in Winter Quarters. She had learned in St. Louis
that her family had left a newly built home in Nauvoo when the Mormons were expelled, but no
one knew their whereabouts. She continued to question leaders and travelers passing through on
their way to the Great Basin, without success.
With help from previous acquaintances Susanna was able to find a dugout on the banks of the
frozen Missouri River and move in their meager belongings. The population was chiefly women,
since most of the men were on missions or marching with the Mormon Battalion. The Saints
suffered from hunger and cold during the harsh winter, mostly subsisting on corn bread. For
Christmas, however, they feasted on wild turkey, shot in the timber along river bottoms.
There was a great deal of sickness in camp, and many deaths from “The Black Canker” (Pellagra)
caused by a deficiency in fruits and vegetables in their diet. The wind howled down the chimney,
blowing sparks onto their clothes and smoke in their eyes. When it rained, water came down the
chimney, put the fire out, and turned the floor into mud.
May storms were at their worst at the time of Horatio’s birth. He was just four days old when
Susanna was obliged to get up from her confinement bed and bail water out of their lodging to
keep it from coming up to her bed. In spite of her efforts, everything was wet, her bedding,
clothing and the wood needed to build a fire. The storm also slashed wagon covers, damaged
buildings and flattened crops.
Most of the saints were preparing to travel on west to the Salt Lake Valley. By mid-May hundreds
of wagons were forming companies and leaving camp. Susanna longed to go with them but didn’t
have the means. There were tearful farewells as she saw old friends leave, not knowing when she
would see them again. October 1st, The Saints who couldn’t go to the valley were compelled by the
Bureau of Indian Affairs to leave their homes and farms and move back across the river to
Kanesville, which later became Council Bluffs.
In the spring of 1849 gold fever brought numerous gold seekers through on their way to California.
Tent villages circled the town and long lines of wagons and animals moved into town each day.
Among the throngs of travelers was Susanna’s brother Ross, who found the little family and took
them back to Oskaloosa, Iowa. There, Susanna and her sons were reunited with her parents and
two brothers, Ross and Henry Clay with their families. For the first time, the Rogers family met 13
year old Sanjo and 15 month old Horatio.
The Rogers family worked and prepared for their journey west, finally heading west in 1851. The
Des Moines River was flooding with water too high to cross, so the trip had to be postponed for
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another year. They stayed with Susanna’s sister Hester and her family in Polk City during that
time.
In 1952, when Horatio was 4 years old, the Rogers family resumed their journey west, traveling by
ox team and wagons across Iowa, arriving at Council Bluffs the last of May. June 2nd, they joined
an independent company led by Joseph Kelting to continue on to the Salt Lake Valley.
Early one morning, as they camped on the Elkhorn River, three Pawnee Indians stampeded the
horses and mules. David and one of the teamsters pursued and caught two of the horses, mounted
them and rode toward camp. The other animals followed, and the Indians rode away.
Herds of Buffalo were a common sight. One hot afternoon as they were traveling along the north
side of the Platte River, an immense herd of buffalo came directly toward them, heading for the
water. The wagons were nearly involved in a stampede. The men held the teams for half an hour
until the herd had passed them by. The men fired many shots into the herd, killing three bulls
which provided several meals for the camp.
We don’t know how much Horatio understood about their experiences but Sanjo was fascinated
with the journey. He writes of the Indians, and of the Buffalo and Antelope they saw along the
way. He tells of the Indian trading posts they passed where trappers traded worn out animals for
fresh animals and $100, then after doctoring them for a week, used them to make the same bargain
with the next travelers.
The company spent July 4th at Fort Laramie and camped three miles outside the fort, preparing for
the last half of the journey. They followed the Sweetwater River toward the Rocky Mountains,
passed Devil’s Gate and another “Squaw man camp”. Leaving the Sweetwater, they climbed a
gentle grade to South Pass, 7,750 feet in elevation.
Traveling through sixty miles of desert, they reached the Green River and the ferry run by “halfbreeds” who in Sanjo’s opinion charged an unreasonably high fee to ferry them across. After
another week’s travel, they reached Fort Bridger. Continuing west to the Bear River, they followed
it to Echo Canyon. As they crossed the Weber River they could see for the first time the distant
snow-capped Wasatch Mountains spreading across the western horizon.
Ahead of them were rocky mountain cliffs and deep canyons, the most difficult part of their
journey. Traveling south for two days, they drew up onto Heartbreak Ridge. Much to their dismay
they beheld mountains that loomed far greater in height than those they had just climbed through.
They plodded on through main Canyon, and climbed up the steep Broad Hill, following it down to
East Creek Canyon.
Twenty-five miles east of Salt Lake on Mormon Flat, the Rogers were met by Ross and Aaron
Daniels, husband of Susanna’s sister Caroline who had traveled with their families to Utah the
previous year. They brought fresh provisions: new potatoes, cabbage, ears of corn, turnips and
some fresh churned butter, a wonderful treat for the weary pioneers.
The next day they climbed the steep four miles up Big Mountain and viewed for the first time the
Salt Lake Valley. The grade down the face of the mountain was even more precipitous than the
decent. Teams and logs were tied on the back of each wagon to slow its descent.
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Their last camp was made at the foot of Big Mountain in Mountain Dell, 12 miles from the valley.
Here they bathed and prepared to meet friends in the valley. The next morning they traveled down
Emigration Canyon into the Great Salt Lake Valley.
The Salt Lake Valley
Even though Horatio was only four and a half years of age, he remembered his first impressions of
their new city all through his life. He said the streets were wide and lined with Sunflowers in some
places. Although the houses were small it was evident that the Saints were comfortable though
poor.
At first Susanna and her sons lived with her sister Caroline and family in their little home on
Fourth West and Third South. The rest of the family settled in Provo. Later in the fall, Aaron
moved Caroline and their family there as well, leaving Susanna and boys in their home. They
belonged to the Fifteenth Ward, with Nathaniel Jones as Bishop.
That fall, Susanna began teaching school in the small home. Her pupils were seated on split log
benches down each side of a crude table. It was easy to keep their interest because she knew so
much history, geography and mathematics. Sanjo provided her with wood to keep a fire burning in
the fireplace on cool days. Susanna was paid in produce by the parents of each student. Those early
schools were held in six week, three month, or five month sessions when students weren’t needed
to help with fall harvesting, spring planting, etc.
Even though Horatio was young, he began studying and reading with his mother’s help as he sat in
her classroom during school hours. At age seven he officially became student in her classes. She
later taught him Italian and Spanish. They continued speaking Spanish to each other for the
remainder of her life.
During the winter and early spring, 17 year old Sanjo worked with crews excavating the
foundation of the Salt lake Temple. He also took his turn at guard duty during the night time
around the outskirts of the city to protect them from the Indians.
At almost 5 years of age, Horatio attended the cornerstone laying ceremony for the Salt Lake
Temple with Sanjo and his mother during April Conference of 1853. Although it was difficult to
see through the crowds, he was able to listen to the beautiful music performed by the band and
choir, hear President Brigham Young as he dedicated the ground and laid the cornerstone, and
participate in the joyful Hallelujahs.
That same year they experienced the “Grasshopper War”. The insects devoured everything in their
paths except the weeds. The family was five weeks without flour. Sanjo would go out in the
morning with a cloth sack and fill it with Pig weed, Sego Lily bulbs, and Thistle roots for their
meals. Once in a while he could catch a few fish.
Because of the famine no provisions came in for school tuition At one time they had been without
food in the house for two days. During school the children cried with hanger, but Susanna had
nothing for them. All day she prayed, “Give us this day our daily bread.” In the evening she sat on
the stone step with Horatio watching the sunset to keep from thinking of food. A woman walked
hesitantly up the path and placed a loaf of bread in Susanna’s lap, saying “I don’t know why I’m
doing this.” Susanna and her boys knew, for this came as another evidence of divine assistance on
which they had learned to depend.
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In 1855 Aaron Daniels, Caroline’s husband, sold the Salt Lake home that Susanna had been living
in and went to the California “Gold Fields”. Caroline and the children refused to go with him and
remained in Provo. Arrangements were made for Susanna and her boys to buy a home on half a lot
on the southeast corner of Third South and Eighth East, now the location of Trolley Square. Again
she set up a school and continued teaching.
The winter set in early. The valley was covered with three feet of snow capped with a hard crust.
Sanjo delivered the weekly mail to Ogden during November and came close to losing his life on
his last trip. For the next four months, the roads were completely snowed over. It was impossible
for range cattle to get grass, and most perished. The wind screamed against the doors and windows,
forcing swirls of snow through cracks into their home. Susanna and her sons pulled their straw
ticks close to the fireplace and piled on extra quilts to keep warm during the nights. In the
mornings a coating of ice covered the water or milk set on the table the night before.
Sometime during 1856, Susanna married James Keate, a Welsh immigrant who was a shoe maker
by trade. At that time he most likely worked for Bishop Raleigh at the Bath House Tannery in the
north part of the 19th Ward area since his home was in that area. The census shows that his
household included Susanna, eight year old Horatio, and his 14 year old daughter Elizabeth Ann.
By then Sanjo was out of town most of the time, employed as a freighter and during that summer,
he also traveled with the US Geological Survey.
The 19th Ward meeting house/school was located on the southwest corner of Fourth North and
Second West (next to where West High School was later built). The Keate home was only a few
blocks south of Warm Springs near the Jordan River, a favorite recreational area. The Warm
Springs Bathhouse provided the luxury of a warm bath without heating and carrying water, or
being cramped in a number 10 tub.
Nineteenth Ward records indicate that June 5, 1956 “Horatio Keate” was baptized by James Keate,
and confirmed by Ute Perkins. Ward meetings were held almost every evening, with hymns,
prayers and preaching. Even Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve weren’t excluded. Fast days were
held the first Thursday of each month, with a testimony meeting in the evening.
During the summer months, Horatio with other boys herded cows near Ensign Peak and Parley’s
Canyon. It was during one of these summers that he constructed his first musical instrument, a
crude fiddle, cleverly fashioned of wood and catgut strings. When he carried this fiddle home and
proudly played a simple tune for his mother, she expressed surprise at his talent. From this humble
beginning, his musical talents grew.
During the time they spent herding, Horatio and his companions gathered honey from wild bees
nests and dug Sego Lily bulbs and Thistles for their noon lunches, frequently taking some home for
the family suppers.
One day the Keates had company coming for dinner and Susanna made barley cakes with half ripe
Barley gathered from a nearby field. These were very choice, and Horatio had cause to wonder if
there would be any left for him. Fortunately one remained, part of which he ate, putting the
remainder in a bottle to remind him in later years how very grateful he was at that time for his
small portion.
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July 24, 1957 word reached the valley that an army was headed their direction from Fort
Leavenworth, with the express purpose of annihilating the Mormon power once and for all,
possessing their cities and taking their wives and daughters as spoil. At the following October
Conference (held in the Adobe Tabernacle on the southwest corner of temple square), the main
subject spoken of was the impending invasion and the Mormon’s determination not to submit to
persecution and abuse again. Two thousand brethren were sent into the mountains east to burn
supply wagons, stampede animals, and impede the army in any way possible. Without bloodshed,
they were able to stop the progress of the enemy and force them to winter in the mountains 100
miles east of Salt Lake.
Sanjo had taken a herd of 800 oxen to Sacramento. Col. Pete Conover with an escort of 25 men
met him with a dispatch from Brigham Young that all Utah people should return home
immediately. Sanjo and the other herders spread the message through Carson Valley and the group
headed back to Utah with 100 wagons, 40 families, over 500 head of cattle and 150 horsemen.
He spent most of the winter months warning Mormons in outlying areas of the coming invasion
and of the Indians who had been presented with guns and ammunition by Johnston’s army. The
Indians were already in the Skull Valley area driving off cattle. While Sanjo and the other men
were gathering the cattle, six Indians rode after them shooting “to hurry them up a little”. The
rescue party also had skirmishes with the Indians in Grantsville with narrow escapes, and at one
time became lost in a blizzard.
As soon as the winter was over, Salt Lake residents left their homes ready to burn and moved
south. April storms made traveling miserable. The road was a steady stream of wagons, animals
and people. Sanjo returned to Salt Lake in time to take the Keates to Susanna’s folks in Provo, a
two day journey. A total of 30,000 people moved into Utah Valley. Most of them camped in
makeshift shelters in summer heat, with little range feed for their cattle and very little food and
water for themselves.
In mid-July, problems with the US Government had been partially solved through the mediation of
Colonel Thomas Kane, and the people were allowed to return to their homes. Weeds had taken
over the gardens. Boards had to be removed from windows and doors, and their homes cleared of
straw and a thick accumulation of dust. Ten year old Horatio undoubtedly helped with the many
tasks necessary to help the family settle back in their home.
In the spring of 1960 Sanjo was hired as one of the 119 Pony Express riders, running between St.
Joseph, Missouri to Salt Lake. Sanjo made $50 a month. A letter cost $5 to send. A pony could
make the trip in six days, often eluding marauding Indians and whites bend on stealing stock. He
admits defending himself and the animals “with a little lead” while on the trail. The Pony Express
ended in October of 1960, replaced by the transcontinental telegraph line.
Many sermons were preached from the pulpit of the 19th Ward on the subject of plural marriage. A
man could not progress in the kingdom or hold positions of responsibility unless he lived this
principle. January 19th, 1861, James Keate and Susanna were sealed in the Salt Lake Endowment
house. At the same time, James was sealed to a fifteen-year-old Danish girl, Verbena (called Bena)
Jacobina Christofferson. He built her a separate home on one of his lots, and at age 57 began a new
family.
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Mission to Dixie
During the October General Conference of 1861, Pres. Brigham Young called for volunteers to
settle the Virgin River Country in the south. Only one man volunteered. The following Sunday a
list of 300 names of heads of families called to the Dixie Mission was read from the pulpit. These
men were called to go with their families, develop the land, and stay at least five years. On this list
was James Keate, shoemaker.
The Keate families prepared by gathering food, cooking supplies, tools, seeds, books, music,
instruments, and writing material. The first group started out November first with Brother Erastus
Snow, the leader of the mission. The Keates left in mid-November, James driving one wagon with
his wife Bena; and 13 year old Horatio driving the other carrying his mother. They camped along
the way and arrived in Provo two days later where Horatio and Susanna stopped to visit relatives.
James and Bena went on, continuing their journey south.
Three days later Horatio and Susanna resumed their journey in company with a few other families.
He drove over rough roads, through snow storms, and across frozen mountain passes, quite a
challenge for the young teamster. On the coldest days it was difficult to even get a drink of water
as it froze and had to be thawed over a fire.
After a month they reached the rim of the southern basin. The climate changed to mild, pleasant
weather, but the most difficult roads were still ahead of them The Black Ridge was rocky and steep
with patches of deep sand. To get over it they had to take their wagons apart and let them down the
rock face with ropes. It took several days to get over. A few miles further, they came to Grapevine
Springs, where there was a mile-long stretch of sand so deep that bushes and bark had to be laid in
the wheel tracks so the wagons would not sink hub deep in the red sand. Often they had to double
team the wagons. As they traveled west, colored formations brought a rugged beauty to the
landscape, but it became more difficult to find water.
Finally they descended the steep rocky incline on the west bank of Ash Creek and reached
Toquerville where a few families were living. From there they traveled across hills of deep sand to
Washington, finding the few inhabitants very discouraged after a Malaria epidemic.
On December 24 they entered the St. George Valley over a lava ridge on the east and viewed for
the first time their new home. To the north a red Navajo sandstone bluff, called Mount Hope by the
new settlers, looked over the valley. A mile south of camp, the Virgin River meandered through
willows and cottonwoods. Black volcanic ridges lay to the west.
A line of wagons was drawn up on either side of the wire-grass bottomland with a ditch plowed
down the middle, bringing water from East Springs. It was not very palatable because of its high
mineral content. Horatio drove their wagon up next to the wagon of James and Bena.
On Christmas Day President Snow had a special Christmas surprise for everyone. A man had
managed to get down from Pine Valley with a load of potatoes. These were roasted in the coals of
the community fire. As the company was celebrating out in the open, rain began to fall. They
danced in the rain until dark, and then set up a large tent where they continued to dance. The
roasted potatoes were brought in and handed out, one to each person. They served as hand warmers
as well as a Christmas meal. Since the tent was warmer and drier than their wagons, most of the
pioneers stayed in the tent until dawn.
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The rain continued to fall. Wagon covers and tents proved to be inadequate shelters. Everything
became wet and muddy. It was nearly impossible to build fires with the wet mesquite, greasewood
and rabbit brush. In spite of the downpour, city lots were surveyed by January 23rd. Names were
placed in a hat and the numbers of the lots in another. They were drawn out, names matched with
numbers and lots assigned.
The rain continued for 40 days, causing the Virgin River to flood, washing out already established
settlements in Santa Clara, Grafton and part of Washington. Flooded out settlers from Santa Clara
came to the large camp tent in St. George for shelter and food. To make sure no one went hungry,
their food was held in common and rationed to last until the first crops could be harvested in June.
Planting crops was the highest priority, and when the rains stopped in February, they cleared the
streets of brush, began digging irrigation ditches, and moved to their lots. The Keate lot faced east
on Main Street between First and Second North. The two families first lived in their wagon boxes.
These served as bedrooms, the space between covered with a willow and brush shed where they
cooked and ate meals. Bena was pregnant, but Susanna and Horatio helped plow, plant and build,
with only hats and sun bonnets to protect them from the scorching sun.
March 22, 1862 the congregation met in the completed bowery, just south of where the Tabernacle
now stands. It was far from comfortable. Its walls were constructed of willows interwoven between
cottonwood poles set in the ground, then plastered over with mud. The roof beams were covered
with green boughs and willows. Frequent windstorms whipped up the dust and blew it through the
willows and into the faces of the congregation. The roof sheltered them from the hot Dixie sun but
not from the infrequent rain storms.
As the season wore on, the intense summer sun dried out the scanty forage for animals, and
threatened to kill the remaining plants. Water had to be carried up from the Virgin River to the
thirsty crops. Susanna and Horatio helped James dip water into barrels and haul them by wagon to
their property. Even with water, crops didn’t grow well in the alkali impregnated soil.
As soon as possible the Keates turned their energies toward building a home, hoping to finish it
before Bena’s confinement. They made adobes from the clay which bordered the eastern part of
the valley and dried them. Walls were laid up, making a two-room house with a brush and clay
roof. When Bena’s home was finished, they built a home for Susanna and Horatio next to it. They
made do without board roofs or floors until a sawmill was established in St. George and wood was
hauled from Pine Valley the following year.
Pres. Brigham Young and other brethren visited St. George in September of 1862. He saw the
difficulties of colonizing Dixie. His inspired solution was to begin immediately the construction of
a “commodious meeting place for the Saints”. Labor and food were to be sent from Cedar City to
help.
Frosts came early, and the saints found themselves without enough food. Wolves got some of their
animals and hunger was a grim reality. By March, with the harvest still three months away, each
was asked what they could send north to trade for food. The Keates traded one of their wagons to
secure enough aid to survive until the first barley and wheat harvest in June.
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In addition, they were asked to aid Saints emigrating from Europe. In the spring of 1863, 55
wagons left St. George to fill this assignment. Sanjo was one of the teamsters, driving four yoke of
oxen to Florence, Nebraska and back, bringing 400 Saints.
Journeys to the Missouri
The next spring, 16 year old Horatio volunteered to go to the Missouri River with a company of
men sent by the Perpetual Emigration Company to bring emigrants to Utah. Before leaving he was
set apart as a Priest by Second Ward Bishop Henry Eyring. There were 28 wagons and teams and
two mounted guards donated by the St. George settlers.
It was the flood time of the year. Streams were swollen and traveling was very dangerous. The
Platte River was flooding and only after much difficulty did they succeed in getting across. Their
cattle were still on the opposite bank and it was necessary for someone to go back and look after
them. The only way of re-crossing the wide, flooding river was to swim. Horatio in his boyish
strength and self-assurance offered to do it. With much persuasion, he finally obtained permission
from the reluctant captain to be one of the two men to return.
After much effort they reached the opposite shore in safety. They cared for the cattle, and then
boarded a ferry for the return trip. The current was so swift the boat was obliged to land on a small
island. Someone needed to swim the remaining distance carrying a tow rope to the shore to prevent
the ferry from being swept downstream. Horatio and his companion volunteered to try to swim the
hundred yards of swift current. Clinging to each other and the rope with one hand and swimming
with the other they finally reached the shore where they were greeted by cheers and praise.
Through their efforts no men or cargo were lost.
On the return journey to Salt Lake, the company passed hundreds of wagons of refugees fleeing the
Civil War. Agents for the Confederacy were stirring up Indian uprisings to harass the North. As a
result Horatio’s company had to deal with Indian disturbances. At one time the company passed a
burning ranch where Indians had massacred the inhabitants. At another time the Indians stampeded
the cattle while the company was on the march.
Fortunately, Horatio had reversed the places of the oxen, placing the wheelers which were docile
and gentle in the lead with the high spirited leaders yoked behind. He grasped the leaders by the
horns to keep them quiet until the stampede was over. As the teams and outfits raced by, he was
fearful he would be trampled. One outfit came so close it brushed the seat of his pants in passing.
The other wagons were scattered, many broken and the oxen injured. The flour wagon overturned,
causing much loss. In spite of difficulties, the company reached St. George safely in the late fall.
Horatio belonged to the first Fife and Drum Corp, playing the fife. This group was organized to be
on the alert and give the alarm in case of Indian attacks. They answered roll call at sunrise each
morning at the St. George hall and also played at holiday celebrations.
The Fourth of July was celebrated with a sunrise salute of 13 guns, signifying the original colonies.
Horatio was a member of St. George’s first Martial Band, which aroused the town at daybreak with
stirring military tunes. After the serenading was over, the citizens gathered to the bowery to hear a
patriotic program of orations, songs and toasts, followed by feasting. Horatio Participated in that
and also played the violin for dances.
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Earning his way
At age 17, Horatio went to work for Mr. Grange, a former neighbor, in St. Thomas, at a new
settlement on the “Muddy”. This area 70 miles west of St. George was considered part of Utah
Territory, but was taken by Nevada a few years later. It is now covered by Lake Mead.
Susanna kept in touch with her son by letter. She counseled him to be humble and prayerful. She
begged him to write as often as possible. At the end of one letter she wrote, “I hope you will leave
Granger if he commences to make liquor. It would be no credit or good to you to stay there any
longer.”
Horatio wrote back. “I am well at present and hope this will find you the same. I have not heard
from the land of the living for a good while but am waiting patiently. A few nights ago about 10
o’clock, 11 of us went and surrounded an Indian camp and took the Indian prisoner who stole
Casper Bryner’s horse. Tomorrow he starts for St. George. We have to guard him at present night
and day.”
The Indian he speaks of was Yambo. He purposely neglects to tell his mother the rest of the story.
After the prisoner had been handcuffed, the men were surrounded by 40 to 50 of Yambo’s fellow
tribesmen with their bows drawn. Fortunately, the men were able to pacify the Indians and return
to St. George with their prisoner. At that time Navajos were committing depredations all around
Southern Utah, driving off stock and shooting at anyone who got in their way. Two public corals
with five foot high rock walls were constructed in St. George and guards were posted to protect the
animals.
“The cane mills have come at last and Grange has commenced to make liquor which is said to be
very good but I touch it not. I heard that corn was selling for $3.00 a bushel. If that is so, sell that
lumber order for corn. I may want it before next harvest. I am going to sow about three acres of
wheat.”
January 15, 1867 was a day of rejoicing for the Southern Saints. On that day a telegraph line
established contact between Salt Lake and St. George, ending their six years of isolation from
Church headquarters. Horatio, having returned from the Muddy the previous fall, marched with the
band that lead a large procession up to the red hill to witness the connecting of the telegraph wires.
The Keate families lived in Pine Valley during the summer of 1867. Horatio lived with them in
their home two blocks west of the Pine Valley Chapel site and worked as a carpenter during the
construction. The foreman, Ebenezer Bryce, was a former shipbuilder and said he built the chapel
like a ship so if a flood came it would float and not be destroyed. If a wind came it would roll over
but not crash.
Later, the St. George Stake conference was held under a bowery in Pine Valley every July 24th to
celebrate Pioneer Day. Horatio had charge of the music there during the time he served as stake
choir director. Because of the large number of people attending, Pine Valley was filled with camps,
some visitors with only wagons, but others in pitched tents.
After the Pine Valley Chapel was completed in 1868, Horatio, in partnership with Joseph Judd,
started a contracting and cabinet-making business in St. George. Sanjo, an editor of the weekly
town newspaper poked a little fun at him with the following Cactus article:
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“Among many fine edifices going up on Diagonal Street is Horatio Pickett’s carpenter shop, which
consists of four pine poles stuck in the ground covered with a few pieces of sheeting. We paid H.P.
a visit the other day; and noticed a shingle hung out with the following notice upon it—to rent, the
upper story of this building, also a cellar for storing merchandise. All it needs is just digging out.”
Horatio lived with his mother at this time, whose home was close to his new place of business.
Joseph Ellis Johnson, a prominent horticulturist and druggist, lived with his family west of
Susanna, in the same block. The families had known each other since moving to Dixie, attending
the same ward and Church activities. Later, Joseph moved his first wife Harriet and her children to
Middleton, 3 miles east of St. George. He also opened a drug store in Silver Reef, a mining town
that sprung up east of St. George after silver was discovered in the sandstone in 1866. Rumors of
this discovery brought a stampede of miners out to seek their fortune. This town grew to a
population of over 1500 people who brought a lot of crime but also good employment to the St.
George area.
It was probably through Brother Johnson that Horatio was hired to do some carpentry work in one
of the mines at Silver Reef, and he also became the head carpenter at one of the smelter mills.
Many evenings he played his violin for dances there. Joseph and Harriet’s daughter, Harriet
Josephine Johnson clerked at the family drug store in Silver Reef where the two young people
renewed their acquaintance.
Marriage
May 31, 1868 Horatio married Harriet Josephine in a ceremony held in Harriet’s home, known as
Ellislea, presided over by President Erastus Snow. Near the highway on the way to Ellislea stood a
large sandstone formation that resembled a wedding cake. It was called Phine’s Wedding cake by
family members from then on. The marriage was reported by Sanjo in the Cactus, a weekly
newspaper he edited.
“Married in St. George on 31st ult. by President Erastus Snow, Mr. Horatio Pickett to Miss Harriet
Josephine Johnson. Thanks for the cake sent to our Sanctum.
Friends, we wish you every joy that life it can bestow
That peace may ever attend your way and that you naught but pleasure know.
May joys crown your wedded life and flowers your pathway strew
May sunbeams bright around you smile as life’s journey you pursue.”
Horatio’s father-in-law also told of the wedding in his newspaper Our Dixie Times and mentioned
the refreshments: “Brother Keate, the prince of strawberry culture, yesterday placed before us a
dish of those delicious berries, scarlet with ripeness and fragrant with sweetness—and they were
large ones too.” (Joseph Ellis Johnson had investments in many businesses, newspapers included.)
Horatio was ordained to the office of Elder September 18 1868. He and Harriet planned to travel to
Salt Lake and be sealed in the Endowment House as soon as Horatio’s responsibilities would
allow. Those going to Salt Lake for endowments had been advised by their leaders to go when the
weather was better and the Indians not so desperate.
The Pickett/Johnson party cut it pretty close. In early October the newlyweds and family members
made the long journey to Salt Lake City where they were sealed for time and eternity in the
Endowment House on October 11, 1868.
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The following commentary on this event appeared in the Cactus: “A couple of our friends lately
went to Salt Lake City on a bridal tour, took a boat ride on Hot Spring Lake, the boat capsizing,
one of the gents lost his hat. The above fearful accident is the cause of Pickett’s and Judd’s shop
being closed.”
Hot Spring Lake was a shallow marshy pond formed from run-off of the Hot Springs in north Salt
Lake close to Horatio’s former home (now under the freeway near Beck Street). Sanjo probably
meant Warm Springs Lake, a larger lake farther north and west, near the Jordan River.
Horatio and Josephine made their first home in a one room adobe house three blocks northwest of
the St. George Temple site. They planned to move to Kanab as soon as weather conditions
permitted the following year. In the spring of 1869 while they were making preparations to leave,
Horatio was called to help finish construction on the St. George Tabernacle. The walls were up and
carpenters were needed to finish the inside and build the roof. The workers received their pay in
commodities distributed by the tithing office or in tithing script, a circulating medium in those
days.
President Young and company arrived in Dixie March 10, welcomed enthusiastically by the
townspeople, and by a snowstorm, the only one in the South all year. The cavalry and children
stood in rows lining both sides of the street to greet the prophet as the company drove into town. It
was too cold and windy outside for the planned conference so they met in the basement of the St.
George Tabernacle. The 18 foot high walls cut off the wind, but after two hours the gales became
so ferocious they had to adjourn.
Not long after the conference visitors had returned north, an army of grasshopper invaded the area,
and the settlers experienced the same devastation as the grasshopper war in Salt Lake. Every green
thing disappeared. Even their homes were invaded. There were hoppers in clothes, cupboards and
even pans of milk left sitting out. The settlers drove them into piles of straw and burned all they
could, but didn’t begin to control the hordes that kept coming. Someone gave instructions in the
newspaper on how to catch them in a sheet and boil them, to be used later for chicken feed.
July 12, 1869 Horatio and Josephine’s son Horatio jr. was born, the cause of much rejoicing for
them and their extended families. Sadly, he died a year later of “Summer Complaint”, a common
ailment which caused the death of many toddlers in the new settlement. The symptoms were severe
vomiting and diarrhea which led to dehydration and death.
The following winter proved to be another winter of famine for the settlers. They ate pigweed,
carrot tops, Lucerne, and even ground cane seed for bread.
Pres. Brigham Young built a home in St. George next door to the Joseph E. Johnson home. He
spent most of the winter of 1869-70 there in his partially completed home because of ill health.
Sanjo had moved to Salt Lake and with a partner established the Deseret Museum just east of
where Hotel Utah is located. At age 34, he married Mary Ann Brown, an English convert, January
20, 1871.
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Building Family and Temple
April 15, 1871 President Young announced in a letter to Erastus Snow that a temple would be built
in St. George. He came to the St. George Conference held November 3-5 and gave further
instructions. When he asked for a show of hands from those willing by faith, prayer and good
works to build the temple, the vote was unanimous. He took some of the leading brethren to
accompany him as he chose the site. He stopped at a spot southeast of St George.
“But Brother Young”, protested the men, “This land is boggy. For several months of the year no
one can drive across the land without horses and wagons sinking way down.”
“We will build a foundation”, he replied, pointing out where the foundation should be built. David
Henry Cannon, Jr. explained, “The brethren wanted to move the foundation so that the spring of
water discovered there would be on the outside of the temple. President Young said, ‘Not so. We
will wall it up and leave it for some future use. But we cannot move the foundation. This spot was
dedicated by the Nephites for a temple. They could not build it, but we can and will build it for
them.”
He presided over the ground breaking ceremony November 9th, along with George A. Smith and
other dignitaries. Brother Cannon reports that during the dedication ceremony as he lifted the first
shovel full of dirt from the foundation, he promised that there would not be any persons who
would lose their lives on any of the works of this Temple. According to many accounts, that
promise was fulfilled several times over. For example, a workman fell 84 feet from scaffolding and
landed on rocks; another was run over by a wagon holding rock weighing 800 lbs, but the men
recovered quickly and resumed work on the temple. The Lord protected them as promised.
Josephine gave birth to their first daughter August 19, 1871. She was named Josephine after her
mother, but was called “Dodie” all her life.
Horatio continued working on the Tabernacle every day except Sundays, when it was used for
Church meetings in the finished basement. December 29, 1971 the last stone in the tower of the
tabernacle was set in place. It was celebrated with a ceremony of singing, prayers and hosannas.
The last shingle was placed on the roof December 30th then the spire was built. Eight large planks
were created to form a pyramid and then a ladder was placed on one side of this skeleton structure.
Horatio was the daredevil who climbed to the top of the ladder with a heavy iron band over his
shoulders, and placed it around the timbers to hold them together, while an admiring crowd held its
breath.
March 19, 1972 Horatio was ordained to the office of High Priest, set apart as first counselor to
Bishop Thomas Judd, and served until 1995 when the wards were consolidated. He also served as
Sunday School Superintendent for several years.
The last of 1872 or first of 1873, a clock and a bell were installed in the tabernacle. This marked
the beginning of a new era. From then on people went to Church on time, and opened and closed
meetings on time. Up until then they had depended on “sun time”, which was not very reliable.
Evening meetings had convened by “early candlelight”. Water turns were not taken at the correct
time, and schools didn’t begin or end on time.
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Horatio and Josephine’s second daughter Harriet, called Hattie, was born Sept 9, 1873. The next
summer she was afflicted with the dreaded “summer complaint” and not expected to live, but by
some miracle, she survived.
By that time Horatio was working on the temple. It had required months to drain the swamp, and
drive tons of rock into the boggy soil to prepare a suitable foundation. Almost every citizen of St.
George had a responsibility, as well as workers coming in from outlying communities. Besides
work on the temple itself, there were workers manning the sawmills at Mount Trumble 80 miles
from St. George, and the stone quarries. Others hauled building materials, tended the Church herd
at Pipe Springs, and ran boarding houses for the workers. The sisters cooked and sewed for the
workmen, and even the children had responsibilities. Those laboring out of doors endured summer
temperatures of up to 120 degrees, 108 in the shade.
Because of the Saint’s poverty, President Young organized the St. George United Order in
February of 1874. Horatio was one of 300 people who came forward, desiring to be a member of
the order. He and Harriet turned over a “lot” to the order, probably the first one they had lived on,
as they had moved to a bigger home across the street and approximately five blocks south of
Susanna.
The stream running out of Mount Hope was dammed to form a font near the red foothills. Susanna,
Horatio and Josephine were baptized into the United Order Covenant. They pledged to place in the
Order all their time, labor, energy, ability, and surplus property as deemed by the Board of
Management headed by Bishop Gardner. They were credited with labor performed, and charged
with whatever they withdrew. Uniform prices were set for all commodities and labor. A ten hour
day’s work was worth $2.00 to $2.50.
Horatio helped form the Builder’s Union in the Order “To promote our interests and those of the
community”. They determined rates of pay and assigned jobs to the members.
In a conference held in June, President Young instructed the saints:
"Curtail needless expenses to create a fund that we might send for machinery to save
labor of the sisters. I want the sisters to take the lead in custom and fashions. I want
to see the sisters practice prudent economy. I refer to the articles of shoes; we
expend altogether too much on the importance of shoes. They are so light and flimsy
that they soon wear out. I recommend the wearing of wooden bottomed shoes. They
are better for damp weather and also for hot weather when the ground and sand
become intensely heated. By doing this you can save St. George $10 to 15,000 per
annum. Now I refer to hats. Why not use old pantaloons and make our caps out of
them? Just as well wear them as to wear hats we import for the men and boys. By
making our own we may save from $5- to 8,000 per annum.
"Gather the grapes, have a few general places at which to make wine. Barrel
it up, and if my counsel is taken, it will not be drunk here but will be exported and
thus increase the fund. Twenty thousand dollars can be realized from our fruit and
wine."
George A. Smith counseled them to pen up their chickens, ducks and pigs so they wouldn't do
mischief at the neighbors. They should take good care of their health--build public bathing houses
that should be freely used. Frequent use of tobacco and wine should be avoided.
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President Young hoped the United Order would expedite the temple building. There was a sense of
urgency in the work. Brigham Young was old, sick, and didn't know how much longer the Lord
would allow him to remain on the earth. He had the keys for temple work and wished to give them
in the new temple. He and other Church authorities spent a lot of time in St. George during the four
years it took to complete construction, most of them bringing their families.
Twin girls Martha and Mary were born to Josephine August 29th 1875 but died the same day.
During that year the interior of the Tabernacle was finally completed, using lumber hauled from the
sawmill on Pine Valley Mountain. Even though the workmen only had the roughest wood to work
with, the beauty of the winding staircases and interior show clearly the efforts and skills of the
workmen. Still today the beauty of the carved finishes is unequaled, even by the latest construction
methods.
Finally, after over five years of dedicated labor, the temple was nearing completion. On Christmas
Day of 1876, 40 sisters sewed carpet for the temple, trying to finish it in time for the dedication.
Many of the carpenters, including Horatio, were also at work on the holiday.
January 1, 1877, the basement and first floor were dedicated, with 2,000 in attendance. Horatio and
Josephine sang in the choir and were present in the font room. (Their third daughter Susanna
(Zannie) was born just sixteen days afterward on January 14th.) To be admitted they had to have
recommends signed by President Brigham Young, as he was the only one authorized to do so.
Wilford Woodruff, wearing white doeskin from head to foot, stood on the upper step of the font and
gave instructions. The choir sang "The Spirit of God" then Brother Woodruff gave the dedicatory
prayer. Next, officials moved into the sealing room where the choir sang "Come Let Us Anew", and
it was dedicated by Brigham Young Jr.
President Brigham Young had been carried in a chair by three men, but now he stood, walked to the
stand and spoke.
"We are enjoying a privilege that we have no knowledge of any other people
enjoying since the days of Adam.... Our Fathers would say 'We have lain here
thousands of years in prison waiting for this dispensation to come. All the angels in
heaven are looking at this little handful of people and stimulating them to the
salvation of the human family; so are the devils looking and trying to overthrow
us.... Let those infernal holes in the ground alone and let the gentiles alone who
would destroy us.... I am not half satisfied and never expect to be until the devil is
whipped and driven from off the face of the earth!"
He struck the pulpit with his hickory cane so forcefully it buried three of the knots into the
solid wood. Those marks could still be seen for years afterward.
The choir sang, "Glorious Things to Us Are Spoken", and the meeting was adjourned. The Temple
was now ready to perform endowments for the living and the dead. The Endowment House in Salt
Lake was performing ordinances for the living, but the St. George Temple was the first one in the
west where work could be performed for the dead.
St. George Temple sealing records show that Horatio’s Uncle Henry Clay and his wife Emma did
sealings January 16, 1877, for deceased relatives. The next day the company said their good-byes
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and started southwest for a new life in Arizona. Susanna’s brother Henry Clay Rogers was the
leader of the colonizing group.
The temple construction was finished and the final St. George Temple dedicatory prayer was given
Friday, April 6, 1877, the third day of a five-day conference held in St. George. Large numbers of
Church members traveled long distances to be present at the dedication. They had been warned to
bring their own horse feed, as hay and grain were scarce in St. George; and to bring tents and other
camping equipment, provisions and supplies. Eleven of the Apostles were there, as well as a number
of visiting Bishops and Stake Presidents.
Contrasting with the red surrounding country, the Temple was a glorious sight, the dazzling white
finish reflecting the light of the Dixie sun. Flowering shrubbery from Brother J.E. Johnson's garden
decorated the Garden of Eden room.
Daniel H. Wells, counselor to President Young, offered the dedicatory prayer because of the
prophet’s poor health. Nevertheless, the President spoke briefly at five of the meetings, carried in an
armchair. It was the culmination of Brigham's work. He died August 29, 1877.
The St. George United Order died with him, though it had been in decline for over a year. The
Builders Union also became defunct. Horatio’s partners refused to pay their portion of the
outstanding obligations, so he assumed full responsibility, and after many years, liquidated the
accounts in Full.
Builder of Community, Business and Culture
In December of 1881 Horatio formed a partnership with Orin Woodbury and Henry Riding and
advertised themselves as builders and carpenters. Three years later, Woodbury sold his share in the
business for $150. The company was dissolved in 1884.
In approximately 1885, Horatio entered into a partnership with Erastus B. Snow, and called their
firm Pickett and Snow. The building was located in the northeast corner of the old Pickett lot. They
dealt in furniture, did cabinetry, and made caskets. A. K. Larson wrote, “The necessity of haste
(because of the heat) demanded that the coffin be made quickly and this meant that the person or
persons making it had to work through the night.” The caskets were lined inside and out with white
fabric and decorated with handles held on with silver screws. A small silver plate on the lid was also
secured with silver screws.
Later they imported the caskets and sold them, as well as agricultural implements and other items
for the home and farm. They continued in business for many years.
He invested in several mines, buying and selling interest in the Morning Star Mine, the Apex
Copper Mine, located in the mountains west of St. George, the Highland Mary mine, the Home
Pickett Mine, White Elephant Mine, and Last Chance. He also owned 30 shares in the new
Washington Field canal. This may have been his pay for building one of three tunnels through the
gypsum beds near Shinob Kiab Mountain south of Washington. (See Doug Cox’s biography of
Horatio for details.)
Along with his work, he served on the school board and also as Librarian for the St. George
Library Association. His responsibility was to “collect scattered books, place them in a good and
sufficient case, obtain a room for their custody, and place them at the service and use of the public
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under your fostering care and direction…” His daughters spoke of the many good books he owned
and encouraged them to read in their own home.
Some of those books were law books he studied to become a lawyer. In 1907 he was admitted to
the Bar of the state of Utah. Through the years he served as Justice of the Peace and Washington
County Treasurer. He served as Stake Superintendent of education for a time and in1890 he even
served as usher at the State Capitol.
He was also very much a part of the music, drama, and other entertainments in the new
community. He was a member of the first dramatic club in St. George. The plays were presented at
the Social Hall one block north of the Tabernacle. Later Horatio helped build a new bigger one at
11th East on 200 North across the street northeast from Susanna’s home. Much of the time he acted
in the character parts. They not only performed in St. George, but presented the plays to
enthusiastic audiences in Silver Reef. He continued his “acting career” at least until 1887.
He served as music teacher in the high School, director of the stake choir, member and served as
director of the martial band from 1876-84. Horatio assisted with the production of the early operas
presented in St. George. His home was always open to his many friends and church associates,
who met there for all manner of practices, rehearsals and committee meetings. He had a small
organ in their home. His daughters spoke of participating in ward and stake choirs that he directed.
Harriet spoke of singing duets with her older sister Dodie. Their father tried to teach Harriet alto
with little success. One day he heard the girls singing outside, Hattie singing soprano and Dodie
alto. He had them sing that way from then on. “We sang in programs quite often, and I well
remember one time in particular we sang in a program in the tabernacle, and I was so small they
stood me on a stool so that we could see over the organ. We didn’t always appreciate the way they
would make the announcement: ‘We will now be favored with a duet by the two little Picketts.”
Both he and his wife Josephine sang in choirs from the earliest one organized by James Keate in
1861 on through succeeding directors. He was assistant director of the St. George Choir with John
M. MacFarlane as early as 1877 and took over as Director when Brother MacFarlane fled to
Mexico to avoid arrest for polygamy in 1885. He served as director or assistant for over 30 years.
(Doug Cox in his biography of Horatio gives excellent details of Horatio’s participation in music,
in drama, and his extensive involvement in business and real estate.)
In 1882 James Keate moved to Arizona with his wife Bena and their seven youngest children,
planning to join some of the Johnson family who were already there. Horatio was invited to move
there also, but chose to remain in St. George. Susanna also elected to stay there.
The passage of the Edmunds Tucker Act in 1882 ushered in what was one of the most trying times
since the Saints came to Utah. An army of trigger happy federal marshals hunted down husbands
and fathers like common criminals. Church leaders were forced into hiding to avoid prosecution
for practicing polygamy. To help St. George polygamists, a sympathetic telegraph operator in
Silver Reef warned the Mormons when the “Deps” were coming so the men could hide.
To escape the marshalls, J E Johnson moved his wife Eliza and family to Tempe Arizona, planning
to travel to Mexico. While the family waited for the border to reopen, Joseph E. died of
pneumonia. Josephine’s mother Harriet had moved to Arizona previously with her brothers Joel
and Willard. That must have been a difficult time for Harriet, being unable to attend the funeral.
17
At that time the Picketts had four living children. Leo, the youngest, was two years old. Another
daughter, Blanche, had been born the previous December, but lived only two or three weeks. The
following December, Huron was born. Susanna tells of the loving relationship she shared with her
younger brother, even allowing him to play with her treasured doll teacup as he grew older. He was
brokenhearted when he accidentally broke it.
Horatio taught Huron the song, ‘I Am a Mormon Boy’.” He sang it over and over, looking
forward to being baptized. Susanna tended the younger children while Horatio and Josephine took
him to be baptized in the St. George Temple.
When they returned he was so happy he the song over and over. He went upstairs to his room and
was gone a long time before coming to join the family for the evening meal. They later found that
he had straightened his drawers, clothing, room, and a special little box in which he kept his
treasures. This box held Susanna’s little doll cup he had carefully mended with beeswax not long
before. The next morning he was ill and kept getting worse till he died.
For some time after his death Susanna dreamed several times that he was outside with her.
Josephine was grieving Huron’s death and suggested that when the dream came again, she should
ask him to go inside and talk to her. A few nights later Susanna had the same dream and asked him
to come into the house and talk to his mother. He started to walk with her toward the door, but
when she looked back he was gone. The dream never recurred. Josephine never did get over his
death.
At the time of Huron’s death in January of 1891, three more sons had joined the family: Henry was
born June 19, 1885; Ellis was born December 4 1887, and Charles Egerton was born June 5, 1890.
Horatio expanded his furniture and cabinet making business to not only making caskets but also
doing undertaking. He spent the summer of 1891 in Salt Lake City training for and successfully
passing the state embalmer examination and securing a certificate as a licensed embalmer.
The Loss of Josephine
During 1891 Josephine’s health declined and nothing seemed to help. Horatio took her and the two
youngest boys, four year old Ellis and one year old Charles to Pine Valley for the summer. She did
some better out of Dixie’s heat, but she continued to get worse. She wanted to see her relatives
living in Salt Lake while it was still possible. During the summer of 1892 Horatio took her and
two-year-old Charles with 18 year old Harriet to tend him during their month long stay. As Doda
was newly married, Susanna took care of the family remaining behind.
Harriet tells of their trip to the Milford train station by team and coach, a two day trip, and
continues, “I could see the train coming in the distance, belching smoke, shrieking whistles, and
ringing bells…. I stood almost petrified as I watched it roll in. With tears in my eyes I said, ‘I can’t
get on that!’ Father told me to look inside and I’d feel better, which I reluctantly did….We traveled
all night. The steady motion of the train caused me to be deathly sick.”
In Salt Lake, they stayed at the Valley House Hotel and visited with several of Josephine’s brothers
and sisters residing in the city.
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Josephine’s health continued to fail and she was diagnosed with “Quick Consumption”. In October
she became bedfast until her death December 19, 1892. During that time Horatio and Harriet took
care of her day and night. Susanna took care of the boys, and spelled her father and sister off at the
sick bed when they had to go to church to sing. For the last month, neither Harriet nor Horatio had
their clothes off to get any rest. Harriet says, “My father was so stricken that my one thought was
to help him bear the cross he had to bear.”
Horatio and Josephine had enjoyed 23 years of congenial marriage. Harriet said, “I never
remember hearing one unkind word spoken by my parents to each other. How I used to love to
hear my father and mother sing together, which they did often.”
A year later, Harriet married Arthur H. Woodbury and they lived in Horatio’s home for three
months. Horatio understood their need for privacy and suggested the newlyweds move to another
home he owned through the block west. When her first son was born, Harriet became very ill and
close to death. Her father took the place of both father and mother to her. He brought George Jarvis
over and administered to her, after which she recovered.
Susanna, age 15, took care of her four younger brothers: Leo age 12, Henry age 6, Ellis age 5 and
Charles, less than 2 years of age. She did this for two years, until she was married in 1895.
Susanna, their eighty year old grandmother was an important source of emotional and physical
support during this trying time, especially during the four weeks that Ellis suffered with Malaria.
Philena Hunt
Horatio hired Philena, a friend of his daughter Harriet, to help take care of the children after
Susanna left. He was well acquainted with her as all three of them sang in the choir. She was the
youngest child of Bishop Isaac Hunt, born November 29th 1871. She paid for her schooling by
cleaning the school house. She continued after graduation to “work out” in homes, which required
long days of hard labor. She was known as a marvelous cook, often being asked to do the cooking
for social functions.
August 8, 1895, Horatio and Philena were married by David H. Cannon in the St. George Temple.
Soon after the wedding Horatio called all of his family together and told them that it would do
them no good to run to him if their step-mother told them to do or not to do something as he would
support her. His philosophy on raising children could be summarized in a statement they often
heard when the children argued that so and so’s children were allowed to do something they
weren’t. He said, “Their children aren’t any better than mine if they don’t do better.”
Philena was affectionately called “Neana” by the older Pickett children and grandchildren.
Horatio’s mother Susanna, being close to the family could see what a blessing she was to them all.
She wrote in a letter to Eliza Johnson, “I think Horatio has been greatly blessed in getting a good
wife and mother for the children. Anyone seeing the 2 youngest lopping and lolling her would
hardly think she was not their mother. The three youngest call her Ma. She has such a good way of
managing them without being harsh. She has got them quite civilized. ..For two months Hattie
never came around and would not speak to Filena when she saw her. She finds it don’t make
anything by it so she is acting a little more social.”
Six children were born to Horatio and Philena, five of which lived to maturity. Their daughter
Philena was born May 22, 1896. Susanna wrote to Eliza Johnson announcing the birth of Ann. “I
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don’t know if you have heard that we have had another girl baby who came on July 3rd (1897). It is
almost like having twins. The boys are all pleased with their sisters. Charlie said he was glad they
were girls for we had boys enough….Philena is a good and noble woman….”
During this time Horatio was building the Woodward School. He was the carpenter who “laid off
the ground” and drove stakes to begin construction. He had the contract to quarry rock for this
building, which was obtained from the red hills north of St. George. His carpenter shop was
located on his home lot, the northwest corner of Second South and First East. He later added a
planning mill, and also owned other real estate in St. George. Leo had been helping him in the shop
since 1990.
Horatio and Philena’s son Paul was born Aug 12 1900. In October of 1904 a daughter Jessie was
born, but lived less than a month. LaVerne was born March 5, 1906 and Una was born June 5,
1911. Una lived to see many of Horatio’s numerous posterity, reaching her 94th year.
In 1902 Horatio “had a little mix-up with the machinery” according to his words and lost half of
his right thumb. Soon afterward Leo left on his mission to England. Horatio missed him and his
help in the carpentry shop.
Sometime after his marriage to Philena Horatio was dismantling a barn belonging to James Andrus
located on the Santa Clara River between Gunlock and Santa Clara, about two miles from the
Shivwits Indian reservation. He fell from his ladder and was severely injured, with a fractured hip
that never completely healed.
Early in the spring of 1896, before the birth of his and Philena’s first child he was confined to his
bed with rheumatism. As he slowly recovered he was anxious to get out of the house. He
announced his intention to walk uptown to the post office.
Una, the last surviving child of Horatio and Philena, wrote Philena’s account of his near death
experience:
“As time dragged on and he didn’t return (Philena) was about to go in search of him, fearing
something had happened. When he did come back, he was exhausted and went straight to his
bedroom. Philena accompanied him and they talked for some time. She finally left the room to
prepare supper. She heard him call Leo, his oldest son, and went to see what he wanted. He was
sitting in his chair, just as she had left him, but he gave no response to her presence in the room.
She spoke to him and shook him, calling his name. He gave no evidence of having heard, nor did
sound come from his lips.
She ran out of doors and sent the boys for two of the neighbors to administer to him. They came as
quickly as they could, but Horatio was still silent and had never moved. They administered to him.
It was then that he showed some signs of life. Slowly, he began to regain consciousness. The
agony he went through was terrible to see. He was not only regaining consciousness, but he was
painfully taking up the burden of life again after laying it down. He left this earth and beheld the
beauty of Heaven. He talked with people there, and was told he was needed there on the other side.
It was for him to choose. Would he stay there or return to earth? He said, ‘I’ll stay if you want me
to, but I can’t leave her now. She needs me’.
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He was weak with suffering and was confined to his bed for two or three days, but his strength
gradually returned. However, his rheumatism disappeared, never to trouble him again. He lived 22
more years.
Horatio’s mother, Susanna, lived with them the last years of her life. Horatio’s granddaughter
Delsey said that she had a room of her own that was entered through a door on the west side of the
home. In letters, Horatio reported that Susanna was quite feeble, so sick that she wasn’t strong
enough to stand or even turn over in bed without help. She was nervous and afraid of being alone
so she couldn’t be left alone night or day. Ellis and Philena took care of her during the day and
Horatio stayed with her at night. Susanna died January 9, 1905.
In 1909 Horatio was called to serve in the temple in various positions: door keeper, assistant
recorder, night guard and others. His daughter LaVerne talked about the joy she got from taking his
lunch to him while he served there. While serving in the baptistery, he received a manifestation
showing the joy those beyond the veil experience as they finally receive the long awaited
ordinances. His written copy is in the temple record book, and a copy of it is on his person page in
Family Tree.
Horatio’s grandchildren have fond memories of visiting in his home. His granddaughter Rosalba
Gubler Fuller shares the following:
“Horatio made every effort to stay in touch with his married children, even traveling by one house
chaise for several hours to reach Zannie’s home in LaVerkin. After an overnight stay with her, he
traveled on to Virgin, visited with Doda and family, then returned to stay overnight again in
LaVerkin. Zannie wrote in a letter to one of her children dated March 1, 1901, ‘Pa and Nean were
here two days.’
Horatio’s grandchildren had fond memories of gathering at his house in St. George for holidays,
particularly Christmas and New Years Day. They arrived there carrying bedding and food, their
own holiday specialties. There was hardly enough floor space for all the bedrolls. The little ones
were told, ‘Come on in. We’ll find a nail to hang you on (for the night)’. It must have been a
challenge for Nean with her young family to hostess the large families of Horatio’s older children
as well as take care of her own.
The two-story Pickett home had a fireplace in every room. One important tradition of the family
was the competition between grandchildren to see who had grown the most. Each would stand next
to the stone fireplace in the parlor and reach as high as he could touch. They really felt grown up
when they could reach the mantel.
It was here where each child hung his sock on Christmas Eve, and where he excitedly explored its
contents early the next morning. It usually contained a homemade toy, cookies, candy, and
sometimes an apple or orange. Christmas trees weren’t part of the St George celebrations at that
time. If the celebration took place on the New Year holiday instead of Christmas, home-made
doughnuts were the traditional treat.
The family gathered around the organ and sang Christmas carols. Afterward there was reminiscing.
One of the most requested stories was the “grapevine story”. As young teenagers, Hattie, Zannie
and Doda were climbing the grapevine arbor next to their grandfather Johnson’s drugstore, when
Hattie fell through the vines up to her armpits. There she hung, for all the customers to see, covered
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only by her bloomers. The embarrassed girls tried to push her up or help her down without success.
Finally Charles A. Workman (Doda’s future husband) came along and was tall enough to push her
back up through the grapevines.
Grandpa Pickett had the most wonderful invention!—one that he had built himself. It was the first
indoor toilet the grandchildren had ever seen. At first it was frightening to sit on the seat and
trigger a rush of water into the bowl. Rosalba thought she would be washed away in the sudden
cold puddle under her; especially when she pulled the string, and with a loud “whoosh” the
contents were whisked out a pipe into the garden. The boys had to investigate each part of the new
contraption, from the water tank in the attic, to the rubber, cloth-covered hose that led down to the
commode, then outside.
The older grandchildren were allowed to go in Grandpa Pickett’s cabinet shop and play in the
wood shavings. They also remembered with fondness the large pomegranate bushes that formed a
hedge around his lot, which turned beautiful fall colors in the late autumn. One bush had been
trimmed into an outdoor setee, the setting for a story told on Zannie. It seems that Horatio went out
to do his early morning chores and found Zannie and her boyfriend (and later husband) Henry
Gubler asleep on the Pomegranate setee. As soon as the door slammed, the couple woke up with a
start, and realized it was morning. The embarrassed swain jumped up and ran home, while the
daughter ran in the house.”
Henry, Charles and some of Horatio’s grandsons served during World War I. On Sunday
afternoons he would limp uptown with his cane to buy a copy of the Salt Lake Tribune to get the
war news, but even in those circumstances he would not subscribe to this “Gentile Paper”.
Horatio died December 21, 1918 at age 70 from the Spanish Influenza. This happened during a
major epidemic that shut down schools and church meetings all over Utah and the US. Many lost
their lives from its effects as well as on the battlefields of Europe.
He left a priceless legacy of faith and service to God and community. He was a master colonizer
and builder of St. George City, and a builder of lives. His influence lives on in the tabernacle and
temple he helped build; in community cultural arts, businesses, library and schools. He wore many
hats: caring son, husband, father and grandfather; religious leader, farmer, carpenter, librarian,
teacher, embalmer, lawyer, businessman, investor, temple worker, Justice of the Peace,
Washington County treasurer, member of the school board, conductor of the choir and Martial
band, singer, violinist, actor, and usher at the state capitol.
******
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BIBLIOGRAPHY
I’m indebted to the following for the information in this biography:
My mother, Rosalba Gubler Fuller, for the biography of Horatio in her possession and for her
written memories of her Grandfather Horatio
Harriet Pickett Woodbury for her Autobiography
Doug Cox for his excellent research in his Biography of Horatio Pickett He includes many details
of Horatio’s real estate and business affairs and his civic and cultural arts contributions which I
have only summarized here. I especially thank him for the information on Philena and Horatio and
their children.
G.G.R. Sangiovanni, for his story serialized in The Young Women’s Journal, and for his articles in
the first St. George newspaper The Cactus
Pickett Family Letters, B.Y.U. Special Collections, MSS SC 1241
Mormons on the Missouri Richard E. Bennett
Salt Lake 19th Ward Record of Members 1849- 1859 microfilm #0026675
Nibley, Preston, Brigham Young, the Man and his Work Preston Nibley
D.U.P. Heartthrobs of the West Kate Carter
Hafen, A.K. Devoted Empire Builders A.K Hafen
Under Dixie Sun Daughters of the Utah Pioneers
I was Called to Dixie Andrew Karl Larsen
Annals of the Southern Utah Mission James Bleak
Dixie Pioneer Life Dixie College History Project collected from interviews with early settlers
Journal of Charles L. Walker B.Y U. Special Collections
Life Sketch of Josephine Pickett Workman by her daughter Delsey Laney
Joseph E. Johnson Collection U of U copies and letters in possession of Patty Bracken
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