1
Isaac Decker1 1787-1875
Birth
Isaac2 was born 29 Nov 1799 in
Taghkanic (formerly spelled
Tyconic), Columbia County,
New York.3 That county is a
very old one, dating from the
early 1600s and the Deckers
appear to have been some of its
long-time residents.
Livingston, N.Y.
Enlargement of
Columbia County
Isaac's grandfather, Abraham
Decker was born in 1735 in
Linlithgo, a small hamlet in
Taghkanic, N.Y.
Columbia Co. Abraham's wife,
Anne Brusee, and Isaac's
parents, Peter Decker and
Hannah Snooks, were all born
in Taghkanic. Thus, when
Isaac was born, the Deckers had been living in Columbia
County, New York, for nearly a century.
Peter and Hannah had thirteen or fourteen children from 1799
to about 1823 and the birthplace listed for each child is
Taghkanic (Tyconic), Columbia, New York. At one time the
present town of Livingston included Livingston, Taghkanic,
Copake, Gallatin and Ancram. The name "Taghkanic," is of
Indian derivation. It designates the town but also the high
range of mountains lying along the east border of the county,
on the Massachusetts line. The Hudson River marks the
western side of Columbia County, N.Y.
1
For more information, readers are referred to the Newfamilysearch-Family Tree entries for Harriet Wheeler Decker
Young, ( Isaac's first wife) and Harriet Amelia Decker Little Hanks, (Isaac's daughter).
In addition we are greatly indebted to Steven C. Nelson for detailed research and a chapter on Isaac in his book,
Legacy Builders, The Story of LeRay Decker. . . Also, Teton Hanks Jackman wrote a 9-page life sketch of Isaac
Decker that she completed in 1970, and Wayne Decker has written an eight-page commentary on Isaac's life.
2
Several Family Group Sheets refer to Isaac Decker as "Isaac Perry Decker." No credible evidence has surfaced to
indicate Isaac had a middle name. Thus in this sketch he will be referred to simply as Isaac Decker. (Nelson also
uses only "Isaac Decker" in his book).
3
According to Nelson, Isaac was born 29 Nov 1799 and christened in the Reformed Church of West Copake on
January 5, 1800. Source listed: Reformed Church of West Copake, item numbers 1142, 1338, 1475, 1708, 1860.
Steven C. Nelson, Legacy Builders, The Story of LeRay Decker. . . (privately published,) p. 6-7.
2
Isaac was the eldest of all the Peter and Hannah Decker children. He and his siblings birth and
death information is as follows:
NAME
BIRTH
BIRTH PLACE
DEATH
DEATH PLACE
ISAAC DECKER
Tunis Decker
William Elisha Decker
Christina Decker
Amelia Decker
Polly Decker
Maria Decker
Joseph Decker
Polly Decker
Lewis Decker
Fanny Decker
Clarissa Decker
Hannah Decker
Charlotte Decker
Areathusa Decker
Marietta Decker
29 Nov 1799
26 Oct 1801
1802
10 Oct 1803
9 Jul 1805
20 Jun 1806
1806
26 Apr 1808
1 Apr 1810
7 June 1812
3 Oct 1815
1818
30 Jul 1821
abt. 1823
abt. 1825
5 Aug 1825
Taghkanic, NY
Tyconic, NY
13 Jun 1873
6 Apr 1875
1881
20 Jul 1823
17 Aug 1884
20 Jun 1806
Salt Lake City, UT
NY
Taghkanic, NY
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
NY
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
Taghkanic, NY4
Tyconic, NY
Tyconic, NY
6 Nov 1817
7 Feb 1852
19 Nov 1869
14 Jun 1890
1884
17 Aug 1884
→ Phelps, NY.
In about 1820, when Isaac was twenty-one, he went to work in
Phelps, Ontario County, New York, a distance of about 230
miles west and north of Columbia County. Interestingly, Phelps
is also only about 4-6 miles from the Hill Cumorah.
It wasn't long until Isaac met and fell in love with the local
school teacher, Harriet Page Wheeler. Even though only
seventeen years old, Harriet was very attractive and had a
pleasant personality. Harriet was born 7 Sep 1803 in
Hillsborough, Hillsborough, New Hampshire. Her parents were Oliver Wheeler Jr. and Hannah
Ashby. Oliver was from Hillsborough and Hannah was born in Salem, Massachusetts.
Isaac and Harriet stayed in Phelps for several years. Their first three children were born there:
Lucy Ann Decker
Charles Franklin Decker
HARRIET AMELIA DECKER
b. 17 May 1822
b. 21 June 1824
b. 13 Mar 1826
Phelps, Ontario, NY
Phelps, Ontario, NY
Phelps, Ontario, NY
Of course, it was in 1820 that Joseph Smith had his First Vision and 1827 he was given the gold
plates from which came the Book of Mormon. Certainly, Isaac and Harriet must have heard of
4
This information was taken from New FamilySearch and has not been verified. Undoubtedly, there are some
errors but since Isaac Decker is the primary focus, correction of sibling errors will be postponed until a more
convenient time.
3
Smith's claims. However, at the time they were Methodists and don't appear to have made active
contact with Joseph or any of his followers.
→ Freedom, Cattaraugus, New York
In about 1827 the lure of free land to homestead attracted the
young Decker family. Freedom New York is located in
Cattaraugus County and was first settled in 1811. The town was
officially founded in 1820, just a few years previous to the
Deckers' arrival. Freedom is about 90 miles west and somewhat
south of Phelps, NY. A few months after Isaac and Harriet
settled in the new area, a fourth child--3rd girl-- was born 22
July 1828. They named her Clara Vilate.5 Later in life, she
preferred the name Clarissa.
A life-threatening accident
Clara Vilate (Clarissa] was a happy child and as soon as she could walk, she followed her father
around like a puppy. One day in March of 1830 Harriet sent the children out to play since the
weather was warm and their dwelling small and confined. Harriet was expecting another baby in
about a month and there was much to be done. Suddenly, she heard a commotion and, looking
out, she saw her husband running toward her with 20-month old Clara in his arms. Blood was
streaming from the back of Clara's head and she was unconscious. Isaac exclaimed in a griefstricken voice: "She came up under me as I was chopping wood. I did not see her until my ax
caught her on the head." Apparently, when little Clara drew near the woodpile unobserved, Isaac
was just raising his ax to split a log. Clara ran right under the ax and before Isaac could prevent
it, the blow descended and almost cleft the skull of the little girl who fell senseless to the ground.
Half insane with grief, Isaac bore Clara to the house where Isaac's startled wife and children
shared his sorrow and despair.
Fortunately, a doctor was visiting in the home, and he immediately took over the medical
attention for the little patient. Experimentally, he put a spoonful of liquor between Clara's lips,
whereupon she moved one of her fingers. Finding that she was yet alive, the physician made
every possible effort to restore her. He sewed up the long gash that ran from the middle of her
head back, and applied a pressure bandage to stop the bleeding. Clara had been wearing a thick
woolen hood or cap that had partially broken the force of the blow and prevented the ax from
penetrating her skull. For six months Clara hovered between life and death. It was nearly a year
before she spoke a word and she carried a deep scar on her head for the rest of her life.6
About a month after Clara's accident, another baby, Fannie Marie, was born to the Deckers on 24
Apr 1830 in Freedom. Harriet had a very busy life for a considerable period of time, with one
young child gravely ill, a newborn and three other children under the age of eight.
5
Jackman gives the child's name as "Clara Vilate." Others say it is Clara Clarissa or even Clarissa Caroline.
Jackman, p. 3, Also Wayne Decker, "Some Bits of History of the Decker Family,"
http:freepages.history.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~timbaloo/ThisIsThgePlace/pages/Isaac.htm
6
4
Mormon activity in Freedom
It is well documented that Parley P. Pratt, Orson Pratt and even Joseph Smith visited and
preached in Freedom. However, Isaac and his wife apparently were not quite ready to fully
embrace the gospel at that time. 7
1833: → Portage County, OH
In all likelihood, the Deckers
moved to New Portage, Ohio,
in the fall or winter of 1835-even though they had not as yet
officially embraced
Mormonism. What prompted
the Deckers to move to Ohio is
unknown. Wayne Decker
conjectured that the attraction
of cheap land motivated Isaac
and "Because no town is
mentioned, I surmise he had
taken a considerable ranch
project by this time." (Wayne
Decker, p. 2)
Map showing New Portage, now absorbed by Barberton.
The Deckers first settled in New Portage, then went to New
Franklin.
Towns and villages in Ohio are sometimes hard to locate. For example, the Deckers first moved
to New Portage and then went to New Franklin. At that time there were twenty-one villages,
townships or hamlets in Ohio called New Franklin! As for Portage, or New Portage, there is a
Portage OH in Wood Co. and a Portage Co just south of Kirtland and east of Akron. However
"our" New Portage was New Portage, Norton Township, 55 mi. S of Kirtland, 2 mi. E of
Norton, in the Medina and later Summit, county.[ 1840] It was located on the Tuscarawas
River. A history of the area states:
"New Portage officially became a village in 1817. . . . the arrival of the Ohio Canal system which
brought prosperity for much of the surrounding area, proved detrimental to New Portage's
shipping industry. No longer located on the region's primary shipping route, the village lost an
essential element of its success. Soon after, an epidemic, likely typhus, all but wiped out the
village's population. Mormons who had settled in New Portage in the early 1830s left the region
by 1838, leaving only a few townspeople and little activity to speak of in the failed village. . . . In
1910 the ever-growing "Magic City [Barberton] annexed the last piece of New Portage."8
7
For more details about Mormon missionary efforts in Freedom see the biographical entry for Harriet Page
Wheeler. About the Decker's contact with the gospel, Jackman writes: " We are wondering if Lorenzo Dow
Young, Brigham Young's brother, met the Decker family when he was on his mission to Freedom, and converted
them to Mormonism. " (p.3) Actually, Lorenzo wasn't baptized until the summer of 1831, in Pennsylvania, and his
New York mission was from the spring of 1832 until March of 1833. Lorenzo preached in Hector, NY, about 114
miles from Freedom, and also in Beardstown and Geneseo, but no mention is made of his being in Freedom when
the Deckers were there.
8
Internet: "Barberton Library: New Portage," http://www.barberton.lib.oh.us/Local_History_Room/New_Portage
5
Converts to Mormonism
It was in Portage Co. where the Deckers finally joined the LDS Church. We know nothing of the
circumstances surrounding their baptism9, but they surely had known of Mormonism for nearly
ten years, since they first lived in Phelps, New York in the early 1820s. Apparently at first, their
conversion did little to change their family lifestyle. A daughter, Lucy, later described how as a
child she
. . . stood on a chair to wash the dishes. All the family would arise in the
morning at five, dress by candle light, have the work all done by seven, ready to sit
down and begin the real work of the day . . . spinning, weaving and sewing. At
night the candles were never lighted, only long enough to see them all to bed.
During the summer months the hour for rising was four o' clock [A.M.] The
candles, soap, carpets and clothing for the whole family were all made within the
home."
(Wayne Decker, p. 2)
Isaac ordained an Elder
Some uncertainty exists regarding when Isaac was ordained an Elder in the LDS Church. The
Kirtland Elders' Quorum Record, 1836-1841indicates, in the Biographical Appendix, that Isaac
"received elder's license 23 May 1836 and anointing 4 Apr 1837." However, the Quorum
Record has no entries of that action, in the Cook and Backman publication of the Minutes, for
May of 1836. However, the 1837 entries include the following:
April 4th 1837 2nd [item] Names of Elders that united with the quorum I [Isaac]
Decker L[Lester]Brooks.
3rd proceeded to anoint Wm Huntington .....I [Isaac] Decker10
The word "unite" is ambiguous. It may simply mean that Isaac had already been ordained an
Elder and was invited to unite with the Elders' Quorum in April 1837, for the purposes of being
anointed. "Unite" could also mean that Isaac was ordained an Elder on 4 Apr 1837. Whichever
the case, a special effort was made to anoint relatively new elders prior to a solemn assembly
called for 6 Apr 1837:
It seems to have been the practice of the time to ordain elders and shortly thereafter
"anoint" them. The "holy anointing" was part of a complex of sanctifying ordinances
intended to prepare the brethren to receive a spiritual outpouring known in Kirtland as "an
endowment of power." In preparation for a second solemn assembly planned for the 6th of
April, 1837, Joseph Smith invited worthy brethren who were unable to attend the solemn
assembly the previous years to participate in certain purifying ordinances preparatory to
receiving a spiritual endowment of power. These ordinance consisted of (1) washing "head
to foot" in soap and water, (2) washing in clear water and perfumed whiskey, (3) having
9
Harriet mentioned that she "was baptized Feb. 22, 1836 at New Portage, Ohio, by Elder Ambrose Palmer, and
confirmed by the same Elder." (copied from personal journal of Harriet P. Wheeler Decker Young, owned by
Wayne Decker, Salt Lake, copied by Teton Jackman.)
10
Cook, Lyndon W. and Milton V. Backman, Jr. Kirtland Elders Quorum Record 1836-1841 Grandin Book Co. 1895.
6
one's head anointed with consecrated oil and receiving a blessing by the spirit of prophesy,
(4) having the anointing blessing sealed with uplifted hands (solemn prayer, a sealing
prayer, and the hosanna shout), and (5) washing of faces and feet and partaking of the
Lord's Supper.11
Demonstration of Commitment
Joseph Smith and the main body of the Saints lived in
Kirtland for approximately seven years. Converts began to
arrive in February of 1831 and by 1836 they numbered
some 2,000 believers and had built a magnificent temple.12
However, throughout the country economic speculation was
rampant and the U.S. government was weak in managing
currency and other monetary matters. Consequently, what
ensued has become known as the Panic of 1837. Banks
failed and people lost their life savings. Unfortunately,
Joseph Smith and the fledgling LDS Church were not
exempt from the crisis.
Orson F. Whitney tells of Isaac Decker's attempt to help the
Prophet in the following way:
"Isaac Decker was a well-to-do farmer, and the family at this time was in
comfortable circumstances [1836-37].13 A test now came to prove them, whether as Saints
they stood ready to sacrifice their all upon the altar of duty and devotion or like many
professing to be Saints, when weighed in the balance of trail they would be found wanting.
One evening in the winter of 1836-37, or early in the spring of the latter year, the
Prophet Joseph came to the house of Isaac Decker in Franklin. He confided to him some of
the affairs of the Church in Kirtland, more especially its financial status, which was then in
precarious condition. The Kirtland Bank, . . . was . . .on the verge of bankruptcy.
Thousands of dollars were needed to tide over the critical time, save the financial credit of
the Church, and prevent the bank from breaking. Isaac Decker was asked to supply a large
portion of this amount, to replace the stolen money and "break" the run being made on the
institution. The response was immediate and heroic. The Deckers sacrificed everything,
house, farm, livestock, even their household furniture was sold to raise the sum required to
buy up the bank's floating paper. But all was in vain. The opposing combinations were too
strong. Counterfeits of the Kirtland bills were put in circulation and in spite of every effort
to prevent it, the ruin of the bank was accomplished. In common with many similar
institutions throughout the county, for it was a year of general financial disaster, it went
down in the ruinous crash of 1837.
The Decker family was now penniless, without a dollar in the world save in the
bushels of worthless paper they had sacrificed their all to redeem. In this sorry plight they
came to Kirtland in the summer of 1837.
(Wayne Decker, p. 3)
11
Cook and Backman, Jan 25th 1836 entry footnote
It is estimated that the number of Church members in Kirtland in 1833 was about 300 and that number increased
to 2,000 by 1838. Encyclopedia of Mormonism
13
Nelson's grandfather, LeRay Decker> Isaac Perry Decker > Isaac Decker claimed that "his grandfather [Isaac D.]
was one of the richest men in the Church. (Nelson, p. 7)
12
7
Teton Hanks Jackman tells a slightly different version of the above incident:
"While living in Franklin, the winter of 1836 Joseph Smith came to Isaac
Decker and asked if he would help financially to save the Kirtland Bank from going
into bankruptcy. He consented to help, if no one would tell his wife Harriet. She
soon found things were not going so well and there were feelings in their home. The
bank failed and Isaac lost all he had. They were left penniless with a lot of paper
money which was useless."
(Jackman, p. 4, emphasis added)
Exodus from Ohio
The fall of 1837 and spring of 1838 marked the departure of nearly all the faithful Saints from
Nauvoo. Joseph left Kirtland with Sidney Rigdon and some others in January of 1838. Some
dates are in conflict, but it appears that Isaac Decker and family left Kirtland in the autumn of
1837. Isaac had no money, but "Lorenzo Dow Young had sold his farm and purchased
several teams and outfits to help his family and friends. He gave Isaac Decker a wagon and
team and helped them prepare for their journey to Missouri." (Jackman, p. 4)
A biography of Lorenzo D. Young states that "he sold off his property, fitted up his teams, and in
the autumn, in company with Brother Isaac Decker, started for the Western Zion. On account of
sickness in his family, he laid by at Dublin, Indiana. In the meantime, he started back on the
road with his team to assist brethren who might be on the road from Kirtland. After traveling a
few miles the first day, he unexpectedly met his brother Brigham, who was also fleeing from the
persecution. Said he, "Brother Joseph Smith is on his way and you had better go back [to
Dublin] with me; wait until he comes up and go along with us."
Lorenzo remained in Dublin until the Prophet and others came along, and in February, continued
his journey.14 "They crossed the Mississippi River on the ice at Quincy, Illinois. They were the
last to cross that way that season. When near the west side of the river the ice was so weak that
the horses were taken from the wagons and planks were laid down on which to run the latter
ashore"15
Isaac and Lorenzo kept their close attachment to each other once they arrived in Missouri:
"In March, 1838, Brothers Young and Decker arrived in Daviess County,
Missouri. The former purchased a farm from a Missourian, put in crops, built a
14
Wayne Decker notes that "It was probably here at Dublin that Clara [Isaac's 10-year old daughter] was
transferred to the Prophet's outfit. She traveled the balance of the way to Far West with the Prophet's family,
further cementing the close ties that existed between the two families." Charles Franklin Decker, another of
Isaac's children, also made a temporary separation from the family at Dublin: "Charles Franklin, according to the
obituary in the Deseret News, March 25, 1901, though only 14 years of age had tried to help the family fortunes
by riding 'Pony Express' our of Dublin, Indiana. This was followed by 3 years working on river boats. He did not
rejoin his family until the unhappy days at Nauvoo." (Wayne Decker, p. 3 of 8) The Pony Express mentioned here
must have been a forerunner of the “real” Pony Express that was operated in the early 1860s for about two years.
15
James Amasa Little, " Biography of Lorenzo Dow Young, "Utah Historical Quarterly, 14:1-4 (1946) p. 14-15 of 73
[internet download].
8
house, purchased stock, planted an orchard and prepared for a permanent home.
Mr. Decker rented a farm, but the remainder of the company went on to Far West,
twenty-two miles farther. Lorenzo and his friend Isaac Decker labored diligently
during the summer, generally holding meetings on the Sabbath.
Lorenzo lived eighteen miles from Adam-ondi-Ahman, and soon after the
election [in Gallatin, Aug. 6th] he left his family on his place and accompanied by
Brother Decker went there on military duty as a guard for about two weeks. After
completing their term of military service the two started for home with but one
horse, which they rode by turns. As they passed through the town of Gallatin, eight
miles from home, Lorenzo was walking and Mr. Decker was ahead of him on the
horse. About twenty rods from the road, and near a whiskey saloon, was stationed a
company of Missourians. As the former was passing nearly opposite to them a
party of men stopped in front of him and their leader ordered him also to stop. He
was armed with a sword but the party, numbering twenty-two, were mostly armed
with rifles. Nothing was said to Brother Decker, who halted and was sitting on his
horse short distance off, watching the proceedings." (Little, pp 15-16)
Since the confrontation had to do mostly with Lorenzo Young and not with Isaac a brief synopsis
of the outcome should be sufficient.16 The Missouri officer was about to order the execution of
Young when another officer--the first one's superior-- exited the saloon and on realizing what
was transpiring ordered the drunk officer to stand down. After questioning Young, the superior
officer released Young and gave him his own name and rank. He told Lorenzo to send for him
should any similar situation present itself. The reason this incident is mentioned here is that it
demonstrates the close relationship that existed between Lorenzo D. Young and Isaac Decker.
Call to preach
Nelson writes:
According to notes recorded at the October 6, 1838 Quarterly Conference
convened at Far West, Isaac along with seven other brethren answered a call for
volunteers to "go into the vineyard and preach." . . . It appears that he wasn't able
to leave at that time . . .17
16
Steve Nelson states that during the Missouri conflict Isaac got kidnapped and was kept prisoner for more than a
week. His daughter said that he came back unhurt and had been well treated because he had such a good
personality he was a friend to everybody. He also said that Isaac was called on a mission but never went because
he and other s had to make a hasty retreat from Missouri. Nelson gives no written source for his information, but
he told the story at the rededication of the Isaac Decker headstone, in 2006.
17
Nelson, p. 9. Nelson is citing from Smith, Joseph, Jr., History of the Church, vol. 3, p. 152.
9
Battle of Crooked River
A few days after the mission call, Lorenzo and Isaac were together at the Battle of Crooked
River:
We kept the road to a ford on Crooked River, twenty miles distant, where we
expected to find the mob. As day was breaking we dismounted about a mile from
the ford, tied our horses and left Brother Isaac Decker to watch them..."
(Little, p. 18)
A short time after the Crooked River engagement, Missouri militia surrounded Far West and
demanded its surrender. At the same time, Lorenzo Young and others made a rapid escape east.
Apparently Isaac Decker was not with those who fled because mention is made later that "Mr.
Isaac Decker, an old time friend and neighbor of Lorenzo's hired a Mr. Bidwell to move his
[Lorenzo's] family into Illinois". That action was taken at the end of 1838, "a little after the
holidays." (Little, p. 23)
After Isaac arrived in Illinois and settled down, he made one final statement regarding his
Missouri experience: a petition for damages, as per Joseph Smith's instructions:
Deposition of Isaac Decker of Scott County of the State of Illinois taken on the
Eighteenth day of January Eighteen hundred and forty, between the hours of ten AM and 6
P.M. at the office of N M Knapp Clerk of the County Commissioners Court of Scott County
Illinois...
Isaac Decker, being Sworn deposeth and Saith that he is now a resident of the
County of Scott & State of Illinois, of Lawful age, and that some time in the month of
March A.D. Eighteen hundred and thirty Eight, he removed from the State of Ohio, to
Davis County in the State of Missouri, with no other intent or purpose than to become a
resident Citizen in good faith under the Laws of Said State of Missouri, And with that
intent he purchased a preemption right to Congress Land, of one Benedict Welden, for
which he paid the Sum of two hundred and fifty Dollars Lawful money of the United States,
in the quiet possession of which this deponent Lived until the following October, and raised
on Said Land, Seven acres of Corn, a part of which Crop he gathered and a part of which
he left in the field; further that he raised Garden Vegetables of Value twenty five Dollars;
and this deponent further says that on or about the twenty Eighth day of October A.D.
Eighteen hundred and thirty Eight, he was Surprised in the Lawful possession of his Said
premises, by a mob of armed men, Citizens of the State of Missouri, and then and there
Surrounded and taken prisoners [sic: prisoner] by Said mob,18 and Compelled to Surrender
his property with force and arms and Compelled to Convey to Said mob his real Estate in
trust to Said Mob to defray the Expenses of their unlawful designs, And this deponent
further Says that he was Compelled under the order of Governor Bogg of Missouri issued
on the twenty Seventh day of October A.D. Eighteen Hundred and thirty Eight, and
Communicated by the State of Missouri under pain of death, In Compliance with which
order I he Sought refuge, berift of all my his property in the Said State of Illinois in the
Month of Januray[sic] A. D. 1839. Suffering the Greatest Extremities from the almost
18
Of this experience Isaac's daughter, Clara (Clarissa) wrote: "While Mr. Decker was gone for a load of wood he
was arrested and taken prisoner to the camp. It was a week before his family knew anything about him. He
was not badly treated; with his jolly good-natured temperament he made friends everywhere." (Nelson, p. 11)
10
universal prjeudice[sic] which Existed against the Sect to which I
further the deponent Saith not.
he belong Ed and
Isaac Decker
[Sworn to before E. Sells, J.P., Scott Co., IA, 18 Jan 1840.
From Isaac's affidavit it is clear that he and his family arrived in Illinois in January 1839.
→ Illinois
When Isaac made arrangements for Lorenzo's family to leave Missouri he and his family, too,
may have accompanied the Youngs. Wayne Decker seems to have the best information about
the Deckers' next residence:
The Lorenzo Young and Isaac Decker families
continued to be very closely associated. They farmed in
Scott and Morgan [Illinois] counties through 1839-40.
It was here in Winchester, Scott, Illinois that my
Map of Illinois showing Hancock County (Nauvoo)
Morgan County (dark)
Scott County (Winchester) (red)
Grandfather Isaac Perry Decker was born [7 Aug
1840].19 Nauvoo had now definitely become the rallying
place of the Saints. Isaac headed out in the Fall of 1840, stopping over in Warsaw
for the winter, and arrived in Nauvoo in 1841. Lorenzo spent the summer of 1841 in
Warsaw and in the Spring of 1842 he moved to Macedonia and bought a house
about four miles from the town of Carthage.
(Wayne Decker, pp 3-4 of 8)
Nauvoo: The Agony and the Ecstasy
Numerous major, life-changing events happened to the Deckers from 1841-1846. Among the
most notable were the following: one daughter divorced and became Brigham Young's first
polygamous wife. Another daughter married a nephew of Brigham Young, and, most significant
of all, Isaac and Harriet went their separate ways.
19
Nelson adds: "It was here on August 7, 1840 that Isaac Perry (Known as Perry) was born. LeRay Decker reports
the continued difficulty the family was experiencing: "Well, when they were being persecuted and driven out they
came to this little town . . Winchester. She was ready to have her baby and she couldn't get a place to stay. All
they had was a barn. That's where my father Isaac Perry was born--in a barn. Shortly thereafter they moved to
Warsaw where he was the presiding Elder. Warsaw, a small town about 15 miles south of Nauvoo, was a center
of anti-Mormon sentiment." (Nelson, p. 10) Source for the presiding elder statement was Jessee, Dean, The Papers
of Joseph Smith Vo. 2, p. 342-343.
11
Isaac and Harriet separate
It is not known exactly when Isaac and Harriet decided to no longer share the same home.
Perhaps it was when they moved to Macedonia, since Lorenzo Young was also living in that
town. In fact, Lorenzo, like the Deckers, spent the summer of 1841 in Warsaw and then moved
to Macedonia in 1842.20
The beginnings of the disaffection may have begun as early as 1837 when Isaac sold everything,
without consulting Harriet, and gave the proceeds to Joseph Smith. Nevertheless, they were still
together in August of 1840 when their last child, Isaac Perry Decker, was born in Winchester,
Scott Co, Ill. It appears that they decided to go their separate ways in 1842.
No one knows for sure what prompted the final separation. Wayne Decker's father told him:
"that the family tradition was that the split was over polygamy. Harriet had
picked out a second wife for Isaac and he wouldn't take her. . . . She felt he was
falling away from the church and under well-meaning--and I suspect fanatical
advisors (who knew nothing of his [Isaac's] financial situation)-- she was talked into
repudiating Isaac."
(Wayne Decker, p. 4 of 8)
The plural marriage explanation of the breakup is certainly a possibility. By 1842 Harriet was
aware of the doctrine of plural marriage because of circumstances of her daughter, Lucy Ann.
Lucy had married William Seeley sometime in the 1830s. Some family group sheets give the
marriage date as 1833, but that date is probably erroneous since Lucy was only eleven years old
in that year. Wayne Decker felt she married in about 1839 in Far West, but gives no
documentation for that assertion. Jackman also favors the Missouri, 1838 date: "We can
imagine the feelings they [Isaac and Harriet] had, when Lucy Ann, their oldest daughter,
announced to them that she was going to marry William Seeley. Harriet had trained her well
in homemaking, but being only sixteen seemed so young." (Jackman pp 4-5)
The only difficultly with the 1838 marriage date is that Lucy's first child, Isaac Joseph Seely,
was born 25 Aug 1837 in Chester, Geauga, OH. Chester Township is located about ten miles
south of Kirtland--in the general vicinity where the Deckers were living in 1837. Therefore, the
child's birth suggests that Lucy married William Seely while the family was living in Ohio and
the marriage probably took place in the summer or fall of 1836. Lucy had three children by
William Seely in 1837, 1839 and 1841. However, just after the birth of the third child, William
deserted Lucy, leaving her to shift for herself and two children. (The third child died shortly after
being born). According to family tradition, William Seeley was a "drunkard and abusive."
On 17 June 1842 Lucy married again, this time to none other than Brigham Young. Lucy was
his first plural wife. At the time Brigham and Lucy married, Brigham's first wife, Miriam
Angeline Works, had died, leaving him with two small girls. A year and a half after Miriam's
death, Brigham remarried--monogamously-- to Mary Ann Angell in 1834. They had four
20
Little, p. 24
12
children by 1842, plus the two daughters of Brigham's previous wife. Lucy eventually had seven
children born to her and Brigham between 1845 and 1860.
Lucy's marriage, divorce and subsequent remarriage are side issues to our story. What is
important is that Harriet was well aware of the doctrine of plural marriage by early 1842 since
her own daughter espoused that principle when she married Brigham Young. Slightly less than a
year after Lucy 's second marriage, Harriet followed suit by marrying Brigham's brother, in
plural marriage on 9 Mar 1843. She also was a first plural wife.21
Another reason might be given for the separation between Isaac and Harriet and her subsequent
marriage to Lorenzo Dow Young, and that reason would be "security." Ever since 1837 when
Isaac liquidated everything without consulting with his wife, the two of them had experienced
financial difficulties. To get to Missouri, they depended on the largesse of Lorenzo. Once in
Missouri, Lorenzo bought a farm, and Isaac could only afford to rent one. Harriet may have
simply felt that Isaac was too unstable in financial matters and wished for more security.
Marriages of other Decker children
In addition to the remarriages of Lucy and Harriet, four additional unions were effected by the
Decker children between 1842 and 1847.
First, daughter Harriet Amelia married Edwin Sobieski Little on 22 Mar 1842. Edwin was
Brigham Young's nephew, the eldest son of James Little and Susannah Young. (Susannah was
Brigham's oldest sibling, six years older than he.) When Harriet Amelia married, she was
sixteen years old. Her husband, Edwin S., was twenty-six. On 6 Aug 1844, Harriet Amelia gave
birth to a son whom they named George Edwin Little. Unfortunately, Harriet's husband died less
than two years after the birth of their son--four years after he and Harriet Amelia exchanged
wedding vows.
Two years after Brigham married Lucy, he took another of Isaac's daughters, Clara (Clarissa), as
a plural wife. They were married 8 May 1844. Brigham was 43 years old and Clarissa 16. She
was one of the 3 women who, along with 2 boys and 143 men, made the historic trek to the Great
Salt Lake Valley in 1847. Clarissa celebrated her nineteenth birthday on July 22, 1847--just two
days before she and the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. She had been married three years
and three months and it would be another two and a half years before she became a mother.
Another daughter also married into the Young clan. Fannie Maria Decker married Feramorz
Little, Edwin's younger brother and another of Brigham's nephews, 12 Feb 1846--four days after
leaving Nauvoo. They had thirteen children and Feramorz eventually became the second mayor
of Salt Lake City.
Finally, Charles Decker married the second daughter of Brigham Young on 4 Feb 1847--just a
month before the first pioneer company left for Utah. He was not in the first company, but was
among the nine other companies that left in the middle of June of that same year, 1847. Charles
21
Nelson argues convincingly against the arguments that Harriet was (a) bitter over Isaac's 1837 financial decision
and (b) pushing the polygamy issue. (Nelson, p. 11)
13
was twenty-two and Vilate, seventeen. Eventually Charles Decker crossed the plains fifty-three
times as he assisted others in their trek to Utah.
In summary, then, the period of time between 1841 and 1847 was very eventful for the Decker
family:
 Isaac and Harriet separated, permanently. Harriet remarried shortly thereafter, to
Lorenzo Dow Young
 the 1st child, Lucy, separated permanently from her husband William Seely.
Lucy remarried, as the first plural wife of Brigham Young
 the 2nd child, Charles F., married Vilate Young, Brigham's second daughter.
 the 3rd child, Harriet Amelia, married Edwin S. Little and became a widow 4
years later
 the 4th child, Clara (Clarissa) became the 6th wife to Brigham Young
 the 5th child, Fannie Marie, married Feramorz Little--Brigham Young's nephew.
The only child who did not marry during that time frame was the youngest, Isaac Perry Decker,
who at age seven, crossed the plains with the first company of pioneers. He was one of two boys
allowed to travel with the 143 men and 3 women.
Isaac's life 1841-50
While we know quite a bit about the
activities of Harriet W. Decker, now
Young, and her children from 1841 until
they reached Utah, very little has been
passed down regarding Isaac's activities.
In 1842 he was living in Nauvoo, but only
as a tenant. It also appears that he paid
Nauvoo City taxes in 1842. Also, Isaac
remained on good terms with both
Brigham and Lorenzo. In 1842 when
Brigham took ill, he described the tender
care he received from Isaac in the
following way:
"I was suddenly attacked (Nov. 1-6,
1842) with a "fit of apoplexy [that
progressed to the] most violent fever I have ever experienced. I laid on my back and was
not turned upon my side for eighteen days. I laid in a log house which was rather open; it
was so very cold during my sickness that Brother Isaac Decker, my attendant, froze his
fingers and toes while fanning me, with boots, great coat and mittens on and with a fire in
the house, from which I was shielded by a blanket"22
22
Wayne Decker, p 5 of 8. He is quoting from another source written by "Nibley" No source information is
included for the Nibley quote.
14
A mission to Ohio
In the early months of 1844 Isaac and many others were called on missions to promote Joseph
Smith's presidential candidacy. Curiously, he left on the mission in company with Lorenzo Dow
Young--his former wife's new husband:
In the spring of 1844, Lorenzo D. Young was appointed to a mission to the state of
Ohio by the Prophet Joseph. He left Nauvoo the first day of June accompanied by his son
William and Elder Isaac Decker, to journey with teams. It was a year remarkable for
unusually high water in the streams of the country. . . .About the 28th of June they arrived
at Springfield, the capital of the state of Illinois. There they designed to lay by for the
waters to subside. Two or three days after their arrival the news reached them, by Phineas
H. Young, of the assassination of Joseph and Hyrum Smith in Carthage Jail, on the 27th of
June. A consultation was held and it was decided to send one of the party back to Nauvoo
to learn the condition of affairs there, and bring word if it was thought advisable for them
to return. William G. Young was at first selected to go, but finally Elder Isaac Decker was
sent, leaving his wife and daughter to go on with Lorenzo.
(Little, pp. 28-29)
The above incident is a little confusing. First it suggests that the missionary group was
accompanied by Harriet Decker Young and one of her daughters. Also, it suggests that Harriet
was Isaac's wife--ignoring the fact that they had separated and she had remarried nearly two
years earlier. The Lorenzo D. Young biography adds:
Lorenzo traveled and preached the Gospel during the summer [1844]
sometimes alone, at other times in company with his brother, Joseph. Many
believed and were baptized. They organized two branches of the Church. Mr. Isaac
Decker had come out to Ohio during the summer and with his wife and daughter
returned to Nauvoo with Lorenzo in the autumn."
(Little, p. 29 of 73)
Ordination, Temple work
Other evidence that Isaac was still in good standing with the brethren was his ordination as a
High Priest on 10 Nov 1844 in Nauvoo.23 In addition, he was among the many that flocked to
the Nauvoo Temple once it was completed sufficiently to allow endowment work. Isaac was
washed and anointed 24 Dec 1845 and endowed that same day.24 (On Jan 26, 1846, just scant
days before the Saints left Nauvoo, Harriet was sealed to Lorenzo Dow Young in the Nauvoo
Temple.)25
23
Nelson mentions that Isaac was also the presiding elder in Warsaw before he settled in Nauvoo, but he doesn't
give a date.
24
The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, e. Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergera, p. pp. 159, 173
25
The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, p. 496. Nelson states that an early International Genealogical Index entry
indicates that Harriet was sealed to Isaac the same day she was sealed to Lorenzo. He then adds: "In looking at
the original documents I can find no evidence for this claim." (Nelson, p. 12)
15
Isaac remarries, then tarries
Three days after Harriet was sealed to Lorenzo D. Young, Isaac was sealed, on 29 Jan 1846, in
the Temple to Maria Louisa Roberts and Fanny Eliza Green. The marriages and sealings were
performed by Brigham Young and witnessed by Heber C. Kimball and Amasa M. Lyman.26
When Isaac left Nauvoo, we do not know. Nor do we know his whereabouts from January 1846
until 4 Jul 1850. Richard B. "Andy" Anderson believes that Isaac "stayed in the East, taking
care of church business until he came to Utah in 1850." He gives no source for his
information.27 Jackman notes that Isaac "was very helpful in arranging wagons and food for the
Saints emigrating to Utah" (p. 7) but she, too, does not give a source for her information.
Simply put, we do not know if Isaac stayed in Nauvoo, went to Winter Quarters, or lived
elsewhere during that 4½ year period.
On to Utah
The next knowledge we have of Isaac is his departure for Utah with the Edward Hunter Co, on
29 June 1850. The Company list includes the following:
We already knew of Fanny Eliza Greene's marriage to Isaac in 1846, but Delight Day's name is
a surprise. In addition, we don't know what happened to Maria Louise Roberts, the second
women whom he married in January 1846. 28 No marriage date is given for Delight and Isaac.
However, she appears on the 1860 Utah Census as a member of Isaac's household. She died 24
Oct 1883 in Salt Lake City and is buried in the City cemetery, location E-13-12.
Three bits of information are important about the Edward Hunter Company. First--and
ironically-- traveling in the same company was Persis Goodall Young, age 44. She was the
former wife of Lorenzo Dow Young. Second, the company was the first to use Perpetual
Emigration Funds to assist the travelers. Hunter used $5,000 of the PEF donations received that
winter to outfit the company. This may be an indication of Isaac's financial condition--or lack
thereof. Finally, the Company left at a rather late date, June 29th-July 4th. By the time it
reached the Salt Lake Valley on October 2-14, the pioneers were "traveling through snow that
was hub deep."
It is also interesting to note that Lorenzo D. Young, his wife Harriet and two of her sons, Isaac
Perry and Charles Franklin also made a return journey across the plains to Utah that same
26
[Nauvoo] Sealing Record Index, p. 247.) The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, p. 524
http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,650208244,00.html
28
Nelson indicates that Roberts married Alfred Elliott Newell on May 4, 1851. Nelson, p. 24, citing from Essham,
Pioneers and . . . p. 926
27
16
summer. They, of course, had first arrived in Utah in 1847 when they made the historic pioneer
crossing of the plains.
Life for Isaac in Utah: multiple wives
The 1850 Census in Utah gives little more information than was available from the Hunter Co.
records. Isaac is 51, lists his occupation as that of a carpenter and has $150 in "real wealth" but
nothing in "personal wealth. In his household are Delight, 47, and Eliza, 29.
Jackman adds the following about Isaac's arrival and early years in Utah:
It was a happy day for Isaac, to see all of his family again. He enjoyed
getting acquainted with several new grand children. His daughter, Harriet Amelia,
had married Ephraim Knowlton Hanks, a Mormon Battalion man, 22 Sept 1848.
They had a son named Marcelles. . . .
We have very little on the activities of Isaac Decker after he came to Utah. He
must have been busy and a hard-working man to provide for the following families.
He married Delight Day, 31 Aug 1851;29 Mary Cannon, 20 Apr 1856. He married
and was sealed to Hannah Herbert 28 Mar 1857 in the Endowment House. She was
a convert to the Church from England. She came in the James G. Willie Handcart
Co, arriving in Salt Lake 9 Nov 1856. She was sixteen years old and Isaac was 57. . .
Isaac was sealed to Sarah Collins 28 Mar 1857, the same day he was sealed to
Hannah, in the Endowment House. Then he was sealed to Anna Lucas 31 May
1857.
(Jackman p 8)
Nelson adds that Isaac was living in the Salt Lake 12th Ward and Ward records for 1856, 1857
and 1859 show him as having made contributions. The 12th Ward was located near the center of
town at about 400 East and 100 South. (Nelson, p. 24)
29
This marriage date is probably an error since Delight accompanied Isaac across the plains in 1850, a year earlier.
17
1860 Census
By 1860 it appears that Isaac's financial situation had improved considerably. He is listed as
having a household of twelve and a real wealth of $2500 and his personal worth is listed as
"3,000"
The census record is difficult to read, but it gives the following information.
Isaac Decker
Delight "
Sarah
"
Eliza "
Anna "
Hannah "
Elizabeth
Mary "
Maria "
Don Albert
Christine "
Albertine
Christian Hardman
Nephi Hardman
60 m
57 f
57 f
33 f
24 f
18 f
2 f
51 f
2 f
1 m
6/12 f
1 f
18 m
17 m
Farmer
2500
3000
Farm Laborer
"
"
N. Y
Vrmnt
Eng
N.Y.
Eng
"
Utah
Eng
Utah
"
"
"
Denmark
Eng
The last two names listed as living in the Decker home are young men Isaac must have hired to
work on his farm/ranch. Their presence in the home, plus Isaac's declaration of real and personal
worth indicate that Isaac was doing quite well financially.
The 1860 Census also helps to unravel some of the uncertainty surrounding Isaac and his
multiple wives. The first woman listed under Isaac's name is undoubtedly Delight Day who
accompanied Isaac as he crossed the plains. Next is Sarah. This may be Sarah Ann Collins by
whom Isaac had two children, Albertine (1859) and Alice Delzina (Dec 1860) Albertine is
mentioned in the above census. Next in the household sequence is Eliza. This is a reference to
Fannie Eliza Green who also accompanied Isaac in his trek across the plains in 1850. Next is
18
Anna. This must be Annie Lucas by whom Isaac had seven children. Some records give Annie's
birth as 1835, and that corresponds more or less to the age of 24 in the 1860 Census. Farther
down the list appears "Mary." This may be Mary Cannon. Interestingly, Hannah Herbert must
be the wife listed as being 18 years of age. A couple of children, Maria (2) and Don Albert (1),
are listed, but don't appear on other lists of children from Isaac's plural wives.
More on Isaac's wives and children in Utah
Wayne Decker makes the following statement about Isaac's wives in Utah:
Isaac had two distinct families: the first, monogamously, in the East, with our
great-great-great grandmother Harriet Page Wheeler, and the second, with five
plural wives after he came to the Salt Lake Valley in 1850.
. . .In the Valley (actually, he wound up ranching in the Heber area, in the
mountains east of Provo in Utah Valley) Isaac embraced plural marriage and five
wives, who gave him a dozen more children, of whom at least nine lived to see the
twentieth century.
Fannie Eliza Green, b. about 1803...............................no children
Hannah Herbert (11 Dec 1840-13 Dec 1865).............. 5 children
Maria Luisa Roberts (abt 1803-)..................................no children
Delight Day (abt 1803-).............................................. ...no children
Annie Lucas (22 Mar 1835- 17 May 1886)................. 7 children
(Wayne Decker, Isaac Decker's Families, p. 1 of 1)
The foregoing information is useful, but inaccurate in some cases. For example, we know that
Isaac married Maria Luisa Roberts, Delight Day and Fannie Eliza Green before arriving in the
Valley. In addition, New FamilySearch lists three additional wives--not mentioned by Wayne
Decker: Margaret Mulledy, Mary Cannon and Sarah Ann Collins. However, all marriage dates
given are somewhat suspect and more research is needed.
Children's births
The family group sheets available for Isaac and his post-Harriet wives list several children. By
listing the children in chronological order, we gain insight into the whereabouts of Isaac during
the period from 1858-1868:30
CHILD
BIRTH DATE AND PLACE
DEATH
Hannah Maria D.
26 Jul 1858 West Jordan, UT
21 Feb 1911
Alberteen D. (male) 18 Jul 1859 Greater Salt Lake, UT
30
CHILD'S MOTHER
Hannah Herbert
Sarah Ann Collins31
Nelson is of the opinion that the birthplaces of Isaac's children indicate that he maintained three separate
residences from, 1860 until his death. (Nelson, p. 26)
31
On one Family Group Sheet Alberteen is spelled Albertine. The FGS for Isaac and Sarah Ann Collins lists all the
children born to Harriet and Isaac, plus Alberteen and Alice Delzina. More research is needed to verify this
information.
19
Alice Delzina D.
Christina D.
Lester Isaac D.
James Henry D.
Ella Eudora D.
James Isaac D.
Luna Josephine D
Edwin Little D.
Laura D.
Louis D.
Clara Lavina D.
3 Dec 1860 S.L. County, UT
6 Jan 1861 Provo, UT
19 Feb 1861 West Jordan, UT
6 Sep 1861 West Jordan, UT
27 Nov 1862 Salt Lake City, UT
26 Sep 1863 West Jordan, UT
1 Aug 1864 Salt Lake City, UT
13 Jan 1865 Salt Lake City, UT
11 Apr 1866 Charleston, UT
15 Jul 1868 Charleston, UT
21 Aug 1873 Charleston, UT
2 Jul 1927
14 Mar 1920
19 May 1886
9 May 1907
2 Jul 1935
11 Mar 1948
26 Mar 1935
Sarah Ann Collins
Hannah Herbert32
Annie Lucas
Hannah Herbert
Annie Lucas
Hannah Herbert
Annie Lucas
Hannah Herbert
Annie Lucas
Annie Lucas
Annie Lucas33
Absent from the above data, are Elizabeth, age two in 1860, Maria, age 2 in 1860 and Don
Albert, age 1 in 1860. Who knows what happened to those children or from which mother they
came.
It would appear that from the time Isaac arrived in the Valley in 1850, he worked and lived either
in Salt Lake City or West Jordan until about 1866 when he moved to Charleston, Wasatch
County, Utah. A 3rd great grandson, Richard B. "Andy" Anderson states that Isaac "prospered
as a rancher in West Jordan"34 By examining Assessment rolls for Salt Lake County, Steve
Nelson came up with the following information:
The 1858 Assessment Roll of Great Salt Lake County shows that he [Decker]
owned land in the West Jordan Ward, valued at $600 with a total net tax assessment
value of $800. This holding increased substantially. In 1861 the assessment role
reported that he owned land valued at $1,500 and extensive livestock including 53
cattle, 2 horses, 2 mules, 1129 sheep, 3 swine and other taxable property totaling a
net worth of $3,735. For the next couple of years the assessment records show a
total value of $2,500 in 1862 and $2,245 in 1863. The assessment records of 1864
and thereafter show no record of any property he owned in Salt Lake County.
There is no record of any deeds, land titles or any other evidence of land
ownership in Salt Lake County except this tax record and these census reports.35
32
Christina appears on Family Group Sheets for both Hannah Herbert and Annie Lucas. However since Annie gave
birth to Lester Isaac Decker less than a month after Christina's birth, it might be safe to assume that Hannah was
Christina's mother.
33
A word of caution is in order. New FamilySearch provided the above information, but for nearly every child
multiple and contradictory dates and places of birth are listed. NFS is a collection of all the four-generation group
sheets that were submitted, the Ancestral File data and temple records. The information, therefore, is not
necessarily accurate and is often unreliable.
34
http://deseretnews.com/dn/print/1,1442,650208244,00.html
35
Nelson. P. 25
20
→ Charleston, UT
Charleston is located near Deer Creek Reservoir and Midway is
its northern boundary. Heber is not far away. The elevation of
Charleston is 5,433' above sea level. Farmers put in crops for
the first time in 1859 and in 1866 there were about a dozen
families living in Charleston.
Nelson states that he found where Isaac homesteaded in Heber Valley and it is about 3½ miles
SW of Charleston. He adds
"Most of it is now under the lake. But the interesting thing about it is just where his
property ended is right where the Decker Creek came through his property. And so
we don't know if that was Decker Creek he was named after, but it most likely was.
And then in 1871 Delight Day, his wife, became the Relief Society President up at
Charleston."
In 1876, after Isaac's death, Delight Day had a deed to the Decker property recorded in her name.
It shows her as owning 160 acres. However, Steve Nelson tells how that amount of acreage is in
conflict with family tradition. Steve's grandpa recalled:
They came and they settled up here in Charleston--took 80 acres. The
canyon up there is called Decker's Canyon. That's where they were, in Charleston,
Utah. . . . He homesteaded 80 acres. Brigham told him, "Don't go and take up 160
acres, which you got a right to do. Don't any of you take over 80 acres. So he took
his 80 acres that was there." (Nelson, p. 25)
The only other information we have found about Isaac's sojourn in Charleston is a quote by
Jackman, taken from Our Pioneer Heritage:
In the spring of 1846 [error: 1866] I [William Winterton] went to work for
Isaac Higbee for a year for $100, where I worked for one year and a half. Brother
John was working at the home of Isaac Decker, near Heber, where I stopped on my
way to Provo. Mr. Decker offered me my board and room if I would stay with him
that winter, so I accepted his offer. John and I fed a herd of sheep, cattle and milk
cows.
In the spring, after working the four winter months for my board, we made a
bargain that we would work for $200 in land, so I received 20 acres. This was the
year of 1866."
21
There were Indian troubles and everyone was ordered "to fort up," so Mr.
Decker moved to Heber, and sent me herding sheep northeast of Heber, later moved
them in."36
Death
Isaac's health deteriorated toward the end of his life. In a letter to her husband, away in Europe,
Fannie Maria wrote the following:
"Brother Charles just got a letter from father, and started over to Provo
valley to see him. He is suffering very much, and wanted Charles to come as soon as
possible. He intends to bring father in if he is able to come and wishes to."37
Isaac Decker died 13 June 1873 in Salt Lake City and was buried in the Salt Lake City
Cemetery.38 He was 73½ years old. We don't know much about the last quarter century of his
life, but the first fifty years or so were extremely productive and he was willing to sacrifice all he
had for the Church. His children became pillars of the Salt Lake community and Wayne Decker
affirmed that Isaac maintained loving relationships with all his children to the end of his life. As
with so many of our other ancestors, we are greatly indebted to Isaac Decker for his steadfast
faith and unwavering loyalty.
36
Jackman, pp. 8-9. She was quoting from Kate B. Carter, "The History of the Winterton Family."Our Pioneer
Heritage, Vol. 9, p 551
37
James Little, Biographical Sketch of Feramorz Little, (avail. Google Books) p. 82
38
In 2006 about forty descendents and friends of Isaac Decker rededicated his grave and unveiled a new headstone.
Apparently, if Isaac's grave was marked, the marker had not survived.