Ephraim Hanks
Encyclopedia
Ephraim Knowlton Hanks was a prominent member of the 19th-Century Latter Day Saint movement
, a Mormon pioneer
and a well known leader in the early settlement of Utah
.
Hanks was born in Madison Lake, Ohio, the son of Benjamin Hanks and Martha Knowlton. Hanks left home at age 16, working for a time on the Erie Canal
and then serving in the United States Navy. Returning home to Ohio, he learned his brother Sidney had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Hanks soon accepted the young church's teachings and became a member in 1845.
Hanks left Nauvoo, Illinois
with the LDS followers of Brigham Young
on the trek west to the Rocky Mountains. However, he left the main body of emigrants to join Company B of the Mormon Battalion
, United States Army, and marched with them to San Diego as a private. He and other Battalion members marched from the Midwest, south through Arizona, and were released from service in California. Battalion members rejoined the Mormon emigrants from the west, traveling from California to the Salt Lake Valley.
In 1856, Hanks played a role in the rescue of the Martin handcart company
, although he wasn't present during the famous Sweetwater crossing. Hanks also led a militia company in scouting expeditions during the Utah War
in 1857 and 1858.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hanks practiced plural marriage
, having four wives and 26 children. His wives were Harriet Amelia Decker (m. 22 September 1848), Jane Maria Capener (m. 27 March 1856), Thisbe Quilley Read (m. 5 April 1862). A fourth wife,
Hannah Hardy, never lived with Hanks and the union was dissolved in 1856.
Hanks was ordained a Patriarch in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was known for his obedience to church leaders. President Brigham Young said that Hanks ... was a man always ready to lay down his life for the authorities of the Church as well as for the cause of Zion and her people. (Richard K. Hanks, pp. 2627.)
Hanks was a U.S. mail carrier from 1851 to 1853 and later acted as a station master for the Pony Express
, facilitating mail service on the Mormon Trail
to Salt Lake through Utah's Emigration Canyon. "Hanks' Station" was located on the Mormon Trail
in Mountain Dell, a valley between the Big Mountain and Little Mountain, also known as Big Canyon, named for the creek that still runs through that area. The historic station has been removed, but its site sits on the edge of what is now Little Dell Reservoir
.
Hanks died at his home at Floral Ranch, Wayne County, Utah
and buried in the Caineville Cemetery.
Hanks also administered to the sick and dying. Finding many of the emigrants with frozen hands and feet, Hanks later wrote: Many such I washed with water and castile soap, until the frozen parts would fall off.
Hanks provided another important service: Many of the Saints had frozen limbs which were endangering their lives. Brother Hanks anointed these folks and prayed that an amputation could be done without pain. Then he took out his great hunting knife, held to the fire to cleanse it, and took off the dying limb with its keen blade; many with tears in their eyes said they hadn't felt a thing.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
, a Mormon pioneer
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and a well known leader in the early settlement of Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
.
Hanks was born in Madison Lake, Ohio, the son of Benjamin Hanks and Martha Knowlton. Hanks left home at age 16, working for a time on the Erie Canal
Erie Canal
The Erie Canal is a waterway in New York that runs about from Albany, New York, on the Hudson River to Buffalo, New York, at Lake Erie, completing a navigable water route from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes. The canal contains 36 locks and encompasses a total elevation differential of...
and then serving in the United States Navy. Returning home to Ohio, he learned his brother Sidney had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Hanks soon accepted the young church's teachings and became a member in 1845.
Hanks left Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo, Illinois
Nauvoo is a small city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. Although the population was just 1,063 at the 2000 census, and despite being difficult to reach due to its location in a remote corner of Illinois, Nauvoo attracts large numbers of visitors for its historic importance and its...
with the LDS followers of Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
on the trek west to the Rocky Mountains. However, he left the main body of emigrants to join Company B of the Mormon Battalion
Mormon Battalion
The Mormon Battalion was the only religiously based unit in United States military history, and it served from July 1846 to July 1847 during the Mexican-American War. The battalion was a volunteer unit of between 534 and 559 Latter-day Saints men led by Mormon company officers, commanded by regular...
, United States Army, and marched with them to San Diego as a private. He and other Battalion members marched from the Midwest, south through Arizona, and were released from service in California. Battalion members rejoined the Mormon emigrants from the west, traveling from California to the Salt Lake Valley.
In 1856, Hanks played a role in the rescue of the Martin handcart company
Mormon handcart pioneers
The Mormon handcart pioneers were participants in the migration of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Salt Lake City, Utah, who used handcarts to transport their belongings...
, although he wasn't present during the famous Sweetwater crossing. Hanks also led a militia company in scouting expeditions during the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
in 1857 and 1858.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Hanks practiced plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
, having four wives and 26 children. His wives were Harriet Amelia Decker (m. 22 September 1848), Jane Maria Capener (m. 27 March 1856), Thisbe Quilley Read (m. 5 April 1862). A fourth wife,
Hannah Hardy, never lived with Hanks and the union was dissolved in 1856.
Hanks was ordained a Patriarch in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was known for his obedience to church leaders. President Brigham Young said that Hanks ... was a man always ready to lay down his life for the authorities of the Church as well as for the cause of Zion and her people. (Richard K. Hanks, pp. 2627.)
Hanks was a U.S. mail carrier from 1851 to 1853 and later acted as a station master for the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
, facilitating mail service on the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
to Salt Lake through Utah's Emigration Canyon. "Hanks' Station" was located on the Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
in Mountain Dell, a valley between the Big Mountain and Little Mountain, also known as Big Canyon, named for the creek that still runs through that area. The historic station has been removed, but its site sits on the edge of what is now Little Dell Reservoir
Little Dell Reservoir
Little Dell Reservoir is a reservoir in eastern Salt Lake County, Utah, USA, about 13 miles east of Salt Lake City in the western Wasatch Mountains. It is located alongside Utah State Route 65, about 1 mile northeast of Interstate 80. Little Dell is an impoundment on Dell Creek, but it also stores...
.
Hanks died at his home at Floral Ranch, Wayne County, Utah
Wayne County, Utah
Wayne County is a county located in the U.S. state of Utah. It was formed from Piute County in 1892. The county gets its name from a man who served as delegate to the constitutional convention, in honor of his son who was dragged to death by a horse. As of 2000 the population was 2,509, and by...
and buried in the Caineville Cemetery.
Rescue of the Martin handcart company
One of the first on the scene during the rescue of the 1856 Martin handcart company, Hanks provided buffalo meat to the starving party. As the company moved from day to day, Ephraim Hanks killed many buffalo. The most remarkable thing about it was that I had traveled that road more than fifty times, and never before saw so many buffaloes in that part of the country. There was not a member of the party but what believed that the Lord had sent them to us in answer to prayer.Hanks also administered to the sick and dying. Finding many of the emigrants with frozen hands and feet, Hanks later wrote: Many such I washed with water and castile soap, until the frozen parts would fall off.
Hanks provided another important service: Many of the Saints had frozen limbs which were endangering their lives. Brother Hanks anointed these folks and prayed that an amputation could be done without pain. Then he took out his great hunting knife, held to the fire to cleanse it, and took off the dying limb with its keen blade; many with tears in their eyes said they hadn't felt a thing.
Fictional accounts
- Hanks, Sidney A. and Ephraim K. Hanks, Jr. "Scouting for the Mormons on the Great Frontier", Deseret News Press, 1948.
- Barrett, Ivan J.Ivan J. BarrettIvan Junius Barrett was an American author, professor, and historian of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ....
"Eph Hanks: Fearless Mormon Scout." 1990, Covenant Communications, Inc.