Frederick John Collings was born on the 24 th of April 1849 at Buckinghamshire, England to Richard Collings and Emma Lawrence Collings. His father Richard was from Marsworth, England which is in the countryside and they were country folk.
When Frederick was a baby his family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in England. Then in the year of 1856 when Frederick was seven along with his sister Louisa who was nine and his three brothers David who was five, George who was two, and Samuel who was only an infant set sail on the ship Horizon for America to join the main body of the LDS Church.
One night while on the ocean they were awakened by a great disturbance, the ship was rocking to and fro and the crew was running up and down, there was much noise and clanking of chains. The vessel was about to hit an ice burg. Frederick’s mother became frightened but his father in his cool collected way said, “Just keep calm, there’s no use getting excited, there’s no back door to run out of.” So they quietly kneeled down as a family and asked God to protect them.
That was typical of Frederick’s father. Richard Collings usually faced problems calmly. When sorrow or misfortune came he braced up and made no complaint. So did Frederick when there was “no back door to run out of.”
On June 30 th 1856 they disembarked at Boston where they took a train to Iowa City, arriving there on the 8 th of July. Before leaving London, England Fredericks Dad had sent money to Salt Lake to pay for their immigration with the understanding that they would cross the plains with an ox team. Then after waiting in the Iowa Camp grounds for three weeks in the intense heat of summer they were told that they were expected to walk and to pull their provisions with a handcart. Frederick’s family were to be members of the Edward Martin Handcart Company. They left the Iowa Camp Ground on the 28 th of July 1856.
Fredericks father made a little harness for Frederick and his sister Louisa to help pull the handcart. His mother carried baby Samuel and helped push while his father pulled. Five year old David walked all the way and George rode on the car on top of their baggage. George turned three on their journey of 1300 miles over plain and rough mountains.
Their cart was made of green wood and became rickety causing them to be forced to throw off part of their food and bedding. Though their trip started out hot, winter came early that year while they were crossing what is now Wyoming. They had little food or clothing and all the people were starving and suffering from fatigue and disease. At night before the tents were pitched Frederick, Louisa, and David helped their mother scrap the snow off the ground with their tin plates. Often in the mornings his sister Louisa’s hair was frozen to the ground and it was difficult to free her hair. Frederick would try to help her. One morning fifteen members of their camp were dead and the ground was frozen so hard that they couldn’t bury them very deep. The wolves devoured them as soon as the group began moving on.
At the Sweetwater River in Wyoming the current was swift and the waist deep water was more than one hundred feet wide full of floating ice. One sixth of their group had died after crossing the North Plate eighteen days earlier. They prayed for help and there were three 18 year old boys from a relief party who came to their rescue. They let as many of the smaller children ride as the rickety carts could hold and then they pulled a cart and carried on of the larger children on their backs at the same time. Frederick was grateful that the three strong young men helped him and his Father get their family across the river. Their humble prayers had not been in vain and it gave them courage and strength.
Still the Collings family prayed for food and help. Then in answer to the prayers Ephraim K. Hanks arrived with a buffalo he had killed sixty miles from Devil’s Gate, Wyoming. The starving mothers went up to him with hands out stretched saying, “Please give me some meat for my hungry children.” The shivering children with tears streaming down their thin cheeks cried out- “Please give me some.” Frederick’s brother David was one of them. Their food had become so scarce that they had been put on rations and the rations had been cut down several times. At times the only food in camp was a little flour and the children Frederick’s age were only given two ounces of floor for the whole day.
During the evening Ephraim Hanks went from tent to tent anointing and administering to the sick. Some were healed instantly and many drooping spirits took fresh courage. Fredericks father was very sick that night and Ephraim Hanks administered to him and he received the strength to go on. After that night Ephraim Hanks spent most of his time caring for the sick and afflicted. Some days he anointed and administered to as many as 200 and in many instances they were healed almost instantly. Even with the wonderful manifestations of God’s power, many of the Latter Day Saints in the Company lost their limbs; some their hands and others their feet through freezing.
Then on November 30 th 1856 Frederick and his family entered the Salt Lake Valley as part of the 413 survivors. They were true to their religion and their faith in God was unshaken. The people of Salt Lake lined the street as they entered. Brigham Young was standing with his daughter Zina and he removed his hat and bowing his head said “Of all the saints who have come to Zion these brave hearted people have suffered the most.”
A family took in Fredericks family while they recuperated. Frederick and David lost the flesh off of their heals from having had their feet frozen. However their whole family made it through and for the most part they had faired better than most, perhaps for they had been country folk. It is possible that they had woolen clothing instead of cotton for Frederick’s father settled in southern Utah farming and herding sheep and doing what he was experienced in. Frederick grew up to become a sheepherder like his father and had nine children.
I am a great, great grand daughter of Frederick Collings and the family still says when things are getting tough that there’s no back door to run out of so one might as well face things. I am grateful for my ancestors that they sought freedom of religion and pursued the religion that they embraced. I am humbled to know how much they went through so that I their descendent could live in a place where I may worship God as I desire.
For further information go to:
https://new.familysearch.org
http://pioneerexperience.com/?page_id=245
http://www.17miracles.com/