Ephraim Hanks facts for kids
Ephraim Knowlton Hanks (born March 21, 1826 – died June 9, 1896) was an important person in the Latter Day Saint movement during the 1800s. He was a Mormon pioneer and a well-known leader in the early days of Utah.
Ephraim was born in Madison, Ohio. When he was 16, he left home. He worked on the Erie Canal and then served in the United States Navy. After returning to Ohio, he learned his brother had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ephraim soon joined the church himself in 1845.
He left Nauvoo, Illinois with other church members led by Brigham Young. They traveled west to the Rocky Mountains. Ephraim then joined Company B of the Mormon Battalion, which was part of the United States Army. He marched with them to San Diego. After their service, he and other Battalion members traveled from California to the Salt Lake Valley to rejoin the other pioneers.
In 1850, Ephraim volunteered to help the Mormon militia. This was when Brigham Young allowed a campaign against the Timpanogos people. On February 8, in what was called the Battle at Fort Utah, the army attacked a Timpanogos village. On the second day, Ephraim was one of 16 men chosen to charge a log house. The Timpanogos were defending themselves from inside. They successfully took the log cabin, and the Timpanogos retreated.
In 1856, Ephraim Hanks played a big part in helping the Martin handcart company. He also led a militia group during the Utah War in 1857 and 1858.
As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Ephraim Hanks had four wives and 26 children. His wives were Harriet Amelia Decker, Jane Maria Capener, and Thisbe Quilley Read. His fourth wife, Hannah Hardy, did not live with him, and their union ended in 1856.
Ephraim was made a Patriarch in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He was known for always following his church leaders. President Brigham Young said that Ephraim "... 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."
Ephraim Hanks carried U.S. mail from 1851 to 1853. Later, he worked as a station master for the Pony Express. This helped mail get to Salt Lake City along the Mormon Trail through Utah's Emigration Canyon. Hanks' Station was in Mountain Dell. This valley is between Big Mountain and Little Mountain. The historic station is no longer there, but its site is now near Little Dell Reservoir.
Ephraim Hanks died at his home in Floral Ranch, Wayne County, Utah. He was buried in the Caineville Cemetery.
Helping the Martin Handcart Company
Ephraim Hanks was one of the first people to arrive and help the 1856 Martin handcart company. He brought buffalo meat to the pioneers, who were starving. As the company moved each day, Ephraim Hanks hunted many buffalo. He said, "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 cared for the sick and dying. Many pioneers had frozen hands and feet. Ephraim Hanks later wrote that he washed many of these frozen parts until they fell off.
Hanks provided another important service. Many Saints had frozen body parts that were putting their lives in danger. Brother Hanks prayed for these people. Then he used his hunting knife, heated it to clean it, and carefully removed the frozen parts. Many people cried with tears in their eyes, saying they had not felt a thing.
