HISTORY OF ANN VAN WAGONER
Henry Nebeker and Ann Van Wagoner were both descendants of the early
Dutch settlers of New Jersey. Henry Nebeker being born in Jersey City, Bergen County, New
Jersey, which was the first settlement of New Jersey being established as a trading post.
He was born Feb. 1, 1817.
Ann Van Wagoner was the daughter of Halmagh Van Wagoner and Mary Van
Houghten, who were both natives of New Jersey. At Wanaque, Pompton Township, Passaic
County, New Jersey March 25, 1817, Ann was born. The occupation of this family was
farming; they owned much land. The first 20 years of her life was spent there. During that
time when a child, she was laid out for dead with yellow fever.
Here Ann married John Hafen. To this union three children were born.
The first, Ann dying in infancy. The two others were William and Mary Hafen, who came to
Utah. She was divorced from John her first husband.
In 1845 Ann and children were living with her father. Through the
missionary work of Parley P.
Pratt the Van Wagoner family were converted to the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day-Saints. She with her children and father’s family made
preparation to go to Utah. Their first step was to go to New York City, where she was
baptized into the church. Ann had her endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. In the spring of
1847 they started with the first company to their home in the West.
At Winter Quarter, Omaha, Nebraska, Ann’s mother Mary died. The
advice from the Presidency of the branch of the church was that their company was too late
to cross the Rocky Mountain that fall. They accepted the council and went as far as the
Winter Quarter and remained there during the winter. While there, her father and mother
died and was buried. It was in Winter Quarters she met Henry Nebeker and they were married
on December 4 1845. In February 1847, they began their journey to the great West. Ann
drove an ox team all the way across the plains in a covered wagon.
The colonists who came the first year, save a few, lived in the
stockade of the Old Fort located on Pioneers square in the south west part of the city,
for the first winter. It was enclosed, the east side with log houses, the north side and
west side with adobe walls. It was rectangular in shape. A large gate on the east was left
closed by night for protection from the Indians. The floors of the houses or huts of the
fort slanted inward, doors and windows faced the interior, but each house had a small loop
hole for a look out.
The first part of the winter was very mild, but as the season advanced
heavy snows fell, then melted and soaking through the dirt and willow rooks, descended in
drizzling streams upon their beds and provisions. Umbrella’s were often used while in
bed, or held in one hand while turning beef steak with the other.
Situations were far from pleasant, almost pitiful at times especially
during sickness. Swarms of vermin bed bugs, mice infested the forts, while wolves prowled
outside making the nights hideous – attacking the cattle on the range.
In February 29, 1848 her son Ammon was born. It was in one of those
leaky roofed houses, while lying in bed, pans were placed on the quilts to catch the water
as it dripped through. So they experienced the trials of the early Utah pioneers in food,
clothing and shelter. They lived in Salt Lake City for four years. George was also born
here. In 1851 with fifteen other families, they moved to Payson. On account of the water
being scarce, they could not stay in Payson, so they with David Crockett and John B.
Fairbanks, went to Salem and they were the first settlers of Salem. While there they
helped to build the Salem Dam and the Salem Fort which was built of adobe on the West side
of the dam. In 1852 they came back to Payson.
Three children were born in Payson; Florence 1854, Susanah 1856, and
Henry 1859. Henry Nebeker built a little school house which still stands on the East of
the Nebeker house, which marks the south east boundary of the Old Fort. The school
teachers were Jane Simons, Mr. Wright, Isaiah Coombs and William Reed. Henry also built a
molasses mill west of the Ammon Nebeker home on Peteetneet creek.
A man by the name of Wall, bought an Indian boy from the north, sold
him to Mr. Nebeker for $60.00. This Indian was adopted into the family and was liked and
respected by all of them. He was named Cush.
In 1855, the Salmon River Missionaries were called and Henry Nebeker
was one of the twenty-seven missionaries to lease their homes in Utah for the purpose of
locating a mission among the Bannochs, Shoshone and Flatheads. They located on the Snake
River, which at that time was part of Oregon. The Mission failed, for the twenty-seven men
were but a handful when compared to the many savages that they went to work among. They
suffered many hardships so President Young ordered the men home.
Then in 1867 or’68, Henry with his families responded to the Muddy
Mission call. While in Payson, Henry Nebeker took advantages of the early opportunities
and for those days was quite well established financially. In making preparations for the
mission and because of the failure of the mission, most of his property went at a
sacrifice. They made two trips (They took a threshing machine) to the Muddy during the
time of the mission. The second trip, they took eleven mules and some horses. These were
stolen by the Indians.
On the Muddy, they had a fairly good home built of adobe, with cane
roof covered the dirt. This house was in the fort. Also a town corral was built of rocks
to keep the cows from the Indians. Mr. Nebeker bought a cotton gin and hired Indians to
pick cotton.
Due to failure of the country to reach what was represented to them,
President Young released the Missionaries to go whenever they wanted. Ann Nebeker and her
family came back to Payson. While Mr. Nebeker remained at the Black Holes on the Sevier
River with a second family.
Through all the trials and hardships, no one ever heard a word of
complaint or dissatisfaction from Ann Nebeker. Through it all she remained a faithful and
devoted Latter-Day-Saint and her teachings have lived until the present day. Two of her
favorite maximums were "Every tub must stand on it’s own bottom," and
"It is better to suffer wrong than to do wrong." She had high ideals and lived
up to them. These characteristics stood out: Faith in God, and respect for the Priesthood,
Love for the scriptures, reverence for sacred things. Home life was a living example to
family and friends.