Some of William Clayton's many contributions to travelling to the west
submitted by: SUP Trail Marker Pioneer Stories December 2022
William Clayton LDS Emigrants Guide Roadometer |
Following the death of the Prophet Joseph Smith, William Clayton served in the capacity of clerk to President Brigham Young during the Saint’s exodus to the West. Clayton's wife, Diantha Farr Clayton, stayed back in Nauvoo because she was expecting a child.
While camped at Locust Creek in Wayne County, Iowa, about 130 miles from Nauvoo, Clayton received word that Diantha had given birth to a healthy son. Clayton noted in his journal the spirit of the joyous news. Although there is no mention in his diary of why he wrote it, William Clayton is believed to have penned the hymn -- later retitled “Come, Come, Ye Saints” -- at the request of President Brigham Young, that the Saints might have a hymn to rally around in their discouragements and trials.
The hymn served that purpose, and each night, as the pioneer trains made camp, when someone would begin singing “Come, Come, Ye Saints," it became the practice of the pioneers for all to join in. The melody is from an old English song that appeared in “The Union Harmony and Original Sacred Harp”.
William Clayton was born in England, converted to the church as a young man, immigrated to the United States in 1840. His skills and talents soon led to his appointment as secretary to the Prophet Joseph Smith.
William was one of the original pioneers of 1847, serving as clerk of the camp for President Young. He held civic and church positions, played in the Nauvoo Brass Band and was second violin in the first Salt Lake Theatre Orchestra.
In addition to "Come, Come, Ye Saints," he is also remembered for the hymn, “When First the Glorious Light of Truth,” a tribute to the pioneers who gave their lives in crossing the plains.
Former Tabernacle Choir conductor J. Spencer Cornwall, who has written a popular choral arrangement for “Come, Come, Ye Saints," says of the hymn, “Within the small space of its four stanzas (it) epitomizes the wearying hardships, the unfaltering faith, the indomitable courage, the unconquerable spirit of the Mormon Pioneers.”
The first verse is a call to face hardship with courage; the second promises God's blessed remembrance; the thìrd verse is one of assurance of eventual happiness; and the final stanza rededicates the pioneers' lives to their task; If they should die happy day and if their lives are spared, "0 how we'll make this chorus swell All is well! all is well!"
Clayton's contributions to the Trek were many for a man with so many talents. During his trip across the plains, Clayton was tasked with recording the number of miles the company traveled each day. Hetied a red flag onto one of the wagon wheels and counted the revolution of the wheel. He would multiply the number of revolutions by the circumference of the wheel. The process was painstaking and after three weeks he sought for a easier method. Apostle and mathematician Orson Pratt helped develop a design that would use a set of wooden cog wheels attached to the hub of a wagon wheel. The company’s carpenter, Appleton Milo Harmon, built the prototype and encased to protect it from the weather. The device showed every quarter mile of travel and completed a revolution every ten miles. In 1848, Clayton returned to Winter Quarters, and remeasured the entire journey again with a new roadometer built by William A. King