Researched and compiled by the Kartchner Brothers

A Descendant of the Kartchner/Wilcox family of Philadelphia

Husband of Margaret Jane Casteel (1844) and Elizabeth Gale (1863).

Obituary - Death of Another Veteran - William Decatur Kartchner 1820-1892
Another of the veterans of our Church passed away at this place on the 14th ult, namely, William Decatur Kartchner.

Deceased was the son of John C. Kartchner, and Prudence Wilcox, was born at Hartford, Montgomery Co., Penn., May 4th, 1820, and baptized May 8th, 1843, having heard the Gospel the previous day for the first time.

He was married to Margaret Jane Casteel in March, 1844, passed through all the mobbings and persecutions at Nauvoo, standing guard greater part of the time during a six weeks' rain, and was stricken down with rheumatism. He could not move hand nor foot at the time of the martyrdom. He was called to go with the famous "Emimetts, Company," and through the operations of those in charge, was reduced, with many others, to distressing circumstances. It was only by a desperate effort that he and his wife were enabled to get away from the company, and work their way back to St. Louis. Here Brother Kartchner was well treated by his brother John, although not in sympathy in religious matters.

In the spring of 1846 Brother William and wife joined a company of Saints who were preparing to go to the Rocky Mountains, preferring the hardships and dangers of such a trip to remaining among a people who had abused him and his fellow Saints. This company was in charge of Captain William Crosby, and arrived in Salt Lake Valley July 28th, 1847-one year and three months from the time of leaving the State.

Brother Kartchner, who was a blacksmith by trade, faithfully assisted as a pioneer in the settlement of new places in Utah and Arizona. He had been quite feeble in body and mind for the last ten years, having almost entirely lost his sight. He always bore a strong and faithful testimony to the truth of the great latter-day work, and was a true and consistent Latterday Saint. His first wife died ten years ago. He leaves seventeen children and forty-three grandchildren to mourn his loss.

The deceased was highly respected by all who knew him.
Deseret News, June 4, 1892
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Within the column entitled, "Snowflake News"
On the 15th last, we were called to the cemetery to pay a last tribute of respect to Brother William D. Kartchner, an old veteran of the Church, whose demise occurred on the l4th.

He possessed a remarkably strong testimony of the divinity of the mission of the Prophet Joeeph, and the fact that be was at one time engaged as lifeguard tor that righteous man seemed to be a source of continual happiness to him.

Deseret Evening News, Jun 6, 1892, Page 5
("Death of W. D. Kartchner," Deseret News [Weekly], 11 June 1892, 32)
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The St. John (Ariz.) Herald records the death of Father Kartchner, who formerly lived in southern Utah, where he followed the vocation of blacksmith. Father Kartchner was well and favorably known, whereever he has lived, and leaves a wife and numerous children to mourn his loss.

The Pioche Record, Jun 16, 1892, Page 3

He and his young family were commemorated as one of the first 2090 Pioneers to enter Utah [from summer 1847 thru summer 1848 as part of the company commonly known as the "Mississippi Saints"] on page 241 in "E.L. Sloan & Co Utah Gazetteer and City Directory for 1884 (Pioneer
Section)".

In his journal, he described the construction of his coffin, specifying that a 8" x 10" piece of glass was to be installed on the left side of the head of the coffin. He also detailed how he was to be interned next to his first wife, Margaret:

"Dig of the loose dirt of her present grave and make it 4 ft via 7 ft and line it with stone 2 feet high with flat stone covering the volt and dirt raised to form 2 graves fastened up the ends so as to form a trench and plant 8 pretty Night Roots in the trench and send a keg of water one in April and one in May to keep them growing".
(This joint grave was initially protected by a fence.)

But as the years passed and as cemetery care evolved, this appearance and segregation of their graves has changed. In addition, during the 1980's, the descendants from both of his family funded a more elaborate head stone for William and Margaret [perhaps to match the "grandeur" of Elizabeth Gale's stone].

ATTENTION: Thank you Melva Johnson for the name of the Cemetery. Also known as the Snowflake Cemetery.

Notes:
1. Part of the Mississippi Company (1846), an Independent Wagon Train that headed Westbound in 1846. It traveled from Mississippi via Ft. Pueblo, Colorado Territory. It arrived 1847 in the Salt Lake Valley with 92 (of the original 160) in the company.

"William Crosby led them from Mississippi, as far as Fort Pueblo, where they spent the winter. Most of the group continued on in the spring of 1847, under the direction of Amasa Lyman, who was sent from Brigham Young's vanguard company to collect them, arriving in July of 1847.

The Howard Egan account indicates that at the time the company met up with Brigham Young's 1847 company, after wintering at Fort Pueblo, that there were 161 people in the company and "They have five wagons, one cart, eleven horses, twenty-four oxen, twenty-two cows, three bulls and seven calves. The number of animals in the camp are ninety-six horses, fifty-one mules, ninety oxen, forty-three cows, nine calves, three bulls, sixteen chickens, sixteen dogs, seventy-nine wagons and one cart."

2. Listed in the Pioneer emigration list 1847-1848, 126, in Docket book 1844 Feb.-1845 May ; Utah, Territorial Militia Records, 1849-1877; and the Salt Lake Stake Record of Members, 1848-1917

3. Apparently he made a trip back to Pennsylvania in his later years, based on this article recently discovered: (Still need to find confirmation that he made the trip east)

To Preach at San Bernardino
Elder W. D. Kartchner postmaster of Snow Flake, Apache Co., Arizona, is about to visit Philadelphia Pa. On the way to that point he purposes making a brief stay at San Bernardino, Cal., where he will preach on the doctrines inculcated in the Faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Deseret Evening News, Apr 3, 1883, Page 3

4. Membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1848

Name: William Decatur Kartchner
Gender: Male
Father: John Christopher Kartchner
Mother: Prudence Wilcox
Birth Date: 4 May 1820
Birth Place: Hartfield, Montgomery, Pennsylvania,
Death Date: 14 May 1892
Death Place: Snowflake, Arizona, USA
Residences: Bear Creek, Illinois, USA (20 miles south of Nauvoo) Snowflake, Arizona, USA
LDS Church Ordinance Data: Baptism Date - May 1843; Ordained Seventy
Vocations: Postmaster of Panguitch, Utah Blacksmith
Comments: William joined the Mississippi Saints coming west. Comments: #21. From the autobiography of William Decatur Kartchner: Family history and genealogy. Death of father, 1826. Apprenticed to blacksmith. Ran away from master. Worked in Tennessee until 1839. To Illinois. Worked on temple. Baptisms for the dead. Mobs. Rheumatism. With James Emmett on Iowa River, 1844-45. Expedition ordered by Joseph Smith before his death to raise crops for immigrants crossing the plains. Emmett's high-handed behavior. Mutiny. Arrived at Ft. Vermilion. Escaped to St. Louis after being robbed of belongings, July 1845. Started across plains with Mississippi Company, March 1846. Arrived at Pueblo and wintered there. Blacksmith at Bent's Fort, 1846. Ordered to meet Brigham Young Company at Ft. Laramie. Traveled three days behind pioneer company, entering Salt lake Valley July 27 or 28, 1847. Rebaptism the general rule. Refused call to California, using excuse he had not received endowments. Called to receive endowments, 1851. Put into nineteenth Quorum of Seventy and sent to San Bernardino colony. Stake organized. Missionary in Santa Barbara area, 1855. Order to return to Utah, 1857. Apostasy of many. Lived at Beaver, 1858-65. Called to the Muddy, 1865. People allowed to leave,1870. Moved to Panguitch. Organized Sunday School. Postmaster and Secretary and member of Board, United Order, 1874. Contentions soon arose. Execution of John D. Lee, 1877. Called to Arizona, 1877. Settled in Taylor. Moved to Stinson valley, soon renamed Snowflake, 1878. Dated entries beginning March 2, 1878. On High Council. Postmaster, 1881-83. Death of first wife, 1881. Account of funeral. Vision of Tower of Babel, 1882. Records two speeches by Joseph Smith to Nauvoo Legion, June 1844. Comments: #31. William came to Utah in 1847 with the Captain Emmett Company. They were escorted by members of the Mormon Battalion. Comments: #41. William served a mission to Tennessee.

This record also listed all his children from both marriages

[Researched and compiled by the Kartchner Brothers]