Moving Forward

Hi, sorry I didn't post last week.

A BIG THANK YOU TO:
Lorna and Brent Belnap for their donation of $25.00. Brent is a grandson of Marie West and Volney Belnap. Louise West Tolton, daughter of Lawrence Berg West donation of $75.00
The monument account balance is now $1,637.39.

Here's how to make your donations: Write check payable to Chauncey W. West Monument Fund and send it either to America First Credit Union, P.O. Box 9199, Ogden, UT 84409. If you are an AFCU member, you can transfer funds from your account directly into account #9033994. Please let me know via email when you make a donation and the amount. Thank you

I have completed entering the genealogical information from Joseph A. West's Francis West of Duxbury, Mass. His Ancestors and Descendants. I can send a gedcom via email if any of you would like to have it. There is much research that needs to be done on this database. Some of you may have already done that. It would be helpful for all who are working on the West family research to collaborate and not duplicate each other. I would love to hear from anyone who is working on this family line or who wants to.

My email is norma.buchanan@hotmail.com

Now for this week's episode of the exciting and achievement-filled life of Chauncey Walker West. I continue from page 40 of the Biographical Sketch as written by his eldest son Joseph Alva West in 1911.

"In the fall of 1855 Brother West settled in Bingham's Fort, Weber County, and on the 29th of May removed to Ogden, having been appointed Bishop of the First Ward. In the fall of the same year he was appointed presiding Bishop of Weber County, a position which he held up to the time of his death, fourteen years later. He was also elected to the House of Representatives by the Weber county constituency about this time and continued a member of that body until the year 1860, when failing health compelled him to retire from the position.
As a prominent ecclesiastical officer of the Church he was untiring in his labors and zealous in the extreme. His devotion to the cause, and loving fidelity to his brethren, early won for him the esteem of his superiors and the affectionate regard of those over whom he was called to preside., As a legislator he was equally efficient. While not overly fluent in speech, he was possessed of a sound judgment, and keen appreciation of the needs of his constituency, and the commonwealth in general, so much so that he was early called to occupy leading positions on the most important committees of the House, and became prominently identified with all the leading legislative movements of those exciting and crucial times.
July 18, 1857 he received his commission from Governor Brigham Young as colonel of the Fifth regiment in the Weber Military District, and in March 1858, was made brigadier-general in the Nauvoo Legion for distinguished services in the Utah War, which position he filled with honor and ability. Being a man of great courage, unbounded energy and commanding presence, he was frequently selected for the most difficult and dangerous expeditions. He and his command were among the first to be called to the defense of the Saints when the misguided President Buchanan sent an invading army to Utah.
At Echo Canyon his regiment, which was said to be among the best drilled and disciplined of the Legion, occupied the post of danger (always the post of honor) in the center of the defile, and when tidings came of Johnston's intended detour via the Bear River, General West was selected to head him off. By forced marches he and his trusted men made such rapid progress and presented such an aggressive front to the enemy that hearing of their movements, the invading troops returned to their former rendezvous and went into winter quarters. This practically ended active hostilities, and gave the government an opportunity of obtaining a correct understanding of the Utah situation."

"Th th that's All Folks" I will notify you by email when I do the next post.