Charles Van Vleet (1820-1897) & Rachel Black (1831-1908) Pioneer History

1. Charles Van Vleet (1820-1897) &
Rachel Black (1831-1908)
Charles Van Vleet
Birth 25 Dec 1820 Truxton, Cortland, New York, United States
Death: 16 Feb 1897 Beaver, Beaver, Utah
Charles Van Vleet
His Parents, John Van Vleet and Hannah Wells, lived in Truxton, Cortland, New York until about
1832-35 when the moved to Ohio. They also spent some time in Indiana
Rachel Black
Birth 19 February 1831 Vermillion Township, Richland, Ohio, United States
Death 8 January 1908 Lyman City Cemetery Lyman, Uinta Co., Wyoming
Rachel Black
Her father, John David Black, was born Near Kings Mount, Rutherford, North Carolina.
Her mother, Mary Cline, was born Wawarsing, Ulster, New York
Married 19 April 1821at Vermillion, Richland, Ohio
Between 1822 and 1837, nine children were born at Vermillion, Richland, Ohio.
During 1840 their tenth child, Catherin Elizabeth, was born at Bridgeport, Lawrence Co., Illinois.
MARRIED: About 1845 at Bridgeport, Lawrence Co, Illinois. NOT DOCUMENTED
Lived in Bridgeport, Lawrence Co., Illinois at least from 1846 to 1862-63
Seven children born at Bridgeport, Lawrence Co, Illinois
Came to Utah 1861-62
Four children born in Utah

2. Lawrence Co., Illinois
CHILDREN
Mary Ann Van Vleet 1846 Bridgeport, Ill. -1936 Manila, Daggett, UT
Martha Jane VanVlee 1849 Bridgeport, Ill -1872 Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah
Lucinda Caroline Vanvleet 1852 Bridgeport, Ill -1854 Undocumented: Bridgeport, Ill
Martin William Vanvleet 1854 Bridgeport, Ill -1857 Undocumented: Bridgeport, Ill
James Nelson Vanvleet 1856 Bridgeport, Ill -1929 Tulsa, Lincoln co., Wyoming
John Edwin Van Vleet 1858 Bridgeport, Ill -1941
Emily Catherine Vanvleet 1861 Bridgeport, Ill -1922
Charles Victor Vanvleet 1863 Utah -1865 Two Years old Utah
Ida May Vanvleet 1866 - Circle Valley, Piute, Utah - 1917
Eugene Russell Vanvleet 1869 Beaver, Utah -1947 Evanston, Uinta, Wyoming
Lottie Ellen Van Vleet 1874 Beaver -1896 Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah
Charles Van Vleet & Rachel Black Van Vleet - Introduction to Mormons
Rachel Black’s brother, William Morley Black, along with a group of neighbors decided during 1848-49
to go to the gold fields of California. They each paid $100.00 which entitled each passage across the plains
to California. On 3rd
of April 1849 along with 75 men and 30 wagons. The Company went north to
Nauvoo, Illinois and rested there. Many of the houses were vacant. They were told the former inhabitants
were a lawless set who had been driven out.
Along the journey the heard more stories about the “demon Mormons”. On Saturday the 24th
of July
1849 they entered Salt Lake City. While resting, William Morley Black made the acquaintance of various
Mormons and was highly impressed with the people, the industry and quality of agriculture. He decided
to forfeit his stake in the Company going to gold fields of California and to become a Mormon.
He worked around Salt Lake City and Sanpete Co. His wife and children were still in Illinois and he
wanted to bring them to Utah. . In Oct 1851 he started east in the company with Apostle Orson Hyde and
others numbering twenty-five men and seven teams. On the 20th
of December 1851 he reached South
Canton, Illinois and found his wife Margaret and the children well.
He was full of love and zeal for Mormonism, but his wife’s parents were full of bitterness toward
Mormonism. He explained that he was returning to Utah, with or without his wife. The next day his wife
had everything packed and on the wagon. He lifted her and the children into the wagon. They stayed with
friends and he spent the balance of the winter threshing wheat fields.

3. In the spring of 1852 he went down to Bridgeport, Illinois. He was pained that his parents, brothers and
sisters could not see the restored Gospel as he saw it. However, he had joy of seeing my brother Benjamin
and sister Rachael open their hearts to the Gospel. A few years later, Benjamin and Rachel both come to
Utah
When he got home he found a letter a man, Leonard. He had purchased a large stock of goods and
wished William to come to Burlington, Iowa. He needed to freight the goods to Utah. This provided
means for him to emigrate his family to Utah. About the first of April 1852 they started for Zion. It was
the last of May when we reached Omaha, on the Missouri River. We connected with the last, 18th
, train of
the season, Jamel C. Snow captain. Along the way 20 more wagons were added to William’s group then
totaling 40 wagons. On the 2nd
of October 1852 they landed at Salt Lake City, Utah.
Charles Van Vleet & Rachel Black Van Vleet Lived in Bridgeport, Lawrence Co., Illinois at least from
1846 to 1861-62. Then Came to Utah 1861-62. Unable to locate in Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel
Information from: http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=103606
The Van Vleet family departed Bridgeport, Illinois and made the trek across the Great Plains and
through the Rocky Mountains to join the other Saints in Utah.
They were called to help colonize a new settlement in the Circle Valley of Southern Utah, now the town of
Circleville, Piute Co., Utah. Circle Valley being about 220 miles south of Salt Lake City, Utah.
As the Van Vleet family and other members of the
wagon train headed for the Valley, they came to the
mouth of the Circleville Canyon and made a base
camp at the edge of the Circle Valley. They pulled
the wagons into a circle and were attacked by Ute
Indians involved in the Black Hawk War During the
battle, two-year-old son Charles Jr.Victor Van Vleet
was scalped and mutilated and died shortly.
Charles Van Vleet and John James, another settler in
the wagon train, built a cabin that is still standing
today, and a ranch at the mouth of the canyon where
the battle took place.
But the Black Hawk War continued to rage on, and
things in Circle Valley soon got hostile again. Later
Charles sold the homestead in Circle Valley to
Maximillian Parker, the father of Robert LeRoy
Parker, who would later become known as Butch
Cassidy, the famous bank and train robber. The Van
Vleet family and Parker family soon became close
friends.
Also during the Black Hawk War the brother of Rachel Black Van Vleet, Benjamin Black, was killed
(1865) by Ute warriors in Ephraim Canyon, near Ephraim, Utah.

4. During mid to late 1860’s the Van Vleet family moved
to Beaver, Utah, and homesteaded a ranch on Indian
Creek, about 1.5 miles north of downtown Beaver,
Beaver Co. Utah.
Circle Valley (Circleville) is only about 25 miles east
of Beaver. However, travel between the two towns
requires a trip of 80 to 90 miles to get to a pass
between the mountains separating the two towns.
Find A Grave
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-
bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=103606
Charles Van Vleet
Death: Feb. 16, 1897, Beaver, Beaver County
Burial: HUMountain View CemeteryUH Beaver, Beaver Co., Utah
Plot: NA527
http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=21565001
Rachel Black Van Vleet
Death: Jan. 08, 1908, Lyman, Uinta County, Wyoming,
Burial HULyman City CemeteryUH Lyman, Uinta Co., Wyoming
Rachel, who was 66 when her husband died remained in
Beaver for several more years and then went to live with her
son, John and died in her sons cabin on the Smiths Fork
Between Mountain View and Lyman, Wyoming. She died on
January 8, 1908 and was buried in the cemetery at Lyman.
http://www.nauvoologcabins.com/cabin_van_fleet.php
Prepared by J.E.Anderson for Uncle Earl Franklin Baldwin (1909-1970)
Great Grand Son of Charles Van Vleet (1820-1897) & Rachel Black (1831-1908)