James Bailey (1817-1856)

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Veteran of Company A, Mormon Battalion
1849 Gold Rusher

Pvt James S. Bailey was born 29 July 1817 in Bedford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States to Joshua Bailey (1770-) and Susanna Boutwell (1773-1856) and died 1856 Millard County, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Mary Ann Tucker (1832-1881) 1849 in Council Bluffs, Pottawattamie County, Iowa, United States. He married Emma Gene Winner (1837-) 18 December 1853 in San Bernardino, San Bernardino County, California, United States.

Biography

JAMES BAILEY listed his birth as 29 July 1817 in Bedford, Hillsborough, New Hampshire on the Brigham Young return list, a church roster of the Battalion. He may have come to Nauvoo in 1841 with a sister. He appears on Nauvoo records in 1846.

His sister married Samuel Harrison Smith (1808-1844), brother of the Prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844).

Mormon Battalion

Participant in the march of The Mormon Battalion. This unit of the US Army served in the Mexican-American War and was the only religiously based infantry unit ever created by Presidential order. It consisted of nearly 500 men recruited exclusively from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormons). They undertook the longest infantry march in U.S. military history (as of 1847) and in the process marked out and creating the first continuous wagon road to California which linked the future states of New Mexico, Arizona, and California to the United States. Most members served an initial 12 month term (Jul 1846- Jul 1847) with some members re-enlisting for an additional 12 months afterwards.

At age 28, he enlisted in the Mormon Battalion, Company A. A clothing allowance record at Fort Leavenworth indicates he sent $10 to Amasa Lyman in Council Bluffs, Iowa. After discharge, James likely traveled to Monterey, California with Captain Hunt and about 50 men, stopping at San Francisco to work where he was a brickmaker. James and Battalion veteran Zacheus Cheney (1818-1898) were the first persons to make brick in San Francisco. “They commenced the kiln in April, after which Brother Cheeney went to the mines and Brother Bailey burned the bricks – 50,000 in June, 1848. Some tiles had previously been burned and perhaps some bricks may have been imported as ballast, but none had ever been made there.”

1849 California Gold Rush

James went to the gold fields before traveling to Utah in late 1848 with the Marcus Shepherd packing company. According to recorded donations to a gold account established by Brigham Young and church leaders in Utah, James deposited the second highest amount of gold dust, depositing $737.43. The only one who deposited more was Benjamin Hawkins at $1271.46.

Later Years

It appears that James returned to Iowa in 1849 where he married Mary Ann Tucker. But records indicate he returned to Utah before Mary Ann gave birth to a child in Aug 1850. James is in the 1850 Utah census, living with John and Susan Fabun. Mary Ann eventually married another soldier, Loren Kenney, as a plural wife in 1851.

James followed Amasa Lyman to San Bernardino, California in 1851, sharing a wagon with the Fabun family. He married there in 1853. Amasa Lyman wrote: "December 18, 1853; Sunday …I married Mr. James Baily and Miss Imogene Winers…" James applied for bounty land military benefits from California in 1852, although a likely fraudulent application was submitted in Missouri in his name in June 1849 by agents who used names of witnesses who were also not present.

Between 1852 – 1857, James tithed in wheat and cash to the San Bernardino Branch. On Jan 28, 1857, Jas. Bailey purchased property from Lyman, Rich, and Hanks in San Bernardino (San Bernardino County Assessor, Book A, Page 253). In his autobiography, James S Brown described how James Bailey assisted him when he had smallpox. Brown noted the “the Saints had raised some money for me......Brothers D. Clark and J. Bailey had told President Seeley of my condition. I felt indeed very thankful for the favors shown me."

It is uncertain if and when James returned to Utah. The church biographical data base lists his death as 16 Dec 1884 in Deseret, Utah, Millard, Utah but that information has been contested with no primary source to verify it. Other records suggest he died in 1856 in Millard County, Utah or may have died in California - both more likely since he is not found in any future census records.

Children

Offspring of Pvt James S. Bailey and Mary Ann Tucker (1832-1881)
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
James Watson Bailey (1850-1935)

Siblings

Offspring of Joshua Bailey (1770-) and Susanna Boutwell (1773-1856)
Name	Birth	Death	Joined with
Oren Bailey (1796-1821)
Warren Bailey (1797-)
Orval Bailey (1798-)
Clarissa Bailey (1799-1844)
Hannah Bailey (1805-)
Samuel Bailey (1807-)
Mary Bailey (1808-1841)	20 December 1808 Bedford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire	25 January 1841 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois	Samuel Harrison Smith (1808-1844)
Abigail Bailey (1810-)
Joshua Bailey (1810-1896)
Betsy Bailey (1813-)
James Bailey (1817-1856)	29 July 1817 Bedford, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, United States	1856 Millard County, Utah, United States	Mary Ann Tucker (1832-1881) Emma Gene Winner (1837-)

Residences

Footnotes (including sources)

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