Kindred Tales: Brickyard

Nauvoo souvenir brick

Do you have one of these at your house? If you have toured Nauvoo, it is likely that you brought one of these souvenirs home. One of the most popular attractions of the LDS Church History site there is the brickyard where you can watch demonstrations of pioneer brick mixing and molding.

My next visit will be more meaningful, knowing that several of my relatives were involved in the masonry business in Nauvoo. Among these were my Great, Great, Great Grandfather Joseph Bateman, his brother Thomas, and Thomas's son Samuel who worked at a brickyard on Parley Street. (One of the twelve brickyards in the early days of Nauvoo.)

G, G, G Grandfather Joseph Bateman

Joseph's brother, Thomas Bateman

Joseph and Thomas Bateman were born in England where they were brick masons by trade, as was their father before them. Masonry provided well for their families and they were described as men of "good circumstances".

Thomas's son, Samuel, was the best record keeper of the bunch, providing us with a nice family history. According to Samuel, his father, Thomas, and his mother, Mary, joined the church in 1839. When Brigham Young attended a conference in their Manchester Branch in early 1840, the saints were encouraged to gather to Utah. Although Thomas and Mary had six children ranging from infancy to ten years of age, they were eager to follow Brigham's counsel.

"The North America"

Some records indicate that the family crossed the Atlantic aboard the "LeHigh", but Thomas's son Samuel is on the passenger list of "The North America". It is possible, if not probable, that they sailed on different ships (Samuel was only eight years old at the time). After crossing the ocean, they journeyed on to Nauvoo on the unforgettable day on which they first heard the Prophet Joseph speak .

Thomas immediately found work as a laborer on the temple. His brother Joseph and his wife Margaret Turner Bateman also came to Nauvoo at approximately this time. Several months later the brothers moved their families and opened a brickyard in Augusta, Iowa, but they continued to regularly return to Nauvoo and work in the Parley Street Brickyard. Histories brag that their family kiln could turn out as many as 3000 bricks per day.

In 1845,when going to the brickyard one morning, young Samuel heard music from the direction of the temple and in going upon the grounds became a witness to the laying of the capstone.

Thomas and Mary received their temple endowments on January 27, 1846. Joseph was endowed the following day.