HATCH FAMILY FOLKLORE

Hatch Family Folklore

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White Fang

TOLD BY HOYT PALMER
GREAT-GRANDCHILD OF GEORGE PALMER JR.
     In the rather sparsely inhabited area of "Upper Canada" where George (Palmer Jr.) lived, there were frequent stories among the inhabitants of a large white wolf, which a number of settlers reported having seen, and which was making inroads among their livestock, killing several small animals.
     While George was out on a winter night, walking through the snow-covered countryside, he saw, a short distance ahead of him, a white object which seemed a slightly different shade from the whiteness of the snow. As he slowed down, his eyes on the suspicious object, he thought he saw it move, and prickles of apprehension raced up his spine, as he thought he might be coming upon the "white wolf." In spite of his alarm, he quelled his mounting fears, and, seeing a sizeable stick standing up in the snow, he seized it to use as a club. Then he advanced toward the object, which still stood beside the path he was following.
     As he advanced closer, he again thought he saw it move, but the night being fairly dark, he could not be certain, and as it did not flee nor come to attack him, he walked close enough to give it a hard blow with the club he had picked up. To his surprise, the club came down on an object of more firmness than he had expected, and the stick broke in two. A closer examination showed the object was merely an oddly-shaped, snow-covered stump (From The Mormon Drapers, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah).

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INDEX OF STORIES

The Tragedy of Katie Hatch
Phoenix Gazette article summarizes the search for Katie Lavora Hatch, daughter of John Hatch and Mary Jane Standifird.

Sister's Account of the Search
Katie’s sister, Mary Jane Hatch, 11 years old at the time, recalls the tragedy in the White Mountains.

Neighbor's Account of the Search
A resident in the area recalls the search in the White Mountains for Katie Lavora Hatch.

Young Runaways
John Henry Standifird describes the time he ran away from home with his cousin and tried to find work on the Mississippi River.

Comfort from a Spirit
Lorenzo Hill Hatch describes a vision of his late wife, Alice Hanson.

Death and Back in Arizona
John Hatch enters the Spirit World but is ordered back to mortality following the prayer of his 8-year-old boy.

Called by a Prophet
"There is your patriarch," President Joseph F. Smith says. (Story of John Hatch as told by his son, George Phineous Hatch.)

Separate Ways
Alma Zemira Palmer kicks the nicotine habit.

First Sight
"I'm going to marry her some day," Alma Zemira Palmer says, upon seeing Alzada Sophia Kartchner.

Forgiven Debts
Alma Zemira Palmer shows generosity to his store customers and teaches his daughter Rose a lesson by example.

Misdirected Love Letter
Lovesick Zemira Palmer crafts a love letter for young Sally Knight, only gets her name wrong and sends the letter by mistake to her cousin.

Possessed by a Devil
Newel Knight has a devil exorcised from his body and later testifies of the miracle during a mock trial of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

Vigil with a Prophet
Newel Knight spends a night in prayer with the Prophet Joseph Smith as the two struggle with a crisis in the young Church.

Borrowed Wagon
The Prophet Joseph Smith takes possession of the Golden Plates using the wagon of his house guest, Joseph Knight Sr.

Basketball Star
George Phineous Hatch gets the hot hand and leads Snowflake High School to a rout of St. John's.

White Fang
A hungry wolf -- or just a snow-covered stump. George Palmer Jr. finds out.

Halloween Magic
A Halloween superstition leads to marriage for Rebecca Jane Finch and a stranger boarding at her father's hotel.

No More Crutches
After using crutches for 13 years, elderly Elizabeth Haight is healed following her baptism.

Sealed in an urn
Margaret Jane Casteel refuses to have her dead 2-year-old son buried in the desert away from civilization.

Called to a Desert
"... If the wagon had fallen, all on earth I possessed would have gone into the Colorado River some 300 feet below except the bull whip in my hand." (The Palmers and Kartchners move to Arizona.)

Surprised in Church
George Phineous Hatch surprises his wife, Dora, by naming their 11th child Quola Mae.