Along with the strength and growth of the Church, opposition against the Saints grew ever stronger and more intense, and persecutions from the mob flared up. Mormons living in surrounding communities were threatened and harassed, with resultant destruction of much property.
September 10, 1845, an armed mob entered Morley settlement, or Yelrome as it was sometimes called. This is where Zemira was living with his uncle and his Draper grandparents. And it was a tragic day, for any men seen were pursued as they fled for safety to wherever they could hide. The enemy set fire to the haystacks and the houses and everything that would burn, as the women and children tried frantically to save what they could. The ruthless mob showed no mercy to old, young, or sick. The Saints watched helplessly as their belongings were destroyed before their eyes, and only heaps of ashes remained, and their cattle taken possession of and driven away. The mob also burned all the houses on the south side of the brook. 41
Brigham Young promptly requested that every man in Nauvoo who had a team go to the Morley Settlement and surrounding areas immediately and help President Hancock in removing the sick, the women and children and the goods and grain to Nauvoo. In all probability, Zemira and his grandparents were amongst those homeless Saints who were taken to Nauvoo. William was 70, Lydia 69, and Zemira would have been 14.
41- Cordelia Morley’s History -Yelrome burned
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