He Ain't Heavy, He's My Companion

 My Third-Great-Grandfather, Matthew Bristow Wheelwright (1828-1891) served two missions to his native Great Britain. On his second, at age 58, he had a companion by the name of  Mayhew Calley (1857-1934). Elder Calley, graduate of Brigham Young Academy, had left his young family and his post as Iron County School Superintendent to serve a mission in the land where his parents had been born. On Thursday, December 9, 1886, they planned to walk to Hopewell from their lodgings in Hereford. 

"....we went through the Cathedral Yard and down the Gloucester Road until we came in sight of Mordiford Church and when we got there, the water was out and running over the road for a distance of about sixty rods and how we was to get across there, the all important question. Finally, we stuck on a plan. As Bro. Dally had on his knee boots and I had my shoes on we concluded that I was to get on his back with with his pants rolled up, he could wade through and carry me on his back, so looked ahead and picked to knolls that we could use for resting places, he then took the two umbrellas, one in each hand, to feel his way through with and with me on his back he plunged into the water and made the first resting place and just about as tired as he was for it was hard work for me to hold on. After we rested awhile, I mounted my horse again and we made the next resting place a little easier than we did the other. We again rested a few minutes, and the third time I mounted his back. But our difficulty had only just commenced as we had so far travelled on the footpath, we now had to leave that and get to the middle of the road. And in stepping from the path onto the road, the water came to his boot top. But we made the trip and almost dry shod. And when we looked back and had a a good laugh at our experiences and came to the conclusion that that was a missionary life under difficulties. And we both wished that we had our photos taken just as we was in the water and concluded that when we got to Birmingham, we would have it taken just as we was." 

Diary: Matthew Bristow Wheelwright, ed. Harrop, Fern Wheewright (Wheelwright Family Organization, Salt Lake City, 1976),found in LDS CHL call no. M270.1 W5665h 1979 [edited for spelling and punctuation].

And here's the photo: