SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF WILSON LUND 1815 - 1889 By Nora LUND, Historian


Lest our grandfather LUND's vigorous personality slip quietly away to join the forgotten myriads of the past, I am making this little study of this rugged pioneer. In thinking of grandpa LUND, we must not think of him as some angelic idol on a pedestal, who in passing from mortal life, had his failures wiped away and retained for memory, only those things which brought pleasant results. I have been told by some of his children that he had a fiery temper. He was a strict disciplinarian as far as his family was concerned, and allowed his children few privileges. But as Aunt Annie Topham laughingly said, "He was a good father when he wasn't cross and everything went to suit him". I realize this story should not begin with Wilson LUND. I would like to reach back into the dim past and introduce some of the many progenitors that made the life of this man possible. At this time however, I am only prepared to say that he was born in Bethnal Green, Westmoreland County, England, 9 February, 1815. His parents names were Robert LUND and Mary Wilson LUND. His grandparents were James and Elizabeth Robinson LUND and Richard and Elizabeth Burton Wilson. I would also like to tell something of his early life in England but that point has been neglected too long, as nothing has been written down. His only living child Annie, the eldest daughter by his wife Ellen is 87 years old at the present time, 1949. Her mind is quite alert and she remembers vividly the happenings of the past. I am able to acquaint you however, with the story of his conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, as told me by Terry's Uncle, Zeta P. Terry, who was a good friend of Wilson and heard him tell this incident many times. Grandpa LUND as a young man had employment away from home. He was boarding with a family of acquaintances, Mormon Missionaries had caused this family to become very interested in a new religion. On one occasion when they were holding a cottage meeting at this home, Wilson was asked to meet with them and hear the message of the Elders. He would have none of it and stalked importantly from the room, presumably to go to bed up stairs. However, he was blessed with a liberal amount of curiosity and remained on the steps to listen. The Lord touched his heart and caused him to know that every word he was listening to was true. After this he sought out the Elders and asked for their literature. He was very humble and prayerful in his study and soon applied for baptism. Family stories have it that one sister joined the church and came to America with him. Her name was Fannie, who later married a Mr. Kitchen. He married Eliza Ann Brace, whom he met on the ship, as soon as they reached land. She was a convert to the church and came from Hereford, Herford Shire, England. She was born October 11, 1821. They came on to Nauvoo, probably in the early 1840's. Here Wilson worked at his trade, that of a stone cutter on the Nauvoo Temple, which was used in 1846. He was also an active member of the Nauvoo Legion. To the Lunds was born Orson Hyde LUND, September 17, 1845, who only lived a short time, passing away November 14, 1845. Records show that Wilson LUND received a patriarchal blessing February 8, 1845, at the hands of Patriarch John Smith. He also received one January 30, 1875. The persecutions and mob violence the innocent Mormons were forced to endure were getting more severe all the time. The Prophet Joseph Smith and Hyrum had been killed, Brigham Young was at the head, directing the people. Word had been circulated that their only hope for safety lay in the moving westward to the Rocky Mountains. The Saints were seeking employment wherever they could to obtain money to outfit themselves for the westward journey. Wilson LUND had a friend, William Adams (later settled at Parowan) who was also a stone cutter. They took a contract to quarry and dress stone for William Champion of New Diggins, Wisconsin, which was about ten miles from Galena, Illinois. Here they were allowed to live in peace. Robert Charles was born at New Diggins, May 29, 1847. The LUND family remained there for some time and they were successful in their work. They were careful to save their money until they had three or four hundred dollars. When the stone contract was completed, the men worked on the state house in Springfield, Illinois to get more money. In the spring of 1849 they traveled on. They stopped at Carthege and examined the jail where Joseph and Hyrum were assassinated and on to the city of Nauvoo. It was hard for Wilson and Eliza to have to see their home in Nauvoo occupied by strangers, when they hadn't received any pay for their property. Through Iowa they kept on the old Mormon Trail, they passed many families who had stopped to rest along the way. Near Council Bluffs the Lunds were also delayed for awhile because it was here that Jane Eliza was born, April 23, 1849. They eventually traveled on and joined the rest of the Saints at Council Bluffs. Here companies of l00 wagons were organized then companies of First and Second Fifties. The Lunds were believed to have traveled with Captain Alred's second fifty. Andrew H. Perkins was Captain of the 100, and Enoch Reese Captain of the first fifty. They started on the 7th of July 1849. The journey was quite pleasant until they arrived in the Paunee Country. Here they were obliged to corral their cattle at night to keep them from being stolen by the Indians. The cattle got restless and uneasy, broke out of the corral and stampeded, a few got killed and several were crippled. Hardly a day passed that part of the company didn't have a stampede. Traveling on the road the cattle would get excited and run off with the wagon and contents. Brother Hawk's wife was killed, and it is believed that she was the only person who lost her life in the dangerous trials the company passed through. The plains from Fort Kerney were covered with Buffalo until they reached Fort Laramie. Thousands could be seen as far as the eye could reach. The company had to stop to let them pass for fear they would be run over. The company was traveling by tens on account of the danger in stampedes and made slow progress, taking them three and one-half months to make the Great Salt Lake Valley. In Salt Lake, Grandfather worked at his trade as a stone cutter on the church buildings. Aunt Annie Topham says she has heard her father speak of a Brother Robert who came to Salt Lake and hunted him up. He was rather a rough sort of a fellow and was not a member of the church. Consequently, grandpa was a bit relieved when he went on his way. On June 12, 1852, the fourth child, William Wilson, was born to this couple. On December 14, 1854 another son, Brigham James was born. Two years later on December 12, 1856 Heber John came along, but he died at birth. Then on November 23, 1857 another girl was added to the family, Margaret Elizabeth, but she died in Salt Lake July 17, 1862. On September 13, 1857 a twenty-year old Danish girl, Ellen Nielson, arrived in Salt Lake City with Captain Christiansen's Hand Cart Company. She went to work for the LUND family. Plural marriage was being practiced at that time by the church. It wasn't long until grandpa took Ellen for his second wife, March 1858. He made a home for her out west of the city near the Jordan river. Here their first son, Alfred Willard, was born October 27, 1860. Then on December 7, 1860 Eliza bore him another daughter, Mary Agnes. Next in turn was Ellen's first daughter, Anna Maria, born October 21, 1862. At October conference of 1861 a large company was called to settle St. George, so named in honor of George A. Smith, the official father of the Cotton Mission. They arrived on December 2, 1861. These people were a progressive group and the old Social Hall was the first public building erected in St. George. Contributions for it were taken while the people were still in Camp before the town site was surveyed. The first years were hard, for the river was unmanageable and the soil was full of alkali. Only the public work programs ordered by President Brigham Young kept the town going. First it was the Tabernacle, begun just six months after the first wagons pulled into the valley. Before it was finished, work began on the Temple, and in the meantime the courthouse was erected. All these called for donations of food from the northern settlements. This gave the people an opportunity to earn what they ate. Now that the public work programs were being undertaken in the south, more skilled workers were needed down there. So again at October Conference of 1862 another group of people were called. Wilson LUND was among this group, no doubt because of his ability to cut stone, the main substance these buildings were made of. As a part of this company, Wilson and his families arrived on New Year's Day, 1863. They lived in their wagon boxes until homes could be built. Wilson set to work immediately on the 'Public Works'. In the spring of 1862 Apostle Erastus Snow found the Saints had a great amount of surplus stock. The church had a few tithing animals who were also in need of feed. He called John, Charles and William Pulsipher to take them north through the hills in search of feed. By the help of Nephi Johnson and the Indians they landed at Shoal Creek 50 miles north and west of St. George. In May 1863 Apostle Snow called Thomas S. Terry and families to join the Pulsipher boys. In the spring of 1864 we have record of Wilson LUND and one or two other families going to Shoal Creek. Family stories have told that it was Wilson's second wife Ellen and her two children, Alfred and Annie who moved up there in company with Eliza's oldest son, Rob, then a young man. Later Will and Brig helped out with the cattle. Some of their time in the summer was spent at Calf Springs where they would break wild cows to milk. They made butter and cheese. They sent a portion of it to St. George to help with the living of the other family. On February 23, 1865 in St. George, Eliza gave birth to her last child. She was named Eliza Ann after her mother. This made 10 children in all for Eliza. On January 18, 1866 Ida Johanna was born to Ellen at St. George. For many years Wilson devoted most of his time to the 'Public Works', but to help out with the living of his families he made and peddled grind stones. He traveled through Washington and Iron Counties and to some of the towns in Eastern Nevada. He was able to find just the stone he wanted up in Diamond Valley, north of St. George. He would block the stone and pick it out of the quarry. He would then take it home where he had meager tools to complete the stones for sale. Somewhere around 1867 Wilson thought Ellen and the children could do better at Pine Valley, so he moved them there. Their first house was a little two room log affair, bettered later on. Here the family struggled along with a bare existence for about seven or eight years. The increase to the family numbered three while they lived here. Ellen Sophia, born June 21, 1868, Wilson Jr. June 10, 1871, and Richard Nielson, April 17, 1874. About 1875 they left Pine Valley and moved back to Shoal Creek, which was then called Hebron, quite a thriving little community. Joseph Hans was born in Hebron, May 6, 1876. Then Stephen was born 17 July 1878, but he only lived three days. That was the last child born to Ellen, making eight. After the St. George Temple was completed and dedicated in 1877, President Brigham Young gave Wilson a blessing and told him to go and live where he could be most comfortable and happy. Through the years as he peddled his grind stones up and down the country he liked little town of Paragonah in northern Iron County. He thought it would be a good place to bring his growing boys because land was still available for home steading. It was in 1881 that he brought his wife Ellen and family and came to Paragonah. He bought a lot with an adobe house on it from Hyrum Stevens. It was situated in the south part of town. Later it was remodeled extensively, added to and lived in by Richard and his family. After Richard's death it was vacant for a few years; then in 1949 it passed out of the hands of the LUND family who had possessed it for some 68 years to Jim Stones, a descendent of an old Paragonah family. Wilson also secured farming land which his boys were able to help care for and add to for their own livelihood. It would be interesting to know the extent of his posterity at the present time, 1953. We know he was the father of 18 children, twelve growing to maturity. He also had 67 grandchildren. His oldest son by his wife Eliza Ann was Robert Charles. He went to Salt Lake City and learned to be a telegraph operator when he was a young man. He worked in President Brigham Young's office in this capacity for some time. He married Mary Ann Romney daughter of Miles and Elizabeth Gaskell Romney of St. George. They were the parents of 10 children. Robert joined partnership with Thomas Judd and Edwin Woolley in the mining and mercantile business at Silver Reef and St. George. William Wilson married Anna Elizabeth Wiltbank daughter of Spencer Walton and Anna Sanders Wiltbank of St. George. They were the parents of 11 children. In 1879 they were called to go to the east central part of Arizona with many other families from St. George to strengthen the Mormon settlements on the Little Colorado. Brigham James married Rosilla Polly Branch daughter of William Henry and Emily Cornelia Atwood Branch of St. George. They became the parents of 10 children. Brig and his family have very successfully followed the mercantile business. First in Silver Reef and then in Modema and Enterprise. Mary Agnes married Thomas Judd son of Thomas and Mary Jane Ashworth Judd. She was the mother of one son. She was an outstanding leader among the people of St. George and accomplished much in her short life time. Eliza Ann became the wife of Reuben Joseph Farnsworth, son of Moses and Elizabeth Stewart Farnsworth. She was a mother of seven children. She taught school before she was married. She was a dutiful daughter and a loving mother to her four children who grew to maturity. Wilson's oldest son by Ellen was Alfred Willard. He married Minerva Susan Terry, daughter of Thomas Sirls and Mary Ann Pulsipher Terry of the Terry Ranch near Enterprise. They were the parents of six children. He made his home in Paragonah. He farmed and freighted for a livelihood. Annie Maria Married Thomas Amenzo Topham, son of John and Betsy Baker Topham of Paragonah. They had a family of 5 children 3 growing to maturity. She was noted for her life of service. She gave graciously of her time to her family her church and her community. Ida Johanna married Seth William Smith son of Richard and Tabitha Holroyd Smith of Beaver. Ida was never very strong but she worked what she could in the church and at home. She died soon after her first child was born. Wilson Jr. married Sarah Jane Williamson, daughter of William and Martha Knowles Williamson of Paragonah. They became the parents of three children before he died at the age of 36. He was a hard working freighter and farmer. Ellen Sophia married Stephen Alma Barton son of John Samuel and Eliza Jane Gingle Barton of Paragonah. They were the parents of 7 children. Her main job was that of a homemaker. Her husband was a farmer and freighter. Richard Nielson married Adelaide Abigail Lamoreaux, daughter of David Albert and Hulda Messenger Lamoreaux of Paragonah. They were the parents of six children. Richard was devoted to his family and farmed for a living. Joseph Hans never married. He worked cooperatively with his brother on the farm and at stock raising. He was an ardent church worker. It can be said of Wilson LUND that he left a fine Posterity. His descendants have followed many professions and have been successful in their undertakings. Those who boast of the LUND blood in their veins are hard workers, dependable and fair in their dealings with fellowmen. These characteristics are made double strong by the fine mates the Lunds chose. They have been outstanding church workers, holding offices of responsibility. Many have filled missions, paying the debt we owe to the early missionaries who took the gospel message to Wilson, our grandfather and his wives in the old country. He died July 26, 1889 at the age of 74. He was well prepared to meet his Maker. There was no cemetery in Paragonah at that time, so he was taken to Parowan for burial.

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