BENJAMIN FRANKLIN STEWART
From the earliest colonial days, history has mentioned Stewarts in different activities, so just at this time, it is difficult to determine just who was the first pioneer of the Stewarts in America. At different periods of political disturbances in Scotland, many people from both the highlands and the lowlands sought refuge in other countries. Some went to England, some to America, and some to the North of Ireland, in what is known as the Ulster District.
Just who was the pioneer ancester of our branch of the great Stewart family in America is not known. The earliest record we have of Alexander Stewart, born about 1670, and his wife, Margaret Dixon Stewart and their family, who left Ballymena, Antrim Co., Ireland, in 1719 with the Scotish-lrish emigration to seek homes on the new world. They first settled in New London, Connecticut, but soon after removed to East Hadden, Connecticut.
Alexander and Margaret had eight children--seven sons and one daughter; James Stewart the sixth child being my great great grandfather. He was a child, only about four years old when they left Ireland. The record stated that Alexander, the eldest child, was probably born in Scotland. Alexander and Margaret must have been spiritual-minded people. They belonged to the church in Ireland, and when they came to America, they brought a recommend from the home church--The First Christ Church (Congregational).
In 1737, when James was about 22 years of age, he married Keziah Scoville the grandaughter of John Scoville, the pioneer ancester of the Scovilles in Connecticut. The Scoville line connects with the Scoville family of Ogden and is traced to 1160. The Scovilles were originally from England. Seven children were born to them--four sons and three daughters; my great grandfather, being the sixth.
My great, great grandfather Samuel Stewart, a son of James and Keziah, was born in East Haddon, Connecticut and some time later the family moved to Williamstown, Massachusetts. Williamstown was a shoe manufacturing town and Samuel by profession was a shoe maker. Samuel married Mary Hendricks, daughter of Daniel Hendricks about 1773. Samuel and Mary had eight children born to them, with names according to age as follows: Philander, of whom was our great grandfather, who was born January 10, 1776, Barratt, Ambrose, Salome, Philena, Philemon, Samuel, and Minerva.
After the death of Mary Hendricks, Samuel married Jerusha Judd. Two children, Hyrum and Harry, came from this marriage.
At this time Stephen Scott and family lived in Williamstown. The Scott Family kept a boarding house for students attending William and Mary College, which was located there. Both the Stewart and the Scott families seemed to be pioneers by nature with a tendency to move westward. In the year 1800, the Scott family moved to West Virginia and settled on the Ohio River. As Philander Stewart loved their daughter Sarah, he accompanied them, and May 10, 1801 the families were united by the marriage of Philander Barrett Stewart and Sara Scott.. Sara was just past fifteen years of age. The same year, Philander Barrett and his young bride, accompanied by the Scott and part of the Stewart families crossed the Ohio River and made a home in Jackson Township, Monroe County, Ohio, opposite the Patten Island at the head of the longest straight place on the river. Later they were joined by the greatest number of the Stewart family.. Here they lived happily together for twenty-four years, and here their twelve children; four sons and eight daughters were born. Benjamin Franklin Stewart, the subject of this sketch, being one of them. He was born October 12, 1817.
The family was greatly blessed in a financial way for those early times, having a mill and well-improved farm. But reverses came. Philander Barrett went security on a note for $2,000 to set his brother Ambrose, up in business. His brother failed and left Philander to pay the note.
Shortly after this, he was drowned in the Ohio River, while trying to save his brother. It seems death will find its victims in the most isolated places; in two years Sara lost five children. One was an infant, and the others grown--their four oldest. Lucinda, a girl sixteen was the oldest child left and Rufus, a boy fourteen, was the oldest son left for her to depend upon. The youngest was an infant two months old. Philander died before the money lost by having signed on the note was paid, and Sarah had to sacrifice her property to pay the debt.
The law took all but one-third of her property. Many less courageous and less resourceful women would have been completely crushed under this triple calamity, not so with the ambitious, heroic, and energetic Sara. These virtues, in connection with her will power sustained her and gave her hope and strength. She kept her family of seven children on the property she had left. With the help of her brother she managed the farm for four years, when she sold her property and turned her face to the west to seek a new home and to try to build a new fortune for her family.
She and two of her brothers united in building a flat boat, and early in May, 1828, the three families, numbering twenty persons, floated one thousand miles down the Ohio River, stopping at the principle cities to see the sights. At Shawnee, Illinois, they left the boat and traveled overland to Beardstown, Morgan County, Illinois, a distance of two hundred miles, where Polly Carr, Sarah's sister was living. They had but one wagon, so most of the company walked. The hardships, privations, and trials this frail sorrow-stricken woman endured will never be known. Her indomitable will power sustained her until she reached the end of her journey, when the strain and over-fatigue ovepowered her and she had a very severe illness. They were a month enroute from Monroe County, Ohio to Beardstown. Most of her money was spent, but land was more plentiful and she homesteaded a quarter section and began making improvements. Before they could earn money enough to buy it from the government, a wealthy man, who pretended to be their friend, bought the land from the government. The feeling of indignation by the people against him was so high that he was forced to leave.
Benjamin Franklin was only six years old when his father died, He had but a slight recollection of him. Because of his mother being a widow, and the chances for schooling being very scarce, he had but few opportunities for studying under a teacher, as he had to work to support the family. But because of his ambition and uncontrollable desire for knowledge, by self-effort he obtained a good education.
About three years after the Stewart's settled in Illinois, the Richardson family arrived from Cumberland County, Kentucky, and also settled in Beardstown. The Richardson and Stewart children were companions and grew to maturity together. What more natural than a romance should follow. In 1837, these families were united by the marriage of Benjamin Franklin Stewart and Polly Richardson. At this time he was a youth of twenty, tall and slender (5 feet 10 inches and weighing 140 pounds). He had very piercing clear blue eyes and a very fair skin. In later life he became much heavier weighing 190 pounds. He also had quite a heavy beard after the fashion of that age.
Soon after their marriage, the bridal pair migrated to VanBuren County, Iowa. Here the gospel found them and Polly immediately yielded obedience to its teachings and was baptized in just a few weeks. Franklin however was quite actively engaged in politics but he became an earnest investigator of mormonish; he also read many of the exposures against it. After three years of careful study of its principles and with the spirit of its divinity burning within him he was baptized February 26, 1844. He was ordained an elder the same day. He and his wife were now in the church and the spirit of gathering took possession of them and they soon sold their property and joined exiled Saints at Winter Quarters where preparations were made for the journey westward. Even their leader, Brigham Young, hardly knew the particular locality of their destination, except that they were aiming to go to the Rocky Mountains where years before the prophetic eye of Joseph Smith had seen the Saints become a mighty people.
The men selected to undertake the hazardous journey responded cheerfully to the call and the necessary teams, camp equipment and provisions were provided. My grandfather was one of the men selected to join the company, so he made preparations for the care of his wife and three children who were left behind at Winter Quarters. April 6, 1847 he was ordained a Seventy by President Brigham Young and immediately he left for the west. The company traveled for several days when April 16, 1847, the pioneer camp was called together and organized with captains of hundreds, fifties and tens. The total number of persons in the camp were 148 persons; 143 men and boys; 3 women and 2 children. They had 72 wagons, 93 horses, 52 mules, 66 oxen, 19 cows, 17 dogs and some chickens.
With this equipment and over tractless wilderness, their progress was necessarily slow. June 12, 1847, the pioneers reached the place where the Oregon Road crossed the Platte; being 120 miles from Ft. Laramie. The Platte at this place was usually forded, but it was so high that it was impossible to get across. The pioneers here encountered one of the foremost companies of Oregon emigrants. Three days before this, the pioneer company had sent a small detachment of men in advance of the main camp and they about hours ahead of the Oregon emigrants. These Mormon scouts had a skiff made of sole leather with them that would carry 1500 to 1800 pounds, so they were employed hy the Missourians to ferry the Oregon emigrants over. They put the provisions in the skiff and tried swimming the early wagons over, but the wagons were not in very good shape after being whirled over several times by the force of the current.
The emigrants paid the pioneers $1.50 for each wagon and load in flour at $2.50 per hundred pounds. Yet flour was worth $10.00 per hundred at least at the Platte river. The earnings were divided equally among members of the pioneer camp which amounted to 5 1/2 pounds of flour each, 2 pounds of meal and a small piece of bacon.
It looked as much of a miraclc to me writes Wilford Woodruff to see our flour and meal bags replenished in the Black Hills, as it did to have children of Isreal fed with manna in the wilderness. But the Lord had been truly with us on our journey, and wonderfully blessed and preserved us. These little stores of flour were supposed to have saved the lives of some of the pioneers, for they were by this time entirely destitute of the staff of life. While camped here, some of the men went out and killed three buffaloes, two antelopes. This was distributed among the company.
After repeated attempts with different methods of conveying the pioneers company across the river, a boat was made for ferrying the wagons across. It consisted of two large cottonwoods canoes which were placed parallel to each other a few feet apart; and then pinned firmly with crosspieces, on the top of this were nailed slabs running length ways of the canoe. Then attaching a rudder and oars with a little ironwork, the boat was made strong enough to carry overloaded wagons, several companies of Missourians camped on the banks of the river. They offered to pay to the pioneer camp $1.50 a load for every load fenied over and $.50 per man for each man who helped with the work.
A meeting was held and nine men were chosen to stay behind and ferry over the numerous companies of emigrants who were continually passing on their way to Oregon. Benjamin F. Stewart was one of the nine men chosen to help perform this arduous task in the miles of dangers in an indian country. President Young told the men to protect themselves, horses and substance from indian agressions.
These men were further instructed to come on with the next company of Saints, who were expected in a month or six weeks. This commission, Benjamin Franklin faithfully fulfilled and when he later was joined by his wife and children in the O. Smoth Company they traveled to Utah together, arrival in Salt Lake City, September 27, 1847. He first settled in Mill Creek and started a saw mill and stayed there several years.
On November 23, 1848, he went in a company with Parley P. Pratt and 48 other men to explore the souhtem part of the state. They traveled south along the Sevier River and as far south as St. George, Washington County. In Washington County a rock is still standing which has Benjamin F. Stewart engraved upon it. The return trip was made via Denysvale which was named for the men Marry Val as it was such a pretty, peaceful place. This spelling be.ing later changed to its present name. On this trip, they necessarily encountered many hardships and privations as it was in an Indian territory and in many places nothing but trails to follow. This trip must have cost them several months. They were looking tor a place to live. The site of Payson must have appealed to him for in March 1851, he moved with his family to Payson where he lived for twenty years and where he was recognized as a leading spirit religiously, temporally and politically.
On September 6, 1857, he manied Elizabeth Davis (my grandmother) as a plural wife. She been closely associated with the Prophet Joseph and his family in Nauvoo and came to Utah with her parents September 17, 1849. Ten children cam from this union; seven of them reached maturity; my father A.J.B. Stewart being one of them. I must state here that to his first wife (Polly Richardson) eleven children were born, making a total of 21. May 31, 1857, the 46 Quorum of Seventies was organized at Payson and Santaquin with Benjamin F. Stewart as one of the Presidents and he was its Senior President at the time of his death, twenty-seven years later. April 18, 1862 he was set apart as Counselor to Bishop John B. Fairbanks of the Payson Ward. February 8, 1863, he was elected Mayor of Payson and selved two terms of two years each.
Soon after his arriving at Payson, he built and ran a saw mill in Payson Canyon for several years; later a nail factory was built and operated in the town. He afterwards sold to the Wish Brothers who turned it into a tanning mill.
In 1862 he, with his brother, and several others, laid out a town on a tract of land three miles north of Payson which warered by the Spanish Fork River, Benjamin Franklin took up a quarter section of title land west of what is known as the mound. This mound was later made into a burial mound. He also had about 50 acres of land in another part of the settlement. For several years he traveled back and forth from Payson to farm this ground.
In 1869, he went on a mission to Iowa and Illinois. While away, one of his children died. In 1871, after his return from the mission he moved his family to this settlement north of Payson, where he was called to preside over it as Presiding Elder and it was at this time named Benjamin in his honor, thus fulfilling a prophecy made concerning him in a Patriarchial Blessing given by John Smith in 1849. This position he still held at the time of his death, by nature he was a promoter and was interested in many of mills, nail factories, and making reservoirs, canals, etc.
Being the Presiding Elder, he always had a chance to add a few words to what was said by the speaker. If the sermon was just what it thought it should be, he commented on it, and if he thought the speaker left anything unsaid, he added a few words, so in this way, he was heard every Sunday. One of his favorite songs was the one with the words "When We All See Eye To Eye".
His active and useful life was brought to an untimely close when he was struck by lightning at Benjamin, June 2, 1885. He had started for Payson in his white topped buggy when a sudden thunder storm came up. He stopped his team by the door where my mother was sitting holding me in her lap. Mother asked him to come in but he said no, it is just a thunder shower and soon will be over, and I wilt just sit and wait a few minutes. Right after that mother heard a crack and was stunned and hardly knew what had happened. The horses started running and were caught about half mile away. Grandfather was sitting just as straight as though he were driving. The funeral services were conducted under the shade of a fine grove of trees that he had set out himself. This grove of trees was used before and after his death for the old time celebrations that used to be held.
He was a very strong husky man 68 year old at the time of his death, and had told his family that he felt like he was going on a trip and was expecting some of the authorities from Salt Lake City to call for him almost any day and was getting his business affairs in order so everything would be alright until his return. None of his family thought anything of it at the time. One of his brothers lived to be 92 years, and undoubtedly, Grandfather would have done likewise if his career had not been brought to such a sudden close.
The following Resolutions of Respect were sent to the family shortly after his death;
RESOLUTIONS
Passed by the 17th Quorum of Seventies of the sudden and violent death of its Senior President, Benjamin Franklin Stewart:
Whereas it has pleased God in his infinate wisdom to remove from our midst by a stroke of lightning our worthy and beloved Senior President Benjamin Franklin Stewart;
and
Whereas the intimate relations held during a long series of years by him with the members of this Quorum make it fitting that we record our appreciation of him;
therefore
Resolved that the wisdom and ability which he has displayed in our Council as well as in our Quorum meeting, will be held in grateful rememberance. Resolved that the sudden removal of such a man from our Quorum and its Presidency Council in which he has held leading positions for more than twenty-seven years, leaves a vacancy and sorrow that will be deeply realized by all members of the Quorum and by the community at large.
Resolved that with the deepest sympathy with afflicted family and friends of our deceased brother, we express an earnest hope that God will impart to them that consolation and comfort in this hour of their bereavement and deep sorrow that the Saints of Latter Days are entitled to and which God alone can give. Resolved that these resolutions be accorded in the record of deceased brothers family.
ISAISAH M. COOMBS
J.L. TOWNSEND
COMMITTEE
Payson, Utah
September 1, 1885
My grandfather was a gentle, kind and indulgent husband and father. He was just and generous to a fault. There was never a cloud but what had a silver lining to him. His great hope, courage and cheerfulness were as a ray of sunshine to all who came under his influence. In his disposition he was wonderfully tender and sympathetic and nothing that added to the comfort and happiness of others was a trouble to him; but service to others was a real joy and pleasure. What a loss to his two wives who were left to battle life's problems alone and lived until they were quite aged. He now has five living children; Enice Harris of Logan, daughter of Polly; Sadie Hand of Benjamin; J.W., Rupert, Idaho, Philander Joseph of Calif; and A.J.B. Stewart of Sandy, childern of Elizabeth, his second wife. He has a numerous posterity scattered throughout Canada, Oregon, California, Arizona, Idaho, and Utah.
In future generations of Benjamin Franklin Stewart's posterity who reads this, and also learn that his name is engraved on the Pioneer Monument in Salt Lake City; they may wonder how he is included as one of the original 1847 pioneers who entered the Valley July 24, 1847, I will here state that President Young made the ruling that all who remained at the Platte River to ferry Oregon emigrants and came on to the Valley with the next emigrant train of L.D.S were to be included in the original 1847, from the fact that they left Winter Quarters in the original band and remained with them to the point before mentioned. Benjamin F. was one who was called Brigham Young to remain at the Platte River.