Birth: Aug. 19, 1794 Madison, Madison County, Virginia, USA Death: Jun. 15, 1855 Syracuse, Davis County, Utah, USA

Built a ranch on Antelope Island - History of Antelope Island

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, covering 28,022 acres. It is home to bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, upland game birds, and waterfowl.

In 1841, Osborne Russell, a trapper, made an entry in his journal referring to the presence of antelope and buffalo on the island. John C. Fremont and Kit Carson visited Antelope Island in 1845. They killed several antelope on the island thus giving Antelope Island its name.

Freemont recorded: "There is at this southern end of the lake a large peninsular island which the Indians informed me could at this low stage of the water be reached on horseback. Accordingly ... I took with me (Kit) Carson and a few men and rode across the shallows. On the island we found grass and water and several bands of antelope. Some of these were killed, and in memory of the grateful supply of food they furnished, I gave their name to the island."

The first white man to live on the island was an old mountaineer called "Daddy Stump."

Fielding Garr established permanent residency on the island in 1848. He not only tended his own herds, but those of other stockmen as well. In 1849 Brigham Young asked Garr to manage the Mormon Church's Tithing Herd, which was kept on the island until 1871. During this time the Church also invested thousands of dollars in valuable stallions and brood mares which were turned loose on the island. At times there were nearly 1,000 wild horses roaming the island.

Fielding Garr began construction of a ranch house in 1848. Garr was a skilled mason and fashioned the sun-dried adobe bricks used to build the home out of materials found on the island. The ranch house is distinctive for two reasons; it is the oldest continually inhabited anglo-built home in the state of Utah (from 1848 to 1981 when the island became a state park); and second, it is the oldest anglo-built house in Utah still on its original foundation. (The Fielding Garr Ranch is opened to the public on select weekends from March until October. Check with the Park for dates.)

In 1856 Brigham Young visited the island. "The time was pleasantly spent in driving over the Island and in visiting places of interest-bathing, boating and inspecting their horses and sheep. Old Daddy Stump's mountain home was visited. They drove their carriage as near to it as possible and walked the remainder of the way. Everything was found just as the old man had left it. It was located at the head of a small, open canyon against a steep mountain. The house was made of cedar posts set upright and covered with a dirt roof. Close to it was a good spring of water.... The party returned to the church ranch that evening and drove home the next day.

Fielding Garr died in 1855, and a year or two later Briant Stringham took charge of the stock."

Family links:

Children:

 Nancy Garr Stringham (1822 - 1900)*

 John Turner Garr (1827 - 1900)*

 Abel Weaver Garr (1833 - 1899)*

 Caroline Martin Garr Jamison (1836 - 1912)*

 Sarah Anna Garr Burton (1838 - 1927)*

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=20768424

Son of Abraham Garr and Dinah Weaver

Married Pauline Turner, 18 Nov 1819, Richmond, Wayne, Indiana. She died 4 Nov 1844, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois.

Children: Abraham Garr (1924), Abraham Garr (1929), Nancy Garr, Richard Rue Garr, Eliza Jane Garr, Benjamin Franklin Garr, Mary Virginia Garr, Caroline Martin Garr, John Turner Garr, William Henry Garr, Sarah Anna Garr, Abel Weaver Garr

History of Antelope Island

Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, covering 28,022 acres. It is home to bison, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, mule deer, coyotes, bobcats, upland game birds, and waterfowl.

In 1841, Osborne Russell, a trapper, made an entry in his journal referring to the presence of antelope and buffalo on the island. John C. Fremont and Kit Carson visited Antelope Island in 1845. They killed several antelope on the island thus giving Antelope Island its name.

Freemont recorded: "There is at this southern end of the lake a large peninsular island which the Indians informed me could at this low stage of the water be reached on horseback. Accordingly ... I took with me (Kit) Carson and a few men and rode across the shallows. On the island we found grass and water and several bands of antelope. Some of these were killed, and in memory of the grateful supply of food they furnished, I gave their name to the island."

The first white man to live on the island was an old mountaineer called "Daddy Stump."

Fielding Garr established permanent residency on the island in 1848. He not only tended his own herds, but those of other stockmen as well. In 1849 Brigham Young asked Garr to manage the Mormon Church's Tithing Herd, which was kept on the island until 1871. During this time the Church also invested thousands of dollars in valuable stallions and brood mares which were turned loose on the island. At times there were nearly 1,000 wild horses roaming the island.

Fielding Garr began construction of a ranch house in 1848. Garr was a skilled mason and fashioned the sun-dried adobe bricks used to build the home out of materials found on the island. The ranch house is distinctive for two reasons; it is the oldest continually inhabited anglo-built home in the state of Utah (from 1848 to 1981 when the island became a state park); and second, it is the oldest anglo-built house in Utah still on its original foundation. (The Fielding Garr Ranch is opened to the public on select weekends from March until October. Check with the Park for dates.)

In 1856 Brigham Young visited the island. "The time was pleasantly spent in driving over the Island and in visiting places of interest-bathing, boating and inspecting their horses and sheep. Old Daddy Stump's mountain home was visited. They drove their carriage as near to it as possible and walked the remainder of the way. Everything was found just as the old man had left it. It was located at the head of a small, open canyon against a steep mountain. The house was made of cedar posts set upright and covered with a dirt roof. Close to it was a good spring of water.... The party returned to the church ranch that evening and drove home the next day.

Fielding Garr died in 1855, and a year or two later Briant Stringham took charge of the stock."

• Updated from Find A Grave Memorial via daughter Nancy Stringham (born Garr) by SmartCopy: Jul 27 2015, 16:01:30 UTC

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Fielding Garr, son of Abraham Garr and Diana Weaver (also known as Dinah), was born 19 August 1794 at Madison, Madison County, Virginia. He married Pauline Turner on 18 November 1819 at Richmond, Wayne, Indiana. She died 4 November 1844 at Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois. A faithful member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Garr raised their children as a single father, emigrating to Utah in 1847 and pioneering there. He died 15 June 1855 at Syracuse, Davis County, Utah Territory, United States, at the age of 60.

Marriage and Children

1. Pauline Turner Garr (1805 - 1844)
   1. Eliza Jane Garr (1821 - 1901)
   2. Nancy Garr (1822 - 1900)
   3. Abraham Garr (born 1924 - died before 1929)
   4. Richard Rue Garr (1825 - 1845)
   5. John Turner Garr (1827 - 1900)
   6. Abraham Garr (born 1929)
   7. William Henry Garr (1831 - 1876)
   8. Abel Weaver Garr (1833 - 1899)
   9. Caroline Martin Garr (1836 - 1912)
   10. Sarah Anna Garr (1838 - 1927)
   11. Mary Virginia Garr (1840 - 1886)
   12. Benjamin Fielding Garr (1843 - 1919)

History of Antelope Island

"Antelope Island is the largest island in the Great Salt Lake, covering 28,022 acres. Fielding Garr moved his family to the island in 1848. A skilled mason, he used materials found on the island to make the sun-dried adobe bricks for the family's home. In 1849 Brigham Young asked Garr to manage the Mormon church's tithing herd, which was kept on the island until 1871.

Text of Antelope Island Historical Marker

"Fielding Garr, born August 19, 1794 in Madison County, Virginia, brought cattle to the island [Antelope Island Park, Davis County, Utah] in 1848 and served as the first foreman of the ranch, a post he held until his death in 1855. He constructed the first house on the island with foot-thick walls made of adobe bricks. The original house, also known as the Old Church House, still stands as a monument to Fielding Garr and was the oldest continuously lived-in house in the state until the island became a state park in 1981. Fielding married Paulina Turner in 1819, and they had ten children while in Kentucky and Illinois. Paulina died in 1844. A widower, he emigrated in 1847 from Nauvoo, Illinois to Utah with seven of his children. By 1848 he and his children had made their home at Garr Spring on Antelope Island, known by many as Garr Island. The children who lived with him on the island were: John Turner, William Henry, Abel Weaver, Caroline Martin, Sarah Ann, Mary Virginia, and Benjamin Franklin. Garr was a bonded herdsman, a farmer, a rancher, and a skilled mason. He was a good neighbor with an excellent disposition, a kind and mild manner, with nothing gruff or uncouth. He was a loving and affectionate father to his motherless children."

Sources

• Garr, John Calhoun, and John Wesley Garr. Genealogy of the Descendants of John Gar: Or More Particularly of His Son, Andreas Gaar, Who Emigrated from Bavaria to America in 1732, with Portraits, Coats-of-arms, Biographies, Wills, History, Etc. Cincinnati, OH: Raisbeck &, 1968. Print.
• Jensen, Andrew. LDS Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men And.. S.l.: Greg Kofford, 2012. 528-31. Print.
• Mikesell, Joanna Hill., and Annette S. Warfel. The Gaar Family: Pioneers of Industry, Richmond, Indiana. S.l.: J.H. Mikesell, 1999. Print. Tells the story of Jonas Gaar (Fielding Gaar's older brother), his family, and their impact on Indiana.
• Walker, Theodore D., and Doris Walker. Fielding Garr, 1794-1855, and His Family: Early Mormon Pioneers on Antelope Island. Utah: A.M. Cutler for the Ralph Cutler Family Organization, 1991. Print.
• U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900. Name: Fielding Gaar; Gender: Male; Birth Place: VA; Birth Year: 1794; Spouse Name: Paulina Turner; Spouse Birth Place:KY; Spouse Birth Year: 1805; Marriage Year: 1819; Marriage State: IN; Number Pages: 1. Source Citation: Source number: 81.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: BBH. Source Information: Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. Original data: This unique collection of records was extracted from a variety of sources including family group sheets and electronic databases. Originally, the information was derived from an array of materials including pedigree charts, family history articles, querie.
• Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941. Name: Fielding Gaar; Spouse Name: Paulina Turner; Marriage Date: 18 Nov 1819; Marriage County: Wayne. Source Citation: ; Book: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, UT; Page: 1838642 - 1838643. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Indiana, Marriage Collection, 1800-1941 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2005. Original data: Works Progress Administration, comp. Index to Marriage Records Indiana: Indiana Works Progress Administration, 1938-1940. Jordan Dodd, Liahona Research, comp. Electronic transcription of marriage records held by the individual counties in Indiana. Many of these records are on microfilm at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City, Utah.
• U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815. Name: Fielding Garr; Company: COLONEL MCFARLAND'S DETACHMENT, INDIANA MILITIA. Rank - Induction: PRIVATE; Rank - Discharge: PRIVATE. Roll Box: 78; Microfilm Publication: M602. Source Information: Direct Data Capture, comp. U.S., War of 1812 Service Records, 1812-1815 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 1999. Original data: National Archives and Records Administration. Index to the Compiled Military Service Records for the Volunteer Soldiers Who Served During the War of 1812. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration. M602, 234 rolls.
• 1830 United States Federal Census. Name: Feilding Garr [Fielding Garr] ; Home in 1830 (City, County, State): Wayne, Wayne, Indiana; Free White Persons - Males - Under 5: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 30 thru 39: 1; Free White Persons - Females - 5 thru 9: 2; Free White Persons - Females - 20 thru 29: 1; Free White Persons - Under 20: 4; Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 3; Total Free White Persons: 7; Total - All Persons (Free White, Slaves, Free Colored): 7. Source Citation: 1830 US Census; Census Place: Wayne, Wayne, Indiana; Page: 57; NARA Series: M19; Roll Number: 29; Family History Film: 0007718. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1830 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fifth Census of the United States, 1830. (NARA microfilm publication M19, 201 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• 1840 United States Federal Census. Name: Feilding Garr; Home in 1840 (City, County, State): Wayne, Wayne, Indiana; Free White Persons - Males - 5 thru 9: 2; Free White Persons - Males - 10 thru 14: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 15 thru 19: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 20 thru 29: 1; Free White Persons - Males - 40 thru 49: 1; Free White Persons - Females - Under 5: 3; Free White Persons - Females - 15 thru 19: 1; Free White Persons - Females - 30 thru 39: 1; Persons Employed in Agriculture: 4; Free White Persons - Under 20: 8; Free White Persons - 20 thru 49: 3; Total Free White Persons: 11; Total All Persons - Free White, Free Colored, Slaves: 11. Source Citation: Year: 1840; Census Place: Wayne, Wayne, Indiana; Roll: 98; Page: 349; Image: 712; Family History Library Film: 0007731. Source Information: Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Sixth Census of the United States, 1840. (NARA microfilm publication M704, 580 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.
• Sons of Utah Pioneers Memorial Gallery Index Cards. Name: Fielding Garr; Spouse: Turner, Paulina Garr; Birth Date: 19 Aug 1794; Birth Place: Richmond, Indiana; Death Date: 15 Jun 1855; Death Place: Antelope Island, Utah; Pioneer: before 1869; Chapter: Temple Fork; Donor: W. Urven Larsen. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Sons of Utah Pioneers Memorial Gallery Index Cards [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2001. Original data: Card index created by the Sons of Utah Pioneers, Salt Lake City, Utah.
• Sons of Utah Pioneers - Card Index, 1847-1850. Name: Fielding Garr; Birth Date: 1794; Birth Place: Virginia Mad, Co., VA. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Sons of Utah Pioneers - Card Index, 1847-1850 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Original data: Card Index. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Sons of the Utah Pioneers.
• Sons of the Utah Pioneers: Biography Files (A-G) Results. Name: Fielding Garr; Birth Date: 19 Aug 1794; Birth Place: Madison Co. Virginia; Death Date: 15 Jun 1855; Marriage Information: November 11, 1819, Fielding Garr married Paulina Turner, the daughter of John Turner and Sarah Holeman.
• Conquerors of the West: Stalwart Mormon Pioneers, volume 2. Name: Fielding Garr; Birth Date: 19 Aug 1794; Birth Place: Culpepper Co., Virginia; Parents: Abraham and Dinah Weaver Garr; Death Date: 15 Jun 1855; Death Place: Salt Lake City, Utah; Arrival: 3 Oct 1847, Jedediah M. Grant Co.; Spouse: Pauline Turner; Marriage Date: 11 Nov 1819; Marriage Place: Wayne Co., Indiana. Fielding was a soldier in the War of 1812 . After his return, he met and married Pauline , and worked his farm. In 1840 the Prophet Joseph visited the area. After hearing him speak, the family joined the Church. By 1844 they were preparing to move westward but Pauline died. Still determined to join the saints, Fielding journeyed with his children to Nauvoo and then to Winter Quarters . On 21 June 1847 , they started for the Valley with Jedediah Grant . Fielding and his three oldest sons drove a large herd of livestock west for the church. When they arrived in the Valley, Captain Stansbury hired Fielding to take care of his stock on Antelope Island . When the church took over the Island, he was asked to remain on the Island and take care of the church stock and personal herds of Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball . He built a home there. It is still standing. In 1855 , Fielding was thrown from a horse and died from his injuries at the age of 61. Children: There were 11 children: five girls and six boys. Nine of them came to the valley with their father. The two oldest girls were married before they left Indiana.
• Membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1848. Name: Fielding Garr; Gender: Male; Relationship to Primary Person: Self (Head); Father: Abraham Garr; Mother: Dianah Weaver; Birth Date: 19 Aug 1794; Birth Place: Madison, Virginia, USA; Death Date: 15 Jun 1855; Death Place: Davis, Utah, USA; LDS Church Ordinance Data: Baptism Date: 1842 Baptism Date: 1852; LDS Temple Ordinance Data: Endowment Date: May 22, 1895 Temple: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT, USA Sealed to Parents Date: May 15, 1946 Temple: Mesa, Maricopa, AZ, USA Sealed to Parents Date: May 5, 1930 Sealed to Spouse Number 1 Date: May 22, 1895 Temple: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT, USA Baptism Date: September 14, 1967 Temple: Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, UT, USA; Vocations: Rancher; Household Members: Fielding Garr, Self (Head); Pauline Turner, Spouse; Eliza Jane Garr, Child; Nancy Garr, Child; John Turner Garr, Child; William Henry Garr, Child; Abel Weaver Garr, Child; Caroline M Garr, Child; Sara Ann Garr, Child; Mary Virgina Garr, Child; Benjamin Franklin Garr, Child; Abraham Garr, Child; Richard Rue Garr, Child. Source Information: Ancestry.com. Membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830-1848 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2013. Original data: Black, Susan Easton, compiler. Membership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1830–1848. 50 vols. Provo, Utah: Brigham Young University Religious Studies Center, 1989. Private Donor.
• LDS Pioneer and Handcart Companies, 1847-1856. Name: Fielding Garr; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 19 Aug 1794; Birth Place: Madison Co., Virginia; Marriage Date: 18 Nov 1819; Death Date: 15 Jun 1855; Death Place: Antelope Island, Davis, Utah; Company: Third Ten of the Second Fifty of the Third Hundred; Spouse's Name: Paulina Turner; Father's Name: Abraham Garr or Gaar; Mother's Name: Dinah Weaver. Source Citation: Publication: Pioneers of 1847: a Sesquicentennial Remembrance. Source Information: Ancestry.com. LDS Pioneer and Handcart Companies, 1847-1856 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com, 2013. Original data:
  • Black, Susan Easton. Pioneers of 1847: A Sesquicentennial Remembrance. Provo, Utah: © 1980. Private donor.
  • Black, Susan Easton. Members of the Ellsworth and McArthur Handcart Companies of 1856. © 1982. Private donor.
  • Black, Susan Easton. Members of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies of 1856: A Sesquicentennial Remembrance. Provo, Utah: © 1980. Private donor.
• Millennium File. Name: Fielding Garr; Gender: Male; Birth Date: 29 Aug 1794; Birth Place: Madison, Vermont, USA; Death Date: 15 Jun 1855; Death Place: Antelope Isl., Davis, Utah, USA; Marriage Date: 18 Nov 1819; Marriage Place: Richmond, Wayne, Indiana; Father: Abraham Garr; Mother: Dinah Weaver; Spouse: Paulina Turner; Children: Sarah Ann Garr; Eliza Jane Garr; Nancy Garr; Richard Rue Garr; Spouse Father: John Turner; Spouse Mother: Sarah Holman. Source Information: Heritage Consulting. Millennium File [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. Original data: Heritage Consulting. The Millennium File. Salt Lake City, UT, USA: Heritage Consulting.

Links

• Fielding Garr Ranch
• Fielding Garr Descendants
• Biographical Wiki
• Biography by Alice May Cutler
• Fielding Garr (1794 - 1855)
• Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, Jedediah M. Grant - Willard Snow Company, Fielding Garr Fielding Garr; Birth Date 19 August 1794; Death Date 15 June 1855; Gender male; Companies: Jedediah M. Grant - Willard Snow Company (1847); Approximate age at departure: 52. Sources:
  • Find A Grave. Source Location: Internet Web Site
  • Gates, Jacob, Journals, 1836-1861, vol. 2. Trail Excerpt. Source Location: Church History Library, Salt Lake City
  • Journal History, 21 June 1847, p. 35
• Find A Grave Memorial# 20768424
• Utah Division of State History, Markers and Monuments Database, Ranching on Antelope Island

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