Tarlton Lewis

HISTORY:

In October 1833, Tarlton and family moved to Macoupin County, Illinois. A convert to Mormonism, Tarlton was baptized on 25 July 1836 by his brother, Benjamin Lewis, with whom, the following year, he removed with his family to Caldwell County, Missouri. There, having been wounded by the mob at Haun's Mill, 30 October 1838, he buried his brother, Benjamin, who died at the hands of the same mob.

Having been expelled from Missouri, Tarlton and his family (consisting of his wife and two children), moved first to Quincy, Illinois, then in October 1839 to Commerce (afterwards Nauvoo), Illinois. Tarlton spent nine months in the Black River country getting out timber for the Nauvoo Temple; later, he took charge of the large cranes used in building the temple. Meanwhile, he was ordained a High Priest and set apart to preside as Bishop over the Fourth Ward in Nauvoo, under the hands of Jospeh and Hyrum Smith, and office he held until 1846, when mobs once again drove the Mormons from their homes. He passed the winter, 1846-47 at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, where his son Samuel, age 17, enlisted in the Mormon Battalion, Company C (26 June 1846), and where, probably on account of his skill as a Carpenter, Tarlton was chosen to travel with the pioneer company that President Brigham Young led into Salt Lake Valley.

The following account of the journey, somewhat abridged, is from Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 2: Great wisdom was shown by President Young and his associates in the selection of the men who were to comprise the pioneer band. They were chosen for their ability to make roads, build bridges, erect temporary quarters and provide food by hunting. There were builders, mechanics, masons, and many other trades so necessary for the journey across the plains and the first years in the valley. Fourteen companies were organized into tens with a captain over each. In addition there were captains of hundreds and fifties appointed. The captains of the hundreds were: Stephen Markham and Albert P. Rockwood; of fifties, Addison Everett, Tarlton Lewis and James Case. There was also a military organization, the officers of which were Brigham Young, Lieutenant-General; Jesse C. Little, Adjutant; Stephen Markham, Colonel; John Pack and Shadrach Roundy, Majors; Thomas Tanner, Captain of the Artillery. The artillery consisted of one cannon carried first in a wagon and later mounted on a pair of separate wheels. . . . Since there were eight horses that were not attached to teams, President Young named eight men to hunt on horseback.

Eleven men were selected to hunt on foot, namely . . . Tarlton Lewis. . . It was not at first intended that any women or children should join the pioneer company because of the hardships and dangers which necessarily must be faced on so long and hard a journey, but Harriet,the wife of Lorenzo Young, pleaded so earnestly to accompany her husband . . . that permission was finally granted . . . for her to make the journey. . . Clara Decker Young, wife of Brigham Young, and Ellen Saunders Kimball, wife of Heber C. Kimball, and two children also made the journey with the pioneer company. The women were ministering angels to the sick along the route.

When the original company of Utah Pioneers left Winter Quarters [16 April 1847] they numbered one hundred forty-eight souls, but en route several changes were made in the group. . . [at Fort Laramie, 3 June, four men left the company 3 June to deliver mail (349 letters) to the Mormon Battalion at Pueblo; 4 June, Robert Crow's company of Mississippi and Illinois Saints, consisting of seventeen persons, joined the 2nd division; 18 June, on the Platte, nine men stayed behind to tend the ferry; 3 July, five men left the company to meet their families, supposed to have been in the next emigration company, several hundred miles to the rear; a few days later, at Green River, ten men of the Mormon Battalion, including Thomas Bingham, joined the Pioneer Company. On its arrival in Salt Lake Valley, 22 through 24 July 1847, the Company consisted of 151 souls.]

The first order of business was the construction of a fort for protection against Indians. Concurrently, within this enclosure, the pioneers began construction of adobe huts and log cabins. Brigham Young remained in Salt Lake only a month before turning east again to meet other emigrant companies, but before his departure, he orchestrated a survey of the site, the choice of a name ("Great Salt Lake City"), and the appointment of a presiding Bishop, Tarlton Lewis – the first Bishop of Salt Lake. "Under the direction of Bishop Tarlton Lewis," wrote Andrew Jenson, "the brethren of the valley continued their labors on the houses which were being erected in the stockade, in what is known as Pioneer Square. Most of the houses were built in the interest of the immigrant trains, soon to arrive from the east."

Tarlton was also appointed overseer of the stockade, in place of Colonel Rockwood. With the arrival of nine additional companies in September and October 1847, the number of "saints" in the valley grew to about 2,000. On 7 November 1847, stake officers under Stake President John Smith (Joseph Smith's uncle), divided the Salt Lake Ward to form five new wards, with Tarlton Lewis as Bishop of the ward in the north half of the Old Fort. At this meeting, officers of the Stake allowed Tarlton $1.00 "for hanging the bell, to be collected and paid with the gate tax."

In Fall 1848, the Church sent Tarlton back to meet President Young and incoming companies, among which were his wife and children. In February 1849, when Great Salt Lake was divided into nineteen wards, Tarlton was chosen as first counselor to Bishop Edward Hunter of the Thirteenth Ward.

Late in 1850, President Young called upon Tarlton to help George A. Smith establish a settlement in Little Salt Lake Valley; thus, Tarlton became one of the founders of Parowan, Iron County, where he served as Bishop until spring 1858.

We learn, from Smith's journal, some of the things that occupied Tarleton's time during his first few months in Parowan:

January 20, 1851: Bishop Lewis and nine other men started up the canyon to cut timber for the meetinghouse . . .

May 24: Tarlton Lewis and Brimhall took a walk up Red Break and took their spades with them. They made an excavation into a mound, found adobe wall and some human bones and timber

June 16: Brother Tarlton Lewis went south the examine the possibility of bringing water out of Red Breaks to water our fields. He reported rather unfavorably, then he and Joel H. Johnson and W. H. Dame examined Summit Peak, and that was no good.

June 27: Brother Lewis, Grove, and Elmer went out to meet their families and returned with them in the evening.

In 1858, President Young sent Tarlton Lewis, Isaac Grundy, Jesse N. Smith and William Barton into Beaver Valley. Exploring the territory there, they discovered rich deposits of lead and iron. They took the specimens to Brigham Young, who ordered them, together with Sidney Tanner, John Blackburn, Edwin Bingham, Samuel Lewis, and James H. Rollins, to open the mines and locate a settlement nearby. This they did in May 1859, having named the settlement Minersville. The location of the mine, ultimately known as Lincoln Mine, was recorded in Beaver County on 7 December 1870 and was divided equally among the locators, 200 feet given to each.

In 1873, the Lewis family moved to Joseph, in Sevier County, where they lived in the United Order. By 1877, Tarlton and his family were living in Richfield, Sevier County. There, on 16 July, Tarlton was set apart as Bishop of the Second Ward under the hands of Erastus Snow and Orson Hyde, but was obliged to resign the post a year later on account of ill health. He died in 1890 at the home of his son, Beason Lewis, near Teasdale, Wayne County, Utah.

Tarlton Lewis is also said to have married Elizabeth Carson (1856), Jane Pearce, and Lydia Cummings. By Elizabeth, Tarlton had two children -- Benjamin, born in Parowan, 1 February 1858, died in Circleville, Piute, Utah, 5 February 1931, married (1) about 1883 Henrietta Pearson and (2) in Manti, Sanpete, Utah, 10 February 1890, Alice Thomas; William David Lewis, born in Parowan 6 May 1860, died in Parowan 8 February 1913, married in Parowan, 13 January 1881, Sarah Synthelia Barton. Two children are also attributed to Jane – Joseph Lewis, born in Parowan in 1859, and Adelbert Lewis, born in Parowan in 1861.

Sources for Tarlton's history include: Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia Vol. 3, Biographies and Vol. 4, Additional Biographies; Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; "Salt Lake's Original Nineteen LDS Wards," in An Enduring Legacy, Vol. 3; "The Old Fort" in Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 17; "Monuments Erected by Daughters of Utah Pioneers," in Heart Throbs of the West, Vol. 6

Tarlton's son, Samuel, a member of the Mormon Battalion, Company C, was born in Simpson County, Kentucky, Oct. 27, 1829. He was baptized by David Evans in Caldwell County, Missouri, in 1837, came with the Pioneers from Nauvoo to Mount Pisgah in 1846, and enlisted in the Battalion at Council Bluffs 16 July 1846. Having served one year he was discharged at Los Angeles, 6 July 1847. He arrived in the "Valley" in December, 1847, and settled in Salt Lake. A stone cutter by trade, Samuel worked on the Nauvoo Temple until the walls were completed, about eighteen months on the St. George Temple, fourteen months on the Salt Lake Temple, and four months on the Manti Temple. He went to Parowan in 1851, where he served as first counselor to his father (Bishop Tarlton Lewis); the, in 1880, to Arizona, where he was one of the first settlers in Pima. He helped to build John W. Young's factory at Moan Coppy, located at Thatcher, Arizona, about 1888 or 1889, and died in Phoenix, Arizona, 31 August 1911. [Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 4, Miscellaneous Biographies]

HISTORY:

Tarlton Lewis, first Bishop of Salt Lake City, was born 18 May 1805, in Pendleton District, South Carolina. Tarlton was the fourth child in a family of twelve children born to Neriah Lewis and Mary Moss. In 1809 the Lewis family moved to Kentucky, here Tarlton grew up and fell in love with Malinda Gimlin, the daughter of Samuel Gimlin and Elizabeth Moore. These two were married 27 March 1828. A little girl, whom they named Mary was born 27 Oct. 1829. The Lewis family moved to Macopin County, Illinois, where Beason Lewis was born 19 Feb. 1836. Tarlton and Malinda were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 25 July 1836 by Benjamin Lewis, brother of Tarlton.

Three of the brothers joined the Mormon Church in Caldwell County, Missouri; here they endured the persecutions dealt out to the saints by the mobs. The following story tells of one event.

From Archiebald Bennett's lesson booklet entitled Adventures in Research we read: "On October 30, 1838 at a place called Haun's Mill, on shoal creek in Missouri, a group of Mormon families had settled. Among them were three brothers, Benjamin, Tarlton and David. Angry mobs were threatening them from several settlements and the brethren met in council to decide what course to take, to defend against the mob threatening them with killings and house burnings. About 28 of the men were armed and in readiness to defend themselves against a small body of men who might come down upon them. The children were playing on both sides of the creek, the mothers were engaged in domestic activities and the fathers stood guard in the mill and other properties. The sun shown clear and all was tranquility.

About four o'clock a large company of armed men approached on horses and started firing about a hundred rifles upon Haun's Mill. Tarlton and Benjamin were wounded. Benjamin's wife gathered her children and took to the woods and stayed there all night. Benjamin had managed to nearly get to his house. He was taken in and his wounds cared for and he lived until early morning. He coughed up the bullet he was wounded with. His wife got home from the woods before he died and Benjamin asked her to keep the children in the Church together and to stay with them and then he expired. Returning to the Blacksmith Shop, they found eight already dead, and several expiring. In jeopardy of their own lives, expecting to be fired upon at any time they gathered up the dead bodies of their loved ones and threw them into an old well. Benjamin was buried in a grave dug by his brother, Tarlton. That is what history says but it is said, Malinda, as small as she was, with the help of Benjamin's wife did most of the digging—but the women don't get the credit due them. Tarlton was wounded in the shoulder and he carried the bullet to the grave, so he couldn't do much digging.

There was one, Isaac Laney, who was shot in the abdomen and his intestines were falling out. Malinda took off her kitchen apron and bound it around his stomach to keep things in place. They managed to get him to the Lewis home before the mob returned. Malinda saw them coming and hid Tarlton under the house. The mob searched the house and upon seeing Mr. Laney, decided he was too near dead to waste a bullet on, and they left, never knowing the whereabouts of Tarlton.

After they were gone, Malinda wondered what she could find to cleanse their wounds. She knelt down beside her husband's bed and prayed to the Lord for help, as she didn't know what to do next. As she opened her eyes she noticed white ashes laying on the hearth, it seemed the answer to her prayer. She gathered the ash and soaked it in water. This water she used to bathe the wounds of both men. For weeks she nursed these men and was successful in bringing them back to health. Mr. Laney recovered and came to Utah with the saints.

History relates: "Tarlton Lewis recovered, however, he carried the bullet to his grave as a mark of this terrible event. David, the other brother escaped unharmed."

Despite this shocking tragedy the two surviving brothers never lost faith in the Church. Soon others of the Lewis Family were converted and baptized.

In the year 1839 the family moved to Quincy, Illinois. In October 1839, moved to Commerce, later named Nauvoo. Here Tarlton was set apart as Bishop of the Nauvoo 4th Ward by the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. They also ordained him a High Priest. Their son, Edward, was born 3 Jan. 1840.

Tarlton loved the Prophet Joseph Smith. On 5 June 1841, he and several other men learning that the prophet was in danger of abduction, boarded a skiff and went to Quincy in order to rescue him. They arrived too late for they found he had been taken to Nauvoo in Company of the Officers.

Tarlton Lewis spent nine months in the Black Hills getting out timbers for the erection of the Nauvoo Temple. He had charge of the crane used in hoisting the material for the erection of the temple. He was also very skilled as a cabinet maker and carpenter. He and eight other men and Brigham Young hoisted the last stone into it's place, thus finishing the temple. Tarlton and Malinda had their endowments on the 17th of December 1845 and were sealed in the Nauvoo temple for time and all eternity 6 Feb. 1846.

On the 26th of June the Mormon Battalion was organized and Samuel, their oldest son signed up in Company "C". This was a terrible blow to his father and his turned white almost overnight as his son was only 16 years old.

The winter of 1846 was spent in "Winter Quarters" where the saints suffered much from cold and for want of food. A hole was chopped in the ice of the Missouri River to get water for camp use. One day Malinda went for water and little Edward tagged along. When she returned with her two buckets she thought he was right behind her, but he wasn't. Hurrying to the river – all she could find was the little brass bucket her child had been carrying. It was supposed he slipped into the hole and was carried down stream. Such a sad time, and it was here on the 23rd of Dec, 1846, the same year, that Tarlton Lewis Jr. was born. Leaving his family camped in a covered wagon at Winter Quarters, Malinda's husband traveled with Brigham Young, as one of the original pioneers to Utah in 1847. In 1848 he came back to Winter Quarters with Brigham Young's party, with supplies to meet the immigrant trains. Here he found his own family just as he had left them, and brought them to Utah with him. Brigham was Captain of the 1st Division, arriving Sept. 21, 1848.

Martha Lewis was born July 10, 1849 in Salt Lake City. Malinda was proud of the fact that her husband was such a leader in the Church. He was the first Bishop in the valley, then, in December 1850 he was called to accompany George A. Smith to explore southern Utah and was one of the first settlers in Parowan, Iron County. He moved there with his family and over a hundred others on January 13, 1851, to make a permanent settlement. He was soon made Bishop of the new settlement of Parowan.

It was not Malinda's lot to enjoy for long the home that she worked so hard for in Minersville. About 14 years later her husband was called to Joseph, in Sevier County, to help establish the United Order. They lived there a few years, then moved on a little north and east to the larger town of Richfield. Here her husband was again set apart as Bishop of Richfield, 2nd Ward.

Tarlton Lewis died Nov. 22, 1890 at Teasdale, Wayne County, Utah, at the home of his son, Beason Lewis. Malinda died June 5, 1894 at Richfield, Sevier County, Utah and was buried there.

Ruel Smith, son of Hyrum and Laura Smith, while doing research work in the library in Cedar City, Utah found the following: From the history of Andrew Jensen. "Under the direction of Bishop Tarlton Lewis, the brethren of the valley continued their labors on the houses which were being created in the stockades known as Pioneer Square. Now, Pioneer Park. Most of these houses were built in the interest of immigration; people were soon expected to arrive from the east."

Source: http://www.wendycat.com/geoffrey/history/families/lewis/history_of_...

HISTORY

"History of Tarlton Lewis or Pioneer Fame"

Tarlton Lewis, first Bishop of Salt Lake City, was born 18 May 1805, in Pendleton District, South Carolina. Tarlton was the fourth child in a family of twelve children born to Neriah Lewis and Mary Moss. In 1809 the Lewis family moved to Kentucky, here Tarlton grew up and fell in love with Malinda Gimlin, the daughter of Samuel Gimlin and Elizabeth Moore. These two were married 27 March 1828. A little girl, whom they named Mary was born 27 Oct. 1829. The Lewis family moved to Macoupin County, Illinois, where Beason Lewis was born 19 Feb. 1836. Tarlton and Malinda were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 25 July 1836 by Benjamin Lewis, brother of Tarlton.

Three of the brothers joined the Mormon Church in Caldwell County, Missouri; here they endured the persecutions dealt out to the saints by the mobs. The following story tells of one event.

From Archiebald Bennett's lesson booklet entitled Adventures in Research we read: "On October 30, 1838 at a place called Haun's Mill, on shoal creek in Missouri, a group of Mormon families had settled. Among them were three brothers, Benjamin, Tarlton and David. Angry mobs were threatening them from several settlements and the brethren met in council to decide what course to take, to defend against the mob threatening them with killings and house burnings. About 28 of the men were armed and in readiness to defend themselves against a small body of men who might come down upon them. The children were playing on both sides of the creek, the mothers were engaged in domestic activities and the fathers stood guard in the mill and other properties. The sun shown clear and all was tranquility.

About four o'clock a large company of armed men approached on horses and started firing about a hundred rifles upon Haun's Mill. Tarlton and Benjamin were wounded. Benjamin's wife gathered her children and took to the woods and stayed there all night. Benjamin had managed to nearly get to his house. He was taken in, and his wounds cared for and he lived until early morning. He coughed up the bullet he was wounded with. His wife got home from the woods before he died and Benjamin asked her to keep the children in the Church together and to stay with them and then he expired. Returning to the Blacksmith Shop, they found eight already dead, and several expiring. In jeopardy of their own lives, expecting to be fired upon at any time they gathered up the dead bodies of their loved ones and threw them into an old well. Benjamin was buried in a grave dug by his brother, Tarlton. That is what history says but it is said, Malinda, as small as she was, with the help of Benjamin's wife did most of the digging—but the women don't get the credit due them. Tarlton was wounded in the shoulder and he carried the bullet to the grave, so he couldn't do much digging.

There was one, Isaac Laney, who was shot in the abdomen and his intestines were falling out. Malinda took off her kitchen apron and bound it around his stomach to keep things in place. They managed to get him to the Lewis home before the mob returned. Malinda saw them coming and hid Tarlton under the house. The mob searched the house and upon seeing Mr. Laney, decided he was too near dead to waste a bullet on, and they left, never knowing the whereabouts of Tarlton.

After they were gone, Malinda wondered what she could find to cleanse their wounds. She knelt down beside her husband's bed and prayed to the Lord for help, as she didn't know what to do next. As she opened her eyes she noticed white ashes laying on the hearth, it seemed the answer to her prayer. She gathered the ash and soaked it in water. This water she used to bathe the wounds of both men. For weeks she nursed these men and was successful in bringing them back to health. Mr. Laney recovered and came to Utah with the Saints.

History relates: "Tarlton Lewis recovered, however, he carried the bullet to his grave as a mark of this terrible event. David, the other brother escaped unharmed."

Despite this shocking tragedy the two surviving brothers never lost faith in the Church. Soon others of the Lewis Family were converted and baptized.

In the year 1839 the family moved to Quincy, Illinois. In October 1839, moved to Commerce, later named Nauvoo. Here Tarlton was set apart as Bishop of the Nauvoo 4th Ward by the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. They also ordained him a High Priest. Their son, Edward, was born 3 Jan. 1840.

Tarlton loved the Prophet Joseph Smith. On 5 June 1841, he and several other men learning that the prophet was in danger of abduction, boarded a skiff and went to Quincy in order to rescue him. They arrived too late for they found he had been taken to Nauvoo in Company of the Officers.

Tarlton Lewis spent nine months in the Black Hills getting out timbers for the erection of the Nauvoo Temple. He had charge of the crane used in hoisting the material for the erection of the temple. He was also very skilled as a cabinet-maker and carpenter. He and eight other men and Brigham Young hoisted the last stone into it's place, thus finishing the temple. Tarlton and Malinda had their endowments on the 17th of December 1845 and were sealed in the Nauvoo temple for time and all eternity 6 Feb. 1846.

On the 26th of June the Mormon Battalion was organized and Samuel, their oldest son, signed up in Company "C". This was a terrible blow to his father and his hair turned white almost overnight as his son was only 16 years old.

The winter of 1846 was spent in "Winter Quarters" where the saints suffered much from cold and for want of food. A hole was chopped in the ice of the Missouri River to get water for camp use. One day Malinda went for water and little Edward tagged along. When she returned with her two buckets she thought he was right behind her, but he wasn't. Hurrying to the river – all she could find was the little brass bucket her child had been carrying. It was supposed he slipped into the hole and was carried down stream. Such a sad time, and it was here on the 23rd of Dec, 1846, the same year, that Tarlton Lewis Jr. was born. Leaving his family camped in a covered wagon at Winter Quarters, Malinda€™s husband traveled with Brigham Young, as one of the original pioneers to Utah in 1847. In 1848 he came back to Winter Quarters with Brigham Young's party, with supplies to meet the immigrant trains. Here he found his own family just as he had left them, and brought them to Utah with him. Brigham was Captain of the 1st Division, arriving Sept. 21, 1848.

Martha Lewis was born July 10, 1849 in Salt Lake City. Malinda was proud of the fact that her husband was such a leader in the Church. He was the first Bishop in the valley, then, in December 1850 he was called to accompany George A. Smith to explore southern Utah and was one of the first settlers in Parowan, Iron County. He moved there with his family, and over a hundred others, on January 13, 1851, to make a permanent settlement. He was soon made Bishop of the new settlement of Parowan.

It was not Malinda's lot to enjoy for long the home that she worked so hard for in Minersville. About 14 years later her husband was called to Joseph, in Sevier County, to help establish the United Order. They lived there a few years, then moved on a little north and east to the larger town of Richfield. Here her husband was again set apart as Bishop of Richfield, 2nd Ward.

Tarlton Lewis died Nov. 22, 1890 at Teasdale, Wayne County, Utah, at the home of his son, Beason Lewis. Malinda died June 5, 1894 at Richfield, Sevier County, Utah and was buried there.

It can be said of Malinda that she was one of the kindest persons that ever lived. She was ever on the lookout for ways to help those in need. It seemed she knew just when her neighbors needed her help most and would appear on the scene at the right moment to do the most good. Even after she had passed on, these incidents of her helpfulness were told and retold to her posterity by theirs.

Ruel Smith, son of Hyrum and Laura Smith, while doing research work in the library in Cedar City, Utah found the following: From the history of Andrew Jensen. "Under the direction of Bishop Tarlton Lewis, the brethren of the valley continued their labors on the houses which were being created in the stockades known as Pioneer Square. Now, Pioneer Park. Most of these houses were built in the interest of immigration; people were soon expected to arrive from the east."

From the diary of George A. Smith we read: "Sunday, Dec 15, 1850, Bishop Tarlton Lewis assisted by the brethren made a large campfire in the center of the corral, by request a general meeting was opened by singing and prayer was given by Tarlton Lewis. Call was made for the Bishops to come forward and answer to their names. This took place on the Provo River, Monday morning, Jan. 10, 1851. Bishop Lewis and nine other men started up the canyon to cut timber for a new meetinghouse. Tuesday 18, 1851: Bishop Lewis and three other men commenced framing the mill. Friday May 16, 1851: Tarlton Lewis appointed 2nd Alderman on the city council. On June 17, 1851 another boy was born to this household, they named him Ephriam Lewis.

May 24: Tarlton Lewis and Brinkerhoff took a walk to Red Breaks, took their spades along, excavated a mound, found an adobe wall, some human bones, and timber."

Tarlton and Malinda were the parents of eight children. Theirs is a great posterity. From a second marriage there were two sons, William and Benjamin.

Tarlton was a real pioneer always helping found new towns, making reservoirs, clearing new land, and encouraging people to build and build well. He was always on the frontier. He was a colorful figure in the early days of southern Utah. He was often referred to as the "Grand Old Man."

When Tarlton was a small boy he was afraid of ghosts, he had to bring the cows in and it was generally dark before they were all gathered home; so he told his father he didn't want to go after the cows. "Well," said his father, "the next time you see a ghost I will tell you what to do, pick up a big stick and walk right up to the thing and hit it hard and you will never be afraid again." Tarlton had always loved and obeyed his father; so one night sure enough he could see a ghost through the big trees as he was in the forest. His first impulse was to run, and then he remembered what his father had told him, so he found a big stick, and with trembling hands and knees shaking he walked right up to the ghost, and there stood one of the old milk cows with a little new white calf walking around her. It was a lesson Tarlton never forgot and he was never afraid again.

Laura Smith gives this bit of information: One of my long-time friends tells me this story about Tarlton Lewis and his wife, Malinda. She said when she was a young girl her family was moving into the town where the Lewis family lived; they were quite poor and had to do a lot of repair work on the house they were moving into. It was cold and they had worked hard all day, and were very tired, not taking time to fix supper and they hadn't much to fix. It was night when a knock came at the door, on opening it who should be standing there but Tarlton Lewis and his good wife and a big basket of food, all for them. She quoted, "A friend in need is a friend indeed", and what a spread they had that night; a big pot of hot beans, a big roast, hot bread just out of the oven, and a great bowl of fresh butter. Oh how they enjoyed that meal. This friend of mine said it was the best dinner she ever ate in all of her life. She said for then on she dearly loved this couple, and had never forgotten the kindness these good people had shown to her family. She said Tarlton had a good home, a big farm and all farm animals needed to care for his property; his place was kept so free of weeds that he had to get weeds from his neighbors to feed his pigs. Everything was well cared for; he had a nice strawberry patch; orchard; and wonderful garden, in fact they raised nearly everything they needed to eat, drink or wear. His home was a model for anyone to pattern after. It is said Tarlton gave away more than he kept for himself. This family was dearly loved by all of their neighbors.

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               FAMILY HISTORY OF TARLTON LEWIS

1805 - 1890
Tarlton Lewis, first Bishop of Salt Lake City was born 18 May
1805, in Pendleton District, South Carolina. Tarlton was the fourth

child in a family of 12 children, born to Neriah Lewis and Mary

Moss.

    In 1809 the Lewis family moved to Kentucky, here Tarlton grew

up and fell in love with Malinda Gimlin, the daughter of Samuel

Gimlin and Elizabeth Moore. These two were wed 27 Oct 1829. A

Little girl whom they named Mary was born Sep 10, 1831.

    The Lewis family moved to Macopin Co., Illinois where Beason

Lewis was born 19 Feb 1836.

    Tarlton and Malinda were baptized into the Church of Jesus

Christ of Latter-day-Saints, 25 Jul 1836, by Benjamin Lewis,

brother of Tarlton. Three of his brothers joined the Church in

Caldwell County, Missouri. Here they endured the persecutions meted

out to the saints by the mobs.

    From Archiebald Bennett's Lesson booklet entitled, "Adventures

in Research", we read, "On Oct 30, 1838 at a place called Haun's

Mill on Shoal Creek in Missouri; a group of Mormon families had

settled. Among them were three brothers, Benjamin, Tarlton and

David. Angry mobs were threatening them from several settlements

and the brothern met in council to decide what course of to pursue

to defend themselves against the mob threatening them with killings

and house burnings. About 28 of the men were armed and in readiness

to defend themselves against a small body of men who might come

down upon them. The children were playing on both sides of the

creek, the mothers were engaged in domestic activities and the

fathers stood guard in the mill and other properties. The sun shown

clear and all was in tranquillity."

    "About four O'Clock a large company of armed men approached on

horses and started firing about a hundred rifles upon Haun's Mill.

Tarlton and Benjamin were wounded. Benjamin's wife gathered her

children and took to the woods and stayed there all night. Benjamin

had managed to nearly get to his house, he was taken in and his

wounds cared for and he lived till early morning. He coughed up the

bullet he was wounded with. His wife got home from the woods before

he died and Benjamin asked her to keep the children in the Church

together and to stay with them and then expired."

    "Returning to the blacksmith shop, they found eight already

dead, and several expiring; in jeopardy of their own lives,

expecting to be fired upon any time they gathered up the dead

bodies of their loved ones and threw them into an old well.

Benjamin was buried in a grave dug by his brother Tarlton."

(Malinda, Tarlton's wife, as small as she was, with the help of

Benjamin's wife did most of the digging. Tarlton was already

wounded in the shoulder and he carried the bullet to the grave.)

    There was one Isaac Laney who was shot in the abdomen and his

intestines were falling out, Malinda took off her kitchen apron and

bound it around his stomach to keep thing in place, they managed to

get him to the Lewis home before the mob returned. Malinda saw them

coming and hid Tarlton under the house. The mob searched the house

and upon seeing Mr. Laney decided he was too near dead to waste a

bullet on. They left never knowing the whereabouts of Tarlton.

After they were gone, Malinda wondered what she could find to

cleanse their wounds. She knelt down beside her husband's bed and

prayed to the Lord for help, as she didn't know what to do next.

When she finished her prayer, she opened her eyes, she noticed some

white ashes lying on the hearth. This seemed the answer to her

prayers. She gathered the ash and soaked it in water, with this

water she used to bathe the wounds of both men. For weeks she

nursed these men and was successful in bringing them back to

health. YES! Mr. Laney recovered and came to Utah with the Saints.

David the other brother escaped unharmed. Despite this shocking

tragedy the two surviving brothers never lost faith in the Gospel,

soon others of the Lewis family were converted and baptized.

    In the year 1839 the family moved to Quincy, Illinois. In Oct

1839, they moved to Commerce, later called Nauvoo. Here Tarlton was

set apart as Bishop of the Nauvoo 4th Ward by the Prophet Joseph

Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith, they also ordained him a High

Priest. Their son Edward was born 3 Jan 1840.

    Tarlton loved the Prophet Joseph Smith. On Jun 5, 1831 he and

several other men learned that the Prophet was in danger of being

abducted, boarded a skiff and went to Quincy in order to rescue

him. They arrived too late for they found he had been taken to

Nauvoo in Company of the officers.

    Tarlton Lewis spent nine months in the Black Hills getting out

timbers for the erection of the Nauvoo Temple. He had charge of the

crane used in hoisting the material for the erection of the Temple.

He was also very skilled as a cabinet maker and carpenter. He and

eight other men and Brigham Young hoisted the last stone into it's

place thus finishing the Temple. Tarlton and Malinda had their

Endowments on the 17th of Dec 1845 and were sealed in this Temple

for time and all eternity 6 Feb 1846.

    On the 26th of June 1846 the Mormon Battalion was organized.

Tarlton's oldest son Samuel being only 16 years old. He signed up

in Company "C". This proved to be a terrible blow to his father,

and it is said that Tarlton's hair turned gray almost over night.

Samuel was born Oct 27, 1829. On that date of 1829 he would have

been 17 years, but he joined the Battalion about four months before

he was 17 years old. Age 18 was the official age to join. We can

see how the father must have felt at seeing his young son go into

the services so young, the youngest of all but one man and that one

was named Lott Smith.

    The winter of 1846 was spent at Winter Quarters, where the

Saints suffered much from cold and hunger. Little Edward tagged

along one day when his mother went to the river where they got

their water for their house use. When the mother returned with her

two buckets for more water, she thought Edward was still coming up

the hill toward home, but she could see nothing of him. He was

supposed to have been carrying his little brass bucket full of

water, but couldn't be found; a hole had been chopped in the ice to

draw out the water, and there was the little brass bucket beside

the hole, but no Edward to be found. They walked the banks of the

river for weeks trying to find the boy's body, but they never find

it; it is supposed that Edward tried to dip water out of the hole

and slipped in. It cast a gloom over the family. It was here in

Winter Quarters that Tarlton Lewis, Jr. was born 23 Dec 1846 to his

large family.

    Leaving his family camped on a covered wagon at Winter

Quarters. He came to Utah with Brigham Young, as one of the

original Pioneers to Utah on the 16th of Apr 1847. He was asked to

be Captain over 50 wagons. He took charge of the ox teams and other

jobs along the trail. They arrived in Salt Lake Valley the 24th of

July 1847. He was asked to act first Bishop of Salt Lake City, a

position which he held until the saints were organized into five

Bishop Wards. Later, Tarlton was asked to serve as 2nd Councilor to

Edward Hunter of the 13th Ward.

    Please Note: Ruel Smith, son of Hyrum and Laura Smith while

doing research work in the big library in Cedar City, Utah found

the following and copied it. "From Andrew Jensen"s History is this

note: Under the direction of Bishop Tarlton Lewis, the brethren of

the valley continued their labors on the houses which were being

created in the stockades known as Pioneer Square. New Pioneer

Park.. Most of these houses were built in the interest of

immigration. More people were soon expected to arrive from the

east.'

    In the year 1848, Tarlton went with Brigham Young and party

back to Winter Quarters with supplies to meet the immigrants. Here

he found his own family just as he had left them. He brought them

back to Utah with him.

    Martha Lewis was born the 10th of July 1849 in Salt Lake City,

Utah.

    In Dec of 1850, Tarlton lewis accompanied George A. Smith to

Iron County, where they settled in Parowan, Utah. This was the

beginning of the settlements in Southern Utah. Tarlton was soon

made Bishop of that town. From the diary of George A. Smith we

read- "Sunday, Dec 15, 1850, Bishop Tarlton Lewis assisted by the

brethren made a large campfire in the center of the corral, by

request a general meeting was opened by singing and prayer was

given by Bishop Tarlton Lewis. A call was made for the Bishops to

come forward and answer to their names. This took place on the

Provo River."

    "Monday morning, Jan 20, 1851, Bishop Lewis and nine other men

started up the canyon to cut timber for a new meeting house."

    "Tuesday 1851, Bishop Lewis and three other men commenced

farming the mill."

    "Friday, May 16, 1851, Tarlton Lewis appointed 2nd Alderman on

the City Council."

    On June 17, 1852 another boy was born to this household, they

named him Ephriam Lewis"

    "In 1858, Tarlton Lewis and Isaac Grundy, Jesse N. Smith and

William Barton were sent to explore Beaver Valley; while working in

this territory they discovered rich deposits of lead and iron in

the mountains. Specimens were taken to Brigham Young and the

specimens caused quite a bit of excitement. These men were ordered

to open the mines and lay out a townsite. Minersville was settled

in 1859. With the arrival of the first families, the Lincoln Mine

was opened and a company formed with Isaac Grundy as President and

Samuel Lewis, oldest son of Tarlton was one of the Directors and

others who were: William Barton, John Blackburn, James H. Rawlins,

and Silas S. Smith."

    "At one time the settlers needed a pea made to use with their

steelyards used in weighing their commodities, (pea- the sliding

weight used on a steelyard, safety-valve, etc.) Several men went

upon the mountain and were able to get lead so rich that they

melted and separated the lead over a pine fire. On the 24th of May,

Tarlton Lewis and Brinkerhoff took a walk to Red Breaks. They took

their spades along, excavated a mound, found an adobe wall, some

human bones, and timber."

    Elizabeth (Reese) Graig, (a great grand-mother of yours) a

friend of the Lewis family, used to relate this story. She said

when they moved into the same neighborhood that the Lewis family

lived in, they didn't have much to eat. They were very poor and

worked all day on the old house they were moving into. It was full

of cracks, broken windows, and not much good. It was cold and they

worked very hard all day without a bite to eat. So when evening

came they were wondering what they could eat to ease their hunger

when a knock came to their door. Opening it Tarlton Lewis and his

wife walked in with a basket full of food, a huge beef roast, a pot

of beans and a large loaf of not bread with a bowl of fresh butter.

They all sat down to the best tasting food she had ever ate. She

thought Tarlton Lewis was the best man she ever knew. They lived

close to them for years. She said the Lewis's had a good

comfortable home, lots of milk cows, chickens and other farm

animals, a well kept farm, a garden, a strawberry patch and a

lovely fruit orchard, in fact he raised most of everything the

family needed. She said the Lewis's had a good comfortable home,

and kept his place so clean of weeds that he had to get weeds for

his pigs from the neighbors. He was a big man and had a big tummy

which made it hard for him to stoop so he got down on his hands and

knees to pull the weeds out of his garden. She said that she

believed that he gave more food away to the needy than he kept for

himself.

    Malinda Lewis was the first President of the Relief Society in

Minersville. On Apr 16, 1859, her husband donated the lot to build

the hall on.

    Tarlton and family lived in Minersville for about 14 years,

then with some of their children and some of their families and

others moved to Jo City often called Jo Town. It was here they

lived the United Order for a few years. Later they moved to

Richfield, Sevier County, Utah. On the 16th of July 1877, Tarlton

was set apart as Bishop of 2nd Ward of Richfield under the hands of

Erastus Snow and Orson Hyde. This position he held slightly more

than a year. His health forced him to resign. They many sufferings

he had endured along with the saints and the wound and the bullet

he carried in his shoulder all these years was telling on him, and

he was a man of 73 years old. He was made Bishop in most every

community he lived in. Although he was a very large man, he was

very active and hard worker. Tarleton usually weighed 300 lbs. and

more, but all his life was spent in the service of the Church, it's

cause and progress. Tarleton and Malinda Gimlin were the parents of

eight children. They will be heirs to a great posterity. From a

second marriage there were two sons, William and Benjamin. There

are numerous descendants from these boys, also who have lived and

raised their families in Circleville, Piute County, Utah.

    Tarlton was a real Pioneer, always helping to find new towns,

making reservoirs, clearing new land and encouraging people to

build and build well. He was always on the frontier. He was a

colorful figure in early days of southern Utah. It is said Tarlton

gave away more than he kept for himself. This family was dearly

loved by all their neighbors. He was often referred to as "The

Grand Old Man". All his life was spent in the service of building

up Zion.

    Tarlton died at the ranch home of his son Beason on Fish Creek

near Teasdale, Wayne County, Utah, 22, Nov 1890 and was buried in

Teasdale Cemetery.

    (taken from, "History of Iron County Mission and Parowan

Colonization - part I by Eugenie R. Hunt, p 27 in poss of Mr. Ted

L. Moody, Safford, Az).

    Malinda Gimlin Lewis was the daughter of Samuel Gimlin and

Elizabeth Moore. She was born 27 Mar 1811 in Cumberlin County,

Kentucky. She fell in love with Tarlton Lewis and they were married

27 Mar 1828. The lives of these two good Grandparents of ours are

so closely woven together that the story of one is the story of

them both.

    Right here I want to put in a clause about the Gimlin Family.

I have lately ran into a cousin of ours living in Clarksville,

Arkansas, she is a Catholic and has a definite hatred for Mormons,

but will answer my letters as long as I leave out religion and

don"t send her any literature. She has sent me allot of Gimlin

records and some pictures of our relatives on the Gimlin and Moore

side. I'm so happy to get them. I have two of Malinda's brothers

pictures I never expected to find and some records and history, so

I am proud of my little cousin Tugie Baxter. Cousin Tugie told me

how bad she felt when Tarlton married Malinda. Her brothers

threatened to whip Tarlton and all that prevented them from doing

it was the size of Tarlton. They were afraid of him. The whole

family were opposed to it and have hated the Mormons ever since.

Tugie is a widow; had 14 children then her husband left her and

married another woman. Tugie is devoted to Jesus as anyone can be.

She regrets that Malinda didn't stay with her brother's church.

David was his name and he was a great preacher and had a great

following and if Malinda had stayed with him she could of had a

high position in it; but she lost her chance when she married that

Mormon. Malinda was a small woman as were all the Gimlins; they

were a small tribe, I guess. She only weighed about 100 lbs. and

when she stood beside Tarlton, he sitting down, she and him were

about the same height. It can be said of Malinda, she was one of

the kindest persons that ever lived. She was ever on the lookout

for ways to help those in need, it seemed that she knew just when

her neighbors needed her help the most and would appear on the

scene at the right time to do the most good. This attribute gained

for her many lasting friends. Even after she passed away those

incidents of her helpfulness were told and retold to her posterity

by those who knew her personally. That her posterity of today may

get some idea of her looks, she was a very thin and tiny woman with

beautiful dark hair and eyes. What she lacked in size, she made up

in sweetness and energy. Thus her memory will live forever and be

revealed by each generation of her family as they come along.

Malinda died at Richfield, Utah, 5th June 1894 and was buried

there.

    Here is a statement made by Tarlton Lewis at a meeting being

held in Southern Utah, just before the Mountain Meadow Massacre: he

being the Bishop in Parowan.

    "Brother Lewis then reviewed the remarks of the previous

speaker (who was Lot Smith) then said this: "All good and for

good", all the scenes that Brother Lot has recounted I shared in

Missouri. My brother was killed in Missouri and I am alive to

avenge his blood when the Lord wills. The second time I heard a

Mormon preach he declared holding up a Book of Mormon that this is

a record of the Red Men, and of Gods' dealings with their

forefathers, and that one day we should carry this book to the

indians. We are now living among them to carry this work to them.

We must treat them like children to quite their savage ways. Shall

we have no opportunities? We shall! No conquest without a struggle.

No victory without a fight. Be diligent and faithful and patient,

and the Lord will reward you when you have been proved. Ephraim is

the battle ax of the Lord. May we not have been sent to learn how

to use this ax with skill?

    (the original of this journal is in the archives of the LDS

Church)

    When Tarlton was a small boy he was afraid of ghosts, he had

to bring in the cows and it was generally dark before they were all

gathered in, so he told his father he didn't want to go after the

cows. Well, said his father next time you see a ghost I tell you

what to do, pick up a big stick and walk right up to the thing and

hit it hard and you will never be scared again. Tarlton had always

loved and obeyed his father, so one night sure enough he could see

a ghost through the big trees as he was in the forest, his first

impulse was to run, then he remembered what his father had told him

so he found a big stick and with trembling hands and knees shaking

he walked right up to the ghost, and there stood one of the old

milk cows with a little new white calf walking around her. it was

a lesson Tarlton never forgot, and he never was afraid of ghosts

anymore.

        THE FAMILY OF TARLTON LEWIS AND MALINDA GIMLIN

Tarlton Lewis, b. 18 May 1805 in Pendleton Distric, Andrsn, S-
Cr, son of Neriah and Mary Moss, md. (1) 27 Mar 1828 Malinda

Gimlin, b. 27 Mar 1811 in Cumberlin Co., kntc, dau. of Samuel and

Elizabeth Moore, she d. 5 Jun 1894 in Richfield, Sevier Utah, she

was also bur. in Richfield, Utah.

    Tarlton, md. 2nd Elizabeth Carson; (3) Jane Pearce; (4) Lydia

Cummings; (5) Elizabeth Lewis. All the wifes #'s 2 though #5 are

listed, but no children are listed to this date, they are perhaps

only sealed by marriage in a LDS Temple!

         To this union the following children were born:

1- Samuel, b. 27 Oct 1829 of Franklin, Smpsn, Kntc,
md. 1 Jan 1854 to Sarah Jane Huntsman, he d. 31 Aug 1911.
2- Mary, b. 10 Sep 1831 of Franklin, Kntc, she d. 11 Feb 1837.
3- Beason, b. 19 Feb 1836 of Macoupin Co., Illn, md. (1) 1868
to Adeline Rhodes; 2nd 20 May 1837 to Mary Magdelene
Nazer; 3rd 10 Nov 1878 to Alice Leanah Swangen or Swanyan,
he d. 5 Apr 1902.
4- Edward, b. 3 Jan 1840 in Nauvoo, Hncck, Illn,
he d. 12 Dec 1846.
5- Malinda, b. 30 Jan 1844 in Nauvoo, Illn,
she d. 28 Aug 1857.
6- Tarlton, Jr., b. 23 Dec 1846 in Pottowatimie, Coffy, Knss,
md. 18 Oct 1869 to Almira Ferguson, he d. in Mar of 1926.
7- *Martha Lewis, b. 10 Jul 1849 in Salt Lake City, S-lk, Ut,
md. 3 Jan 1866 to Christian Johnson, she d. 11 May 1866.
8- Ephraim, b. 17 Jun 1852 in Parowan, Iron, Utah, unmarried,
he d. 20 Apr 1868.
Tarlton Lewis, died 22 Nov 1890 in Teasdale, Wayne, Utah, he
was buried in Teasdale, Utah.

HISTORY:

possible match? Joseph Smith is arrested and "Hosea Stout, Tarleton Lewis, William A. Hickman, John S. Higbee, Elijah Able [sic], Uriel C. Nickerson, and George W. Clyde started from the Nauvoo landing, in a skiff in order to overtake me and rescue me, if necessary." When the group arrives at Quincy, they find that Joseph has been taken back to Nauvoo. (History of the Church, 4:365)

HISTORY:

On the 25th day of September, 1841, Elders Alpheus Cutler and Peter Haws, started for the pine country to obtain lumber for the Temple and Nauvoo House. They took with them, Tarleton Lewis, Jabez Durfee, Hardin Wilson, Wm. L. Cutler, Horace Owens, Octavius Pauket, Blakely B. Anderson, James M. Flack, Nathaniel Child, Brother Child's wife and daughter, and Peter W. Conover. These brethren spent the Winter in the pine forests, and toiled diligently in their appointed work. They suffered some because of the cold in that northern region, but they made good progress. By the following July, they had succeeded in making up and bringing to Nauvoo a large raft of first-ratepine timber. By this means the prospect of the work was much brightened.

Source: http://www.zianet.com/collier/diaries.htm

BURIAL:

Source: www.findagrave.com

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Tarlton Lewis, first Bishop of Salt Lake City, was born 18 May 1805, in Pendleton District, South Carolina. Tarlton was the fourth child in a family of twelve children born to Neriah Lewis and Mary Moss. In 1809 the Lewis family moved to Kentucky, here Tarlton grew up and fell in love with Malinda Gimlin, the daughter of Samuel Gimlin and Elizabeth Moore. These two were married 27 March 1828. A little girl, whom they named Mary was born 27 Oct. 1829. The Lewis family moved to Macopin County, Illinois, where Beason Lewis was born 19 Feb. 1836. Tarlton and Malinda were baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 25 July 1836 by Benjamin Lewis, brother of Tarlton.

Three of the brothers joined the Mormon Church in Caldwell County, Missouri; here they endured the persecutions dealt out to the saints by the mobs. The following story tells of one event.

From Archiebald Bennett’s lesson booklet entitled Adventures in Research we read: "On October 30, 1838 at a place called Haun’s Mill, on shoal creek in Missouri, a group of Mormon families had settled. Among them were three brothers, Benjamin, Tarlton and David. Angry mobs were threatening them from several settlements and the brethren met in council to decide what course to take, to defend against the mob threatening them with killings and house burnings. About 28 of the men were armed and in readiness to defend themselves against a small body of men who might come down upon them. The children were playing on both sides of the creek, the mothers were engaged in domestic activities and the fathers stood guard in the mill and other properties. The sun shown clear and all was tranquility.

About four o’clock a large company of armed men approached on horses and started firing about a hundred rifles upon Haun’s Mill. Tarlton and Benjamin were wounded. Benjamin’s wife gathered her children and took to the woods and stayed there all night. Benjamin had managed to nearly get to his house. He was taken in and his wounds cared for and he lived until early morning. He coughed up the bullet he was wounded with. His wife got home from the woods before he died and Benjamin asked her to keep the children in the Church together and to stay with them and then he expired. Returning to the Blacksmith Shop, they found eight already dead, and several expiring. In jeopardy of their own lives, expecting to be fired upon at any time they gathered up the dead bodies of their loved ones and threw them into an old well. Benjamin was buried in a grave dug by his brother, Tarlton. That is what history says but it is said, Malinda, as small as she was, with the help of Benjamin’s wife did most of the digging—but the women don’t get the credit due them. Tarlton was wounded in the shoulder and he carried the bullet to the grave, so he couldn’t do much digging.

There was one, Isaac Laney, who was shot in the abdomen and his intestines were falling out. Malinda took off her kitchen apron and bound it around his stomach to keep things in place. They managed to get him to the Lewis home before the mob returned. Malinda saw them coming and hid Tarlton under the house. The mob searched the house and upon seeing Mr. Laney, decided he was too near dead to waste a bullet on, and they left, never knowing the whereabouts of Tarlton.

After they were gone, Malinda wondered what she could find to cleanse their wounds. She knelt down beside her husband’s bed and prayed to the Lord for help, as she didn’t know what to do next. As she opened her eyes she noticed white ashes laying on the hearth, it seemed the answer to her prayer. She gathered the ash and soaked it in water. This water she used to bathe the wounds of both men. For weeks she nursed these men and was successful in bringing them back to health. Mr. Laney recovered and came to Utah with the saints.

History relates: "Tarlton Lewis recovered, however, he carried the bullet to his grave as a mark of this terrible event. David, the other brother escaped unharmed."

Despite this shocking tragedy the two surviving brothers never lost faith in the Church. Soon others of the Lewis Family were converted and baptized.

In the year 1839 the family moved to Quincy, Illinois. In October 1839, moved to Commerce, later named Nauvoo. Here Tarlton was set apart as Bishop of the Nauvoo 4th Ward by the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum. They also ordained him a High Priest. Their son, Edward, was born 3 Jan. 1840.

Tarlton loved the Prophet Joseph Smith. On 5 June 1841, he and several other men learning that the prophet was in danger of abduction, boarded a skiff and went to Quincy in order to rescue him. They arrived too late for they found he had been taken to Nauvoo in Company of the Officers.

Tarlton Lewis spent nine months in the Black Hills getting out timbers for the erection of the Nauvoo Temple. He had charge of the crane used in hoisting the material for the erection of the temple. He was also very skilled as a cabinet maker and carpenter. He and eight other men and Brigham Young hoisted the last stone into it’s place, thus finishing the temple. Tarlton and Malinda had their endowments on the 17th of December 1845 and were sealed in the Nauvoo temple for time and all eternity 6 Feb. 1846.

On the 26th of June the Mormon Battalion was organized and Samuel, their oldest son signed up in Company "C". This was a terrible blow to his father and his turned white almost overnight as his son was only 16 years old.

The winter of 1846 was spent in "Winter Quarters" where the saints suffered much from cold and for want of food. A hole was chopped in the ice of the Missouri River to get water for camp use. One day Malinda went for water and little Edward tagged along. When she returned with her two buckets she thought he was right behind her, but he wasn’t. Hurrying to the river – all she could find was the little brass bucket her child had been carrying. It was supposed he slipped into the hole and was carried down stream. Such a sad time, and it was here on the 23rd of Dec, 1846, the same year, that Tarlton Lewis Jr. was born. Leaving his family camped in a covered wagon at Winter Quarters, Malinda’s husband traveled with Brigham Young, as one of the original pioneers to Utah in 1847. In 1848 he came back to Winter Quarters with Brigham Young’s party, with supplies to meet the immigrant trains. Here he found his own family just as he had left them, and brought them to Utah with him. Brigham was Captain of the 1st Division, arriving Sept. 21, 1848.

Martha Lewis was born July 10, 1849 in Salt Lake City. Malinda was proud of the fact that her husband was such a leader in the Church. He was the first Bishop in the valley, then, in December 1850 he was called to accompany George A. Smith to explore southern Utah and was one of the first settlers in Parowan, Iron County. He moved there with his family and over a hundred others on January 13, 1851, to make a permanent settlement. He was soon made Bishop of the new settlement of Parowan.

It was not Malinda’s lot to enjoy for long the home that she worked so hard for in Minersville. About 14 years later her husband was called to Joseph, in Sevier County, to help establish the United Order. They lived there a few years, then moved on a little north and east to the larger town of Richfield. Here her husband was again set apart as Bishop of Richfield, 2nd Ward.

Tarlton Lewis died Nov. 22, 1890 at Teasdale, Wayne County, Utah, at the home of his son, Beason Lewis. Malinda died June 5, 1894 at Richfield, Sevier County, Utah and was buried there.

Ruel Smith, son of Hyrum and Laura Smith, while doing research work in the library in Cedar City, Utah found the following: From the history of Andrew Jensen. "Under the direction of Bishop Tarlton Lewis, the brethren of the valley continued their labors on the houses which were being created in the stockades known as Pioneer Square. Now, Pioneer Park. Most of these houses were built in the interest of immigration; people were soon expected to arrive from the east."

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• Reference: WikiTree Genealogy - SmartCopy: Aug 25 2023, 11:18:01 UTC