William Walker Rust: Doctor and shoemaker

William Walker chose a medical career, graduating from Rush's Medical college in 1830, two years after his mother's illness and death. He began his practice in Kellyvale. VT When he married Mary Thurston Rand, they moved to Lowell, where William had lived before. they had five children there.

After their first son was born (George Smith Rust- in honor of his grandfather, George Rand and Grandmother Ann Smith), the family moved. to Danville.

Dr. William and Mary Rand had five children before she died of typhus in 1839. Three of their children also died, leaving George and Horace. William then married Laura Harson (also called, Laura Maria Barrows). She and their one child, William Spencer Rust, died. He married for the third time: Wealthy Merrill, who left him the following Spring. They had one daughter who died before a year old. Dr. William married a fourth time: Mary Aspin in 1845. They were divorced in 1853. In 1854 he married his fifti wife, Elizabeth Bridgewood. She went to England the next year and never returned.

Dr. William's sixth and final wife was Jane Pepper in 1855. (There is also listed a Jane Dixon in 1858, but they may be the same person). she and William are buried side by side in the Payson, UT Cemetery.

Only his sons George Smith Rust and Horace Bradley Rust survived infancy, but Horace died of cholera when he was 14 while crossing the plains.
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Dr. William Walker Rust Treasures of Pioneer History, Vol.4, p.493 Born at Danville, Vermont August 14, 1807, William was the son of Henry Rust. As a boy he learned the shoemaker trade and later was graduated from a medical school. At the age of twenty-six he married Mary Thurston Rand. She died at the birth of her third child, as did the infant, leaving two sons, George and Horace. The father left the boys in the care of a Mrs. Day and journeyed on to Missouri. There the wandering widower met some Mormon missionaries with whom he returned to Vermont, got his sons and with a company of converts migrated to Nauvoo. He then married Laura Harrison, but she, too, passed away the summer of 1843. Wealthy Merrill became his next wife and after she left him he married Mary Aspin. He was sent to Garden Grove to help prepare a place of refuge for the Saints.

Early in 1846, his son, George, went to Winter Quarters with the Haight family, and not long after Dr. Rust and his son, Horace, accompanied by his latest stepmother, also made the journey. When the call came for the Battalion, Dr. Rust was assigned to Company "C" as assistant surgeon. While en route on this historic march, Dr. Rust was severely injured by a mule and was returned with the sick detachment to Pueblo. In July of 1847 he entered Salt Lake Valley with other Battalion members.

Dr. Rust was in the Valley less than a month when he returned to Winter Quarters to rejoin his wife and Horace. He resided there nearly two years, then brought his wife to Salt Lake. Horace died of cholera and was buried on the plains. Dr. Rust traded a wagon and a yoke of cattle for a house and lot in the First Ward of Salt Lake City. Resorting to his profession and his trade, he managed to make a living. During his later years he moved to Payson where he resided until his death September 18, 1894. He took two or three more turns at matrimony, the most important of which was with Jane Pepper, by whose side he lies buried.—David P. Rust[p.494]

William came to Utah on July 29, 1847, with the James Brown company. He served as a missionary to the eastern states from 1840 to 1841, and 1843; one of the presidents of the 11th qourum of the seventies. Missionary to eastern states 1854-55; member of the Mormon Battalion. Settled at Salt Lake City 1847; moved to Payson 1858.

Heart Throbs of the West, Vol.8, p.415 August 26, 1847: On this day the pioneer leaders bade farewell to their friends who were to remain in the Valley and set out upon their return journey to the Missouri. Such of the Pioneers and Battalion men present as had families at Winter Quarters or on the way west, were selected to accompany the President and his party. In addition to the Pioneers, members of the Battalion were: William W. Rust

Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847–1868 http://lds.org/churchhistory/library/source/0,18016,4976-19154,00.html Source of Trail Excerpt: Knight, Alonzo, A Short Sketch of the Life of Alonzo Knight, 1-2. (Trail excerpt transcribed from "Pioneer History Collection" available at Pioneer Memorial Museum [Daughters of Utah Pioneers Museum], Salt Lake City, Utah. Some restrictions apply.)

Read Trail Excerpt: . . .in the spring of 1850 took up our line of March for the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. We left Iowa in the month of June and arrived in the latter part of September. We left Barnam B. Messinger behind and found a friend and helper in the family of Winslow Farr.

We traveled behind his wagon all the way across the plains, Joseph Young being Captain of the hundred and Snow the Captain of the fifty we traveled in.

William Snow/Joseph Young Company (1850) Departure: 21 June 1850 Arrival in Salt Lake Valley: 1-4 October 1850

Company Information: 42 wagons were in the company when it began its journey from the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs). This company was organized near the Missouri River.

Members of Company: Knight, Alonzo (19) Knight, Polly Pierce (62) (wife of Stephen Knight) Notable members: US Mormon Battalion, William Walker Rust: Rust, William Walker (42) Rust, Elizabeth (3) Rust, Horace Bradley (13) Rust, Mary Aspin (35)

Young, Joseph (53) President 1st Quorum of Seventies, brother of Brigham Young http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=ldshistor...

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Dr. William Walker Rust
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/31856471/jane-p-rust

Treasures of Pioneer History, Vol.4, p.493
Born at Danville, Vermont August 14, 1807, William was the son of Henry Rust. As a boy he learned the shoemaker trade and later was graduated from a medical school. At the age of twenty-six he married Mary Thurston Rand. She died at the birth of her third child, as did the infant, leaving two sons, George and Horace. The father left the boys in the care of a Mrs. Day and journeyed on to Missouri. There the wandering widower met some Mormon missionaries with whom he returned to Vermont, got his sons and with a company of converts migrated to Nauvoo. He then married Laura Harrison, but she, too, passed away the summer of 1843. Wealthy Merrill became his next wife and after she left him he married Mary Aspin. He was sent to Garden Grove to help prepare a place of refuge for the Saints.

Early in 1846, his son, George, went to Winter Quarters with the Haight family, and not long after Dr. Rust and his son, Horace, accompanied by his latest stepmother, also made the journey. When the call came for the Battalion, Dr. Rust was assigned to Company "C" as assistant surgeon. While en route on this historic march, Dr. Rust was severely injured by a mule and was returned with the sick detachment to Pueblo. In July of 1847 he entered Salt Lake Valley with other Battalion members.

Dr. Rust was in the Valley less than a month when he returned to Winter Quarters to rejoin his wife and Horace. He resided there nearly two years, then brought his wife to Salt Lake. Horace died of cholera and was buried on the plains. Dr. Rust traded a wagon and a yoke of cattle for a house and lot in the First Ward of Salt Lake City. Resorting to his profession and his trade, he managed to make a living. During his later years he moved to Payson where he resided until his death September 18, 1894. He took two or three more turns at matrimony, the most important of which was with Jane Pepper, by whose side he lies buried.—David P. Rust[p.494]

William came to Utah on July 29, 1847, with the James Brown company. He served as a missionary to the eastern states from 1840 to 1841, and 1843; one of the presidents of the 11th qourum of the seventies. Missionary to eastern states 1854-55; member of the Mormon Battalion. Settled at Salt Lake City 1847; moved to Payson 1858.

• Mormon Battalion members

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• Residence: Payson, Utah, Utah, United States
• Residence: Great Salt Lake, Utah Territory - 1850
• Residence: Payson, Utah, Utah Territory, United States - 1870
• Residence: Marital Status: MarriedRelation to Head of House: Self, Payson, Utah, Utah, USA - 1880
  • Reference: MyHeritage Family Trees - SmartCopy: Jun 29 2021, 7:07:05 UTC