Thomas Jefferson Thurston

WASHINGTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY     (Washington County, Utah)

THOMAS JEFFERSON THURSTON

(farmer, rancher, church leader)

BIOGRAPHY

Thomas Jefferson Thurston was born on February 12, 1805 in Fletcher, Franklin County, Vermont,

Thomas married Rozetta Bull on March 28, 1826 in Granville, Loching County, Ohio.

The Thurstons came to Salt Lake Valley in 1847, having crossed the plains in Jedediah M. Grant's company. Thomas acted as a counselor to Bishop Wm. H. Hickenlooper of the Sixth Ward, Salt Lake City, for a number of years, and afterwards officiated as acting Bishop of Morgan County. Subsequently he served as a member of the High Council of the Morgan Stake. He was sent by Pres. Brigham Young on the first exploring expedition to Cache valley in 1848, and later settled at Centerrifle, Davis county, Utah, where he took up 80 acres of land and engaged in farming. Together with Chas. S. Peterson and their sons e helped to build the first road through Weber valley. With William W. Potter and others he built the first boat and made the first known trip on the Great Salt Lake, exploring all the islands. The boat was named "Mud Hen," and while navigating the lake the party were overtaken by a storm in which the members of the expedition came near loosing their lives. Bro. Thurston also established the first ferry on Bear river.

Thomas married Elizabeth Smith on November 18, 1855 in Salt Lake City. She was born February 26, 1835 in Newton, Burtonwood, Lancashire, England.

Thomas married Helen Maria Davis on May 3, 1862.

Thomas moved to St. George around 1884 with his second wife, Elizabeth Smith Thurston. They brought along the Brown Thurston Genealogy book with 10,000 names for the newly built temple to use. He spent the last little bit of his life working in the St. George Temple.

Thomas died in St. George on May 3, 1885. He is buried in Plot A_C_57_6 of the St. George City Cemetery.


FAMILY

Parents and Siblings:
    Peter Thurston
    Hannah Butler Thurston
        Thomas Jefferson Thurston
        Reuben Harris Thurston
        Maria Thurston
        Cordelia Thurston

(11/xx/1760-8/29/1827)   (married xx/xx/~1802)
(8/18/1772-5/23/1866)
(2/12/1805-5/3/1885)   (married as shown below)
(12/11/1806-4/13/1880)   (married Mary B Morse Thurston)
(4/10/1810-3/4/1860)   (married Orrin Chipman)
(xx/xx/1813-10/xx/1863)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Woods)

First Wife and Children:
    Rozetta Bull Thurston
        Harriet Elizabeth Thurston
        George Washington Thurston  
        Smith Butler Thurston
        Sarah Ann Thurston

        Hannah Maria Thurston
        Ruben Johnson Thurston
        Julia Rozetta Thurston
        Caroline Rozalia Thurston
        Huldah Cordelia Thurston
        Thomas Jefferson Thurston
        Peter Franklin Thurston
        Maria Hannah Thurston


(4/25/1809-7/29/1881)   (married 3/28/1826)
(1/7/1829-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(11/1/1830-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(1/4/1833-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(5/26/1835-3/3/1909)   (married Jedediah Morgan Grant,
         George Davidson Grant, & John Frederick Snedaker)
(5/18/1837-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(10/9/1839-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(11/21/1841-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(1/3/1843-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(6/1/1846-7/9/1939)   (married Willard G. Smith)
(12/13/1848-8/20/1870)
(6/24/1851-5/23/1886)   (married Mary A. Spendlove)
(xx/xx/~1853-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)

Second Wife and Children:
    Elizabeth Smith Thurston
        Rosetta Thurston
        Elizabeth Thurston
        John Thomas Thurston
        Clara Thurston
        Mary Thurston
        William Henry Thurston
        Frederick Thurston
        Jedediah Morgan Thurston
        Edward Thurston
        Leah Helen Thurston
        Rebecca Thurston
        Leroy Thurston
        Harris "Bert" Thurston
        Jefferson Thurston


(2/27/1835-1/18/1895)   (married 11/18/1855)
(10/25/1856-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxxxx)
(3/17/1858-9/2/1907)   (married Jedediah Grant Little)
(12/14/1859-12/13/1921)   (married Alice Josephine Little)
(9/17/1861-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(7/22/1863-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(11/15/1865-4/12/1918)   (married Katherine Kemp)
(9/29/1867-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(9/1/1869-8/xx/1903)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(8/12/1871-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)
(9/6/1872-4/16/1880)
(8/7/1875-xx/xx/1961)   (married Ephriam Ernest Whittier)
(6/7/1877-2/27/1960)   (married Ada May Xxxxxxxx)
(5/7/1879-11/24/1955)   (married Margeretta May Peterson)
(xx/xx/xxxx-xx/xx/xxxx)   (married Xxxxxxx X. Xxxxxxxx)

Third Wife:
    Helen Maria Davis


(10/29/1844-8/3/1896)   (married 5/3/1862)

[Note: There are some date discrepancies between the FamilyCentral and Find-A-Grave websites.]


PHOTOS

Thomas Jefferson Thurston
Thomas
      Thomas Jefferson Thurston
      Rozetta
 
      Thomas Jefferson Thurston
      Elizabeth


REFERENCES

A Sketch of the Life of Thomas Jefferson Thurston
by Huldah Cordelia Thurston Smith,   July 1921
researched by Jerry Laden, 1990; edited by Steve Laden.

Thomas Jefferson Thurston (1805-1885)

Thomas Jefferson Thurston: General Notes

Thomas Jefferson Thurston and Rosetta Bull

A blog entry for Thomas Jefferson Thurston,   June 23,2011

FamilyCentral entry for Thomas Jefferson & Rozetta Bull Thurston

FamilyCentral entry for Thomas Jefferson & Elizabeth Smith Thurston

Find-A-Grave entry for Thomas Jefferson Thurston

BillionGraves entry for Thomas Jefferson Thurston