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 |
|
REFERENCES
A Sketch of the Life of Thomas Jefferson Thurstonby 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