Charles Sreeve Peterson facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Charles Sreeve Peterson
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| Utah Territorial Legislature 1864–1866 |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | July 28, 1818 Mount Holly, New Jersey |
| Died | September 26, 1889 Mesa, Arizona |
| Resting place | City of Mesa Cemetery |
| Spouses | Ann Dennis Mary Ann Patten Ann Patten Margaret Crispin Mary Thompson |
Charles Sreeve Peterson (born July 28, 1818 – died September 26, 1889) was an important early leader in the Mormon faith. He was the very first person to settle in Morgan Valley in Utah. He also served as a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, which was like the government for the Utah area back then. Later in his life, he was one of the first settlers in the Mormon colonies in Mexico.
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Growing Up
Peterson was born into a poor family in Mount Holly, New Jersey. He was one of ten children. To help his family, he started working at just 10 years old. In the summers, he hauled bricks at a kiln. In the winters, he chopped wood with his father. When he was 14, he began training to be a blacksmith.
On the night of November 12, 1833, a spectacular meteor shower happened. It was called the "Falling Stars Phenomenon." Peterson woke up to people shouting that the world was ending. Many people rushed to churches. But Peterson, who wasn't religious then, just went back to bed!
At age 17, Peterson started working on a farm. He also went to school there. This is where he met his future wife, Ann Dennis.
Family Life
Charles and Ann moved to Sreeveville, New Jersey. He worked on a farm nearby. He felt respected by everyone and thought of himself as an honest man.
When he was 24, Peterson hauled coal for a man who told him about a "strange people" he had visited in Illinois. These people were the Mormons. The man gave Peterson a pamphlet about their faith. That night, Charles read the pamphlet aloud to Ann. They both decided to join the religion.
After joining, Peterson recalled that "all turned against me." People made fun of him and avoided him. His boss even told him to leave the religion or lose his job. Peterson chose to leave his job.
Joining the Faith
The Peterson family decided to move to Nauvoo to join the Latter Day Saints. On their journey, they met a man who warned Peterson that Joseph Smith, the church leader, would take his wife.
In Nauvoo, Charles found work with William Law. He later found a better job in a lead mine about 150 miles north. This meant he had to leave his family in Nauvoo. When he returned in the spring of 1844, he joined the Nauvoo Legion, a local defense group.
On September 12, 1844, Ann died at age 26. She left Charles with four small children, all six years old or younger. Charles was also 26. He was very sad and worried about how to care for his children while working. Brigham Young suggested he find another wife.
On March 22, 1845, Charles married Mary Ann Patten. She was 23 and from Pennsylvania. They had three children together. In 1849, he married Mary's younger half-sister, Ann, in Iowa. They had 11 children together. He later married Margaret Crispin in 1870, and they had three children. Two years later, he married Mary Thompson, who had 10 children with him.
Settling in Utah
The Petersons, like other Mormons, were forced to leave Nauvoo in 1846. Charles gave his wagon and team of animals to the first group of pioneers. He stayed behind to use his blacksmith skills to build more wagons. Finally, in 1849, Charles and his family traveled across the plains to Utah. In 1852, they settled in Alpine, Utah. Charles became the first leader of that community.
In 1855, Charles and his families moved to Morgan Valley in northern Utah. Charles was not sent by Brigham Young to start this community. Instead, he was convinced by Thomas Jefferson Thurston, who had found the valley earlier. Brigham Young later encouraged others to settle there too.
The Petersons were the first people to settle in this valley. It is surrounded by steep mountains. To get their wagons into the valley, Peterson and his sons dug a new road. It went through a narrow entrance to Weber Canyon called "Devil's Gate." The Transcontinental Railroad later came through Weber Canyon.
Soon, a few other families joined the Petersons. The first white child born in Morgan County was born in a cabin built in 1857 by Charles' oldest son, George Henry. Their settlement was first called Weber City. Later, it was renamed Peterson in honor of Charles. In 1861, Charles became the Bishop (a church leader) of the settlement. The Utah Territorial Legislature made him a judge. He also worked as the postmaster and ran a tannery and a blacksmith shop.
When the valley became its own county in 1862, Peterson organized the county court. He served as a representative in the Legislature from 1864 to 1866.
Moving to Arizona
In his early sixties, Peterson moved to Fielding, Utah. He hoped to start a large farm for his families there. But none of them liked the area. So, he joined two of his oldest sons in Mesa, Arizona, to look for a new place. He moved his families to Mesa in August 1883.
In November 1881, Peterson was the first to spot David Patten Kimball. Kimball was a church leader in Arizona who had gotten lost near Seymour.
Settling in Mexico
In 1884, Peterson went to Mexico with Brigham Young, Jr. and others. They wanted to buy land for Mormon settlers in Mexico. They talked with the Mexican government and the Yaqui tribe. Due to challenges related to family life, Charles moved his families to Mexico. They returned to Mesa two years later. Charles died there in 1889 at age 71.
Family Facts
- Peterson's fourth great-grandfather, Samuel Peterson, was one of the first settlers of Wilmington, Delaware.
- Peterson's son, Hyrum Smith Peterson, was the first law enforcement officer in Mesa, Arizona, to be killed while on duty. He was shot by two thieves on November 12, 1913.
