History of Alva Benson

History of Alva Benson

The story of Alva Benson is one of the most fascinating of pioneer tales and typical of the life of those sturdy founders of this western commonwealth, who gave so much to their posterity.

Alva Benson was born December 13, 1799, in Onondaga County, New York. He was the son of Benjamin Benson and Kesiah Messenger. When Alva was 15, his family moved to Clark County, Indiana. He married Cynthia Vail, daughter of Gamiel Vail and Lucy Manning Vail. He moved to Rockville, Jackson County, Indiana, in 1821.

With his father, he built a sawmill on White River for a man named Fishley. He moved next to Hendricks County, Indiana, where he purchased 140 acres of land.

In the year 1832, he and his wife joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the much-persecuted Mormons. He was ordained an elder on February 14, 1832, by John Lewis. The whole Benson family was baptized during that year. They sold their land and moved to Jackson County, Missouri, where he built a house on public lands and lived there a year.

The Bensons were driven out of Jackson County because they were Mormons. They were driven from place to place as they located and built and operated sawmills in almost every community in which they took up residence, including Pigeon Creek, Birch Creek, Clay County, and Caldwell County, all prominent in the story of the atrocities committed upon the Mormons in those terrible days.

On September 11, 1839, the Bensons moved or were driven to Clarkswell, McLean County, where they were able to stay for five years and engage in their sawmill trade. In May of 1846, the family began preparation to go west with the Saints. When they got to Pottowattomie County, Iowa, they decided to stay over and complete their preparations for the big trek, but stayed there five years.

The Bensons started west in the spring of 1852, with their wagons and carts, and crossed the Missouri River on July 4, 1852. They traveled three months and reached the Great Salt Lake Valley in the autumn of 1852.

They were sent to help colonize Springville and then down to Cedar City in Iron County. They returned to Springville for a year and then moved to Ogden. In the spring of 1860, they moved to Cache Valley. They met Ezra Taft Benson, father of the beloved apostle by the same name who is now president of the European Mission. They asked him about the opportunities in Cache Valley. Elder Benson replied: "It is a beautiful and promising valley. Go there and find the best spot you can, and you will be happy and prosperous there."

First camp was at what is now Wellsville where they stayed about a week, all the time surveying the valley for the best location. They found an area of land to which they could bring water by digging a nine-mile irrigation ditch. They joined with other families in working this project and apportioning the land. The Benson's property was on the spot now known as Hyrum, Cache County, Utah, now a picturesque and prosperous little farming community. Alva Benson, thusly, became the founder of the town of Hyrum from which so many prominent and stalwart Utahns have emanated.

Alva died October 19, 1883, at the age of 84. His wife, Cynthia, died November 10, 1877. They were the parents of 10 children—David, William, Keziah, James, Lucy, Moroni, Ammon, Polly, Cynthia, and George.

The Pioneer (July-August 1966)