BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF STEPHEN MARKHAM, ORIGINAL PIONEER OF 1847

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF STEPHEN MARKHAM, ORIGINAL PIONEER OF 1847

Written by Mrs. Phebe Markham, and given at the home of Margaret Morgan at Daughter of Pioneer meeting August 1927

Stephen Markham was born Feb. 9, 1800, in Rush, now Avon, Livingston Co. New York, which was originally called Hartford, Ontario Co. New York.

His father was David Markham and his mother was Dinah Merry Markham. His father was a revolutionary soldier and was accidentally killed while celebrating on the 4th of July 1802 or 1803 when Stephen was a little over two years old.

His mother afterwards moved to the state of Ohio, where the family settled in Chester Geauga Co. Ohio.

It was at this place that Stephen first heard the gospel, and was baptised by Elder Abel Lamb in Jul 1837. He was well-to-do at the time, and sold all his possessions in Ohio, by the counsel of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He then furnished most of the money to prepare sixty souls for immigration, furnishing them clothing, food, teams, and wagons for their move from Kirkland to Far West Missouri. He having charge of them.

After arriving at Far West he was appointed an agent for the Church to raise means and assist the poor Saints in the days of trouble and persecution by the mobs in Missouri and Illinois.

On Feb 1st, 1839, he was selected as one of the committee of eleven to have charge of the removal of the saints from Far West, Mo. to Illinois. The same evening of the committee appointment they met and it was resolved to remove the family of the Presidency and other prisoners first. On Feb 6, 1839, Elder Markham started for Ill with the Prophet's wife and children, and Jonathan Holmes and wife. On Feb. 15 they arrived at the Mississippi River opposite Quincy Illinois, after a journey of almost unbearable hardships. Brother Markham started immediately on his return trip to Far West, Feb. 21st. He arrived at said place April 8, 1839. He received a letter from the Prophet Joseph, sent back by the guard who had taken him to Davis Co. informing the committee on the removal and their safe arrival.

On he morning of the 9th Elder Markham left Far West to take a hundred dollars sent by Elder Kimball to the Prophet who was in jail, as they were destitute of means and their trial started that day before a drunken mob. Brother Markham was compelled to swim several streams and arrived in the afternoon. He spent the evening in the company of the Prophet and his brothers. He also brought a written copy of a statute which had passed the legislature for the Prophet.

April 10th was spent examining witnesses for the trial. Brother Markham was not permitted to give his testimony that day but the next day the 11th of April 1839 he gave his testimony which was too truthful in the case of the prisoner, and after he had closed, Blakely, one of the guards told him he wanted to speak to him. Brother Markham went around the corner of the house, when Blakely called out ----" You damned old Mormon, I'll kill you", and struck at him with fist and then with a club. Brother Markham took the club from him and threw it over a fence. Then ten of the mob immediately rushed upon him to kill him, but Brother Markham told them he could kill the whole bunch with one blow apiece, and drove them off. The court and grand jury saw the affair and heard the mob threaten Markham's life, with all the oaths they could invent, but they took no cognizance of it. The ten men went home after their guns to shoot Bro. Markham, but did not return.

During that night, April 11th, the Prophet received a vision of the danger of Stephen Markham. He woke him and told him if he would rise very early and not wait for the judges and lawyers as he thought of doing, but arise briskly and go he would get safely home, almost before he was aware of it, but if he did not, the mob would shoot him on the way. He did as the Prophet said, arose at dawn and rode rapidly away toward Far West where he arrived before 9AM. The ruffians pursued him, but did not overtake him. April 13th Elder Markham went to Independence, Jackson Co. Mo. to close the business of the Church.

April 22 on the way back from Jackson Co. he was chased by a mob on horseback for the purpose of shooting him. May 27th the Prophet wrote to the saints on the subject of Stephen Markham purchasing land for the Church it read as follows:

May 27th 1839

"To the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints : Greetings, From our knowledge of the good sacrifice made by the bearer Bro. Stephen Markham, in behalf of the welfare of us and the Church generally, and from the great trust which have often times reposed in him and as often found him trustworthy , not seeking his own aggrandizement, but rather that of the community, we feel warranted in commissioning him to go forth among the faithful as our agent, to gather up and receive such means in money or otherwise as shall enable us too meet our engagements which are now about to devalue upon us in consequence of our purchase here for the church, and we humbly trust that our Brethren generally will enable him to come to our assistance before our credit shall suffer on this account."

Joseph Smith Jr.

Presiding Elder

March 8th, 1841 Stephen Markham was appointed market master by the city council of Nauvoo, Ill.

March 21, 1841 the lesser priesthood was organized in the city of Nauvoo, by Bishop Whitney and others. Stephen Markham was chosen as first counselor of the Priests Quorum, and March 30th was ordained a Priest by the Prophet Joseph Smith.

May 21st 1841 The first regiment, first cohort of the Nauvoo Legion was organized, Chaplain Stephen Markham was elected Lieutenant Colonel.

On Feb 6, 1842, he was elected as an Alderman, but on Feb. 25, 1843, he resigned this office.

April 10, 1843 at 10 AM, a special conference of Elders was held in the temple in Nauvoo, Ill. This was for the purpose of ordaining them and sending them out into different vineyards to build up churches. Elder Markham and Truman Warte were sent to Hurton County (Huron?), Ohio.

On the evening of June 18, 1843, Hyrum Smith started Elder Markham and William Clayton for Dixon, Lee Co. Ohio to inform the Prophet that the Governor of the state of Missouri had made a requisition upon the State of Illinois for the person of Joseph Smith. Brother Markham had $250 and Brother Clayton had $200. They left Nauvoo at 12:30 at night and arrived June 19 at LaHarpe at sunrise, tarried about two hours to get a horse shod and have breakfast. Started again at 7 AM for Mamnath (Monmouth?), arriving at 3PM, put up their horses to feed and rest. Took dinner and slept until seven when they started again and rode until midnight, when they turned their horses out to feed and slept about two hours. They started again riding one mile north of Hendersonville, where they again stopped to rest and feed their horses. June 20th, all this day they traveled, until four the next day when they arrived at Dixon about 4 PM having traveled 212 miles in 66 hours and had but very little rest.

June 23,was now at Dixon with the Prophet, when Reynolds the Sheriff of Jackson County, Missouri and Constable Wilson of Carthage, Ill. rode up to the Wasson house where they knew the Prophet was. The Prophet and his wife were visiting with the Prophet's wife's sister, Mrs. Wasson.

The officers pointed the pistol at the Prophet. Brother Markham walked up. They pointed it on him and ordered him to stand still, but he still walked toward them. The Prophet said, “Brother Markham, you are not going to resist the officers, are you?” “Not if they are officers, I know the law too well for that.” The officers then put Brother Joseph in the wagon and were going to drive off, when Brother Markham sprang, seized the horses bits, and said “There is no law on earth that requires a sheriff to take a prisoner without his clothes.” He held the team while the Prophet’s wife brought his hat and coat.

They rode eight miles with the muzzle of their guns jammed in the Prophet’s sides, until Bro. Markham reproached them for their cowardice and brutality to an unarmed prisoner. A writ was sworn out by Brother Markham against the officers for threatening his life. They were taken into custody by the constable. At this time he rushed into the room unnoticed and put a pistol into the Prophet’s pocket, while the two officers had their pistols cocked on Joseph and were threatening to shoot him.

June 27th. Bro. Markham stepped up to Reynolds (the sheriff) to shake hands with him, and as he stood trembling like a leaf, said “I expected to be a dead man when I met you again.” Brother Markham replied, “We are friends, except in law that must have its course.”

June 28, 1843. While brother Markham and the officers whom he had arrested were starting back to Nauvoo, Reynolds said they would go by steamboat to Quincy, but Bro. Markham said, “No, we are prepared to travel and will go on land.” Wilson and Reynolds said they would never go by Nauvoo alive, and both drew their pistols on Bro. Markham who turned to Sheriff Campbell of Lee C. who had arrested the officers for Bro. Markham, saying “They are now prisoners of yours, Sheriff Campbell, and I demand of you to take their arms from them, for that is according to law.”

Brother Markham defended the Prophet in every way possible at the risk of his own life.

This is taken from a sketch prepared by Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, published in the third vol. of the Biographical Encyclopedia.

At a time in Nauvoo when the Prophet Joseph Smith was perplexed with vexatious law suits, Bro. Markham sold his only house for $1200 which was newly built, gave the Prophet the money, then moved his family into a tent until a cabin could be built, while the Prophet and his brethren were imprisoned in Carthage jail.

Brother Markham stood by the Prophet almost until the very end of his life. He spent the last night with him in Carthage jail. Only a few moments before the martyrdom of the Prophet and his brother Hyrum, the blood thirsty mob drove Elder Markham out of Carthage, probing him with their bayonets until their boots were filled with blood. The scars of these bayonets he bore to his grave.

Colonel Stephen Markham was appointed to the office of Private Brigadier General in the 1st Cohort of the Nauvoo Legion, Dec. 21, 1843.

Aug. 4, 1844 he was baptised for his father and a number of relatives.

The same year he was ordained a High Priest by Bishop Miller. Jan. 30, 1846 he was sealed to his first wife Hannah Hoganboon. She was a great worker in the church and especially in the Relief Society, along with Eliza R. Snow.. There were three sons and one daughter born to this union.

When the saints were being driven from Nauvoo, Brother Markham was appointed by President Brigham Young, captain of 200 pioneers and led them thence to Council Bluff, Iowa.

In the spring of 1847,he was chosen as one of the pioneers and appointed captain of the 1st hundred, to travel in advance of the companies, to build and repair roads, and make settlements for the following saints.

While breaking a pair of young cattle for this journey his fore finger was caught by the hook on the chain and torn from his hand. He was also appointed captain of the guard to select form the camp fifty men in whom he could place implicit confidence.

Brother Markham attended to his duties faithfully and well during the journey to great Salt Lake valley, and after his arrival into the valley he became one of the most active among the pioneers.

He returned to winter quarters the same fall, 1847, and seven days after arriving he was sent back in charge of one hundred and forty persons to Council Bluffs, and in 1850 returned in charge of a company of fifty wagons. He spent upwards of two years on the frontiers. Soon after his arrival in the valley he located in Utah Co. In the fall of 1851 Bro. Markham with about seventeen other families settled in this district and formed a colony.

On Sunday 21st of November 1851 the 1st church organization was made in Spanish Fork with Stephen Markham as president, Wm. Pace Bishop, and J. W. Berry and Laren Roundy counselors. This organization was reported to the general conference at Salt Lake City. It was accepted and ordered to be recorded March 15, 1852.

The town of Palmyra was located in the fall of 1852, by apostle George A. Smith. Stephen Markham was ordained bishop. There were some seventy families in Palmyra during the winter of 1852-1853.

A petition was sent to the Territorial Legislature asking for a city Charter, which was granted.

Brother Markham was very influential and assisted in every way to help build a city. He held many offices of trust in a civic way. Helped build ditches, bridges, and gave freely of his time and money for any good cause.

In the spring of 1853 he took all the money he could of his own, and all he could borrow, bought seed and loaned it to the people who were very poor.

In June 1853 the settlers had great trouble with the Indians. Major Markham went with fifteen others as far as Manti to protect the people there.

Jan. 17, 1855 the boundaries of Spanish Fork were established. Governor Young advised that the city of Palmyra should be broken up and its citizens should move into Spanish Fork.

The veteran - Colonel Stephen Markham who was the Military Commander under Lieutenant General Brigham Young in the band of pioneers of 1847, very reluctantly went to Spanish Fork and soon moved back to his farm (now Leland) where he remained until his death.

He served as colonel in the Walker Indian War. In 1856he was sent on a colonization mission to the Fort Supply near Green River, and assisted in establishing the first express line across the plains.

Beloved and respected by all who knew him, he died at Spanish Fork, March 10, 1878.

Brother Andrew Jensen, Church Historian, also Wm Greer, pioneer editor, spoke of him as one of the greatest pioneer of this western country. A practical advocate of religious liberty and a friend to humanity. He was ever charitable to the poor, and unflinching in his integrity to the cause of the great Latter Day work.

Having lived a most active and useful life he passed away in peace, in the middle of his family and friends.

In 1850, October 5th he married Mary Curtis Houghton, daughter of Jeremiah Curtis and Rugh Strattion of Michigan, and widow of Ornon Houghton by whom she had one son Edgar Strattion.

Sister Markham was born Nov. 15, 1832 and her children by Stephen Markham are as follows:

Orville Sanford

Mary Lucy

William Don Carlos

Sarah Elizabeth

Atta Ruth

Hosmer Merry

Emily Arnelia

Margaret Eliza

Joseph

charlotta Julina

Ira Meachan

Clarissaa Maretta

Caroline Louisa

Seven of these thirteen are still living.

He has living by his wife Mary Curtis 81 grandchildren, 210 great grandchildren, 6 great great grandchildren, making a total of 307.

MAY HIS LIVING POSTERITY EVER HONOR AND REVERE HIS MEMORY AND BE EXCEEDINGLY PROUD OF SUCH A NOBLE PROGENITOR, AND CLOSE FRIEND OF THE PROPHET, JOSEPH SMITH.

The history of Stephen Markham from the year 1839 until the year 1844, was taken from the Prophet Joseph Smith’s own journal. We are indebted to the Church Historian for the greater part of Stephen’s history, for it was thru his courtesy that the daughter Mrs. Charlotte Crow was permitted to gather what information they had on record.