Tosten Thurston Larson

Tosten Thurston Larson

was born on 23 Sep 1828 in Stekka, Strandebarm, Hordaland, Norway, to Lars Larson and Marthe Tostensen. He was christened on 28 Sep 1828 in Stekka, Strandebarm, Hordaland, Norway.
The Larson family came to the United States in 1836 on board the Den Norsk Klippe. The family immigrated under the farm name of Sandenaes. At the time of immigration Lars Sr was 41, Martha was 38, Lars Jr was 11, Tosten (Thurston) was 8, and Johannes (John) was 4 years and 6 months old. The family left Stavanger and sailed to New York City. Traveling with them were Martha’s parents, Tosten Johannesen and Birgette Jacobsen, both aged 67 years at the time of arrival in NY. The destination for the family was thought to be Illinois in or near LaSalle County where a Norwegian colony was organized. You will find the above information in a copy New World Immigrants Volume II. The article in the book that talks about this ship is called Four Immigrant Shiploads of 1836 and 1837.
By March 1840 the Larson family had settled in Scotland County, Missouri. Where Thomas Larson was born. Two years later they moved from Missouri to Sugar Creek, Iowa Territory, where his father died in 1842. Missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints baptized the remaining family members in February of 1843. Thurston was baptized 12 February 1843, his Mother and brother Lars were baptized 23 January 1843 and John was baptized 8 November 1843. Thomas died in March of 1843.
Martha, Thurston’s Mother, took her sons to Nauvoo to meet the Prophet
Joseph Smith. Later the family moved to Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, to be in the presence of the Prophet Joseph Smith and other Saints. They were present at the meeting where Brigham Young was transfigured and appeared as Joseph Smith. By 1846 religious persecution forced them to flee from Illinois back to Iowa Territory. The Larson Brothers were present and witnessed the miracle of the Quails. They camped first at Sugar Creek, where their Mother died January 1846 and was buried, and then they moved from one small Mormon encampment to another across the Territory.
Thurston joined the first company of Saints to go West. When Captain Allen
came requesting volunteers for the Mormon Battalion, 17 year old Thurston
signed up. He was given special permission to go even though the minimum
age was 18. It was just three months prior to his 18th birthday and so an
exception was made.
Thurston marched over 1000 miles with the Mormon Battalion, freezing his feet in the process, which would cause considerable pain for the rest of his life. He marched with the battalion from Council Bluffs to Santa Fe, where he was detached with the sick to Fort Pueblo. After wintering at the fort he migrated to the Salt Lake Valley, arriving on 29 July 1847 under Captain Brown of the Company C, Mormon Battalion. Thurston helped hoist the American Flag and take possession of the western land that belonged to Mexico. Years later, Thurston wrote, "I helped make the first Bowery on Temple Boulevard, also the first adobe house at Winter’s Quarters, encampment, Nebraska." He was also involved in making adobe bricks that were used to build Fort Douglas.
For the next three years Thurston worked intermittently for the Heber C.
Kimball family, leaving the Salt Lake Valley twelve times to guide pioneers
across the wilderness. At one point he accompanied Captain Jefferson Hunt and Porter Rockwell to California in search of cattle, seed, grain, potatoes, and milk cans for the struggling Utah communities. Sometimes they hid firing caps and gunpowder under the loads of flour, grain and meal. This was a secret mission to get gunpowder for the Saints to use against Johnston’s army. As Thurston put it,: "Captain Jefferson Hunt and myself went to California to bring milk cows and calves back to Utah in the Spring of 1848." He also made trips to California for Livingston Kincaid, the man who owned the L.K. Mercantile.
From 1858 to 1881 Thurston resided in Big South Cottonwood Canyon, Salt
Lake County.
On 17 February 1858 he was endowed in the Endowment House in Salt
Lake City. He was ordained a seventy on 25 February 1859 and became a
president of the Sixty-first Quorum of the Seventy. In 1859 he married Elizabeth Mary Fox in Brigham Young’s office. He was 31 and she was 17. Elizabeth was christened 27 September 1842, in St. Martin, Birmingham, Warwichshire, England.
Elizabeth and Thurston began their life together in the Big Cottonwood Canyon area. There they had 5 children: Thurston George, Thomas Henry, Jane Elizabeth, Martha Ellen "Nellie" and Edwin Lorenzo.
During the Civil War, there was trouble with the renegades destroying telegraph wires, railroad tracks and robbing the mail. The Governor of Utah called for volunteers from the Nauvoo Legion to patrol the telegraph lines and protect them from destruction. President Lincoln authorized Brigham Young to send a group of calvary to serve 90 days patrolling the telegraph lines. Thurston Larson was one of 106 men who responded to the call. Thurston also fought in the Black Hawk War during an Indian uprising. Sometime later, Thurston served in an honor guard escorting Governor Cummings down Echo Canyon.
When the land in Sat Lake City was parceled out to the saints, Brigham Young assigned a portion to the Thurston Larson family where the Union Pacific Rail Road depot now stands. Thurston traded their piece of land for a sewing machine for Elizabeth.
After 18 years of marriage, Elizabeth left Thurston to marry George Graham on 12 May 1877. all the children except Nellie stayed with their father. She had another daughter, Maude Estelle Graham. Elizabeth later divorced Graham and married Robert Miller.
In 1882, Thurston took his family and moved to Bell Marsh, Idaho, (later known as Marsh Valley). The church was building the Utah-Idaho Central Railroad and the two oldest Larson boys went to work for the Railroad. The rest of the family became sheepherders for Hyrum Byington. While working at the Sheep Ranch, romance blossomed and a double wedding was the result. Jane Elizabeth Larson married Stephen Byington and Thomas Henry Larson married Hannah Elizabeth Byington on 30 September 1884. Sometime after his marriage, Thomas received a letter from his sister, Nellie, asking him to come get his mother, herself and Maude as Mr. Miller had deserted them. Thomas went to Salt Lake and brought them to Marsh Valley.
Edwin Larson married Hattie Stoddard and made their home in the Grant Ward 2 miles East of Downey, Idaho. Thurston lived with Edwin and Hattie.
On 3 September 1903 he was ordained a high priest at Grant Ward in Bingham County, Idaho. On 29 November 1904, Thurston and Elizabeth were remarried in the Logan Temple. However, they only lived together for a short time as husband and wife.
Edwin and his family moved to Parker, Fremont County, Idaho and Thurston
went with them, leaving Elizabeth in the Grant Ward. After moving to Parker, Thurston used his skill as a cobbler and repaired shoes for family and friends.
Shortly before his death, he attended an Old Folks Party where he ran into his old friend, Lot Smith. He passed away on 11 March 1907 at the age of 79 at Parker. Elizabeth then moved to Parker to live with her daughter Nellie who was married to Melvin Alma Walker and living in Parker. Elizabeth passed away at the age of 87 on 15 Feb 1929. Both Thurston and Elizabeth are buried in the Parker Cemetery. They are the ancestors and relatives of many of the families currently living in the Parker-Egin area.
Thurston was sealed to his parents on 10 Dec 1859 in the President's Office.
Military Service: Private, Company C
Enlisted: 16 July 1846, Council Bluffs, Iowa Territory age 17
Captain James Brown’s Detachment: Pueblo Santa Fe, 17 October 1846
Discharged: 16 July 1847
Survivor’s Pension: 16 March 1887, Oxford, Idaho
Utah War
Black Hawk Indian War
Thurston and Elizabeth’s Children:
1. Larson, Thurston George September 21, 1860 Big South Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UT, USA
2. Larson, Thomas Henry March 24, 1862 Big South Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UT, USA
3. Larson, Elizabeth Jane May 28, 1864 Big South Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UT, USA
4. Larson, Martha Ellen March 4, 1867 Big South Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UT, USA
5. Larson, Edwin Lorenzo January 20, 1870 Big South Cottonwood, Salt Lake, UT, USA
Elizabeth’s daughter by Graham was born under the covenant of Thurston and
Elizabeth’s marriage and sealing..
6. Maude Estella Graham 30 Dec 1883 West Jordan, Salt Lake, Utah
Bill and Cheryl Bean - History of Thurston Larson
Book of Patriarchal Blessings Index Volume: 3 Page: 442, 443
Nauvoo Social History Project. Smith, James
Utah Federal Census; Year 1851
Mormons and Their Neighbors. Wiggins, Marvin
Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah. Esshom, Frank. 1913 page: 999
Ambrosia Branch Records and St. George Ward Records
Comments: #21. Thurston was in Nauvoo when the Prophet Joseph Smith was
killed. He was a member of Company C of the Mormon Battalion. He joined the
Battalion and marched to Santa Fe with the sick detachment of the Battalion, and
arrived in the valley July 27, 1847. He took part in the Echo Canyon war and
suffered all the trials incident to early days in Utah. He bore a strong testimony in
a priesthood meeting held at Preston, Idaho, August 7, 1897.
LDS Biographical Encyclopedia. Jenson, Andrew. 1951
Volume: 4 Page: 750

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