Thomas Carter
Mary Ann Millington and James Carter were married in the Parish of Alderton, Glaustershire, England. To them on March 17, 1822, Thomas Carter was born.
They lived on a farm and Thomas was fifteen years old when he left it for the first time. It was to attend a baking school for six months, with the intention of becoming a baker. He did not care for it because it required so much night work. He still liked the farm best, so he left the baking business and went back to the farm.
He married Jane Nightengale in the fall of 1842. They lived together eight years. They had three children, Hezekiah, Noah, and Mary Ann. Noah and Mary Ann died in infancy. His wife Jane, died July 8, 1849.
Thomas's mother took care of little Hezekiah, and Thomas was free to go about his labors. Thomas lived on in his home alone. Most of the time he attended the Protestant Church until the year 1852. About that time a Mormon Elder, John Kirby, was preaching about nine miles from his home. He heard of him and walked to where he was to hear his message. He was converted after two or three Sundays. He was baptized and opened his home to the elders and assisted them to the best of his ability. They succeeded in baptizing only three. Then they counseled Thomas to leave and gather to Zion. He sold everything he had and with little Hezekiah, left in January of 1853, with 312 saints under the leadership of Jacob Gates, and set sail from Liverpool, England on the ship Golconda. They landed in New Orleans on March 26, 1853. They took a steamboat up the Mississippi River to Keokuk, Iowa. There they made preparations to cross the plains.
They traveled most of the way on foot driving two yoke of oxen and one yoke of cows. They endured many hardships and had a long tedious journey as many of the saints did. Joseph Young was their captain.
While crossing the plains one morning Thomas was mixing bread and a young lady came along and said "Well, there is a poor man who hasn't anyone to mix his bread." He replied, "Perhaps you would like to mix it for me." She blushed and ran away. This started a romance which ended in marriage a few weeks later under the blue sky on November 11, 1853, of Thomas Carter and Mary Ann Goble. Mary Ann Goble was born in Goodwood, Sussex, England, May 2, 1822. Her parents were William Goble and Harriet Johnson. They were married at Fort Laramie, Wyoming, by the Chaplin, Mr. Roston. They were sealed November 10, 1869, in the old Endowment House in Salt Lake City.
They arrived in Salt Lake City on the 12th of October 1853. They went to the Public Square, where they camped in a tent for several days. They had plenty of squash and plenty of good potatoes to eat.
President Young came on to the camp ground and told them they were free to locate in any part of the territory. After he left Brother Joseph L. Haywood, then President of Nephi, came to the camp ground and called for volunteers to go to Nephi. He gave them a description of the country and they felt satisfied, and with some of the brethren left October 9, 1853 with ox teams for Nephi. Brother Israel Hoyt acted as Captain. They arrived in Nephi after dark. The next morning when it was light, they looked about them. They were inside a small fort, containing about ten acres built of logs and adobe bricks, containing about fifty families. When they saw the mountains on the west and Mount Nebo on the east, they were very happy with the location. Thomas worked for the Brethren on their farms for three or four years, part of the time farming on shares. With the grasshoppers and the potato bugs destroying most of their crops, they had a hard time and were in quite destitute circumstances. They were glad to dress in buckskins or almost anything they could get.
President Young advised them to build a larger fort. Thomas took an active part in this work. Thomas says he built the walls for two city lots, and also worked a lot for others. He also helped build up Nephi, which was then known as Salt Creek.
Hezekiah was 10 years old when they arrived in Nephi. In his later teens he with other boys was called to drive an Ox team back to Omaha to bring back other immigrants to the valley. He didn't take very kindly to this at first but finally made up his mind to go, which proved to be a great blessing, as he met his first wife, Elizabeth Morris, here.
To Thomas and Mary Ann Goble were born five children, Harriet, Mary Mice, Thomas Goble, Jane and Joseph William. Mary Ann died June 23, 1873.
Thomas married Jane Lyons (Lines) as a plural wife. She was born May 16, 1842, at Sparks Brook, Birmington, England To this union four sons were born, Hyrum, John Albert, William and Brigham. She died December 30, 1911. Thomas Carter died August 26, 1892, at Nephi.