A One-Name Study for the BARNUM/BARNHAM Surname
Lieutenant Bethuel Barnum married Elisabeth Willey; William Barnum married Sarah; Jabez Barnum married Esther Davids.
Charles Davids Barnum was living near Brockville, Ontario, Canada, on the Saint Lawrence River when he heard and accepted the Mormon doctrine and later moved to Utah. At the age of 36, he was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. In 1838 he sold his property in Canada and moved his family to Indiana. That year, he helped to bring back to Quincy, Illinois, some Saints who had been marooned at "Far West" located near Independence, Missouri, after the Mormons were driven out of that state by the governor. For two years, his family stayed in Indiana while Charles himself spent most of his time in Nauvoo and doing missionary work in Indiana and Illinois. In 1841 he brought his family to Illinois, first to La Harp, near Camp Creek, and later to Nauvoo as danger to Mormons from the local citizens increased. He helped to quarry the first rock used to build the Temple at Nauvoo, and also worked in the wagon shop. In the spring of 1846, he went to "Winter Quarters" near Omaha, Nebraska but his wife refused to follow him there. Apparently, Polly Beach Barnum left Nauvoo sometime later; the 1850 Indiana Census shows her living in northern Indiana with her two surviving children and some relatives, probably her parents and a brother. Charles Barnum was endowed on 12 Jan 1846 and on 01 Dec he married Nancy Kittle. The Temple record says, "m. to Nancy Kittle * also Sabra Wixson." There is no mention of Sabra Wixson in Charles' autobiography, and the marriage is not listed in the family bible. Possibly, she was an elderly woman with whom he went through the marriage ceremony for religious reasons. The Mormons held that women got into heaven only through their husbands, and such "marriages of convenience" were therefore sometimes performed. Charles worked in the wagon shop at Winter Quarters and, in the spring, left for the west in the party of Brigham Young, the "Mormon Pioneers." They arrived at the present site of Salt Lake City, Utah, on 22 Jul 1847. He is listed in the 1847 roster of the Brigham Young Company as a member of the Eighth Ten, Seth Taft, Captain. He helped build the first adobe houses there, and returned east that fall. He again worked in the wagon shop, until May 1850. He then left for Salt Lake City with his wife and their daughter Fanny Ester, who had been born on 07 Mar 1849. She died on 27 Jun 1850, probably during the trip west. Their other four children were born in Salt Lake City during the ensuing seven years. Their son Enoch Croel Barnum died there on 04 Apr 1858, and Nancy Kittle Barnum died shortly after. Charles Davids Barnum spent the remainder of his life in Salt Lake City, passing away there on 09 Sep 1894, at the age of 94 years, four months. There is a line drawing of him in the book Day By Day With The Utah Pioneers. This page was taken from Dave Nance's genealogy web site.
Nancy Kittles was born 16 Oct 1821, near Montreal, Canada. She converted to the LDS Church and was baptized in Apr 1843 in Canada. She married Charles Davids Barnum 1 Dec 1846. She was said to have been of Dutch ancestry. She died 22 Jul 1858 in Salt Lake City, Utah.
In the 1850 US Census for Deseret, Great Salt Lake County, Utah Territory the family of Charles D. Barnum was enumerated as follows:
Dwelling #300; Family #300
Charles D. Barnum, 51, M, Carpenter, Real property $200, b. Canada
Nancy Barnum, 30, F, b. Canada
Sarah Ann Barnum, 2, F, b. Deseret, Utah Territory
Agnes Barnum, 1/12, F, b. Deseret, Utah Territory
Ellen Abbott, 14, F, b. New York
Source Information: 1880 Census Place Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah; Family History Library Film 1255337; Page Number 69D. Charles D. Barnum Household; Male; Other Information: Birth Year <1800>; Birthplace Canada; Age 80; Occupation Carpenter; Marital Status W
Sold his property in Canada.
First to LaHarp, next to Camp Creek, and finally to Nauvoo.
A Research Guide to the Genealogy of the Barnum/Barnam/Barnham Family Worldwide
AncientFaces - Family History Photos
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