Charles Sreeve Peterson
| Charles Sreeve Peterson | |
|---|---|
 |
|
|
Utah Territorial Legislature 1864-1866 |
|
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 28, 1818 Mount Holly, New Jersey |
| Died | September 26, 1889 Mesa, Arizona |
| Spouse(s) | Ann Dennis Mary Ann Patten Ann Patten Margaret Crispin Mary Thompson |
Charles Sreeve Peterson (July 28, 1818 – September 26, 1889) was an early Mormon leader who was the first settler of Utah's Morgan Valley, a member of the Utah Territorial Legislature, and one of the first settlers in the Mormon colonies in Mexico.
Peterson was born to a poor family in Mount Holly, New Jersey. One of ten children, he went to work at age 10 to help support the family, hauling brick at a kiln during the summers and chopping wood with his father in the winters. At age 14, he apprenticed as a blacksmith.
On the night of November 12, 1833, one of the more spectacular Leonid meteor showers on record (dubbed the "Falling Stars Phenomenon") hit the East Coast of the United States. In the middle of the night, Peterson woke to mobs screaming the end of the world was at hand. Similar scenes played out up and down the Eastern Seaboard. But instead of rushing to the nearest church like most people, Peterson, who was not religious at the time—he later described himself as "almost an infidel"—went back to bed.
At age 17, Peterson went to work on a farm, where he attended some school. While at school, he met his future wife, Ann Dennis.
Peterson and his wife moved to Sreeveville, New Jersey, where he worked on a farm near town. He recalled that he "did not have an enemy that I knew of, and was respected by everyone that knew me, as an honest, respectable man with a reasonable amount of intelligence." At the age of 24, Peterson hauled coal for a man in Burlington who told him "of a strange people, whom he had just visited in Illinois." The man had been converted to their faith. He provided Peterson with a pamphlet from the group, the Mormons. That night, Peterson read the pamphlet aloud while his wife sewed. They were both convinced to join the religion. He later recalled that after joining "all turned against me, and I was ridiculed, called a fool and shunned by nearly everyone." His employer even staged an intervention, where he was told to leave the religion or lose his employment. Peterson chose the latter.
...
Wikipedia