Edwin Martin Peck Sr

Edwin Martin Peck was born 24 July 1828 in Vermont, the oldest of seven children. The family joined the Church in 1833 and according to family stories, Edwin traveled from Kirtland to Missouri with Zion’s camp in 1838 as a ten year old where his leg was crushed under a wagon and healed by a blessing from his father. The family then traveled to Nauvoo before leaving their home with the Saints. from findagrave.com memorial 29971492 Son of Martin Horton Peck & Susan Caroline Cluff Married Marie Antoinette Van Orden Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia Volume 4 --------------------------- from findagrave Peck, Edwin Martin, a member of the Mormon Battalion, Company D, was born July 24, 1828, in Caledonia County, Vermont, a son of Martin H. Peck and Susan Cluff. His father's family moved to Nauvoo, and after the saints were exiled from their homes there in 1846, he traveled with the body of the Church to Council Bluffs, Iowa, where he joined the Battalion in July, 1846. After his arrival in California he' was honorably discharged July 16, 1847, but four days later with forty-six other members of the Battalion re-enlisted for service six months longer. After his discharge he came to the "Valley" and made his home in Provo. He died in Goshen, Utah Co., Aug. 22, 1903 Arriving at Council Bluffs, Edwin enlisted in the Mormon Battalion Company D at age 17. Interestingly, two brothers with the last name of Peck enlisted in Company E but no relationship has been found. From Fort Leavenworth, he sent $10 to his father who was located at Mt. Pisgah. This amount was recorded on the Winter Quarters store ledger on May 22 for supplies and cash in a transaction by his father. Military records noted he was on duty as a teamster during October. He arrived in California with the main command, serving at Los Angeles for the last four months of enlistments. After discharge in July, he then served in the Mormon Volunteers until March 1848. Conflicting documents have created confusion about how and when Edwin arrived in Utah. Although Edwin’s pension noted he lived in Salt Lake for twelve years after he was discharged, his family arrived in Utah in the fall of 1848 including his brother Joseph who was then found in the 1850 El Dorado census with Edwin. It is possible Edwin remained in California and his brother traveled with other companies to join him in mining activities. They then traveled to Utah where they are both listed in an 1850 Utah Census which was technically compiled in 1851. Edwin applied for $100 in lieu of bounty land in 1851 in Salt Lake. His name appeared on a Utah Militia muster roll in 1852 and multiple rolls in 1853 and once in 1864. Listed as blacksmith on census records, he married about 1853 but his wife died the following year. Edwin was then called to serve a mission with his father, returning in December 1855. Upon his return, he married in 1856 and his wife gave birth to ten children, the first two in Salt Lake and the other eight in Provo where the family moved about 1859. In their older years, they moved in with one of the children where he died in Goshen, Utah in 1903. (image drawn from an old photograph)