Noah Thomas Guymon

Noah Thomas Guymon, 1819 - 1911, age 91, was the fifth child of Thomas Guymon and Sarah Gordon Guymon. He was born 30 June 1819 at Jackson County, Tennessee. His parents were both descendants of Revolutionary War ancestors. Noah Thomas Guymon was born with the blood of a noble ancestry of courage, devotion and stamina of true Americans, of which our Guymon family can be very proud. Noah Thomas Guymon was fortunate in having a father who was a good farmer and a good school teacher. From his father he received a good rounded basic education. He also knew the fundamentals of farming and the raising of livestock. In the early spring of 1826 the family moved to Edgar County, Illinois. Here they lived a rather peaceful life until James Guymon, a brother just older than Noah Thomas, came home from a trip which changed the whole course of their lives. This happened during the winter of 1836-1837. James was very excited and told them of a new church, different from any other church they had ever known. When he had finished telling his story, their father stood upon a log and said, "Jim, this is the gospel of Jesus Christ. It is just what we have been looking for." Noah Thomas, James, their younger brother and four sisters and their parents soon joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Noah Thomas was baptized 2 March 1836 by Elder Caleb Baldwin. From this time on, the family went through much of the persecutions which had to be endured by the members of the Church. Noah Thomas knew the Prophet Joseph Smith and acted as one of his body guards. He told his children of being in the Sacred Grove and hearing the Prophet Joseph Smith telling the Saints that the time would come when they would be driven to the Rocky Mountains. He bore his testimony in a conference in Orangeville, telling of a meeting conducted by Brigham Young, when Brigham Young was transfigured so that he looked and sounded like the Prophet Joseph Smith. This to him was proof that Brigham Young was chosen by God to lead the Saints after the death of the Prophet. Noah Thomas married Mary Dickerson Dudley on 24 December 1837 in Caldwell County, Missouri. She was the daughter of James Dudley and Celia Ross Dudley, both from Richmond, Virginia. Mary was born 13 August 1814 at Wolf Creek, Hardin County, Kentucky. They were married by Elder Jefferson Hunt. Their first child was born 25 October 1838 at Caldwell County, Missouri, near Far West, on the night of the Crooked River Battle when David Patten was killed. This child was a girl whom they named Mary Jane. In the winter of 1838 Noah Thomas and his family, with the rest of the Saints, moved to the state of Illinois, where Noah Thomas helped in the building of the city of Nauvoo. Here on the 10th of September 1840 Noah Thomas' second child Lucinda Harris was born. On 8 July 1842 their third child Emma Melissa was born. Times were hard, and Noah Thomas moved his family out into the country on a small farm. Therefore, they were not living in Nauvoo when the Prophet Joseph Smith was killed; in fact, Noah Thomas was sick in bed with a high fever. On the first day of March 1845 his wife Mary Dickerson Dudley died from complications due to childbirth. She was taken to Nauvoo for burial. This left Noah Thomas with little motherless girls who needed care and attention. Ten months later Noah Thomas married Margaret who became a good mother to his little girls. November 24, 1845, Noah Thomas Guymon married Margaret Johnson, daughter of Edward Johnson and Sarah Brown Johnson. To this union was born four daughters and three sons: Margaret Elizabeth, born 29 September 1846 married Hyrum Oscar Crandall Martin Lewis Guymon, born 24 January 1849, died 21 April 1868 Harriett, born 11 November 1851, married Hyrum Oscar Crandall Moroni Guymon, born 30 July 1856, died 11 August 1856 Julia Luella, born 2 August 1857, married George Maycock Edward Wallace Guymon, born 15 December 1859, married Elizabeth Preator Lillian Melinda, born 29 March 1862, married Louis Havey Pearson 12 February 1847 Noah Thomas married his third wife, Elizabeth Ann Jones, at Winter Quarters. She was a daughter of James Nylor Jones and Sarah Ann Manerly. They were married by Brigham Young. To them were born the following children: William Albert Guymon, born 25 April 1849, married Marcellia Fowles Clarissa Ellen, born 29 August 1851, , married Amasa Scoville Noah Thomas Guymon, Jr..born 18 April 1853, married Caroline M. Hansen Sarah Ann, born 30 August 1856, died less than two years later Amy Amelia, born 18 January 1859, married Alma Gardner Jewkes Elizabeth Ann, born 8 January 1861, died age 8 years Noah Thomas Guymon and his three little girls, his wife Margaret with her first two children, and Elizabeth (his third wife) and her little son left Council Bluffs, Iowa, in the spring of 1850 to make their long journey across the plains to Utah. They came to Utah in the Aaron Johnson Company. There were other members of his family in the same company: his parents and their daughter Melissa who was still single, Barzilla and her husband Matthew Caldwell and their small children, and also his sister Polly and her husband Robert Lewis Johnson and their small children. There were many preparations which had to be made for so long a journey. Wagons had to be made ready, cows and oxen had to be trained to work on the wagons, clothing had to be made for wearing on the trip. All their belongings had to be packed, and those things they could not take had to be sold or given away. There was much work and planning that went into the preparations for the long journey to a new home in the wilderness where they would be free to worship God as they wished. They were very happy with the thought of coming to Utah where they would no longer be persecuted by the mobs. The most pleasant part of this journey was spent traveling along the banks of the Missouri River. The company crossed the river on flat boats, and the cattle swam the river. They gathered buffalo chips to make fires on the prairie lands. The company traveled long hard hours, but they always took time out at night to sing songs of praise to their God and to enjoy each other's company around the camp fire before retiring for the evening. Three days before the end of their journey, James Guymon, the older brother of Noah Thomas, came to meet them. James had made the journey a year before and was anxious to see his parents, brother and sisters and their families. The children were driving the cattle a short distance ahead of the wagons and when they saw their Uncle James coming to meet them, they shouted with joy. This was indeed a happy reunion. Finally they arrived at Salt Lake City, very tired, but happy to be at the end of their journey and with their friends of the Church. One of the things that impressed the children was a red rag on a stick nailed upon a log room to show that merchandise was sold there. Another log room had a tin cup nailed over the door to show that tin ware was sold at this place. The family had arrived in Salt Lake City 8 September 1850. They spent their first week with James, who lived on the Little Cottonwood River. He had a lovely garden which furnished good eating for these tired and hungry travelers. Noah Thomas, Matthew Caldwell, Azamiah Adams, and Henry Chipman went to American Fork. Matthew Caldwell had been in Utah on his way through Utah and had seen this land in American Fork. The history of American Fork says that Noah Thomas Guymon built the first house and his daughter Clarissa Ellen Guymon was the first child born in American Fork. Noah Thomas, with the assistance of his family, cleared the brush and willows from a small farm, and he built a house which was built of logs, and the roof was covered with small poles on which cane was laid. When this was finished, Noah Thomas, his brother-in-law Matthew Caldwell, and Azamiah Adams went to Salt Lake City to work for wheat, potatoes, and other supplies that they would need to carry them through the winter and to plant in the spring. Brother Adams had left his family in Salt Lake City and intended moving them out on his return. Adams left his young son there with the new settlers. He and Brother Chipman were the only male members left to protect their wives and children while they were away. The day after their departure Chief Walker and a large number of his Indian braves came and pitched their tents, or wickieups as they were called, near the little new homes which these new settlers had just finished. The settlers were upset by their arrival so Brother Chipman went down and had a talk with the Chief. The Chief said they were friendly and that he and some of his lesser chiefs were on their way to Salt Lake City to see and talk with the Great White Chief, Brigham Young. The Chief said his Indian braves would hunt and fish and gather acorns and turn their horses on the low lands to feed. He told his braves not to molest the white people. Nevertheless, the women and children were very much afraid. Some of the Indians were very annoying. They would come into their cabins and help themselves to whatever they wanted such as milk or anything they could see that they wanted to eat. As the cows had helped pull the wagons across the plains and had given milk all summer, they were about dry now. These settlers needed the little milk they got from the cows to soak the hard bread they had left. Their provisions were getting scarce. They had hauled what they did have over a thousand miles in one wagon. When a big Indian brave would come into their cabin and pick up a pan of milk, drink what he wanted, and pass it to another Indian to finish drinking, the Guymon family knew -cont in memories section history taken from histories written by descendants of Noah Thomas Guymon, ward records, the diary of Noah Thomas Guymon, Church chronology, American Fork history, and Church history. It is also taken from children's biographies.