Thomas Rowell Leavitt, 1834 — 1891
Thomas Rowell Leavitt, son of Jeremiah II and Sarah Sturtevant Leavitt, was born June 30, 1834 in Lately, Quebec, Canada. He was three yeas old when his widowed grandmother, Sarah Shannon Leavitt moved with her children and grandchildren (fifty-two in all) from Canada to Kirtland, Ohio to join with the Latter-day Saints, 20 July, 1837. Jeremiah II moved to Nauvoo in 1840 then fled West with his family in February 1846. He died that year in Bonaparte, Iowa. Thomas was twelve years of age at the time. His mother managed to get the family to Salt Lake City in 1850.
Thomas became a scout guiding settlers from Salt Lake City to Southern Utah, in 1857 he married Ann Aliza Jenkins, moved to Wellsville and built a home. She bore him twelve children. In 1861 Thomas married Antoinette Davenport. She bore him nine children and then died trying to give birth to the tenth child. Harriet Martha Dowdle became his wife in 1883. She bore him three children. Thomas chose strong, courageous wives who were filled with faith in the Lord and taught their children to be true to their covenants.
Thomas was a builder. He built six homes. A skilled man with an axe and tools he could dove-tail and fit corners perfectly without nail or peg in his log homes.
Thomas was a missionary, especially to the Indians. He learned their languages. In 1857 outside his sister Betsey’s cabin, Thomas faced a huge war party of Indians who were bent on killing white men and taking their food and clothing. He joined them in their war chant and war whoop then talked peace in their language. The Indians left taking only the two oxen Betsey had offered them.
Thomas and Ann Eliza moved to Santa Clara where he became a missionary to the Hopis and Navajo tribes and learned their languages. When he moved to Canada he made friends with and learned the language of the Blood Indians.
Ann Eliza’s health began to fail in Santa Clara so they moved back to their home in Wellsville where he became the sheriff. When challenged b a man with a sword, Thomas shot off one finger on the hand holding the sword then arrested the disturber.
He was colonizer. In 1887 he and Harriet and their three children were with twelve families who made an eight hundred mile trek to Alberta, Canada. President John Taylor had requested Cache Valley Stake President, Charles Ora Card, to find a suitable place and establish a colony of Saints in Canada. Thomas was called to be second counselor to the first bishop of Card Ward later known as Cardston Ward.
Thomas yearned to have his whole family join him. He notified Ann Eliza to come north with their children. Ann Eliza organized the family to join with the next caravan which headed for Canada in the spring of 1890. Meanwhile, Thomas and Harriet and her three children took the train South to Wellsville to give Harriet a break from Northern pioneering. The train passed so close to the caravan that they were able to wave to each other through the train window.
Thomas promptly returned to Canada. The future looked bright for the new colony and for his large family but on the 21 of May 1891 Thomas died of influenza at his home in Cardston. This was a tragedy and deep sorrow for Ann Eliza who still had nine single children. She lived another thirteen years.
Harriett returned with her three children. She was able to claim widow’s homestead rights. Twenty of Thomas’ twenty two living children settled near Cardston in a beautiful valley, which became known as the town of Leavitt where thousands of strong faithful descendants of Thomas Rowell Leavitt took to him with gratitude.
We honor here his life of dedication to family, faith, and to his unfailing fortitude.
For Some The Westward Journey Ended Along the Way