Erastus Bingham History

ERASTUS BINGHAM

Writer of this history is unknown

This history from the DAUGHTERS OF UTAH PIONEERS

    The Bingham name appears prominently in English history from the Norman conquest of 1066 to the present day.  Our first American ancestor came from England to America in 1649.

    Thomas Bingham, number one in the Bingham family history, emigrated to America with his mother and settled in Connecticut, where he was known as a leader and a devout man.

    His tombstone in the old churchyard in Connecticut bears this inscription:  "Here lies the body of that Holy man of God, Deacon Thomas Bingham."  He was a man eminent for his piety, love, and charity.  He died in the 88th year of his life, leaving a large posterity; and we find the Binghams firmly entrenched in America, the land of promise.

   

    Research reveals the church played a prominent part in their lives, and among them were many church dignitaries and missionaries.  From this stock descended Erastus Bingham.

    He was born March the 12th, 1798, in Concord, Essex County, Vermont, a son of Elisha Warner Bingham and Sally or Sarah Perry.

    Erastus Bingham's father died when Erastus was four years old; and as soon as he was old enough, he worked on the farm to help the family income.  He continued in the farming occupation throughout his life.  On the 21st of March, 1820, he married Lucinda Gates at St. Johnsbury, Vermont.  Lucinda Gates was the daughter of Thomas Gates and Patty Plumley.  She was born the 19th of September 1797 or 1799 at Ackworth, New Hampshire, and died January 3, or 27th, at Ogden, Utah.

    Erastus Bingham owned a farm at Concord, Vermont, at the time of his marriage to Lucinda Gates.  Four of his children were born there, Mary, born April 1, 1820; Sanford, May 3, 1821; Erastus Jr., September 30, 1822, and Thomas July 19, 1824.  About 1825 they moved to Littleton, Grafton County, New Hampshire, where two of his daughters were born, Lucinda, born April 15, 1826, and Louisia Maria, born June 23, 1828.  He moved back to his old farm in Concord, Vermont, where two of his sons were born, Willard, born February 19, 1830, and Edwin, born May 5, 1832.

    Erastus Bingham had now reached the age of 34 years and had never affiliated with any religious denomination.  He never indulged in intoxicating liquor, was industrious and cautious in his financial affairs, and was honest and exemplary.  He first heard the Gospel preached in the spring of 1833, when Elder John E. Boyington came to that vicinity expounding the newly revealed principles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  He was very much impressed, read the Book of Mormon soon after, and received a strong testimony of the truthfulness of the record.  He and his wife and daughter, Mary, and two sons, Erastus, Jr., and Thomas, were baptized and confirmed members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on November 11, 1833, at St. Johnsbury, Vermont, by Elder Evans.

 His son Sanford was baptized and comfirmed the following week on November 18, 1833 at the same place by Elder Evans.

    In the fall of 1835, the first quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church were traveling as missionaries through the New England states and holding conferences.  They all stayed one night at the Erastus Bingham home and held a council meeting at his home in Vermont.  Erastus was reminded of this event, by Brigham Young, while they were living in Nauvoo.  He told Erastus that the council meeting held at his home in Vermont was the only one held at which they (the twelve) were all together after the organization of the Quorum.

    It was in the spring of 1836 that Edward Partridge and William W. Phelps went on an exploring expedition hoping to find potential sites for Mormon settlements in Northern Missouri.  They found the region commonly referred to as Far West, most of which was prairie covered by tall grass with timber only along the streams and rivers.  By August, it had been designated, as a settlement even though, at that time, only forested land was considered good for settlements.  It was in this area that Jacob Gates met the Bingham family and no doubt helped them to find a place to settle.

 In the spring of 1836, Erastus sold his farm at Concord, Vermont, and prepared to go west to the then gathering place of the Saints.  They started the 8th of June, accompanied by Willard Snow, Joel Harvey, and families and others.

    They arrived in Kirtland, Ohio, about the 6th day of July, 1836.  While at Kirtland, they had the privilege of hearing the Prophet Joseph Smith preach in the Kirtland temple and enjoyed that heavenly and ennobling influence which was constantly with the Prophet while speaking.

The reason for stopping at Kirtland as long as they did was that the flies on the Illinois prairie were so bad it was almost impossible to drive the horses across at that time of the year.

They started west again the first of September, 1836; but now they had other trouble.  It rained so much that it was almost impossible to travel through the sticky, deep mud while crossing the state of Indiana; and they didn't arrive in Far West, Missouri, until the fourth of November 1836.

They Gathered in Far West

    The Erastus Bingham family was on of the many families that had responded to the Lord's request, made by his Prophet Joseph Smith, to unite in one location in order to build strength in the newly founded Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In the summer and fall of 1836, Latter-day Saints had been gathering in Ray County, Missouri.  This gathering of so many people was not done, however, without the objections of the citizens of Missouri.  They objected to the differences they found in these newcomers to their area, such as: religion, customs, dialect, and opposition to slavery, some of their beliefs and the fact that most of them were poor.  As a solution to the prejudice and threats of the citizens of Missouri, it was agreed that the Mormon Saints would only settle in the sparsely settled northern part of the county.  Two small counties were created in the northern part of Ray County called Davies and Caldwell.  Caldwell County, which was to be exclusively for Mormons, became the new home of the Erastus Bingham family in the area called Far West.

    In August 1836, this area had been designated as a site for a city to provide homes for the many immigrating Saints.  This segregation of the Latter-day Saints was considered to be an excellent solution to the "Mormon problem."  The Saints began to gather in the late summer and fall of 1836, and soon Far West and numerous other smaller settlements sprang into existence.

    Far West, where the Bingham Family settled on November 4, 1836, became the most prosperous of the Latter-day Saint communities.  The Saints built more than one hundred fifty homes, four dry good stores, three family grocery stores, several blacksmith shops, two hotels, a printing shop and a large schoolhouse that doubled as a church and courthouse.  The Saints were busy planting crops and building log houses, but they always took time out to worship and study the gospel.

    Erastus Bingham rented a farm located on Shoal Creek about 2 1/2 miles from Farr West.  He erected a log cabin large enough to comfortably house his wife Lucinda and their 8 children.  The farm was fenced and Lucinda and the children aided in cultivating the soil.

    Erastus Bingham and his family found Lucinda's brother, Jacob Gates, there in Far West.  Jacob had been in Missouri since the summer of 1834 when Zion's Camp was there.  The Camp disbanded in Liberty, Clay County, located west and south of the town of Far West.

    During the hot summer months of 1838, relations between the Latter-day Saints and their northern Missouri neighbors continued to deteriorate rapidly.  Parly P. Pratt described the tense situation that existed in these words:

   

    War clouds began again to lower with dark and threatening aspect.  Those who had combined against the laws in the adjoining counties had long watched our increasing power and prosperity with jealousy, and with greedy and avaricious eyes.  It was a common boast that as soon as we had completed our extensive improvements, and made a plentiful crop, they would drive us from the state and once more enrich themselves with the spoils.

Extermination Order

    Violence erupted which eventually resulted in the expulsion of the entire church from the state of Missouri.  It was October 27, 1838 when Lilburn W. Boggs, the governor of Missouri, issued an extermination order which stated:

   

    The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good.  Their outrages are beyond all description.  If you can increase your force, you are authorized to do so, to any extent you may think necessary.

    By permission of the Governor, however, the larger portion of the Saints remained until the spring of 1839.  Erastus Bingham, being one of those who remained, was chosen as one of a committee at Far West to dispose of what furniture and other belongings of the Saints that could not be taken with them in their expulsion from the state.

    Great excitement prevailed, and mobs were heard of in every direction, which seemed determined to destroy the Mormons.  They burned the houses in the county and took off all the cattle they could find.  They destroyed cornfields, took many prisoners and threatened death to all Mormons.

    In Far West, Saints were warned that two notorious anti-Mormons, Cornelius Gillam and Samuel Bogart, officers in the militia, were planning assaults on the Caldwell County settlement.  Meetings were held where the Saints covenanted to defend themselves and not desert the cause.  Residents of the outlying settlements were instructed to gather to Far West, and the city hastened its preparations for defense.  Northern Missouri was in a uproar the last week of October as "mobs were heard in every direction."  The mobs burned houses and crops, rustled cattle, detained prisoners and threatened the Saints with death.

     The anti-Mormon militia forces continued to gather around Far West in preparation for an attack.  The militia for Far West barricaded the city with wagons and timber, but by Wednesday, October 31, the anti-Mormon forces outnumbered those of the Saints by five to one.  Neither side was eager to begin the battle, so the day was spent in a standoff, with each side trying to decide what to do.

    On the morning of November 1, the Missouri militia entered the city.  While searching for arms they vandalized the town, plundered valuable possessions, raped some of the women and compelled the leading elders at bayonet point to sign promises to pay the expenses of the militia.  Many prominent men were arrested and taken as prisoners to Richmond.  The rest of the Saints were told to leave the state.

    The Bingham family was driven away from their humble but comfortable home by the mobs, which were made up of individuals opposed to the teaching of the Latter Day Saints.  The fervent prayers of Lucinda prevailed to the extent that she and her family did not suffer so extensively as many others.  She saw and experienced the ravages, burning and destruction of personal property that occurred in 1838 and 1839.  The mob relented and did not burn their home.  They were permitted to assemble their cattle and personal possessions, part of which, they sold for cash.

    The Erastus Bingham family members were among the many church members that were asking where they could go for refuge?  The vast Indian tracts to the west were not open to settlers.  Iowa to the north was sparsely settled but offered little timber upon its vast rolling plains.  Going south meant traveling through hostile Missouri communities.  The route east was most familiar and reassuring to Church members.  Many of the Saints had traveled it only months before in exile from Kirtland.  Now some of them were considering a return to Ohio.  Crossing the Mississippi and pausing in some of the small Illinois communities along its banks, however, provided the respite necessary for the Saints to receive new direction from church leaders.

    Citizens of Illinois were sympathetic to the plight of the Saints and many people believed that a large influx of Mormons would help their struggling economy.  Illinois would be their next home.

    Leaving Missouri was not easy for the refugees.  Many people sold precious possessions and lands at unreasonably low prices to obtain means to flee the state.  Some people with oxen teams made several trips between Caldwell County and the Mississippi River, two hundred miles to the east, to convey friends and relatives out of danger.

    Some people saw the flight from Missouri as evidence that the Lord had forsaken the Saints.  The Prophet Joseph was in Liberty Jail with no prospect of release.  Whatever hopes the Saints had of regaining political fights and property in Missouri or establishing the city of Zion was dimmed.  Even some church members questioned the wisdom of gathering the Saints again into one location.

 He left Missouri in the latter part of March, 1839, arriving in Hancock county, Illinois, the forepart of April, 1839.  He rented a farm between Carthage and La Harpe, but nearer to La Harpe, about 15 to 20 miles east of Nauvoo and while here his youngest son, Brigham Heber, was born December 15, 1841. 

The Martyrdom of Joseph Smith

    The martyrdom of the Prophet and his brother Hyrum on June 27, 1844 caused great sorrow to all the members of the church.  Even when he began his ministry, the Prophet Joseph Smith knew he might have to die for his religion.  He increasingly felt the foreboding of the Spirit that his ministry on earth was nearing its end.

    With the death of the Prophet, the First Presidency of the Church was dissolved; and Sidney Rigdon asserted that he should be appointed "guardian" of the Church, but Brigham Young was the President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.  The Brigham family no doubt watched with interest to see how this situation would be resolved.  The family was probably all in attendance at the historic gathering held on Thursday, August 8, 1844, when a miracle occurred before the body of the Church.  Brigham Young was magnified before the people, and the succession crisis of the Church was resolved.

    Brigham Young's remarks were short as he told the audience that he would rather have spent a month mourning the dead Prophet that so quickly attend to the business of appointing a new shepherd.  While he was speaking, he was miraculously transfigured before the people.  People of all ages were present, and some of them later recorded their experiences:

    Benjamin F. Johnson, age twenty-six at the time, wrote what he remembered:

    As soon as he (Brigham Young) spoke, I jumped upon my feet, for in every possible degree it was Joseph's voice, and his person, in look, attitude, dress and appearance was Joseph himself, personified; and I knew in a moment the spirit and mantle of Joseph was upon him.

    Zina Huntington said:

    President Young was speaking.  It was the voice of Joseph--not that of Brigham Young.  His very person was changed...I closed my eyes.  I could have exclaimed, I know that is Joseph Smith's voice!  Yet I know he had gone.  But the same spirit was with the people.

    President Young continued, and then turning to his main point declared, "If the people want President Rigdon to lead them they may have him; but I say unto you that the Quorum of the Twelve have the keys of the kingdom of God in all the world."

    The vote was taken, and all hands went up.  Brigham then asked, "If there are any of the contrary mind, every man and every woman who does not want the Twelve to preside, lift up your hand in like manner."  No hands went up.  Once more the Church had a presidency--the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles--with Brigham Young as their president.

The Bingham's moved closer to the Nauvoo Temple

    It was evident from circumstances and conditions at that time; a Mormon family was in grave danger of being mobbed.  This concern and the fact that the Brethren were pressing for a speedy completion of the temple in Nauvoo gave motive enough for Erastus to move his family to a spot nearer to Nauvoo.  It was during the spring of 1845 that Erastus bought a farm of 160 acres about 20 miles west of Nauvoo, Illinois, which was extensively cultivated during the spring and summer.  A comfortable home was built for Lucinda and the children.  After the crops were all harvested, the family's attention turned to the completion of the Nauvoo Temple, a task which had dominated the activities of Nauvoo for the last five years having been built largely by donated labor.

    The hopes of the Saints had been centered on the temple as their Prophet, Joseph Smith, sought and received additional instructions from the Lord regarding the sacred endowment, which was to be performed in the temple.  The Lord had pronounced these ordinances necessary to open the gate to eternal life and exaltation.  The Nauvoo Saints anxiously looked forward to the completion of the temple and the day they could take part in the endowment and understand more about the eternal perspective of the Lord.

    By the spring of 1845, the capstone of the temple was in position.  The workers then assembled the roof and finished the interior and plans were set for a formal dedication in April 1846.  The Relief Society sisters had pledged to each contribute a penny per week for glass and nails, while those of means contributed large sums without which the project would not have progresses.  Rooms in the temple were dedicated as they were completed so that ordinance work could begin as early as possible.

    In the fall of 1845 mobs arose against the Saints.  To save bloodshed, the authorities of the Church agreed that the Saints would leave the state of Illinois, with the understanding and privilege of remaining until spring.  The evacuation from Western Illinois was originally planned for April 1846, but new threats prompted an early, hasty exit.  A committee was appointed to dispose of all property and effects left behind including the temple and the Nauvoo House.  The decision to leave was made February 2, 1846 and the first group crossed the Mississippi River on February 4.

    Nauvoo was a hive of activity as the Saints began to prepare for their exodus and to complete the Nauvoo Temple as the same time.  It seemed like a race of time to fulfill the Lord's work before they were stopped by the evil powers that surrounded them.

General Conference in the partly finished Temple

    Erastus and Lucinda Bingham were no doubt in attendance at the General Conference, which convened in the partially finished edifice in October 1845.  Brigham Young opened the services of the day by a dedicatory prayer presenting the temple, thus far completed, as a monument of the Saints' liberality, fidelity and faith concluding, "Lord, we dedicate this house and ourselves, to thee..."

    The attic story of the temple was dedicated for ordinance work November 30, 1845.  President Young prayed that the Lord would sustain and deliver his servants until they accomplished his will in the temple.  The rooms were soon prepared for ordinances, and Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball began giving endowments to faithful Latter-day Saints on the evening of December 10.  On December 11, 1845 endowment sessions were continued until 3 a.m.  By the end of 1845, over a thousand members had received these ordinances.

In January, Brigham Young recorded:

    "Such has been the anxiety manifested by the Saints to received the ordinances of the temple and such the anxiety on our part to administer to them, that I have given myself up entirely to the work of the Lord in the Temple night and day, not taking more than four hours sleep, upon an average, per day, and going home but once a week."

    There were many others among the brethren and sisters who gave freely of their time by washing the temple clothing each night so the work could continue unimpeded the next morning.

    The Nauvoo Temple endowment records of January 1, 1846, proudly lists the names of Erastus Bingham and Lucinda Bingham among those who took out their endowment on that day.  Maria Louisa and Thomas performed their endowments on January 24, Mary is listed as January 28 and their two brothers, Sanford and Thomas chose January 30, 1846 as their endowment date.

    On February 3, 1846 the Brethren planned to stop the ordinance work, and Brigham Young left the temple to make final preparation to leave the next day for the West, but seeing a large crowd gathered to receive their endowments, he compassionately returned to serve them.  This delayed his departure for another two weeks.  According to temple records, 5,615 Saints were endowed before going west.

Exodus to the West

    From the family historical records we find that Erastus Bingham Jr. was called in January, 1846, to go ahead with some of the leaders of the church to make roads, build bridges, and plant crops at various points.  Traveling westward, averaging about eight miles per day, Erastus Bingham and company reached Mount Pisgah, Iowa, about mid-summer and found fine growing crops which had been planted by the selected group which were chosen according to the instructions of the Twelve Apostles through Brigham Young, their president.

   Leaving Nauvoo was an act of faith for the Saints.  They departed without knowing exactly were they were going or when they would arrive at a place to settle. They only knew that they were on the verge of being driven out of Illinois by their enemies and that their leaders had received revelation to locate a refuge somewhere in the Rocky Mountains.

    Over two thousand Saints left Nauvoo by mid-March 1846, and additional hundreds left in both April and May.  The date of departure for Erastus Bingham and his family was May 6, 1846 five days after the public dedication of the Nauvoo Temple.  Wilford Woodruff, Orson Hyde and about twenty others dressed in their white temple robes dedicated the house of the Lord on April 30, which was followed the next day May 1 with a public dedication. 

    The mob violence, which compelled Erastus and Lucinda to sacrifice their farm for a meager sum to buy a team of horses, caused the family great distress and sorrow.  With this team and other livestock and wagons stocked with a few personal possessions and a scant supply of food, he and his family escaped from the violence of the infuriated mob by leaving Nauvoo on May 6, 1846.  The weather in May 1846 was cold and stormy and the family suffered greatly from exposure and lack of proper food as they traveled toward Winter Quarters.  In their haste to leave, many of the departing Saints had failed to follow the counsel to be prepared before leaving.  Brigham Young noted that the Saints "were patient, and endured all their privations without murmuring."

Testimony, Faith and Courage

    The faith and courage of Erastus and Lucinda had been strengthened in Kirtland, when they met the Prophet Joseph Smith and knew him personally and in the Nauvoo temple where they received their endowments.  A history of Lucinda Gates tells of her testimony and strong belief in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints:

    She met the Prophet Joseph Smith while in Kirtland Ohio, and knew him personally, loved him and her religion and she was willing to undergo great sacrifices for the religions cause she had accepted and knew to be the TRUTH.

    She was privileged to receive her endowments in the Nauvoo Temple.  She passed through all of the trying days of the assassination of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the operation of the Church by the 12 apostles.  During this time apostasy, hardship and disruptions occurred, in many ways, but none of these disturbed her faith or knowledge in the divinity of the Gospel and the testimony she possessed concerning its truthfulness.

    Traveling westward averaging about eight miles per day Erastus Bingham and company reached Mount Pisgah, Iowa about mid-summer and found fine growing crops which had been planted by the selected group which were chosen according to the instructions of the twelve Apostles through Brigham Young, their president.

  

     The Bingham family left Mt. Pisgah in a company of about two hundred wagons in command of Bishop George Miller.  Erastus Bingham was made captain of one hundred.  They traveled westward until they reached Council Bluffs, Iowa.  Prior to their arrival at Council Bluffs, Captain James Allen (from the United States Government), came to talk to Brigham Young, and asked for 500 volunteers to fight in the war with Mexico.  Two sons and a son-in-law of Erastus Bingham volunteered. 

Mormon Battalion

    In the process of annexing Texas in 1845, the pride of Mexico was wounded and war broke out after a skirmish between Mexican and United States troops in the disputed territory.  President James K. Polk Congress authorized the enlistment of fifty thousand men.  To the surprise of many Latter-day Saints, Brigham Young immediately reacted in favor of the requisition.  President Young and other leaders recognized the advantages of government service in terms of monies that would be earned and assurance that the Mormons could remain on Indian lands.

    Two sons and a son-in-law of Erastus Bingham volunteered:  Erastus Jr., Thomas and Elijah Norman Freeman, husband of his daughter Mary.  They were recruited into the Mormon Battalion in July 1846 and the care of their families became the responsibility of Erastus and Lucinda.

    Church leaders promised that the families of the volunteers would be carefully provided for.  Brigham Young selected the officers over each company and counseled them to be fathers to the rest of the men.  He also counseled the volunteers to be faithful soldiers, keep the commandments, and abide by the counsel of their leaders.  He promised that if they conducted themselves properly, they would not have to fight.  They began their historic march on Tuesday, July 21, 1846.

    Thomas Bingham had contacted ague and fever sometime before he enlisted in the battalion.  The illness returned during the march, making it impossible to keep up with the company and he was sent to Pueblo, Colorado with the 2nd detachment of sick men.  He returned to his family in Salt Lake, as did his brother Erastus Jr., but Elijah Norman Freeman, who left his wife and baby son to serve in the Battalion died in New Mexico on November 28, 1840 after he took sick while working among the sick.

More Persecution for Saints left in Nauvoo

    When opponents of the Church realized that not all the Saints were going to leave Nauvoo by summer, persecution began anew.  Men and women harvesting grain were attacked and some were severely beaten.  This type of harassment lasted all summer and into the fall of 1846.  Rescue teams were sent to their aid in time to save them from starvation and winter exposure.

    Two companies were organized in Council Bluffs and started traveling westerly according to the directions of the Twelve Apostles, Brigham being President, to find a place for the Saints to dwell.  They traveled up the Platt River until they came to Loop Fork, a messenger on horseback brought word from the president of the Twelve, Brigham Young, that they should not venture farther for fear of deep snow or hostile Indians, but should locate a good camping ground for the winter.

    The captain, Bishop Miller, was not in favor of obeying this order.  He was anxious to push on, as the prospect of several months delay in the journey was not a pleasing one.

    They remained three days considering and discussing the problem.  At this juncture a number of Indian chiefs of the Ponca Tribe passed by on their way home from an Indian Council.  They were very friendly and invited the travelers to go with them to their camping ground to a place called Swift Water near the Missouri River about 150 miles above or north of winter quarters, now known as Council Bluffs, Iowa.  The Indians said the camping ground was good, with plenty of water and wood and feed for the animals which the whitemen were welcome to share.

    Erastus Bingham stood up on his wagon wheel and talked to the Saints, telling them that he proposed to obey the council of President Brigham Young, that he and his family would remain until spring and invited all to join them in accepting the invitation of the Indians to share their camping ground.  About one-half of the company remained  with Erastus Bingham; the others decided to attempt the journey westward with their commander, Bishop Miller.  They pushed on westward but met with a great many losses.  The Indians stole some of their animals; and they suffered considerably from cold and lack of food and were finally compelled to return, some of them camping near Erastus Bingham's camp.  The Ponca Indians were very kind to the families who were sharing with them their camping ground, even bringing meat for the most destitute families.

   Church History in the Fullness of Time prepared by the Church Educational System, page 330 gives us this additional insight:

   

    George Miller, a headstrong leader, argued with Brigham Young over prospective travel and settlement plans.  Miller did not agree that the Twelve Apostles held supreme authority in the Church, therefore, he took a small group of Saints to live among the Ponca Indians on the Niobrara River in northern Nebraska.  President Young, realizing that dissension in Church leadership was dangerous, sought the will of the Lord on how to deal with Miller and his followers.  On January 11, 1847 he related a dream he had the night before, where he discussed with Joseph Smith the best method of organizing the companies.  Three days later he presented to the Church "the Word and Will of the Lord concerning the Camp of Israel in their journeying to the West "D&C 136.

    In 1847, George Miller refused to be governed by Brigham Young, so he joined Lyman Wight in Texas.  Both Lyman and George separated from the Church.

 In the spring of 1847 Erastus Bingham and his family returned to Council Bluffs where he was chosen a member of a committee to go into Missouri and secure wagons and supplies for the journey west and across the plains.  He bought provisions to last his family eighteen months.  On June 11, 1847, they left Council Bluffs; and after getting across the Elkhorn River, they started on their journey westward. They traveled up the north side of the Platt River in a company of 666 wagons consisting of Daniel Spencer's group of 100, Ira Eldridge's 50, Jedediah M. Grant's 50 and Erastus Bingham's 10, together with other groups.  The company was so large that it was organized with captains of tens, fifties and hundreds to maintain and guarantee the best order.  Yet it was very unpleasant because it would be so late before the last wagon could start from camp in the morning and so late at night before it could get into camp.  Two wagons traveled abreast, making two roads.

    The company divided near Laramie, Wyoming and Erastus Bingham and his family were with those in the lead.  They had suffered the hardship of storms and early snow fall, but they successfully overcame these inconveniences.

 They arrived in Salt Lake Valley on September 19, 1847, much sooner than some of the others.  Erastus built a log house and made preparations for the winter.  In the spring of 1848 he was allotted a farm, in the Holiday district; and in addition to the farm, he acquired a grazing permit in what is now known as Bingham Canyon, Utah.

   In 1949 a monument was erected in Bingham Canyon to the memory of Erastus Bingham and his two sons, Sanford and Thomas.  August 1, 1949 the dedicatorial service was held at the monument with members of the Bingham Family Organization, officers of the Kennicott Copper Company, the Mayor of Bingham, Howard M. Driggs of New York City, formerly of Utah, and Norman F. Bingham, son of Sanford Bingham, participating in the program.  The monument was dedicated by Raymond Bingham, a great grandson of Erastus Bingham and President of Bingham Family Organization, and Lucinda Fife Thompson Slater, member of Bingham Family Organization Temple Committee.

     In April, 1850, Erastus Bingham and his family moved to Ogden and located on the property where the City and County building now stands, farming the property as far south as 28th Street and north to 22nd Street.  They grew a crop of grain and potatoes, the first potatoes they had grown since they  left Illinois.  During this same year President Brigham Young came to Ogden and laid out the city.  As the Bingham property was in the area desired for the central portion of the city, Brigham Young bought their claims and paid them for the buildings and improvements which must be torn down.  In the fall of the same year, after they had sold their property, they moved to Farr's Fort, North of Ogden River.

     Sunday, January 26, 1851, President Brigham Young and party held meetings in the South Fort of Ogden, Utah, and on this date the Weber Stake of Zion was organized.  On this occasion Ogden was divided into two wards, north ward and south ward.  Erastus Bingham was made Bishop of the North Ward with Charles Hubbard and Charles Perry as counselors.

     In the Spring of 1851 a farm was laid out in what is known as the Lynn District and Bingham's Fort was established.  It was here a log house was erected, and the entire family of Erastus Bingham moved to this location.

     Bingham's Fort was situated about three miles north of what was then in 1851 Ogden City.  It was located north of 2nd street and west of Wall Avenue.  The east line of Bingham's Fort was about 130 rods west of the present Washington Boulevard. Bingham's Fort was situated about three miles north of what was then in 1851 Ogden City.  It was located north of 2nd street and west of Wall Avenue.  The east line of Bingham's Fort was about 130 rods west of the present Washington Boulevard.  The fort enclosed an area 120 rods long and 60 rods wide.  Its walls were built of rocks and mud, principally mud.  Each family who lived in the fort was assigned a portion to build.

     The Fort walls were erected about four rods from the houses, with corrals taking up the space between.  Thomas Richardson, a pioneer boy who lived in Bingham's Fort, tells how the walls were constructed.  "We did not have lumber to put up to hold the mud, so we placed upright poles tapering from about eight feet at the bottom and three feet at the top.  We set stakes between the poles and wove willows in like a willow fence, then filled the space with mud.  We made a ditch nearby to run water down to make the mud, while wet, we threw it in with shovels, spades or anything we had.  We wove the willow forms as the walls went up.  The wall was about 12 feet high.  The fort had an entrance of the west side large enough to drive a team through, with a gate constructed of heavy timber which stood as high as the wall.  Had it been completed, there would have been a similar gate on the east."

     Here at the Fort, as in other undertakings directed by the Church authorities, there was a working plan.  The farms were adjacent to the fort; and as the men worked them, they were continually on the alert for Indians.  The cattle were herded on the meadows but were all brought into the fort for protection at night.

     A school was established, and as the spirit of education counted for more than the equipment, slab benches served as seats.  There were no tables or desks and very few books.  An alphabet was secured from scraps of newspaper and old books; and the letters were pasted on wooden paddles.  One of the first teachers was Amanda Snow Bingham, wife of Willard Bingham.  The women of the Fort kept up the industry of the home, spinning, weaving, rearing children, doing all the things for the building of good citizenship.

    "On March 3, 1852, Weber County was organized with Ogden as the County Seat.  In October of that same year, the first municipal election was held in Ogden, resulting in the election of Lorin Farr as mayor, and Charles R. Danna, Erastus Bingham and ten other individuals as city councilmen."

     At the close of 1854 Bingham's Fort had a population of 732."

     Erastus Bingham and family lived in Bingham's Fort until 1854, when they were counseled by President Young to move back to Ogden City.  Erastus still retained and operated his farm in Lynn, but also acquired property located at 23rd and Madison, where he built a home.  He served as a member of the first Territorial Legislature which convened December, 1854.

     In 1856 the Ogden Tabernacle was erected, and Erastus and sons helped in its construction.  In 1856 Ogden was divided into four wards with Erastus Bingham as bishop of the First Ward.  He continued his activities in these localities until the approach of Johnston's Army in 1858, when the order came for a general move South; and Ogden was almost deserted.

     Erastus Bingham served as Bishop of the First Ward until 1868, when he was released as Bishop and from other religious and civic activities on account of ill health.  He was the husband of three wives; Lucinda Gates, to whom he was married March 21, 1820, and who was the mother of six sons and three daughters; Mehitable Sawyer Hall, to whom he was married September 11, 1857;  Emma Nye Wilson, to whom he was married December, 1862 and who was the mother of one son, Warner Bingham.

     Erastus Bingham lived a noble and exemplary life and passed away May 2, 1882 at the age of 84 years, one month, 21 days.