“History of George Benjamin Wallace”

By Joseph Bates Wallace (son)

George Benjamin Wallace was born Feb. 16, 1817 at Epsom, Merrimac County, New Hamp.  He attended the public school as a child and as a young man took up the trade of carpenter.  After his marriage to Mary C. McMurphy they moved to Boston Mass. Where he followed his trade, taking contracts and employing at times as many as one hundred men.

While thus engaged the message of the gospel was brought to that part of the country.  He heard and embraced the same.  About this time his doctor informed him he had only about a year to live, but undaunted he went west and on the 26^th of September 1847 arrived in Salt Lake as captain of fifty in A. O. Smoot’s company of pioneers.

He was the first sexton in Utah and his own son George Crowell Wallace was the first person burried in the Salt Lake City Cemetary.  He was appointed as counselor to Daniel Spencer, after whose death he was counselor to John W. Young for a short time, when he was made President of the Salt Lake Stake, over which he presided for Twenty three years.  While President Brigham Young was Governor of Utah, He was on his staff with the rank of major.  He was also in the Nauvoo Legion and one of the President’s body guards during the Johnson Army trouble.  He took an active part in civic affairs.  He was one of the earliest, if not the first nurseryman of Utah.

In 1849 he left for a mission to Great Britian, leaving a wife and an expected baby.  He gave a Brother ranson a yoke of oxen and several acres of land to look after her, to furnish fuel and other meger necessities. Before taking passage he made reservations, not having any means at all but trusting in the Lord, who did not fail him, for as a few gathered to wish him gook-bye, an old lady in shaking hands left in his hand enough to pay his fare and a few cents over.  The Lord so blessed him that he was able to send home a little for the support of his wife and baby.  He was made counselor to President Franklin D. Richards of the Mission. When ready to return home, the saints gave a farewell party and besides means for his return home presented him with a gold watch and chain, as far as known, the first gold watch given to an elder in the mission, though several had received silver watches.

After his return home he married three sisters, making in all five wives as follows: Mary C. McMurphy, Melissa Melvina King, Lydia Davis, Hannah Davis and Martha Davis.  He was the father of forty six children, thirty two of whom were living at one time, sixteen sons and sixteen daughters.

In early days, with Erastus Snow, he was sent to southern Utah to locate sites for settlements.  He made the first panel door in Utah, though he did not follow the trade.  He took up other persuits, nurseryman, farming and butcher.  He was one of the sponsers of the State Fair, as now called. He dedicated the north west corner of the laying of the foundation of the Salt Lake Temple.  He also performed a mission to the Eastern States in the late seventies, as near as I can remember, and a strange coincident was while I was in that mission, I called at a house and while we were conversing the lady said she heard one of our missionaries twenty years before, and described my father minutely.  While in that mission field I had the pleasure of meeting several of his school mates, (a little of which I related to you last Thursday night, Nov. 3, 1932.) I could have added much more at that time, which were similar to those mentioned, but will only add one.  It was at Byfield, Mass., I was visiting one of father’s cousins, Alfred Ambrose, and they asked if I would like to meet an old school mate of father’s.  I said I would very much, so we went over to their home.  She had married a man named Forbes.  They had bought a fine old colonial home and were raising blooded horses and poultry.  He was a retired merchant.  When I was introduced to Mrs. Forbes she called out: “John come in here”, and when he arrived she said: “Don’t you remember me telling you about a school mate, George Wallace?”  “Well I should say I do”. Said he.  Then she related incidents at school, giving all the praise others had given, and added that there was not a bully at school who dared pick on a smaller boy if her were around, though he was very slender and not strong looking.  The bullies all feared him and she added: “He was the best boy I ever knew.”

Father loved to see the land made beautiful.  He loved trees and could tell you almost any variety of apple by the bark of the tree and its growth.  As I have stated he was the one to plant the first tree at Granger, if not the first one west of the Redwood Road.

He spent considerable means in gathering genealogy and looked upon it as one of the greatest labors of the gospel and blessings to mankind.

I might add that in all his labors in the Presidency of Salt Lake Stake he never received a dollar and many is the time he was sent for to settle difficulties, some of them not of our members, and one of whom made the statement that he would rather trust the Council than the Courts.

My dear relatives, what I have noted down is from memory and there may be some errors in dates, etc.

Father helped to build every canal in Salt Lake County, north of Taylor ville and including the Salt Lake Canal and the two that pass through Granger.

Joseph Bates Wallace