Charles Shumway
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Charles Shumway | |
|---|---|
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| Born | August 2, 1806 |
| Died | May 21, 1898 (aged 91) |
| Known for | Founder of Shumway, Arizona |
Charles Shumway (1806–1898) was an early member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who served as a member of the Council of Fifty and was part of the Utah Legislature for one term in 1851.
Shumway was born in Oxford, Massachusetts to Parley Shumway and his wife the former Polly Johnson. By his mid-teens he had moved to Brimfield, Massachusetts. In 1832 he married Julie Ann Hooker in Sturbridge, Massachusetts. He moved to Illinois in 1837 where in 1841 he was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Elisha H. Groves.
Nauvoo
That same year he moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. The following year he served a mission to the Cherokee Nation along with Phineas Young. He later served for a time as a policeman in Nauvoo. Also during his residence in Nauvoo he went on a mission to Massachusetts with Daniel Spencer. In 1845 he was sent on assignment by the Council of Fifty to meet with a council of Native American leaders, but the meeting did not happen as planned. In 1846 he was involved in the organization of Winter Quarters, Nebraska.
In 1846 Shumway was one of the members of the first group of Latter-day Saints to enter the Salt Lake Valley, under the leadership of Brigham Young. He was the captain of the Sixth Ten company that headed west, and lead the first wagons across the Mississippi River. After crossing the river, Shumway's team lead his company several miles away to Sugar Creek, Iowa, to wait for President Brigham Young and other leaders to arrive several days later.[1]
