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Bullock, Thomas, 1816-1885

 Person

Dates

  • Existence: 1816 - 1885

Biographical History

Thomas Bullock (1816-1885) was a pioneer who worked as a clerk for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois and Utah.

Thomas Bullock was born on December 23, 1816 as the youngest of nine children to Thomas and Mary Bullock in Leek, Staffordshire, England. At age thirteen, he began apprenticing as a clerk at a law office. In 1838, he began working in the government's excise department and married Henrietta Rushton. They were baptized as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in November of 1841. By 1843, Bullock and his family traveled to the United States to join the other Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois.

Thomas's clerkship skills enabled him to serve as Joseph Smith's personal clerk up through Joseph's martyrdom. He later stayed behind to record the saints' final days in Nauvoo before their mass exodus to Salt Lake City, Utah and then recorded their consequent pioneer trek west to Utah. He held numerous clerkship positions in Utah for the duration of his life, including clerking for Brigham Young and various projects for the Church.

Bullock practiced plural marriage. In addition to Henrietta, he married Lucy Clayton in 1846 and Betsy Prudence Howard in 1852. Thomas Bullock died in Coalville, Utah on February 10, 1885 leaving behind twenty-three children and a legacy laced with multiple influential clerical undertakings.

Citation:
Ancestry.com, May 10, 2017 (b. 1816 in Staffordshire, England; d. 1885 in Coalville, UT; married Henrietta Rushton, Lucy Caroline Clayton, and Betsey Prudence Howard)

Wikipedia, May 10, 2017 (worked as legal figure in the British government, as a clerk for the Church, and as a participant in one of the pioneer companies of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints)

Found in 2 Collections and/or Records:

Thomas Bullock letter

 File — Folder 1: [Barcode: 31197230316181]
Identifier: MSS SC 1820
Scope and Contents

Handwritten letter to Robert Ball along with two corrected, typed copies of it. The letter bears witness to his belief in Joseph Smith and Brigham Young as prophets of God and praises the wholesome lifestyle in Utah.

Dates: 1855

Jennetta Richards letters

 Collection — Multiple Containers
Identifier: Vault MSS 781
Scope and Contents

Five holograph letters plus typescripts of each. All of the letters were written to the family of Jennetta Richards (d. 1845) in England. Three are by Jennetta and were composed in Nauvoo, Illinois. They are largely concerned with family matters. One dated 8 July 1844 tells of the assassination of the Mormon Prophet, Joseph Smith (1805-1844).



Dates: 1841-1848

Filtered By

  • Subject: Correspondence X

Additional filters:

Subject
Latter Day Saints -- Illinois -- Nauvoo -- History 1
Latter Day Saints -- Utah -- Salt Lake City -- History 1