Alvin grew up until his mid-teen years in Georgetown. He journeyed west, and in 1842, became acquainted with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Illinois. He was baptized a member of the Church, and the next year, he married Camera O. Owen in Montrose, Iowa.
The Stewart family joined the Henry Bryant Manning Jolley Company on June 15, 1852 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Sep 9. Soon after their arrival, they moved to Mountain View, Utah. The Stewart family moved to Richmond in 1860.