Beason Lewis

Beason Lewis was born Feb 23, 1809 in Pendleton, South Carolina to Nerish and Mary Lewis Beason. After the death of his brother at Haun's Mill, he promised that he would take his children to Utah and raised them as Beason's own children

History

Trek to Utah

Though not yet members of the Church, the Beason family left Nauvoo, Illinois in 1846 to move to Utah. The family made it from Mount Pisgah, then to Winter Quarters. They arrived to the Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1847. Their compony was the first to follow behind Brigham Young's.

LDS Conversion and Leadership

Beason Lewis was Baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Jan 1, 1851. A year later, Beason was called and ordained a member of the 2nd Quorum of the Seventy in Feb 23, 1852. Shortly before his death, Beason was ordained a Patriarch.

Life and Farming in Richmond

In 1859, the Lewis family moved to Richmond, possibly to help their nephew, William C. Lewis. Regardless, they lived the rest of their lives in Richmond. They were members of Fort Richmond. As a profession, Beason was a cooper, making wooden buckets, churns, and barrels just to name a few. 

The Beason family owned a farm while in Richmond raising pigs, milking cattle, training horses, and growing vegetables. Everything in there home was neat and organized. During the winter, Beason would join other men to haul wood from Cherry Peak Canyon to fuel fires and build homes. Beason brought the first ever farming Binder to Richmond and used it on Everett C. Van Ordens farm.

Beason had a love for horses. He had a beautiful team of matching dapple grey horses. He had a two seated sleigh with sleigh bells that he would use to take children to school during the winter.

Epilogue

In 1883, Beason had a paralytic stoke that kept him bed ridden for nearly six years. Beason Lewis died Jan 22, 1883. Beason was a very large man, so when they held him in his casket, they had to remove the door in order to fit though.

Brigham F. Grant, older brother to Church President Heber J. Grant, said that no other family "had a great influence over my whole life. No boy or girl that lived with them could have a more royal father and mother than they were to all of us that lived with them during my stay in their home. I believe God will bless their memory for what they did for us. And I am sure there is a place in the Kingdom of God where they can continue in the wonderful work of caring for boys and girls.”3

Sources