Hyrum William Pew

Hyrum William Pew was born July 8, 1831 in Cincinnati, Ohio to William and Caroline Fidelia Calkins Pew. Hyrum is a Pioneer of Richmond. Hyrum was a veteran of the Indian Wars.

History

Around the time Hyrum was born, his parents were introduced to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and were baptized. In 1833, Hyrum's father signed a shipbuilding contract in St. Louis, Missouri, while Hyrum, his mother, and sister moved to Independence, Missouri, to live among the Saints. William continued to write, but at some point, his letters stopped, and the last thing Caroline received from William was his tool chest. The Pew family supposed that he had been killed.

"Caroline was with the Saints in Jackson County [, Missouri] during the conflict and violence attendant to them being expelled in October 1833. Caroline was driven out onto the prairie by a mob with two-year-old Hyrum and two-month-old Sariah. They reportedly had only one quilt to cover them as they slept on the ground. They made their way with the fleeing Saints to Clay County, Missouri, and eventually to Caldwell County, where they settled for the next few years."1

In 1839, the Saints were pushed out of Caldwell County and pushed to Illinois. After the assassination of President Joseph Smith in 1844, the Pew family prepared their belongings and fled Nauvoo to Council Bluffs, Iowa. The Pew family joined the Heber C. Kimball Company on June 7, 1848 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Sep 24.

The family first made a dugout in order to survive. During this time, Hyrum married Henrietta Druicilla Wymouth on March 31, 1852 in Salt Lake City, Utah. After their marriage, they moved to Brigham City, Utah in 1854, then to Springville, Utah in 1858, then to Richmond in 1860. They lived in Richmond until 1881, when they moved to Arizona.

Indian Wars Service

After the construction of the Richmond Fort in 1860 and other forts in Cache Valley, the Territory of Utah created the Cache Military District on Oct 15, 1861 with Church Apostle Ezra T. Benson as Colonel. Richmond was organized as the 5th Battalion Infantry, with Thomas L. Whittle as Major, David P. Rainy as Adjutant, and Robert M. Kerr and Dana Walton as Captains. On June 16, 1863, Richmond was organized into two companies of Infantry and two squads of Cavalry. Hyrum was appointed as a Lieutenant in both instances.

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