William Lobark Skidmore

William Lobark Skidmore was born Sep 22, 1844 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Charles Brett and Henriette Schroder Skidmore. William is a Pioneer of Richmond. William was a veteran of the Indian Wars. William served as the 3rd Bishop of the Richmond Ward. William is the father of Charles H. Skidmore and Elmer G. Skidmore.

History

Soon after William was born, his mother converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but his father remained unaffiliated with the religion.1 Regardless, William's mother chose to stay with the Saints and made preparations to move west.

The Skidmore family joined the John Hidley Company on June 7, 1855 and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on Sep 3. Once they arrived, life was not easy for the Skidmores. William's oldest brother, Henry, purchased a small log home for the family and worked all he could to support his brothers. During their first winter, William's mother became sick, and the family had to live off rations. After enough time of this abuse, and unable to support the whole family, William was adopted by the Beason Lewis family.

"Once I was hungry. When I was nine years old my mother gave me to Beason Lewis. For some time, I had not tasted bread as wild roots and weeds that were cooked were my bill of fare. When Uncle Beason took me into his home, Aunt Betsy cut off a big slice of bread, spread it thickly with butter and gave it to me. That was the sweetest, best food I ever ate in my life."

After his adoption in 1856, William moved with the Lewis family to their ranch west of Salt Lake City, Utah. During the Utah War, the Lewis family moved to Spanish Fork, Utah where William worked looking over the cattle. After the conflict was over, they moved back to the ranch.

"Beason Lewis said to me on day, 'Will, I am about to sell the ranch and move to Cache Valley, will you go there with us?' It was a surprise to me. After thinking about it some time I answered yes. It was in the fall and winter of 1859. I bade goodby to the dear old ranch and lived in Salt Lake City and went to school."

The Lewis family retrieved logs from the local canyons and constructed their parcel of the Richmond Fort. As time went one, and as William worked and grew, he became associated with Sarah Armina Knapp, and the two were married on March 28, 1868 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Indian Wars Service

On Sep 14, 1864, William was enrolled in a company under the command of Captain Thomas Winn. The company marked to Franklin, Idaho and were in battle with some Native Americans on Sep 14. He was released from active duty on Oct 25, 1864.2

Church Responsibilities

Richmond Ward Bishop

In 1879, William was called as the 3rd Bishop of the Richmond Ward with Christian L. Hyer as his first Counsler and Wallace K. Burnham as his Second Counsler.

"When William L. Skidmore was made bishop, the Richmond Ward consisted of all the area, which is now Richmond and also that of what is now Cove, all the way to the Idaho border. A block west of William's home and across the street where the old Willard Merrill and C. Z. Harris homes used to be, was the tithing lot. There was a large barn, a grainery and a tithing office. Tithing was collected or paid in produce as there was very little cash. People would bring in anything from a half dozen eggs to load of hay or grain, a beef or a cow, or even a few it sucks a potatoes or a squash. All these things had to be recorded, receipts given and then the produce cared for. There was a big seller under the barn where the vegetables, eggs, butter and such things were kept. A grain grinder powered by two horses traveling around in a circle, ground the grain for the cattle. A man by the name of John Anderson was hired full time to care for the stock. The bulk of the work and all the responsibilities rested upon the bishop. Once each week, he would load the butter, eggs, vegetables, etc., into a wagon and take them to Logan to the tithing office there."

Stake Patriarch

"Apr 23 Meeting began at 9 a.m. Speaker John W. Taylor. Then I arose and said I had labored in nearly all the appointments heretofore in the ward, and it is now nearly 21 years since I have been your bishop, having labored there in the required number of years to grow to mature manhood. I have not done much but what good I have done I give God the honor for. And as it is now thought by the apostle that a change would be beneficial. I offer you my resignation. I sat down. Apostle Taylor put his arm upon my shoulder and said Brother Skidmore you will be blessed and will be satisfied before the meeting is over. Apostle Lyman presented my honorable release, said I had done a good work, and if I would accept it, they would offer me a position next to that of an apostle, in being ordained to the office of Patriarch and he presented my name for same which was unanimously sustained by the vote of the few brethren present."1

William was set apart as a Patriarch of the Benson, Utah Stake in 1905.

Family

William Lobark Skidmore married Sarah Armina Knapp on March 28, 1868 in Salt Lake City, Utah. William entered the practice of polygamy on Feb 19, 1885 by marrying Charlotta Wilhemina Eklund Pearson in Logan, Utah. After Sarah's death in 1891 from childbirth, William did not remarry and ended his practice of polygamy.

William had 19 children, with 15 living to adulthood. Some in particular are from the following wives:

• Sarah A. Knapp:

  • Charles Henry Skidmore, Utah Superintendent of Public Instruction

  • Earl L. Skidmore, World War I & II Veteran

• Charlotta W. E. Pearson:

  • Ada Louise Skidmore, lived to 100 years old

  • Elmer Gustave Skidmore, WWI Vet, City Councilman, and 22nd Mayor of Richmond

Member of the City Council (1902 - 1906)

Epilogue