Caroline LeSueur
Encyclopedia
Caroline LeSueur was a Mormon pioneer
and one of the founders of St. Johns, Arizona
.
LeSueur was born Caroline Le Gresley on June 11, 1814, in Velle Babet, Jersey
, Channel Islands
. She married John Le Sueur in 1836 at St. Ouen
's Parish Church, and they lived initially the parish of St Peter
.
Within two years they had two children, a boy and a girl, the first of whom died in infancy.
They moved to Saint Helier
, the seaport capital of Jersey, where John worked first as a teamster
, and then in a candle factory. Caroline operated a small grocery store in her front room where she sold vegetables grown in her garden. In St. Helier they had four more children, three of whom survived to adulthood.
When her husband expressed interest in some Mormon missionaries' message, Caroline forbade him from further investigation. He continued investigating anyway, and the couple soon had regular religious debates with each other. Something piqued her interest, and she investigated the Mormons herself. She accepted Mormonism and the couple was baptized in 1849.
Friends, neighbors, and store customers shunned the LeSueurs after they joined the Mormons. The couple wanted to emigrate to Utah
, but it took six years to save for the journey. Finally, in 1855 they crossed the Atlantic aboard the Chimborazo. In America, the family name Le Sueur became LeSueur.
Upon arrival in Utah the family settled in Bountiful
, where they remained for ten years except for a short stint in American Fork
during the Utah War
. The family began to be prosperous and by 1862 had no debt, a home on 30 acres (121,405.8 m²), and a herd of livestock. However, that year John LeSueur died, leaving his wife with four children at home, ages 6 to 14, plus two married daughters.
Caroline took over management of the farm, leased it out, and three years later moved her family to Montpelier, Idaho
. That town was just being settled and they moved into a two-room log cabin. By the time they left Montpelier 13 years later, they lived in one of the best homes in downtown Montpelier.
LeSueur became one of the first settlers of Mesa
, Arizona Territory
, when she moved her family there in 1879. They later moved on to a small Mexican village in northeastern Arizona named St. Johns
. The Mormons had purchased most of the land around the village and were looking for settlers. LeSueur worked for the remainder of her life building of the town. She died there on October 1, 1898.
Mormon Pioneer
The Mormon pioneers were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated across the United States from the Midwest to the Salt Lake Valley in what is today the U.S. state of Utah...
and one of the founders of St. Johns, Arizona
St. Johns, Arizona
St. Johns is the county seat of Apache County, Arizona, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 180, mostly west of where that highway intersects with U.S. Route 191. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 3,538....
.
LeSueur was born Caroline Le Gresley on June 11, 1814, in Velle Babet, Jersey
Jersey
Jersey, officially the Bailiwick of Jersey is a British Crown Dependency off the coast of Normandy, France. As well as the island of Jersey itself, the bailiwick includes two groups of small islands that are no longer permanently inhabited, the Minquiers and Écréhous, and the Pierres de Lecq and...
, Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
. She married John Le Sueur in 1836 at St. Ouen
Saint Ouen, Jersey
-Cueillettes:Unlike the other parishes of Jersey, the subdivisions of this parish are not named vingtaines, but cueillettes . Vingteniers are still elected, however, in the cueillettes.*La Petite Cueillette*La Grande Cueillette...
's Parish Church, and they lived initially the parish of St Peter
Saint Peter, Jersey
Saint Peter is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey in the Channel Islands. It is in the west central part of the island. It is the only parish with two separate coastlines, stretching from St. Ouen's Bay in the west to St. Aubin's Bay in the south, and thereby cutting St. Brelade off from other...
.
Within two years they had two children, a boy and a girl, the first of whom died in infancy.
They moved to Saint Helier
Saint Helier
Saint Helier is one of the twelve parishes of Jersey, the largest of the Channel Islands in the English Channel. St. Helier has a population of about 28,000, roughly 31.2% of the total population of Jersey, and is the capital of the Island . The urban area of the parish of St...
, the seaport capital of Jersey, where John worked first as a teamster
Teamster
A teamster, in modern American English, is a truck driver. The trade union named after them is the International Brotherhood of Teamsters , one of the largest unions in the United States....
, and then in a candle factory. Caroline operated a small grocery store in her front room where she sold vegetables grown in her garden. In St. Helier they had four more children, three of whom survived to adulthood.
Friends, neighbors, and store customers shunned the LeSueurs after they joined the Mormons. The couple wanted to emigrate to Utah
Utah
Utah is a state in the Western United States. It was the 45th state to join the Union, on January 4, 1896. Approximately 80% of Utah's 2,763,885 people live along the Wasatch Front, centering on Salt Lake City. This leaves vast expanses of the state nearly uninhabited, making the population the...
, but it took six years to save for the journey. Finally, in 1855 they crossed the Atlantic aboard the Chimborazo. In America, the family name Le Sueur became LeSueur.
Upon arrival in Utah the family settled in Bountiful
Bountiful, Utah
Bountiful is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 42,552, a three percent increase over the 2000 figure of 41,301...
, where they remained for ten years except for a short stint in American Fork
American Fork, Utah
American Fork is a city in Utah County, Utah, United States, at the foot of Mount Timpanogos in the Wasatch Range, north of Utah Lake. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 26,263 at the 2010 census, nearly a 20% growth since the 2000 census...
during the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
. The family began to be prosperous and by 1862 had no debt, a home on 30 acres (121,405.8 m²), and a herd of livestock. However, that year John LeSueur died, leaving his wife with four children at home, ages 6 to 14, plus two married daughters.
Caroline took over management of the farm, leased it out, and three years later moved her family to Montpelier, Idaho
Montpelier, Idaho
Montpelier is a city in Bear Lake County, Idaho, United States. The population was 2,785 at the 2000 census. The city is the largest community in the Bear Lake Valley, a farming region north of Bear Lake in southeastern Idaho along the Utah border...
. That town was just being settled and they moved into a two-room log cabin. By the time they left Montpelier 13 years later, they lived in one of the best homes in downtown Montpelier.
LeSueur became one of the first settlers of Mesa
Mesa, Arizona
According to the 2010 Census, the racial composition of Mesa was as follows:* White: 77.1% * Hispanic or Latino : 26.54%* Black or African American: 3.5%* Two or more races: 3.4%* Native American: 2.4%...
, Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
, when she moved her family there in 1879. They later moved on to a small Mexican village in northeastern Arizona named St. Johns
St. Johns, Arizona
St. Johns is the county seat of Apache County, Arizona, United States. It is located along U.S. Route 180, mostly west of where that highway intersects with U.S. Route 191. According to 2006 Census Bureau estimates, the population of the city was 3,538....
. The Mormons had purchased most of the land around the village and were looking for settlers. LeSueur worked for the remainder of her life building of the town. She died there on October 1, 1898.