Charles Ora Card
Encyclopedia
Charles Ora Card was the founder of the town of Cardston
, Alberta
, the first Mormon
settlement in Canada
. He has been referred to as "Canada's Brigham Young".
Card founded Cardston in 1887 — in what was then part of the Northwest Territories
— under the direction of John Taylor
, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was motivated in large part by strained relations the LDS Church was then experiencing with the federal United States government over the church practice of plural marriage
in Utah Territory
and elsewhere. Card went to Canada as a fugitive from the "raid", having jumped a train following his arrest. Card was the first president of the Alberta Stake of the LDS Church, the first stake established outside of the United States. Leavitt, Alberta, adjacent to Cardston, was founded by Thomas Rowell Leavitt, another Mormon fleeing the U.S. federal crackdown on polygamy.
Card was born in Ossian
, Allegany County
, New York
. Card's parents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1839. In 1846, they moved to St. Joseph County
, Michigan
. They later moved back to New York. In 1856, the Card family set out to join the body of the Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory
. They crossed the plains in one of the wagon companies that went with the Mormon pioneer
handcart companies. The family moved first to Farmington, Utah
and then to Logan.
In 1871, Card served as an LDS Church missionary
in Michigan
, New York
and Massachusetts
.
Prior to moving to Canada, Card served as the president of the Cache Stake, headquartered in Logan, Utah
.
Charles Ora Card was a son-in-law of Brigham Young
, and is the great-grandfather of writer Orson Scott Card
.
Cardston, Alberta
-Demographics:The population of the Town of Cardston according to its 2007 municipal census is 3,578.In 2006, it had a population of 3,452 living in 1,234 dwellings, a 0.7% decrease from 2001...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
, the first Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
settlement in Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. He has been referred to as "Canada's Brigham Young".
Card founded Cardston in 1887 — in what was then part of the Northwest Territories
Northwest Territories
The Northwest Territories is a federal territory of Canada.Located in northern Canada, the territory borders Canada's two other territories, Yukon to the west and Nunavut to the east, and three provinces: British Columbia to the southwest, and Alberta and Saskatchewan to the south...
— under the direction of John Taylor
John Taylor (1808-1887)
John Taylor was the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1880 to 1887. He is the only president of the LDS Church to have been born outside of the United States....
, the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This was motivated in large part by strained relations the LDS Church was then experiencing with the federal United States government over the church practice of plural marriage
Plural marriage
Polygamy was taught by leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for more than half of the 19th century, and practiced publicly from 1852 to 1890.The Church's practice of polygamy has been highly controversial, both within...
in Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
and elsewhere. Card went to Canada as a fugitive from the "raid", having jumped a train following his arrest. Card was the first president of the Alberta Stake of the LDS Church, the first stake established outside of the United States. Leavitt, Alberta, adjacent to Cardston, was founded by Thomas Rowell Leavitt, another Mormon fleeing the U.S. federal crackdown on polygamy.
Card was born in Ossian
Ossian, New York
Ossian is a town in Livingston County, New York, United States. The population was 751 at the 2000 census. Ossian is a figure in Celtic mythology....
, Allegany County
Allegany County, New York
Allegany County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 48,946. Its name derives from a Delaware Indian word, applied by settlers of Western New York State to a trail that followed the Allegheny River. Its county seat is...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
. Card's parents joined Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1839. In 1846, they moved to St. Joseph County
St. Joseph County, Michigan
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 62,422 people, 23,381 households, and 16,600 families residing in the county. The population density was 124 people per square mile . There were 26,503 housing units at an average density of 53 per square mile...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
. They later moved back to New York. In 1856, the Card family set out to join the body of the Latter-day Saints in Utah Territory
Utah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
. They crossed the plains in one of the wagon companies that went with the Mormon pioneer
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...
handcart companies. The family moved first to Farmington, Utah
Farmington, Utah
Farmington is a city in Davis County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 18,255 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Davis County...
and then to Logan.
In 1871, Card served as an LDS Church missionary
Mormon missionary
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is one of the most active modern practitioners of missionary work, with over 52,000 full-time missionaries worldwide, as of the end of 2010...
in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
and Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
.
Prior to moving to Canada, Card served as the president of the Cache Stake, headquartered in Logan, Utah
Logan, Utah
-Layout of the City:Logan's city grid originates from its Main and Center Street block, with Main Street running north and south, and Center east and west. Each block north, east, south, or west of the origin accumulates in additions of 100 , though some streets have non-numeric names...
.
Charles Ora Card was a son-in-law of Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
, and is the great-grandfather of writer Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card
Orson Scott Card is an American author, critic, public speaker, essayist, columnist, and political activist. He writes in several genres, but is primarily known for his science fiction. His novel Ender's Game and its sequel Speaker for the Dead both won Hugo and Nebula Awards, making Card the...
.