Enos Curtis by Gloria Galloway and Duella Jakeman

ENOS CURTIS

by Gloria Galloway and Duella Steven Jakeman

A PORTION OF THE HISTORY OF ENOS CURTIS AND HIS WIFE RUTH FRANKLIN (WHICH WAS ORIGINALLY COMPILED BY GLORIA GALLOWAY AND HER MOTHER DUELLA STEVEN JAKEMAN, A GREAT GRANDAUGHTER OF ENOS CURTIS AND RUTH FRANKlIN)

"ENOS CURTIS, SON OF EDMOND AND POLLY AVERY CURTIS SPENT HIS CHILDHOOD DAYS IN THE LITTLE TOWN OF KINDERHOOK, A FEW MILES EAST OF THE HUSDON RIVER IN NEW YORK. A FEW MILES FARTHER EAST IS THE LARGER TOWN OF CHATHAM. ON HIS CURCH RECORDS ENOS LISTS HIS BIRTHDATE AS OCTOBER 9, 1783 AT KINDERHOOK, AND SOMETIMES HE LIST CHATHAM, COLUMBIA COUNTY, NEW YORK.

ENOS CURTIS MARRIED RUTH FRANKLIN ON DECEMBER 15, 1805. RUTH WAS BORN TO JOHN FRANKLIN AND ABIGAIL FULLER NOVEMBER 14, 1790, AT STERLING, WINDHAM COUNTY, CONNECTICUT. WE HAVE NO RECORD OF HER CHILDHOOD OR THEIR COURTSHIP.

SOON AFTER THEY MARRIED RUTH AND ENOS MOVED TO PENNSYLVANIA AND SETTLED IN TIOGA COUNTY-ITS NORTHERN BOUNDARY BEING THE STATE LINE BETWEEN THAT STATE AND NEW YORK. THE FAMILY IS LISTED IN THE 1830 CENSUS OF RUTLAND, TIOGA COUNTY, STATE OF PENNSYLVANIA PAGE 23.

FOURTEEN CHILDREN WERE BORN TO ENOS AND RUTH CURTIS (5 DIED IN INFANCY.)

1. LYDIA BORN 5 FEBRUARY 1808 AND DIED 5 JULY 1809.

2. MARIA BORN 22 MAR. 1810 (MD ABRAHAM BROWN 13 SEPT 1834)

3. MARTHA BORN 12 AUG 1812 (MD ELiAL STRONG ABOUT 1827).

4. EDMOND BORN 5 NOVEMBER 1914 AND DIED 6 JUNE 1815.

5. JEREMIAH BORN 12 NOVEMBER 1815 AND DIED 22 FEBRUARY 1816.

6. SETH BORN 8 MARCH 1817 DIED THE SAME DAY.

7. SIMMONS P. BORN 26 MAR. 1818 (MD EMILINE BUCHANAN 4 JULY 1840).

8. DAVID AVERY BORN 10 AUGUST 1820 (MD AMANDA STARR 20 OCT. 1841.)

9. JOHN WHITE B. 11 AUG 1820 (MD ALMIRA STARR 13 MAY 1841).

10. EZRA H. B. 19 FEB. 1822 (MD LUCINDA MCKINNEY CARTER 18 DEC. 1846.)

11. RUTH BORN 4 JANUARY 1825 AND DIED 4 OCTOBER 1825).

12. URSULA B 14 DEC. 1826 (MD ABRAHAM DURFEE, DATE UNKNOWN).

13. SABRINA B 3 APR. 1829 (MD GEORGE KING DATE UNKNOWN.)

14. CELESTIA B 21 APR. 1832 (MD JABEZ DURFEE 25 DEC. 1850.).



IT IS SAID THAT ENOS BEING A RELIGIOUS MAN AND NOT FINDING A HURCH THAT SUITED HIM, MADE THE STATEMENT "SOMEDAY THE TRUE CHURCH WOULD BE UPON THE EARTH." SO WHEN HE HEARD ABOUT JOSEPH SMITH BEING VISITED BY HEAVENLY MESSENGERS HE WANTED TO KNOW MORE. MANY RUMORS WERE CIRCULATING ABOUT THE GOLD BIBLE, SINCE JOSEPH TRANSLATED MOSTS OF THE BOOK OF MORMON WHILE LIVING IN PENNSYLVANIA.

THE FOLLOWING IS RECORDED IN HISTORY OF THE CHURCH BY B. H.

ROBERTS VOL. 4 P 110 "IN THE SPRING OF 1831, HEARING THE DOCTRINES TAUGHT BY JOSEPH SMITH, ALPHEUS GIFFORD MADE DILIGENT INQUIRY, AND FOUND THEY WERE SCRIPTURAL, AND WAS BAPTIZED AND ORDAINED A PRIEST. HE BROUGHT HOME FIVE BOOKS OF MORMON WHICH HE DISTRIBUTED AMONG HIS FRIENDS (ENOS CURTIS BEING ONE.) HE WAS THEN LIVING IN TIOGA COUNTY, PENN. SOON AFTER, HE WENT TO KIRTLAND, OHIO, TO SEE THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH AND THE BRETHREN. WHEN HE WAS ORDAINED AN ELDER, HE WAS ACCOMPANIED BY HIS BROTHER LEVI, ENOS CURTIS AND ELIAL STRONG, ELEAZER MILLER AND ABRAHAM BROWN, WHO WERE BAPTIZED." ENOS STATED THAT HE WAS BAPTIZED IN 1831 BY LYMAN WIGHT. SINCE EARLY RECORDS OF THE CHURCH WERE DESTROYED, THE DAY AND MONTH IS NOT KNOWN.

FROM JOURNAL OF HISTORY 31 DEC. 1831, WE READ, "TWO BRANCHES OF THE CHURCH WERE RAISED UP IN PENNSYLVANIA DURING THE YEAR 1831, NAMELY, ONE IN RUTLAND, TIOGA COUNTY, AND ANOTHER IN COLOMBIEA, BRADFORD COUNTY. AMONG THE FIRST CONVERTS IN THE FORMER BRANCH WERE ENOS CURTIS, ELIAL STRONG (HIS SON IN LAW) ALPHEUS GIFFORD, ELEAZER MILLER, AND DANIEL BOWEN, WHO ALL BECAME ELDERS IN THE CHURCH AND, WHO DURING THE FALL OF THE SAME YEAR TOOK A MISSIONARY JOURNEY INTO THE STATE OF NEW YORK, AND AMONG OTHER PLACES PREACHED IN MENDON, MONROE CO."

ON THEIR MISSIONARY TOUR OF NEW YORK, ENOS CURTIS AND HIS FOUR MISSIONARY COMPANIONS BORE TESTIMONY OF THE GOSPEL WHICH STIRRED THE HEARTS OF MEN AND INSPIRED THEM TO SEEK FURTHER THE CHURCH OF JESUS CHRISTS. AMONG THOSE WO HEARD THE TESTIMONIES AND TEACHINGS OF THESE ELDERS WERE BRINGHAM YOUNG AND HEBER C. KIMBALL.

"FROM THE NEXT RECORD WE HAVE, WE LOCATE ENOS AND HIS FAMILY IN CALDWELL, CLAY COUNTY, MISSOURI, (A PETITION TO CONGRESS DATED NOVEMBER 29, 1839 SIGNED BY THE SAINTS PRESENTING CLAIMS AGAINST THE STATE OF MISSOURI. ENOS CURTIS CLAIM WAS FOR $1856."



IT IS NOT KNOWN WHEN ENOS AND HIS FAMILY MOVED TO MISSOURI, OR WHEN THEY LEFT AND MOVED TO THE STATE OF ILLINOIS. OF THIS TIME PERIOD, FAMILY HISTORIES SIMPLY STATE, 'THEY WERE DEVOUT IN THEIR RELIGIOUS CONVICTIONS AND WENT THROUGHT THE HARDSHIPS AND PERSECUTIIONS OF THE EARLY CHURCH PIONEERS."

ON SEPTEMBER 29 1841, ENOS CURTIS RECEIVED A PATRIARCHAL BLESSING FROM HYRUM SMITH.

THE NEXT RECORD DATED SEPTEMBER 1, 1844 IS OF A CONFERENCE HELD AT QUINCY, ILLINOIS WHERE ENOS CURTIS WAS PRESIDING.

ENOS AND RUTH WERE THE FIRST OF THE CURTIS FAMILY TO ATTEND THE COMPLETED NAUVOO TEMPLE AND RECEIVE THEIR TEMPLE ENDOWMENTS ON 1 JANUARY 1848. THEY WERE SEALED THE NEXT DAY BY HEBER C. KIMBALL.

VIOLENCE CONTINUED TO INCREASE AGAINST THE SAINTS. WHEN THE MOBS WERE MAKING SOME OF ITS VICIOUS RAIDS, TWO OR MORE FAMILIES OF THE SAINTS WOULD BUNK TOGETHER FOR PROTECTION. ON ONE SUCH OCCASION, THE MOB CAME TO THE HOUSE OF ENOS CURTIS WHILE THE MEN WERE ALL AWAY FROM THE HOME. THE MOB ORDERED ALL THE OCCUPANTS OUT OF THE HOUSE. THE FAMILIES TOLD THE MOB THAT RUTH FRANKLIN WAS VERY ILL AND COULD NOT BE MOVED. THE MOB LEFT BUT CAME BACK A SECOND AND THIRD TIME..EACH TIME MORE VICIOUS, AND FINALLY SET FIRE TO THE HOUSE. THE WOMEN ROLLED RUTH UP IN A BLANKET AND CARRIED HER OUT OF THE BURNING HOUSE. THE SHOUTS OF THE MOB WERE SOON HEARD BY THE ABSENT MEN, WHO RUSHED BACK AND CARRIED RUTH AWAY IN A WAGON, AS SHE COULDN'T WALK. THE MOB EVEN CHASED THE WAGON, BUT WHEN MORE HELP CAME, THEY STOPPED THEIR PURSUIT.

THE SAINTS CROSSED MISSISSIPI RIVER AND MADE A TEMPORARY SETTLEMENT CALLED COUNCIL BLUFFS. RUTH FRANKLIN DIED MAY 6, 1848 OF EXPOSURE AND EXHAUSTION. SHE HAD BEEN ILL FOR SOME TIME. THE BEREAVED FAMILY PROBABLY BURIED HER AT COUNCIL BLUFFS.

ENOS CURTIS TRAVELED TO UTAH WITH BRIGHAM YOUNG'S WAGON TRAIN OF 1848. SOME OF HIS FAMILY WERE THE EARLIEST SETTLERS OF SPRINGVILLE.