Charles Kingston (Mormon)
Encyclopedia
Charles Kingston was an English
Mormon
convert and a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in southwestern Wyoming
.
Kingston was born in Peterborough
, England
. In the 1850s, Kingston's father Frederic was converted to Mormonism
by the preaching of missionary
Orson Pratt
, and he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1858, Frederic Kingston suffered financial difficulties and when he failed to pay his creditors, a warrant was put out for his arrest. Frederic stowed away on a ship bound for America and made his way to Utah Territory
. Charles Kingston and his mother remained in England.
In 1879, Charles Kingston emigrated to Morgan
, Utah Territory to reunite with his father. Although he was initially opposed to Mormonism, as he read literature of the LDS Church he came to believe in its truth, and he was baptized into the LDS Church on 1879-11-09. On 1883-01-07 he became an ordained elder in the LDS Church. On 1884-10-19 he was ordained a seventy in the church by Seymour B. Young
, and in May 1886, he began a two-year mission to England. When he arrived in England, he traveled to visit his mother, only to find that she had died earlier that year.
Upon returning to the United States
, Kingston settled in Rock Springs
, Wyoming
, and later in Star Valley
in Wyoming. He served in a variety of church positions in the Star Valley Stake of the church, including member of the high council and president of the stake Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. When the Woodruff Stake of the church was created in Uinta County, Wyoming
, Kingston was asked to become a counselor to John M. Baxter in the stake presidency. In June 1897, U.S. President William McKinley
appointed Kingston as the registrar of the U. S. Land Office at Evanston, Wyoming
.
Later in his life, Kingston moved to Ogden, Utah
, where he died and was buried.
Kingston and his wife Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker were the parents of Charles W. Kingston
, who would become a member in the Mormon fundamentalist movement of the "Latter Day Church of Christ" of Mormon polygamists
.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
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...
convert and a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in southwestern Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
.
Kingston was born in Peterborough
Peterborough
Peterborough is a cathedral city and unitary authority area in the East of England, with an estimated population of in June 2007. For ceremonial purposes it is in the county of Cambridgeshire. Situated north of London, the city stands on the River Nene which flows into the North Sea...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. In the 1850s, Kingston's father Frederic was converted to Mormonism
Mormonism
Mormonism is the religion practiced by Mormons, and is the predominant religious tradition of the Latter Day Saint movement. This movement was founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. beginning in the 1820s as a form of Christian primitivism. During the 1830s and 1840s, Mormonism gradually distinguished itself...
by the preaching of 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...
Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt
Orson Pratt, Sr. was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles...
, and he became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1858, Frederic Kingston suffered financial difficulties and when he failed to pay his creditors, a warrant was put out for his arrest. Frederic stowed away on a ship bound for America and made his way to 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....
. Charles Kingston and his mother remained in England.
In 1879, Charles Kingston emigrated to Morgan
Morgan, Utah
Morgan is a city in Morgan County, Utah, in the United States. It is part of the Ogden–Clearfield, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. It is named after Jedediah Morgan Grant, a leader in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 3,687....
, Utah Territory to reunite with his father. Although he was initially opposed to Mormonism, as he read literature of the LDS Church he came to believe in its truth, and he was baptized into the LDS Church on 1879-11-09. On 1883-01-07 he became an ordained elder in the LDS Church. On 1884-10-19 he was ordained a seventy in the church by Seymour B. Young
Seymour B. Young
Seymour Bicknell Young, Sr. was a general authority of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1882 until his death.- Biography :...
, and in May 1886, he began a two-year mission to England. When he arrived in England, he traveled to visit his mother, only to find that she had died earlier that year.
Upon returning to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, Kingston settled in Rock Springs
Rock Springs, Wyoming
Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 18,708 at the 2000 census. Rock Springs is the principal city of the Rock Springs micropolitan statistical area, which has a population of 37,975....
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
, and later in Star Valley
Star Valley
Star Valley is located in the United States between the Salt River Range in western Wyoming and the Webster Range of eastern Idaho. The altitude of the valley ranges from to . Three major Wyoming rivers, the Salt River, the Greys River and the Snake River meet near Alpine Junction at Palisades...
in Wyoming. He served in a variety of church positions in the Star Valley Stake of the church, including member of the high council and president of the stake Young Men's Mutual Improvement Association. When the Woodruff Stake of the church was created in Uinta County, Wyoming
Uinta County, Wyoming
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 19,742 people, 6,823 households, and 5,144 families residing in the county. The population density was 10 people per square mile . There were 8,011 housing units at an average density of 4 per square mile...
, Kingston was asked to become a counselor to John M. Baxter in the stake presidency. In June 1897, U.S. President William McKinley
William McKinley
William McKinley, Jr. was the 25th President of the United States . He is best known for winning fiercely fought elections, while supporting the gold standard and high tariffs; he succeeded in forging a Republican coalition that for the most part dominated national politics until the 1930s...
appointed Kingston as the registrar of the U. S. Land Office at Evanston, Wyoming
Evanston, Wyoming
Evanston is a city in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 12,359 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Uinta County.-Geography:Evanston is located at...
.
Later in his life, Kingston moved to Ogden, Utah
Ogden, Utah
Ogden is a city in Weber County, Utah, United States. Ogden serves as the county seat of Weber County. The population was 82,825 according to the 2010 Census. The city served as a major railway hub through much of its history, and still handles a great deal of freight rail traffic which makes it a...
, where he died and was buried.
Kingston and his wife Mary Priscilla Lerwill Tucker were the parents of Charles W. Kingston
Charles W. Kingston
Charles William Kingston was a member of the Latter Day Church of Christ and the Davis County Cooperative Society.-Early life:...
, who would become a member in the Mormon fundamentalist movement of the "Latter Day Church of Christ" of Mormon polygamists
Polygamy
Polygamy is a marriage which includes more than two partners...
.