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Moses Martin Sanders Sr was born 17 August 1803 in Homer, Banks County, Georgia, United States to David Sanders (1775-1815) and Mary Allred (1783-1820) and died 9 November 1878 St George, Washington County, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Amanda Armstrong Fausett (1810-1885) 12 August 1826 in Maury County, Tennessee, United States. He married Mary Jane Sparks (1809-1898) 21 March 1847 .

Biography

Moses Martin Sanders, was born 1803 in Georgia. Moses' parents David Sanders, born 1774 and Mary Allred were born in Randolph, North Carolina. They lived in Georgia (where Moses was born) to Tennessee which had just opened up for settlement. Moses was a handsome man of English ancestry, and there he met 15 year old Amanda Faucett of Maury County Tennessee. They were married, 12 January 1826.

Both Moses and Amanda came from homes that owned slaves, therefore they had plenty of colored help to do the heavy work. Their first two children were born at their first home in Maury County, Tennessee, but circa 1829 they moved to Illinois.

Illinois Settlement

Moses and Amanda moved to Montgomery County, Illinois (another "new frontier") along with Moses' father, David, and uncles and families. This is where John Franklin was born, 5 March 1830.

Amanda had a daughter, Rebecca Ann, born 5 March 1832; two years later, another daughter, Martha Brown, 5 May 1834. Amanda was 24 and Moses was 31 years old, Martha was their fifth child.

The Mormon missionaries taught the young couple and their family the gospel and introduced them to the Book of Mormon in 1834. The Church was in its infancy. 28 January 1835, Elder William Joy baptized Moses and Amanda. When they joined the Church, they gave up their slaves and did their own heavy work. Other family members from the Sanders, Allred, and Faucett's also joined the Church at the same time.

Amanda had a son, David Walker, 1 September 1835, named after grandfather David Sanders. The family felt they should be with the main body of the saints and moved to Missouri. This was a terrible time in Church history. As the family arrived in Clay County, Missouri, the Saints were driven out by mobbing and persecution. The community felt the Saints to be a threat of political and financial gain, as they were industrious and prosperous people. Persecutions followed, and in three years they were on their way again.

Missouri Troubles

The Sanders family was among the first to help found the new Mormon Settlement at Far West, Missouri in 1836. They lived there until the great expulsion in 1838/1839.

Nauvoo Period

Moses bought several small log cabins on the waterfront on Water Street. (Nauvoo, Block 155, Blk 158, Blk 153, Blk 143, Blk 145, Blk 146) Joseph Smith was living in Quincy with friends, and Moses gave Joseph Smith a log cabin, Block 155, near the Mississippi River.

In 1840, the Sanders family were among the first to move to Commerce, living in a log cabin until Moses built a home. (Block 145, lot 3 and across the street block 158, a small portion of lot 2.) This small lot was used for the horses and had a small cabin on it. Joseph Smith's log cabin was on block 155, and the Mansion House block 147, only a block from the Sanders home. Moses also had a large section of land in the country, southeast of Nauvoo. This was a hay field for his stock.

Vol 6., P. 150 of Church History, Lists Moses Martin as one of 40 men chosen in 1843 by Joseph Smith, Mayor of the City of Nauvoo, to be city policement to guard the city night and day against the enemy, as nearby mobs were giving the residents a bad time.

Joe Duncan

Joeduncan01

The Horse Joe Duncan and its new owner, Joseph Smith the Mormon Prophet

Another Sanders family tale is that Moses Martin was a close neighbor of the Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith (1805-1844) and by him Joseph acquired his famous horse, Joe Duncan. (Source: Joseph Smith History Project)

Moses worked as a policeman in Nauvoo, as well as on the building of the Temple. He was ordained a Seventy and lived very near the home of Joseph Smith. Like many in Nauvoo, Moses knew Joseph personally.

Moses owned a beautiful horse. It was spirited and unruly. Even his wife feared to take care of the horse when Moses was away. Then one day Joseph said to Joseph riding Duncan Moses, “Brother Sanders, give the horse to me and I'll promise that you will never lose by it." Moses Martin replied, "I would, but I am afraid that he may hurt you." Then the Prophet said, "No, he would never hurt me."

So Moses tossed him the rope and said, "He is yours." Joseph rode that horse on parade in the Nauvoo Legion. And the painting we often see today of the Nauvoo Legion is one of Joseph riding “Joe Duncan.” The story goes that he was named, not respectfully, after Joseph Duncan, the governor of Illinois from 1834 to 1838. So the next time you see this image, think of the Tennessean horse on which he rode.

Winters Quarters

On Jan 1, 1846, Moses and Amanda got their temple endowments at the Nauvoo Temple, which he had helped to build. The Mormons were forced to evacuate soon afterwards. Before leaving Nauvoo, Moses married a second wife, Mary Jane Sparks (1809-1898).

The Sanders joined them at Pigeon Creek, Iowa for the winter of 1846/47. Here he worked on a saw mill project. It was here that they lost their four-year old daughter, Eliza. Here also their oldest son, Richard Twiggs Sanders (1828-1858), joined the Mormon Battalion and traveled to California, never to be seen by his parents again.

In 1848, Moses traveled to Salt Lake with his second wife Mary and her children. Amanda joined them in 1850, as she had older children to help her travel.

Utah Settlements

Mmss02

Gravestone of Moses Martin Sanders, Sr - St George City Cemetery

The family first settled in West Jordan.

On 20 Jan 1848, Moses signed a petition to the US Government to create a post office for Council Bluffs, Iowa.


Family & Marriage

1st Marriage: Amanda Fausett

Amanda Faucett was born 6 May 1810 in West Columbia, Maury, Tennessee. Her father, Richard Faucett born 1769 of Orange County, North Carolina and the son of David and Eleanor Faucett, also of Orange, North Carolina. Her mother was Mary McKee, of Orange, North Carolina; daughter of Alexander and Mary McKee. Amanda was the 5th child of 13 children.

Moses was a handsome man of English ancestry, and there he met 15 year old Amanda Faucett of Maury County Tennessee. They were married, 12 January 1826.

Their first son, William, was born when Amanda was 16 years old. He was born in Bedford Count, Tennessee, 4 December 1826 and died 8 months later, 27 August 1827. Ricahrd Twiggs, their 2nd son, was born 31 May 1828. (Richard was named after Amanda's father)



2nd Marriage: to Mary Jane

  • Mary Jane Sparks Sanderson Sanders (1809-1898)

In 1845 Nauvoo, Moses Martin befriended Mary Jane Sparks (1809-1898), a widow with three children that had recently arrived from St Louis to bury her husband, James Sanderson (1804-1845). She married Moses Martin in 21 Mary 1847 (a second polygamous union) but they did not have any children.

When the Sanders family left Nauvoo with the exodus, they settled at Pigeon Grove, near Council Bluffs and here Moses worked in a saw pit during the year of 1847. The saw was run by hand and was a very slow, hard process.

In 1846, Mary Jane's oldest son, Henry Weeks Sanderson (1829-1896), had joined the The Mormon Battalion, along with his good friend, Richard Twiggs Sanders (1828-1858). Before he left, he loaned Moses Martin his team and several head of oxen. So in 1848, Moses, Mary Jane, Mary Jane's daughter Marie and Moses' son David, age 14, left for Utah to prepare a home in Salt Lake Valley for the others who would follow as soon as they were able.



Children


Offspring of Moses Martin Sanders Sr and Amanda Armstrong Fausett (1810-1885)
Name Birth Death Joined with
William Carl Sanders (1826-1827) 4 December 1826 Bedford, Bedford County, Tennessee 18 August 1827 Maury, Tennessee
Richard Twiggs Sanders (1828-1858) 31 May 1828 Silver Creek, Marshall County, Tennessee 18 August 1858 Amador County, California Antonia Ruelas (1829-1957)
John Franklin Sanders (1830-1896) 5 March 1830 Montgomery, Illinois 18 March 1896 Mesa, Maricopa County, Arizona Mary Irene Clement (1830-1896)
Jane Gibson (1842-1929)
Rebecca Ann Sanders (1832-1907) 5 March 1832 Irving, Montgomery County, Illinois 6 October 1907 Fairview, Sanpete County, Utah Henry Weeks Sanderson (1829-1896)
Martha Brown Sanders (1833-1897) 23 May 1833 Barmont, Montgomery County, Illinois 31 December 1897 West Warren, Weber County, Utah Alonzo Knight (1830-1921)
Reddin Alexander Allred (1788-1870)
David Walker Sanders (1835-1914) 1 September 1835 Montgomery, Kane County, Illinois 11 February 1914 Kimball, Graham County, Arizona Sarah Jane Vance (1841-1873)
Rebecca Emily Pritchett (1852-1930)
Louisa Ellen Cheney (1852-1912)
Joseph Moroni Sanders (1836-1916) 25 December 1836 Far West, Caldwell County, Missouri 23 December 1916 La Verkin, Washington County, Utah Hulda Charlotte Zabriskie (1844-1908)
Sidney Rigdon Sanders (1839-1845) 10 April 1839 Adams, Adams County, Illinois 1845 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois
Emma Sanders (1841-1916) 23 January 1841 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois 5 October 1916 Moroni, Sanpete County, Utah James Harvey Tidwell (1829-1896)
Eliza Jane Sanders (1843-1847) 4 June 1843 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois 4 April 1847 Winters Quarters, Douglas County, Nebraska
Hyrum Smith Sanders (1845-1846) 10 October 1845 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois 27 September 1846 Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois
Moses Martin Sanders (1853-1926) 21 February 1853 West Jordan, Salt Lake County, Utah Territory 23 March 1926 Duncan, Greenlee County, Arizona Elizabeth Ellen Cheney (1857-1940)
Lora Ann Amelia Starr (1858-1924)
Lillian May Jackson (1878-1942)



Siblings


Offspring of David Sanders (1775-1815) and Mary Allred (1783-1820)
Name Birth Death Joined with
Moses Martin Sanders (1803-1878) 17 August 1803 Homer, Banks County, Georgia, United States 9 November 1878 St George, Washington County, Utah, United States Amanda Armstrong Fausett (1810-1885)
Mary Jane Sparks (1809-1898)
William Hamilton Sanders (1805-1836)
Sarah Sanders (1809-1859)
Nancy Sanders (1811-1833)
David James Sanders (1815-1850)


Vital Records

1870 US Federal Census

Household #1 in Washington, Washington County, Utah - 6-Jul-1870.

  • Sanders, Moses M/66 - Ocp Farmer - Head - Moses Sr. - B: Georgia
  • Sanders, Imminent F/60 - Ocp Keeping House - Mother - B: Tenn
  • Sanders, Moses M/17 - Ocp: Work on Farm - Son - B: Utah

See Also


References

Residences

Footnotes (including sources)

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