- Veteran of Zion's Camp (1834)
- Captain of Company D, Mormon Battalion
- Commander in the Nauvoo Legion
- Leader of first wagon train to settle Manti, Utah
- First LDS Bishop for Richfield, Utah
- Veteran of Black Hawk War
- Veteran of Walker Indian War
Biography
Nelson Higgins was born 1 September 1806 in Milford, Otsego County, New York, United States to Daniel Higgins (1774-1832) and Mary Daggett (1774-1861) and died 20 November 1890 Elsinore, Sevier County, Utah, United States of unspecified causes. He married Sarah Blackman (1806-1864) 24 December 1826 in Florence, Huron County, Ohio, United States. He married Margaret Ogilvey (1796-1869) 4 November 1851 in Manti, Sanpete County, Utah. He married Nancy Meribah Behumin (1841-1910) 20 February 1856 in Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah.
- 5’11” tall, light complexion, blue eyes, dark hair
- when he was 11, walked alone from NY to Huron, Oho (400 miles) to join his parents who had moved there a year earlier
- 1834 joined the LDS Church; baptized by Orson Hyde
- Fought in the Black Hawk Indian War, the Mexican War and the Walker Indian War
- 1890 died in Elsinore (Brookyn), Utah at age 84
- Nelson's mother, Mary Daggett, a descendant of Thomas Mayhew, the first governor of Martha's Vineyard, also joined the LDS Church
Zion's Camp (1834)
One of the most interesting episodes in the early history of LDS Church was the march of Zion's Camp (1834). The members of the Church in Missouri were being persecuted, and the Prophet Joseph made it a matter of prayer and received a revelation on February 24, 1834. The Lord instructed the Prophet to assemble at least one hundred young and middle-aged men and to go to the land of Zion, or Missouri. (See D&C 130:19–34.) Altogether, Zion’s Camp, a group of approximately one hundred and fifty men, gathered at Kirtland, Ohio, in the spring of 1834 and marched to Jackson County, Missouri. By the time they reached Missouri, the camp had increased to approximately two hundred men.
While at Zions Camp, it is recorded that Nelson was one of those to wrestle with the prophet Joseph Smith. He was ordained a Seventy shortly after the dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
Mormon Battalion
Participant in the march of The Mormon Battalion. This unit of the US Army served in the Mexican-American War and was the only religiously based infantry unit ever created by Presidential order. It consisted of nearly 500 men recruited exclusively from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (commonly called the Mormons). They undertook the longest infantry march in U.S. military history (as of 1847) and in the process marked out and creating the first continuous wagon road to California which linked the future states of New Mexico, Arizona, and California to the United States. Most members served an initial 12 month term (Jul 1846- Jul 1847) with some members re-enlisting for an additional 12 months afterwards.
- Nelson Higgins was Captain of Company "D" of the Mormon Battalion (the one that wintered with the sick in Pueblo, Colorado)
- Nelson arrived in Salt Lake City four days after 1st group led by Brigham Young (1801-1877).
- Wife Sarah served as a laundress for Co D of the Battalion.
- Children: Drusilla, Almira, Wealtha, Carlos Smith, Heber Kimball, - were also in the Battalion march.
Deseret Settler
In 1849, together with others, he was called to Sanpete Valley to assist in establishing a settlement there and thus he became one of the founders of Manti. Later he moved to Moroni, Utah, where he also became one of the first settlers. In 1855 he was called to Carson Valley, now in Nevada, to assist in establishing a colony of Saints there, and remained there until 1857.
Richfield Settlement
In 1864 he was called to go to Richfield to preside over that infant settlement, being ordained a Bishop under the hands of President Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball. Richfield was temporarily abandoned in 1867 because of Indian troubles, but in 1871 when the place was resettled, Brother Higgins again returned to his post in Richfield as Bishop and labored in that capacity until 1873, when he was honorably released and moved to Booklyn, a small settlement between Elsinore and Monroe. Here he spent the remainder of his life.
Utah Militia
Brother Higgins was successively captain, major and colonel in the Nauvoo Legion and served as general in the absence of Charles C. Rich. He was successively captain, major and colonel during the Walker war while living in San Pete, and was a major an commanding officer all during the Black Hawk Indian war. Amidst these trying frontier conditions he reared a large family.
Marriage and Family
- married his first wife, Sarah "Sally" Blackburn, in 1827 when he was about age 21; they had 10 children
- 1852 married his 2nd wife Margaret Duncan (polygamy), who was 10 years older - no children
- 1857 married his 3rd wife, Nancy Meribah Behunin (polygamy) when she was 15 and he was 56; they had 8 children
- Lost his oldest son, Alonzo, 12, and a 2-year-old daughter, Clarissa, in Nauvoo
- led the first wagon train to Manti, his 2 year old daughter Matilda Wealthy, was the first death on the way
- one son, Alf, a known cattle rustler, disappeared in 1862 (a Porter Rockwell posse killed him and dumped his body in Bear Lake. A member of the posse let Nelson know about 20 years later)
Children
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Alonzo Higgins (1827-1839) | |||
| Almira Higgins (1830-1873) | |||
| Alfred Higgins (1831-1862) | |||
| Drusillia Higgins (1833-1892) | 18 December 1833 Florence, Huron County, Ohio, United States | 10 February 1892 Manti, Sanpete County, Utah, United States | Warren Stone Snow (1818-1896) |
| Nelson Daniel Higgins (1835-1890) | |||
| Heber Kimball Higgins (1839-1873) | |||
| Carlos Smith Higgins (1842-1919) | |||
| Clarissa Higgins (1844-1845) | |||
| Wealthy Matilda Higgins (1847-1849) | |||
| Sarah Alice Higgins (1852-1934) | |||
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Moroni Higgins (1862-) | |||
| Melvin Andrew Higgins (1863-1863) | |||
| Nelson William Higgins (1865-1941) | |||
| Joseph Henry Higgins (1866-1933) | |||
| Isaac Higgins (1868-) | |||
| Alvin Isaac Higgins (1868-1876) | |||
| Lewis Higgins (1870-1935) | |||
| Hyrum Smith Higgins (1872-1872) | |||
| Meribah Elmira Higgins (1875-) | |||
| Nancy Loretta Higgins (1877-1943) | |||
Siblings
| Name | Birth | Death | Joined with |
| Sarah Higgins (1795-1865) | |||
| Hannah Higgins (1797-1816) | |||
| Lewis Higgins (1799-1829) | |||
| Catharine Higgins (1801-1860) | |||
| Daniel Higgins (1804-1870) | |||
| Nelson Higgins (1806-1890) | 1 September 1806 Milford, Otsego County, New York, United States | 20 November 1890 Elsinore, Sevier County, Utah, United States | Sarah Blackman (1806-1864) Margaret Ogilvey (1796-1869) Nancy Meribah Behumin (1841-1910) |
| Charles Lester Higgins (1808-) | |||
| Elizabeth Higgins (1812-1857) | |||
| Sabrina Higgins (1812-1857) | |||
| Abel Higgins (1814-) | |||
Residences
See Also
- Nelson Higgins
- Higgins in Huron County, Ohio
- Higgins in Sevier County, Utah