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A Short Sketch of the Life of Judson Tolman

Written by himself then hand written by Cerissa Sessions Thompson Judson Tolman son of Nathan and Sarah Hewitt Tolman was born July 14, 1826. Kennebeck, Maine. He married Sarah L Holbrook January 12, 1846. They came to Utah September 20, 1846 in Brigham Young’s...

Judson Tolman’s Death

It was on the evening of July 6, 1916 that Judson Tolman died at his home on the east bench in Bountiful, just one week prior to his ninetieth birthday. His death was the result of natural causes. A copy of his obituary is reprinted below, and reads as follows:...

Origins of the Tolman Family Genealogical Organization

One evening, following a meeting of the Executive Committee at the Tolman Family Genealogical Center in Bountiful, as I was attempting to complete my research on the life of Judson Tolman, I found a most treasured old volume, entitled "Minute Book of the Tolman Family...

Judson Tolman, the Patriarch

When we consider the dual roles of patriarch that Judson Tolman filled, we should differentiate between, and consider both roles—first, that of patriarch to his eternal families, and second, that which is an ordained, ecclesiastical role of serving the saints in the...

Judson Tolman, the Missionary

In 1877, Judson received his own "Box B" letter. Box B was the Post Office Box identification from which mission calls emanated from the First Presidency. Large numbers of male members of the Church were called via Box B letters to serve as missionaries. Judson's call...

Judson Tolman and the City of Bountiful

In 1854, Judson moved his family to Bountiful. They probably lived temporarily with Judge Holbrook's family while their first permanent residence was being built. By that time, their children numbered four—Nancy Jane, born 4 February 1848; Judson Adonirum, born...

Judson Tolman, the Lumberman

For anyone who has read the Journal of Joseph Holbrook, with particular focus on the period from December 1847 to April 1848, it will come as no surprise that Judson Tolman chose the life of a lumberman. In Missouri, Judson filled large orders for split rails, which...

Judson Tolman: Guard and Militiaman

(Picture: Salt Lake City in 1850) Given the periodic difficulties that the Mormon settlers were having with the Indians and the large numbers of gentile "forty-niners" who were traveling through the territory, Brigham Young called a company of thirty-one individuals...

Brigham Young’s 1848 Company, Arriving in the Salt Lake Valley and Settling the Tooele Valley

What do we know of the company of which Judson and Sarah Lucretia Tolman were members during the late spring and summer of 1848? The "Journal History of the Church" records the following details: Judson and Sarah Lucretia Holbrook Tolman were members of Lorenzo Snow's...

Life Sketch for Eleanor Odd

Eleanor Odd was born January 27, 1863 in Croydon, Surrey, England, the seventh of nine children of Charles Odd and Margaret Rice. Her parents were converted to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and baptized in 1852 in Croydon. Twenty years later, Eleanor...

Life Sketch for Zibiah Jane Stoker

Zibiah Jane Stoker became the fourth wife of Judson Tolman to fill the void left by the loss of his first wife, Sarah Lucretia. Jane was born May 21, 1847 at Mount Pisgah, Pottawattamie, Iowa, while her parents were crossing the plains. Her father was John Stoker, who...

Life Sketch for Sophia Merrell

Sophia Merrell was born December 11, 1839 in Des Moines, Iowa, a daughter of Charles Merrell and Sarah Finley. Her parents joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the early 1840's. She was baptized by her father in April of 1848 at the age of eight....

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