Morgan Pioneer History Binds Us Together Thomas Robert Green Welch My father, Thomas Robert Green Welch, was the son of Robert Welch, who was born May 11,1805, at Shepton Mallet, Somersetshire, England, and Isabella Friday Welch, who was born March 27,1815, at Shepton Mallet, also. Father was born July 10, 1835, at Shepton. He received a good education for his time and after his school days he apprenticed at the dry goods business; this he mastered and went to Brighton, a seaside resort, to work. While there he came in contact with Mormon Elders and accepted the gospel in 1854. He was baptized by Elder William Driver, who after coming to America lived in Ogden. My mother, Harriet Nash, had previously accepted the gospel. My father and mother were married August 27, 1855. On July 25, 1856, a son was born; they gave him the name of Thomas Friday. On March 28,1857, they set sail for America on the ship George Washington, with 817 Saints on board, under the direction of James P. Park. They came to Boston and from there by rail to the place of fitting out for the trip across the plains. They arrived in Salt Lake City, September 12, 1857, under the leadership of Jesse B. Martin. Father joined the Nauvoo Legion and went to Echo Canyon to assist in keeping the soldiers out of Utah and Mother went south with the "Move," as it was called. After coming back from Echo Canyon, Father went south and found his wife and they returned to Salt Lake City. In 1860, Father went up into Weber Valley to work for Jesse C. Little, who was Bishop Hunter's Counselor. He left Mother in the city, where on October 4,1860, Charley was born. When he was six weeks old. Father took Mother up in the valley where he had worked and they first lived in what was afterward called Littleton. Later they moved onto the farm known as Welch's Corner where they lived until 1866 when they moved to Morgan. He was associated with Richard Fry on a contract for a portion of the Union Pacific Railroad. He was the bookkeeper of that company. He was postmaster at Morgan from 1863 to 1868, at a salary of eight dollars per year. He was tithing clerk from 1864 to 1900, clerk and recorder of Morgan County from 1864 to 1871. He also served as assessor and collector of the county from 1867 to 1874 and county road commissioner from 1869 to 1872. He was county superintendent of schools for six years. He drew the plans and supervised the construction of the City and County Building; was fruit tree and bee inspec- Thomas Robert Green Welch tor for two years; was city recorder from 1868 to 1884; was a member of the Committee on Municipal Laws for sixteen years. He was a staunch Republican in politics and was a State Committeeman from Morgan County from 1892 to 1898. He was an officer of the Third House in the State Legislature of 1896. In religious affairs he was a committeeman with W. W. Cluff to select the officers for the Morgan Stake of Zion which was organized July 1, 1877. He was Sunday School Superintendent of the South Morgan Ward in early days. He was a member of the State Board of Education and Director and Secretary for six years; was secretary of the Church Association of the Morgan Stake from 1886 to 1894. He was President of the Elders Quorum from 1874 to 1877. He was a member of the High Council of the Morgan Stake of Zion from 1877 to 1906. On September 25, 1894, his wife, Harriet Nash Welch, died and two years later he married a widow, Mary Jane Toomer. He was the father of nine children and at his death had thirty-five grandchildren and twenty-eight great-grandchildren. He died of heart failure at the age of eighty-one years. He was an educated man for his times and filled many positions of trust. He was respected and loved by all who knew him. He was an excellent provider and after the first few years of hardship always had plenty for his family to eat and wear. He was very exemplary in his habits and never used bad language of any kind. I never remember of hearing him swear in any manner, for he was a gentleman in every deed. His home on the main street in Morgan City was always the neatest in the whole county and the grounds surrounding it were kept in fine condition. He planted beautiful lawns, flowers, roses and trees and had them growing about his ground before other home-makers thought it could be done. Whenever any of the General Authorities of the Church came to Morgan, they always stayed at his home or paid him a visit.