July 16, 1931 — January 9, 1912



E Claybourn M. Elder

History of Claybourn M. Elder

Written by Eva Elder Kelsey —

Grand Daughter

Claybourn M. Elder was
born in Bedford County, Tenn.,
June 2, 1827. He was the son of
David elder and Louise
Montgomery. He had one
brother, David Elder, who was
older and a sister, Martha Elder,
who was younger. They both
died at the age of four years.
His father died when he was
young leaving him and his
mother to face life alone.

His mother, feeling
downcast at the loss of her two
children and her husband

decided to take her young son
and move to Nauvoo. Clayborn
soon became acquainted with
the Prophet Joseph Smith. They

had many games of ball
together.
In his early youth he

suffered many hardships and
persecutions that the saints were
subjected to at that time. One
day Clayborn and his friends
were out flying kites when the
mob came hunting Joseph.
They asked the boys if any of
them has seen Joseph. They
said, “Yes, we saw Joe and
Hyrum going to heaven on a
white horse yesterday”, and that
they were now sending them
their dinner in a basket on the
tails of their kites. The mob left
in disgust.

Later Clayborn’s mother
married again. Clayborn had a
mind of his own and he resented
his mother’s marriage. It caused
friction and unrest in the home
and resulted in conflict between
Clayborn and his stepfather. So
when he was fifteen years old he
decided he would go for

himself. It made his mother
very unhappy but he insisted
that she give him her consent,
which she did, and from that
time on he went his way and
made his won livelihood.

In the year 1850 at the age
of 23 he crossed the plains with
an ox team company and upon
his arrival in Utah he settled in
Grantsville. He served through
the Echo Canyon episode of the
Indian War. He also served in
the Walker and Blackhock
Wars. While in Grantsville a
courtship started between him
and a young woman Mary
Caroline Pratt and they were
married in 1858. Clayborn was
31 years old. He and Mary had
five children.

In November of 1860 he
married Martina Peterson of
Denmark. Her first husband
Gibbs joined the church in
Denmark but could not stand the
persecution they received. He
did not want to come to Utah,
but he let Martina make her own
decision. So Martina with her
baby girl Hannah and _ her
brother Jorgen Peterson left
Denmark, and crossed the plains
in a handcart company. To this
union seven children were born:
Don Carlos, Maria Martina, Eli,
Alfred, Clayborn Lorenzo,
George and Florence May. Don
Carlos was drowned in about
the year 1874.

In 1861 with the two wives
and three children, Clayborn
was called by Brigham Young
to serve with General Wells to
protect the Mormon people form
Johnson’s Army. There were
twenty-five men in this group
form Bradger, Utah, in Echo
Canyon. While on _ this
important mission, with the



Claybourn M. Elder

army out numbering them
several times they had to think
fast. They kept riding their
horses around the different
ridges so Johnson” Army could
see them against the skyline.
They put their hats wrong side
up, coats wrong side out and
rode any way they could to
make themselves look different
to deceived the onlookers.
When Johnson’s Army decided
to make a treaty with Brigham
Young so they could get into
Utah, Johnson asked Brigham
Young how many men he had in
his army. President Young told
him twenty-five. Johnson
would not believe him. He said
he had counted 150 men himself
on the ridges.

In 18612 Clayborn was
called by Brigham Young to go
to Dixie to help squall the
Indian disturbances in that
section of the territory. He had
the two wives and _ three
children. They went though
many hardships. One of their
greatest hardships was finding
something to eat. Their
principle diet was came seed
bread and sorghum.

Mary and Martina had their
children one about every year
for five years. In about 1863,
Clayborn married Frances
Elizabeth Pratt who was a sister
to Mary. Frances was 19 years

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July 16, 1931 — January 9, 1912



E Claybourn M. Elder

younger than Clayborn. To this
union eleven children were
born. At one time Clayborn and
had three babies born, one to
each of his wives, within three
months of each other in 1864.
Two were girls and one a boy.
A short time later he married
Nancy Ott who was a widow
with one son David.

Clayborn was very active
all his life as well as a great
lover. He was always on the
move. He moved 23 times in
one year and he said it was not a
good time for moving either.
He moved form Kolob Co-op
cattle business to the sawmill,
which he bought and operated in
Mountain Dell. He left Dixie
and went to Parowan and got
another sawmill in the canyon.
Then he moved to Buckhorn
Springs where he stayed one
winter, then to a ranch called
Greensville below Beaver on the
river. This ranch location was
sometimes called Pan Cake. He
stayed here one summer and
then moved to Minersville, then
to Shauntie about 1875. His
wife Frances didn’t move with
him this time. She and her five
children stayed in Minersville.
While in Shauntie, Clayborn
worked in a smelter. He then
moved to Iron City in Iron
County. He stayed here one
winter and worked in a foundry.
Then he decided to move to
Antelope Springs on the Cannon
Ranch about 40 miles southeast
of Saint George. He stayed
there one summer and then
moved to upper Kanab and
started on the McDonald
sawmill. Then he decided to
change and go to Leaman
sawmill 20 miles out of
Gendale. Here he purchased a
few mild cows, about 50 head.
Clayborn worked at the sawmill
and the women and children
took care of the cows, the

milking and the churning. Then
they moved to Stanford Ranch
in Arizona and stayed there for
awhile. In the spring fo 1885,
Clayborn came back to Duncan
City, Utah, and rented another
sawmill on the Trumble
Mountains about 75 miles south
of Saint George and operated it
for four years. They would
move into Saint George for the
winter where the children could
go to school. While at the
mountain Clayborn and the
older boys would run the mill
and the younger boys and
women would milk the fifty
cows and make cheeses and
butter.

The churn was a_ large
wooden barrel with rockers on
it. Two of the children could
churn the butter by rocking
themselves to sleep one on each
side of the churn. The butter
was put into large wooden
barrels and buried until someone
went to Saint George and they
would send it to market.

About 1880, Clayborn went
to Arizona where they
contracted grading on the Santé
Fe Railroad. About this time a
ream of horses ran away and
threw Clayborn out of the
wagon and broke his legs
between the knee and the thigh.
He never had them set so it took
about two years for them to
heal. He went o crutches for
some time and left with a limp.

They also had Indian
troubles in Arizona. The
Indians had been killing women
and children. One day Frances
saw a bunch of Indians coming,
so of course, she thought it was
their turn next. She hurriedly
took her children down tot he
creek and hid them in the
willows. She left her son Jim at
the house and told him to feed
them melons as they had a large
crop. When the Indians came

they asked Jim if squaw was
afraid. Hr said, “yes.” He fed
the Indians melons and more
melons until they could hold no
more. They finally left, but the
next day they saw the Indians
coming again only there were
more of them than the day
before, so the woman took the
children and left again, but this
time Clayborn was home.
When the Indians rode up they
asked about the squaws and the
papooses and wanted him to
bring them back because they
had a big deer all roasted and
wanted to treat them. So
Clayborn sent for the women
and children and although they
were scared, they came and
enjoyed the meat. The Indians
ate melons while the family ate
meat.

In about 1873, while living
in Dixie, confusion developed
somehow and Martina secured a
divorce from Clayborn and she
took her children and moved to
Kingston, Utah, and took up a
homestead. Here she and the
children worked clearing and
breaking up the ground with
their ox teams. The older boys
went to work to earn money to
help run the farm and to buy
seed. The first year they raised
1,000 bushels of grain. Martina
spun wool from the sheep she
raised and made clothes for her
children. Before going to
Kingston she lived a year or two
in Parowan, Utah. While in
Parowan she married a man
named Paul Smith and had a
little girl name Vivian. Martina
got a divorce. She lived in
Kingston until her family was
grown and married. She built a
small home in Junction three
miles from her homestead where
she lived until her death in
1910. She was buried in the
Junction Cemetery.

On April 19, 1887 at Saint

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E
Claybourn M. Elder
July 16, 1931 - January 9, 1912

George, Utah, Clayborn’s wife Frances Elizabeth died in childbirth at the age of 41.
Clayborn stayed in Saint George until 1888 and then moved to Hinckley and lived there for five years. He then moved to Ferron, Emery County, and lived there until he was 80 years old. While at Ferron he met and married a Mrs. Fulsfer in 1908 at the age of 81. They only lived together a short time. Clayborn then went to Leamington and lived with his son Parley for three years.
Clayborn joined the church when he was 17 years old and always prided his connection with the church and retained a living testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel. He was a very rugged type of man and always wore high top boots and a large hat. He was an excellent carpenter. He could build almost any kind of structure he decided upon. He was an apprentice carpenter in his youth and he helped to build the Prophet’s mansion. He made the benches for and helped to build the schoolhouse in Hinckley in 1875.
Clayborn was a very good musician. He could really make the old fiddle talk. He played for many a square dance in different communities and all the neighborhoods that he lived in throughout his life.
It is reported that 19 children survived him, 116 grandchildren and 26 great-great grandchildren.
Clayborn passed away at the home of his son Parley in Leamington, Willard County, Utah, on January 9, 1012. He was laid to rest in the Leamington City Cemetery.

Back row l-r: George Henry elder, Maria Martine (Elder) Sudweeks, Clayborne Lorenzo Elder. Middle row: Joseph Alfred Elder, Hannah (Gibbs) Sudweeks, Micha Martine Margrete Katrine (Petersen) Gibbs Elder Smith, Eli Alonzo Elder. Front row: Vivian (Smith) Barnson Green Stephens

Martina and her daughter Vivian never went by the name ‘Smith’; they went by ‘Elder’. The first time Vivian used her true maiden ‘Smith’ was on her wedding license. She never knew or saw her father Paul Smith until she marred and had two children. He was on his way to Salt Lake Conference form Snowflake, Arizona on a wagon and was passing through town.