The Minor Family of Somerset

Name Prefix:<NPFX> Bishop
REFN: 189S-PF
Levi Stewart was born 28 Apr, 1812 inMadison County, Il., the so
n of William Steward and Elizabeth Van Hooser. Elizabeth wa
s a member of the Van Hooser family that had pioneered the Tro
y Township in Madison County, Il. Photographs of Levi Stewart show
ed him to be a manof large stature, over six feet tall, with bl
ue eyes and dark hair. On Feb12 1833 he married Melinda Howard
, daughter of John Howard and Jane Van Hooser. The Howard's wer
e the first settlers on the Looking Glass Prairie in Madison Co
. After Levi and Melinda's marriage they moved to Fandalia, Fay
etteCounty, Il, where their first three children were born. In 18
36, Mormon missionaries came into their community. Levi's inter
est was so stirred that he traveled to Far West, Missouri to mee
t the Prophet, Joseph Smith and to further investigate this reli
gion. Upon baptism, Kevi was determined to gather with the Chur
ch members so he sold his home in Vandalia, Il and moved to Fa
r West, Mo. arriving in June 1838. This was right during the m
iddle of the Mormonexpulsion from Missouri so in less than a ye
ar he Headed back to Vandalia.Levi filed a redress petition o
f $3800 for losses suffered when the Mormons were driven from Mi
ssouri. He lost two farms in Davies County, Missouri, a lot in Ada
m-ondi-ahman and Far West, cattle, horses and household furnitur
e, none of which he received any remuneration. The 1840 censu
s of Lee County, Iowa showed Levi and his brothers living across th
e Mississippi from Nauvoo, Il. By1843 he had moved to Nauvoo
, where upon he was called to served several missions for the Mo
rmon Church all without purse or script. On June 27, 1844, th
e Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother were murdered in Charthag
e, Il. Thus began the eventual forced Mormon exodus from Nauvoo
. Levi was sent out toscout routes and hunt deer for the pione
er camps. In April 1846 Levi was assigned to stay at Winter Qua
rters, Nebraska and run a commissary. Levi was responsible fo
r shuttling the mail between the pioneer camps and Nauvoo. As a
ll the wagons had to go through Indian country, Levi was sent t
o St. Louis to get permission from the U.S. Govt., to stay on In
dian lands. On May 6, 1848, Levi and Melinda's 8th child was b
orn at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. In Sep 1848 they began thei
r trek West to the valley of the Great Salt Lake, arriving fou
r months later. For the next seventeen years Salt Lake City, Ut
ahwould be their home. They lived across the street from Immig
ration Square and often took in impoverished Church members wh
o had just arrived in SLC. Hebegan a general merchandise store
, was an officer in the Brigham Young Express Co. and vice presi
dent of the Big Cottonwood Co-Op store. On Dec 13, 1852,Levi m
arried Margery Wilkerson. Tragedy befell Levi when his childhoo
d sweetheard, Melinda, died November 24 1853, three weeks afte
r the birth of twins. On Dec 31, 1854, Levi married Margery's s
ister, Artemacy Wilkerson CasaDay, whose husband had abondoned h
er and her child for the gold fields of California. In 1853 th
e Utah Walker War began to subdue marauding Indians. The grassh
opper plague in 1855 and the cricket plague in 1860 invaded Sal
t Lake.In 1858, Johnston's Army arrived to a slient and vacate
d SLC; thus Church members averted the warfare and persecution o
f the Missouri and Illinois era.In 1865 at the request of Brig
ham Young, Levi sold his home in Salt Lake City and moved to Bi
g Cottonwood Canyon to start a paper mill. In 1868 BrighamYoun
g advised Levi to take a contract for grading a section of the U
nion Pacific Railroad down Echo Canyon. Ever obedient to the re
quest from his ecclesiastical leaders, Levi accepted the call fr
om Brigham Young who had asked Levi to take his family and for
m a settlement in Kanab, Utah. At the age of 58, Levi again sol
d all his possessions, and move