Richard Carlisle

RICHARD CARLISLE

Orphaned at a young age, Richard Carlisle was taken in by a well-to-do lady who raised him as her own son.  He was an avid learner and student of the Bible.  He became dissatisfied with the Church of England  and explored other religions in attempt to find the truth.  The Quakers wanted him to join them and even entrusted him with their money.  One day he told his friends that he would not join another church until God set up His Kingdom here on earth.  They asked him if he thought it would be in his day.  He replied, "I think it will."

Richard's son, Joseph, had a dream.  In this dream, he saw a message come across the sea and the place where it would land.  He told his father about it and then went to see what the message was.  There he found a Mormon missionary preaching the gospel. Upon returning home, he told his family.  They all went to see for themselves and within one year, the entire family was baptized. 

The majority of their family was able to cross the ocean to America at the same time, which was quite a feat.   Their daughter, Mary, saved every penny for two years to make this possible.  They set sail on the ship Ellen in 1851.  On board were five of their children and Richard and Jenny.  

When they reached St. Louis, Jenny caught cholera and died on June 24th. Because of this, they stayed a year in St. Louis.  The following year, Thomas, his oldest son, joined them from England. Most of them crossed the plains in 1852, although not all together. Richard and two of his sons came in the H.B.H. Jolley Company.  It was the 7th company that season.

He reached the Salt Lake Valley in the fall of 1852 and eventually settled in Alpine, Utah.

-Taken from History of Richard Carlisle written from information from Annie V. Thompson, Martha Healey Strong, and Dawna Daw Carlisle.

Notes: Richard Carlisle was born on April 30, 1798, in Riseholme, Lincolnshire, England, to Thomas and Elizabeth Taylor Carlisle. He died on April 10, 1879, in Alpine, Utah.