My 4th great-grandfather, Jerome Messenger BENSON, was born in 1810 in Fabius, Onandago County, New York. He was an early member of the Mormon Church, being among the members kicked out of Missouri in 1838.
In 1852, he lead a cowteam from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to the Great Salt Lake Valley, Utah. He was one of the first settlers of Springville and by Dec 1852 was a member of the Provo, Utah, First Ward. In Jun 1853, his wife Mary "Polly" drowned trying to cross the Jordan River. She is buried in the Provo City Cemetery.
In 1852, he lead a cowteam from Council Bluffs, Iowa, to the Great Salt Lake Valley, Utah. He was one of the first settlers of Springville and by Dec 1852 was a member of the Provo, Utah, First Ward. In Jun 1853, his wife Mary "Polly" drowned trying to cross the Jordan River. She is buried in the Provo City Cemetery.
By 1855, Jerome Messenger BENSON had left the church and as an "apostate" left Provo, Utah, and headed for California. On Monday, 11 Sep 1855, he and another traveler stopped at the Mormon settlement at Las Vegas, Nevada, to do some "cattle trading."
In early June 1851, a group of 500 Mormons, in a 150-wagon caravan from Utah, had arrived near Cajon Pass, north of San Bernardino. After negotiating the purchase of the 37,000 acre Rancho San Bernardino for $77,000, they began building and planting. Fort San Bernardino (often called "Mormon Stockade") was built on eight acres at the center of their settlement. It is at the site of the present county courthouse.
In 1853, San Bernardino County was formed from Los Angeles County. The same year, the city of San Bernardino was laid out one mile square, using the current street grid system, which is based upon the grid layout of Salt Lake City.
Jerome was mentioned in a letter dated 11 Sep 1855 from Mormon Elder George W. Bean to Thomas Bullock.
11 Sep The monotony of our life is occasionally enlivened by a straggling party of gentiles and apostate ‘Mormons’ passing by in search of golden salvation!!! Jerome M Benson of Jordan bridge notoriety, and a man named Tidero, from Provo, are here at present on their way to the land of pleasant dreams.
Upon arrival in California, BENSON settled about five miles from the Mormon town of San Bernardino, on what he thought was government land and outside the rancho. About 1856-57, there were questions about land boundaries and some properties were claimed by "outsiders." When asked to moved, Jerome refused, and when the court decided against him, he and friends fortified his adobe home with an old brass cannon and challenged anyone to dislodge him. Nothing further came of the incident. (The site of "Fort Benson" is present day 10600 Hunts Lane, Colton, California.)
In Oct 1857, the Mormon church recalled the settlers in San Bernardino and over half of the members left, literally giving away their land and property. Those who remained lacked organization and resources and the city disincorporated.On 27 Feb 1863, the Daily Alta California reported:
Mr. Allen introduced, in the Assembly, a bill to authorize Jerome M. Benson and Samuel Pine to construct a wagon road in San Bernardino county, from the mouth of Big Creek Cañon, through the cañon and over the San Bernardino range to Little Bear Valley.On 28 Mar 1863, the California State Legislature approved the bill, authorizing the Jerome and Samuel (his second wife's brother) "to construct a wagon road, not to exceed eighty feet in width, in San Bernardino County, from the mouth of City Creek Cañon, then up said cañon, and across the Sierra Nevada range of mountains to Little Bear Valley."
By 1870, Jerome and Jane and their family were living just south–across the county line in the San Jacinto District of San Diego County. Jerome died 17 Apr 1877, and his will, written 25 Mar 1877, was probated 30 Mar 1878 in San Diego County.
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