Joseph Benson Roper History

We have been unable to find a complete history of Joseph Benson Roper as he died in 1910 before many of his grandchildren were old enough to get interested in gathering histories and before the Saints became genealogy conscious. Another sad but true fact is that all of Joseph Benson’s and Hannah Elizabeth’s papers and belongings were burned in a fire leaving hardly anything to glean a history from. What we have has been extracted form History books, church records, and what a few of his grandchildren can remember.

Joseph Benson Roper was the second son of William and Susanna Smith Roper. However, he was the oldest child, as George William must have died in infancy. He was born Sunday, November 2, 1834 in Toynton, Lincolnshire, England.

The family first heard the Gospel as taught by the Latter-day Saints in 1845 and Joseph was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by George Robbins on the 11th day of September 1846.

On January 2nd, 1848 Susanna was counseled to gather to the land of Zion. Susanna, Joseph Benson, John Henry, and Mary Elizabeth Roper prepared for the move and journeyed to Liverpool, England from Louth, Lincolnshire, England.

The ship Ringfield was scheduled to sail on January 9th, but was delayed until the 17th before leaving for the United States. Very stormy weather was encountered for part of the way and then there was a two-week period of calm weather when the ship drifted, making no progress.

The Roper family and a Mrs. Pond and children were the only Mormons among a ship full of Irish and English passengers. With no one to protect them, some of the other passengers decided a rebaptism was necessary. One night, while on deck, a bucketful of slop was thrown over the Mormon family, using that as a method of carrying out their decision.

The sailing ship Ringfield docked in New Orleans, Louisiana, in the afternoon of March 16, 1848. Elder Lucius N. Scovil was in New Orleans on church business and helped the family get a cabin on the “General Jessop”, a Mississippi River Steamboat, which carried them to St. Louis, boarding the “Mandan”, a Missouri River riverboat for Council Bluffs, Iowa on April 11th.

The riverboat was 140 miles up the Missouri River when it was grounded on a large rock in the river. It took two nights and one day to get the boat off the rock. The Captain would go no further until his boat was repaired. Consequently the people chose Brother John Scott as their Captain, took their effects on shore and set up a camp on the bank of the Missouri River to await the return of the boat. It came back for its passengers two weeks later and continued on the Council Bluffs, Iowa.

Susanna had sent money ahead and two yoke of oxen and a milk cow awaited them on their arrival. The family was met by a Brother Lott, who settled them in a sod house where they stayed until they were ready to leave for Salt Lake City.

Joseph, with his mother Susanna, brother Henry and sister Elizabeth, left Council Bluffs and joined up with the Heber C. Kimball Division of the Church Emigration at the Elkhorn River. There they started the long journey across the plains.

(See history of Susanna Smith Roper for the history of crossing the plains to Utah.)

The Roper family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on or near after the 24th of September 1848, six weeks before his 14th birthday. All was not a bed of roses. Joseph lived through the early days of food rationing and the grasshoppers and the seagulls come to the rescue. Of necessity, Joseph worked at any job he could get to put food on the table.

Joseph moved to Provo with his family in 1852 and it is recorded in the deeds of Utah County that he bought 74/100 of an acre on Lot 4 Block 92 in Provo on August 12, 1853.

On February 26th, 1857 Joseph Benson Roper married Hannah Elizabeth Molen, daughter of Jesse and Laurany Huffaker Molen, at Lehi, Utah. On February 12, 1858 they received their endowments and were sealed for time and eternity in the Old Endowment House. At that time Joseph was ordained an Elder by Samuel Sprague. While in Lehi Joseph took part in the Walker War.

In 1862, Joseph Benson Roper and family moved from Lehi to Hyde Park, Cache County, Utah, where during the course of time he and Hannah Elizabeth were rebaptized and reconfirmed as church members on the 8th day of August 1875 by Neils Christensen.

Joseph Benson and Hannah Elizabeth Molen Roper were by this time the parents of ten children. Two were born at Lehi, Utah, and eight were born at Hyde Park, Utah.

In 1876 Joseph now 41 years of age, moved his family to Gunnison, Utah where three more children were born. Of the 13 children, nine lived to adulthood.

In Gunnison, Joseph using his accumulated knowledge, taught school, gave music lessons and for several years was ward chorister. He also held the position of tithing clerk for many years, meeting the problems attendant with the paying of tithing in kind.

Joseph was appointed Postmaster of Gunnison, Utah in 1893 and held that position until January 1, 1898 when he was released due to ill health.

From the time of his release as Postmaster, at 63 years of age, until his death, Joseph spent his time truck gardening on two city lots he owned in Gunnison.

Joseph Benson Roper passed away on Tuesday, November 8,1910. Age 76 years 6 days. He is interred in Preston City Cemetery, Preston, Idaho, beside his wife Hannah Elizabeth, who preceded him to her reward by four years while visiting with some of her children in Preston.

Today Joseph Benson and Hannah Elizabeth Molen Roper have a multitude of descendants living in many places, but most are concentrated in Utah and Idaho.