Charles Hulet- 4th Great-Grandfather

Charles Hulet

 

 

4th Great-Grandfather

 

 

 

 

Birth: 3 Mar 1790
Birth Place: Lee, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States
Parents: Sylvanus Hulet and Mary Lewis
Death Date: 9 May 1863
Death Place: Springville, Utah, Utah, United States

 

Spouse: Margaret Ann Noah
Marriage Date: 16 Oct 1816
Marriage Place: Ravenna, Portage, Ohio

Geneology line: Mary Leona Dalley>William Sylvanus Dalley>Catherine Melissa Hulet (Dalley)>Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet>Charles Hulet>Sylvanus Hulet

 

Charles Hulet was born in 1790. While living in Portage, Ohio, he built a blacksmith shop and made a living as a wheelwright, wagon maker and blacksmith. He also had a cottage industry of making chairs. Charles discovered sugar maple trees and set up a cheese-making factory. The enterprise had much to do with the prosperity of Portage County for the next seventy-five years.

 

Charles married Margaret Ann Noah, after his first wife’s death, at Ravenna Township, Portage County, Ohio October 10, 1816. Charles’ brother Sylvester heard the story that Joseph Smith had found a book written by civilized people who once lived in America.

 

Coming into the new country during the years 1815 to 1820 were men and women of various religious beliefs and ideas. Sometimes there were clashes and hard feelings.

About 1830, there came into the Portage County Joseph Smith, noted founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. With him was Sidney Rigdon, former pastor of the Disciple Church in a nearby township of Mantua, Portage County. He had embraced Mormonism. These men secured a great many converts to their new religion.

 

It was around this time that the Mormon missionaries came to the Hulet settlement in the Nelson township and asked to hold a meeting in the home of Charles Hulet. Permission was granted to them. The Hulet family became interested in this new and different religion. They attended their meetings held by the Church leaders whenever possible.

 

Some people were suspicious of the motives of these men, thinking they would try to get all the property into the hands of the Church. There were also charges that they were advocating polygamy. In addition to these charges, they were accused of preaching a form of Communism. This was a time of great unrest among religious thinking people.

 

Shortly after Parley P. Pratt and the Prophet Joseph Smith held their meeting in the Hulet home on a cold wintry night, Joseph Smith was at the bedside of one of his children, who was critically ill. Joseph, along with Sidney Rigdon, were dragged from their homes out into the night be a vicious mob. Tar was poured over them and then they were rolled in feathers already having been badly beaten. Then they were placed on a rail where they were forced to ride until they fell from it unconscious and were dumped into a vacant field. When Joseph Smith regained consciousness, he crawled to his home. When his wife Emma saw him, with blood streaming from his wounds and covered with black tar and feathers, she fell in a dead faint. It was weeks before all the tar was removed from their bodies

 

A short time after this tragic experience of the Church leaders, the Hulets again went to hear them bear their testimonies that they knew of a surety that God lives, and to the truthfulness of the Gospel, which had been restored to mankind on the earth. Each time they heard the testimonies of the Church leaders, their own testimonies grew stronger. All the Hulets who were old enough in 1831 were baptized.

 

Soon after joining this new religion, they found themselves social outcasts, and were subjected to the bitter persecutions met out to all who had become members of the new and hated religion. They found it necessary to abandon their homes and most of their belongings and seek a retreat elsewhere. No matter where they were driven, the Hulets always remained together, finally settling in Jackson County, Missouri where they purchased a farm and began tilling the ground.

 

Here again, they found people were hostile toward them and didn’t hesitate in making them aware of the fact. It wasn’t an uncommon thing for the menfolk to hide under grain and corn shocks to keep from being killed by the mobs. Their families had to take great care not to be seen when taking food to them. In the fall of 1833, the Saints had to leave hastily because conditions had become so serious from mob violence. Four or five families were forced to ride in one wagon, thus leaving very little room for foodand other necessities. They traveled about 60 miles where they camped in a grove of trees for the winter. In February they ran out of food. Some of the men attempted to go back to their abandoned homes to get some of the ample provisions they had left in their hurried retreat. As they neared their homes, they were met by the mob that had earlier forced them from their homes. An uncle of Sylvanus was struck on the head with the butt of a revolver, injuring him severely. Some of the group were killed, many injured and wounded, causing them to suffer many weeks from the beatings and wicked treatment at the hands of the mob. Those poor suffering souls were told that if they didn’t leave Jackson County, they would be shot down like rabbits.

 

After six weeks of the most severe persecution, the Saints crossed the Missouri River into Clay County. They found the people in Clay County to be very hostile too, but they continued to live there approximately six years even though they found that area to be damp and swampy. Here too, the Hulets withdrew a short distance from the main body of the saints and established a settlement, known as the “Hulet Settlement”.

 

A great number of the saints, weakened from their many harrowing experiences, sickened and died. During the sixth year in Clay County, the mob spirit became so strong that the saints were again forced to gather a few of their belongings and leave. They now traveled to Far West, Missouri. Here they were again harassed. It seemed that nowhere were they to find peace. At this placed, it became necessary for two or three families to live in one house for the sake of protection.

 

During these trying times, the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum had been seized and put in jail. The saints were in need of flour, but were afraid to go to the mill to have their grain ground, so pounded corn as best they could to use in place of the much needed flour. They built a high mud wall around their settlement as protection against the mob; nevertheless, conditions became increasingly worse until they were again forced to gather what few belongings they could and flee for their lives with a prayer constantly in their hearts that somewhere they could find peace.

 

After being forced from their homes in Far West, they took up residence in Nauvoo, Illinois. Here the Hulets met and became acquainted with all of the General Authorities. They heard the Prophet Joseph preach and teach the gospel many times.

 

Grandfather Sylvanus, in describing the prophet said: “He had a wonderful disposition, showing great love for all mankind; especially was he kind to little children.”

 

Church history tells us: “Joseph Smith stopped at the Hulet settlement on the way to his home at Hiram.” Again, in 1835 it states “Joseph Smith visited with the Hulets in Clay County, where he advised them to be careful of the gift of tongues.” They were told that the Devil could use it as well as the Lord. One Sunday when the people were speaking in tongues in Sacrament meeting, two women who had quarreled during the week began quarreling in tongues, proving the Devil could use the gift of tongues too.

 

After the saints reached Nauvoo, it was revealed to the Prophet Joseph that a temple must be built at once. Although many of the Saints hadn’t had time to build comfortable homes, they turned their wholehearted attention to the construction of the Temple. The many revelations given to the Prophet had been studied and analyzed; the doctrine of salvation for the dead and the sacred rituals of the Temple were explained and understood. It seemed the saints were being prepared for the great sorrow which was to come to them through the martyrdom of their leader, the Prophet Joseph and his brother Hyrum on 27 June, 1844 at the Carthage Jail in Illinois.

 

One by one, the Church leaders returned to Nauvoo when they learned of the death of the Prophet. Sidney Rigdon was among the first to arrive. A meeting was called in which Sideny Rigdon spent two hours telling the saints why he should be sustained as their leader and guardian of the Church. He was followed by Brigham Young, who emphasized the fact that their Prophet would desire them to stay together. He told them that the Twelve were the true successors, holding all the powers of the Priesthood. It was during this historic speech that a miraculous transfiguration took place, attesting as a witness that Brigham Young had been accepted by the Lord as the true successor of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

 

Great grandfather Charles and grandfather Sylvanus along with a great number of others of our ancestors were in attendance at that meeting and witnessed this great and marvelous manifestation.

 The exiled saints camped on the banks of the Mississippi River until the ice was thick enough for them to cross over to the other side. After finding a suitable camping site, they made plans to remain there until spring. This place they called “Winter Quarters”. This was during the winter of 1847. There was much suffering due to lack of food, clothing, and the many things so necessary to the comforts of life. Many of them died from the impoverished conditions under which they were forced to live.

 

When spring came, those who had survived the winter moved on to Mt. Pisgah, Iowa. Here they tilled the ground and planted crops. Some went on to Council Bluffs, Iowa, which was situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, leaving the crops for those who remained and others who would come later to harvest, that all may be fed.

 

It was at Mt. Pisgah that the Hulets and Stokers became acquainted. The Stokers had embraced the Gospel in Jackson County, Ohio, and seemingly had arrived at Mt. Pisgah before the arrival of the Hulets.

 

Charles and family came across the plains and settled in Springville where his wife died in 1851. Margaret was a good practical nurse and was commonly known as Nurse Hulet in Springville.  There was an epidemic of diphtheria and while she was caring for a stricken family, she contracted the disease herself and died.  She was one of the first to be buried in Springville. 

 

Charles later married Anna Taylor and Mary Lawson Kirkman and died at 73 in 1863. Mary Lawson Kirkman (1823-1899) was born in England. She married Robert Kirkman (1822-1856) in 1845. They migrated to America in 1856. Robert and an infant died on their way to Utah, leaving Mary with five children to care for. She married Charles Hulet (1790-1863) in March 1857. They had two children, but Charles died in May 1863. A few years later Mary married Joseph Cook (1830-1893); they had one child. After Robert's death Mary settled in Springville, Utah.

 

 

 

Nauvoo temple register that shows the endowments for Charles Hulet and Margaret Ann Noah Hulet

 

 

Property owned by Charles Hulet in Nauvoo, Illinois

________________________________________

 

 

I found this video of a couple who went back and located where Charles Hulet's farm was located.  It also shows them going to the cemetery where Charles' father, Sylvanus Hulet (my 5th great-grandfather) is buried in Portage, Ohio.  Sylvanus was a Revolutionary War Veteran.  Pretty cool stuff!  The videos a little long, but interesting. you can either go to the first link for the video, or you can go to the second link which is their website that gives more info on the Hulet family.

http://vimeo.com/6779044

http://gatheringgardiners.blogspot.com/2009/07/charles-hulet-1790-while-living-in.html

 

 

Sylvanus Hulet, Revolutionary War Veteran--Charles Hulet's father

Buried in Portage, Ohio

 

 

Marker placed at Sylvanus Hulets gravesite to honor him as a Revolutionary War Veteran