THOMAS SUNDERLAND HAWKINS

1829-1903

Thomas Sunderland Hawkins, third child and first son of Job and Hepsibah (Sunderland Hawkins) was born October 2, 1829 in Birmingham, Warwickshire, England.

At the age of nine his father, Job, a sword maker by trade, was out of employment so Thomas was put to work. By age fourteen he was working as a tin plater. At sixteen he was apprenticed to Griffith Hopkins of Bradford Street, Birmingham. His hours of work were 6:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m, for which he received four shillings and sixpence, with an increase of one shilling per week the second year. He reached the fabulous amount of nine shillings by his fifth year. “Between eighteen and nineteen years of age,” to quote from his diary, “I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I was baptized by Edmund Warren April 26, 1848.”

“Hepsibah, my mother, died July 2, 1819. My parents had five other children: Harriet (Broodhurst), Hepsibah (Underwood), John, Eliza (Prime), and William.” According to marriage certificate 11258, of the St. George Parish, Birmingham, Thomas Hawkins is identified as a bachelor and tin plate worker, with his residence at Cheapside. Thomas was married May 26, 1850 to Harriet Jones, a “Spinster” and daughter of Thomas Jones, a whipmaker, also a resident at Cheapside. Harriet Jones was baptized on May 29, 1848. To this union were born four sons and five daughters: Thomas, Harriet, Hepsibah, Eliza Ann, William John, Mary Ann, George Thomas, Joseph Job and Emma Levinnia.

According to the roster of the ship, Ellen Marie, Thomas and Harriet, both aged twenty-one, sailed Sunday, February 2, 1851 for New Orleans. They arrived in St. Louis on April 6, 1851. Apostle Orson Pratt and his family returned from England with this company.

Leaving St. Louis, they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on August 28, 1852. The very next day after arriving, Thomas attended a meeting in the old Tabernacle and heard the first sermon ever preached publicly on plural or celestial marriage by Orson Pratt. And in the afternoon the revelation on celestial marriage as given to the Prophet Joseph Smith was read publicly.

For two years, times were very hard. In 1855, Thomas built a small house in the Eleventh Ward so as to save rent but was soon out of employment again. He then moved his family to Ogden City were he bought a house and a lot, making adobes to pay for it. After paying for the house and lot, he sold out as his wife didn’t like being away from the city and so they returned to Salt Lake City.

Soon after arriving in Zion the Saints were taught that children should have their mother’s maiden name as their second or middle name. Thomas soon complied, by adding Sunderland to his own name. In turn each of his children was given their mother’s maiden name.

Quoting again from his journal:

In spring of 1858, we moved with body of Church to Springville. As government (President James Bucannan(sic))had sent an army to mob the Saints. In July we received word to return and I again had charge of Brother Ames’ business, as he was going to the States on business for about a year, during which time I saved some little means and Brother Alfred Best and I went into business ourselves and did very well making means fast and built a house and store (this was in the 200 or 300 block of South Main Street in Salt Lake City). Brother Best and I separated and I went into business with Brother Robert C. Sharkey. We built a house and store and did well. About 1861, I went to Saint Louis to purchase a stock of goods and we did well till Brother Sharkey had to leave town taking the money and most of the stock. But I borrowed to re-stock and did well.

On the 10 day of April 1856, we had our Endowments and were sealed in the Endowment House. I was ordained one of the Presidents of the 18th Quorum of 70’s on the 9th of October 1859. In 1862, we lived in the 14th ward. May 28, 1864, I was sealed in the Endowment house to Elizabeth Mears. To this union was born 3 sons and 2 daughters. Thomas, David, Elizabeth (Mortensen), Alma and Louise (Redd). This year I built a good 8 room house and cellar in the 14th ward, where we lived until 1870.

From this time on Harriet acted very foolish as she listened to outsiders and apostates and lied about her husband, Elizabeth and the authorities, I pity her and hope she may repent.

February 9, 1867, I was sealed to Sarah Davis.

Thomas Hawkins was the first man sent to prison for plural marriage. Harriet gave testimony against him and he was tried by Judge James B. McKean and sentenced to prison on October 28, 1871, for three years and fined $500. Bail was set at $20,000 which he obviously could not raise. He served for eighteen months. Then because of a ruling by the Supreme Court in the Englebrecht case, he was set free.

In the summer of 1869, he bought a farm in Lehi and moved Elizabeth Mears and Sarah Davis there. He still kept his business in Salt Lake City and walked from there to Lehi each weekend to be with his families. After imprisonment most of his property was confiscated.

In 1880, the family left Utah to establish a home in  Taylor, Apache County, Arizona. They knew this would be hard and required much of them, but they were willing to do so if they could live unmolested. Nevertheless they were doomed to more disappointment for no sooner had they begun to see the fruits of their labors in Arizona than the unrelenting crusaders against polygamy began to search them out.

A group was soon organized to colonize in Mexico. The Miles P. Romney and Thomas Hawkins families arrived there on December 9, 1885. The first Sunday School was organized early in 1886 with Joseph C. Cardon as Superintendent and Thomas Sunderland Hawkins First Assistant. Thomas Hawkins was appointed Superintendent on April 13, 1890.

In Mexico, Thomas first applied his American-learned trades of farming and house building to provide his family with the necessities of life. He then made use of his English training by establishing a tin shop which supplied dishes for the home, cans for canneries and toys for children. His wife Elizabeth Mears was active as midwife and primary worker. Sarah did a fine job of homemaking and mothering the two Hawkins families. David, a son of Elizabeth, often said he hardly knew which mother he loved most. The Hawkins homes were near the dugway and on the main street of Colonia Juarez.

Thomas learned that his first wife, Harriet, had died on February 4, 1892 in Salt Lake City. His sentiments were that, notwithstanding trials and troubles, he would have her in the next life if he “had to go to the depths of hell to get her.” His son, Joseph, a son of Harriet, died, June 9, 1898, in Lehi, Maricopa, Arizona. Then on March 20, 1901, his wife Elizabeth died in Colonia Juarez and was buried in the old cemetery east of town on the hill. In the spring of 1902, Thomas and Sarah made a long hoped for trip to Salt Lake City. They stayed at the home of his daughter, Harriet, and she made them most welcome, while they did temple work for their deceased relatives and received their second anointings. They then returned to Colonia Juarez.

At the age of seventy-four, Thomas became seriously ill and in a short time passed away on May 25, 1903. He was industrious, honest almost to a fault, a good neighbor, and a kind but stern father. He was a good husband and a Saint with a deep love of the Gospel.

Ruth Hawkins Dorset, granddaughter

Stalwarts South of the Border pg 247

Nelle Spilsbury Hatch