| Notes |
- RESEARCH_NOTES:
1. FHL book 929.273 St67d "Descendants of William Stoker (1819-1892): with a View of his Ancestors," by Jay and Rachel Phillips Deeben, Feb. 2014, pp. 18-23:
"David Stoker (1795-1852), by Jay Deeben.
David Stoker, son of Michael Stoker (1762) and Catherine Eller, was born 23 Mar 1795[1] in Wilkes[2] County, North Carolina. He married Barbara Graybill in February 1814 in North Carolina, probably Ashe County,[3] in Western North Carolina. Barbara Graybill was born 1 Apr 1792,[4] in Wilkes County, North Carolina. Her parents[5] are John Peter Graybill and Christina Wampler. Sometime after David and Barbara were married, probably in early 1815, they moved to Southern Ohio. All of David Stoker and Barbara Graybill's children were born in and around Bloomfield Township, Jackson County, Ohio except for their oldest child Christina who was born in August 1815, a year before Jackson County,[6] Ohio was organized. The most likely county of her birth would be Scioto.
During the research for this history Bloomfield, Morrow, Ohio was found as a place of birth for David. We are not sure how the county of (1792-1872) Morrow was used as a place of birth. Speculation on this subject brings us to the idea that whomever entered Morrow County was using a current map. The only Bloomfield that appears on the map is located in Morrow County and it is about 100 miles north of Jackson County.
At the time of the 1820 Federal Census David and his family are in Madison Township, Jackson, Ohio.[7] Their family consisted of David, Barbara, Christina, John, and William. In the 1830 Federal Census David and his family are still in Madison Township, Jackson, Ohio.[8] The family is made up of David, Barbara, Christina, John, William, Nancy, and Sarah.
David and Barbara Graybill Stoker were introduced to the church around 1833, while living in Bloomfield Township, Jackson County, Ohio. They were baptized in late 1833 or early 1834. Evidently a large number of the Stoker family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1833 and 1836 while living in Ohio.[9] "During the late fall and winter of 1836, the Stoker families, whether together or separately, …"[10] left Ohio and moved to Missouri.
For a more detailed history on David Stoker and Barbara Graybill refer to chapter 4, of the book "The Stoker/Winegar/West/Youd Legacy."[11]
David and some of his family are listed in the 1851 census of Pottawattamie County, Iowa. There is a total of three families listed in three different households. Household one: David Stoker age 57, Barbara Stoker age 57, and Michael Stoker (1833) age 17 (son). Household two is Edward Davis age 27, (son-in-law); Sarah Davis age 24, (daughter); Michael Davis (grandson). Household three is William Stoker (1819) (son) age 32, Alrnira Stoker age 33 (daughter-in-law), Samuel D. Stoker age 11 (grandson), Wm A. Stoker age nine (grandson), Susan A. Stoker age six (granddaughter), and Michael Stoker (1847) age four (grandson).[12] (Relationships to David Stoker added to clarify)
David and his family remained in Jackson County, Ohio until sometime after the taxes were paid in 1834. There are tax records for David in Bloomfield Township, Jackson County, Ohio for the years of 1828, 1830, 1831, 1833. He also had tax records in Madison Township, Jackson County, Ohio for the years of 1833 and 1834.[13]
David and most of his family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints around 1833 while in Ohio.[14] Then around 1836 the call from Church Headquarters came for the members of the church to move to Missouri. With this move to Missouri the Stoker family was right in the middle of the persecutions that were inflicted upon the church in Missouri and later in lllinois.
When the church members were driven out of Missouri in late 1838 and early 1839 under the extermination orders of "Lilburn Boggs," governor of Missouri, David Stoker and his family were caught up in this exodus. They went with the church to Illinois and settled there. David Stoker's name appears on the 1840 census for Quincy Township, Adams County, Illinois.[15]
The year of 1840 was a hard year for David and Barbara. While trying to get settled into a routine and a home in their new area in Illinois, their daughter Nancy Stoker who was sixteen or would turn sixteen that year, died.[16]
They remained in Illinois until the winter of 1846 when the church members were again driven out of their homes. As the church headed west though Iowa they set up waystations at various points across Iowa, with the main group settling at a place known as Council Bluffs on the western edge of Iowa.
David, Barbara, and family members still living with them stopped at Mt. Pisgah, Union County, Iowa,[17] one of the way-stations midway across Iowa, to earn enough funds to continue their journey west. When the Stoker family left Mt. Pisgah for Council Bluffs[18] is not known. But there is some indication that he operated a ferry across the Missouri River near Council Bluffs, Iowa. In 1852 as the family was preparing to leave Council Bluffs for the Salt Lake Valley, David contracted cholera and died on 27 May 1852,[19] about two weeks before the family members started west with the Isaac M. Stewart Emigrating Company.[20] Barbara is not listed with the Stewart Company or any other company leaving for the Salt Lake Valley in 1852. But her name is listed as having traveled in 1852 to the Salt Lake Valley.
Barbara Graybill Stoker died 3 October 1872, in Summit, Iron, Utah.
Children of David Stoker and Barbara Graybill[21] Stoker (Name - Birth - Place - Death - Place):
Christina Stoker, 24 Aug 1815, Bloomfield, Scioto, Ohio, 10 May 1854, Alpine, Utah, Utah.
John Stoker, 8 Mar 1817, Madison Twp., Jackson, Ohio, 11 Jun 1881, Bountiful, Davis, Utah.
William Stoker, 26 Mar 1819, Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, 19 May 1892, Spanish Fork, Utah, Utah.
Nancy Stoker, Oct 1824, Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, 1840, Missouri.
Sarah Stoker, 20 Jun 1827, Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, 10 Mar 1908, Summit Creek, Iron, Utah.
Catherine Stoker, 24 Jul 1829, Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, 8 Nov 1882, Summit, Iron, Utah.
Michael Stoker[22], 12 Sep 1833, Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio, 2 Sep 1904, Junction, Piute, Utah.
Obituary of Barbara Graybill Stoker, Deseret News, 16 Oct 1872, p. 13, as found on Utah Digital NewsPapers at http://digitalnewspapers.org/: "At Summit Creek, Iron Co., Oct. 3, of old age, Barbary Stoker, in her 81st year. She was baptised into the church in Nov., 1833, moved to Far West, Mo., in 1837, and passed through the persecutions with the Saints in that place. She went to Illinois in 1839, and was also in the persecutions at that place. In 1852 she came to Utah, lived in Springville, Utah Co., and afterwards moved to the South. She died in full faith of the gospel. -Com."
There is a chapter on each of David and Barbara's children in this book. Please refer to those chapters for information concerning them.
Chapter Notes for David Stoker (1795-1852)
1. Stoker, Elayne, "Our Stoker Family Histories 1731-1881" Volume H, p. 59, (copy of book is on
CD in possession of Rachel A Deeben)
2. Ashe County, North Carolina was created from Wilkes County, North Carolina in 1799. Any births, marriages, and deaths that occurred prior to 1799 would be in Wilkes County. Reference obtained from the Animap program from the Goldbug Company.
3. Ashe County was created from Wilkes County in 1799.
4. Stoker, Elayne, "David Stoker and Barbara Graybill," p. 59.
5. Stoker, Elayne, "David Stoker and Barbara Graybil1," p. 59.
6. Animap: State of Ohio, Jackson County was created from four counties, Scioto, Gallia, Athens, and Ross in 1816. Animap program from the Goldbug Company.
7. Federal Census of 1820 for Madison Twp, Jackson, Ohio. Image is on Ancestry.com. Year:
1820; Census Place: Madison, Jackson, Ohio; Roll M33_89; Page: 141; Image: 154.
8. Federal Census of 1830 for Madison Twp, Jackson, Ohio. Image is on Ancestry.com. 1830 U S
Census; Madison, Jackson, Ohio, Page: 93; NARA Roll: M19-134; Family History Film: 0337945.
9. Stoker, Jimmie "B", "The Michael and Catherine Eller Stoker as early Mormons in Ohio and
Missouri," subheading "The Stokers join the LDS Church," p. 1, November 24, 1993, Nauvoo
Land and Historical Library, Nauvoo, Illinois.
10. Stoker, Jimmie "B", p. 4.
11. Rowley, Alta Aitken; Grant Joseph Aitken; and Charlene Attryde Aitken, "The Stoker/Winegar/West/Youd Legacy", Chapter 4, David Stoker and Barbara Graybill, p. 25, Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah, Call N0. 929.273 St67ra.
12. Pottawattamie County, Iowa 1851 Census, lines 14 thru 25; Ancestry.com. Iowa State Census
Collection, 1836-1925 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc., 2007. Original data: film number IA_1 18, Microfilm of Iowa State Censuses, 1856, 1885, 1895, 1905, 1915, 1925 as well various special censuses from 1836-1897 obtained from the State Historical Society of Iowa via Heritage Quest.
13. Jackson County Ohio Tax Record 1819 - 1838, Jackson County (Ohio). Auditor, Tax duplicates,
1819-1838, Repository: Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah. Film 493,566, year of 1828, p. 4, year of 1831, p. 6, Film 493,615, image 99, p. 5, image 156, p. 58, image 258, p. 59.
14. Rowley, Alta Aitken, p. 26.
15. Year: 1840; Census Place: Quincy, Adams, Illinois; Roll: 54; Page: 43; Image: 89; Family History Library Film: 0007641. Ancestry.com. 1840 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.
16. Our Stoker Family Histories 1731 - 1881, Vol H, Compiled and Edited by Elayne Stoker, Our
Stoker Family Histories 1731 - 1881, Vol H (copy of book on CD), p. 60, 116. Repository: Rachel Anne Phillips Deeben.
17. A brief history of Mt. Pisgah, Union County, Iowa can be seen at website:
<http://www.mormonhistoricsitesfoundation.org/USA/iowa/union/mtPisgah/complete.pdf>
18. Council Bluffs, Iowa was known until 1852 as Kanesville, Iowa -- the historic starting point of the Mormon Trail and eventual northernmost anchor town of the other emigrant trails, is a city in and the county seat of Pottawattarnie County, Iowa, United States and is on the east bank of the Missouri River across from what is now the much larger city of Omaha, Nebraska. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanesville <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanesville>,_Iowa)
19. Rowley, Alta Aitken, p. 27.
20. The following families, all related to Barbara Graybill Stoker traveled with the Isaac M. Stewart Emigrating Company from June 1852 thru Sep 1852.
William Stoker[,] 7 in family[,] 4 oxen[,] 2 cows[,] 0 horses[,] 0 Sheep[,] 1 Waggons[,] 1 loos Cattle
Michael Stoker[,] 3 in family[,] 4 oxen[,] 3 cows[,] 1 horses[,] 15 Sheep[,] 1 Waggons[,] 0 loos Cattle
John Mc Daniells [Mc Daniel][,] 10 in family[,] 6 oxen[,] 4 cows[,] 0 horses[,] 0 Sheep[,] 1 Waggons[,] 0 loos Cattle
Edward Davis[,] 4 in family[,] 2 oxen[,] 2 cows[,] 0 horses[,] 0 Sheep[,] 1 Waggons[,] 0 loos Cattle
Source: (Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel, 1847-1868; Source of Trail Excerpt: Isaac M. Stewart Emigrating Company, Journal). <http://ldsorg/churchhistory>
21. Stoker, Elayne, p. 59 and 60 (questionable on county, see chapter note "Animap")
22. Endowment House Living Endowments; Endowment House Recorder, Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints; Film 0183406 -- Book "G"; p. 95, line #23; Family History Library."
2. Censuses:
1800 US: Ashe County, North Carolina. The total population for Ashe County, North Carolina in 1800 was 2785, including slaves. The 1800 Ashe County Census was the first for the northwestern most county in the Tar Heel State. This county was formed in late 1799 and included all of Wilkes County west of the crest of the Blue Ridge Mountain. The 977 square miles that then composed Ashe County has been further divided, first in 1849 to form Watauga County, North Carolina and again 10 years later to form Alleghany County. This record includes families who may have been living in those areas at the time. The original census was in rough alphabetic order, and this does not facilitate the research of particular communities. I include all interrelated families of this time and place to better show relationships. A word of explanation on some of these families:
A. Mary and Barbara Burkett who married Peter and David Graybeal, had a father named Christian - unsure as to which is correct of the two.
B. Elizabeth Eller appears to be Elizabeth Dick, the wife of Peter Eller who had just died per his probate of 1799.The one daughter is probably Mary; unsure who the two boys are since there should be three: Jacob, Henry, and George. John Eller would be Elizabeth's eldest son and married to Susannah Kerns.
C. Henry Graybeal would have recently married Celia Henson and also the eldest son of [John] Peter and Christina [Wampler] Graybill who also appear to be in this same census. Note that Peter evidently had owned slaves at that time - the census does not say how many.
D. One of the William Hensons could be somehow related to William Henson who marries Nancy Graybill and to Celia Henson who marries Henry Graybeal.
E. The two Koons are probably brothers and are sons of Devault Koon judging from their ages. This would make them uncles to George Koons who eventually marries Mary Eller.
F. James Lewis, b. abt. 1790, marries Christena Graybill in 1807 - there may be a connection with these two James Lewis.
G. William Pennington marries Barbara (or Elizabeth) Eller and may be the younger of the two here listed.
H. Michael Stucker is a misspelling for Michael and Catherine Eller Stoker with their three oldest children: Polly, David, and Elizabeth.
Head of Family; Males 0-9, 10-16, 16-26, 26-45, 45+; Females - 0-9, 10-16, 16-26, 26-45, 45+:
Burkett, Christian; 1-2-0-1-0; 1-0-2-0-0
Burkett, Christian; 4-1-0-1-0; 1-0-1-0-0
Eller, Elizabeth; 1-0-1-0-0; 0-0-1-0-1
Eller, John; 3-0-0-1-0; 1-0-0-1-0
Graybeal, Henry; 0-0-1-0-0; 2-0-1-0-0
Graybeal, Peter; 2-1-1-0-1; 3-1-0-0-1
Henson, William; 0-1-1-0-0; 2-0-1-0-0
Henson, William; 3-0-0-0-1; 1-1-1-0-0
Koons, George; 0-0-1-0-1; 0-0-0-0-1
Koons, John; 0-0-1-0-1; 0-1-2-0-1
Lewis, James; 2-2-1-0-1; 4-1-0-0-1
Lewis, James, Jr.; 1-0-1-0-0; 1-0-1-0-0
Pennington, William; 0-1-0-1-0; 1-2-1-0-1
Pennington, William; 0-0-1-0-0; 0-0-1-0-0
Stucker, Michael; 1-0-0-1-0; 2-0-0-1-0
1820 US: Madison Township, Jackson, Ohio, pg. 192, township had a little over 40 families; related families of Michael Stoker and Michael Graybill are in neighboring Bloomfield Township; columns are male 0-10, 10-16, 16-18, 16-26, 26-45, 45+// female 0-10, 10-16, 16-26, 26-45, 45+:
David Stoker: 2,1,0,1,0,0//1,0,0,1,0.
Peter Grabill: 1,0,0,1,0,1//0,0,2,0,1.
Nancy Henson: 0,1,0,1,0,0//0,1,1,1,0.
James McDaniel: 0,0,0,0,0,1//3,2,0,0,1.
1830 US: Madison Township, Jackson, Ohio, p. 93a:
David Stoker: Males 10-15:2; 30-40:1; female 0-5:2; 10-15:1; 30-40:1. [Appears to be David, his wife Barbara, and their children: Christina, John, William, Sarah, and Catherine; appears from children enumerated that Nancy may have been dead by 1830.]
1840 US: Quincy, Adams, Illinois, the following related families living in near proximity to each other (with exception of John McDaniel and his wife Christina Stoker, all of David Stoker's siblings, children, and mother are accounted for and it confirms his father Michael was dead by 1840):
P. 43a:
David Stoker, males 5-10:1; 40-50:1//females 5-10:1; 10-15:1; 40-50:1. [David, his wife Barbara, and their children Sarah (13), Catherine (11?), and Michael (6). Note daughter Nancy not in census which means she was probably deceased by then.]
Simeon P. Grabell [Graybill], males 0-5:1; 20-30:1//females 0-5:1; 20-30:1. [David's nephew: Simeon and his wife Amanda Hill and their two oldest children.]
Jacob Stoker, males 20-30:1//females 0-5:1; 20-30:1. [Younger brother to David: Jacob and his wife Catherine and their oldest child.]
P. 44a:
Eller Stoker, males 20-30:1//females 0-5:1; 15-20:1; 60-70:1. [Youngest brother to David: Eller with his wife Margaret and their oldest child and probably their mother Catherine Eller.]
James Walker [Welker], males 10-15:1; 15-20:1; 30-40:1//females 5-10:2; 40-50:1. [Living next door to Eller and ages work perfectly that this is James Welker and Elizabeth Stoker, who is David's sister.]
John W. Stoker, males 0-5:2; 10-15:1; 30-40:1//females 0-5:1; 5-10:2; 30-40:1. [John and his wife Electa Sarah and their six oldest children.]
John Stoker, males 0-5:1; 20-30:1//females 0-5:1; 5-10:2; 20-30:1. [David's son: John and his wife Jane and their children.]
P. 52a:
William Stoker, males 0-5:1; 20-30:1//females 20-30:1 (father-in-law Samuel Winegar is next door). [David's son William and his wife Almira with their child.]
P. 55a:
Michael Stoker, males 0-5:2; 5-10:2; 10-15:1; 30-40:1// females 30-40:1. [Michael, his wife Martha, and their five oldest children.]
1850 US: Can't find.
1851 Iowa State: Pottawattamie County. FHL film 1022203. The entire state was counted but only Pottawattamie listed everyone by name in the household and their ages; other counties only listed the head of the household and a numerical count without names of the various ages by sex in the household. No date is given when the census was taken but it was certified in Dec. 1851; however, the other counties show a Sep 1851 date which also appears more likely for Pottawattamie as well in light of ages given some children with known birthdays in October. Census return:
Stoker: David 57, Barbary 57, Michael 17. [Note that the following related families are in this census and very close neighbors: Simeon P. Graybill, Michael/Polly Graybill with Polly's mother Catherine Eller Stoker, Eller/Margaret Stoker, Jacob/Catherine Stoker, Philip/Catherine Gatrost, David/Barbara Stoker, Edward/Sarah Davis, and William/Almira Stoker. Other relatives in same county but separated by several pages of census include the following families: Thomas/Hannah Pilling whose daughter Hannah, later marries William Lenore Graybill, Levi/Patience Graybill, John W./Sarah Stoker, Hannah Ford whose son Martin later marries Zibiah M. Stoker, and John/Sarah Smith.]
1870 US: 7-Dist. Summit, Iron, Utah, p. 295b, entry 13 [neighbors to three children: Michael, Catherine, and Sarah]:
Barbary Stoker, 78, $100 real estate, $1000 personal property, NC.
3. FHL Book 929.273EL54h "George Michael Eller and Descendants of His in America," compiled by James W. Hook, 1957, also on FHL film 896571, item 2, pp. 17-31, clarifies early North Carolina counties and land grant practices:
"Land grants in North Carolina originated with an entry application which was filed in the county where the land was situated and if not lost are now on file there. This was followed, sometimes soon and sometimes years later by an order from the land office for the tract to be surveyed. Sometimes soon and sometimes years later the survey was made and a surveyor's plat filed with the Secretary of State in Raleigh. Then came the grant which may have been issued reasonably near the date of the survey or sometimes several years later. These grants, orders to survey and the survey itself are on file now in the Secretary of State's office at Raleigh...
Many counties were formed from what originally was Rowan County, namely Surry and Guilford in 1770, Burke and Wilkes in 1777, Randolph in 1779, Iridell in 1788, Stokes in 1789, Buncomb in 1791, Ashe in1799, Davidson in 1822, Yancey in 1833, Davie in 1836 and Yadkin in 1850. Some of these counties were grandchildren of Rowan County; for instance Wilkes was taken partly from Burke and partly from Surry, Randolph from Guilford, Buncomb and Yancy form Burke, Ashe from Wilkes and Stokes and Yadkin from Surry. These facts must be kept in mind when tracing early Rowan County families."
4. From Sep 2006 Internet, http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Ridge.2509/brownson.html: It appears the Stoker family probably knew the Seymour Brunson family of nearby Lawrence Co., Ohio. Brunson had served with Luke Johnson in 1832. In 1833 he is again with Luke in the area as are Zerubbabel Snow and Amasa Lyman. He is also specifically in Bloomfield, Jackson, Ohio in Nov. 1834 when his son his born and also per letters he wrote. He appears generally in Kirtland thereafter. His journal notes that in July 1836 he visited the church in Bloomfield. He does note the baptism of John Stoker 13 Nov 1837. It was at his funeral in Nauvoo in 1840 that Joseph Smith first revealed the doctrine of baptisms for the dead.
5. From the book "Our Stoker Family Histories 1731-1881," Vol. II, comp. and ed. by Elayne Stoker, 2004, printed by Stevenson's Genealogy Center, Provo, UT [Note: spelling corrected by myself.]. From an article entitled "A Brief History of Sylvanus Cyrus & Catherine Stoker Hulet":
"Catherine Stoker was a daughter of David Stoker and Barbara Graybill (Graybull). She was born July 29, 1829, at Bloomfield, Jackson County, Ohio. The Stoker's (Stocker's) originated from Switzerland and lived for one generation in Maryland and the next generation in North Carolina before moving to Missouri. Barbara Graybill may have been a full blood Cherokee Indian or may have had a white mother and a Cherokee father. [Kerry's note: This seems like a very odd statement and it is without support. DNA testing has not confirmed such a wild statement.]
The Stoker's May have heard the gospel preached by a brother Luke Johnson on January 19, 1833. Having become "Mormons" during that early period of the Church they were subjected to the same persecution that other members of the Church are known to have had and were forced to move through the Missouri period and into Illinois...
David Stoker, also, helped with the building of the Nauvoo Temple and some of the homes in the City of Nauvoo. The Hulets and the Stokers left Nauvoo with other Saints during the cold winter of 1846 and crossed Iowa. It was at Mt. Pisgah that Sylvanus met and fell in love with Catherine Stoker. They were married May 19, 1850, by a Reverend March. Evidently, the Hulets and the Stokers had been in some of the groups who had stayed to protect some of the villages as they were not in the first companies to go to Utah. However, it was soon after Sylvanus and Catherine were married that they started on their journey westward from Mt. Pisgah, with a company of Saints led by Aaron Johnson, who was appointed by President Young. At Winter Quarters Catherine's father, David Stoker, was laid to rest.
Catherine's mother, her brothers John, William, and Michael, and her sisters Christina and Sarah, and Sarah's husband, Edward David, were in the company of the Hulets. It was the latter part of September when they arrived in Salt Lake City. They thought they had reached their journey's end, but President Young asked the Hulets to go on with some other families to Hobble Creek and help settle that area. It was the first week in October 1850 when they arrived at this place, later named Springville."
6. The book "Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude" by the daughters of the Utah Pioneers:
"Barbara Graybill Stoker, b. Apr 1792 at Ashe, NC, d. 3 Oct 1872 at Summit Creek, Iron, Utah, parents are John P. Graybill and Christina Wampler, pioneer of 1852, m. David Stoker 1814 (he died 27 May 1852 in Council Bluffs, Iowa), children:
Christina, 24 Aug 1815
John, 8 Mar 1817
William, 26 Mar 1819
Nancy, Oct 1824
Sarah, 20 Jun 1827
Catherine, 25 Jul 1829
Michael, 12 Sep 1833
The Wamplers, Graybills, and Stokers were of German origin coming to this country in the mid-1700s and settling in Ashe County, NC. They were neighbors and friends, and their children grew up together. Barbara was the fifth child born to her parents. When she grew up, she married David Stoker. After a forest area of Ohio was cleared in the early 1800's, the main body of Stoker and Graybill relatives crossed the border into Ohio on Christmas Day, 1815. While living in Ohio, the Stokers became members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In 1836, they moved to Missouri with the main body of the Saints, but great persecutions took place here and they were forced to flee to Illinois for safety. Enemies of the church soon drove them from Nauvoo to Iowa. They then went to Council Bluffs where David and his brothers were operating a ferry across the Missouri River to obtain enough money for their journey west to Utah. On May 27, 1852 David Stoker died of cholera and was buried in the Stoker-Graybill cemetery at [near] Winter Quarters, Iowa. Barbara came West with her children in June, 1852, and lived with her children. On Oct. 3, 1872, she passed away at the home of her daughter in Summit, Iron County, Utah."
7. Visited Summit 25 Dec 2002. Town is just off Interstate 15 and only a few blocks long with one main street with little if any commerce. The original Hulet house is on the northwest corner of Center and Main streets. Many photos of house on file. It is a two story brick structure with three dormers, two chimneys on either end, and in poor repair being used for what appears as a low priced rental. Since Barbara died in Oct. 1872, she may or may not have lived in this house briefly since the Hulets moved to Summit in 1872 and I am unsure as to when the house was actually built by 1872 or not. There is a large memorial plaque and rock cairn placed on the property which reads:
"Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet, 1826 - 1901, a convert of 1831, Utah Pioneer 1850, settled in Springville, Called to the Dixie Mission 1861, Moved to Summit 1872,
Children by Catherine Stoker: John Riley, Sarah Ann, Barbara Adlinda, Sylvanus Cyrus, Sylvester Silas, Cathryn Melissa, Emma Tryphena, Charles Franklin, Luella, Oscar Willard,
Children by Elzina R. Miller: Nora Dean, Eliza Ellen, Minnie Elzina, Theresa, Cora,
Daughter by Elizabeth Dalley: Emma Wright."
8. Being that Barbara was born in 1792 and made it to Utah, she may be the oldest direct ancestor I have who made it to Utah.
9. From a typescript of an unknown source but most likely of the archives of the daughters of the Utah Pioneers (copy in my files) with pages hand-numbered 49-51. Text [with typographical corrections by me]:
"Life of Michael Stoker. Michael Stoker was born at Bloomfield Twp., Jackson County, Ohio, September 12, 1833. He was the son of David Stoker and Barbara Graybill. He was the youngest child in a family of seven children, four girls and three boys. There was a period of time we don't know much about the family or where they first heard and became interested in the 'Mormon' Church. According to records, Michael was baptized into the LDS Church in the year 1848. He would have been fifteen years old then. The Stoker family spent some time at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. They were advised to stay a while and get better prepared for the journey West, so they were among those who planted crops and harvested them so there would be food for the saints who came later on the long trek to the Rocky Mountains. In the spring of 1882 [1852?], a few days before their company started West, Michael's father, David Stoker, died and was buried at Winter Quarters, Nebraska. I think it is now called Council Bluff, Nebraska. Michael and his mother and brother and sisters came on to Salt Lake Valley. Many lifelong friendships began on the journey across the plains. Brigham Young encouraged them to sing and dance and play music and tell stories around the campfire after the day's travel was done. In spite of their trials, they had some good times remembered for years after. And so it was that often when the wagons were parked in a circle for protection at night, after suppers were over; the men who could play would get out their fiddles and a dance on the ground would begin and the weary travelers would forget their weariness for an hour or two. It was at one of these dances that Michael met a young woman he grew to admire very much. Her name was Polly Hughes. It was the girls' choice to choose a partner for the dance, she came up to Michael and said, 'Michael, may I have this dance?' As they tripped the light fantastic on the hard ground, to the lively tunes the fiddlers played, she asked him how his mother and sister were. Michael answered, 'I don't have any sisters by that name.' And she said, 'Aren't you Michael Graybill?' He said, 'No, but I have a cousin by that name. My name is Michael Stoker. They say we look a lot alike.' That was the beginning of their acquaintance and they became good friends. After arriving in Salt Lake Valley the Stoker family moved to Springville and were among the earliest settlers there. The friendship that began on the journey across the plains between Michael and Polly Hughes had grown into true love for each other. They were married at Springville, Utah, December 1, 1854. They lived in Springville about ten years. During this time three children were born to them: John Willard, Michael Charles, and David William. In 1860, two of Michael's sisters and their husbands were called by Brigham Young to go down and help settle Iron County. Michael who was the youngest of his Mother's family liked to live near his sisters; so he took his wife, Polly, and their three sons and his mother, Barbara Graybill Stoker, who was getting quite old, and moved to Iron County. Settling first at Johnson's Fort, a new settlement north of what is now Cedar City. While living here their first daughter, Emma, was born. She had convulsions and died as a small baby and was buried at Johnson's Fort. They lived at Johnson's Fort about a year and then moved to a nearby settlement called Summit, between Parowan and Cedar City..." (See Michael's notes for full quotation.)
10. Possibly referred to in the following from the book "The Howard Leytham Stoker Von Dollen Family Histories," FHL 929.273 H833a, by Doris Lewis, 2017 So. 80th Ave., Omaha, Nebraska, 68124, p. 87:
"Michael Stoker, the son of (John) Michael Stoker, was a 28 year old bachelor in Wilkes County, NC when the US census was taken in 1790. The farm which Michael Stoker bought from John Dick was on the north fork of New River in Ashe County. (The boundary line had been changed from Wilkes.) In 1792 Michael married Catherine Eller, the oldest daughter of Peter Eller and Elizabeth Dick. The Ellers and Dicks were settlers in this same area and all of Michael and Catherine's children, except Eller, were born and raised among numerous family members in North Carolina. In 1815, the family joined a migration of relatives moving west into Ohio. This party of Graybills and Stokers, all ages from babies to the elderly crossed the border into Ohio on Christmas Day, 1815. Michael and his son David, who had just turned 21, took part in the first election held in Jackson County on April 1, 1816. John Michael Stoker, Michael's father, settled in Perry County, Ohio, about 60 miles north..."
11. Burketts, Graybeals, and Ellers mentioned in the book "History of Western North Carolina," by John Preston Arthur, 1914, chapter 8:
"Some Early Settlers of Ashe. These noble, self-sacrificing men and women of the early times endangered their lives and braved many hardships in the wild Indian country to open the way to happy homes, schools, churches and the blessings of our present civilization. Some of these were Henry Poe, Martin Gambill, Thomas Sutherland, Timothy Perkins, Captain John Cox, Henry Hardin, Canada Richardson, James Douglas, Daniel Dickson and Elijah Galloway. Besides these were many others whose names awaken much unwritten history: Miller, Blevins, Ham, Reeves, Woodin, Barr, Baker, Eller, Goodman, Ray, Burkett, Graybeal, Houck, Kilby, Ashley, Jones, Gentry, Smith, Plummer, Lewis, Sutherland, McMillan, Colvard, Barker, Senter, Maxwell, Calhoun, Sapp, Thomas, Worth, Oliver and others."
Also the following quote is found; note that they were from Germany and may only have sailed from Holland - they were not Dutch: "The Graybeals. They are said to be of Dutch ancestry, are generally thrifty and successful folk, and own much real estate and live stock. They are honest, frugal and among the best citizens of Ashe."
12. FHL film 702: "Journal of John Stoker, b. 1817; Journal starts November 1, 1869." John was the son of David Stoker and Barbara Graybill. The first 35 pages detail his mission taken from Utah to Virginia and Tennessee through Council Bluffs, Iowa, which I have summarized and included with his notes in this database. Pp. 36-227, the balance of John's journal, are genealogical notations of family. Many pages are blank. Besides family, the journal also notes many other unrelated Stokers who were probably gleaned from books and other sources. It appears as if maybe his son David may have taken over the book later. Many entries are repetitive at different times. Pertinent data for this family or individual is quoted verbatim as follows on pages:
P. 103: "David Stoker, born Mar. 23, 1795, died May 27, 1852. Barbara Graybill wife of David Stoker and daughter of Peter Graybill and Christenia Wampler, died Oct. 3, 1872, Summitt, Utah. Children:
John Stoker, born 8 Mar 1817, died 11 June 1881 Bountiful, Utah.
Sarah Stoker, born 26 Jun 1827, married Edward H. Davis.
William Stoker.
Michael Stoker."
P. 189: "Barbara Stoker, daughter of Peter Graybill and Christenia Wampler and wife of David Stoker died October the 3d, 1872, at Summet Creek, Iron County, U.T., aged 81 years."
Edward Davis, husband of Sarah Stoker, the daughter of Barbara Stoker, died Jany 9th, 1873 of Putrid Sore throat, Iron Co., U.T., Summet Creek
P. 189: "David Stoker, son of Michael Stoker and Catherine Eller and father of John Stoker, died May 27th, 1852 at Trader's Point, Potawatamie Co., Iowa. The family emigrated to Utah the same Spring."
P. 190: "Sarah Davis, daughter of David Stoker and Barbara Graybill was born June 26th 1827, State of Ohio, Jackson Co., Bloomfield Township. Baptised by Wm. Stoker Feby 1850."
13. From the book "Our Stoker Family Histories 1731-1881," Vol. II, comp. and ed. by Elayne Stoker, 2004, printed by Stevenson's Genealogy Center, Provo, UT. The following is a partial excerpt from the longer article entitled "David Stoker and Barbara Graybill," which is quoted in its entirety in the notes of David Stoker:
"In 1814 David Stoker married Barbara Graybill. It is probable that it was in North Carolina as Barbara also was born and raised in North Carolina. (At the time of this writing the day and place of their marriage is unknown. The North Carolina court house for this area and its records were burned during the Civil War. Also no records have been found in Ohio for their marriage.)
Barbara Graybill was born on the 1 April 1792 in Wilkes County, North Carolina. She was the seventh child out of ten. Barbara's parents were John Peter Graybill and Christina Wampler. The Graybill family also came from the same Germanian background as did the Stoker family.
In the beginning era of the United States the people settled in towns and regions where their old world backgrounds/languages were a common element. After the Moravian Church moved many of its members from Maryland to northwestern North Carolina the German population was in the thousands...
Between the years of 1830 to 1836 David and Barbara Stoker along with some of the extended family received missionaries from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of these missionaries were: Seymour Brunson, John A. Fisher, and Luke Johnson. All baptized members of the Stoker family into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. John Stoker (David's son) was baptized by Seymour Brunson and Luke Johnson in 1834. David's younger brother, Michael Jr., baptized Barbara in 1836. ('LDS Biographical Encyclopedia,' Andrew Johnson, vol. 2, pg. 252. Luke Johnson. Autobiography in 'Millennial Star' 1864, Lewis, p. 92.)
Some members of the Graybill family also joined the church as their baptismal dates and offices they held within the church are listed in the records of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
An article in the local paper records that there was strong religious persecution against members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Vega area. This fighting lead to some families leaving Vega. ('Jackson Herald,' Friday, February 27, 1959 and cited in Jim Stoker's Stoker history 1993)
It was in the fall and winter of 1836 that David Stoker, his father, Michael, with their families and some of the Graybill families left the Ohio valley traveling west. On the 15 August 1838, David bought 52+ acres of land in Harrison County, Indiana. His brother, William, bought 120 acres in Madison County, Indiana. (Bureau of Land Management- Eastern States- General land Office, records of the Ohio River Valley Survey)...
Other members of the extended Stoker family were already living in Indiana. David's sister, Elizabeth and her husband, James Welker, were married in Henry County, Indiana in 1828, and it's possible that their first son was born there. Albert Koons, a relative of Catherine Eller (David's mother), lived in Henry County, Indiana along with other Eller families. (The Indiana connections need to be fully researched to understand the detail of the different families' movements.)...
David, Barbara, and their grown children with their families, moved in to Central Iowa settling at a temporary camp the church called Mount Pisgah. They stayed long enough to replenish their supplies and help others as they could. It is noted in John's record (David's son) that some family members were in Mount Pisgah for nearly two years...
Mount Pisgah is located on top of a large knoll. Local residents state that early farmers had removed some of the headstones from the many small cemeteries that dotted the hill. When the railroad came through it built its grades on top of the wagon roads, but there still are many remaining signs of the large community buried in the soil. Dugout depressions can still be seen in the hillsides, while cabin outlines are scattered around the area. The Mormon settlers built many small cabins, fenced in the settlement around the north and east sides down to the Grand River. Gardens were planted, communications centers set up.
Today local volunteers from the neighboring towns, in cooperation with the current land owners, are working to map, restore, and provide some tour trails through the area. One local volunteer told this author that some believe there are a lot more graves there than are known. One of the schools has, as part of a history project, a working to find and map out the old rock wall fence. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints owns some land on the hilltop and has reconstructed a cabin and take care of the small cemetery. This area provides a small visitors center.
Most of the hill top area is currently private land and is used for grazing purposes only. The land owner is aware of the history of his land and stated he did not have the heart to plow the area under. It has been left for nature to take care of it...
William's family, along with his youngest brother, Michael and his family, and John McDaniel came into the Utah valley with ox teams in the company under the lead of Isaac Stewart. In the History of William Stoker and in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints historical records that Stewart's company consisted of 245 people with 53 wagons. The company arrived into Salt Lake City on the 28th of August, 1852. Some family descendants state that Barbara Graybill Stoker, Sarah Stoker and her husband, Edward Davis, were also in this wagon company. In the 'History of Catherine Stoker and Sylvanus Hulet' it states "Catherine's mother, her brothers: William, and Michael and her sisters: Christina, Sarah and her husband Edward Davis, were in the company of the Hulets and all arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in the latter part of August. It was early summer of 1850 that Pres. Brigham Young called the Hulet family to settle in the Hobble Creek area. This area would later be known as Springville, Utah. They arrived in the first week of October in 1850. While at Hobble Creek, Michael, married Polly Brittann Hughes on the 1 Dec. 1854. They had met each other on the trail west...
Some historical accounts state that Barbara Graybill Stoker came into Utah with family members but without her husband. If Barbara came with her daughter and the Hulet family in 1850 why was David still in Council Bluffs two years later? It is possible with this account that after David settled Barbara and his family in Utah that he returned to Traders Point to help run the ferry business. The reason why is unknown. If Barbara came out with her family among the Stewart Company in 1852 than it would explain why David was still at Traders Point when he passed away...
Barbara Graybill Stoker finished her days living with her daughter, Catherine, in Summit City, Iron Co., Utah, where she passed away on October 3, 1872. She is buried in the small cemetery in the town of Summit, Utah. Catherine and Sylvanus Hulet lived the remainder of their days along with Sarah and her husband Edward Davis, in Summit. The family descendants are still living in Summit, raising livestock and caring for their family cemetery..."
14. FHL Book 929.273EL54h "George Michael Eller and Descendants of His in America," compiled by James W. Hook, 1957, also on FHL film 896571, item 2, pp. 100-101:
"David Stoker4, b. 23 March 1795 in Ashe County, N.C.; d., 27 May 1852 at Winterquarters, Iowa. He m., 1814, Barbara Graybill, b., April 1792 in Ashe County, N.C., d., 3 Oct. 1872 at Summit Creek, Iron Co., Utah. She was a dau. of Peter Graybill and his wife Christina Wampler. (Family Records)
The children of David Stoker and his wife Barbara Graybill were:
(1) Christina Stoker5, b., 24 Aug. 1815 in Bloomfield Twsp. of Jackson Co., Ohio; d., 10 May 1854/56; m., John McDaniel.
(2) John Stoker5, b., 8 March 1817, in Madison Twsp. of Jackson Co., Ohio; d., 11 June 1881. He believed in polygamy and had three wives first of whom was Jane McDaniel; b. 24 Feb 1810 in Racoon Twsp. of Gallia Co., Ohio; d., 20 Jan. 1890 in Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah where both she and her husband lie buried. She was a dau. of James McDaniel and his wife Zibiah McCarley. Children of John Stoker5 and his first wife Jane McDaniel were:
(a) Hiram Stoker6, b., 9 Nov. 1840, at Columbus, Adams Co,, Ill.; d., 5 June 1885 (sic). He did not marry.
(b) Franklin Stoker6, b., 12 Aug. 1842, Hancock Co., Ill.; d., 25 Sept. 1855. No further records.
(c) David Stoker6, b., 28 Sept. 1844, in Hancock Co., Ill.; d. 1. Apr. 1911; m., 3 March 1866, Regena Hogan.
(d) Zibiah Stoker6, b., 21 March 1847 in Pottawattamie Co., Iowa; d., 28 May 1933; m., 5 Apr 1869, Judson Tolman.
(e) Sarah Ann Stoker6, b., 10 Oct. 1851 in Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah; d., 23 Jan. 1922; m., 2 March 1869, Harlan Simmons.
(3) William Stoker5, b., 26 March 1819 in Bloomfield, Jackson Co., Ohio; d., 19 March (May) 1892; m. Almira Winegar, b. 27 Feb. 1818 (1819); d., 6 Nov. 1884. She was a dau. of Samuel T. and Rhoda E. (Cummins) Winegar.
(4) Nancy Stoker5, b., Oct. 1824, in Bloomfield Twsp. of Jackson Co., Ohio.
(5) Sarah Stoker5, b. 26 June 1827, in Bloomfield Twsp. of Jackson Co., Ohio; d, 10 June 1900, Another record, probably an error, says she d., 10 March 1908. She married Edward H. Davis.
(6) Catherine Stoker5, b., 25 July 1829, in Bloomfield Twsp. of Jackson Co., Ohio; d. 8 Nov. 1882; m., 19 May 1850, Sylvanus Hulet.
(7) Michael Stoker5, b., 12 Sept. 1833, in Bloomfield Twsp. of Jackson Co., Ohio. He first married Martha C. Frederick. His second wife was Polly or Britan, or Britiania, or Britania Hughes."
15. From an article entitled "The Family" from the book "Our Stoker Family Histories 1731-1881," Vol. II, comp. and ed. by Elayne Stoker, 2004, printed by Stevenson's Genealogy Center, Provo, UT. For the full transcriptional listing of the descendants of Michael Stoker and Catherine Stoker, see the notes of Michael Stoker - the following only pertains to this immediate family. Generation "1" is Michael Stoker and Catherine Eller:
"The Michael Stoker Family as existed at the time of his death. Those names that are [bracketed] probably were involved in the Missouri experience...
2. [David Stoker], born 23 Mar 1795 in Ashe Co., NC. In 1814 married [Barbara Graybill], born 1 Apr 1792 in Ashe Co., NC, daughter of John Peter Graybill and Christina Wampler. They came with Stoker and Graybill relatives to Jackson Co., OH where David participated in the spring elections of 1816. They moved to Missouri in 1837 and to Illinois in 1839. On May 27, 1852, David died of Cholera contracted while working with his brothers on a ferry at the Missouri River. He was getting ready to bring his family to Utah. His wife, Barbara, came with others of his family three weeks later. She died on October 3, 1872 in Summit, Iron Co., Utah.
3. [Christine Stoker], born 24 Aug 1815 in Bloomfield Twp., Jackson Co., OH., married [John Riley McDaniel], son of James McDaniel and Zibiah McCarley, on Feb 8, 1835 in Jackson Co., OH. Resided in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa, and Utah. Christine died on May 10, 1854 in Alpine, Utah Co., Utah.
4. [Electa Jane McDaniel], born Nov. 3, 1835 in Jackson Co., OH, married James Eli Ashcraft in 1854. She died Jun 8, 1858.
4. [Tabitha McDaniel], born Jan 29, 1837 in Jackson Co., OH, married William David Norton on 30 Jan 1855 in Alpine, Utah Co., Utah. She died Dec 11, 1920 in Nephi, Juab, Utah.
3. [John Stoker], born Mar 8, 1817 at Madison, Jackson Co., OH, married [Jane McDaniel], daughter of James McDaniel and Zibiah McCarley on Jan 21, 1836. John and Jane, the following year moved to Missouri. In 1839 they moved to Illinois; in 1846 to Mt. Pisgah, Iowa; in 1848 to Salt Lake City, Utah and in 1849 to Bountiful, Utah. In 1851, John was ordained bishop of the North Canyon Ward where he served for the next 23 years. In Nov 1869 to Mar 1870 John served a short time mission for the LDS church. He visited many of his relatives in the Midwest at that time. Four years after his release as bishop, John was set apart as a member of the Davis Stake high council. He also served as a patriarch which offices he held until his death caused by a stroke in the spring of 1881. John died Jun 11, 1881 in Bountiful, Davis Co., Utah.
4. [Alma Stoker], born Dec 7, 1835 in Lick Twp., Jackson Co., Ohio, married Catherine Tolman on Jan 23, 1879. He died Jun 5, 1897.
3. [William Stoker], born Mar 26, 1819 in Bloomfield, Jackson Co., OH, married [Almira Winegar], daughter of Samuel Thomas Winegar and Rhoda Cummins, in Oct 1838 at Far West, Caldwell Co., MO. William moved to Illinois where in 1844 he was living six miles south of Nauvoo on the Carthage road. He moved to Mt Pisgah, Harrison Co., Iowa in the exodus from Nauvoo in 1846. He crossed the plains in 1852 and settled Spanish Fork, Utah Co., Utah.
3. [Nancy Stoker], born Oct 1824 in Bloomfield Twp., Jackson Co., OH. Died about 1840 probably in Illinois.
3. [Catherine Stoker], born Jul 24, 1829 in Bloomfield Twp., Jackson Co., OH, married Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet on May 19, 1850 at Mt Pisgah, Harrison Co., IA. She had moved to Missouri, Illinois, and Iowa with her family. She and Sylvanus moved to Springville, then to Iron Co., where her family was close to her sister, Sarah, and her brother, Michael and their families.
3. [Sarah Stoker], born 26 Jun 1829 in Bloomfield Twp., Jackson Co., OH, married Edward Horace Davis about 1849. They moved to Iron Co., Utah. She died Mar 10, 1908 at Summit Creek, Iron Co., UT.
3. [Michael Stoker], born Sep 12, 1833 in Bloomfield, Jackson Co., OH, married Polly Brittann Hughes on Dec 1, 1854."
BIRTH:
1. Daughter Sarah Stoker Davis in 1900 US census states this parent born in NC.
2. Per DUP biography cited above.
3. Per tombstone.
4. Wilkes County, NC split off to make Ashe County in late 1799.
MARRIAGE:
1. Per DUP biography cited above.
DEATH:
1. Date per website for Utah State Historical Society Cemeteries Database; 8 Jan 2002.
2. Per DUP biography cited above.
BURIAL:
1. Place per website for Utah State Historical Society Cemeteries Database; 8 Jan 2002. Notes: L-8-a.
2. Visited and viewed tombstone 25 Dec 2002. Photos on file. Cemetery is right next to Interstate 15. Tombstone transcription: "Sacred to the memory of Barbara Stoker died Octo' 3, 1872, Aged 81 years." Photo of tombstone on file.
SOURCES_MISC;
1. FHL book 929.273 P684pn: "Graybill/Stoker/Eller/Smith/Koons/Pitt Connections," by Norman E. 'Gene' Pitt, 1996, pp. 6-8.
2. Rootsweb.com Worldconnect 17 Feb 2004 database ":480580" of Donna Shell .
3. FHL Book 929.273EL54h "George Michael Eller and Descendants of His in America," compiled by James W. Hook, 1957, also on FHL film 896571, item 2, p. 100.
SOURCES_MISC:
1. Nauvoo LDS Land and Records Office research file (copy in my possession as of 2 Jun 2007) provides the following information (also partially viewable at www.earlylds.com).
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Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy
1792 - 1872 (80 years)