Amos
Fenstermaker[1]
Born 15 May 1826
Died 29 Jan 1906
Died 4 Oct 1910
Amos
Fenstermaker, son of Abraham and Mary Fenstermaker was born 15 May 1826 at
Berks County, Pennsylvania
He
enlisted as a Private in Company E of the 9th Regiment at Wheeling, West
Virginia, on 25 December 1847 for service in the Mexican War. He was discharged on 16 August 1848 at Fort
Hamilton on Staten Island, New York. He
returned to Pennyslvania and lived about one year before going to California in
1849. On June 28, 1849 at Fort
Churchill, California Territory (near what is now Virginia City, Nevada) he
enlisted as a private in Company “A” First Calvary, Nevada.
At
this time of enlistment he was a furrier by trade and stood 5’3” tall with
light complexion, light hair and light eyes.
He served for three years and was discharged 27 June 1866, at Camp
Douglas, Utah Territory.
On
4 July 1866 he married Caroline Maria Hubbard in Provo, Utah. Judge John M. Higley performed the ceremony.
Caroline
was the daughter of Marshall Moore Hubbard and Caroline Eliza Nickerson
Hubbard.
Her
parents joined the church in 1833. She
was only one year old when her father
went to Missouri to Zions camp in 1834. Then the family moved to Lenawee, Ogden
Township, Michigan where her father died 18 Sep 1838 leaving her mother far
from home and friends. Her mother moved her little family to Missouri and then
to Nauvoo.[2]
Caroline
was 13 years old when her family left Nauvoo crossing the plains with the
pioneers and enduring many hardships.
She
had previously been married to John Marcelus Perry, William Beattie, and
Dominicus Carter. She had one or more
children by each of these men.
Amos
and Caroline had three children namely:
Charles Henry Hubbard Fenstermaker born 12 May 1867 at Provo, Utah
Territory; Perry Raymond Hubbard Fenstermaker born 12 July 1869, at Fort
Bridger, Wyoming Territory; and David Amos (Jack) Fenstermaker born 26 October
1871 at Grantsville Tooele County, Utah.
Amos
died 29 Jan 1906 at Sugar City, Utah.
His burial place is Murray Cemetery, Murray, Utah.
Caroline
died 4 Oct 1910 in Sandy, Salt Lake, Utah and is buried in the Murray Cemetery,
Murray Utah.
Caroline was the daughter of Marshall Moore Hubbard and Caroline Eliza Nickerson Hubbard.
Her parents joined the church in 1833. She was only one year old, when her father went to Missouri to Zions camp in 1834. Then the family moved to Lenawee, Ogden Township, Michigan where her father died 18 Sep 1838 leaving her mother far from home and friends. Her mother moved her little family to Missouri and then to Nauvoo.
Caroline was 13 years old when her family left Nauvoo crossing the plains with the pioneers and enduring many hardships.
She was married at 16 to John Marcellus Perry and had two children by him: Eliza Clarissa and Emma Orilla. He died in 1854 in San Bernadino, California. He may have gone with the Mormon Battalion and died in California.
She married Dominicus Carter 20 October 1854 at the age of 21. They had two children Willard born 27 Mar 1856 and Clara Melissa Carter born 23 Oct 1858.
Mr. Carter was a polygamist. Because his responsibilities were more than he could assume, the women had to work hard at home to support their families.
They carded the bats, spun the yarn and wove the cloth they used in making their dresses. In addition to her home activities, Caroline also worked at a molasses mill and had to walk from their home, on the west side of town out to where the Provo cemetery is now located, a distance of about three miles. Her work was to skim the light foam substance from the molasses. In return for her work, she was paid with a small amount of molasses, which would serve as a part of their winter food. She had to work so hard that shortly after Clara Melissa was born , she being the second child, Caroline became discouraged with her polygamous life and divorced Mr. Carter 25 Jan 1860.
She returned to her Mother's home, where she helped with the housework and children, while her mother taught school. She then married Amos Fenstermaker. 17 July 1866. She was 33 at the time.
When Clara was about nine years of age her parents (I assume Amos and Caroline) moved to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. They traveled in a covered wagon drawn by oxen. It was a long and tiresome trip and many times they were frightened almost to death by Indians.
From Fort Bridger they moved to Boxelder Canyon in Tooele County, Utah. Here Amos homesteaded the ground and made their ranch home. He proved to be a wonderful father and provider for their family. They had a large garden, their own chickens, cows, hogs and horses. Caroline drove a white top, a light spring wagon with a white canvas top to Salt Lake and traded her delicious fresh eggs and chickens, butter and produce with the ZCMI for clothing and household supplies.