DODGE, Seth George b. 22 Apr 1821 Brownsville, Jefferson, New York, United States d. 3 Nov 1882 Pima, Graham, Arizona, United States

1821 - 1882 (61 years)

Personal Information | Media | Notes | All | PDF

Name	DODGE, Seth George
Birth	22 Apr 1821	Brownsville, Jefferson, New York, United States
Gender	Male
WAC	6 Feb 1846
_TAG	Reviewed on FS
Death	3 Nov 1882	Pima, Graham, Arizona, United States
Burial	7 Nov 1882	Pima, Graham, Arizona, United States
Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
Person ID	I20042	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

Father	DODGE, Erastus , b. 10 May 1793, Jefferson, Greene, New York, United States Jefferson, Greene, New York, United Statesd. 8 Aug 1843, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States (Age 50 years)
Mother	MORGAN, Melissa , b. 28 Oct 1798, Jefferson, Greene, New York, United States Jefferson, Greene, New York, United Statesd. 10 Dec 1845, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States (Age 47 years)
Marriage	16 Aug 1818	Jefferson, Greene, New York, United States
Family ID	F10576	Group Sheet \| Family Chart

Family 1	BRADEN, Lovina , b. 18 Apr 1821, Bethlehem, Washington, Pennsylvania, United States Bethlehem, Washington, Pennsylvania, United Statesd. Apr 1900, Pima, Graham, Arizona, United States (Age 78 years)
Marriage	29 May 1840	Henderson, Jefferson, New York
Family ID	F10583	Group Sheet \| Family Chart
Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

Family 2	DAVIDSON, Marriah Jane , b. 5 Dec 1831, Trumbull, Ashtabula, Ohio, United States Trumbull, Ashtabula, Ohio, United Statesd. 31 Mar 1908, Pine Grove, Union, Oregon, United States (Age 76 years)
Marriage	28 Apr 1853	Manti, Sanpete, Utah, United States
Family ID	F10584	Group Sheet \| Family Chart
Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

Photos At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

Notes

HISTORY OF SETH GEORGE DODGE AND LOVINA BRADEN DODGE
By Myrtle Ransom Goff - April 10,1936
As yet so little is known of the lives of my grandparents of this sketch, and what is known is so interwoven with each other, that the history would be incomplete if written separately.
Seth George was born April 22, 1821 in Brownville, Jefferson County, New York. His early manhood was spent on his father's farm. As the family was a large one, and he being the oldest living child, it was necessary for him to help with their maintenance.

My great grandmother Molissa Morgan Dodge and other members of her family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints soon after it was organized, and my grandfather, Seth George Dodge, was among this group; however, the father was not, converted so easily for he did not join until later. At the time this good mother heard the true gospel and accepted it she had been blind for thirteen years. Through her great faith her sight was restored to her when she was administered to by the prophet's father, Joseph Smith, Sr. and another elder. After this miracle she was given a Bible of fine print, and was able to read it with ease. She then asked For a hymn book which was given her, and she sang in tongues and then talked in tongues, in which she told of things her family would do, and of their journey to the West.
It was some time after the above incident that one of Molissa’s sons, Augustus Erastus, was healed of a stiff arm by the administering of the Elders. When Agustus was a young boy his arm was hurt and left stiff.(Some said the joint water had been lost.) His father, Erastus Dodge, had not joined the church, although most of his family had, and his faithful wife was laboring to help him see the truth. At the time this miracle was performed there were some Elders in their neighborhood holding meetings and healing the sick and infirm. So great grandfather Dodge said to his wife, “Molissa, send Augustus up to your Elders and if they can straighten out that stiff arm, I will believe there is something to your religion." His wife called to the older son, Seth, and sent Augustus with him to the Elders. They soon returned and the boy was swinging his arm, it had been healed. The arm was always strong and well afterwards and the same boy, in later years, served his church and country as a member of the Mormon Battalion. It is very evident that Erastus by now was convinced of the divinity of Joseph Smith’s teachings for he became a member of the church and his family was among the body of the Saints in all its travels and persecutions from New York to Ohio, then to Missouri and back to Nauvoo, Illinois, where Erastus Dodge died on August 8, 1843, and his good wife, Molissa Morgan followed him in death in two short years, she passed away December 10, 1845. Their deaths are both recorded as taking place in Nauvoo, Hancock County, Illinois, as is also that of their two youngest children.
Seth George Dodge assumed the responsibility, that of carrying the burden of caring for this family, which now fell on his young shoulders, and he did it in a manner that speaks credit to any man.
On May 29, 1840, he married Lovina Braden We know little of her life up to the time of their marriage, but of their marriage we are told that her parents objected, for Lovina had been raised in very good circumstances and in refinement and my grandfather was a working man and needed by his parents for assistance. However, true love finds a way, and we are told that they eloped and were married. My grandmother was a lady in every respect of the word and proved to be a true companion, and a mother to a family of children left orphans.
Seth George Dodge worked on the Kirtland Temple and for his noon meal he carried parched corn in his pocket, to eat. From early manhood, he was intimately associated with the Prophet Joseph Smith, having pitched horseshoes and wrestled with him many times.

Ten children were born to this couple, two of them in Nauvoo Illinois, where they died in infancy. Seth Dodge belonged to the Nauvoo Legion. Besides working with his father as a farmer he learned to be a mason and blacksmith.
Grandfather and Grandmother Dodge received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. They endured the persecutions and privations with the other saints.
When I was a child sitting at my grandmother's knee, she related incidents of the church, scenes in their lives, and the hardships they went through. That made such an impression on me that when in later years in reading church history it was so familiar that I felt I knew all about it. She and grandfather were in the meeting when the mantel of Joseph fell on Brigham Young and was very much impressed with the occurrence.

They were not only members of the church but were intimate friends of the Smith family and in close touch and sympathy with them when the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum took place.
When the saints were driven from their beautiful Nauvoo, my grandfather was one who helped ferry the people across the river. It was late in May of that historic year of 1846 that he took his wife, and like the children of Israel, fled into the wilderness, and that night of May 20th they reached Sugar Creek, Iowa, where a son was born to them in a smoke house which belonged to one of the farmers who was in sympathy with the Saints. His name was Eli Lee, and this little boy who arrived this night, amid these trials, was named Eli, in appreciation of that man's kindness.
Owing to grandmother's condition it was necessary for them to wait until the second company left for them to make their westward journey. They spent the winter of 1846 and 47 at Winter Quarters. When the government called for men to go to Mexico, as the Mormon Battalion, Seth George was called to go, but his brother Augustus Erastus volunteered to take his place, for grandfather had a wife and baby as well as the care of his father's family, so the change was made. Augustus made this march and lived to reach Utah and in later years to do temple work for his kindred dead. Of the family of Erastus and Molissa Morgan Dodge, seven reached Utah -- everyone who lived past infancy.

Seth and Lovina Braden Dodge were responsible in a big way in keeping all these children true to the gospel and bringing them, or providing ways for them to make the journey. This family after reaching Utah remained together until they would marry and find homes of their own. But grandfather was always looked to as a guide by them. In Church chronology we read "June 1848, in the commencement of this month Pres. Young broke camp at the Elkhorn and started for Great Salt Lake with a company consisting or 1,229 souls and 397 wagons." Seth George Dodge and his wife and son together with other members of his father's family started for the Rocky Mountains in this company. Grandfather was a hunter for Pres. Young's company. They reached Salt Lake City on Wed. Sept. 20, 1848, settling in the 13th ward.
About 1852 this family was called to help settle Manti, Sanpete County, Utah. Two more children had come to bless this home by now; they were Seth Erastus and Sarah Elnor Jane. While living in Manti, a daughter, Mary Lovina, was born to them, her birth was in a little house where the Temple now stands. Early in 1855 he was again called to pioneer farther south into Cedar City, Iron County, Utah. While living here, Lucine Matilda was born to them. They were now called led back North to Beaver where they settled a little longer, remaining from about 1857 to 1862, when they were asked to go to Toquerville, Utah. Harvey Whitlock, Permelie Almyra, (my mother), and Amasy Mason Lyman Dodge were born at Beaver, Beaver County, Utah. The youngest of the trio was named For Bro. Lyman by one of his wives who wished to have that privilege. They were very dear friends of my grandparents. In all of these different settlements they helped to build houses, school buildings, roads, canals, and divided and laid out towns, making ready for permanent settlements. (One ditch made in Arizona was given Grandfather's name (Dodge) and it is still used.)

While living at Beaver, Grandfather repaired many of the wagons for the freighters, and people that were traveling to California. Uncle Eli belonged to the minute men.
I fancy by this time the pioneer bug had my ancestors for when the Mormon people began to cross the Colorado River into Arizona, Grandfather with his family, which by now was of good size (he having married a second wife who had a family of ten children living, and with in-laws) left to help pioneer Arizona. This was in the year 1878.
They moved on to Graham County settling in Smithville (now Pima) Arizona. These families were of the very first to settle in the Gila Valley and took a prominent part in building up this valley and especially Pima. Grandfather and his sons and sons-in-law had lands, made canals, and tilled the soil as well as doing masonry work, carpenter work and blacksmithing. They were of great assistance in all their Pioneering.
Merchandise had to be freighted into the valley. At the time of grandfather's death he had been to Willcox, which was on the railroad, for a load of freight, and in lifting his gun from the wagon was accidentally shot by it. The Deseret News under date of November 29, 1882, has the following to say: "Sad accident recently occurred at Smithville, Graham County, Arizona. On the morning of November 3, 1882, while brother Seth Dodge was pulling the cover from a loaded wagon, his gun, which was under¬neath, caught in some of this bedding, causing it to go off. The ball entered the right side, ranging upward, killing him almost instantly. He called to his son Eli, who was standing near him saying, "I am a dead man.” His son caught him in his arms when he expired. "

"Deceased was born April 22 182i, in Jefferson County, New York. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints