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Desdemona Wadsworth Fullmer

Desdemona Wadsworth Fullmer

Female 1809 - 1886  (76 years)  Submit Photo / DocumentSubmit Photo / Document    Has 2 ancestors and one descendant in this family tree.

Personal Information    |    Notes    |    Event Map    |    All    |    PDF

  • Name Desdemona Wadsworth Fullmer 
    Birth 6 Oct 1809  Huntington Township, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Initiatory (LDS) 21 Jan 1846  NAUVO Find all individuals with events at this location 
    FamilySearch ID K2XP-QVN 
    Death 9 Feb 1886  Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Burial 11 Feb 1886  Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Headstones Submit Headstone Photo Submit Headstone Photo 
    Person ID I122721  mytree
    Last Modified 25 Feb 2024 

    Father Peter Fullmer,   b. 27 Feb 1774, Reading, Berks, Pennsylvania, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 6 Jan 1857, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 82 years) 
    Mother Susannah Zerfass,   b. 17 Sep 1773, Whitehall Township, Lehigh, Pennsylvania, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 11 Nov 1856, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 83 years) 
    Marriage 2 Mar 1802  Schuylkill Township, Schuylkill, Pennsylvania, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F34939  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

    Family 1 Harrison Parker McLane,   b. 17 Jul 1815, Bath, Kentucky, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. Abt 1911, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 95 years) 
    Marriage 3 Jul 1853  Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Divorce Yes, date unknown 
    Divorced 20 Aug 1864  Weber, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Children 
     1. Sarah Dasdemona McLane,   b. 24 Aug 1855, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 28 Sep 1855 (Age 0 years)
    Family ID F34938  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 21 Apr 2024 

    Family 2 Ezra Taft Benson,   b. 22 Feb 1811, Mendon, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 3 Sep 1869, Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 58 years) 
    Marriage 26 Jan 1846  Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Divorce Yes, date unknown 
    Divorced 21 Sep 1852  Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F2065  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 21 Apr 2024 

    Family 3 Joseph Smith, Jr,   b. 23 Dec 1805, Sharon, Windsor, Vermont, United States Find all individuals with events at this locationd. 27 Jun 1844, Carthage, Hancock, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location (Age 38 years) 
    Marriage Jul 1843  Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Family ID F29790  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
    Last Modified 21 Apr 2024 

  • Event Map
    Link to Google MapsBirth - 6 Oct 1809 - Huntington Township, Luzerne, Pennsylvania, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - Jul 1843 - Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsInitiatory (LDS) - 21 Jan 1846 - NAUVO Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 26 Jan 1846 - Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDivorced - 21 Sep 1852 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsMarriage - 3 Jul 1853 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDivorced - 20 Aug 1864 - Weber, Utah, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsDeath - 9 Feb 1886 - Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Link to Google Earth
    Link to Google MapsBurial - 11 Feb 1886 - Salt Lake City Cemetery, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Link to Google Earth
     = Link to Google Earth 

  • Notes 
    • “I was brought up with goodly parents, yet with the ignorance of the gen t iles. I was taught to pray, being raised very strictly. When I was 13 y ea rs old I prayed much in secret to the Lord. One night I dreamt tha t I sa w myself and a small company of people moving into the wildernes s that wo uld live pure before the Lord. From that time I became very ser ious of mi nd.”

      Reading her Bible and studying the creeds of Christianity available t o h er, Desdemona was impressed to “stop (wait) yet a little longer” befo re j oining any, their there was something better yet. “So I stopped til l I he ard the latter-day saints (Latter-day Saints) preach the gospel . I joine d them soon after.” (Comment – Desdemona was just as much entit led to hav e guidance and an answer to her prayers as was Joseph Smith o r anyone els e even at the age of 13).

      Desdemona’s introduction to Mormonism came at a time of great trials f o r the Church as well as for herself. But her faith was equal to the cha ll enge: “I went into Kirtland with a few Saints and lived one year their . D uring that time a great number of the members turned against the chur ch . Oliver Cowdery with others would say to me, are you such a fool as s til l to goo to hear Joseph and the fallen prophet? I said the Lord convi nce d me that he was a true prophet, and he was not told me that he his f alle n.”

      Suffering the privations and persecutions of Missouri, Desdemona made h e r way to Nauvoo with various families, an earlier marriage having bee n di ssolved and the child of that marriage having died. At the time of h er at tendance at the first Relief Society meeting, she was thirty-two ye ars ol d, unattached, and living either as guest or household help in th e home o f Joseph and Emma Smith.

      (Correction: - Desdemona left her father’s home in Jefferson Township , R ichland County, Ohio with her brother, David Fullmer, his wife Rhod a An n Marvin and their three sons. She was with them at Haun’s mill in C aldwe ll County, Missouri. Rhoda Ann says in her history, “In March, 183 9 Broth er Kelley and my husband got a wagon and team between them and mo ved bot h families at the same time. There were 9 in Brother Kelley’s fam ily an d my husband’s numbered 5 besides sister Desdemona, who was livin g with u s, making a total of 15 souls.” They stopped temporarily at Hart ford, abo ut 14 miles from Quincy, Illinois. David left to help his fathe r’s famil y move to Nauvoo and the Peter, his father, helped David move h is famil y to Nauvoo. Peter gave David a piece of land in Nauvoo and he c leared i t and built a house on it.

      Desdemona was NOT married before going to Nauvoo. The marriage spoken o f , from which a daughter was born, was to H. P. McLane after she came t o U tah. The daughter died. (Notation of this marriage was written by som eon e else on the back of the history and was misinterpreted).

      Now, as to her being either a guest or household help in the smith hom e . The explanation was given that they found no property in her name an d t hat when the census was taken she was one of 11 extra people on tha t piec e of property. To my comment that she was married to the Prophet , Mr. Kim ball asked if I had a month of the event. My answer was no. The y do not h ave a month either, so neither of us has proof of her being hi s wife then . I was not permitted to have a copy of all the names but on e was Elvir a Cowles, later appointed treasurer of the Relief Society i n the first me eting. Two others, who were familiar to me were, William L aw and Hosea St out. Elvira Cowles was described as. “A literate and acco mplished young w oman.” The relief Society was organized 24 March 1842.

      My response to her not owing property was, “There was no need for tha t ” she had her parents and 3 brothers living in Nauvoo, and, had they co mp ared the Fullmer name with church history they would have found that a l l of the brothers were very prominent in both church and civic matters . T hey just said that they had not made the connection. I was given a ma p o f Nauvoo and a list of property held by the parents: Almon L., who wa s li ving at hoe in 1842, David and John S. In closing the interview Mr . Kimba ll said, “Well, the Fullmer’s were not the richest people in Nauv oo but f or Mormons they were considered, “Well, to do.” Most residents o f Nauvo o has lost all they owned when being driven from place to place , or, ha d left everything they owned in their previous location in orde r to mov e to Nauvoo.

      I was somewhat satisfied with their explanations but can see no reaso n f or the writing of it in the first place. Since no retraction is possi bl e from the Magazine I hope that my explanation will suffice in upholdi n g our pride in Desdemona and the example she set as how to live a good , d evout, Christian life. Wee, the family, have always been proud of he r .

      A map of Nauvoo shows a plat named “Fullmer” Plat, which is located ne a r the Temple area. Nauvoo was divided into 4 wards – not church wards b u t wards for voting, taxes, etc in early 1842. This was why the census w a s taken.



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