Thomas Searles Terry

Thomas Searles Terry, a Patriarch in the St. George Stake of Zion, and a resident of Enterprise, Utah, was born Oct. 3, 1825, at Bristol, Pennsylvania, the son of Thos. Terry and Mary Ann Merkins. He was baptized March 13, 1842, by Joseph Newton, joined a company of Saints emigrating to the West, with which [p.262] he arrived at Winter Quarters in June, 1847.

In the latter part of that month he started for the Valley in Daniel Spencer's hundred, Perrigrine Session's fifty and Elijah F. Sheet's ten; he arrived in the Valley Sept. 23, 1847. During the winter of 1847-48 he was engaged in whip-sawing lumber; from some of the lumber made by his industry the first thresher and fanning mill was built in the Valley.

Early in the spring of 1848 he was ordained a Deacon by Bishop Edward Hunter. His main employment in the Valley was farming. He married Mary Ann Pulsipher Dec. 25, 1849, and settled on Little Cottonwood. He was ordained a Seventy May 6, 1855, became identified with the 29th quorum of Seventy, and married Eliza Jane Pulsipher May 6, 1855. In the fall of 1856 he was called on a mission to the United States. Reporting to Pres. Erastus Snow at St. Louis, Mo., he was sent to Philadelphia to labor. In the spring of 1857 he met Apostle Parley P. Pratt at Philadelphia, who was preparing to return home. He asked Bro. Terry to accompany him to the Valley as his bodyguard, Bro. Terry was released for the purpose, but soon afterwards learned of the death of Bro. Pratt.

On his arrival at Florence, Bro. Terry was made captain of a company to cross the plains. This company left Winter Quarters July 1, 1857, and arrived in Salt Lake City in September, 1857. While on this journey he witnessed several manifestations of the power of God. At a crossing of a branch of the Platte River a young sister died. Together with John Dutson, Elder Terry was called to administer to her; they did so twice, with no apparent effect, whereupon Elder Terry retired to a secluded place where he engaged in secret prayer, and on his return they again administered to the young sister who was then restored to life.

During "the move" in 1858, Elder Terry located temporarily with his family at Springville, Utah, but soon afterwards moved back to Union, Salt Lake Co., where he was chosen as a counselor to Bishop Silas Richards.

In the fall of 1862 he was called to the Dixie Mission with his family. He then sold his farm, moved south and settled at St. George. In the spring of 1863 he was sent by Pres. Erastus Snow to Shoal creek to help build up that locality. The place was subsequently organized as the Hebron Ward by Erastus Snow. Bro. Terry built a ranch at the so-called Moroni Springs, five miles above Hebron, where in 1874 he was taken very ill and went to Hebron to be taken care of. "While lying in my room," writes Elder Terry, "I was visited by the devil. Standing before me with his hand upon the bedpost he said: 'You are sick and had better give up and die and not go through the sickness in store for you. You will never have another passage through your bowels.' I did not answer and the evil one left the room. Immediately I called to my wife and said: 'I am going to be very sick, I want you to see that I have a passage of the bowels every day.' For six weeks I was at death's door, but through the administration of the Elders I recovered."

In 1876 Bro. Terry was ordained a High Priest and Bishop and set apart to preside over the Hebron Ward, occupying that position until Sept. 9, 1894. In 1878 he married Hannah Louisa Leavitt.

In the year 1885 Bro. Terry moved from Hebron to the Beaver Dams Wash in Washington county. During the anti-polygamy raids he had several narrow escapes from being arrested by U. S. deputy marshals, but after the danger on that score had cleared away he moved back to Hebron, where he remained until the Ward there was discontinued.

He was ordained a Patriarch by Pres. Francis M. Lyman June 14, 1908. His wife, Mary Ann died Sept. 18, 1913, and was buried at Enterprise. By his three wives Bishop Terry became the father [p.263] of 30 children. By his wife Mary Ann he had Mary Ann, Adelia, Celestia, Lydia, Mina, Almira, Nora, Thomas S. Jr., Susan, Elizabeth, Luther and Joseph. By his wife Eliza Jane he had Zera Pulsipher, Thomas Nelson, Eliza Jane, Aluna, Sarah Mariah, John William, Charles Henry, Josephine, Olive, Frank D., Tacy and Eva. By his wife Louisa he had Maud Edna, Mary Elsie, David Dudley, Jeddiah Merkins, Edward Searles and Exie.

Patriarch Terry adds the following in his own words: "In the fall of 1913, while at my house in Enterprise, I knelt in prayer and there appeared before me a heavenly light in the form of a circle. While looking at it I was impressed to go to Panaca, Nevada, where one of my families lived. On reaching that place the next evening, I was enjoying myself with the family when I was called out to see a lady who had been ill for nearly four months and had not spoken a word for three months. I seated myself by her bedside and kept close watch for a few moments. She made two moves which showed me that she was possessed of an evil spirit. Several doctors had waited on her, but could not tell what was the matter. Assisted by the brethren present I administered to her, rebuking the devil and commanding him to leave her and go to his own place. Immediately she arose and then talked as though nothing had ever been wrong with her. From that day until this the lady has not been troubled. If space would permit I could relate many such manifestations of the power of the Lord."