Thomas Grover (July 22, 1807 – February 20, 1886) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement, polygamist, politician and pioneer.
Thomas was born to Thomas and Polly Spaulding in upstate New York.[1] At age 12 he worked as a cabin boy on the Erie Canal where he would eventually become a Captain. He married his first wife Caroline Whiting in 1828. In 1834 he joined the Church of Christ (Latter Day Saints). After joining the church, he and his family moved to Kirtland, Ohio to join the main body of Latter Day Saints. While in Kirtland, he was called to the first High Council of the church in a revelation that now appears in the Doctrine & Covenants.[2]
Thomas moved his family from Kirtland to Far West, Missouri. After Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an order for Mormons to be exterminated from the State of Missouri, Thomas and his family fled to Nauvoo, Illinois. Along the way, Caroline became ill. She eventually succumbed to illness and died on October 17, 1840.[3] That same month, Thomas and Caroline's infant daughter Emma died.[4] At age 33 Thomas became a widower with five young children to care for. While in Nauvoo, Thomas farmed for a living. He was also a bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith and a captain in the Nauvoo Legion.
From 1840 to 1844 Thomas served three missions for the church in New York, Michigan and Canada.
Thomas was a Captain in Brigham Young's vanguard company of 1847 which lead the way for thousands of Mormons emigrating west.[5] At the Platte River Thomas constructed and managed a ferry that would be used by thousands of emigrants.[6]
Once in Utah, Thomas helped settle the area that is now Centerville and Farmington. He was a member of the Territorial Legislature and a Probate Judge in Davis County, Utah.