Abel Morgan Sargent Jr. (1799 - 1850)

Born 27 Feb 1799 in United States

Descendants

Died 24 Jun 1850 at age 51 in Nebraska, United States

Biography

Abel became a member of the LDS Church between 1830 - 1848.

Abel Sargent Jr. was a Latter Day Saint pioneer.

Private Abel Sargent Jr. served with the Iowa Volunteers during the Mexican-American War
Service Started: Jul 1846
Unit(s): Company D, Mormon Battalion
Service Ended: Jul 1847

Able Morgan Sargent was a Private in Company D. He was a member of Captain Brown's Pueblo detachment.^[1]

Abel was born in 1799 in Maryland or Virginia, United States.

He was the son of John Sargent (shown in some records as Abel M. Sargent) and Sarah Tunis.

LDS Early Temple Ordinance: Endowment at the Temple in Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois, United States on February 3, 1846 (Reference: Family Group Sheet-Self; Nauvoo Temple Endowment Register 1845-46; Temple Index Bureau)

He married Sarah Edwards on August 25, 1821. They had nine children.

He passed away in 1847 or 1850 in the Black Hills area near the LDS pioneers Winter Quarters in Nebraska, United States. He is buried with his son Thomas along the Mormon Trail; they both died of cholera the same day.

Biographical Notes; Having received a good education, Abel taught school in Floyd county, Indiana, where he married Sarah Edwards, daughter of wealthy parents. Abel and his wife both joined the Church and suffered much persecution, being driven from their home, which caused the death of his wife. The loss of his companion caused Brother Sargent to leave the smaller children with their grandparents, who later refused to give them up. For fear of being followed on a steamboat, he made a skiff and secretly took the children down the Mississippi River to a place of safety. After many disappointments and the loss of two children, preparations were made to start for the Rocky Mountains. A short time after that he responded to a call of the United States government in July, 1846, and became a member of the Mormon Battalion (Company D) and fought in the Mexican American War. He was then obliged to place his children with different families. His health failing on the journey, he was sent with the sick detachment from Santa Fe to Pueblo to spend the winter. The following year (1847) he went to the Valley, but returned to his children on the Missouri River late in 1847. While standing guard over some cattle he was suddenly stricken with cholera and died in a few hours. His son, Thomas, died the same night. They were both buried in one grave. (Taken from LDS Biographical Encyclopedia. Jenson, Andrew. 1951, Volume: 3 Page: 228)

Sources

1. ↑ http://www.mormonbattalion.info/mbt/person?id=532

• Find A Grave: Memorial #23472671
• Membership of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints 1830-1848, Volume 38, RUS—SHE Compiled by Susan Ward Easton Black, Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University. https://www.familysearch.org/search/catalog/334417?availability=Family%20History%20Library
• LDS Pioneer Overland Travel 1847-1868 web site: https://history.lds.org/overlandtravel/pioneers/42596/abel-morgan-sargent

Research Notes

Abel's date of death is in question. Find A Grave Memorial gives 17 Nov 1847 (also see biography on Find A Grave site for additional information); "Membership of the Church....1830-1848" gives October, 1847; LDS Pioneer Overland Travel 1847-1868 web site gives 24 June 1850; LDS Biographical Encyclopedia gives 1847. If the information is correct that he traveled with the Aaron Johnson Company in 1850, the 1850 date must be correct. Both Abel and his son Thomas are on the roster list for that company.