James Colegrove Owen (1825 - 1914)

Born 11 Oct 1825 in Sunderlinville, Potter, Pennsylvania, United States

Ancestors

Descendants

Died 25 Jan 1914 at age 88 in Ogden, Weber, Utah, United States

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Biography

James Colegrove Owen grew up on his father’s farm. At the age of nineteen, he joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Later moving to Nauvoo, Illinois, he became part of the great exodus in 1846.

Traveling to Winter Quarters, he became one of the young men responding to the call of the government for volunteers to join in the fight against Mexico. Assigned to Company D, he marched on foot with his company across the desert to San Diego and from there to Los Angeles. He was discharged at the end of one year’s service. Following his discharge, he wintered in the Sacramento Valley, working for Capt. John Sutter(1803-1880) in building the canal in which gold was first discovered.

In the spring of 1848, he came to Salt Lake City, where he shortly made the return journey to St. Louis, Missouri. Remaining there until the spring of 1850, he once again made the long trip across the plains by ox team, this time in the company of Wilford Woodruff(1807-1898), who later became President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

He was a farmer and stone mason. He assisted in building the first ever school house ever erected in Ogden, Utah. He built the old City Hotel on Grant Avenue and ran that hotel for a number of years until he received the appointment of the first Chief of Police of Ogden at the time the Union Pacific Railroad was built through Utah. He filled this position through one of the roughest periods in the state’s history. The town was infested by tough characters who followed the trail of railroad construction, by bandits and other lawless characters.

He served the city three years as Constable, but aside from this was not active in political life. His church activity included serving as a High Councilor in the Weber Stake High Council, teaching in the Sunday School, and serving as a teacher in the First Ward for some time.

Sources

• , "United States Mexican War Index and Service Records, 1846-1848,". index and images, FamilySearch (http://familysearch.org). Entry for Jams Owen, Iowa > Mormon Battalion, volunteers, H-R, Images 1304 to 1314 to 1783

• "United States Census, 1850", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MCSX-4GF : Fri Oct 06 10:33:54 UTC 2023), Entry for Isaac Clark and Mary Clark, 1850.

• "Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868," , FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:QK9B-ZS6C : 10 February 2018), James Owen, 14 Oct 1850; from "Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel: 1847-1868," database, > The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (https://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/ : 2004-).

• "United States Census, 1860", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MH24-CMP : Wed Oct 04 13:21:53 UTC 2023), Entry for Jas Owens and Sariah Owens, 1860.

• "United States Census, 1870", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNCB-8CH : Tue Oct 03 17:49:16 UTC 2023), Entry for James Owen and Sarah Owen, 1870.

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/533323193/?terms=%22James%20Owen%22&match=1

• "United States Census, 1880", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MNSG-M2X : Thu Oct 05 01:12:32 UTC 2023), Entry for James Owen and Sariah Owen, 1880.

• "United States Census, 1900", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MMRY-PMB : Fri Oct 06 22:01:37 UTC 2023), Entry for James Owen and Sariah Owen, 1900.

• "United States Veterans Administration Pension Payment Cards, 1907-1933", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:2M2G-WRS : Wed Nov 01 18:15:35 UTC 2023), Entry for James Owen, 1907-1933.

• "United States Census, 1910", , FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:M5XS-472 : Fri Oct 06 13:57:49 UTC 2023), Entry for James Owen and Sariah Owen, 1910.

• https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/14163015/james-colegrove-owen

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/896675082/?terms=%22James%20Owen%22&match=1

• https://www.newspapers.com/image/873247254/?terms=%22James%20Owen%22&match=1

• http://nauvoo.byu.edu/ViewPerson.aspx?ID=36236

• https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-99PC-7H7Y?view=index&personArk=%2Fark%3A%2F61903%2F1%3A1%3AWGFB-PVT2&action=view

• https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/chd/individual/james-owen-1825?lang=eng

• https://willardowenancestry.wordpress.com/owen/owen-james-colgrove-and-sariah-rawson/

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Sutter

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilford_Woodruff

• https://www.ogdencity.com/DocumentCenter/View/6405/History-Ogden-Police-Department