Charles C. Rich
Born: 21 August 1809
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 12 February 1849
Died: 17 November 1883
Called to Quorum of the Twelve: 12 February 1849
Died: 17 November 1883
Conference TalksApr 1855
Oct 1857 - Sufficiency of the Gospel--Obedience to Truth--Union--Good Spirit Among the Saints--The Lord Will Deliver His People Oct 1859 Apr 1860 Oct 1862 - Present Opportunities of Obtaining a Knowledge of the Principles of Truth Apr 1863 - Building the Temple--General Duties of the Saints Apr 1864 Apr 1865 Apr 1865 Oct 1865 Apr 1866 Apr 1867 - Labor to Build Up the Kingdom Oct 1867 Oct 1869 Apr 1870 Oct 1870 Oct 1871 Apr 1872 Oct 1872 Apr 1873 Oct 1873 Apr 1874 Oct 1874 Oct 1874 - Guard Against Temptation Apr 1875 - The Gathering Oct 1875 Apr 1876 Oct 1876 Apr 1877 Oct 1878 Apr 1879 Apr 1880 Apr 1880 Oct 1880 Image source: Juvenile Instructor, August 1897
|
Image source: Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1, published 1901
Image source: Wikipedia (originally published 1875)
Image source: Juvenile Instructor, January 1904
|
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Contributor, December 1883, Editorial: Charles C. Rich
Relief Society Magazine, September 1936, Editorial: "Charles Coulson Rich"
My own research and opinion
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Contributor, December 1883, Editorial: Charles C. Rich
Relief Society Magazine, September 1936, Editorial: "Charles Coulson Rich"
My own research and opinion
Jenson, Andrew. "Rich, Charles Coulson." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 102-103.
RICH, Charles Coulson, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles from 1849 to 1883, was the son of Joseph Rich and Nancy O. Neal, and was born Aug. 21, 1809, in Campbell county, Kentucky. He was baptized by Ira M. Hinkley in Tazewell county, Ill., April 1, 1832, and ordained an Elder in Fountain county, Indiana, by Zebedee Coltrin, while en route to Kirtland to see the Prophet Joseph. He received his endowments in the Kirtland Temple, and was ordained a High Priest under the hands of Patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Kirtland. He moved, with his father, to Far West, Mo., in 1836, and was married to Sarah D. Pea, Feb. 11, 1837, near Caldwell county, Missouri, by George M. Hinkle. Brother Rich took a prominent part with the Saints in all the persecutions in Missouri. While carrying a flag of truce between the camp of the Saints and mobocrats, at Far West, he was shot at, about ten yards distant, by Samuel Bogart, a Methodist preacher and a mob officer. At the battle of Crooked river, when David W. Patten fell mortally wounded, and while bullets were flying thick and fast, he laid down his sword in the heat of the battle and administered the ordinance of laying on hands to the dying hero; after which he resumed the sword, assumed command, and the battle of Crooked river was won by the Saints. Because of the prominent part he took in the Missouri troubles, he was forced to flee for his life through the wilderness into Illinois. He was ordained a member of the High Council in Nauvoo, and was also a member of the city council. He left Nauvoo Feb. 13, 1846, and presided over Mount Pisgah branch the following winter; left Pisgah March 20, 1847 for Winter Quarters, starting for Great Salt Lake valley June 14, 1847, in charge of a company of moving Saints. He arrived in Great Salt Lake valley Oct. 3, 1847. During the absence of the Twelve, on their return to Winter Quarters, he acted in the valley as counselor to Father John Smith, who was left to preside over the colony. Elder Rich was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by Brigham Young, Feb. 12, 1849, and started on a mission to California on the 9th of the following October returning home Nov. 4, 1850. He again started for Califorina, March 6, 1851, with a portion of his family and a company of Saints by the southern route, to purchase a place for the location of the Saints that might be gathered from the islands of the Pacific. With Elder
Amasa M. Lyman, in September, 1851, he purchased the rancho of San Bernardino, containing about one hundred thousand acres of land, for the sum of $77,500, to which place the company removed and began the foundation and settlement of what is now one of the richest and finest countries in southern California. When the Buchanan war broke out, the rancho of San Bernardino was sold, and the Saints returned to Utah. Brother Rich leaving there April 16, 1857, arrived in Salt Lake City in June of the same year. He accompanied Gen. Daniel H. Wells to Echo canyon and Fort Bridger during the Buchanan war, rendering valuable counsel and aid. In 1860 he was called on a mission to England and for a time was associated with Elder Amasa M. Lyman in the presidency of the European Mission. He returned home in 1862. In the autumn of 1863 he explored Bear Lake valley and moved his family there the following spring. He was a natural pioneer and was the leader of the original settlers of that valley, where he resided until his death, continuing to be the main director in the establishment of towns and settlements in that region. Rich county, the extreme northern county of Utah, was named in honor of him. During the early years of the Bear Lake settlements, the only means by which the residents could get their mails from, or have any communication with the valleys farther south, when the snow was deep in the mountains, was by crossing on snow-shoes. When
others would shrink from the dangerous undertaking of traversing the mountains at such seasons, when terrific storms prevailed, Brother Rich would set out. His wonderful strength and great powers of endurance, of which he never seemed to know the limit, and his almost intuitive knowledge of the country, always enabled him to go through, though in doing so he sometimes bore fatigue enough to kill an ordinary man. He made many of these hazardous journeys over the mountains; indeed for a number of years that was his usual mode of traveling when going to Salt Lake City to attend the session of the legislature, or returning from the same. In the early days of the Church Elder Rich figured conspicuously as a military man and was distinguished for his coolness and bravery. He held the office of major-general in the Nauvoo Legion, and was by many familiarly called General Rich up to the day of his death. When an attempt was made to kidnap the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1843 and take him to Missouri, Brother Rich, at the head of twenty-five men, started out from Nauvoo to render him assistance, and returned after having traveled about five hundred miles on horseback in seven days. In the political affairs of Utah he served several terms as a member of the council and house in the Territorial legislature. Throughout his lifetime he was less noted for his brilliant talents than for his real goodness. He was a man of generous impulses, and seemed to live for the happiness of others rather than his own. Cheerful, honest, industrious, benevolent, extending substantial sympathy to those in need, and giving fatherly counsel to and setting a worthy example before all around him, he moved on through life, honored and beloved by all who knew him. He was stricken with paralysis Oct. 24, 1880, and died at his home in Paris, Bear Lake county, Idaho, Nov. 17, 1883. During all these three years of affliction he was never heard to complain or in any manner evince anything but a spirit of the utmost contentment and resignation. (See also "Southern Star," Vol. 2, p. 385.)
RICH, Charles Coulson, a member of the Council of Twelve Apostles from 1849 to 1883, was the son of Joseph Rich and Nancy O. Neal, and was born Aug. 21, 1809, in Campbell county, Kentucky. He was baptized by Ira M. Hinkley in Tazewell county, Ill., April 1, 1832, and ordained an Elder in Fountain county, Indiana, by Zebedee Coltrin, while en route to Kirtland to see the Prophet Joseph. He received his endowments in the Kirtland Temple, and was ordained a High Priest under the hands of Patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Kirtland. He moved, with his father, to Far West, Mo., in 1836, and was married to Sarah D. Pea, Feb. 11, 1837, near Caldwell county, Missouri, by George M. Hinkle. Brother Rich took a prominent part with the Saints in all the persecutions in Missouri. While carrying a flag of truce between the camp of the Saints and mobocrats, at Far West, he was shot at, about ten yards distant, by Samuel Bogart, a Methodist preacher and a mob officer. At the battle of Crooked river, when David W. Patten fell mortally wounded, and while bullets were flying thick and fast, he laid down his sword in the heat of the battle and administered the ordinance of laying on hands to the dying hero; after which he resumed the sword, assumed command, and the battle of Crooked river was won by the Saints. Because of the prominent part he took in the Missouri troubles, he was forced to flee for his life through the wilderness into Illinois. He was ordained a member of the High Council in Nauvoo, and was also a member of the city council. He left Nauvoo Feb. 13, 1846, and presided over Mount Pisgah branch the following winter; left Pisgah March 20, 1847 for Winter Quarters, starting for Great Salt Lake valley June 14, 1847, in charge of a company of moving Saints. He arrived in Great Salt Lake valley Oct. 3, 1847. During the absence of the Twelve, on their return to Winter Quarters, he acted in the valley as counselor to Father John Smith, who was left to preside over the colony. Elder Rich was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by Brigham Young, Feb. 12, 1849, and started on a mission to California on the 9th of the following October returning home Nov. 4, 1850. He again started for Califorina, March 6, 1851, with a portion of his family and a company of Saints by the southern route, to purchase a place for the location of the Saints that might be gathered from the islands of the Pacific. With Elder
Amasa M. Lyman, in September, 1851, he purchased the rancho of San Bernardino, containing about one hundred thousand acres of land, for the sum of $77,500, to which place the company removed and began the foundation and settlement of what is now one of the richest and finest countries in southern California. When the Buchanan war broke out, the rancho of San Bernardino was sold, and the Saints returned to Utah. Brother Rich leaving there April 16, 1857, arrived in Salt Lake City in June of the same year. He accompanied Gen. Daniel H. Wells to Echo canyon and Fort Bridger during the Buchanan war, rendering valuable counsel and aid. In 1860 he was called on a mission to England and for a time was associated with Elder Amasa M. Lyman in the presidency of the European Mission. He returned home in 1862. In the autumn of 1863 he explored Bear Lake valley and moved his family there the following spring. He was a natural pioneer and was the leader of the original settlers of that valley, where he resided until his death, continuing to be the main director in the establishment of towns and settlements in that region. Rich county, the extreme northern county of Utah, was named in honor of him. During the early years of the Bear Lake settlements, the only means by which the residents could get their mails from, or have any communication with the valleys farther south, when the snow was deep in the mountains, was by crossing on snow-shoes. When
others would shrink from the dangerous undertaking of traversing the mountains at such seasons, when terrific storms prevailed, Brother Rich would set out. His wonderful strength and great powers of endurance, of which he never seemed to know the limit, and his almost intuitive knowledge of the country, always enabled him to go through, though in doing so he sometimes bore fatigue enough to kill an ordinary man. He made many of these hazardous journeys over the mountains; indeed for a number of years that was his usual mode of traveling when going to Salt Lake City to attend the session of the legislature, or returning from the same. In the early days of the Church Elder Rich figured conspicuously as a military man and was distinguished for his coolness and bravery. He held the office of major-general in the Nauvoo Legion, and was by many familiarly called General Rich up to the day of his death. When an attempt was made to kidnap the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1843 and take him to Missouri, Brother Rich, at the head of twenty-five men, started out from Nauvoo to render him assistance, and returned after having traveled about five hundred miles on horseback in seven days. In the political affairs of Utah he served several terms as a member of the council and house in the Territorial legislature. Throughout his lifetime he was less noted for his brilliant talents than for his real goodness. He was a man of generous impulses, and seemed to live for the happiness of others rather than his own. Cheerful, honest, industrious, benevolent, extending substantial sympathy to those in need, and giving fatherly counsel to and setting a worthy example before all around him, he moved on through life, honored and beloved by all who knew him. He was stricken with paralysis Oct. 24, 1880, and died at his home in Paris, Bear Lake county, Idaho, Nov. 17, 1883. During all these three years of affliction he was never heard to complain or in any manner evince anything but a spirit of the utmost contentment and resignation. (See also "Southern Star," Vol. 2, p. 385.)
Jenson, Andrew. "Rich, Charles C." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 324.
RICH, Charles C, president of California Mission from 1849 to 1851. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 102.)
RICH, Charles C, president of California Mission from 1849 to 1851. (See Bio. Ency., Vol. 1, p. 102.)
"Editorial: Charles C. Rich." Contributor. December 1883. pg. 114-115.
CHARLES C. RICH.
While President Taylor and party were attending the Sanpete Stake Conference at Ephraim, word came by telegram on the morning of November 17 that the veteran Apostle Charles C. Rich was sinking rapidly, after his long affliction, and that his death was hourly anticipated. On receipt of this message President Woodruff, in speaking to the writer, observed that he could not mourn the departure of his old fellow laborer and friend, but that he had prayed for his release from the terrible affliction which held him bound a sufferer upon earth, unable to discharge the duties of his holy calling either here or in the spirit world. He was therefore glad if the hour of his release had come, for he realized that labor of the highest and most glorious description, in which his spirit would delight, awaited him beyond the vail.
These are the thoughts, which the death of a Saint who has spent the vigor of his life in the service of God on earth call forth, from those who understand the eternal nature of the cause of Truth in which the Saints are engaged. All Israel mourns the loss of their leaders and the servants of 'God when they die, but all Israel rejoices in the victory such have won, and in the thought of meeting again on that brighter shore beyond the dark and mystic river Death.
Brother Rich was one of the noble men of his generation and time. He was endowed with those sterling qualities of head and heart that signalize valor, courage, truth, virtue, and stamp the man who possesses them with that indefinable power and influence, which makes him a leader among his fellowmen. He was a wise counselor and true friend, a patriarch in his family, revered and loved, and he was esteemed by the people among whom he dwelt as a father, always kind, approachable, and ready to comfort and bless. A vein of genial humor in his character often enabled him to dispel clouds of difficulty and to show the brighter side of many a dark or gloomy picture. Brother Rich took the Gospel to his heart when he embraced it, and forever after each and every truth pertaining to it came to him as the evolutions of nature. He never doubted a principle, and was early in life established in the Truth. He filled up the measure of his creation to the best of his ability in doing his Father's will, and was an untiring, zealous laborer in the vineyard, during the whole period of his connection with the Church, as may be seen from the following biographical sketch, which was published in the Bear Lake Democrat:
"Charles Coulson Rich was born Aug. 21, 1809, in Campbell County, Kentucky; was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Ira M. Hinkle in Tazewell County, Illinois, April 1, 1832, and ordained an Elder in Fountain County, Indiana, by Zebedee Coltrin, while en route to Kirtland to see the Prophet Joseph. He received his endowments in the Kirtland temple, and was ordained a High Priest under the hands of Patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Kirtland. He moved, with his father, to Far West, Missouri, in 1836, and was married to Sarah D. Pea, February 11, 1837, near Caldwell County, Missouri, by George M. Hinkle.
"Brother Rich took a prominent part with the Saints in all the persecutions in Missouri. While carrying a flag of truce between the camp of the Saints and mobocrats, at Far West, he was shot at, about ten yards distant, by one Bogard, a Methodist preacher and a mob officer. At the battle of Crooked River, when David Patten fell mortally wounded, and while bullets were flying thick and fast, he laid down his sword in the heat of the battle and administered the ordinance of laying on hands to the dying hero; after which, he resumed the sword, assumed command, and the battle of Crooked River was won by the Saints. Because of the prominent part he took in the Missouri troubles, he was forced to flee for his life through the wilderness into Illinois. He was ordained a member of the High Council in Nauvoo, and was a member of the City Council. He left Nauvoo on the 13th of February, 1846, and presided over Mount Pisgah branch the following winter. Left Pisgah March 20, 1847, for Winter Quarters, starting for Salt Lake June 14, 1847, in charge of a company of moving Saints. He arrived in Salt Lake valley October 3, 1847. During the absence of the Twelve, on their return to Winter Quarters, he acted in the valley as counselor to Father John Smith, who was left to preside over the colony.
"Elder Rich was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles February 12, 1849, and started on a mission to California on the 9th of the following October, returning home November 4, 1850. He again went to California, March 6, 1851, with a portion of his family and a company of Saints by the southern route, to purchase a place for the location of the Saints that might be gathered from the islands of the Pacific. With Elder A. M. Lyman, in September, 1851, he purchased the ranch of San Bernardino, containing an area of twenty miles square, for the sum of $77,500, to which place the company removed and began the foundation and settlement of what is now one of the richest and finest countries in southern California. When the Buchanan war broke out, the ranch of San Bernardino was sold, and the Saints returned to Utah. Brother Rich leaving there April 16, 1857, arrived in Salt Lake in June of the same year. He accompanied Gen. D. H. Wells to Echo Canyon and Fort Bridger during the Buchanan war, rendering valuable counsel and aid. His first mission to Europe was in 1860, leaving home on the 1st of May, laboring in England until September 18, 1862. In the autumn of 1863, Brother Rich explored Bear Lake valley, and moved his family there in the following spring. He has been the main supporter and pioneer in the establishment of towns and settlements in that region, where he still resided at the time of his death. In the political affairs of Utah, he served several terms as a member of the House and Council in the Legislature. His attention to duty never allowed the barriers of the frozen north to daunt him. He has many times crossed the mountains on snowshoes to attend Conference.
"In the year 1872, Brother Rich visited the reunion of the Rich family, held at Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. "He was the son of Joseph Rich and Nancy O. Neal, his mother dying three days after her arrival in Salt Lake, and his father dying in Paris, Bear Lake valley, July 26th, in the year 1866.
"Brother Rich was stricken with paralysis October 24, 1880, and died in Paris, November 17, 1883. During all these three years of affliction he was never heard to complain or in any manner evince anything but a spirit of the utmost contentment and resignation."
CHARLES C. RICH.
While President Taylor and party were attending the Sanpete Stake Conference at Ephraim, word came by telegram on the morning of November 17 that the veteran Apostle Charles C. Rich was sinking rapidly, after his long affliction, and that his death was hourly anticipated. On receipt of this message President Woodruff, in speaking to the writer, observed that he could not mourn the departure of his old fellow laborer and friend, but that he had prayed for his release from the terrible affliction which held him bound a sufferer upon earth, unable to discharge the duties of his holy calling either here or in the spirit world. He was therefore glad if the hour of his release had come, for he realized that labor of the highest and most glorious description, in which his spirit would delight, awaited him beyond the vail.
These are the thoughts, which the death of a Saint who has spent the vigor of his life in the service of God on earth call forth, from those who understand the eternal nature of the cause of Truth in which the Saints are engaged. All Israel mourns the loss of their leaders and the servants of 'God when they die, but all Israel rejoices in the victory such have won, and in the thought of meeting again on that brighter shore beyond the dark and mystic river Death.
Brother Rich was one of the noble men of his generation and time. He was endowed with those sterling qualities of head and heart that signalize valor, courage, truth, virtue, and stamp the man who possesses them with that indefinable power and influence, which makes him a leader among his fellowmen. He was a wise counselor and true friend, a patriarch in his family, revered and loved, and he was esteemed by the people among whom he dwelt as a father, always kind, approachable, and ready to comfort and bless. A vein of genial humor in his character often enabled him to dispel clouds of difficulty and to show the brighter side of many a dark or gloomy picture. Brother Rich took the Gospel to his heart when he embraced it, and forever after each and every truth pertaining to it came to him as the evolutions of nature. He never doubted a principle, and was early in life established in the Truth. He filled up the measure of his creation to the best of his ability in doing his Father's will, and was an untiring, zealous laborer in the vineyard, during the whole period of his connection with the Church, as may be seen from the following biographical sketch, which was published in the Bear Lake Democrat:
"Charles Coulson Rich was born Aug. 21, 1809, in Campbell County, Kentucky; was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Ira M. Hinkle in Tazewell County, Illinois, April 1, 1832, and ordained an Elder in Fountain County, Indiana, by Zebedee Coltrin, while en route to Kirtland to see the Prophet Joseph. He received his endowments in the Kirtland temple, and was ordained a High Priest under the hands of Patriarch Hyrum Smith, at Kirtland. He moved, with his father, to Far West, Missouri, in 1836, and was married to Sarah D. Pea, February 11, 1837, near Caldwell County, Missouri, by George M. Hinkle.
"Brother Rich took a prominent part with the Saints in all the persecutions in Missouri. While carrying a flag of truce between the camp of the Saints and mobocrats, at Far West, he was shot at, about ten yards distant, by one Bogard, a Methodist preacher and a mob officer. At the battle of Crooked River, when David Patten fell mortally wounded, and while bullets were flying thick and fast, he laid down his sword in the heat of the battle and administered the ordinance of laying on hands to the dying hero; after which, he resumed the sword, assumed command, and the battle of Crooked River was won by the Saints. Because of the prominent part he took in the Missouri troubles, he was forced to flee for his life through the wilderness into Illinois. He was ordained a member of the High Council in Nauvoo, and was a member of the City Council. He left Nauvoo on the 13th of February, 1846, and presided over Mount Pisgah branch the following winter. Left Pisgah March 20, 1847, for Winter Quarters, starting for Salt Lake June 14, 1847, in charge of a company of moving Saints. He arrived in Salt Lake valley October 3, 1847. During the absence of the Twelve, on their return to Winter Quarters, he acted in the valley as counselor to Father John Smith, who was left to preside over the colony.
"Elder Rich was ordained a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles February 12, 1849, and started on a mission to California on the 9th of the following October, returning home November 4, 1850. He again went to California, March 6, 1851, with a portion of his family and a company of Saints by the southern route, to purchase a place for the location of the Saints that might be gathered from the islands of the Pacific. With Elder A. M. Lyman, in September, 1851, he purchased the ranch of San Bernardino, containing an area of twenty miles square, for the sum of $77,500, to which place the company removed and began the foundation and settlement of what is now one of the richest and finest countries in southern California. When the Buchanan war broke out, the ranch of San Bernardino was sold, and the Saints returned to Utah. Brother Rich leaving there April 16, 1857, arrived in Salt Lake in June of the same year. He accompanied Gen. D. H. Wells to Echo Canyon and Fort Bridger during the Buchanan war, rendering valuable counsel and aid. His first mission to Europe was in 1860, leaving home on the 1st of May, laboring in England until September 18, 1862. In the autumn of 1863, Brother Rich explored Bear Lake valley, and moved his family there in the following spring. He has been the main supporter and pioneer in the establishment of towns and settlements in that region, where he still resided at the time of his death. In the political affairs of Utah, he served several terms as a member of the House and Council in the Legislature. His attention to duty never allowed the barriers of the frozen north to daunt him. He has many times crossed the mountains on snowshoes to attend Conference.
"In the year 1872, Brother Rich visited the reunion of the Rich family, held at Truro, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. "He was the son of Joseph Rich and Nancy O. Neal, his mother dying three days after her arrival in Salt Lake, and his father dying in Paris, Bear Lake valley, July 26th, in the year 1866.
"Brother Rich was stricken with paralysis October 24, 1880, and died in Paris, November 17, 1883. During all these three years of affliction he was never heard to complain or in any manner evince anything but a spirit of the utmost contentment and resignation."
""Charles Coulson Rich"." Relief Society Magazine. September 1936. pg. 584.
"Charles Coulson Rich",
"Pioneer Builder of the West"
CHARLES COULSON RICH by John Henry Evans is a valuable addition to Western literature. It depicts a strong, outstanding, remarkable character who in his time played many parts. Mr. Evans says, "Charles Coulson Rich could preach a sermon, drill an army, shoe an ox, govern a college, build factories in the wilderness and run them on a dividend-paying basis, lay plans and make laws for a great commonwealth. As missionary he carried his religion through much of Europe and brought hundreds of converts overseas to the American Southwest."
Not only in public life did Mr. Rich play his part well, but in his domestic relations he was outstandingly successful, for his biographer says he never had a quarrel, though he was the husband of six wives and the father of fifty children.
The book has great historic value, for in reading its pages one sees "the Mormon movement in intimate detail; the persecution and violence in Missouri and Illinois ; the martyrdom of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum ; the trek westward by covered wagon ; the development of Utah and the Mormon settlements in California."
This is a source book of valuable material because of the author's painstaking research into heretofore unpublished material in personal documents and in the archives of Utah and in Church manuscripts. It is well written and intensely interesting.
It is a good thing lest we forget what it cost to subdue the wilderness and reclaim the desert, to read the life of Charles Coulson Rich again and again and other books dealing with pioneer life. If it is true that one cannot come in contact with a great character in any way without being raised thereby, all readers of this volume will receive not only information but uplift from perusal of its pages.
Price $3.50. Published by The Macmillan Company, New York.
"Charles Coulson Rich",
"Pioneer Builder of the West"
CHARLES COULSON RICH by John Henry Evans is a valuable addition to Western literature. It depicts a strong, outstanding, remarkable character who in his time played many parts. Mr. Evans says, "Charles Coulson Rich could preach a sermon, drill an army, shoe an ox, govern a college, build factories in the wilderness and run them on a dividend-paying basis, lay plans and make laws for a great commonwealth. As missionary he carried his religion through much of Europe and brought hundreds of converts overseas to the American Southwest."
Not only in public life did Mr. Rich play his part well, but in his domestic relations he was outstandingly successful, for his biographer says he never had a quarrel, though he was the husband of six wives and the father of fifty children.
The book has great historic value, for in reading its pages one sees "the Mormon movement in intimate detail; the persecution and violence in Missouri and Illinois ; the martyrdom of the Prophet, Joseph Smith, and his brother Hyrum ; the trek westward by covered wagon ; the development of Utah and the Mormon settlements in California."
This is a source book of valuable material because of the author's painstaking research into heretofore unpublished material in personal documents and in the archives of Utah and in Church manuscripts. It is well written and intensely interesting.
It is a good thing lest we forget what it cost to subdue the wilderness and reclaim the desert, to read the life of Charles Coulson Rich again and again and other books dealing with pioneer life. If it is true that one cannot come in contact with a great character in any way without being raised thereby, all readers of this volume will receive not only information but uplift from perusal of its pages.
Price $3.50. Published by The Macmillan Company, New York.
Charles C. Rich
“...if ye observe to do whatsoever I command
you, I, the Lord, will turn away all wrath
and indignation from you...” -D&C 98:22
you, I, the Lord, will turn away all wrath
and indignation from you...” -D&C 98:22
Ordained: 12 February 1849 at age 39 by Brigham Young
Biography
Charles Coulson Rich was born 21 August 1809 in Boone County, Kentucky to Joseph Rich and Nancy O'Neal. Little is known about his early life. What is known is that Charles was baptized at age 23 by Ira M. Hinckley in Tazewell County, Illinois 1 April 1832. Evidence also suggests that his whole family joined the church around the time of his baptism.
Of his conversion, Elder Rich said this:
I studied carefully, anxiously, and prayerfully, that I might know if it were the Church of Jesus Christ. I did not want to run any risk in the matter, and remain in uncertainty. I was willing to do anything that would give me a knowledge of the truth. I was willing to receive it through the ministration of an angel, through direct revelation, or by any other way, but I did not want to be deceived. Every time I reflected carefully upon the subject, I came to this point—the conditions upon which the promises have been made are, repentance, baptism, and imposition of hands. The spirit would then whisper, you have not been baptized, you have not obeyed the gospel; but when I had complied with the law, then I had a perfect claim to the blessings and the promises, and did receive them, and obtained a perfect knowledge of the truth, and could then bear a testimony of it to all the world. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Immediately following his baptism, Brother Rich left for Kirtland, Ohio to meet the prophet and join the saints.
Brother Rich then served a mission to his native Kentucky, after which he was part of Zion's camp. Following his return from Zion's camp, he and his father traveled to Caldwell County, Missouri and bought land there. Charles's occupations were varied, as were many of those who lived at that time. He engaged in farming, hunting and various woodworking activities.
Charles Rich was ordained a high priest in August 1837 by Hyrum Smith. His home became the center of church activity in that area of Caldwell County. On 2 November 1838, Charles married his first wife, Sarah DeArmon Pea at Far West, Missouri. She became the mother of 9 of his children.
Brother Rich was second in command at the Battle of Crooked River. He witnessed David W. Patten's mortal wound and paused in his battle efforts to administer to Elder Patten. Immediately following his ministrations, he picked up his sword and continued to lead the battle. Later, while leading a group of LDS troops under a flag of truce, Brother Rich was fired upon at close range by Samuel Bogart, a Methodist minister. Amazingly, Brother Rich was protected by the Lord and his life was spared.
Because of his prominent role in the Missouri difficulties, he was forced to flee for his life to Illinois. During his absence, his wife, Sarah, pregnant with their first child, took seven displaced families into her home. Sarah Rich, together with her friend, Samantha Stout, vowed to be reunited with their husbands. They left Far West in January, reaching the Mississippi River across from Quincy when it was frozen with chunks of ice. It was impossible to cross with their wagons. Their husbands, hearing of their recent arrival, acquired a small boat and braved the ice to reach them. The next morning they decided it would be best to bring Sarah and two other women to the Illinois side. They were forced by lack of space to leave Sarah's father to wait for the ferry. On the return journey huge blocks of ice threatened to crush the small canoe. The men occasionally jumped onto the ice to push the boat out of danger. Sarah's father watched from the shore with tear-filled eyes. Miraculously, they made it safely to shore and Sarah gave birth to her first child, Sarah Jane, in Nauvoo on 4 March 1839.
Brother Rich was known as Major General Rich in the Nauvoo Legion and was often referred to as General Rich up to the day of his death. He even led a group of the Nauvoo Legion to be of assistance to Joseph Smith in 1843, traveling some 500 miles on horseback in seven days.
After Joseph Smith’s death, but before leaving Nauvoo, Charles married four more times: Eliza Ann Graves and Mary Ann Phelps in January 1845, Sarah Jane Peck in January 1846 and Emmeline Grover in February 1846. He also married Harriet Sergeant in Winter Quarters in March 1847. He was obviously one of the few requested to practice plural marriage at the time.
Brother Rich participated in the exodus west, reaching Utah with his aged parents in 1847. His mother died two days after their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, her greatest wish of seeing the resting place of the saints having been fulfilled.
About the settlement of Utah, Elder Rich said this, “For this purpose we immigrated to these valleys, that we may live our religion, obey the precepts of the Gospel, and do as we should do every day we live...” (Volume 4 1857, Jun 14, 1857)
Shortly after arriving in Utah, Brother Rich was called as counselor to President John Smith in the first Stake of Zion in the Great Salt Lake Valley. He was also quite active in the militia there.
Less than two years later, Charles C. Rich was called to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by President Brigham Young in February of 1849 together with Lorenzo Snow, Erastus F. Snow, and Franklin D. Richards. The four new apostles were called to fill the vacant seats caused by the formation of the First Presidency and the apostasy of Lyman Wight.
That same year, Elder Rich was asked to lead a group of colonists across the desert to settle in California. They were joined on their journey by a group of gold diggers led by Captain John Smith. Captain Smith persuaded Elder Rich to take a shortcut that was supposed to save them days of travel. The group soon began to suffer from lack of water. Elder Rich felt impressed to return to the established route, even though it would take them longer. The colonists followed the inspired direction of Apostle Rich and all later arrived at their destination in safety. The group of gold diggers tried to keep going and nearly starved to death before eventually turning back.
Together with Elder Amasa M. Lyman, Elder Rich sought to find a place for the saints to settle. This task proved more expensive than anticipated. The only place they could find was a ranch in San Bernardino and they decided to purchase 100,000 acres of it for the price of $77,500. Elder Rich was made mission president of California, and the settlement thrived. The colony served as a base of supplies and a receiving station near a Pacific port for the immigrants from the Pacific isles. The colony grew to some seven thousand before being disbanded.
Leading the colonists was certainly no easy task. Elder Rich told this story of his time as mission president:
Some years ago, when I was presiding in California, … I had been away for a short time, and on my return I found a large crowd on the water's edge, some of whom were being baptized. I think Brother Hopkins was there, and I asked him, subsequently, what induced the people to turn out so suddenly; he replied that some sister had received a revelation the night before, commanding them to be baptized. I told him that if any revelation had been given on that subject, I should have known it. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Being a firm believer in revelation coming through the proper channels of authority, Elder Rich immediately corrected the colonists under his stewardship.
When the Utah War broke out, President Brigham Young called the Saints in all the colonies to return to Utah to strengthen the militia there, should their services be required. The San Bernardino ranch was sold and most of the colonists returned to Utah, although some determined to stay in California. Elder Rich left in April of 1857 and arrived in Salt Lake in June. He then accompanied General Daniel H. Wells to Echo Canyon and Fort Bridger to counsel the Saints and render aid.
After the settlement of the conflict, Elder Rich remained with his family in Utah. In 1860, he was called on a mission to England and assisted Elder Amasa M. Lyman, this time in the presidency of the European Mission. He returned home in 1862.
Very little is documented of his mission. However, in a conference address following his return to Utah, Elder Rich said this referring to his missionary service:
I feel great pleasure in meeting with the brethren and sisters, having just returned from a mission. I do not speak of this because of a feeling that I am now relieved from a mission, for I feel that I have been on a mission all the time, and I expect to remain a missionary from this time henceforth and for ever. This is the height of my ambition, that I may have the pleasure of laboring to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. (Volume 10 1862, Oct 6, 1862)
In the fall of 1863, he was called to explore the Bear Lake Valley in Idaho, this being what would turn out to be his final calling. His family joined him there the following spring. Often, Elder Rich was the only one willing to trudge through the snow to collect the mail for the Bear Lake area. Being a strong man with an extensive knowledge of the country, he often endured fatigue that would have killed a smaller, weaker, or less knowledgeable man. He was also known to cross the mountains on snowshoes to attend General Conference.
Elder Rich was content with his calling to Bear Lake Valley.
I felt that it was right that I should come here, not because I could live better here than any other place, but because this was my place and field of labor. And there is one good thing we should all learn, that is, always to be contented where the Lord has placed us. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
In one of his last talks, Elder Rich admitted that he felt “of myself very weak, and I desire the prayers of the saints, that I may be able to instruct you,” showing his increasing physical weakness. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Elder Rich was struck with paralysis following a stroke on 24 October 1880 and was subsequently confined to his home. He died there firm in the faith on 17 November 1883, over three years later, at age 74. He was never heard to complain of his illness.
Elder Rich was survived by 37 of his 51 children from six wives. He also had 85 grandchildren at the time of his death. Rich County, Utah was also named after Elder Rich.
Quotes
Elder Rich spoke a number of times in general conferences and other meetings, many of which were well-documented. There were several themes and topics that were very important to him, particularly the millennium and caring for the poor. His manner of speaking had a very personal feel to it. One could imagine he was speaking directly to the listener. He never preached anything that he didn’t already practice in his own life. He never expected more of the saints than he did of himself.
He expressed his love of the gospel and his unbreakable testimony in these words:
When I first embraced the Gospel, I had a testimony of its truth and I have had evidence increasing with me all the day long. I have often remarked to individuals that I would pursue if there was no other life than this; I would do this because it brings the most good, the most happiness, more than anything else I know anything about. (Volume 10 1862, Oct 6, 1862)
At the time of his baptism, Elder Rich expected the millennium to be very near. After some time as a member of the Church, he said:
I have had the honor of being in this Church for many years. It has been organized upwards of forty-seven years. When I first received the Gospel I did not expect forty-seven years to pass away before the prophecies would be fulfilled concerning the second coming of the Savior, and the end of the world. I expected the Savior would come and reign upon the earth, before this time, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph, Jesus said it would be but a short time before he would come and take the Kingdom. We are not accustomed to hear the Lord speak, and when he spoke of a short time, we understood it according to our use of the language. Forty-seven years may appear a long time with us, but a thousand years is not a long time with the Lord. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Expounding on the millennium, Elder Rich proclaimed:
Some may think it a small work to prepare for his [the Savior's] coming. I do not think so. I find myself far from being prepared. Are we worthy to be received and dwell where our Savior dwells? No one can dwell with him but those who overcome and endure to the end. It should give us more energy and more determination to overcome our sins when we find everything depends on our perseverance to the end. We should be energetic in doing the will of God. We find we have many things to learn and we learn daily by our experience something we did not know before, and thus we feel our dependence upon the Lord for wisdom to lead and guide us into all truth. It is important we put our trust in God. We may have imagined that we were safe from danger and would stand, but difficulties crowd upon us which we had never considered, and we are tempted and tried to prove whether we are willing to stand the trials or not. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Yet he was content with what he had. About his own life, Elder Rich said, “I am blessed with a rich name, but I have been through poverty myself, and I know how it feels. I trust I have gained some good by my experience. Have I anything to complain of? Certainly not. I have no fault to find with the providences of God, who doeth all things well.” (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Money was never of much interest to him. He felt it much more important to look after the poor than to become wealthy at the expense of others.
Some people think I am a poor financier! Perhaps I am. There are some persons who are such good financiers that they take all the wool and part of the hide with it. Now I would not like to financier in that way. And if I don't fleece any one, and take an advantage of those with whom I deal, I shall have nothing to regret, and shall enjoy a clear conscience; but if I do these things it will have a bad effect in this world and worse in the next. Perhaps those who financier so closely to the injury of their neighbors will not feel so well about it in the next world. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
He felt very strongly about the duty to look after widows and the fatherless, as well as the rest of the poor:
A certain good man died and left a large family. A near relative took charge of the family and removed them to a certain town, built a grist mill, from which the family was supplied with the necessary bread. He built the first mill in that town, and it was a blessing to the people as well as to the family of our deceased brother. By and by a few persons concluded to build another mill… The consequence was the first mill failed to supply food for the widows and fatherless children. These brethren expect to go into the eternal world. Will the head of this family be there? He certainly will. And how will these brethren feel when they meet him? I don't think they will feel very happy. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Elder Rich put the needs of others ahead of his own. He said, “We should be as willing that others should enjoy the blessings of the Lord as ourselves. We should be as willing to bless other people as we are to be blessed ourselves.” (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877) He seems to have been successful, for it was said of him: “Brother Rich was known less for his brilliant talent than for his real goodness throughout his life. He was a man of generous impulses and seemed to live for the happiness of others.” (Biographies n.d.)
This topic continued to appear in his teachings. He taught:
If twenty or thirty persons engage in business and we make them more wealthy, and other poor, what difference is there between us and the gentile world? If we do as is done in the world, wherein are we better than they? If we carry out the principle of co-operation with unselfishness of spirit and singleness of heart, it will build us up, and the poor also. We do not want to take one man's means and give to another; that is not the principle intended; but by uniting our means we can establish a store, a tannery or other business that will be profitable. If we do not so co-operate, others may come in who have no interest in our prosperity, who will trade and traffic, and when they become wealthy would leave us and spend their means elsewhere. This has been our experience in years past with those who have come among us with their merchandise. We can prevent this in the future by our co-operative institutions. It is right and proper that we should combine for self-defense against this world, and so protect our general interests. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Elder Rich rejoiced in his own mortality. He felt it a privilege to come to earth and gain the experiences one gains here. He said,
So far as this world is concerned, some people look upon it as a horrid world, a world full of pain, sorrow and suffering. I do not regard it as such. I consider it a blessed world, a glorious world, which affords us very many privileges. What other place is there besides this world where we can obtain remission of sins? That ordinance belongs to this life and this world and to no other. And a great many things pertaining to this world we can do here, but which we cannot do after we pass behind the vail. If we attend to the duties of this life in the time and season thereof, not leaving undone anything which we are able to do, all will be well with us hereafter; but if we fail in the performance of our duties here, we certainly shall regret and perhaps mourn our negligence when we shall have passed away; and besides we shall then have to depend upon others to do things in our behalf, which we might have done ourselves. Let us improve our opportunities here, and appreciate them as fully [as] we ought to. (Volume 19 1877, Jun 30, 1878)
He believed that agency should be used carefully, however. He knew it was important to counsel with the Lord on what we should do with our lives. “There is one matter that has received a great part of my attention particularly of late, that is the conforming of my will to the will of God, not only pertaining to things spiritual but also to things temporal associated with my every-day life.” (Volume 19 1877, May 12, 1877)
He stated that the choices we make in this life would not be different beyond the veil.
...if we were not willing to receive the truth in this world, what assurance have we that our agency will not lead us to reject truth hereafter. If Latter-day Saints cannot endure to the end, if they cannot in their hearts receive as well as practice all of the principles of the Gospel as they are made known to them by his servants, it is folly in the extreme for us to allow ourselves to believe that by rejecting certain principles here we will be able to practice them in the world to come. (Volume 19 1877, May 12, 1877)
Elder Rich felt there were two kinds of sinners: the ignorant ones and the wicked ones. “The evils that we do find grow out of two causes, and mostly out of one, and that one is ignorance. But there are some who are fast to do wrong; others do it ignorantly.” (Volume 10 1862, Oct 6, 1862)
Elder Rich was a man more likely to be ruled by his head than his heart. After counseling many Latter-day Saints who desired to marry outside the faith, he concluded the following about marriage:
Some persons rush into marriage hastily and inconsiderately, with no other consideration than that they call love, which frequently brings misery and unhappiness. We have to tell them what is wrong in relation to this principle. It would be unwise and unpleasant for an Elder in Israel to perform a marriage ceremony that could not be acknowledged in heaven. … Concerning marriage, it must be an important matter for God to teach and command obedience to it. What constitutes its importance? In the first place a man cannot have an exaltation without a wife. It was some years before I learned the fact that I could not do much good without a wife and without posterity. I therefore concluded to marry. And you ladies cannot wear a celestial crown without a husband; if you happen to get a husband who is not entitled to a crown, what are you going to do? If I were a lady I should be careful whom I married: I should want to be pretty sure that the man tried to live his religion as revealed to us. Young folks generally marry because they love, sometimes because they are pretty. It is said that beauty is 'Only skin deep,' and I believe it is so, it will shortly fade away. We should be reasonable on this subject, as well as on others; but when a person is love struck, there is no reason in them. We should never be struck very bad. We should love so that we could throw him off at any time if he does not do right. ... When we marry it should be for time and eternity. I have thought many times that if a man or woman could get the Lord to tell them who to marry they would do well, if not, I would do the best I could. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Elder Rich also saw visions, just as many of the brethren did. “I remember once being sick, but I scarcely realized that I was sick, for my mind was bright and active. During the night the spirit rested upon me, and the principles of the millennium were opened up to me. It seemed to me that all was happiness and union.” (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
He definitely felt the weight of his calling. Elder Rich was very concerned that the saints not fall prey to receiving revelation from the wrong source.
It is a serious thing to say the Lord has spoken through us if he has not. To say thus saith the Lord, when the Lord has not spoken, would subject us to his wrath and displeasure. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. If we receive revelations we should be sure they are not leading us outside of our duties, but tend to our instruction and improvement and lead us to perform those duties devolving upon us. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Despite being a Church leader himself, Elder Rich was humble enough to also take counsel from those in authority. He said, “If I were counseled to leave Bear Lake Valley I would leave. It is right for me to be governed by counsel, and if it is right for me it is right for you also, for this principle will apply to us all.” (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Elder Rich hated missing conferences.
Severe indisposition prevented me from being present at last fall Conference, but I am thankful that I am present now. I always rejoice to be at Conference, or at any meeting with the Saints. I love to see and talk to them, and I love to hear others talk, and I love to use my influence to move forward and build up the cause of Zion, and to establish righteousness on the earth. We all ought to cultivate this kind of feeling and principle. We never need be afraid if we are doing right, but fear only to do wrong. (Volume 12 1867, Apr 8, 1867)
His final goal was to attain exaltation and eternal life. No other goal was good enough.
What, then will be the situation of those who remain single, and do not attain to an exaltation? We learn from the revelations that they will be angels. Some people think that angels are the most exalted and glorious beings in the eternal world; but this is a mistake. If it will satisfy any of you to receive that glory it will not satisfy me. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
… would it not be well for us, as Latter-day Saints, to also imagine, if we can, our feelings if through unworthiness on our part we should find ourselves in the next world disappointed. I think that when we consider these things, that compared with our eternal happiness everything else is small and of little moment. (Volume 19 1877, May 12, 1877)
He felt that our task in this life is to endure to the end. He truly rejoiced in revealed truth.
I feel to rejoice in the principles of the Gospel that the Lord has revealed to us, and that, many years ago I had the privilege of hearing and obeying them. I can say that, from that time until the present, I have never had the first moment's sorrow because of anything that I have been called to pass through in connection with the Gospel, and I hope I never shall. My experience in this cause and kingdom has been a source of continual rejoicing, and I believe it will be so to the end. I trust brethren and sisters that this is also your experience, and that you and I may continue faithful to the end, that we may be counted worthy of the privilege of mingling with the great company of the sanctified and just whom we have heard spoken of this morning, and that with them we may receive a crown of glory and immortality. (Volume 17 1874, Oct 11, 1874)
He believed our work in this life was never finished as long as we were still alive.
We should never tire of doing good. I once met a man who had reached the years of seventy. He thought he was free, he thought he had labored enough. Now, I do not feel so. I do not think we should feel so, if we live to be a thousand years old. I think we should feel to exert ourselves to accomplish all that the Lord requires of us both in time and eternity. (Rich 1880, 29)
One of his final testimonies was born as follows:
I can say now, as I have often said before you and before the world, that I know for myself that God has established his kingdom on the earth in these days, and that he requires obedience to the laws of his kingdom and that he not only requires it, but that it is our duty to willingly and gladly submit to his will whatever it may be, for he can require nothing of us only that which will be for our good, and that, too, which we must perform in order to purify ourselves to enter into the Celestial kingdom. (Volume 19 1877, Jun 30, 1878)
John Henry Evans, his biographer, wrote of him:
Charles Coulson Rich could preach a sermon, drill an army, shoe an ox, govern a college, build factories in the wilderness and run them on a divedend-paying basis, lay plans and make laws for a great commonwealth. As missionary [sic] he carried his religion through much of Europe and brought hundred of converts overseas to the American Southwest. ("Charles Coulson Rich" 1936, 584)
Conclusion
So what kind of a man was Charles C. Rich? Looking at his life, one can see that he was always ready to serve wherever he was called. He was called to colonize and serve missions in various places across the globe and no matter how remote the destination, Elder Rich willingly and immediately agreed to serve in the desired capacity.
It seems that one over-arching theme connects the important topics of his talks. That is obedience. He felt it of utmost importance to obey the Lord, to obey his Church leaders, to obey his conscience of what he knew to be right. He was the kind of man who lived what he preached. What he said were not just empty words. If he knew it to be true, he obeyed the principle himself. Elder Rich was a generous man. One who looked out for the poor. One who helped people make sound decisions. One who relied on the Lord for direction. One who studied out gospel concepts before taking them to the Lord (such as the millennium). One who rejoiced at being alive.
n.d. "Biographies." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
Chase, Randal S. 2013. Church History Study Guide, Pt. 3 Making Precious Things Plain. Kindle Edition. Vol. 6. Washington, Utah: Plain and Precious Publishing.
2003. Church History in the Fulness of Times, Student Manual. Salt Lake City: Church Educational System Curriculum.
Flake, Lawrence R. 2001. Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center Brigham Young University.
Jenson, Andrew. 1899. Church Chronology. A Record of Important Events. Second Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News.
—. 1901. Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Salt Lake City: The Andrew Jenson History Company.
Rich, Charles C. 1880. Fiftieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Printing and Publishing Establishment. 27-29.
Roberts, B. H. n.d. Comprehensive History of the Church. Kindle Edition. Librainia.
Smith, Joseph. 1902. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 7 vols. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News. Accessed January 13, 2015. https://archive.org/details/historyofchurcho01robe.
The Contributor. 1883. "Charles C. Rich." December: 114-115.
The Deseret News. 1883. "Funeral of Apostle Charles C. Rich." December 5: 726.
The Relief Society Magazine. 1936. ""Charles Coulson Rich"." September: 584.
1862. "Volume 10." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1867. "Volume 12." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1874. "Volume 17." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1877. "Volume 19." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1857. "Volume 4." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
Biography
Charles Coulson Rich was born 21 August 1809 in Boone County, Kentucky to Joseph Rich and Nancy O'Neal. Little is known about his early life. What is known is that Charles was baptized at age 23 by Ira M. Hinckley in Tazewell County, Illinois 1 April 1832. Evidence also suggests that his whole family joined the church around the time of his baptism.
Of his conversion, Elder Rich said this:
I studied carefully, anxiously, and prayerfully, that I might know if it were the Church of Jesus Christ. I did not want to run any risk in the matter, and remain in uncertainty. I was willing to do anything that would give me a knowledge of the truth. I was willing to receive it through the ministration of an angel, through direct revelation, or by any other way, but I did not want to be deceived. Every time I reflected carefully upon the subject, I came to this point—the conditions upon which the promises have been made are, repentance, baptism, and imposition of hands. The spirit would then whisper, you have not been baptized, you have not obeyed the gospel; but when I had complied with the law, then I had a perfect claim to the blessings and the promises, and did receive them, and obtained a perfect knowledge of the truth, and could then bear a testimony of it to all the world. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Immediately following his baptism, Brother Rich left for Kirtland, Ohio to meet the prophet and join the saints.
Brother Rich then served a mission to his native Kentucky, after which he was part of Zion's camp. Following his return from Zion's camp, he and his father traveled to Caldwell County, Missouri and bought land there. Charles's occupations were varied, as were many of those who lived at that time. He engaged in farming, hunting and various woodworking activities.
Charles Rich was ordained a high priest in August 1837 by Hyrum Smith. His home became the center of church activity in that area of Caldwell County. On 2 November 1838, Charles married his first wife, Sarah DeArmon Pea at Far West, Missouri. She became the mother of 9 of his children.
Brother Rich was second in command at the Battle of Crooked River. He witnessed David W. Patten's mortal wound and paused in his battle efforts to administer to Elder Patten. Immediately following his ministrations, he picked up his sword and continued to lead the battle. Later, while leading a group of LDS troops under a flag of truce, Brother Rich was fired upon at close range by Samuel Bogart, a Methodist minister. Amazingly, Brother Rich was protected by the Lord and his life was spared.
Because of his prominent role in the Missouri difficulties, he was forced to flee for his life to Illinois. During his absence, his wife, Sarah, pregnant with their first child, took seven displaced families into her home. Sarah Rich, together with her friend, Samantha Stout, vowed to be reunited with their husbands. They left Far West in January, reaching the Mississippi River across from Quincy when it was frozen with chunks of ice. It was impossible to cross with their wagons. Their husbands, hearing of their recent arrival, acquired a small boat and braved the ice to reach them. The next morning they decided it would be best to bring Sarah and two other women to the Illinois side. They were forced by lack of space to leave Sarah's father to wait for the ferry. On the return journey huge blocks of ice threatened to crush the small canoe. The men occasionally jumped onto the ice to push the boat out of danger. Sarah's father watched from the shore with tear-filled eyes. Miraculously, they made it safely to shore and Sarah gave birth to her first child, Sarah Jane, in Nauvoo on 4 March 1839.
Brother Rich was known as Major General Rich in the Nauvoo Legion and was often referred to as General Rich up to the day of his death. He even led a group of the Nauvoo Legion to be of assistance to Joseph Smith in 1843, traveling some 500 miles on horseback in seven days.
After Joseph Smith’s death, but before leaving Nauvoo, Charles married four more times: Eliza Ann Graves and Mary Ann Phelps in January 1845, Sarah Jane Peck in January 1846 and Emmeline Grover in February 1846. He also married Harriet Sergeant in Winter Quarters in March 1847. He was obviously one of the few requested to practice plural marriage at the time.
Brother Rich participated in the exodus west, reaching Utah with his aged parents in 1847. His mother died two days after their arrival in the Salt Lake Valley, her greatest wish of seeing the resting place of the saints having been fulfilled.
About the settlement of Utah, Elder Rich said this, “For this purpose we immigrated to these valleys, that we may live our religion, obey the precepts of the Gospel, and do as we should do every day we live...” (Volume 4 1857, Jun 14, 1857)
Shortly after arriving in Utah, Brother Rich was called as counselor to President John Smith in the first Stake of Zion in the Great Salt Lake Valley. He was also quite active in the militia there.
Less than two years later, Charles C. Rich was called to be a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles by President Brigham Young in February of 1849 together with Lorenzo Snow, Erastus F. Snow, and Franklin D. Richards. The four new apostles were called to fill the vacant seats caused by the formation of the First Presidency and the apostasy of Lyman Wight.
That same year, Elder Rich was asked to lead a group of colonists across the desert to settle in California. They were joined on their journey by a group of gold diggers led by Captain John Smith. Captain Smith persuaded Elder Rich to take a shortcut that was supposed to save them days of travel. The group soon began to suffer from lack of water. Elder Rich felt impressed to return to the established route, even though it would take them longer. The colonists followed the inspired direction of Apostle Rich and all later arrived at their destination in safety. The group of gold diggers tried to keep going and nearly starved to death before eventually turning back.
Together with Elder Amasa M. Lyman, Elder Rich sought to find a place for the saints to settle. This task proved more expensive than anticipated. The only place they could find was a ranch in San Bernardino and they decided to purchase 100,000 acres of it for the price of $77,500. Elder Rich was made mission president of California, and the settlement thrived. The colony served as a base of supplies and a receiving station near a Pacific port for the immigrants from the Pacific isles. The colony grew to some seven thousand before being disbanded.
Leading the colonists was certainly no easy task. Elder Rich told this story of his time as mission president:
Some years ago, when I was presiding in California, … I had been away for a short time, and on my return I found a large crowd on the water's edge, some of whom were being baptized. I think Brother Hopkins was there, and I asked him, subsequently, what induced the people to turn out so suddenly; he replied that some sister had received a revelation the night before, commanding them to be baptized. I told him that if any revelation had been given on that subject, I should have known it. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Being a firm believer in revelation coming through the proper channels of authority, Elder Rich immediately corrected the colonists under his stewardship.
When the Utah War broke out, President Brigham Young called the Saints in all the colonies to return to Utah to strengthen the militia there, should their services be required. The San Bernardino ranch was sold and most of the colonists returned to Utah, although some determined to stay in California. Elder Rich left in April of 1857 and arrived in Salt Lake in June. He then accompanied General Daniel H. Wells to Echo Canyon and Fort Bridger to counsel the Saints and render aid.
After the settlement of the conflict, Elder Rich remained with his family in Utah. In 1860, he was called on a mission to England and assisted Elder Amasa M. Lyman, this time in the presidency of the European Mission. He returned home in 1862.
Very little is documented of his mission. However, in a conference address following his return to Utah, Elder Rich said this referring to his missionary service:
I feel great pleasure in meeting with the brethren and sisters, having just returned from a mission. I do not speak of this because of a feeling that I am now relieved from a mission, for I feel that I have been on a mission all the time, and I expect to remain a missionary from this time henceforth and for ever. This is the height of my ambition, that I may have the pleasure of laboring to build up the kingdom of God on the earth. (Volume 10 1862, Oct 6, 1862)
In the fall of 1863, he was called to explore the Bear Lake Valley in Idaho, this being what would turn out to be his final calling. His family joined him there the following spring. Often, Elder Rich was the only one willing to trudge through the snow to collect the mail for the Bear Lake area. Being a strong man with an extensive knowledge of the country, he often endured fatigue that would have killed a smaller, weaker, or less knowledgeable man. He was also known to cross the mountains on snowshoes to attend General Conference.
Elder Rich was content with his calling to Bear Lake Valley.
I felt that it was right that I should come here, not because I could live better here than any other place, but because this was my place and field of labor. And there is one good thing we should all learn, that is, always to be contented where the Lord has placed us. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
In one of his last talks, Elder Rich admitted that he felt “of myself very weak, and I desire the prayers of the saints, that I may be able to instruct you,” showing his increasing physical weakness. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Elder Rich was struck with paralysis following a stroke on 24 October 1880 and was subsequently confined to his home. He died there firm in the faith on 17 November 1883, over three years later, at age 74. He was never heard to complain of his illness.
Elder Rich was survived by 37 of his 51 children from six wives. He also had 85 grandchildren at the time of his death. Rich County, Utah was also named after Elder Rich.
Quotes
Elder Rich spoke a number of times in general conferences and other meetings, many of which were well-documented. There were several themes and topics that were very important to him, particularly the millennium and caring for the poor. His manner of speaking had a very personal feel to it. One could imagine he was speaking directly to the listener. He never preached anything that he didn’t already practice in his own life. He never expected more of the saints than he did of himself.
He expressed his love of the gospel and his unbreakable testimony in these words:
When I first embraced the Gospel, I had a testimony of its truth and I have had evidence increasing with me all the day long. I have often remarked to individuals that I would pursue if there was no other life than this; I would do this because it brings the most good, the most happiness, more than anything else I know anything about. (Volume 10 1862, Oct 6, 1862)
At the time of his baptism, Elder Rich expected the millennium to be very near. After some time as a member of the Church, he said:
I have had the honor of being in this Church for many years. It has been organized upwards of forty-seven years. When I first received the Gospel I did not expect forty-seven years to pass away before the prophecies would be fulfilled concerning the second coming of the Savior, and the end of the world. I expected the Savior would come and reign upon the earth, before this time, as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. In the revelations given to the Prophet Joseph, Jesus said it would be but a short time before he would come and take the Kingdom. We are not accustomed to hear the Lord speak, and when he spoke of a short time, we understood it according to our use of the language. Forty-seven years may appear a long time with us, but a thousand years is not a long time with the Lord. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Expounding on the millennium, Elder Rich proclaimed:
Some may think it a small work to prepare for his [the Savior's] coming. I do not think so. I find myself far from being prepared. Are we worthy to be received and dwell where our Savior dwells? No one can dwell with him but those who overcome and endure to the end. It should give us more energy and more determination to overcome our sins when we find everything depends on our perseverance to the end. We should be energetic in doing the will of God. We find we have many things to learn and we learn daily by our experience something we did not know before, and thus we feel our dependence upon the Lord for wisdom to lead and guide us into all truth. It is important we put our trust in God. We may have imagined that we were safe from danger and would stand, but difficulties crowd upon us which we had never considered, and we are tempted and tried to prove whether we are willing to stand the trials or not. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Yet he was content with what he had. About his own life, Elder Rich said, “I am blessed with a rich name, but I have been through poverty myself, and I know how it feels. I trust I have gained some good by my experience. Have I anything to complain of? Certainly not. I have no fault to find with the providences of God, who doeth all things well.” (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Money was never of much interest to him. He felt it much more important to look after the poor than to become wealthy at the expense of others.
Some people think I am a poor financier! Perhaps I am. There are some persons who are such good financiers that they take all the wool and part of the hide with it. Now I would not like to financier in that way. And if I don't fleece any one, and take an advantage of those with whom I deal, I shall have nothing to regret, and shall enjoy a clear conscience; but if I do these things it will have a bad effect in this world and worse in the next. Perhaps those who financier so closely to the injury of their neighbors will not feel so well about it in the next world. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
He felt very strongly about the duty to look after widows and the fatherless, as well as the rest of the poor:
A certain good man died and left a large family. A near relative took charge of the family and removed them to a certain town, built a grist mill, from which the family was supplied with the necessary bread. He built the first mill in that town, and it was a blessing to the people as well as to the family of our deceased brother. By and by a few persons concluded to build another mill… The consequence was the first mill failed to supply food for the widows and fatherless children. These brethren expect to go into the eternal world. Will the head of this family be there? He certainly will. And how will these brethren feel when they meet him? I don't think they will feel very happy. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
Elder Rich put the needs of others ahead of his own. He said, “We should be as willing that others should enjoy the blessings of the Lord as ourselves. We should be as willing to bless other people as we are to be blessed ourselves.” (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877) He seems to have been successful, for it was said of him: “Brother Rich was known less for his brilliant talent than for his real goodness throughout his life. He was a man of generous impulses and seemed to live for the happiness of others.” (Biographies n.d.)
This topic continued to appear in his teachings. He taught:
If twenty or thirty persons engage in business and we make them more wealthy, and other poor, what difference is there between us and the gentile world? If we do as is done in the world, wherein are we better than they? If we carry out the principle of co-operation with unselfishness of spirit and singleness of heart, it will build us up, and the poor also. We do not want to take one man's means and give to another; that is not the principle intended; but by uniting our means we can establish a store, a tannery or other business that will be profitable. If we do not so co-operate, others may come in who have no interest in our prosperity, who will trade and traffic, and when they become wealthy would leave us and spend their means elsewhere. This has been our experience in years past with those who have come among us with their merchandise. We can prevent this in the future by our co-operative institutions. It is right and proper that we should combine for self-defense against this world, and so protect our general interests. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Elder Rich rejoiced in his own mortality. He felt it a privilege to come to earth and gain the experiences one gains here. He said,
So far as this world is concerned, some people look upon it as a horrid world, a world full of pain, sorrow and suffering. I do not regard it as such. I consider it a blessed world, a glorious world, which affords us very many privileges. What other place is there besides this world where we can obtain remission of sins? That ordinance belongs to this life and this world and to no other. And a great many things pertaining to this world we can do here, but which we cannot do after we pass behind the vail. If we attend to the duties of this life in the time and season thereof, not leaving undone anything which we are able to do, all will be well with us hereafter; but if we fail in the performance of our duties here, we certainly shall regret and perhaps mourn our negligence when we shall have passed away; and besides we shall then have to depend upon others to do things in our behalf, which we might have done ourselves. Let us improve our opportunities here, and appreciate them as fully [as] we ought to. (Volume 19 1877, Jun 30, 1878)
He believed that agency should be used carefully, however. He knew it was important to counsel with the Lord on what we should do with our lives. “There is one matter that has received a great part of my attention particularly of late, that is the conforming of my will to the will of God, not only pertaining to things spiritual but also to things temporal associated with my every-day life.” (Volume 19 1877, May 12, 1877)
He stated that the choices we make in this life would not be different beyond the veil.
...if we were not willing to receive the truth in this world, what assurance have we that our agency will not lead us to reject truth hereafter. If Latter-day Saints cannot endure to the end, if they cannot in their hearts receive as well as practice all of the principles of the Gospel as they are made known to them by his servants, it is folly in the extreme for us to allow ourselves to believe that by rejecting certain principles here we will be able to practice them in the world to come. (Volume 19 1877, May 12, 1877)
Elder Rich felt there were two kinds of sinners: the ignorant ones and the wicked ones. “The evils that we do find grow out of two causes, and mostly out of one, and that one is ignorance. But there are some who are fast to do wrong; others do it ignorantly.” (Volume 10 1862, Oct 6, 1862)
Elder Rich was a man more likely to be ruled by his head than his heart. After counseling many Latter-day Saints who desired to marry outside the faith, he concluded the following about marriage:
Some persons rush into marriage hastily and inconsiderately, with no other consideration than that they call love, which frequently brings misery and unhappiness. We have to tell them what is wrong in relation to this principle. It would be unwise and unpleasant for an Elder in Israel to perform a marriage ceremony that could not be acknowledged in heaven. … Concerning marriage, it must be an important matter for God to teach and command obedience to it. What constitutes its importance? In the first place a man cannot have an exaltation without a wife. It was some years before I learned the fact that I could not do much good without a wife and without posterity. I therefore concluded to marry. And you ladies cannot wear a celestial crown without a husband; if you happen to get a husband who is not entitled to a crown, what are you going to do? If I were a lady I should be careful whom I married: I should want to be pretty sure that the man tried to live his religion as revealed to us. Young folks generally marry because they love, sometimes because they are pretty. It is said that beauty is 'Only skin deep,' and I believe it is so, it will shortly fade away. We should be reasonable on this subject, as well as on others; but when a person is love struck, there is no reason in them. We should never be struck very bad. We should love so that we could throw him off at any time if he does not do right. ... When we marry it should be for time and eternity. I have thought many times that if a man or woman could get the Lord to tell them who to marry they would do well, if not, I would do the best I could. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Elder Rich also saw visions, just as many of the brethren did. “I remember once being sick, but I scarcely realized that I was sick, for my mind was bright and active. During the night the spirit rested upon me, and the principles of the millennium were opened up to me. It seemed to me that all was happiness and union.” (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
He definitely felt the weight of his calling. Elder Rich was very concerned that the saints not fall prey to receiving revelation from the wrong source.
It is a serious thing to say the Lord has spoken through us if he has not. To say thus saith the Lord, when the Lord has not spoken, would subject us to his wrath and displeasure. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. If we receive revelations we should be sure they are not leading us outside of our duties, but tend to our instruction and improvement and lead us to perform those duties devolving upon us. (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Despite being a Church leader himself, Elder Rich was humble enough to also take counsel from those in authority. He said, “If I were counseled to leave Bear Lake Valley I would leave. It is right for me to be governed by counsel, and if it is right for me it is right for you also, for this principle will apply to us all.” (Volume 19 1877, Nov 11, 1877)
Elder Rich hated missing conferences.
Severe indisposition prevented me from being present at last fall Conference, but I am thankful that I am present now. I always rejoice to be at Conference, or at any meeting with the Saints. I love to see and talk to them, and I love to hear others talk, and I love to use my influence to move forward and build up the cause of Zion, and to establish righteousness on the earth. We all ought to cultivate this kind of feeling and principle. We never need be afraid if we are doing right, but fear only to do wrong. (Volume 12 1867, Apr 8, 1867)
His final goal was to attain exaltation and eternal life. No other goal was good enough.
What, then will be the situation of those who remain single, and do not attain to an exaltation? We learn from the revelations that they will be angels. Some people think that angels are the most exalted and glorious beings in the eternal world; but this is a mistake. If it will satisfy any of you to receive that glory it will not satisfy me. (Volume 19 1877, Feb 10, 1878)
… would it not be well for us, as Latter-day Saints, to also imagine, if we can, our feelings if through unworthiness on our part we should find ourselves in the next world disappointed. I think that when we consider these things, that compared with our eternal happiness everything else is small and of little moment. (Volume 19 1877, May 12, 1877)
He felt that our task in this life is to endure to the end. He truly rejoiced in revealed truth.
I feel to rejoice in the principles of the Gospel that the Lord has revealed to us, and that, many years ago I had the privilege of hearing and obeying them. I can say that, from that time until the present, I have never had the first moment's sorrow because of anything that I have been called to pass through in connection with the Gospel, and I hope I never shall. My experience in this cause and kingdom has been a source of continual rejoicing, and I believe it will be so to the end. I trust brethren and sisters that this is also your experience, and that you and I may continue faithful to the end, that we may be counted worthy of the privilege of mingling with the great company of the sanctified and just whom we have heard spoken of this morning, and that with them we may receive a crown of glory and immortality. (Volume 17 1874, Oct 11, 1874)
He believed our work in this life was never finished as long as we were still alive.
We should never tire of doing good. I once met a man who had reached the years of seventy. He thought he was free, he thought he had labored enough. Now, I do not feel so. I do not think we should feel so, if we live to be a thousand years old. I think we should feel to exert ourselves to accomplish all that the Lord requires of us both in time and eternity. (Rich 1880, 29)
One of his final testimonies was born as follows:
I can say now, as I have often said before you and before the world, that I know for myself that God has established his kingdom on the earth in these days, and that he requires obedience to the laws of his kingdom and that he not only requires it, but that it is our duty to willingly and gladly submit to his will whatever it may be, for he can require nothing of us only that which will be for our good, and that, too, which we must perform in order to purify ourselves to enter into the Celestial kingdom. (Volume 19 1877, Jun 30, 1878)
John Henry Evans, his biographer, wrote of him:
Charles Coulson Rich could preach a sermon, drill an army, shoe an ox, govern a college, build factories in the wilderness and run them on a divedend-paying basis, lay plans and make laws for a great commonwealth. As missionary [sic] he carried his religion through much of Europe and brought hundred of converts overseas to the American Southwest. ("Charles Coulson Rich" 1936, 584)
Conclusion
So what kind of a man was Charles C. Rich? Looking at his life, one can see that he was always ready to serve wherever he was called. He was called to colonize and serve missions in various places across the globe and no matter how remote the destination, Elder Rich willingly and immediately agreed to serve in the desired capacity.
It seems that one over-arching theme connects the important topics of his talks. That is obedience. He felt it of utmost importance to obey the Lord, to obey his Church leaders, to obey his conscience of what he knew to be right. He was the kind of man who lived what he preached. What he said were not just empty words. If he knew it to be true, he obeyed the principle himself. Elder Rich was a generous man. One who looked out for the poor. One who helped people make sound decisions. One who relied on the Lord for direction. One who studied out gospel concepts before taking them to the Lord (such as the millennium). One who rejoiced at being alive.
n.d. "Biographies." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
Chase, Randal S. 2013. Church History Study Guide, Pt. 3 Making Precious Things Plain. Kindle Edition. Vol. 6. Washington, Utah: Plain and Precious Publishing.
2003. Church History in the Fulness of Times, Student Manual. Salt Lake City: Church Educational System Curriculum.
Flake, Lawrence R. 2001. Prophets and Apostles of the Last Dispensation. Provo, Utah: Religious Studies Center Brigham Young University.
Jenson, Andrew. 1899. Church Chronology. A Record of Important Events. Second Edition. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News.
—. 1901. Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia. Vol. 1. Salt Lake City: The Andrew Jenson History Company.
Rich, Charles C. 1880. Fiftieth Annual Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Salt Lake City: Deseret News Printing and Publishing Establishment. 27-29.
Roberts, B. H. n.d. Comprehensive History of the Church. Kindle Edition. Librainia.
Smith, Joseph. 1902. History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 7 vols. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret News. Accessed January 13, 2015. https://archive.org/details/historyofchurcho01robe.
The Contributor. 1883. "Charles C. Rich." December: 114-115.
The Deseret News. 1883. "Funeral of Apostle Charles C. Rich." December 5: 726.
The Relief Society Magazine. 1936. ""Charles Coulson Rich"." September: 584.
1862. "Volume 10." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1867. "Volume 12." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1874. "Volume 17." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1877. "Volume 19." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.
1857. "Volume 4." In The Complete Journal of Discourses: Latter-Day Saint Reference Edition.