John R. Winder
Born: 11 December 1821
Called as Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric: 8 April 1887
Called as First Counselor in the First Presidency: 17 October 1901 (Joseph F. Smith)
Died: 27 March 1910
Called as Second Counselor in the Presiding Bishopric: 8 April 1887
Called as First Counselor in the First Presidency: 17 October 1901 (Joseph F. Smith)
Died: 27 March 1910
Biographical Articles
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 1
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 3
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Juvenile Instructor, 15 October 1901, Lives of Our Leaders - The Presiding Bishopric: Bishop John R. Winder
Young Woman's Journal, January 1908, President John R. Winder - Eighty-six
Improvement Era, December 1909, President John R. Winder
Improvement Era, December 1909, President John R. Winder
Improvement Era, May 1910, President John R. Winder
Improvement Era, May 1910, Tribute of the General Board YMMIA to President Winder
Juvenile Instructor, May 1910, President John R. Winder
Juvenile Instructor, May 1910, John R. Winder: An Appreciation
Young Woman's Journal, May 1910, John Rex Winder
Young Woman's Journal, October 1915, Conversion of John R. Winder
Young Woman's Journal, February 1917, The Glorious Youthfulness of a Grand Old Age
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 3
Biographical Encyclopedia, Volume 4
Juvenile Instructor, 15 October 1901, Lives of Our Leaders - The Presiding Bishopric: Bishop John R. Winder
Young Woman's Journal, January 1908, President John R. Winder - Eighty-six
Improvement Era, December 1909, President John R. Winder
Improvement Era, December 1909, President John R. Winder
Improvement Era, May 1910, President John R. Winder
Improvement Era, May 1910, Tribute of the General Board YMMIA to President Winder
Juvenile Instructor, May 1910, President John R. Winder
Juvenile Instructor, May 1910, John R. Winder: An Appreciation
Young Woman's Journal, May 1910, John Rex Winder
Young Woman's Journal, October 1915, Conversion of John R. Winder
Young Woman's Journal, February 1917, The Glorious Youthfulness of a Grand Old Age
Jenson, Andrew. "Winder, John Rex." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 1. pg. 244-246.
WINDER, John Rex, second counselor to Presiding Bishop Wm. B. Preston since 1886, was born at Biddenden, county of Kent, England, Dec. 11, 1820. He received a very limited education, and when about twenty years of age, he went to London, where he obtained a situation in a West End shoe store; he married Ellen Walters Nov. 24, 1845. Nearly two years later he went to Liverpool, where he resided the next five years. One day in July, 1848, while in the store, he picked up a small piece of paper, a fragment of a torn-up letter, on which were written the words "Latter-day Saints." He wondered what it meant, for he had never seen or heard the name before. He asked one of the clerks about it, and was told that there was a church in America by that name, that they were called Mormons, that they had a Prophet named Joseph Smith and that there was a branch of the Church that held meetings in the Music Hall, Bold Street, Liverpool. "This," says Bishop Winder, "was the first I ever heard of the Latter-day Saints or Mormons. I went to their meeting, crept up a back stairs and peeped through the banisters. Elder Orson Spencer was preaching on the first principles of the gospel. I thought he knew I was there, for every word he said, seemed to be expressly for my benefit. I began to examine into the principles taught, soon became convinced of their truth and was baptized Sept. 20, 1848, by Elder Thomas D. Brown. On the 15th of the following month my wife was baptized by Apostle Orson Pratt. "We were associated with the Liverpool branch until February, 1853, when we left for Salt Lake City, sailing on the ship 'Elvira Owen.' We had three children living and one dead, two of the former being twin daughters, then about four months old. When about ten days out from Liverpool, I was taken down with the smallpox, having caught it from a child who brought it on board at starting and was in the next apartment of the ship. I was the first to discover it. Soon, however, five others were found to have the disease. A small house was built on deck and we were all quarantined. Thus my wife was left with her twin babes to care for, without my assistance, and this was no small task on ship-board. A few days later, in the evening about nine o'clock, Brother William Jones, a young man lying next to me, died, and in a short time the sailors took him out and cast him into the sea. As I lay there pondering over the situation. I heard the sailors say, 'we will have him next,' meaning me. I did not believe what they said. I had a living faith that I would recover and get to Zion. There were only five cases on board and only one death." Arriving at Keokuk, Iowa via New Orleans and St. Louis. Elder Winder, who had fully recovered his health, joined Joseph W. Young's company, and with his family crossed the plains, arriving at Salt Lake City on the 10th of October, 1853. Soon after his arrival there he engaged in business with Samuel Mulliner in the manufacture of saddles, boots and shoes, and also in conducting a tannery. In 1855 he entered into partnership with William Jennings, proprietor of the Meat Market Tannery and manufacturer of boots, shoes, saddles, harness, etc. He continued in this business until after the return from "The Move," in July, 1858. Prior to this he had become prominent as a military man, having joined the Nauvoo Legion in 1855. He was captain of a company of lancers, and was in Echo Canyon during the fall and winter of 1857- 58, being left with fifty men to guard the canyon and its approaches after Johnston's army had gone into winter quarters at Fort Bridger and General Wells and Colonel Burton had returned to the city. Matters having quieted down, he was relieved of vidette duty about Christmas time, Major H. S. Beatie taking his place at "Camp Weber." Soon again, however, he was in the saddle. On the 8th of March, 1858, he raised eighty-five mounted men and accompanied General George D. Grant through Tooele county and on to the Great Desert, in pursuit of a band of Indians, who had stolen a large number of horses from settlers in Tooele. The pursuing party was caught in a storm on the desert, lost the trail of the Indians and returned to Salt Lake City, soon after which Captain Winder was called with a company of men to take charge of the defenses in Echo canyon. He remained there until peace was declared. Having dissolved partnership with William Jennings, Mr. Winder formed another partnership with President Brigham Young and Feramorz Little, and built a tannery on Parley's Canyon creek. While engaged in this business, he purchased his present home, Poplar Farm, and commenced farming and stock raising, pursuits in which he has always taken great delight. When the native bark for tanning became scarce, and they were unable to compete with importations, the tanning business was suspended. During the three years—1865-6- 7—Captain Winder was engaged in the Blackhawk Indian war in Sanpete county, part of the time as aid to General Wells, and in 1868 he collected and made up the accounts of the expenses of the war, amounting to $1,100,000. This claim was submitted to Congress by Delegate William H. Hooper, but has never yet been paid. In 1870, John R. Winder was appointed assessor and collector of Salt Lake City, which position he held for fourteen consecutive years. He served three terms in the city council, from 1872 to 1878. In 1884 he resigned as assessor and collector and was appointed water master of the city, occupying that position until April, 1877, when he retired from it to enter upon his labors as second counselor to Presiding Bishop Wm. B. Preston, to which office he was set apart on the 25th of that month, by President George Q. Cannon and Apostle Franklin D. Richards. In April, 1892, when the great Salt Lake Temple was approaching completion (the design being to finish the structure and have it ready for dedication in April, 1893, forty years from the time of its inception). Bishop Winder was given special charge of the work of completion, and discharged that duty with characteristic energy and zeal. He was a liberal donor to the fund which met the heavy expenses entailed by the work, and after the dedication was appointed and set apart, in May 1893, as first assistant to Pres. Lorenzo Snow, in charge of the Temple That position he still holds. During the dedication ceremonies President Joseph F. smith referred in term, of great commendation to the faithful, persistent and efficient labors of Bishop Winder in his superintendency of the sacred edifice, and pronounced a blessing upon him for time and eternity For many years prior to these later appointments. Bishop Winder held important ecclesiastical positions. In 1854 he was ordained a Seventy and in 1855 became one of the Presidents of the 12th quorum of Seventy. March 4th 1872, he was ordained a High Priest by Presiding Bishop Edward Hunter and was set apart to take charge of the Fourteenth ward Salt Lake City, during the absence of Bishop Thomas Taylor on a mission. He subsequently acted for a season as Bishop Taylor’s first counselor. In April 1872, he became a member of the High Council of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion. In addition to the secular offices previously mentioned, he has held the following positions: Lieutenant-Colonel, First Regiment Cavalry, Nauvoo Legion, United States Gauger in the in the Internal Revenue Department, and a director since 1856 in the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. He was a member of one of the early Constitutional conventions held in Utah. During the old political regime, he was for a long time chairman of the Territorial and County Central committees of the People’s party. He was a director in the Utah Iron Manufacturing Company, and is now a Director in the Utah Sugar Company; also in the more recently established Ogden sugar company. He president of the Deseret Investment company, a director in Z. C. M. I., in the Deseret National Bank and in the Deseret Savings Bank. He was vice-president of the Pioneer Electric Company, and is now president and director in the Union Light and Power Company. As may well be imagined Colonel Winder's life has been a most busy and withal a very useful one. lie is a walking encyclopedia of general information on Utah affairs, much of which pertains to times fast passing beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant. In business he is known as a "rustler." He is sensitive, quick to think, speak and act, but when not burdened with care is full of jovial good nature. Honorable in his dealings, successful in his undertakings, he is eminently a good citizen, devoted to his religion and to the general interests of the people of the State. His first wife, Mrs. Ellen Walters Winder, a faithful and amiable companion, died November 7, 1892. She was the mother of ten children, six of whom are living. On the 28th of October, 1893. Bishop Winder married his present wife, also an estimable lady, who was Miss Maria Burnham, of Fruitland, New Mexico. By a former wife, now dead, to whom he was united in marriage in 1856. he is the father of ten children, all living. At the advanced age of eighty years. Bishop Winder is in good health, active in the performance of his duties, and seems to enjoy life as much as he did in the clays of his youth and prime.—Orson F. Whitney.
WINDER, John Rex, second counselor to Presiding Bishop Wm. B. Preston since 1886, was born at Biddenden, county of Kent, England, Dec. 11, 1820. He received a very limited education, and when about twenty years of age, he went to London, where he obtained a situation in a West End shoe store; he married Ellen Walters Nov. 24, 1845. Nearly two years later he went to Liverpool, where he resided the next five years. One day in July, 1848, while in the store, he picked up a small piece of paper, a fragment of a torn-up letter, on which were written the words "Latter-day Saints." He wondered what it meant, for he had never seen or heard the name before. He asked one of the clerks about it, and was told that there was a church in America by that name, that they were called Mormons, that they had a Prophet named Joseph Smith and that there was a branch of the Church that held meetings in the Music Hall, Bold Street, Liverpool. "This," says Bishop Winder, "was the first I ever heard of the Latter-day Saints or Mormons. I went to their meeting, crept up a back stairs and peeped through the banisters. Elder Orson Spencer was preaching on the first principles of the gospel. I thought he knew I was there, for every word he said, seemed to be expressly for my benefit. I began to examine into the principles taught, soon became convinced of their truth and was baptized Sept. 20, 1848, by Elder Thomas D. Brown. On the 15th of the following month my wife was baptized by Apostle Orson Pratt. "We were associated with the Liverpool branch until February, 1853, when we left for Salt Lake City, sailing on the ship 'Elvira Owen.' We had three children living and one dead, two of the former being twin daughters, then about four months old. When about ten days out from Liverpool, I was taken down with the smallpox, having caught it from a child who brought it on board at starting and was in the next apartment of the ship. I was the first to discover it. Soon, however, five others were found to have the disease. A small house was built on deck and we were all quarantined. Thus my wife was left with her twin babes to care for, without my assistance, and this was no small task on ship-board. A few days later, in the evening about nine o'clock, Brother William Jones, a young man lying next to me, died, and in a short time the sailors took him out and cast him into the sea. As I lay there pondering over the situation. I heard the sailors say, 'we will have him next,' meaning me. I did not believe what they said. I had a living faith that I would recover and get to Zion. There were only five cases on board and only one death." Arriving at Keokuk, Iowa via New Orleans and St. Louis. Elder Winder, who had fully recovered his health, joined Joseph W. Young's company, and with his family crossed the plains, arriving at Salt Lake City on the 10th of October, 1853. Soon after his arrival there he engaged in business with Samuel Mulliner in the manufacture of saddles, boots and shoes, and also in conducting a tannery. In 1855 he entered into partnership with William Jennings, proprietor of the Meat Market Tannery and manufacturer of boots, shoes, saddles, harness, etc. He continued in this business until after the return from "The Move," in July, 1858. Prior to this he had become prominent as a military man, having joined the Nauvoo Legion in 1855. He was captain of a company of lancers, and was in Echo Canyon during the fall and winter of 1857- 58, being left with fifty men to guard the canyon and its approaches after Johnston's army had gone into winter quarters at Fort Bridger and General Wells and Colonel Burton had returned to the city. Matters having quieted down, he was relieved of vidette duty about Christmas time, Major H. S. Beatie taking his place at "Camp Weber." Soon again, however, he was in the saddle. On the 8th of March, 1858, he raised eighty-five mounted men and accompanied General George D. Grant through Tooele county and on to the Great Desert, in pursuit of a band of Indians, who had stolen a large number of horses from settlers in Tooele. The pursuing party was caught in a storm on the desert, lost the trail of the Indians and returned to Salt Lake City, soon after which Captain Winder was called with a company of men to take charge of the defenses in Echo canyon. He remained there until peace was declared. Having dissolved partnership with William Jennings, Mr. Winder formed another partnership with President Brigham Young and Feramorz Little, and built a tannery on Parley's Canyon creek. While engaged in this business, he purchased his present home, Poplar Farm, and commenced farming and stock raising, pursuits in which he has always taken great delight. When the native bark for tanning became scarce, and they were unable to compete with importations, the tanning business was suspended. During the three years—1865-6- 7—Captain Winder was engaged in the Blackhawk Indian war in Sanpete county, part of the time as aid to General Wells, and in 1868 he collected and made up the accounts of the expenses of the war, amounting to $1,100,000. This claim was submitted to Congress by Delegate William H. Hooper, but has never yet been paid. In 1870, John R. Winder was appointed assessor and collector of Salt Lake City, which position he held for fourteen consecutive years. He served three terms in the city council, from 1872 to 1878. In 1884 he resigned as assessor and collector and was appointed water master of the city, occupying that position until April, 1877, when he retired from it to enter upon his labors as second counselor to Presiding Bishop Wm. B. Preston, to which office he was set apart on the 25th of that month, by President George Q. Cannon and Apostle Franklin D. Richards. In April, 1892, when the great Salt Lake Temple was approaching completion (the design being to finish the structure and have it ready for dedication in April, 1893, forty years from the time of its inception). Bishop Winder was given special charge of the work of completion, and discharged that duty with characteristic energy and zeal. He was a liberal donor to the fund which met the heavy expenses entailed by the work, and after the dedication was appointed and set apart, in May 1893, as first assistant to Pres. Lorenzo Snow, in charge of the Temple That position he still holds. During the dedication ceremonies President Joseph F. smith referred in term, of great commendation to the faithful, persistent and efficient labors of Bishop Winder in his superintendency of the sacred edifice, and pronounced a blessing upon him for time and eternity For many years prior to these later appointments. Bishop Winder held important ecclesiastical positions. In 1854 he was ordained a Seventy and in 1855 became one of the Presidents of the 12th quorum of Seventy. March 4th 1872, he was ordained a High Priest by Presiding Bishop Edward Hunter and was set apart to take charge of the Fourteenth ward Salt Lake City, during the absence of Bishop Thomas Taylor on a mission. He subsequently acted for a season as Bishop Taylor’s first counselor. In April 1872, he became a member of the High Council of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion. In addition to the secular offices previously mentioned, he has held the following positions: Lieutenant-Colonel, First Regiment Cavalry, Nauvoo Legion, United States Gauger in the in the Internal Revenue Department, and a director since 1856 in the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. He was a member of one of the early Constitutional conventions held in Utah. During the old political regime, he was for a long time chairman of the Territorial and County Central committees of the People’s party. He was a director in the Utah Iron Manufacturing Company, and is now a Director in the Utah Sugar Company; also in the more recently established Ogden sugar company. He president of the Deseret Investment company, a director in Z. C. M. I., in the Deseret National Bank and in the Deseret Savings Bank. He was vice-president of the Pioneer Electric Company, and is now president and director in the Union Light and Power Company. As may well be imagined Colonel Winder's life has been a most busy and withal a very useful one. lie is a walking encyclopedia of general information on Utah affairs, much of which pertains to times fast passing beyond the memory of the oldest inhabitant. In business he is known as a "rustler." He is sensitive, quick to think, speak and act, but when not burdened with care is full of jovial good nature. Honorable in his dealings, successful in his undertakings, he is eminently a good citizen, devoted to his religion and to the general interests of the people of the State. His first wife, Mrs. Ellen Walters Winder, a faithful and amiable companion, died November 7, 1892. She was the mother of ten children, six of whom are living. On the 28th of October, 1893. Bishop Winder married his present wife, also an estimable lady, who was Miss Maria Burnham, of Fruitland, New Mexico. By a former wife, now dead, to whom he was united in marriage in 1856. he is the father of ten children, all living. At the advanced age of eighty years. Bishop Winder is in good health, active in the performance of his duties, and seems to enjoy life as much as he did in the clays of his youth and prime.—Orson F. Whitney.
Jenson, Andrew. "Winder, John R." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 3. pg. 795-796.
WINDER, John Rex. (Continued from Vol. 1:244.) After the death of President Lorenzo Snow, the First Presidency of the Church was reorganized Oct. 17, 1901, with Joseph F. Smith as president and John R. Winder as first and Anthon H. Lund as second counselor. After his long experience as a financial and military leader, Bro. Winder at once became a wise and able counselor to the president of the Church, being a man of good judgment. As he was somewhat advanced in years, he did not travel very extensively in the Stakes of Zion, but was seen nearly every day at his desk in the office of the First Presidency and in the Salt Lake Temple, of which he was president. He died in Salt Lake City March 27, 1910. The "Deseret Evening News" of March 28, 1910, commented as follows upon the demise of President John R. Winder: "The retirement of President John R. Winder from this field of earthly action is like the setting of the sun after a glorious day of victory for the right. Few men, we apprehend, have done better what they have set themselves to accomplish in life than the venerable leader whose departure all Israel mourns today. He was an exemplification of that stirring and sacred injunction: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might.' He did not work at anything a little, but with his whole heart. With him, whatever was worth doing, was worth doing well. And his life is a proof of the excellence of the principle that seemed to be his guiding star. He was an optimist—a cheerful, sanguine, fearless and straight-forward man. There was no guile in his words or ways, no deception or subterfuge in any trait of his strong, hearty and wholesome character. This combination of simplicity and strength, cheerfulness and firmness, of modesty and power—these are the marks by which all-around greatness in man is always recognized. He was singularly well balanced, never erratic, never going to extremes. Pure of soul, clean of speech, free from any vice, temperate to abstemiousness, a sound, wholesome body, a clear, vigorous mind, a sweet, generous and sympathetic disposition— this mere enumeration of his well known traits indicates the monument which, with his own labor, he has built for himself in the hearts of the people who knew him. * * * The judgment of President Joseph F. Smith, who knew Bro. Winder as few others could know him, is well worth remembering. They were soldiers together in the memorable Echo Canyon war, in the winter of 1857-1858. They were fellow-members of the city council. While President Winder was assessor and collector for Salt Lake county, while he was a member of the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, and finally as a member of the First Presidency, President Smith would have learned to know him as he really was. His testimony, therefore, given at President Winder's birthday reunion, Dec. 11, 1893, may be taken as conclusive. He remarked that President Winder was 'a superior man, a man of unquestioned integrity, a man of meekness and humility, of gentleness of character, mildness of work and speech, always kind, always affable, always considerate of others, and in every way fitted for every position in which President Smith had ever seen him called to act.' Of similar import was the testimony of President Anthon H. Lund to the effect that in his work in the quorum of the First Presidency, he was 'indeed like a cheering ray of sunshine when he came into the office after quitting work in the Temple.' Similarly, his statements as to President Winder's remarkable strength in performing the duties of his high calling, while then approaching the nineties in the year of his life, serve also to show how God had blessed and honored a faithful servant."
WINDER, John Rex. (Continued from Vol. 1:244.) After the death of President Lorenzo Snow, the First Presidency of the Church was reorganized Oct. 17, 1901, with Joseph F. Smith as president and John R. Winder as first and Anthon H. Lund as second counselor. After his long experience as a financial and military leader, Bro. Winder at once became a wise and able counselor to the president of the Church, being a man of good judgment. As he was somewhat advanced in years, he did not travel very extensively in the Stakes of Zion, but was seen nearly every day at his desk in the office of the First Presidency and in the Salt Lake Temple, of which he was president. He died in Salt Lake City March 27, 1910. The "Deseret Evening News" of March 28, 1910, commented as follows upon the demise of President John R. Winder: "The retirement of President John R. Winder from this field of earthly action is like the setting of the sun after a glorious day of victory for the right. Few men, we apprehend, have done better what they have set themselves to accomplish in life than the venerable leader whose departure all Israel mourns today. He was an exemplification of that stirring and sacred injunction: "Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do with thy might.' He did not work at anything a little, but with his whole heart. With him, whatever was worth doing, was worth doing well. And his life is a proof of the excellence of the principle that seemed to be his guiding star. He was an optimist—a cheerful, sanguine, fearless and straight-forward man. There was no guile in his words or ways, no deception or subterfuge in any trait of his strong, hearty and wholesome character. This combination of simplicity and strength, cheerfulness and firmness, of modesty and power—these are the marks by which all-around greatness in man is always recognized. He was singularly well balanced, never erratic, never going to extremes. Pure of soul, clean of speech, free from any vice, temperate to abstemiousness, a sound, wholesome body, a clear, vigorous mind, a sweet, generous and sympathetic disposition— this mere enumeration of his well known traits indicates the monument which, with his own labor, he has built for himself in the hearts of the people who knew him. * * * The judgment of President Joseph F. Smith, who knew Bro. Winder as few others could know him, is well worth remembering. They were soldiers together in the memorable Echo Canyon war, in the winter of 1857-1858. They were fellow-members of the city council. While President Winder was assessor and collector for Salt Lake county, while he was a member of the Presiding Bishopric of the Church, and finally as a member of the First Presidency, President Smith would have learned to know him as he really was. His testimony, therefore, given at President Winder's birthday reunion, Dec. 11, 1893, may be taken as conclusive. He remarked that President Winder was 'a superior man, a man of unquestioned integrity, a man of meekness and humility, of gentleness of character, mildness of work and speech, always kind, always affable, always considerate of others, and in every way fitted for every position in which President Smith had ever seen him called to act.' Of similar import was the testimony of President Anthon H. Lund to the effect that in his work in the quorum of the First Presidency, he was 'indeed like a cheering ray of sunshine when he came into the office after quitting work in the Temple.' Similarly, his statements as to President Winder's remarkable strength in performing the duties of his high calling, while then approaching the nineties in the year of his life, serve also to show how God had blessed and honored a faithful servant."
Jenson, Andrew. "Winder, John R." Biographical Encyclopedia. Volume 4. pg. 251.
WINDER, John R., a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. from 1909 to 1910, died March 27, 1910. (See Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 244, and Vol. 3, p. 795.)
WINDER, John R., a member of the General Board of Y. M. M. I. A. from 1909 to 1910, died March 27, 1910. (See Biographical Encyclopedia, Vol. 1, p. 244, and Vol. 3, p. 795.)
O. F. W. "Lives of Our Leaders - The Presiding Bishopric: Bishop John R. Winder." Juvenile Instructor. 15 October 1901. pg. 608-612.
LIVES OF OUR LEADERS.—THE PRESIDING BISHOPRIC. BISHOP JOHN R. WINDER. A LITTLE key may open a large lock; a heavy portal turn upon a very small hinge. What we deem chance may be destiny; what we term accident, design. These axiomatic truths find a striking exemplification in the experience of Bishop John R. Winder at the time that he embraced Mormonism in his far off native land, thus paving the way for his subsequent rise to prominence as a citizen of Utah and a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter- day Saints. Little dreamed he before taking that important step, that he was destined to leave his native land and participate as a pioneer worker in the building up of this western commonwealth. As little did he imagine, even after joining the Church, that he would some day occupy his present position as one of its Presiding Bishopric. In civic, military and ecclesiastical life he has held various high and responsible positions, and has invariably acquitted himself to the acceptance of his official superiors and to the satisfaction of his fellow-citizens in general. That it was in him to do this wherever his lot might be cast, is unquestionable; at the same time it was his espousal of Mormonism and his emigration to Utah that opened to him opportunities which he might never have had elsewhere and out of which his useful and honorable career has been created. That career hinged upon what most men would call an accident, but which the Bishop himself recognizes as a manifestation of the overruling providence of God. John Rex Winder, son of Richard and Sophia Winder, was born at Biddenden, Kent, England, on the 11th of December, 1821. His parents were members of the Church of England, in which their son was baptized (sprinkled) when an infant. At the age of fourteen, he was confirmed a member of that church under the hands of the archbishop of Canterbury. He received a very limited education, and early in life had to depend upon his own exertions. When about twenty years of age, he went to London, where he obtained a situation in a West End shoe store. On November 24th, 1845, he married, the maiden name of his wife being Ellen Walters. Nearly two years later a gentleman by the name of Collinson came to the store in search of a man to take charge of his establishment in Liverpool. Mr. Winder agreed to go, and in August, 1847, filled his engagement, taking the position offered him in that city, where he resided during the next five or six years. One day in July, 1848, while in the store, he picked up a small piece of paper, a fragment of a torn-up letter, on which were written the words “Latter-day Saints.” He wondered what it meant, for he had never seen or heard the name before. He asked one of the clerks about it, and was told that there was a church in America by that name; that they were also called Mormons, that they had a Prophet named Joseph Smith, and that there was a branch of the Church that held meetings in the Music Hall, Bold street, Liverpool. «This,» says Bishop Winder, «was the first I ever heard of the Latter-day Saints, or Mormons. I went to their meeting, crept up the back stairs and peeped through the banisters. Elder Orson Spencer was preaching on the first principles of the Gospel. I thought he knew I was there, for every word he said seemed to be expressly for my benefit. I began to examine into the principles taught, soon became convinced of their truth, and was baptized September 20th, 1848. by Elder Thomas D. Brown. On the 15th of the following month my wife was baptized by Apostle Orson Pratt. «We were associated with the Liverpool branch until February, 1853; when we left for Salt Lake City, sailing on the ship Elvira Owen. We had three children living and one dead, two of the former being twin daughters, then about four months old. «When about ten days out from Liverpool, I was taken down with smallpox, having c aught it from a child who brought it on board at starting and who was in the next apartment of the ship. I was the first to discover it. Soon, however, five others were found to have the disease. A small house was built on deck and we were all quarantined. Thus my wife was left with her twin babies to care for, without any assistance; and this was no small task on shipboard. «A few days later, in the evening about 9 o'clock, Brother William Jones, a young man lying next to me, died, and in a short time the sailors took him out and cast him into the sea. As I lay there pondering over the situation, I heard the sailors say, "We will have him next," meaning me. I did not believe what they said. I had a living faith that I would recover and get to Zion. There were only five cases on board and only one death.» Arriving at Keokuk, Iowa, via New Orleans and St. Louis, Brother Winder, who had fully recovered his health, joined Elder Joseph W. Young's company, and with his family crossed the plains, arriving at Salt Lake city on the 10th of October, 1853. Soon after his arrival here he engaged in business with Samuel Mulliner in the manufacture of saddles, boots and shoes, and also in conducting a tannery. In 1855 he entered into partnership with William Jennings, proprietor of the Meat Market, tannery, and manufacturer of boots, shoes, saddles, harness, etc. He continued in this business until after the return from «The Move,» in July, 1858. Prior to this he had become prominent as a military man, having joined the Nauvoo Legion in 1855. He was captain of a company of lancers, and was in Echo Canyon during the fall and winter of 1857 8, being left with fifty men to guard the canyon and its approaches after Johnston's army had gone into winter quarters at Fort Bridger, and General D. H. Wells and Colonel R. T. Burton had returned to the city. Captain Winder's letter of instructions from General Wells may be found on page 661 of the first volume of Whitney's History of Utah. The following is an extract from that letter: Be vigilant, active, and energetic, and observe good order, discipline and wisdom in all your works, that good may be the result. Remember that to you is entrusted for the time being the duty of standing between Israel and their foes, and as you would like to repose in peace and safety while others are on the watch-tower, so now while in the performance of this duty do you observe the same care, vigilance and activity, which you would desire of others when they come to take your place. * * * Praying the Lord to bless and preserve you in life, health and strength, and wisdom and power to accomplish every duty incumbent upon you and bring peace to Israel. Matters having quieted down, Captain Winder was relieved of vidette duty about Christmas time, Major H. S. Beatie taking his place at Camp Weber. Soon again, however, he was in the saddle. On March 8th, 1858, he raised eighty-five mounted men and accompanied General Geo. D. Grant through Tooele County and on to the Great Desert, in pursuit of a band of Indians, who had stolen a large number of horses from settlers in Tooele. The pursuing party was caught in a snowstorm on the desert, lost the trail of the Indians and returned to Salt Lake City, soon after which Captain Winder was called with a company of men to take charge of the defenses in Echo Canyon. He remained there until peace was declared. Having dissolved partnership with William Jennings, he formed another partnership with President Brigham Young and Feramorz Little, and built a tannery on Parley's Canyon creek. While engaged in this business he purchased his present home, Poplar Farm, and commenced farming and stockraising, pursuits in which he has always taken great delight. When the native bark for tanning became scarce, and they were unable to compete with importations, the tanning business was suspended. During the three years—1865-6-7 Captain Winder was engaged in the Black Hawk Indian war in Sanpete County, part of the time as aid to General Wells; and in 1868, as assistant adjutant general, he collected and made up the accounts of the expenses of the war, amounting to $1,100,000. This claim was submitted to Congress by Delegate William H. Hooper, but has never yet been paid. In 1870 Brother Winder was appointed assessor and collector of Salt Lake City, which position he held for' fourteen consecutive [years. He [served three terms in the city council, from 1872 to 1878. In 1884 he resigned as assessor and collector, and was appointed watermaster of the city, occupying that position until April, 1887, when he retired from it to enter upon his labors as second counselor to Presiding Bishop Preston, to which office he was set apart on the 25th of that month, by President George Q. Cannon and Apostle Franklin D. Richards. In April, 1892, when the Salt Lake Temple was approaching completion (the design being to finish the structure and have it ready for dedication in April, 1893, forty years from the time its foundation stones were laid,) Bishop Winder was given special charge of the work of completion, and he discharged that duty with characteristic energy and zeal. He was a liberal donor to the fund which met the heavy expenses entailed, and after the dedication was appointed and set apart, in May, 1893, as first assistant to President Lorenzo Snow in charge of the Temple. That position he still holds. During the dedication ceremonies President Joseph F. Smith referred in terms of high commendation to the faithful, persistent and efficient labors of Bishop Winder, in his superintendency of the sacred edifice, and pronounced a blessing upon him for time and all eternity. For many years prior to these later appointments he held important ecclesiastical positions. In 1854 he was ordained a Seventy, and in 1855 he became one of the Presidents of the Twelfth quorum of Seventies. March 4th, 1872, he was ordained a High Priest by Presiding Bishop Edward Hunter, and set apart to take charge of the Fourteenth ward, Salt Lake City, during the absence of Bishop Thomas Taylor on a mission. He subsequently acted for a season as Bishop Taylor's first counselor. In April, 1872, he became a member of the High Council of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion. In addition to the secular offices previously mentioned, he has held the following positions: Lieutenant- colonel, first regiment cavalry, Nauvoo Legion; United States gauger in the internal revenue department, and a director, since 1856, of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society, and he was president of that organization from 1872 to 1900, when he resigned. He was a member of one of the early constitutional conventions. During the old political regime, he was for a long time chairman of the Territorial and county central committee of the People's party. He was a director in the Utah Iron Manufacturing Company, and is now a director in the Utah Sugar Company; also in the more recently established Ogden Sugar Company. He is president of the Deseret Investment Company, a director in Z. C. M. I., in the Deseret National Bank, and in the Deseret Savings Bank. He was vice-president of the Pioneer Electric Company, also of the Union Light and Power Company, and is now vice-president and director in the Utah Light and Power Company. As may well be imagined, Bishop Winder's life has been a most busy and withal a very useful one. He is a walking encyclopedia of general information on Utah affairs, much of which pertains to times fast passing beyond the memory of «the oldest inhabitant." In business he is known as a «rustler.» He is sensitive, quick to think, speak and act, but when not burdened with care is full of jovial good nature. Honorable in his dealings, successful in his undertakings, he is eminently a good citizen, devoted to his religion and to the general interests of the people of the state. His first wife, Ellen Walters Winder, died November 7th, 1892. He has had three other wives, one of whom, Sister Maria Burnham Winder, is living, and he is the father of twenty-three children. He has sixty-three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren. At the advanced age of eighty years, Bishop Winder is in good health, active in the performance of his duties, and seems to enjoy life as much as he did in the days of his youth and prime. O. F. W. |
BISHOP JOHN R. WINDER.
|
"President John R. Winder - Eighty-six." Young Woman's Journal. January 1908. pg. 37.
President John R. Winder— Eighty-six.
The Journal congratulates President John R. Winder on having lived to celebrate his eighty-sixth birthday. He has certainly acquired the art of growing old gracefully, if we can say he has grown old, for he is mentally as bright and active as a young man. May health and strength be given to him that his time in the future, as it has been in the past, may be filled with usefulness and good works. God bless him that he may enjoy all the days of his probation here on earth.
President John R. Winder— Eighty-six.
The Journal congratulates President John R. Winder on having lived to celebrate his eighty-sixth birthday. He has certainly acquired the art of growing old gracefully, if we can say he has grown old, for he is mentally as bright and active as a young man. May health and strength be given to him that his time in the future, as it has been in the past, may be filled with usefulness and good works. God bless him that he may enjoy all the days of his probation here on earth.
"President John R. Winder." Improvement Era. December 1909. pg. 152.
PRESIDENT JOHN R. WINDER. Whose 88th anniversary occurs on December 11, was born in Biddenden, Kent, England, in the year 1821. Tens of thousands of Latter-day Saints throughout the world join the Era in wishing the beloved veteran leader many years yet of continued usefulness, with every blessing that his heart desires. |
"President John R. Winder." Improvement Era. December 1909. pg. 176.
President John R. Winder.
Perhaps no man in the Church represents more clearly the follies of Dr. Ostler's alleged generalizations in regard to activity and initiative in old age than the man who stands second in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—President John R. Winder, whose portrait is presented in this issue of the Era. Much of his work in this Church that will live longest has been done since he reached his three-score years and ten. He is eighty-eight years of age on the 11th of this month, and is as active, busy and vigorous in mind and body today as if thirty years were taken from this reckoning. He reads all the Church correspondence, and has missed only one day in attendance at his labors in the Temple in sixteen years; he counsels and assists in the presiding labors of the Church with great vivacity; vigorously walks his mile each day, sleeps quietly, speaks quickly, thinks rapidly and well, and is the trusted friend and associate of President Joseph F. Smith, and his fellow-counselor, President Anthon H. Lund.
A life as fruitful of good works as his, is also full of useful lessons, and becomes an interesting study for the young people of Zion. The Era will later contain a sketch of his life and labors, with a number of illustrations in and about his birthplace in England. We are certain that such a sketch will be of great interest to our readers.
President John R. Winder.
Perhaps no man in the Church represents more clearly the follies of Dr. Ostler's alleged generalizations in regard to activity and initiative in old age than the man who stands second in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—President John R. Winder, whose portrait is presented in this issue of the Era. Much of his work in this Church that will live longest has been done since he reached his three-score years and ten. He is eighty-eight years of age on the 11th of this month, and is as active, busy and vigorous in mind and body today as if thirty years were taken from this reckoning. He reads all the Church correspondence, and has missed only one day in attendance at his labors in the Temple in sixteen years; he counsels and assists in the presiding labors of the Church with great vivacity; vigorously walks his mile each day, sleeps quietly, speaks quickly, thinks rapidly and well, and is the trusted friend and associate of President Joseph F. Smith, and his fellow-counselor, President Anthon H. Lund.
A life as fruitful of good works as his, is also full of useful lessons, and becomes an interesting study for the young people of Zion. The Era will later contain a sketch of his life and labors, with a number of illustrations in and about his birthplace in England. We are certain that such a sketch will be of great interest to our readers.
Anderson, Edward R. "President John R. Winder." Improvement Era. May 1910. pg. 617-627.
President John R. Winder. BY EDWARD H. ANDERSON. In the death of President John R. Winder, a strong man and a remarkable pillar of the Church passed from the activities of this existence to new achievements in the world of spirits. For nearly sixty years he was a familiar figure in Salt Lake City and Utah, and took a leading part in a variety of public interests in our commonwealth. Business, industry, agriculture; civil, political, and military affairs and religious labors, constantly occupied his time and talents. In every capacity he was trustworthy, honest, just, kind, plain in deportment, willing to serve; energetic and loveable, public- spirited, simple in habit and taste, a good and noble man,— a splendid type of the pioneers of Utah, and a faithful Latter-day Saint. He was born in Biddenden, a little village in Kent, just west of Dover, in the southwestern part of England. At the age of twenty, with a very limited education, he set out for London to make his own way in life. In reality he had already done so, because from the day he was old enough, he had been compelled to toil for his own living. A little incident in this his early life was related by him to his band of temple workers, some years ago, which shows his trust in the watchcare of God: I was a poor little boy. I was sent out into the fields to keep the birds off the grain, and it was a very lonely spot, surrounded with woods. (I might say this was a little more than seventy years ago.) Being entirely alone, I was somewhat fearful, and I remember that I was impressed to kneel down in the brush and pray to the Lord that his angels might watch over and protect me from harm. I remember now, just as well as I see your faces, that that was the end of my fear. I also think that that was the beginning of my success in life. Although that spot is many thousand miles distant, and it is more than seventy years ago, I could walk straight to that very spot where I knelt down, and where I received that blessing. Having obtained a situation in a west end shoe store, he labored at this task for about seven years; and in the meantime he married Ellen Walters, November 24, 1845, and later went to Liverpool, where he resided some seven years. It was in this city that he first heard the gospel. The strange circumstance that led him to the Latter-day Saints is best related by himself, as told to his temple friends: The manner in which the gospel came to me was somewhat singular. I was in a store one day, and a person had torn up a letter into very small fragments and thrown it on the floor. I was impressed to pick up a small 'piece of it, and on that piece of paper were the two words, "Latter-day Saint." I looked at it and wondered what it meant. I never had heard of Latter-day Saints, or "Mormons,'' or Joseph Smith, or anything of the kind. I was impressed to take it over and ask the man who was at the desk what it meant. He happened to be a Latter-day Saint, and he went on and told me what it meant, and where these people were meeting in Liverpool, and I attended their meetings. He soon became convinced of the truth, and . was baptized September 20, 1848, by Elder Thomas D. Brown; his wife joined some weeks later, and was baptized by Elder Orson Pratt. They were associated with the Liverpool branch until February, 1853, when they sailed for America, arriving in Salt Lake City, October 10, of that year. Ten days out on the Atlantic, small-pox was discovered among the passengers, and Brother Winder was taken ill with the disease. One young man lying next to him in the quarantined house on deck died, and was cast into the sea; the sailors, referring to Winder, said, "We will have him next." "I did not believe what they said," he stated later, "I had a living faith that I would recover and get to Zion." This abiding faith carried him through many dangers, for on another occasion he said: "Several times I have been snatched, as it were, from death by the hand of the Lord. I know this as well as I stand here." Arriving in Utah, he began business as a tanner, and as a maker of harness, saddles, boots and shoes, associating himself in this work with Samuel Mulliner and William Jennings; and later with Brigham Young and Feramorz Little, in which latter partnership he erected a tannery in Parley's canyon, which was operated until the native bark became so scarce and the competition of importation so strong that they were compelled to abandon the business. Then it was that he purchased his well-known Poplar Farm, south of Salt Lake City, and began the pursuit of farming and stock-raising, in which he took great delight all his days, and succeeded admirably. As to his military activities, he joined the Nauvoo Legion in 1855. This body of militia was perpetuated in Utah because there was need often, in those early days, of protection from the Indians. He was captain of a company of lancers; and, as in all things that he undertook, he did his work here so carefully and well that he soon became prominent in military circles. He was in the Echo canyon war during the fall and winter of 1857-8, where he had charge of fifty men, left to guard the canyon and its approaches after General Wells and Colonel Burton had returned home and Johnston's army had gone into winter quarters at Fort Bridger. Being temporarily relieved of duty about Christmas, it became necessary to call him on an Indian campaign in the West. He raised eighty-five mounted men, and with General George D. Grant, in early March, pursued a band of thieving Indians through Tooele county, and onto the Great Desert. The party was caught in a storm, lost the Indian trail, and returned to Salt Lake City. Only a short time after this, Colonel Winder was called with a company of men to take charge of the defenses in Echo canyon. He remained in service until the unfortunate episode was over and peace was declared. In the Black Hawk war of 1865-6-7, Colonel Winder was a part of the time an aid to General Daniel H. Wells. He collected and made a statement of the accounts of the expenses of this war, amounting to $1,100,000 which was presented later to Congress, but only recently, and after many efforts, has there been hope of recognition. For fourteen years, beginning with 1870, John R. Winder was assessor and collector of Salt Lake City; he served in the city council for three terms, 1872-8; and served also for about three years as watermaster. His religious duties and offices were many and important. In the spring of 1884 he was chosen second counselor to Presiding Bishop W. B. Preston, in which position he acted until October 17, 1901, when he became first counselor to President Joseph F. Smith in the First Presidency of the Church. In the quorums of the priesthood he held nearly every intermediate position, including High Councilor of the Salt Lake Stake of Zion, and was persistently zealous and active in his work. In 1892, at the April conference, it was decided to finish the Salt Lake temple by the next April for dedication, forty years from the day of its beginning. President Wilford Woodruff and his associates looked about for a man who could and would undertake to supervise the accomplishment of the immense task. The man chosen was John R. Winder, and he went about the work with characteristic zeal and determination. People said the work could not be done. Some of the workmen thought so. President Winder said recently, referring to that matter: I never had a doubt in my mind but that it would be accomplished. It never entered my mind that it could not be accomplished. I remember on one occasion, I had heard that some of the brethren at work had said it could not be done; so I called them together in the building. There were two hundred and fifty men. I was standing talking to them, and telling them that if there was a man among them that felt this work could not be accomplished, let him please get his pay and go to work somewhere else. I did not know that President Woodruff was in the house, but it appears that he stood right behind a curtain that was up there, and heard what I said, and throwing aside the curtain he said: "That's right; the work has got to be done, and if there is anybody here that thinks it can't be done, let him leave.'' Characteristic of President Winder, whenever he undertook anything, so in this case, the work was done, done well, and on time. When we remember that he was then past three score and ten, the remarkable activity of the man becomes apparent. This was really the beginning of the period in which his greatest life-work was accomplished. He not only finished the task by his faith, energy and work, but was a liberal donor to the fund which met the heavy expenses of the work, at a time when the Church was heavily involved financially. After the dedication, in April, 1893, he was selected and sustained in May following as first assistant to President Lorenzo Snow in charge of the temple. He remained a temple worker all his remaining life. At the temple dedication services President Joseph F. Smith commended Bishop Winder for his faithful, persistent and efficient labors, and pronounced a blessing upon him for time and all eternity. And the promise for this life surely came true, for he was exceedingly blessed in every way, and his heart was so full of thanks and gratitude that he could not refrain in every public speech to call attention to it and to thank and praise his Father in heaven. And for the future, happiness and eternal life are his. He was exceedingly modest, and was adverse to any distinction being made of him. The Era desired to print a character sketch of his life, and obtained a near friend of his to prepare it. The paper was presented to him, but he objected: "It will not do," he said, "to write that way of me. There are so many good, faithful men who have done as much or more for the cause than I have, that it is not wise, in my position, to hold me up as a special example. In my feelings I am always opposed to distinctions among the Latter-day Saints. Not that I do not appreciate the kind sentiments expressed, but it will not do. Why should I be singled out?" So the article was not printed, and out of deference to his wishes, never will be. Pictures of his early home in England, and scenes in Biddenden prepared to accompany the discarded article are, however, presented with the present very inadequate sketch. The writer treasures many crisp counsels, wise sayings, and pointed expressions, heard at various times, in various places, under different circumstances, and uttered by the lips of President John R. Winder. His personal advice and counsel were not always agreeable at first, for he had a very terse way of saying things, but in the end they generally proved pleasant, best, and a blessing to him who followed them. Union, love and fellowship among the Saints, publicly and privately, he always sought to promote. His counsel to individuals was not mere mechanical words. When he counseled simplicity of life, you might be sure he lived the simple life; when he told a young man that purity of thought and action is the best course, it was because he had traveled in it ; when he advised frugality and thrift, it was because in his own life he had practiced these virtues; and when he impressed a young man that truthfulness and honesty are essential in business, it was because that was his policy all the day long. He was outspoken, and faithful in expressing his sentiments. On one occasion he gave this talk, which is a fair sample of his counsel: Never seek for place or power, for fame or honor, lest you embitter another life with jealousy, or canker another heart with envy. Remember the covenants you have made—in the waters of baptism, and in the House of the Lord. Be honest in your dealings with your own people, and with all the world beside. Remember, remember, to keep all your covenants—with yourself, with your families, with your brethren and with God! So will God remember you and yours, in the day when he makes up his jewels." His being chosen first counselor to President Joseph F. Smith was the greatest surprise of his life, he declares: One day President Smith sent for me. He said, "Brother Winder, are you willing to act as my counselor?" What could I say, brethren? To think that one who had sprung from the source I had, without any education (for when I was old enough I had to toil for my own living), slow of speech, feeling as though I could pass through the floor whenever I am called upon to speak to the people—was it possible that President Smith could choose me for his counselor under these circumstances? Don't you think, brethren and sisters, that I know how to appreciate these things? I think I do. His modest, energetic and effective service, his discretion, his conservative action and wise judgment, in this position, are evidences of the inspiration that led President Smith to select John R. Winder for the responsible station. His optimistic spirit held to the last, and he requested that there should be no "moaning at the bar when he put off to sea," and that his family should not wear black at the funeral—requests strictly adhered to. His favorite hymns were sung at the funeral services: "O my Father," "Who are these arrayed in white?"; "Mid scenes of confusion," "Rest for the weary soul," and "Zion stands with hills surrounded," the last being sung at the cemetery. Funeral services were held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle, beginning at 11 a. m., March 31, 1910. That thousands attended, including leading authorities from all parts of the Church, the governor and officers of the state, the mayor and officers of the city, judges and leading business men and citizens, was a testimony of the love and esteem in which he was held by all classes of people. More than two thousand people were at the grave, which was dedicated by Bishop Franklin S. Tingey. A sentiment from each of the speakers is here given: W. W. Riter: "He was totally without guile; plain in deportment, and had only one standard—right and justice." Bishop George Romney: "I feel I have lost one of my very best friends on earth. But a soul who worked with him for seventeen years in the temple but what loved him. He has been the instrument of releasing thousands in the spirit world, and he has gone to meet them yonder. He was one of the best men that ever lived upon God's footstool. He would willingly have laid down his life for his friends. I am as certain that his family will have the privilege of meeting Brother Winder in the life beyond, as I am that I stand here today.'' B. F. Grant: "So resigned was President Winder to go, that he frequently dedicated himself to the Lord, saying, 'Oh, Lord, here I am, poor, weak mortal man that I am. Father, I am dying, do with me as thou wilt; and if it be thy will, I am willing to go on, or stop laboring in this life, and if it is thy will I am here. There is nothing in my heart but to say, Thy will be done, not mine.' '' President Anthon H. Lund: "He was a wise counselor—a just man. He ever had a smile on his face. I learned to love him—I was proud of his confidence. His opinion was sought; his word was to be relied on and he spoke what he meant, and meant what he said. Richard W. Young: "Colonel Winder had many of the qualities of a soldier—bravery, foresight and keen judgment. He was a man of strength, without harshness, a man pre-eminently just and considerate.'' Heber M. Wells: "Among his eminent characteristics were his perfectly wonderful industry and his untiring energy. * * * He was good to the poor and ever kept his life sweet. He was a friend and an inspiration to the young man." Nephi L. Morris: "I shall cherish his memory as long as I live." President Francis M. Lyman: "He sought the Lord early, and was never forsaken. No man ever came more worthily into the First Presidency than he.'' Heber J. Grant: "John R. Winder has done more for me in the hours of trouble and financial stress than any other man." President Joseph F. Smith: "If any man loved him any more than I do, I say God bless that man. In his military career and all other phases of his life, he never sought office nor honors; they were always in search of him. Heaven itself could scarcely be more true than President Winder was true." John R. Winder possessed comparatively little of this world's goods, as men count wealth these days, though he had plenty for his needs, and for his splendid family, but, as one of his friends remarked, "He is a rich man; he fought the good fight, and he has won eternal life." |
THE OLD WINDER HOME IN BIDDENDEN, COUNTY OF KENT, ENGLAND.
Sun Dial on the old Winder home in Biddenden, County of Kent.
A STREET IN BIDDENDEN, ENGLAND.
Home town of President John R. Winder. CHURCH AT BIDDENDENT, WHERE THE WINDERS WORSHIPED.
The Funeral Procession of John Rex Winder.
Passing East at the Intersection of Main and South Temple Street, March 31, 1910. JOHN REX WINDER.
Pioneer, counselor, temple-worker, Churchman, militiaman, civilian, agriculturist and business man; born, Biddenden, England, December 1, 1821; joined the Church September 20, 1848; arrived in Utah October 10, 1853; joined the Nauvoo Legion in 1855; entered political service in 1870; was chosen counselor in the Presiding Bishopric, April, 1884; selected for temple work in 1892-3; became first counselor in the First Presidency of the Church October 17, 1901; died March 27, 1910. |
Anderson, Edward R. "Tribute of the General Board YMMIA to President Winder." Improvement Era. May 1910. pg. 628-630.
Tribute of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A. to President Winder.
At the general board meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, held on Wednesday, March 30, Elders Heber J. Grant and B. H. Roberts were appointed by President Joseph F. Smith a committee to prepare a suitable expression of appreciation of the life and character of President Winder, to be recorded in the minutes of the General Board; and to report at the next meeting of the board which, on account of the general conference of the Church, convened Wednesday, April 13, at which time the following report and appreciation were read and unanimously adopted by the members of the board:
To the Superintendency and General Board of Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations:
Brethren:—Your committee, to whom was referred the matter of drafting for our board minutes suitable notice of the demise of the late President John R. Winder, a member of the General Board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, present the following:
IN MEMORIAM.
In the life and character of the late President John R. Winder the young men of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may see at once the triumphs of the gospel when applied to human life, and the value of human life when consecrated to the service of God and fellowmen. His was pre-eminently a useful life, full of activity applied to practical things, rather than to the development of ideas. He was one who emphasized the importance of common things—the things with which men have most to do, about which they are most concerned, and the doing of which moulds the character of individuals and nations. This does not mean that his life was exclusively, or even chiefly, given over to what are generally recognized as secular or material affairs; his life's activities embraced the spiritual as well as the temporal, only in the spiritual, as in the temporal, he was practical. The great underlying principles of the gospel—the fundamentals on which religion rests—he seemed to grasp by an act of faith, and ever after hold in consciousness; after which, for John R. Winder, there remained nothing to do but to go steadily forward, day after day and year after year, in doing that which God had appointed unto man to do, having sublime faith that if this were done the results promised of God, that cannot lie, would not fail. In this spirit he wrought his life's work—characterized by ceaseless activity, constant and systematic application to whatever was undertaken, a rare grasp of details and intuitive knowledge of their importance; to every trust he was faithful, to every promise — to spoken word as to written bond—he was true: and, withal, as unselfish in his service to man, to the state, to the Church, and to God, as we may hope to see a man in this our mortal life.
In his character, as in his life, he was every way admirable. Simplicity, directness, honesty, constituted a group of qualities strongly marked in him. Justice, which demands fairness for all, and charity, whence springs mercy and patience and brotherly kindness, were not acquired virtues, but native to his soul. If, after the purity of his mind, which arose from the harmonious blending of all his mental and spiritual qualities, one were to seek for the predominant characteristics of his spirit—the master note of the splendid symphony of his life—it would be found in his absolute faith and trust in God. The twenty-third Psalm voices the constant song of his spirit, and reveals the keynote of his life:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Long may the life's labor and character of President John R. Winder remain a memory in Israel to console the aged faithful, and to be an inspiration and a beacon light to the youth. Let it be ordered that these expressions of our appreciation of the life and character of President John Rex Winder be spread upon the minutes of this General Board meeting; that they be published in the Improvement Era, the organ of the Priesthood Quorums and the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations; also that a copy of the same be neatly pen-engrossed, suitably bound and presented to his family.
Respectfully submitted,
Heber J. Grant,
B. H. Roberts.
Tribute of the General Board Y. M. M. I. A. to President Winder.
At the general board meeting of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, held on Wednesday, March 30, Elders Heber J. Grant and B. H. Roberts were appointed by President Joseph F. Smith a committee to prepare a suitable expression of appreciation of the life and character of President Winder, to be recorded in the minutes of the General Board; and to report at the next meeting of the board which, on account of the general conference of the Church, convened Wednesday, April 13, at which time the following report and appreciation were read and unanimously adopted by the members of the board:
To the Superintendency and General Board of Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations:
Brethren:—Your committee, to whom was referred the matter of drafting for our board minutes suitable notice of the demise of the late President John R. Winder, a member of the General Board of the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations, present the following:
IN MEMORIAM.
In the life and character of the late President John R. Winder the young men of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints may see at once the triumphs of the gospel when applied to human life, and the value of human life when consecrated to the service of God and fellowmen. His was pre-eminently a useful life, full of activity applied to practical things, rather than to the development of ideas. He was one who emphasized the importance of common things—the things with which men have most to do, about which they are most concerned, and the doing of which moulds the character of individuals and nations. This does not mean that his life was exclusively, or even chiefly, given over to what are generally recognized as secular or material affairs; his life's activities embraced the spiritual as well as the temporal, only in the spiritual, as in the temporal, he was practical. The great underlying principles of the gospel—the fundamentals on which religion rests—he seemed to grasp by an act of faith, and ever after hold in consciousness; after which, for John R. Winder, there remained nothing to do but to go steadily forward, day after day and year after year, in doing that which God had appointed unto man to do, having sublime faith that if this were done the results promised of God, that cannot lie, would not fail. In this spirit he wrought his life's work—characterized by ceaseless activity, constant and systematic application to whatever was undertaken, a rare grasp of details and intuitive knowledge of their importance; to every trust he was faithful, to every promise — to spoken word as to written bond—he was true: and, withal, as unselfish in his service to man, to the state, to the Church, and to God, as we may hope to see a man in this our mortal life.
In his character, as in his life, he was every way admirable. Simplicity, directness, honesty, constituted a group of qualities strongly marked in him. Justice, which demands fairness for all, and charity, whence springs mercy and patience and brotherly kindness, were not acquired virtues, but native to his soul. If, after the purity of his mind, which arose from the harmonious blending of all his mental and spiritual qualities, one were to seek for the predominant characteristics of his spirit—the master note of the splendid symphony of his life—it would be found in his absolute faith and trust in God. The twenty-third Psalm voices the constant song of his spirit, and reveals the keynote of his life:
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Long may the life's labor and character of President John R. Winder remain a memory in Israel to console the aged faithful, and to be an inspiration and a beacon light to the youth. Let it be ordered that these expressions of our appreciation of the life and character of President John Rex Winder be spread upon the minutes of this General Board meeting; that they be published in the Improvement Era, the organ of the Priesthood Quorums and the Young Men's Mutual Improvement Associations; also that a copy of the same be neatly pen-engrossed, suitably bound and presented to his family.
Respectfully submitted,
Heber J. Grant,
B. H. Roberts.
Whitney, Orson F. "President John R. Winder." Juvenile Instructor. May 1910. pg. 214-219.
President John R. Winder. By Orson F. Whitney. The death of President John R. Winder left a void in the community difficult to fill. No better or more useful man has been found in the exalted position of First Counselor to the President of the Church. Prudent, sagacious, outspoken, yet unassuming, he was beloved by his associates, and respected wherever known. If he had an enemy, it was for principle's sake, not for personal reasons ; for he was a just man, unselfish, and honorable in his dealings with his fellows. John Rex Winder was by birth an Englishman, but spent most of his life on American soil. His parents, Richard and Sophia Winder, were living , at Biddenden, in the county of Kent, when their son was born, December 11, 1821. He was baptized, according to the rites of the Church of England, when an infant, and confirmed at fourteen years under the hands of the Archbishop of Canterbury. Early in life he had to depend upon his own exertions, and consequently received but little schooling. When twenty years of age, he secured a situation in London, at a fashionable West End shoe store, and while residing in the metropolis, married Miss Ellen Walters, November 24, 1843. About two years later his services were solicited as manager of a large boot and shoe establishment in Liverpool, and he forthwith took up his residence in that city. There he first heard of Mormonism, and the manner in which it came to his notice was not only unique, but serves to illustrate how an important result may spring from a seemingly insignificant cause. His whole subsequent career hinged on what most men would call an accident, but which he himself recognized as an instance of the over-ruling providence of God. One day, while occupied as usual in the store, he picked up the fragment of a torn letter, on which were the words "Latter-day Saints," a name he had never seen or heard till that moment. He asked one of the clerks what it meant, and was told that there was a religious people in America who called themselves Latter-day Saints, but were commonly known as Mormons, and that a branch of their church held meetings at the Music Hall in P)Old Street, Liverpool. Impelled by curiosity, Mr. Winder attended one of these meetings, and heard Elder Orson Spencer discourse upon the first principles of the Gospel. Though hid from the speaker, whom he beheld from a back staircase, he could hardly persuade himself that Elder Spencer did not know he was there, since every word uttered adapted itself to his condition, as if spoken expressly for his benefit. Investigating the principles taught, and being convinced of their truth, he was baptized into the Church, September 20, 1848, by Elder Thomas D. Brown. During the following month his wife was baptized by Orson Pratt, one of the Twelve Apostles. The Winder family was associated with the Liverpool branch until February, 1853, when they sailed for .America, their ultimate destination being Salt Lake City. Their ship was the "Elvira Owen." Ten days out from Liverpool, Brother Winder came down with smallpox, having taken it from a child brought on board with that disease, the presence of which he was the first to discover. Four others were also seized with it, and all were quarantined in a little house built on deck. As a result Sister Winder was left with three small children, including twin babes, to care for, without the assistance of her husband ; and this was no small task on ship-board. Only one of the five cases proved fatal —that of a young man lying next to Brother Winder. Said the latter in his account of the incident: "In a short time the sailors came and took the dead body and cast it into the sea. I heard them say, 'We'll have him next,' meaning me ; but I did not believe them. I had a living faith that I would recover and reach the land of Zion." Convalescing while on the ocean, he, with his family, by way of New Orleans and St. Louis, arrived at Keokuk, Iowa, where they joined a company of Latter-day Saints under Captain Joseph W. Young, and came with them to Utah, reaching Salt Lake City on the tenth of October. Brother Winder soon resumed business in the leather line, first with Samuel Mulliner, in the manufacture of boots, shoes, and saddles, at the same time conducting a tannery. In 1855 he formed a similar partnership with William Jennings, which continued until after "The Move" in 1858, when he went into business with President Brigham Young and Feramorz Little. They built a tannery on Parley's Canyon Creek, running it successfully until the native bark used in tanning became scarce, and the cost of imported materials made it impossible for the home product to compete with leather goods shipped into the Territory. It was during this period that Brother Winder purchased "Poplar Farm," in the southern suburbs of Salt Lake City, and thenceforth he engaged in farming and stock-raising, pursuits in which he took great delight. At an early day John R. Winder became prominent as a military man. During the Echo Canyon War he was captain of a company of lancers, and after Johnston's army went into Winter Quarters at Fort Bridger, in November, 1857, at which time most of the militia returned home, he was left with a patrol of fifty men to guard the mountain passes leading to Salt Lake Valley, and to sound the alarm of any new movement on the part of the Federal troops. Captain Winder was relieved of vedette duty about Christmas time, but was soon again in the saddle, accompanying General George D. Grant on an Indian expedition in Tooele Valley, pursuing a band of hostiles who had stolen horses from settlers in that part. The pursuers were caught in a terrible snow storm on the desert, where the trail of the Indians was lost. This occurred in March, 1858. Captain Winder again had charge of the defenses in Echo Canyon, remaining there until peace was declared. From 1865 to 1867 he saw active service in the Black Hawk Indian War, part of the time as aide to General Daniel H. Wells, and during 1868 he collected and made up the accounts of the expenses of that strife, amounting to more than a million dollars. In the militia he rose to the rank of lieutenant-colonel of cavalry. Colonel Winder was no less prominent in civic life, holding for fourteen consecutive years, beginning with 1870, the office of Assessor and Collector for Salt Lake City, and serving during the same period three terms in the City Council. From 1884 to 1887 he was City Watermaster, and retired from that position to enter upon his duties as second counselor to the Presiding Bishop of the Church, William B. Preston. In April, 1892, when the Salt Lake Temple was nearing completion, the design being to finish the structure straightway, and have it ready for dedication on the sixth of April, 1893, forty years from the time of commencement, Bishop Winder was selected by the First Presidency to have special charge of the work. He fully justified the confidence reposed in him, discharging the important duty with characteristic energy and zeal, pushing the work through with expedition that enabled the genera! authorities to dedicate the Temple at the time appointed. When publicly complimented by them during the dedication services for his faithful and efficient labors, he modestly put aside the proffered praise, giving all credit to the First Presidency. On that occasion President Joseph F. Smith, then second counselor to President Wilford Woodruff, pronounced upon Bishop Winder a fervent blessing for time and eternity. The Bishop was a liberal donor to the fund that met the heavy expenses entailed by the labor of completion, and at the opening in May he was made first assistant to Apostle Lorenzo Snow, in the presidency of the Temple. He was continued in that position by President Smith, at the beginning of the latter's administration, and virtually had full charge of the sacred edifice until the day of his death. Prior to his later appointments in tile Church, Brother Winder, from 1854, held the office of Seventy, and from 1872, that of High Priest. He was one of the presidency of the Twelfth Quorum of Seventy, and subsequently acting Bishop of the Fourteenth Ward, Salt Lake City. Having served for some time as first counselor in the Bishopric of that ward, he became, in April, 1872, a member of the High Council of the Salt Lake stake of Zion. In addition to these responsibilities, there were placed upon him such trusts as United States Ganger, in the Internal Revenue Department, and the presidency for many years of the Deseret Agricultural and Manufacturing Society. Lender the old political regime, he was chairman, for a long period, of the Territorial and County central committees of the People's Party, also sitting in one of the early Constitutional Conventions. Distinctively a business man, prompt, careful, economical, possessing in a marked degree the practical insight and sound judgment necessary to the successful financier, President Winder had a wide range of secular activities. He never sought an office ; the office invariably sought him ; and though weighed in many balances he was not found wanting Besides being a director of the Utah Iron Manufacturing Company, Zion's Co-operative Mercantile Institution, Deseret National Bank, Deseret Savings Bank, Zion's Saving Bank and Trust Company, and the Utah- Idaho Sugar Company, he was president of the Deseret Investment Company, and vice-president of the Utah Light and Power Company. As may readily be surmised, his life was a most busy and withal a most useful one. He was seldom if ever late to an appointment, and delighted in punctuality and industry. An early riser, his habits were temperate, and his manner and methods active and bustling. Having a sensitive nature, he was quick to think, speak, and act, but when not burdened with care, was brimful of jovial good nature. Though amiable, he was not to be imposed upon, and was a fearless defender of what he believed to be right. John R. Winder became First Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith on the seventeenth of October, 1901, and held that high office to the end of his days. He was eminently fitted for the place, his mind being an encyclopedia of general information, particularly on Utah affairs, and his counsels being safe and reliable. By none was he more appreciated and esteemed than by the leader whose right hand man he was during the closing" years of his life. President Winder was the center of a. wide domestic circle. By his first wife, Ellen Walters, who died in November, 1892, he was the father of ten children, and by his second wife, Elizabeth Parker, whom he married in 1856, he became the father of ten more. His third and only living wife, wedded to him in October, 1893, was Miss Maria Burnham, formerly of Fruitland, New Mexico. President Winder died at his home in Salt Lake City, on the twenty- seventh of March, 1910. The end came calmly and peacefully. Weak and worn in body, but with mental powers unimpaired, the veteran warrior, life's battle fought and won, passed to a well earned rest, to await the reveille of the resurrection. A NAME BELOVED. There's a name writ oft, a name writ large, In the book of human life. What name, than this, more in merit's charge. Or more with glory rife? John the Beloved—'twas the name he bore Who wrote as the Spirit spake; And John, that other, who went before. And bled for the Master's sake. The name of Wycliffe, "The Morning Star;" Of Calvin, and Knox, and Huss; Of Milton divine, whose fame from far Has descended unto us; The name of many a sapient sage In science, in letters, in art; Warriors and statesmen of every age, Giants in mind and in heart. Till, chosen of God and honored of man. That radiant name appears Shining down from the snowy summit van Of eight and eighty years, Silvering the brow of a son of God, A man of war and of peace. Who fought for the right, then plowed and sowed. And reaped the rich increase. A pillar in God's Temple now, No more to go out for aye. Here, o'er his dust, will memory bow, And keep his fame alway. Next to the Prophet, our chief in charge; Victor in peace as in strife; John Rex Winder—a name writ large In the Lamb's great Book of Life O. F. W. |
PRESIDENT JOHN R. WINDER,
CAPTAIN JOHN R. WINDER.
In the Black Hawk Indian War. LIEUT.-COLONEL JOHN R. WINDER
JOHN R. WINDER, THE STOCK RAISER
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Wells, Heber M. "John R. Winder: An Appreciation." Juvenile Instructor. May 1910. pg. 219-222.
John R. Winder: An Appreciation. By Ex-Governor Heber M. Wells. My first recollection of John R. Winder is like the first recollection of these hills around my native city, — and just as I cannot remember the first time I ever saw Ensign Peak, so I cannot remember the first time I ever saw Brother Winder. My earliest recollections of him—to know who he really was—were during the period that my father was mayor of the city, which was from 1866 to 1876, during a greater portion of which time Brother Winder was City Assessor and Collector of Taxes. In a vague sort of way I remember before this that he was my father's adjutant when my father was Commander of the Territorial Militia. I particularly recall the fine figure of a man, at the annual encampment of the militia, which were then called "musters," and held just over the Jordan river, riding upon a dashing horse that danced when the band played. The boys called the horse "Croppy" because his ears had been partially shot off, and the tradition among the boys at that time was that they were shot off in battle with the Indians. In 1875, when I was 16 years old, I went to work for Brother Winder in the Tax Collector's office, and I remained continuously in his service until 1882 or 1883, when I was elected City Recorder to succeed Hon. John T. Caine, who at that time went to Congress. During the time I was in his employ and afterwards, up to about 1888. I was very closely associated with Brother Winder, and had an opportunity to know him as a younger man may know his elder—as a subordinate may know his superior officer— as a son may learn to know his father. This city and this community teem with good men—men of character — men devoted to the service of God men full of faith and charity and good works, but it is my testimony to you that I know no better man—no man of greater virtue, integrity and all the Christian graces that go to make a gentle, loving, noble, manly man, than was John R. Winder. Among his great characteristics were his untiring energy and his perfectly wonderful industry. Six o'clock in the morning never found him in bed, and he worked, worked, worked, cheerily, but incessantly, from morning till night, and until all his daily tasks were done. In this respect he greatly resembled our late President Woodruff, whose maxim in life was that it is better to wear out than to rust out. Brother Winder was a man of great executive ability, a natural leader of men, yet careful in details, and bent upon attending to all the most important duties himself. In this respect he might be likened to the great Napoleon, who believed that if a thing needed to be well done he should do it himself. John R. Winder was naturally military. His bearing was military. He was straight as an arrow. His movements were quick and his carriage alert and graceful. His work was 'like clock work, precise and perfect. With a pen he was swift and accurate—his accounts were well kept, clean, and methodical. In all respects he was a perfect soldier and a perfect gentleman. Although in rank as an officer in the Territorial Militia he was designated as Colonel, in reality in that greater service to which he devoted his life — the service of God—he was a General, and in my opinion there are few greater in all the armies of the Lord. He was a man of much wisdom, keen discernment, and great sense of justice. He was full of courage and optimism, and with it all had a keen sense of humor which enlivened his spirits and kept his soul sweet and his days full of love and sunshine. He was one of the most approachable men I ever knew,—kind - to the poor— a friend to the widows and the fatherless— a counselor to all who sought his advice—and their name was legion. He was a great reader, especially of the daily newspapers, and having a very retentive memory, he came to be regarded as a walking encyclopedia of information on current history. From long connection with assessing and collecting of taxes, during which, especially in earlier days, he would visit personally every house in the city, he came to know almost everybody by name, and with that keen perception, which was a second nature, he also came to know the financial circumstances of almost every taxpayer, so that his opinion as to whether persons were able to pay their taxes or not was invaluable. I remember one time a deserving young woman, who had recently lost her husband and was struggling along, trying to earn a scanty living for a small family of children, came into the office and told him that she observed by reading the ordinances, it was within the power of the city council to remit the taxes of the insane, idiotic, infirm, or indigent ; but as she did not belong to any of the classes designated, wondered what she was going to do. "Never you mind," said the genial collector, "just leave that to me. If anybody should attempt to collect taxes from you in your condition he would be entitled to a worse name than anything mentioned in the ordinance." Brother Winder was always a friend of the young man. He seemed to love to listen to their stories of hope and ambition, and always lent them an encouraging word. As an instance of this I have but to cite the case of my brother. Captain Briant H. Wells, who is now an officer in the United States army. He has frequently said to me that he derived more inspiration and good wholesome advice from Brother Winder than any public man in his acquaintance. Upon his return to Salt Lake, after various tours of duty with his regiment in foreign lands, Briant. never failed to call upon Brother Winder to pay his respects, and some years ago he wrote from the Philippine Islands, saying that in the natural course of events Brother Winder might not live very much longer, and in the event of his death he directed that flowers be sent with his loving remembrance. I might multiply instances of Brother Winder's beneficences that came under my personal notice, but I have been admonished to be brief. To partially sum up his virtues I am led to quote a short selection from one of the great American orators, because I think it applies with peculiar appropriateness to Brother Winder: "This brave and tender man in every storm of life was oak and rock, but in the sunshine he was vine and flower. He was the friend of all heroic souls. He loved the beautiful and was with color, form, and music touched to tears. He sided with the weak, the poor, the wronged and lovingly gave alms. With loyal heart and with the purest hands he faithfully discharged all public trusts." I remember years ago—I will not pretend to say how many, but I think it was in the 80's—Brother Winder was stricken with a very serious illness. I am relating this to illustrate his great faith, and his love for and belief in the ministrations of his brethren. It also serves to illustrate the great love of his brethren for him, and particularly that of President Joseph F. Smith. Brother Winder was lying on a bed of pain at his farm, south of the city, and in spite of all that was done or could be done for him he grew rapidly worse, until by many of his friends and relatives his life was despaired of. With a divine faith and reliance upon the Almighty, but with a humility and resignation and preparedness for death, if it was the will of the Father that he should go, he threw away the medicines, dismissed the physicians, and asked his friend and brother, Joseph F. Smith, then a member of the Twelve Apostles, to stay with him and pray with him and minister to him. .Apostle Smith responded with cheerfulness to the call. I do not remember how long the two stayed together, but I remember calling at the farm many times and seeing Brother Winder upon an improvised bed, in the orchard, with Apostle Smith sitting by his side, fanning him and cheering him with words of comfort and consolation. Day and night he labored over the poor stricken friend, and at the end of a week or so, slowly but surely. Brother Winder began to improve. From that time on it was apparent the victory was won, the prayer of faith had been answered, and Brother Winder was saved to a long life of further usefulness. When many years afterward President Smith, who had ascended to the Presidency of the Church, selected John R. Winder to be his first counselor it excited some wonder, perhaps, among those who did not know their abiding love of one another, but I remember to have thought to myself, how fitting it is that brethren who have been down into the valley of the shadow of death together, who may have together seen the very face of God, should be associated together in unity and harmony as long as either one shall live. I am thankful for, and I esteem it a great honor to have this opportunity to pay my respects to my old friend and father. I shall cherish his memory as long as my life shall last. He has earned the reward of a well spent life. He has wrapped the drapery of his couch about him, and lain down to pleasant dreams. May his rest be as full of peace, and his labors in the eternal world as full of joy as his life was full of good works and comfort to his fellows. |
Funeral of President John R. Winder.
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Taylor, Frank Y. "John Rex Winder." Young Woman's Journal. May 1910. pg. 271-275.
President John Rex Winder.
By Frank Y. Taylor.
For over half a century, John Rex Winder was prominently associated with the industrial and ecclesiastical history of Utah. Ever since he arrived in Salt Lake City, there has been a conspicuous place for him and he has always filled it to the satisfaction of his friends, and to his own honor and credit. All through his useful life, he has been active and energetic to a remarkable degree.
John Rex Winder, son of Richard and Sophia Winder, was born in Biddenden, Kent County, England, on December 11th, 1821.
His parents belonged to the Church of England, in which organization he was christened when an infant. His schooling was meagre, as the limited means of his parents necessitated his working to support himself. When he was about twenty years old, he went to London, where he obtained employment in the West End Shoe and Grocery Store. It was here that he met Ellen Walters who became his wife November 24th. 1845. In 1847 he engaged to a man by the name of Collinson to go to Liverpool and take charge of a store. While at work in this store one day, he chanced to pick up a piece of paper upon which was written the words “Latter-day Saints.” He had never heard of these people and was curious to know what the words meant. Upon investigation, he learned of the Mormons, and of their wonderful prophet in America. He also learned that there was a branch of the church in Liverpool and he soon sought them out. He heard a sermon preached by Elder Orson Spencer with which he was very much impressed, and he at once began to investigate the principles. The result was that on the 20th of September, 1848, he was baptized by Elder Thomas D. Brown, and on the 15th of the following month, his wife was baptized by Orson Pratt. He remained in Liverpool and was active in Church work, until February 1853, when he and his family sailed for Zion.
His experience while crossing the ocean was fraught with great trouble. Small-pox broke out on board the vessel and Brother Winder was one of the first to come down with the dread disease. His case became so severe that his life was despaired of, and one day, he heard a man who had first assisted in throwing over board the body of a victim, say that Winder would be the next to go. Brother Winder had faith that such was not to be. He recovered, landing in America sound and well, where he joined Elder Joseph W. Young’s company, and with his family crossed the plains, arriving in Salt Lake City on the 10th of October, 1853. His active nature and quick intelligence soon enabled him to get his bearings, and he became a partner of Samuel Mulliner in the manufacture of leather goods. In 1855 he went into partnership with William Jennings, who was proprietor of a meat market, tannery, boot and shoe manufacture, etc. He continued in this business until after the move, July. 1858.
In 1855 Brother Winder joined the Nauvoo Legion and soon became prominent as a military man. During the fall and winter of 1857 and 1858, he was left with fifty men to guard Echo canyon after Johnson’s army had gone to Fort Bridger for the winter. He held the position of captain with signal honor. He engaged in the march after Indians in Tooele county in 1858, and figured conspicuously in the Blackhawk war in 1865-6-7, as an aid to General Wells, and later as assistant Adjutant General.
Brother Winder was a man of affairs, well acquainted with all conditions of life, and was a success in the many vocations he was called to fill. He was a successful tradesman, tanner, shoemaker, a practical book-keeper, a pains-taking and careful farmer and stock raiser, and was never satisfied unless he raised the best crops, and his fields were clear and tidy and free from weeds. His stock took leading prizes at our State Fair, and he kept no inferior animals on his place. He knew a good horse when he saw it and took great pleasure in driving one. He succeeded as a butcher, attained to prominence as a banker, and was interested in the leading industrial, manufacturing, and mercantile institutions of our state. He not only had his name identified with them, but was an active factor in their management. His good judgment was such that people believed in and had confidence in him, and felt that their money was safely invested as long as he had a voice in the management of the business.
One of the highest testimonials of his nobility, was the purity and scrupulousness of his home life. He loved his family and surrounded them with every opportunity for development of sturdy manhood and womanhood. He never lavished upon them superfluous expenditures which would lead their thoughts to the lighter things of life, but he always provided the necessities.
Brother Winder was a firm believer in work. Everybody worked at his home, and like Goldsmith’s Village Preacher, he “Allured to brighter worlds and led the way.”
He was for a long time identified in the management of our electric light and street railway systems, and was respected by the many employees of these institutions.
As a public servant, he gave splendid satisfaction to the city, the county, the territory, and the state in the many offices held by him. But as president of the State Fair association, he is best known. That important institution owes much of its success to the intelligence and common sense of John R. Winder. In this as in other affairs in his life, he lead the way and set the example. He raised fruit, vegetables, and cereals for exhibition, and the fair would hardly have been complete without his horses and cattle, and he was a prize winner of no mean importance.
In all his public duties, his labors were for the people. He was the people’s man—true to every trust, seeking not his own advancement or honor, but being satisfied if he performed his duty well and if the people received the benefit.
President Winder’s charities were many, but were best known among the poor, the widow, and the orphan. They were never given on the house-tops but he gave on the principle of not letting his left hand know what his right hand did. A widow on one cold Christmas Eve was sitting around the hearth with a large and anxious family who were asking what they were to receive for Christmas. She has since said, "I was almost in despair when in answer to a knock at the door, in walked Brother Winder loaded down with everything to make us happy—a veritable Santa Clause."
An orphan boy. a neighbor, struggling for a new home, was in debt and felt he must sell some of his land to pay the obligation, remembering that he always had a friend in Brother Winder, he went to him for advice. President Winder put his arm around the young man and told him not to sacrifice his land, as it would increase in value, and he himself would furnish the necessary money. As a result of this help and advice, the young man is several thousand dollars better off today.
One poor, but worthy widow, saved up her money to pay her taxes, but to her surprise she did not receive her tax notice. After inquiry, it was found that her taxes had been paid. This was while Brother Winder was assessor and collector, and instead of sending the poor widow her notice, he had paid the taxes himself.
Space will not permit us to mention more of his benevolences, sufficient to say, that those who most needed his sympathy and help, received it, and the Lord will be the best Judge of his beneficence and kindness. Truly can the Master welcome him by saying, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me ”
President Winder was an example of economy, and his financial success in life is largely due to this most excellent trait in his character. He could not bear to have anything go to waste. At his farm, every wisp of hay or ear of corn was carefully picked up and stowed away. In the feeding of his stock at his farm, there was no tramping of feed under the feet of the animals or careless scattering of hay to the winds. Everything was saved and put into its proper place. In his economy he was not parsimonious but liberal, and yet not wasteful. He was a man of order in every phase of his life, never leaving anything half done. If he undertook any work, he completed it and then went at something else, and he believed in the principle of “What is worth doing, is worth doing well.”
Most of Brother Winder’s friends knew him best in the financial circles of big undertakings, but one of the best places to become acquainted with his many beautiful traits of character, was at the place where most great men come from—the farm. There he practiced best the simple life where he came in actual touch with nature which seemed to be part of his very self. He communed with nature in the cornfield, in his vegetable garden, under the shade of the orchard, among the stock, with his fat heard of jerseys, in the raising of which he excelled, in the midst of his sleek band of horses, the best in the land. There were few weeds in his farm. The ditches were cleaned, in fact everything about the place was neat and tidy.
If our people farmed and raised stock on the same orderly lines as he did, our land would be a delight to look upon and profit to those who engage in it. “Poplar Farm” was known throughout Salt Lake county. Its stately trees and the kindly hospitality of the place being enjoyed by many a traveler. Scores directed the course of their afternoon rides there to imbibe the delicious butter-milk from the ice cold tankard in the cellar.
In his religious life, is best shown his greatness and the true man that he was. In our financial or civil life, man may charge us with being partial to self, even if it be not true, but when we deal with things pertaining to God, the divine in us is manifest, to some more than to others, as the Lord sees fit to bestow it upon us. Surely the Lord loved Brother Winder as he had much of the divine spirit with him. Who among us has not felt this as we have had the pleasure of his hand shake and his blessings upon our heads. Who will forget his beaming countenance so full of light, faith, and hope and of the determination he implanted in us as we listened to his fatherly counsel of kindness and love for us to go on and on and do better, and bring out the very best that was in us.
The leading men of the Church knew him and loved him, because he was capable in all the Church positions that he held, and was true to his place, to his brethren, and to his God. The authorities had confidence in him. His home was an asylum to all, and when important missions had to be filled, he was one who could be trusted with the task. When, at the laying of the cap stone of the temple, it was decided to complete the building in the short time of one year, President Woodruff made no mistake when he chose Brother Winder to have charge of the difficult task, and since then only the Lord alone will be able to judge of the good he has done in His ministry in that Holy House. There are thousands both living and dead who will bless his name and revere his memory.
He loved the Lord with all his heart, and did His will to the best of his ability. He fought the fight bravely and well, and in all he did, he sought the Lord’s will and not his own. How sublime and fitting were his last words, as he dedicated himself to the Lord when he said, “O Lord, here I am, poor weak mortal man that I am. Father, I am Thine. Do with me as Thou wilt, and if it be Thy will, I am willing to go on laboring in this life; and if it is Thy will. I am willing, Thou shouldst take me unto Thy self. There is nothing in my heart, but to say, Thy will be done, not mine.”
President John Rex Winder.
By Frank Y. Taylor.
For over half a century, John Rex Winder was prominently associated with the industrial and ecclesiastical history of Utah. Ever since he arrived in Salt Lake City, there has been a conspicuous place for him and he has always filled it to the satisfaction of his friends, and to his own honor and credit. All through his useful life, he has been active and energetic to a remarkable degree.
John Rex Winder, son of Richard and Sophia Winder, was born in Biddenden, Kent County, England, on December 11th, 1821.
His parents belonged to the Church of England, in which organization he was christened when an infant. His schooling was meagre, as the limited means of his parents necessitated his working to support himself. When he was about twenty years old, he went to London, where he obtained employment in the West End Shoe and Grocery Store. It was here that he met Ellen Walters who became his wife November 24th. 1845. In 1847 he engaged to a man by the name of Collinson to go to Liverpool and take charge of a store. While at work in this store one day, he chanced to pick up a piece of paper upon which was written the words “Latter-day Saints.” He had never heard of these people and was curious to know what the words meant. Upon investigation, he learned of the Mormons, and of their wonderful prophet in America. He also learned that there was a branch of the church in Liverpool and he soon sought them out. He heard a sermon preached by Elder Orson Spencer with which he was very much impressed, and he at once began to investigate the principles. The result was that on the 20th of September, 1848, he was baptized by Elder Thomas D. Brown, and on the 15th of the following month, his wife was baptized by Orson Pratt. He remained in Liverpool and was active in Church work, until February 1853, when he and his family sailed for Zion.
His experience while crossing the ocean was fraught with great trouble. Small-pox broke out on board the vessel and Brother Winder was one of the first to come down with the dread disease. His case became so severe that his life was despaired of, and one day, he heard a man who had first assisted in throwing over board the body of a victim, say that Winder would be the next to go. Brother Winder had faith that such was not to be. He recovered, landing in America sound and well, where he joined Elder Joseph W. Young’s company, and with his family crossed the plains, arriving in Salt Lake City on the 10th of October, 1853. His active nature and quick intelligence soon enabled him to get his bearings, and he became a partner of Samuel Mulliner in the manufacture of leather goods. In 1855 he went into partnership with William Jennings, who was proprietor of a meat market, tannery, boot and shoe manufacture, etc. He continued in this business until after the move, July. 1858.
In 1855 Brother Winder joined the Nauvoo Legion and soon became prominent as a military man. During the fall and winter of 1857 and 1858, he was left with fifty men to guard Echo canyon after Johnson’s army had gone to Fort Bridger for the winter. He held the position of captain with signal honor. He engaged in the march after Indians in Tooele county in 1858, and figured conspicuously in the Blackhawk war in 1865-6-7, as an aid to General Wells, and later as assistant Adjutant General.
Brother Winder was a man of affairs, well acquainted with all conditions of life, and was a success in the many vocations he was called to fill. He was a successful tradesman, tanner, shoemaker, a practical book-keeper, a pains-taking and careful farmer and stock raiser, and was never satisfied unless he raised the best crops, and his fields were clear and tidy and free from weeds. His stock took leading prizes at our State Fair, and he kept no inferior animals on his place. He knew a good horse when he saw it and took great pleasure in driving one. He succeeded as a butcher, attained to prominence as a banker, and was interested in the leading industrial, manufacturing, and mercantile institutions of our state. He not only had his name identified with them, but was an active factor in their management. His good judgment was such that people believed in and had confidence in him, and felt that their money was safely invested as long as he had a voice in the management of the business.
One of the highest testimonials of his nobility, was the purity and scrupulousness of his home life. He loved his family and surrounded them with every opportunity for development of sturdy manhood and womanhood. He never lavished upon them superfluous expenditures which would lead their thoughts to the lighter things of life, but he always provided the necessities.
Brother Winder was a firm believer in work. Everybody worked at his home, and like Goldsmith’s Village Preacher, he “Allured to brighter worlds and led the way.”
He was for a long time identified in the management of our electric light and street railway systems, and was respected by the many employees of these institutions.
As a public servant, he gave splendid satisfaction to the city, the county, the territory, and the state in the many offices held by him. But as president of the State Fair association, he is best known. That important institution owes much of its success to the intelligence and common sense of John R. Winder. In this as in other affairs in his life, he lead the way and set the example. He raised fruit, vegetables, and cereals for exhibition, and the fair would hardly have been complete without his horses and cattle, and he was a prize winner of no mean importance.
In all his public duties, his labors were for the people. He was the people’s man—true to every trust, seeking not his own advancement or honor, but being satisfied if he performed his duty well and if the people received the benefit.
President Winder’s charities were many, but were best known among the poor, the widow, and the orphan. They were never given on the house-tops but he gave on the principle of not letting his left hand know what his right hand did. A widow on one cold Christmas Eve was sitting around the hearth with a large and anxious family who were asking what they were to receive for Christmas. She has since said, "I was almost in despair when in answer to a knock at the door, in walked Brother Winder loaded down with everything to make us happy—a veritable Santa Clause."
An orphan boy. a neighbor, struggling for a new home, was in debt and felt he must sell some of his land to pay the obligation, remembering that he always had a friend in Brother Winder, he went to him for advice. President Winder put his arm around the young man and told him not to sacrifice his land, as it would increase in value, and he himself would furnish the necessary money. As a result of this help and advice, the young man is several thousand dollars better off today.
One poor, but worthy widow, saved up her money to pay her taxes, but to her surprise she did not receive her tax notice. After inquiry, it was found that her taxes had been paid. This was while Brother Winder was assessor and collector, and instead of sending the poor widow her notice, he had paid the taxes himself.
Space will not permit us to mention more of his benevolences, sufficient to say, that those who most needed his sympathy and help, received it, and the Lord will be the best Judge of his beneficence and kindness. Truly can the Master welcome him by saying, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me ”
President Winder was an example of economy, and his financial success in life is largely due to this most excellent trait in his character. He could not bear to have anything go to waste. At his farm, every wisp of hay or ear of corn was carefully picked up and stowed away. In the feeding of his stock at his farm, there was no tramping of feed under the feet of the animals or careless scattering of hay to the winds. Everything was saved and put into its proper place. In his economy he was not parsimonious but liberal, and yet not wasteful. He was a man of order in every phase of his life, never leaving anything half done. If he undertook any work, he completed it and then went at something else, and he believed in the principle of “What is worth doing, is worth doing well.”
Most of Brother Winder’s friends knew him best in the financial circles of big undertakings, but one of the best places to become acquainted with his many beautiful traits of character, was at the place where most great men come from—the farm. There he practiced best the simple life where he came in actual touch with nature which seemed to be part of his very self. He communed with nature in the cornfield, in his vegetable garden, under the shade of the orchard, among the stock, with his fat heard of jerseys, in the raising of which he excelled, in the midst of his sleek band of horses, the best in the land. There were few weeds in his farm. The ditches were cleaned, in fact everything about the place was neat and tidy.
If our people farmed and raised stock on the same orderly lines as he did, our land would be a delight to look upon and profit to those who engage in it. “Poplar Farm” was known throughout Salt Lake county. Its stately trees and the kindly hospitality of the place being enjoyed by many a traveler. Scores directed the course of their afternoon rides there to imbibe the delicious butter-milk from the ice cold tankard in the cellar.
In his religious life, is best shown his greatness and the true man that he was. In our financial or civil life, man may charge us with being partial to self, even if it be not true, but when we deal with things pertaining to God, the divine in us is manifest, to some more than to others, as the Lord sees fit to bestow it upon us. Surely the Lord loved Brother Winder as he had much of the divine spirit with him. Who among us has not felt this as we have had the pleasure of his hand shake and his blessings upon our heads. Who will forget his beaming countenance so full of light, faith, and hope and of the determination he implanted in us as we listened to his fatherly counsel of kindness and love for us to go on and on and do better, and bring out the very best that was in us.
The leading men of the Church knew him and loved him, because he was capable in all the Church positions that he held, and was true to his place, to his brethren, and to his God. The authorities had confidence in him. His home was an asylum to all, and when important missions had to be filled, he was one who could be trusted with the task. When, at the laying of the cap stone of the temple, it was decided to complete the building in the short time of one year, President Woodruff made no mistake when he chose Brother Winder to have charge of the difficult task, and since then only the Lord alone will be able to judge of the good he has done in His ministry in that Holy House. There are thousands both living and dead who will bless his name and revere his memory.
He loved the Lord with all his heart, and did His will to the best of his ability. He fought the fight bravely and well, and in all he did, he sought the Lord’s will and not his own. How sublime and fitting were his last words, as he dedicated himself to the Lord when he said, “O Lord, here I am, poor weak mortal man that I am. Father, I am Thine. Do with me as Thou wilt, and if it be Thy will, I am willing to go on laboring in this life; and if it is Thy will. I am willing, Thou shouldst take me unto Thy self. There is nothing in my heart, but to say, Thy will be done, not mine.”
"Conversion of John R. Winder." Young Woman's Journal. October 1915. pg. 652.
Conversion of John R. Winder.
—“One day in July ,1848, while (at work) in a store (in Liverpool), he picked up a small piece of paper, a fragment of a torn-up letter on which were written the words ‘Latter-day Saints.’ He wondered what it meant, for he had never seen or heard the name before. He asked one of the clerks about it and was told that there was a church in America by that name, that they were called ‘Mormons’, that they had a prophet named Joseph Smith, and that there was a branch of the Church that held meetings in the Music Hall, Bold St., Liverpool. ‘This,’ says Brother Winder, ‘was the first I ever heard of the Latter-day Saints, or “Mormons”. I went to their meetings, crept up a back stairs, and peeped through the banisters. Elder Orson Spencer was preaching on the first principles of the Gospel. I thought he knew I was there, for every word he said seemed to be expressly for my bene fit. I began to examine into the principles taught, soon became convinced of their truth, and was baptized September 20, 1848, by Elder Thos. D. Brown.’ ”[1]
[1] Biographical Encyclopedia, p. 244.
Conversion of John R. Winder.
—“One day in July ,1848, while (at work) in a store (in Liverpool), he picked up a small piece of paper, a fragment of a torn-up letter on which were written the words ‘Latter-day Saints.’ He wondered what it meant, for he had never seen or heard the name before. He asked one of the clerks about it and was told that there was a church in America by that name, that they were called ‘Mormons’, that they had a prophet named Joseph Smith, and that there was a branch of the Church that held meetings in the Music Hall, Bold St., Liverpool. ‘This,’ says Brother Winder, ‘was the first I ever heard of the Latter-day Saints, or “Mormons”. I went to their meetings, crept up a back stairs, and peeped through the banisters. Elder Orson Spencer was preaching on the first principles of the Gospel. I thought he knew I was there, for every word he said seemed to be expressly for my bene fit. I began to examine into the principles taught, soon became convinced of their truth, and was baptized September 20, 1848, by Elder Thos. D. Brown.’ ”[1]
[1] Biographical Encyclopedia, p. 244.
"The Glorious Youthfulness of a Grand Old Age." Young Woman's Journal. February 1917. pg. 78.
PRESIDENT JOHN R. WINDER.
Among the stalwarts whose magnificent achievements we can but feebly portray we find in bold relief our noble President John R. Winder. For almost nineteen years he was permitted to travel along life’s highway beyond the milestone marked “seventy.” One of the most important duties of his later life came in his seventy-first year. When it was decided that the Salt Lake Temple should be completed within twelve months, the responsibility of carrying through this stupendous undertaking was placed upon the shoulders of John R. Winder, then Second Counselor to Presiding Bishop William B. Preston.
Perhaps no greater tribute to the zeal and integrity of the man could be paid than to say that he fulfilled the trust imposed upon him to the satisfaction and delight of his leaders and received from them a blessing for time and for all eternity.
After the dedication of the Temple, Brother Winder was appointed first assistant to Lorenzo Snow who was president thereof. For seventeen years he officiated in that holy edifice; and thousands have received blessings and benedictions from his lips. At the age of four score, when most men who live to such an age are relieved from all responsibility, Brother Winder was chosen to act as First Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith. Of the manifold and arduous duties of that sacred office we shall not attempt to speak, but feel no hesitation in saying that for nine years our worthy President received from this Counselor strength and wisdom and loyal support. After the age of seventy, President Winder served nineteen years as Director of Z. C. M. I., and the same length of time in a similar position in the Deseret National Bank, one year less as Director of the Deseret Savings Bank, and fifteen years as Director of the Utah Sugar Company. He was Vice President of the Pioneer Electric Company, and Director of the Utah Light & Power Company. With all this weight of business and ecclesiastical cares he yet was genial, pleasant, and hospitable, in fact a living embodiment of all the virtues.
PRESIDENT JOHN R. WINDER.
Among the stalwarts whose magnificent achievements we can but feebly portray we find in bold relief our noble President John R. Winder. For almost nineteen years he was permitted to travel along life’s highway beyond the milestone marked “seventy.” One of the most important duties of his later life came in his seventy-first year. When it was decided that the Salt Lake Temple should be completed within twelve months, the responsibility of carrying through this stupendous undertaking was placed upon the shoulders of John R. Winder, then Second Counselor to Presiding Bishop William B. Preston.
Perhaps no greater tribute to the zeal and integrity of the man could be paid than to say that he fulfilled the trust imposed upon him to the satisfaction and delight of his leaders and received from them a blessing for time and for all eternity.
After the dedication of the Temple, Brother Winder was appointed first assistant to Lorenzo Snow who was president thereof. For seventeen years he officiated in that holy edifice; and thousands have received blessings and benedictions from his lips. At the age of four score, when most men who live to such an age are relieved from all responsibility, Brother Winder was chosen to act as First Counselor to President Joseph F. Smith. Of the manifold and arduous duties of that sacred office we shall not attempt to speak, but feel no hesitation in saying that for nine years our worthy President received from this Counselor strength and wisdom and loyal support. After the age of seventy, President Winder served nineteen years as Director of Z. C. M. I., and the same length of time in a similar position in the Deseret National Bank, one year less as Director of the Deseret Savings Bank, and fifteen years as Director of the Utah Sugar Company. He was Vice President of the Pioneer Electric Company, and Director of the Utah Light & Power Company. With all this weight of business and ecclesiastical cares he yet was genial, pleasant, and hospitable, in fact a living embodiment of all the virtues.