Patricia Gudmundsen Wilson’s Great Great Grandfather John Solomon Fullmer

The Expulsion of the Saints from Nauvoo
By early 1846, it was evident to the leaders of the Church that the Saints would not be permitted to live much longer in Nauvoo, and preparations were made for their departure. In a council meeting held by Brigham Young in the Temple, in January 1846, John S. Fullmer was appointed as one of the three Trustees-in-Trust to care for and dispose of Church property after the Saints had departed Nauvoo. Previously, John S. had been paymaster of the Nauvoo Legion and had held the rank of Colonel. Accordingly, he became a member of the "Spartan Band" that defended Nauvoo against the mob in September 1846.
His wife, Mary Ann, and her children, remained with him in Nauvoo throughout the struggles there. His wife, Olive Amanda, left [iv]with the first Saints and lived in Council Bluffs where her daughter, Mary Ann Smith Fullmer, was born in the wagon box she called home.
Trustee to wind up affairs in Nauvoo
John S Fullmer was called by the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles along with three others trustees to close the affairs of the church in Nauvoo.
“The Twelve realized that it was unlikely they could dispose of the Nauvoo Temple and other properties before the Saints had to abandon the city. They would have to leave agents behind to represent their interests. At a meeting on 18 January 1846 with the captains of the various emigration companies, the Twelve presented the names of five men to form a committee to dispose of the property of the Saints—Almon W. Babbitt, Joseph L. Heywood, John S. Fullmer, Henry W. Miller, and John M. Bernhisel—who would receive letters of attorney authorizing them to act legally for the Church.[v] Babbitt was an attorney, and Heywood and Fullmer were both trusted and experienced businessmen.”[vi]
John S. Fullmer was described as “a man of detail and assertion, one who could hold his own in any argument and give as much as he took.” [vii] Brigham Young’s said, “I appointed the Trustees myself, Babbitt for lawyer, Fullmer for bulldog and growl, and Heywood to settle debts.”[viii] The Trustees would need all the bulldog they could muster to see this calling through to completion.
The Trustees had a difficult and frustrating task representing the interests of the church and many private interests to sell vastly depreciated assets in Nauvoo which was rapidly being abandoned because of persecution. Their task was daunting:
In addition to selling Church properties, including the temple . . . they were responsible for paying outstanding Church debts, contesting legal actions, helping the poor and destitute still languishing behind, and keeping a watchful and caring eye on Emma Smith, widow of the Prophet, and her immediate family as well her mother-in-law, Lucy Mack Smith. They also represented the private business concerns of many former citizens. Properties were to be sold at the best price possible and the proceeds credited either against past debts or toward future purchases. Individual tithing accounts often needed settling; those who had been advanced Church teams and wagons on credit had no other form of repayment. Several men who had worked as laborers on the construction of the temple were still unpaid. And when time permitted, the trustees were also to push the cause of gathering, counter opposition, and allay discontent and all this as a Church calling without remuneration.
Misunderstood and unappreciated by their own people, whose property values plummeted as the city emptied, and distrusted by the anti-Mormons, who viewed them contemptuously as the last vestiges of an evil empire, the trustees inherited a lose-lose situation. Almost everyone with Nauvoo property and improvements got far less than they needed or deserved—no more than one-eighth the value and often far less than that at sale. Ill feelings inevitably developed. [ix]
After the battle of Nauvoo, in September, 1846, the Trustees, much against their will, signed a peace treaty with the mob, in order to spare the lives of the remaining Saints, and to save the Temple. John S. described the treaty as "ignoble and cruel" in all its features.
Still the temple remained unsold. Writing to his cousin George Fullmer in September 1847, John S said, “The Temple is still unsold, and I do not know but that God of Heaven intends to have it so remain as a standing monument of our sacrifice, and as witness against the nation Sold or unsold, I should think it such as we shall not be able at best to get one dollar in twenty of what it cost.” [x]
Various lawsuits encumbered their efforts to sell the properties including litigation by Emma, who had by 23 December 1847 married Lewis Bidamon. John S wrote to Brigham Young, “Now these twain concocted a grand scheme by which they would effectually block our wheels and enrich themselves. They hit on the idea that the church, according to a limited construction of one of our state laws, could only hold ten acres of land, and that consequently, the deed from Emma and Joseph to Joseph as a ‘Trustee’ was illegal.” He observed that this placed “the Trustees in the extremest difficulty, as to title, while it destroys the confidence of everyone, and it prevents those who would have purchased, from doing so.” [xi]
The difficulties involved in selling distressed property to opportunistic and often hostile buyers meant the trustees were able to sale the property at 60 to 85 percent of the actual value. [xii] Noting the disappointments of the private interests John S wrote, “We have a conscience void of all offence.” [xiii]
Upon receiving a release from Brigham Young the Trustees were released and in the spring of 1848, John S. left Nauvoo on the journey that was to take him to the valley in the mountains. At Council Bluffs, he joined Olive Amanda and others of his parent's family and started on the journey west. John S. served as a captain of 10 in the Willard Richards Company. They arrived in the valley in October of 1848 and settled in what is now Davis County, Utah.
After a year and one half of trying to dispose of the Church property and, seeing that it was a useless task, the Trustees were told to leave what property was left and move from Nauvoo. And so it was that in the spring of 1848, John S. left Nauvoo on the journey that was to take him to the valley in the mountains. At Council Bluffs, he joined Olive Amanda and others of his parent's family and started on the journey west. John S. served as a captain of 10 in the Willard Richards Company. They arrived in the valley in October of 1848 and settled in what is now Davis County, Utah.
Building the State of Utah
For the next few years, John S. was involved in assisting with the political aspects of the new settlements, helping to draft a constitution for, first, the Territory of Deseret and, later, the Territory of Utah. He was elected to the House of Representatives from Davis County and his brother, David, was elected to the House of Representatives from Salt Lake County. While living in Davis County, he served as Postmaster.