Spiritual Conversion

William Bell Barton: A Latter-day Saint Pioneer and Local Leader (1836–1923)

Published August 25, 2026 at 7:15 AM

Todd Morgan

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Todd Morgan

Beaumont, CA, 92223

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William Bell Barton (1836–1923) was a Latter-day Saint pioneer who served as a bishop's counselor and was the father of Fred Barton. The Barton family is numbered among the early Utah families connected by marriage to the Black pioneer Saints (including the Flake and Stevens families), and fled Utah with other Mormon pioneers during the Utah War (1857–58). Brother Barton's life is a faith-promoting witness of the local leaders and faithful fathers who, in the unsettled pioneer years, built up the wards and families of Zion.

Sources & References

'William Bell Barton, 1836–1923, father of Fred Barton, served as counselor,' in Andrew Jenson, LDS Biographical Encyclopedia; Orson F. Whitney, 'History of Utah,' 4:55–57; Latter-day Saint pioneer and Black-Mormon family histories.

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