Nelson David Crandall

  Nelson David Crandall traveled to Utah before the founding of Springville in Utah County.  His name appears on the 1850 Utah census (taken early in 1851.)   At the time he was living in Utah County in the same household as his brothers Martin and Lucien.  a secondary source, A Brief History of Springville, Utah, by Don Carlos Johnson, says that Nelson Crandall and other members of his family, were among the first settlers of Springville, arriving there with Captain Aaron Johnson on 18 September 1850.  Captain Johnson had just led a company of Latter-day Saints, including several members of Nelson's family, across the plains.  This does not prove that Nelson was with them, however.  He was 17 years old in 1850 and young men of his age often hired on with companies other than the one with which their relatives traveled.  Nelson may have signed on with another company as a teamster, herdsman or hunter.  In 1850, six companies of emigrant Latter-day Saints arrived in Salt Lake City before the Aaron Johnson Company.  Members of these earlier trains (perhaps including Nelson Crandall) had time to join with the Johnson Company as it traveled on to the future site of Springville.  Of course before we can say with certainty that this is what happened to Nelson we must see at least one primary source document specifying where he was and when.  Nelson did pay tithing at Springville in 1856.  Further research is needed to determine the year he came to Utah and the name of the company with which he traveled.