Son of Timothy John Winter and Mary Collier

Married Ann Dredge, 5 Nov 1833, Ditchet, Somerset, England

Married Julia Restle, 17 Nov 1852, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Myra Clayton, 30 July 1854, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Johannah Nielsen, 15 February 1857, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Clarissa Harriman Hardy, 16 February 1867, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

An Enduring Legacy, Volume Three, p. 105

Thomas William Winter was born November 20, 1812, at Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, a son of Timothy John Winter and his young wife, Mary Collier. He spent much of his boyhood with his mother's sister, Elizabeth, whose husband had a foundry. There, a natural inclination toward mechanics found an outlet and he spent much of his time around the foundry becoming familiar with machinery. When he grew to manhood he was employed as a bridge builder and thais put into practical use the skill he had acquired as a lad.

November 3, 1833, he married Ann Dredge, and one son, whom they named Thomas, was born. His father, Timothy John Winter, died the following year.

In the spring of 1844, while Thomas was away from home on a bridge-building project, he was informed that his mother had joined a religious sect known as Mormons. The news greatly upset him and he hastened to see her to reproach her for forsaking the church to which his father, and the family, had been devoted until his death. But within a very short time, Thomas too became converted to Mormonism and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in June, 1844, at Bath in Somersetshire.

His devotion to the new faith soon turned his attention westward to the mountain home of the Saints, and he left for America with his wife and son in 1849. Before crossing the Plains, he spent a year in St. Louis where he worked in crockery shop and earned enough to outfit an independent wagon for the trip. This enabled him to take some helpful conveniences to his new home in Utah, including adobe molds, a step-stove and an eight-day clock.

The Winter family arrived in Salt Lake City, September 5, 1850, and lived in the old pioneer fort during the first winter. In selecting a site for his home the following spring, Thomas's love for water and growing things led him to locate on the banks of Canyon Creek, a small stream that emptied into the Jordan River. Here he built a one-room adobe house on Fourth West and Seventh South. The second year, a five-room house was built and the first small home became a stable. Because the need for food was of paramount importance in the new community, Thomas became a farmer. There was little occasion to use his old profession as a bridge-builder, but his knowledge of tools and machinery was constantly called into service. It was he who drove the piles for the first pier built on the Great Salt Lake at Garfield.

When the Fifth Ward was organized, Thomas Winter was chosen as the first bishop, and ordained to that office by Apostle Orson Hyde, April 11, 1853. It was as Bishop Winter that he was loved and long remembered by all who knew him. One friendly service, which he continued for many years, was to meet all the immigrant trains as they reached the Valley and to help the new arrivals find their friends and get located in new homes. If they had no one, he often took them into his own home until they could find a place to stay. Sundays when Bishop Winter went to the Tabernacle for Sabbath service, his wagon was always filled to capacity with family, neighbors and friends. He cheerfully shared whatever he had with others. His home was known for its friendly hospitality and in his religious duties, the slightest word of those in authority over him was law and gospel.

Besides his first wife Ann, he married four other wives and was the father of eight sons and eight daughters. The home life of his several families, who lived together under the same roof for many years, was a beautiful example of peace and harmony. Five sons and six daughters grew to maturity. Bishop Winter died in Salt Lake City, August 11, 1882, during his seventieth year. — Ruby K. Smith, granddaughter.

Married Myra Clayton, 30 Jul 1854, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Johanna Nielsen, 15 Feb 1857, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah

Married Clarissa Henrietta Hardy, 11 Feb 1867

An Enduring Legacy, Volume Three, p. 105

Thomas William Winter was born November 20, 1812, at Portsea, Portsmouth, Hampshire, England, a son of Timothy John Winter and his young wife, Mary Collier. He spent much of his boyhood with his mother's sister, Elizabeth, whose husband had a foundry. There, a natural inclination toward mechanics found an outlet and he spent much of his time around the foundry becoming familiar with machinery. When he grew to manhood he was employed as a bridge builder and thais put into practical use the skill he had acquired as a lad.

November 3, 1833, he married Ann Dredge, and one son, whom they named Thomas, was born. His father, Timothy John Winter, died the following year.

In the spring of 1844, while Thomas was away from home on a bridge-building project, he was informed that his mother had joined a religious sect known as Mormons. The news greatly upset him and he hastened to see her to reproach her for forsaking the church to which his father, and the family, had been devoted until his death. But within a very short time, Thomas too became converted to Mormonism and was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in June, 1844, at Bath in Somersetshire.

His devotion to the new faith soon turned his attention westward to the mountain home of the Saints, and he left for America with his wife and son in 1849. Before crossing the Plains, he spent a year in St. Louis where he worked in crockery shop and earned enough to outfit an independent wagon for the trip. This enabled him to take some helpful conveniences to his new home in Utah, including adobe molds, a step-stove and an eight-day clock.

The Winter family arrived in Salt Lake City, September 5, 1850, and lived in the old pioneer fort during the first winter. In selecting a site for his home the following spring, Thomas's love for water and growing things led him to locate on the banks of Canyon Creek, a small stream that emptied into the Jordan River. Here he built a one-room adobe house on Fourth West and Seventh South. The second year, a five-room house was built and the first small home became a stable. Because the need for food was of paramount importance in the new community, Thomas became a farmer. There was little occasion to use his old profession as a bridge-builder, but his knowledge of tools and machinery was constantly called into service. It was he who drove the piles for the first pier built on the Great Salt Lake at Garfield.

When the Fifth Ward was organized, Thomas Winter was chosen as the first bishop, and ordained to that office by Apostle Orson Hyde, April 11, 1853. It was as Bishop Winter that he was loved and long remembered by all who knew him. One friendly service, which he continued for many years, was to meet all the immigrant trains as they reached the Valley and to help the new arrivals find their friends and get located in new homes. If they had no one, he often took them into his own home until they could find a place to stay. Sundays when Bishop Winter went to the Tabernacle for Sabbath service, his wagon was always filled to capacity with family, neighbors and friends. He cheerfully shared whatever he had with others. His home was known for its friendly hospitality and in his religious duties, the slightest word of those in authority over him was law and gospel.

Besides his first wife Ann, he married four other wives and was the father of eight sons and eight daughters. The home life of his several families, who lived together under the same roof for many years, was a beautiful example of peace and harmony. Five sons and six daughters grew to maturity. Bishop Winter died in Salt Lake City, August 11, 1882, during his seventieth year. — Ruby K. Smith, granddaughter