Brief Life Sketch

Thomas Callister is Willis’ grandfather. He was born July 8, 1821, in Braddan, Isle of Man, to John Callister and Catharine Murphy, was orphaned by age 15. Apprenticing as a tailor, he honed his craft with determination despite limited formal education, teaching himself to read and write. His spiritual curiosity drew him to a street meeting where Elder John Taylor preached about the restored gospel of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Deeply moved, Thomas was baptized in March 1841, a choice that estranged him from family and friends but solidified his unwavering conviction.

In January 1842, Thomas left the Isle of Man for America, forsaking comfort, companionship, and a substantial inheritance offered by his brother to remain. After a grueling sea voyage and journey up the Mississippi, he arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, and settled in nearby Ramus (later Macedonia). He married Caroline Clara Smith, a cousin of Joseph Smith, and later Helen Mar Clark. Thomas faced persecution, defending the Saints against mobs during the Nauvoo period, and served as an ordained Elder, preaching missions in rural Illinois despite hostility.

Expelled from Nauvoo, Thomas and his family crossed the Mississippi River and endured extreme hardship at Winter Quarters in 1846–1847, where they lost a child. They reached the Salt Lake Valley in 1848, joining the Saints’ westward migration. Thomas served as bishop in Salt Lake and Fillmore, led civic and church efforts, and completed a mission to England. A respected peacemaker and pioneer, he was known for his generosity and faith, passing away in Fillmore on December 1, 1880, as a father of 32 children across his two marriages and a stalwart in early Church history.