Grover was born on July 22, 1807, to Thomas Grover and Polly Spaulding in
Whitehall, New York. At age 12, he worked as a cabin boy on the
Erie Canal, where he would eventually become a captain. In 1828, he married his first wife, Caroline Whiting, with whom he had seven daughters. In September 1834, Grover joined
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, being baptized by
Warren A. Cowdery. After joining the church, he and his family moved to
Kirtland, Ohio, to join the main body of Latter Day Saints. Grover moved his family from Kirtland to
Far West, Missouri. After
Governor Lilburn Boggs issued an
order for Mormons to be exterminated from Missouri, Grover and his family fled to
Nauvoo, Illinois. Along the way, Caroline became ill. She died on October 17, 1840. That same month, Grover and Caroline's infant daughter Emma died. At age 33, Grover became a widower with five young children to care for. While in Nauvoo, Grover farmed for a living. He was also a
bodyguard to
Joseph Smith That same year, he began practicing
plural marriage, marrying his second wife, Caroline Eliza Nickerson Hubbard, on February 20, 1841. He later married Hannah Tupper, Laduska Tupper, Emma Walker, and Elizabeth Walker as well. He had two children with Caroline Hubbard and two sons with Hannah Tupper. One of his jobs was butcher. He arrived in the
Salt Lake Valley on October 2, 1847. Once in
Utah Territory, Grover helped settle the area that is now
Centerville and
Farmington. He was a member of the
Territorial Legislature and a Probate Judge in
Davis County, Utah. He died on February 20, 1886, at the age of 78. ==References==