and Charles Guild
By Susan Tippets
August 1997
Marie Madeline Cardon was born July 6, 1834 in St. Bartholomew, Prarostino, Torino, Italy. In 1852, when she was 18 years old her whole family, except the oldest sister, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Though they loved their native land, the spirit of gathering to Zion rested upon them. Philippe Cardon sold what he could of their property and personal items. There were funds enough to take them and another family of five all the way to Utah. They traveled from Italy to Liverpool, England, where they joined the Robert L. Campbell Company of Saints. Their fellow immigrants were from England, Scotland, Switzerland and Ireland.
Charles Guild was born on April 14, 1826 in Dundee, Scotland and is believed to be the second of five sons born to James and Agnes Gordon Guild. In 1835, when Charles was not quite nine years old, his mother and youngest brother passed away. Several years later Charles joined the Mormon faith and he was disowned by his father. On March 12, 1854, he also joined the Robert L. Campbell Company in Liverpool, England and they all sailed for America on the ship “John M. Wood.” The ship was making its maiden voyage and all 485 passengers were members of the church. During the voyage, Charles met Marie Cardon. They landed at New Orleans on April 28, 1854, after 47 days at sea. On May 2, they started up the Mississippi River by steamboat, headed for St. Louis. An epidemic of cholera was raging through St. Louis and some of the immigrants contracted it when they left the ship to sightsee. Many died. Philippe Cardon came down with it and was finally blessed to live.
The journey to Zion was hard on the immigrants. They had no experience with the mules, oxen, wagons and miles of bad roads. They had been tailors, weavers and stone masons in their native countries. All of Marie’s brothers drove wagons for other families. When Philippe sprained his ankle and was “laid up entirely”, Marie drove a mule team from St. Louis to Zion. The company arrived in Salt Lake City on October 26, 1854, 269 days in all.
The account of the 6th Company of Utah Immigrants in 1854 does not include the name of Charles Guild. Perhaps he came from St. Louis with a different group. Moses Byrne was in the same company as the Cardons and married Catherine soon after arriving in Utah. Charles and Marie were married later on February 19, 1855.
Charles and Marie lived in Slaterville, Weber County, Utah, which is close to Ogden. Their first two children, Mary Madeline and Charles Alexander were born there. In 1859, the family moved to Lehi, Utah. Joseph Phillip, James Hyrum, George Thomas and John Albert Cardon were born there. One daughter, Lavinia Agnes was also born there but died when she was eight months old. In I 867, tl1ey joined Marie’s sister Catherine and her husband Moses Byrne in Wyoming. Moses had built a Pony Express Station on the Overland Trail twelve miles west of Ft. Bridger. So many emigrants were traveling west that there was plenty of work for two families. When the railroad went through the area in 1868, both the Byrnes and the Guilds moved up the Muddy Creek to the railroad station. Marie Madeline and her sister, Catherine Cardon Byrne, were the only white women there at the time. The women named the town Piedmont because it reminded them of their home in Piedmont, Italy. While in Piedmont, the Guilds had Emma Jane, Ida Ellen, William and Katie Alvina. Charles and Marie Madeline became the parents of eleven children, nine of whom they raised to maturity.
Charles, having come from a family of weavers and knowing the trade, invented a special kind of weaving machine. He was still living in Utah at the time and he left it with Brigham Young for safe keeping. Later, while trying to patent this machine he found that one of Brigham Young’s friends had already gotten a patent for it. Charles thus lost faith for many years and was inactive in the church. Years later, after visiting Germany and Scotland, he told his family that he and his wife were renewing their affiliation with the church. They completed their own ordinances in the Logan Temple before their deaths. Marie had remained faithful to her faith and she leaves a stirring testimony … one that is very hard to resist.
They built the first store in Piedmont. Marie operated the store and though she had rather sketchy schooling and could not count change as the Wyoming residents, she had her own system which was very accurate in its use.
The oldest son, Joseph, was only seventeen years old when he began work on a large home for their family. Because the town needed a hotel, they later added more rooms to their home until it eventually contained twenty-two rooms.
Charles homesteaded land and built a ranch with a house outside of Piedmont. The ranch is still in the Guild family after six generations.
Charles and his sons organized the Guild Land and Livestock Company and the Guild Mercantile Co. At one time they had stores in Piedmont, Hillard, Urie, Lyman and Rock Springs and extensive land holdings. In connection with the hotel they ran one of the four saloons in Piedmont. Charles was always proud of the fact that he raised five sons and not one drank, smoked or gambled.
Chief Washakie and his tribe spent some summers around the Ft. Bridger area and did a credit business at the Guild Mercantile Store. Charles would often load a wagon and be gone for several weeks. Once while Charles was gone, a group of braves came to the Guild home demanding “firewater.” Marie Madeline was very frightened but she managed to send Jimmy, then seven years old, out a window to get help from the Byrne family. When Chief Washakie heard of the incident, he came demanding that she tell him the names of the braves, which she wouldn’t do. She knew that they would be severely punished. Chief Washakie had his squaw make a beaded purse for her and a pair of beaded moccasins for Charles.
Charles died in Piedmont on February 14, 1908. It is said that he was a kind-hearted and hospitable man who was diligent and faithful to all his trusts. He was gifted with intuitive knowledge of mechanics and invented a number of useful articles, notably a combination door lock which could be changed to 220 different combinations.
Marie was considered a very good business woman. She possessed a strong character and a great deal of determination. She was a worthy example to her children who are known for their character and honesty. She passed away on July 21, 1914, and was buried in the Guild cemetery in Piedmont. Later they moved the graves of Marie and her husband to the City Cemetery in Evanston, Wyoming.
Guild Family Cemetery, Guild Ranch, near Piedmont, Wyoming
