Peace Maker of the west for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
A convert to the early days of the Church, he moved to Nauvoo, and then to Tooele, UT. Here he became an official representative to the Native American tribes for the Church under the direction of Brigham Young. It is impossible to count the number of lives saved and battles prevented through his peace making abilities to these people. He eventually moved to Santa Clara, later to Arizona and then New Mexico. He is regarded today as one of the greatest pioneers in Church history.
The Jacob Hamblin home was built of sandrock quarried from the red hills behind the home. In 1863 stone masons, including Elias Morris and the Averett Brothers, were called by the Mormon Church to build a home for the Buckskin Apostle to the Lamanites (Indians), The builders left "Irontown" near Cedar City, crossed the mountains to Santa Clara. In a short time a two story home was constructed, built into the hillside so that the second story could be entered from the outside at ground level.
The home has a regular gabled roof with shed extension in the rear, and two porches running the full length of the house. The upper porch floor slopes so that fruits could be dried on it. The main entrance is on the south, opening into a hallway that leads to the rear of the home into the kitchen and storage areas.
Because Jacob had two wives at the time the home was built, the room to the right (east) and the room to the left (west) are nearly identical with beds, fireplaces on the outside walls, and small stairs ascending to the second floor from the back outside corner of each room.
On the second floor is a large room, used for religious, civic and social events. People could enter it directly from the outside without going into the main private quarters. Behind the main room, in the lower shed portion of the back room, were two small, short-cei1inged sleeping rooms used by the smaller children.
Hamblin's two wives, Rachel Judd and Priscilla Leavitt, apparently dearly loved each other. Together they had five and three children respectively and cared for some of Jacob's older children by his first wife. Later Jacob married a young Indian girl as a fourth wife, and finally Louisa Bonelli, as a fifth. It seems probable the house may have been home to as many as ten to fifteen children and three or four wives. His second wife, Rachel, died in the home in 1865. However, Louisa preferred to live by herself and other arrangements were provided (findagrave.com)