Moroni was the son of Alva and Cynthia (Vail) Benson. He married Martha Philips on the 6th of April 1862 in Hyrum, Cache County, Utah. They had 11 children. He married Elizabeth (Standley) Osborn on the 12th of January 1867 in Salt Lake City, Utah. They had two daughters, Margaret Cyrene Benson and Linda "Lindy" Vilette Benson.

"History of Hyrum Utah" Walker, "Life In The Fort" pages 30-33.
Early Pioneer Moroni Benson, by A. A. Savage
The following is a short sketch of the life and labors of Moroni Benson, as he related it to the undersigned last July, 1916:

I was born at Independence, Jackson Co., Mo., July 25, 1833. During my childhood days the Saints were passing through their trials in Missouri. Many times my mother took me in her arms and hid in the brush to escape the mobs. We lived in Lafayette Co., Clay Co., and Caldwell Co., after being driven from Jackson Co. While living in Clay Co., my father built a saw mill and sawed all the lumber for the first fort built by the government at Leavenworth, Kansas.

In 1839 all the Saints were called to settle in Caldwell Co., so they could all be together as a protection against the mobs. In answer to this call a large company of us were traveling together. When we arrived at Haun's Mill, part of the Company stopped for the night while the rest of us went on to Far West. The next morning a terrible massacre took place and we would have been in it had we stayed at the mill.

When the Saints were driven from Missouri and settled in Nauvoo, we went to Sparksville, McClain Co., Ill., where my mother's brother lived. He was well to do and gave us help which we greatly needed, after being robbed of so much. We lived here seven years and here I was baptized into the church in 1841 by David Judy.

I can remember seeing Joseph and Hyrum Smith, when I was a small boy playing marbles on the public square, at Far West. I saw Joseph Smith when he was arrested and taken to Liberty jail.

When the people were driven out of Nauvoo we went with them and settled in Council Bluffs. During the winter of 1846 and 1847, when I was just past 13 years of age, I pounded all the corn we had for hominy and corn bread on a hominy block, and I had to carry all the wood we burned about a mile and a half on my back, through the deep snow, with shoes on that had holes in them bigger than the remaining pieces of leather; I also had to chop down elms for the cattle to browse on to keep them from starving to death. During the summer I did the farming, because I was the oldest one home, all the rest being off working.

After living at Council Bluffs five years we came to Utah, arriving in Springville Sept. 23, 1852, and went from there to Payson to live during the winter and the following summer. In the summer of 1853, the Walker Indian war broke out and I was mustered into service July 19, and served over three months as a guard.

That fall we were called to settle in Iron Co., by Brigham Young. We left Payson Nov. 11, 1853, and when we reached Iron Co. we settled on the site of Cedar City and built a fort a half mile square for protection against the Indians. I was shot in the leg with an arrow, while standing guard one night outside the fort. I went back to Springville in 1858 and farmed the following summer.

In the spring of 1860, I with others came to Cache Valley and after exploring the entire valley we selected the site of Hyrum to locate on. That summer I helped build the canal that waters the city and all the land south east of town. Father Ira Allen, Andrew Allen and myself laid out the canal with a spirit level. The canal was nine miles long and was built in about four weeks.

During the winter of 1860 and 1861, I helped build the first meeting house, and did such other work as we could; I also helped build the first house that was built in Hyrum, and it was a hard winter with lots of snow.

In the summer of 1861, I went back to Florence for emigrants; was married to Martha Phillips April 6, 1862. In 1866 and 1867, I served as a guard in the Black Hawk Indian war. I helped build the first road in Blacksmith Fork Canyon and other roads all through the mountains to mill sites. I worked six weeks in rock on the Central Pacific Railroad west of Corinne, and six weeks on the Utah Central Railroad between Salt Lake and Ogden. I cut ties for the Utah Northern railroad when it was building into Cache Valley. During later years I worked for the United Order Co., for 15 years around the sawmills, and for 25 years had charge of the toll road in Blacksmith Fork canyon, also owned by that company.

I have passed through many hardships in my days; you don't see any of them now-days. I went into the mountains and camped for days at a time and worked in the timber barefooted. My feet would be so sore in the mornings from being cut on the sharp rock, that I could hardly walk. Down in Iron Co., I have walked through prickly pears barefooted, while hunting oxen, I had to do it because shoes could not be bought.

I only killed two bears in my day, but one was the largest grizzley ever killed in the mountains.

I have taken part in all the early development of this town and tried to make it a good place to live in, and now it is to be left to you young fellows to keep it going.

Besides his two wives, Moroni Benson is survived by twelve children, all of whom were present at the funeral except one. He has fifty grand-children and twelve great grand-children." A. A. Savage