Charles R. Bailey was born 31 Aug 1839 in Hanley, England, the son of Charles and Jane Bailey. His father , though a good man, "was one of those kind of men who lacked fortitude and was very easily led by company to drink." His mother eventually left him and moved to Lancashire, where a cousin of their's moved in with them. She was a Latter-day Saint, and after several months both mother and son were baptized.

In the early spring of 1855, they immigrated to the United States, with their eyes set to going to "Zion". They entered a company and were soon bound for Utah. In 1859 Charles moved to Cache Valley and settled in Maughn's Fort (Wellsville). While there he met and married a girl, but in a short time was divorced, since her mother had planned for her to marry another. Peter Maughn, then president of the stake promised him that: "You will marry two faithful Latter-day Saint girls and will raise a large family." This promise was fulfilled, though: "it took three and a half years to bring it about." Charles Bailey was well liked by many and died peacefully in Welsville Utah on 16 Jan 1910.