"Immediately Grandfather sought out the coal mines in Utah for employment. Finally he decided that it was not good for man to be alone; and he began looking for a nice girl to become his wife. He met and fell in love with Miss Hannah Taylor of Salt Lake City. They were married the 5th of July, 1870. He was twenty four years old. They were very happy together. They were great fans of the Salt Lake Theater. When a large troop from the east and abroad were going to put on a show, he appreciated the best and most cultured performance and attended these rather than the efforts of local talent. He was an aristocrat in dress as well as entertainment, proud as a peacock, one neighbor said of him. He had as many as four suits of cloths at one time. He dressed his wife Hannah in the most beautiful cloths obtainable; these also came from the east.
Their first child, Alexander Taylor, was born the 12 Mar. 1871.
He lived only 12 days. Hannah never fully recovered in health from this birth. Grandfather bought a nicer home for her in Cottonwood, and gave her the best loving care, but she died the 2nd of June 1873. Heartbroken he sold his home in Cottonwood and went back to the mines, coming in often to visit his mother-in-law, and his wife's grave in the City Cemetery.
With the building of the canal from the point of the mountain to Riverton area, the water taken out the Jordan River at the narrows, Grandfather saw a chance to make himself considerable more money. He purchased a team of horses and equipment, and went to work on the canal. He went to Nicholas T. Silcock, a farmer living in Riverton to buy some hay and grain to feed his horses. As he paid for the feed, Nicholas Silcock was surprised at the large amount of money in this stranger's pocket book, indeed he never seen so much money in h
is life. It was on one of his purchasing trips, Grandfather chanced to meet lovely Miss Almira Silcock. However she was on the lookout for him, because she had previously been shown in a dream the man she was going to marry. They were married 30 Mar. 1874 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. He had previously received his endowments in 1867.
He purchased a tract of land joining the Silcock property in Riverton. Here he built a 3 room adobe house. When the Riverton Ward was organized he gave the land for the Meeting House and also helped to build it. To show that he built well, both of these buildings are still standing today in a good state of preservation.
Grandpa was pleased when their first child was born, Alice Sarah, 4 Feb. 1875. The Hannah Jane, 13 Feb. 1876. He was somewhat disappointed when my mother Rosa was born 13 June 1878. He did so want a boy. So when George Alexander came on the 29th of Jan 1880, his joy knew no bounds.
In these early days of the Church, plural marriage was being practiced and preached by the Authorities. Grandpa desired to take another wife, so with Grandma’s consent he married Minnie Sorenson, Oct 16, 1876. From all I have heard both wives lived very harmoniously together as a family unit. Each wife was just another Mother to the other’s children. Grandpa was a kind, peace-loving man, himself. He showed great love and understanding to all his children alike. He was a strict but wise disciplinarian; all his children and grandchildren loved and respected him very much.
About 1881 Grandfather moved to the 5th Ward in Salt Lake City. Here he built his own house
and both of the wives lived in the same house for the first and only time. All through these years both were having children about the same time. Grandma gave birth to Harriet, 7 March 1882. Nicholas Thomas was born 4 July 1883. James Mormon
was born 8 Dec 1884.
His wife Minnie had:
Minnie Sophia, Aug 19, 1877
Annie, Aug 2, 1878
Juliatte, Feb 11. 1880
Eliza Jane, July 3, 1881
William Edward, Sept 29, 1882
Henry Ether, Dec 14, 1883
Elizabeth Mary, Feb 17, 1885
Emma, May 6, 1887
Margaret M, Dec. 6, 1888
Orson, Feb 5, 1890
Clara, 29 Feb 1892
Edna, Aug 27, 1894
Parley Cecil, April 8, 1896
Orin Millard, Dec 14, 1897
Clarence, Feb 3, 1901.
Nine of these children from both families died by 1898.
His wife Almira moved to the 3rd ward on State Street and wife Minnie moved to Little Cottonwood. Then he built a large 2 story house in Farmer’s Ward (about 13th South and 17th Street) where both families lived, very closely associated with each other.
Then in 1885, the U.S. Government was cracking down on those men who had more than one wife. The local U.S. Marshals were, on the most part, Mormon-haters and delighted in seeking these men and putting them in jail, under the co-habitation law, if they were caught. True, Pres. Wilford Woodruff had been directed to issue the Manifesto, making it unlawful for men to take more than one wife. The Church Authorities instructed their men not to take anymore wives, but to take care of the ones they already had as well as possible.
Grandfather had taken Aunt Minnie in good faith and certainly she and her children were his responsibility. It was noised around that Aunt Minnie and her children had gone to St. George to live. But she went to Riverton and lived with Auntie Beb, Great Grandfather Silcock’s 2nd wife. Here Grandpa secretly looked after their wants. Later Grandpa built her a nice brick home in Riverton.
Eventually, with his growing family Grandpa decided he had to have more land, so he sold his property in the Farmer’s Ward in Salt Lake City at a sacrifice and bought a farm in Granger. Here Heber Charles was born 10 Oct. 1886, Hyrum Edgar, 11 Jun 1889 and Ella Almira, 10 Mar 1892.
He built a nice frame house for his family in Granger. Then he later bought more land joining his farm on the West. This farm had a hewn log house on it to which he made a sizable addition, which housed his large family comfortably. He raised good crops and had all kinds of livestock on the farm. He was a great lover of horses and owned some fine animals. "
TO BE CONTINUED...
This history of Alexander Shillington Henderson was written by one of his granddaughters, Marie Oliver Winter. The original copy can be found at the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers in Salt Lake City. I have made some grammatical and spelling changes. Other additional information I have added is in italics. All of the pictures and graphics I have added as well.
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