GUSTAVUS ADOLPHUS PERRY
Gustavus Adolphus Perry was bom January 4, 1797 in Wilton, Hillsborough County, New
Hampshire. He was the oldest of six children bom to Abijah Perry, Jr. and Elizabeth (Betsey)
Tippets orTippetts. His brothers and sisters were Maria Anne Charlotte Ecorde (Marianne), bom
January 18, 1798 (an invalid); Samuel Greeley, bom October 10, 1799 ( a minister of the
gospel); Caroline Matilda, bom February 4, 1801 (married Asa Stoddard); Phoebe, bom
September 19, 1804 (married Aiken Sheldon); and Ebenezer, bom about 1805. The two
youngest children were bom after the family moved to Elizabethtown, Essex County, New York,
and it appears that Ebenezer was bom after hi.s father died.
Abijah was the son of Abijah Perry, Sr.i a Revolutionary War soldier in Captain William
Barren's company. (He served five months at Fort Ticonderoga.)
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The father of Gustavus, Abijah Perry, Jr., was bom October 25, 1766 in Wilton,
Hillsborough County, New Hampshire, and died in November of 1804 in New York. The mother
of Gustavus, Elizabeth Tippets, was bom August 30, 1773 in Methuen, Essex County,
Massachusetts. She died in New York in 1813.
The parents of Gustavus were married April 24,1796 by Reverend Abel Fiske, a
minister of the Congregational Church of Wilton, who was minister there for 23 1/2 years. The
town church was a large two story building with two rows of large windows extended around the
building. In the early days the attic was the powder arsenal of the town.
In 1801 the father and the grandfather of Gustavus sold the farm in Wilton and moved to
Elizabethtown, New York. Abijah, Jr. died a few years later in 1804. Family tradition says he
died from homesickness. The family that purchased the home still own the property and the
house in which Gustavus was bom still stands as does the bam his grandfather built.
Elizabethtown was formed from Crown Point February 12, 1798. It is situated in the
beautiful Boquet Valley. In the summer of 1791 Eliphalet Lamb and a Mr. Goszard, two small
traders, greatly excited by the beautiful appearance of the valley of Boquet, reported "they had
seen the handsomest tract of land in the world; the garden of Eden could not be higher extolled
than they extolled the valley of Boquet; the timber was principally butternut and sugar maple,
and a sprinkling of other timber, and many large pines; -and the beautiful river with its gravel
bottom, and pure water as clear as crystal and abounding with trout, — They went immediately to
Captain Rogers and bargained for lots of land in the valley for one dollar and twenty-five cents
an acre, and agreed to get on as many setlers as they could."
After the death of Abijah Jr., Elizabeth married Jeremiah Emery, and Gustavus left
home because he did not like his step-father. He was only ten and he apparently went to live
with his mother's relatives until the time he was married. His brothers and sisters also went to
live with relatives and friends at the time their mother remarried. Elizabeth and Mr. Emery had
two children. Gustavus married Eunice Wing, a daughter of Elisha Wing and Anna Boardman.
(Eunice Wing is a descendant of Deborah Bachiler Wing, one of the earliest settlers of Cape
Cod, Massachussets, where the original Wing Family Mansion still stands, and Anna Boardman
is a descendant of Samuel Boreman, an early settler of Massachusetts who came from Banbury,
England, and is one of a few whose voyage across the Atlantic is documented because of a diary
written by a fellow traveler. We also claim to be descended from Adam through Anna-see
attached.) They lived on a farm in Lewis, Essex County, New York. The following children were
bom to them (the youngest bom in Quincy, Adams County, Illinois):
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Orrin Alonzo, Rosalia Elvira, Amanda Melvina, Lorenzo, Henry Elisha, Cornelia, and Lucy Ann.
The following story about the conversion of Gustavus was written by Laura Peters
Fifield:
"One dark stormy evening close to the year 1830 the Gustavus Perry family were all
gathered in the kitchen, the latch strings drawn in for the night. The front door opened and they
heard someone coming through the house toward the kitchen where the family was assembled.
When he entered the kitchen they saw that it was an old man with a white flowing beard.
Although it was a stormy night there were no signs of raindrops on his clothes. He said 'God
Bless You1 and asked for food and asked if he could spend the night with them. Although they
were poor and had little bread they gave him food and shelter. When he came in he had a
knapsack on his back with a little pup which he gave to the children to play with. During the
evening he took from his pocket a book from which he read, telling them that it was soon to
come forth and telling them to get one at their first opportunity. As he was leaving the next
morning he promised them that they would never want for bread, which promise was literally
fulfilled. That very next day a man who owed them some money asked if they would take wheat
for the debt. Although it was broad daylight when the stranger left none of the neighbors saw
him leave.
"Sometime after the visit of the old gentlemen, two Mormon Elders with a Book of
Mormon came to their door. The family obtained one and in reading the book they recognized
passages of scripture the stranger had read to them on the night of his visit.
"In the year 1832 the family joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints ."
Some of the missionaries working in this part of the country at the time the Perrys joined
the Church were Amasa M. Lyman, William E. McLellan and two brothers Jared and Simeon
Carter.
Gustavus was ordained a High Priest in Bolton, Warren County, New York in 1834 by
John F. Boyington, one of the original twelve Apostles, and Jared Carter. This is interesting
because in 1834 it had not yet been revealed to Joseph Smith the full duties and responsibilities
of the office of High Priest. In 1835 an important revelation on the Priesthood was given which
explained this office.
An interesting conversion took place in Bolton, Warren County, New York. Jared and
Simeon Carter met a man named John Tanner. 'Tanner was a Bible scholar and attended the
meeting intending to expose the Mormon heresy. At the close of the meeting he invited the
Carter brothers to his home. That evening in a conversation with the missionaries, he became
converted to the gospel. As the clock struck eleven, he asked for baptism but expressed doubt
about entering the water because he had been lame for months and was unable to put his foot to
the floor. Jared Carter asked if he believed there was enough power in the ancient gospel of
Jesus Christ to heal all infirmities. John Tanner firmly exclaimed that he did. Jared asked if he
believed that this power had been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. Tanner's answer
was in the affirmative. 'Mr. Tanner replied that such a thought had never occurred ot him, but he
believed that the Lord could heal him.1"
"Jared Carter took Tanner's hand and commanded him in the name of Jesus Christ to
stand upon his feet and walk. The man rose to his feet, threw down his crutches, and, pacing the
room, praised God. 'I felt as light as a feather,1 he exclaimed. And he walked three quarters of
a mile to Lake George, where he was baptized by Simeon Carter."
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At the time the Perrys joined the Church there were also some Tippets families living in
their town of Lewis, New York. These were relatives of Gustavus, his mother's maiden name
being Tippets. Several members of these families also joined the Church in the early 1830s.
Evidently, the first to read the Book of Mormon was a young lady named Caroline Tippets, who
then had a positive influence on her brothers and cousins.
Joseph Harrison Tippets is of special interest to us for several reasons. He was a first
cousin to Gustavus A. Perry because his father Joseph was a brother to Elizabeth Tippets
(mother of Gustavus). Joseph H. Tippets also eventually married two of the daughters of
Gustavus: first Rosalia, and after she died, her younger sister, Amanda Melvina. The two
families (Gustavus A. Perry and Joseph H. Tippets) are often mentioned together and there is
evidence that they sometimes traveled together.
Although some publications claim that members of the Perry family lived in Kirtland,
Ohio, I have found no records to verify this. However, Joseph Harrison Tippets lived there for a
short period of time before he was married. He first went to Kirtland with John Harvey Tippets
(his cousin) to deliver a donation and a letter from the saints in the Lewis, Essex County, New
York branch of the Church to the leaders of the Church in Ohio. This may have been a response
to a request from Joseph Smith about six months earlier asking for members in the East to come,
to the aid of the persecuted saints in Missouri by sending money to purchase lands in Missouri or
by volunteering to join Zion's Camp. This letter from New York dated October 20, 1834 which
we read in the History of the Church, contained the following pararaph:
'The members of a branch of the Church of the Latter-day Saints, agreeable to the
requirement of heaven, have striven to unite their hearts and views, in order to be found spotless
before the blazing throne of the Great Jehovah when He comes to make up His jewels, and for
this end to send property by the hands of wise men, appointed by the voice of the Church,
agreeable to the revelation concerning the redemption of Zion, for the purpose of purchasing
land in Jackson county, or counties round about, for the inheritance of the Church. Agreeable to
this, we give our names with the affixed sums annexed."
The total donation from these New York saints amounted to $848.40. Gustavus A. Perry
contributed $6.00 in property and Joseph H. Tippets gave $98.67 in cash and $120.37 in
property.
Joseph H. Tippets and John Tippets, having arrived in November, were advised to
remain in Kirtland during the winter, which they agreed to do. On March 7, 1835 Joseph H.
Tippets was one of 119 men who received a blessing from the prophet Joseph Smith for helping
to build the Kirtland Temple.
Family tradition and some family histories claim that the Gustavus A. Perry family lived
in Far West, Missouri for a short time. I can find no land deeds or other records to verify this.
However, there is some circumstantial evidence that indicates the family may have actually lived
in Missouri.
For instance, Joseph H. Tippets bought land in Far West, Caldwell County Missouri, on
November 15,1836. Just six weeks later on January 1, 1837 he married Rosalia Perry, which
suggests that the Perrys may have been in the vicinity. On February 28, 1837 Jospeh H. Tippets
paid $150 to buy land in Clinton County, Missouri, having already sold his land in Far West.
Joseph and Rosalia lived in Clinton County for a few years. Their first child, a son named
Joseph Mahonri, was bom on September 25, 1838 while they were still Iving in Clinton County.
In a publication about early Mormon land ownership in Missouri written by Wayne J.
Lewis I found a list of those who probably owned land there. On this list among the Perrys
appear the names "Eunice" and "Grisbacius". Grisbacius could easily be a misinterpretation of
the cursive writing of Gustavus. Again, this seems to indicate that the Perrys were Iving in the
state of Missouri. Unfortunately, I have been unable to locate Mr. Lewis' sources of information.
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Something else suggests that the Perry family was in Missouri. When the persecutions
in Missouri increased and the church members were forced to flee, the principal point of exodus
was Quincy, Illinois. We know the Gustavus Perry family lived in Quincy about that time
because their youngest daughter Lucy Ann was bom there on May 20, 1839. Also, the family is
listed on the 1840 federal census for Quincy, Adams County, Illinois.
The Perrys may have eventually moved into Nauvoo. There is a record they paid taxes
there and in 1841 Gustavus was baptized in Nauvoo for his stepfather, Jeremiah Emery.
(Apparently by then he had more benevolent feelings towards him.)
In February 1844 Gustavus received his patriarchal blesing in Macedonia, Illinois from
John Smith. This town was also called Ramus and it was located 22 miles southeast of Nauvoo.
John Smith, uncle to the prophet, presided over the branch there and on January 10, 1844 he
was called to be a partriarch.
A book that has been kept in Nauvoo, called 'The Nauvoo Temple Carpentry Shop" lists
the names of those who donated time or money for carpentry work on the Nauvoo Temple.
Included in this book are the names of Gustavus Perry and his son, Lorenzo. I'm sure the Perry
family along with all the saints at that time were interested in helping with the building of this
sacred temple. Most of the male members in the area were encouraged to work on the temple,
some donating a day of temple construciton work every ten days as a way to pay their tithing.
In the History of the Church we leam that Gustavus A. Perry was one of the delegates to
the political convention in Nauvoo at the time Joseph Smith was nominated to be a candidate for
president of the United States in May of 1844. Unfortunately, Gustavus' name is listed as "S. A.
Perry ". But since he is from Essex County, New York and no other Perry families were
members of the Church from that county at that time, and since cursive "G" often looks like a
cursive "S", it is highly probable that this delegate was indeed Gustavus Perry. He often signed
his name with his initials: G. A. Perry.
A record of the Masons in Nauvoo reveals that Gustavus was accepted as a member of
the lodge on April 24, 1845. This seems a little strange because George A. Smith on April 10,
1845 recorded in his journal that he had advised Lucius N. Scovil, keeper of the lodge, to
suspend the work of that institution in consequence of hostile actions on the part of the Grand
Lodge of Illinois against the lodge at Nauvoo.
Gustavus1 daughter Rosalia died in Illinois in December of 1841. That was a bad year in
the Nauvoo area for rmany were suffering from severe illness. Rosalia and her husband, Joseph
H. Tippets, had two small children, Joseph Mahonri and Caroline Cornelia, when she died.
Joseph H. soon married Rosalia's younger sister Amanda Melvina on June 26, 1842.
When the saints were driven from Nauvoo in 1846 the Perrys went with them across the
state of Iowa to the Council Bluffs area where Gustavus and Eunice stayed until 1852. Many of
the men asked Brigham Young if they could venture into Missouri to obtain work to earn money
to support their families. Years later, Brigham Young mentioned this in a speech: "Brethren
came to me saying 'We must go to Missouri. Can we not take our families and go to Missouri
and get work?'" Brigham Young tried to discourage them from going by building a mill at Winter
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Quarters to employ the men, but many went to Missouri anyway.
Evidently, two of Gustavus' sons, Henry Elisha and Orrin Alonzo, traveled down to
Farley, Platte County, Missouri, where Henry obtained work with a Roman Catholic who had
1200 acres of land in the Missouri River Bottoms and also a freight outfit for hauling provisions to
Santa Fe and Laramie. While working there, Henry met Elizabeth Zabriskie wfio became his
wife.
By 1850 another son, Lorenzo, had left Iowa, the first of the Perry family to cross the
plains to Utah.
Gustavus and Eunice remained at Pottawattamie County, Iowa, near Council Bluffs for
approximately six years. Gustavus is frequently mentioned in the records of Lake Branch of the
Church in that area between 1848 and 1851. Also, other members of his family are sometimes
mentioned. While he was serving as a "counsyler" in the Lake Branch he signed an agreement
that included the followng statement: " . . also agreed that all former difficulties be 'draped1 and
all hardness 'berried' forever." At one time he made a $.50 donation to the pioneers.
Gustavus must have been a compassionate person because about 1847 he married a
younger woman who had been abandoned by her husband. Her name was Sally (Sarah) Jenkins
Graver and she orignally came form Bowdoinham, Lincoln County, Maine. With her first
husband Joseph Graver, she had given birth to seven children but only three of them had
survived infancy. The two boys probably stayed with their father or other relatives, but Mary Ann
(whose twin sister died in Winter Quarters at the age of two) came to live with the Perry family
when her mother married Gustavus. On the 1850 census it shows that six year old Mary was
living with the Perrys and attending school.
Gustavus and his first wife Eunice had both received their endowments earlier in the
Nauvoo Temple in a special attic room on January 28, 1846, just one week before the first
pioneer wagons crossed the Mississippi River at the start of the exodus west. It appears,
however, that they were not sealed to each other at that time in eternal marriage. From the book
Mormons at the Missouri (1846-1852) by Richard E. Bennett, we leam that "scores of engaged
couples (and married ones too) were requesting celestial marriage with or without a temple. It
was dear to them that their delay at the Bluffs and the uncertainty of future events would
postpone indefinitely the erection of another temple in the West. Joseph Smith had made
exceptions, why could not Brigham Young?"
Because of the persistent pleading and begging of the saints for temple covenants and
blessings, President Young must have changed his mind about waiting to do this sacred work
until an appropriate temple could be built.
On March 22, 1847 Gustavus was sealed in celestial marriage to both of his wives,
Eunice Wing and Sally Jenkins, by President Brigham Young at Winter Quarters. The ceremony
was performed "at candle lighting" which means twilight or the time to light the candles, and may
have been done in Willard Richards' large unuusal octagon shaped house with its thatched roof
which served many functions at Winter Quarters including home for Richards family, post office,
community center, and council house.
On the 20th of January 1848 Gustavus Adolphus Perry signed a petition which included
the names of Brigham Young and other Church leaders requesting a post office for the
Pottawattamie lands in Iowa from the Postmaster Genera! of the United States.
Gustavus and Sally had at least one son bom during the period from 1847 to 1849. The
Iowa census record gives the child's name as "Gustavus" although other records said "Silas".
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Apparently this child died before the family began their trek across the plains. Mary Ann Graver
returned to live with her father after she came west in Brigham City, Utah, while still a young girl.
The Utah Immigration Card index includes a card that claims that the Perry family,
including all the sons, came to Utah with Shadrach Roundy's Hundred in 1848. We don't know
the origin of this information. Perhaps the family initially signed up to come with Roundy but later
changed their plans. The Perry family actually came to Utah in three different groups: Lorenzo
in 1850, Gustavus in 1852, and Henry and Om'n Alonzo in 1855 when they came in the John
Hindley Company.
In the year 1852 Brigham Young sent word to the saints still living in Iowa that if they
were to be numbered among the faithful members of the Church, they must come to the valley
of the Great Salt Lake. Because of this request, the number of saints crossing the plains that
year was larger than in any preceding years, and all the branches in Pottawattamie County
(between 30 and 40 in number) were discontinued.
Gustavus must have taken this admonition seriously. He and his cousin-son-in-law,
Joseph H. Tippets, with their families, joined the company of John B. Walker, leavng Kanesville,
Iowa on July 5, 1852 and arrivng in Utah about the 5th of October 1852.
In the Deseret News rosters of pioneers published on Saturday September 18, 1852 we
find the names of Jos. H. Tippets and G. A. Perry listed together. Unfortunately the name of
Gustavus is again printed as S. A. Perry. However, this is not too surprising when we read
Willard Richards' editorial comments about the pioneer rosters in his newspaper: "Owing to the
informality, bad spelling, bad wiritng and other imperfections in the reports from the different
companies, we are not able to make out such a report as we would wish; besides we have no
report at all from some of the companies, and with what we have, this is as full as can be given
under the circumstances."
From a Tippets family history we read that these two families did travel to Utah together.
This is verified by the appearance of both names in the Utah Bishop's report for North
Cottonwood in December of 1852.
The first place the Gustavus Perry family lived after arriving in Utah was Farmington, a
town located about 16 miles to the north of Salt Lake City. The early settlers called this area
"North Cottonwood." Joseph Tippets and his wife Amanda had a son bom in this community on
December 27, 1852.
One reason the Perry family chose Farmington may have been the fact that their son
Lorenzo was staying there at the time. Lorenzo, at first, worked for and lived with the Thomas
Harris and Huldah Curtis Park family.
Interestingly enough, three marriages resulted form the Perrys stopping in Farmington
for a time. Gustavus married a third wife, Elizabeth Wray Walker, whose first husband, William
Walker, had left her in 1852 to follow their oldest son Thomas to California because of the
discovery of gold there. It is believed that William shortly after perished in a snowslide while
freighting with the help of other men and mule teams over the Nevada mountains. Gustavus
and Elizabeth were sealed in marriage at the Endowment House on April 10,1853.
A son of Gustavus and a daughter of Elizabeth, Lorenzo Perry and May Wray Walker
were married just one month later on May 1, 1853. Lorenzo was nearly twenty-nine while May
was just approaching fifteen. This younger couple left immediately after their marriage for Box
Elder County, where Lorenzo and May became one of the first two families to settle at Three
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Mile Creek (about 3 miles south of Brigham City) the other being the family of his father's cousin,
William Plurnmer Tippets. At that time Three Mile Creek though located in a fertile valley at the
foot of the mountains and near a fresh water spring, was fairly isolated. May had to set up lonely
housekeeping in her covered wagon until a log cabin could be built. One day while alone, she
was badly frightened by the sudden appearane of a large band of Indians. They meant her no
harm, and she soon became a friend to the Indian people.
Also while in Farmington, the youngest daughter of Gustavus and Eunice, Lucy, probably
met the man she was to marry. Alma Davis, the son of Captain Daniel Coon Davis of the
Mormon Battalion, for whom Davis County was named. Lucy raised a large family and
eventually settled in Idaho.
Gustavus sojourn in North Cottonwood (Farmington) was brief, only about two years. By
1854 he too had moved to Three Mile Creek, buying land not far from Lorenzo. His other sons
soon settled in this community as well. Son Henry Elisha was instrumental in the organization of
a small cooperative store that was kept in a lean-to at his home and also served as the post
office (those going to Brigham City would leave the mail there for others). Gustavus and his
sons were farmers.
In 1898 the name of Three Mile Creek was changed to Perry when a post office opened
there. There were several Penrys the town of Perry could have been named after, including
Lorenzo Perry, who was one of the first settlers there, and also his father Gustavus, who was
called to serve as the first presiding elder of the saints at Three Mile Creek from 1854 to 1855.
Even Alexander Perry (no relation to Gustavus) one of three Scottish bachelors, who settled in
Three Mile Creek in the early days has been given credit for the new name. However, from the
newspaper called the Brigham City Bugler (dated May 21, 1898) we leam that the town was
renamed in honor of Gustavus1 son Orrin Aldnzo, who was the first actual "Bishop" in Three Mile
Creek and served in that position for nineteen years.
Gustavus' first wife, Eunice, died before he did. A check of the 1860 census for Box
Elder County shows that the Perry family is listed, but with Gustavus1 name misspelled again as
"Augustavus". His third wife, Elizabeth Walker, is listed with him and also some of her children,
but Eunice is not there, so it appears that Eunice died before 1860. We have no death record for
her. She was bom July 8, 1797.
Gustavus Adolphus Perry died May 2, 1868 at the age of 71 years and his body is buried
in the Brigham City Cemetery. Much of his life paralleled the momentous events in the early
history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, his path following closely the
migrations of the early saints from place to place until at last they reached a safe haven in the
West.
Although not as well known as some of his contemporaries, he was. steadfast in quiet
service and loyal to the Church to the end of his life, a valiant pioneer, marking the course for his
family to follow.
(Written with some modifications by Karen Young Christensen, a great-great-granddaughter and
used with her permission.)
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TESTIMONY OF HENRY ELISHA PERRY
My name is Henry Elisha Perry. I am the third son and fifth child of Gustavus Adolphus
Perry. The Book of Mormon is true. The unusual introduction of the book to our family made it
necessary that each member of the family obtain his own testimony that The Book of Mormon is
true. One need only to look at the history of our family to know that we knew The Book of
Mormon was from God or why would we have endured the persecution and difficulties we
experienced.
My testimony was put to the test in 1854. For over four years I had been working for a
Catholic who owned 1200 acres of land in Platte County, Missouri which is very near to Kansas
City. I took his wagon trains to Santa Fe and elsewhere through Indian Country and never had
any trouble with the Indians. He was so grateful for my ability and my honesty in managing his
business that he offered to make me his sole heir if I would give up being a member of The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. My wife's father was not a member of the Church
and he had a large farm which would supplement our income. We had one daughter and were
expecting another child. But the prophet, Brigham Young, had asked the saints to come to Utah
and we felt that wealth in this world was not as important as our eternal salvation.
We came west with the Captain John Hindley Company in 1855 and settled in Perry,
Utah. Conditions were very primitive in Utah, but I soon had built a small home and built a lean
to shed on the side of the home where I could trade merchandise. It also served as a temporary
post office as those traveling to Brigham City would pick up the mail and leave it at the store for
the residents of Perry to obtain.
We had a farm in Perry, raised some sheep, and even planted fruit trees. I believe I was
the first to get yellow peaches to grow in Perry. Life was hard as at first we had no mill and the
women would have to grind wheat into flour much as it was done in ancient Israel by placing the
wheat on a flat rock and pounding it until we obtained flour. Lye was made from our ashes and
we had to be careful to never let the fire go out as it was difficult to get another started.
We had eight children, three boys and five girts. I served in many a church capacity and
was chosen as one of the first presiding Elders in the branch at Perry. My brother, Orrin, was
chosen as the first Bishop when the ward was organized at a special conference August 17,
1877. This was President Brigham Young's last public address and Box Elder was changed to
Brigham City in honor of him.
Even though I died when still a young man from Tuberculosis, my family remained
faithful to the Church and to their testimony of The Book of Mormon.
TESTIMONY OF HENRY MORGAN PERRY
My name is Henry Morgan Perry. I was the third child and first son of Henry Elisha Perry
and Elizabeth Zabriskie. I have been asked to place my testimony in this book for the benefit of
the descendants of Gustavus Adolphus Perry.
I could tel! you of the way that the Lord preserved our life in early Utah and Idaho history
as we tried to make a living in a deseret country wih top soil so thin we had to mix in wood chips
in order to provide sufficient base above the rpcks. I could tell you of the miracle of bringing ten
children into this world where there were no doctors and where the last four children were twins.
I could tell of the time I spent as a Bishop and had to make sure that everyone had something to
eat and place to live in days of blinding snowstorms and no highways. I could tell of my faith in
serving as a missionary after my family had reached maturity and when my health was failing.
But I think my real testimony is told by the devotion of the women I knew in the frontier who
knew the Gospel was true and were willing to sacrifice all the comforts of civilization in order to
rear their children under the influence of the Gospel.
My wife's father, Thomas Young, joined the Church in England. His sister was so upset
with his conversion that to her dying day she refused to have anything to do with a Church that
would influence her beloved brother to leave his family and go west to a desert land. But even
though the rest of the family were just as strongly opposed to the Church at the beginning, his
testimony caused them to eventually investigate and join the Church.
My wife's mother was left a widow with five small children in St. Louis in 1856 when her
husband died of pneumonia. Nevertheless with great courage and faith that when the prophet
had called the Saints to go west they should follow his advice, she joined the James Willie
handcart company in 1856 and came west. One-eighth of the company died in the early snows
that came before they left Wyoming, but my wife's mother's faith kept her family alive and they
made it to Salt Lake City. She married Thomas Young who had been a wagon driver with the
wagons that accompanied the Willie handcart company. Later he married her daughter and she
lived in polygamy until he was arrested and served six months in the Utah State prison.
My wife went with me from Perry, Utah, to what is now Rigby, Idaho with three small
children. There we lived in a dirt house with the nearest neighbor a mile away. He told us of the
severe conditions we would face in Idaho. The year before he had lost his wife and all his
children to diphtheria. The nearest doctor was twenty miles away. But my wife's great faith and
her willingness to make do with what we had kept all our children alive and we had a happy
home in the wilderness. She served in many Church positions and after my death spent her
remaining days taking care of her grandchildren and doing temple and genealogy work. Her
insistence that even in the wilderness her children get the best education available is a testimony
of her devotion to her family.
Henry Morgan Perry was baptized June 9, 1867 by Orrin Alonzo Perry, ordained an Elder
in 1877 by William A. Watkins, ordained a Seventy in 1883 by William Lowe, and ordained a
High Priest August 14, 1892 by William Rigby and set apart as member of High Council and
served until 1904 when he was ordained a Bishop by Hyrum M. Smith and presided over the
Rudy Ward until 1908 and was again sustained to the High Council. He filled a mission to the
Central States 1913-14 and to California 1915-1916.