Wilmington daily commercial., 1874-09-01
FIRST EDITION.
The Mormons of Delaware Co.

VISIT TO JOE SMITHS EARLY ooNvERrs-THE
DELAWARE COUNTY MoRMoNs AT SALT LAKE CITY
ONE OF BRIGHAM YoUNa's WIVES.
Correspondence Of the Commercially
WEST CHESTER, Pa, August 80.
have learned some interesting facts in refer
ence to the recent visit Of some Delaware county
people to Mormon relatives at Salt Lake City.
The visit was one on the friendly terms befitting
close family connections.
The elder members Of
THESE FAMILIES OF LATTER DAY SAINTS
are Pennsylvanians OF unbroken Quaker des-
cent who were among the earliest converts to
the new faith OF which Joe Smith was the proph-
ct, and Nauvoo the earthly shrine, among the
arcana of which Polygamy was at that early date
thing undreamed of. The two brotheIs-in- law
III and W-G-, with their wives aud young
children, left their Delaware county homes and
their Quaker kindred to cast their lot with the
Mormon settlement in Nauvoo, and after the
tragedy OF Joe Smiths death were among the
devoted band OF emigrants who made their way
through unexampled suffering and hardships
across the desert to their new Mecca in the val
ley of Salt Lake. There they have remained,
prospering and increasing
IN THE MORMON FASHION,
the heads of the family in due time "going to
their own place" with the exception Of Mr.. II.
L. who still survives, hale octogenaran, to
visit from his Delaware county relatives.
It WAS difficult to realize, while fraternzing
with the bluff hearty old gentleman and the fine
looking circle of cousins, all bearing more or
less the familiar family traits, the great gulf
fixed between them and the "Gentile" world by
their wonderful beliefs and ways Old jokes
and family gossip mingled oddly with matter OF
fact assurances that in eight years from this
time the bodily reign OF Christ and His Saints is
to begin in Salt Lake City, and that they are
l....I
have 1t ready for the expected guests.
Mr.. P, while fully embracing the thereof
cal doctrine of Polygamy, has through early
prejudice refraned from its actual practice,
fact for which he is disposed to apologize as
weakness. He has, however, in kind forethought
been spiritually sealed by proxy to large num-
Der of female relatives aud friends, some absent
and some defunct, in order to give them chance
to enter Pardise through this hold on tho skirts
OF one Of the Saints.
His eldest daughter Margaret is the
TWELFTH WIFE OF BRIGHAM YOUNG
and our friends were Hospitality entertained by
her in the celebrated Lion House," which is
one OF Brighsms residences The lady visitor
scanned the handsome silk dress of her comely
and dignified hostess and the comfortable and
even elegant apartments which are her particular
domain in the sacred seraglo, and smilngly re-
marked, " think thee must be favorite wife. "
"My husband has no favorites" was the quick
reply and no inquiries could extort an adinis-
sion corroborating Mrs, Ann Eliza Young's phil
lippics on that subject.
Tho twelfth Mrs. Young has but one child, a
youth Of eighteen, who has just been sent a
missionary TO the Sandwich Islands. The moth
or spoke with maternal pride of her boys intel
ligence and zeal and ''his fathers confidence in
him for all the world like any happy monogamic
wife.
Not far from Brigham's domains reside in ad-
iacent cottages two other lady consins daugh-
tors of W C.,
both WIDOWS OF THE SAME HUSBAND,
formerly one OF the Twelve Apostles" of the
community. The elder now a woman advanced
in years, was his first wife, to whom the apostle
adjoined divers Others and last of all the young
est sister, junior to the other by nearly twenty
years. This co-matr1monal tie, instead of dis
joining, seems to unite them in remarkably
strong bond of sistery affection. The ordinary
rules of human nature seem to fail in all these
extraordinary people. The visitors were as
Hured however by one of their hoste5ses who
had not committed herself to the Mormon style
of matrimony, that strong and still lncreasin &
PARTY OF ANTI-PoIyGAMIsTs
was growing up among them, not, according to
her testimony, among the young women (upon
some pretty sharp feminine criticisms. } but
among the young men, who naturally feel some
disgust at seeing the old fellows, the lights of
the church, take their pick of the incest girls.
undeterred by any number of previous wives. 1t
will be great blessing If this puzzling anomaly
of the age shall finally perish by the exertions of
| the new generation of Mormons, since all out
| side interference is no hedged about with diff
cultiea,