The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1893-12-28
HER COUSIN IN UTAH.

A woman of seventy, still bright
eyed and keen of intellect. and still
retaining traces of the beauty that
once made her famous in Mormondon,
lives in a plain little adobe house in
Salt Lake City. She was the favorite
wife of the celebrated Brigham Young.
and is cousin of Mrs. Grover Cleve
land, says the San Francisco Chron-
icle
SO it was that the chief of the pro
phets of Mormon was related by mar
riage to the woman who now reigns
at the White House. When Brigham
Young, then a lad. removed with his
father to a farm in the vicinity of
Palmyra. n. Y. he became acquainted
with a pretty little schoolgirl named
Amelia Folsom She was fair of face
and 1.-the of form, and her childish
charms soon won the heart of the com
ing prophet of the saints. From the
first she seemed to take kindly to
Brigham's advances, and when at the
age Of sixteen a proposal of marriage
was made she accepted.
The matter was kept secret for a
time until Robert Folsom, Amelia's
father and Mrs. Cleveland's great
uncle, got an inkling of the matter and
forced his daughter to admit her be
trothal He became furious, it is said,
on learning the truth, and declared
that the match must be broken off.
Amelia was a beautiful girl and in
telligent as well, and her father was
unwilling that her brilliant prospects
in life should be ruined by becoming
the wife Of an awkward, ignorant
farmer boy Mrs. Folsom joined her
husband in his protests, and at last,
with many pangs of sorrow, Amelia
told her lover that she had reconsider
ed her promise and could not meet
him at the altar.
Brigham pleaded with all the elO
quence and earnestness Of his boyish
love, but Amelia reluctantly declined
to give him further hope other than
brave the storm of parental opp05l-
ton
With the first fancy of his life blast
ed Brigham left home and for years
gained precariou5 existence as car
penter. glazier. and Jack Of all
trades" The memory of his first love
fingered with him, however, and he
remained single. Amelia grew up 20
beautiful wOmanhood, and although
her hand was often sought in marriage
by young men of wealth and station
she would listen to none OF them.
Years afterward Joseph Smith dis
covered the golden plates" and Brig
ham Young was one Of the first to
JON the newly formed Mormon church.
In his new calling as a minister be
became a power and IN 1910 was sent
to England as missionary. Before
taking his departurh he visited Miss
Folsom and renewed his suit She
listened to him kindly, the story goes,
Brigham prevented her from n'Isi CLING Vii ga a
decisive answer. Her manner, how
ever. was sufficient to rekindle the
spark of hope in Brigham's breast,
and he went abroad with the feeling
that he might eventually be success
ful in his suit.
After Young's return to the United
States his elevation to the presidency
of the Mormon church and other trl-
umphs seemed for a time to smother
his love for the fair Amelia. He led
his little band of believers beyond the
Rocky mountains to the arid plains of
Utah and succeeded in amassing great
wealth. In 1852 he promulgated the
doctrine of polygamous marriage and
cOincident Herewith began the cOllec-
ton of his Justly celebrated flock OF
wives.
After having obtained dozen or
more his mind evidently reverted to
his first courtship, and he returned to
New York to repeat his proposal OF
long ago. He found streaks of silver
in Amelia's hair and a faded tint IN
her cheeks, but her love for him had
not diminished Her father had died
in the meantime leaving her and her
mother in the possession Of comfort
able estate, and the dream Of Brig
hams youth seemed about to be real
lied
Amelia accepted the third proposal,
and returned with Young to Utah,
where the marriage was performed IN
the endowment house at Logan with
all the rites of this peculiar sect.
After the ceremony they returned to
Salt Lake City, where Brigham built
a stately mansion for his favOrite wife.
1t has ever since been known as
"Amelia's Palace" 1t is situated op-
posite the Lion house, the house of a
number of prophets wives, and Its
beautiful lawns and broad verandas
attract the eye of all visitors to the
Sanity City.
There she lived for four years the
petted favorite Of her lege lord and
the queen of Mormondom. Aftel
Brigham's death the house, together
with other valuable property, escheat
ed to the United States government
and is now used as an institute for The
cure Of the liquor habit
Amelia was forced to leave th'
beautiful place where she had Ions
reigned. With part of her Limited
means she bought an old fashioned
one story adobe house, to which sh
removed her few belongings, am
began the quiet, unpretentiOus mod
of living. which she has ever sine
maintained.
She is now over seventy years @
age, and retains to remarkable dc
gree the wonderful beauty of lie
. youth. She is much averse to talkln
, to strangers. and few visitors to Zlo
3 dream that an old lady who ma
} sometimes be seen placing a handfr
g of roses On Brigham 1oung's grave
t q cousin of Mrs. Grover Cleveland