The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1894-03-11
HOW BRIGHAM VOICED.
His FayOTite Wife, Amelia, Describes
Their COuTtShip Days.
Still Believes in Polygamy- Family
OF Seventy-fve Living Under this
Same Roof in Harmony.

Junior GardO," a handsome and com
Portable two-story house at No. 6, South
First West street, in Salt Lake City,
realdes Amelia Folsom Young. seven
tenth and favorite wife of the greatest
of Mormon prophets, Brigham Young. 1t
was on cold winter day Of this new
year that I called on the former queen Of
Mormon society, and through the conrt-
esy of President George O. Cannon, Of
the Mormon church. from whom ! bore a
letter Of Introduction, was granted an
audience. An interview is almost as
difficult to obtain from Mrs. Brigham
Young XVII. as from the President of the
United States as she is daily besieged by
curious tourists, both in person and by
letter. and when admitted, these morbid
curiosity seekers always subject their
hostess TO humiiatiug, and often
insulting. Questions and com
ments. After short conversation
| with Mrs. Young, it was easy for me to
! believe that she had been the most popu
lar Of Brigham Young nineteen wives.
. She is tail and symetr.cdi OF form, digni-
fed and graceful Of manner. and a bril-
. liant cOnyersatiOualist. The silyery locks
which tell of the fit and five years of
her eveutful life, are mingled with
I threads Of gold, reminiscent of the beauty
of former years, and the large blue eyes
/ have lost nothing of their fire and express
/ siyeness.
Mrs. Young told me that she had never
/ before submitted TO an interview from a
/ representative of the press She was
| aware that many unauthentiC and UNI
! truthful newspaper articles had been
| published about herself and her late hus-
/ band, and it, was to correct the false i'm
/ preston conveyed in these stories that
she was now willing to talk to the public.
Harriet Amelia Folsom was born Aug.
/ %, 1888, in Buffalo. y. Y. The birthplace
also of Frances olson, now Mrs. Cleve-
| land. a near relative of Mrs.
| Young, who has taken some interest in
/ the gencalogy of the family, says that
| Mrs. Cleveland and Amelia Folsom
| Young are cousins, having sprung from
the same original Folsom family IN New
| Hampshire. Mrs. Young, when APP
| preached on this subject, desired not TO
| talk, stating that she had no knowledge
/ OF just what kiuship, if any, she bears TO
| Mrs. Cleveland, never having looked up
her genealOgy, with any such OBJ ect in
| view, but a Massachusetts member Of the
Folsom family, having traced their gene
! rio ", says the two famous women are
| second cousins,
| The Mormon church was religious in
| FAINT when Amelia Folsom was born, and
it was not until she was years of age
/ that her parents embraced the new faith
! Of Joseph Smith, another New Yorker
In 1886 the Folsom family moved to
Nauyoo, Ill, the site Of the first Mormon
temple, but were not permitted to remain
the people having risen up against the
| MOrmons, killing their prophet, Joseph
Smith, and driving all his followers out
| of the state The Folsom family went to
| keOkuk, and aftcrward TO Council Bluffs,
Ia, and early in 1850 started across the
plains for salt Lake, the Mormon city of
| Zion. Amelia olson was then % years
of ace, and in full bloom of her beauty
while Brigham was 50. Beautiful women
We're not plentiful in this then desert
valley, the number of men greatly pre-
dominating in the small settlements.
President Brigham Young, of the Nor
mon church, and his first presidential
counselor, Heber c. Kimbal, rich and
powerful, were in the habit of going out
to meet incoming parties of pilgrims, and
upon learning of the approach Of the party
In which the olson family came west
ward, set out to meet them and welcome
them to the Mormon stronghold. Here
was the beginning of the romance which
was contaminated IN the marriage of
Brigam Young and Amelia Folsom. 1t
seems to have been a well-estabiished
case Of love at first sight. The reader
may now listen to Amelia Folsom Young
as she tells for the first time in her life,
her own story of her associations and ex-
periences with Brigham Young.
when did you first meet President
Youngi' | asked.
1T was on oct. 8, 1850, when in COM
pany with Heber kimbalI, he came out
into the Salt Lake valley in n carriage to
meet and welcome our party l was in
troduced 10 him then and after arriving
here, he called on US. The call was re
| turncd an we subsequently visited back
| nj l, and ant To-
gatherings together"
when did your courtship Begin"
Immediately after my arrival in Salt
Lake"
How long did that last}"
until August, 1862, when we were en-
gagged. In January, 1868, the marriage
occurred.
Did President Young employ peculiar
methods of courtship!"
~ think not. l was aware that he was
the husband ora nun Der of Wiyes-I did
not care to know how many-but that
aid not affect our COurtship in the least
President Young was naturally dignifcd
but was always at ease with COMPANY g
Did you take up immediate residence
with your husband after marriaCe3"
NO. | remained at home three weeks,
when took up residence at the Lion
house, President NOungS home His
wives ana children all Ii ed there, and
tuNil VIE, lltluuiuS ilNSell, ldO ner sep
a'ate room. At that time there were
seventy five of us in the family. including
/ the hired help. We all Gined at the same
5 table, over which President Young pre-
, sided. Every morning and evening all
b. gathered in the large par!Or for prayers.
and here also my husband presided. /
, afJerward took up my quarters in the
/ Bee Hive house. hut returned to the Lion
house later, and remained there until the
death Of President Young, August Both
1871"
/ WAS your married life generally
/ happy
II should certainly dislike to think 9th
+ erwise. Why not! We were ali members
5 o. the same family. and tire tod each
e other as such. would So i'll - anything
5 for the surviving wives o. President
1 Young. and their feeling toward me. +,
2 think, is the same"
How many times did your husband
marry after YOU became his wife?"
Twice afterward [ don't know how
many times before; his will should show
that"
Where did you reside after your hus
. band death ''
II went TO the Gardo Mouse. This
building had been begun before President
Yong death. planned the structur,
myself. / also planned the residence