Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1894-05-10

In the Junior Gardo,'' Il handsome
and comfortable two-story house, al
No. & South First West street, in Salt
Lake City, resides Amelia Folsom
YouDg. seventeen and favorite wife OF
the greatest of Mormon prophets
Brigham Young. 1t was on a cold
winter day Of this new year that
called on the former queen of Mormon
society, and through the courtesy Of
President George @. Cannon, of the
Mormon church, from whom l bore a
letter of introduction, was granted an
audience. An interview is almost as
difficult to obtain from Mrs. Brigham
Young, seventeenth and faVOrite wife of
the United States, as she is daily be-
sieged by curious tourists, both in per-
son and by letter, and when admitted,
these morbid curiosity seekers always
subject their hostess to humiliating,
and often insulting, questions and COM
ments. After a short conversation
with Mrs. Young, it was easy for me
to believe that she had been the most
popular Of Brigham Young's nineteen
wives. She is tall and symmetrical
OF form, dignified and graceful of man
ner and a brilliant conversationalist
The silvery locks, which tell of the
fifty and five years Of her eventful life,
are mingled with threads Of gold, re-
mi1iscent of the beauty of former
years, and the large blue eyes have
4,
SiveneSS.
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 untruthful newspaper articles had
been published about herself and her
late husband and t was to correct the
false impression conveyed in these
stories that she was now willing to
talk to the public.
Harriet Amelia Folsom was born
August %, 1888, in Buffalo, n. Y, the
birthplace also of Frances Folsom,
now Mrs. Cleveland. A near relative
of Mrs. Young, who has taken some
interest in the genealogy of the family,
FOLSOM Young are cousins, having
sprung from the same original Folsom
family in New Hampshire. Mrs.
Young when approached on this sub
ject desired not to talk, stating that
she had no knowledge of just what
kinship. if any, she bears to Mrs.
Cleveland, never having looked up her
genealogy with any such object in
view, but a Massachusetts member of
the Folsom family having traced their
genealogy says the two famous women
are second cousins.
The Mormon church was a religious
infant when Amelia Folsom was born,
and it was nvt until she was three
years of age that her parents embraced
the new faith of Joseph Smith, an
other New Yorker.
In 1916 the Folsom family moved to
Nauvoo, ILL.,, the site of the first Nor
mon temple, but were not permitted
to remain there long, the people having
risen up against the MOrmOnS, killing
their prophet, Joseph Smith, and driv-
ing all his followers out of the state.
The Folsom family went to Keokuk,
and afterWard to Council Bluffs, Iowa,
and early in 1860 started across the
plains for Salt Lake, the Mormon city
Of Zion. Amelia Folsom was then
twenty-five years of age, and in full
bloom of her beauty, while Brigham
was fifty-nine. Beautiful women We're
not plentiful in this then desert val
ley, the number of men greatly pre-
dominating in the small settlements.
President Brigham Young, of the
Mormon church, and his first preSiden-
tial counsellor, Heber G. Kimball, rich
and powerful were in the habit IF
going out to meet incoming parties Of
pilgrims, and upon learning of the ap-
proach of the party in which the
Folsom family came westward, set out
to meet them and welcome them to
the Mormon stronghold. Here was the
beginning of the romance which was
consummated in the marriage of
Brigham Young and Amelia Folsom
1t seems to have been a we'll estab-
lished case of love at first sight The
reader -uay now listen to Amelia
Folsom Young as she tells, for the first
time in her life, her own story of her
associations and experiences with
Brigham Young.
when did you first meet President
Young?' | asked.
1T was on October 3, 1860, when, in
company with Heber Kimball he came
out into Salt Lake Valley in a carriage
to meet and welcome our party. l
was introduced to him then, and after
arriving here he called on us. The
call was returned, and we subSe,
quently visited back and forth fire.
quently, and went to social gatherings
together"
when did your courtshIp begin?'
Immediately after my arrival in
Salt Lake"
How long did it last?'
Until August, 1862, when we were
engaged. In January, 1868, the mar
riage occurred
did President Young employ pc
culiar methods of oourtship?
I think not. | was aware that he
was the husband of number of wives
I did not care to know how many
but that did not affect our courtshiI
in the least. President Young was
naturally dignified, but was always a
ease with company
Did you take up immediate resi-
dence with your husband after mar
riage?'
NO / remained at home tire,
weeks when T took I'M residence q