Show Biography of Brigham Young I and History of the M Mormon rmon Church M. M R. R Werner Verner Home Journal Continued from last wee week I The Grecian bend with its yard of waste material offended Brigham Youngs Young's sense bf be economy and he remarked that if the size continued to increase at the current rate or of tas fashion ion you will not 1101 be able for forthe forthe forthe the life of you to tell a lady at a distance from a camel He warned warned warned warn warn- ed the Mormon women I that the Grecian bend would result in deformed deformed de de- formed children and nd he said that he preferred to see a Mormon bend Another source o of offense to Brigham Youngs Young's eyes was the tho length of w women's mens men's dresses Y You ou Im know w he once said it is the tinee custom custom custom cus cus- tom tom of some here to have hav a a lone ion trail of cloth dragging dragging after aft after them through the dirt others again will have their dresses dresses' dresses so so short that one must shut his eyes or he cannot help heIr seeing their garters Excuse me for the expression but this is true and it is not right Journal of Discourses Discourses Discourses Dis Dis- courses p. p Where the thc Prophet Failed Brigham Young would have been strenuously opposed to bobbed hair for on July 19 9 1877 1377 he remarked in a sermon You see a girl with her nar clipped off in the front of oC her tier head bead she she looks looks as though she had just come out of a lunatic asylum His ideal of feminine beauty was a combination of simplicity and clean clean- liness Whatever may have been his aesthetic reasons for favoring simplicity simplicity sim sim- in dress and home manufacture ture of it the he economics of his position tion is explained by the fact tact that his life he had twenty seven wives and thirty-one thirty daughters In the effort to standardize the dress of the Mormon women and to prevent the extremes which he dwelt upon so BO often otten of f a dress which was wasso wasso wasso so long that it dragged dirt or so o short that it revealed the tops of the tho stockings Brigham Young designer a costume for tor the Mormon wom women n nIch w ich v-ich consisted of cI a t tand and a simple cape but only a few or of them wore it for a short time and and he was c compelled until the last years of his life to continue his propaganda propaganda pro pro- against the extravagant absurdities absurdities absurdities ab ab- ab- ab of fashion He had been suc successful in dictating to his people on almost every subject but on this one he was desti destined ed to fail because of the force of personality arrayed against him Brigham Young dm din not omit references references references ref ref- to the vanity and immodesty of or mens men's clothes in his discussion of dress He said often in the pulpit pulpit pulpit pul pul- pit that he lie himself preferred homespun homespun homespun home home- spun for his own use tout but that he lie al always always always al- al ways app appeared ared in black broadcloth because his wives and daughters insisted that he dress carefully and luxuriously If uLf they were to say Brother Brigham wear your homemade homemade homemade home home- made we like to see you in it I II I would give away my broadcloth but butto butto butto to please the dear creatures I wear almost anything One of the thc subjects of or pop popular speculation in the United States from 1852 1862 until 1877 was the number and quality and quality of Brigham Youngs Young's wives Estimates in the newspapers ranged from fort forty to two hundred and the editor 01 oi the London Dally Daily Telegraph said on what he considered considered consid consid- ered good American authority that some of Brigham Youngs Young's wives were old enough to be his grandmothers grandmothers grandmothers grand grand- mothers and the rest young enough to be his granddaughters Inquisitive Inquisitive tive Uve visitors to Salt Lake were in inthe inthe the habit of counting the number of doors and and windows j. j Brigham ham Youngs Young's houses in an attempt to estimate estimate es es- the exact number of his wives One day he lie was ivas S seen riding in a large carriage with some somo of his children and some of his llis neighbors the report was sent east past that Brigham Brigham Brigham Brig- Brig ham Young had sixteen wives wl and fourteen children t for r someone had counted the occupants of the co coach ch One lady visitor asked Brigham Young if It she might Sie his wives vives hes to which he replied They are not on oti on exhibition madam The extent of Brigham Youngs Young's I poss possessions In money and wives was the subject of rumor on the streets of or Salt Lake among the oracles of or orthe the curb One of these told a writer from the tho east when asked whether Brigham was very rich Oh yes he le has eight million in the Bank of ofEn En England The Informer was unable unable unable un un- un- un able to say whether r the eight million were pounds shillings pence or dollars but he hew w was s certain that the amount was was was- eight million some sonic thing Wives lie he exclaimed Do you know that he has them in in- every evory part of or Utah He has got more than titan thana titana a thousand scattered around I Brigham Young usually refused either to lo affirm or Lo to deny denV the of the extent of his family He rather rath rath- er enjoyed the speculation and he whetted the curiosity of the public by saying nothing but giving the impression that they really did not know the half of his prosperity He Ho once urged the people to take their wives and families for excursions in inthe Inthe inthe the country around Salt Lake City and in his sermon stated his Intention Intention intention tion to do so himself Though he Ire said you know what they say sa- about me in the east should I taice taie my ninety wives and their children with carri carriages and nd wagons enough to convey them it would make such sucha a vacuum hero here and so many others would wish to go that there would be no Salt fal Lake City I think I will take a few of them bUt bui I dare not take the whole for if I did the they would then know how many wives 1 I have got and that would not do and the iu The subject of Brigham Youngs Young's wives was a great source of income to the professional wits of the da- da day Mark Twain George D. D r rentice and Artemus Ward Vard besides innumerable anonymous new newspaper paper humorists commented whenever the opportunity t ty off offered red on Brigham Youngs Young's family family family fam fam- ily life When Brigham Young said In a no sermon that he lie supposed he had hada a no great deal more influence in Utah than Moses had hadd among the of Israel George D D. D Prentice commented commented commented com com- Very likely But Bul not more than Moses might have had if the children had been his own Instead in instead instead In- In stead of Israels Artemus Ward Vard wrote an imaginary ary interview with Brigham Young Youns which was published In a magazine a few years before the humorist visited visited visited visit visit- ed Salt Lake City to study the Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons at first hand as a source of ot humor immor Ward Vard was V very vary HY much woi wor r red ed when he finally arrived In Salt Lake City that his statements would preJudice prejudice prejudice udice Brigham Young and his associates associates asso asso- s and ad lead to difficulties Brigham Brigham Brigham Brig- Brig ham Young was somewhat annoyed by the article which he had rear reaCt I but he consented to meet Artemus Ward Yard and he le did not mention the article Ward after alter he visited the Mormons Mormons Mormons Mor Mor- mons mons delivered a lecture upon them in the Eastern states and in England He could not resist commenting on the mother-in-law mother of aspect polygamy my and he said amon among other things concerning Brigham Young i 2 1 saw his mother-in-law mother while I was there I 1 cant can't exactly tell you how many there is of or her her but but its it's a goon deal It strikes me that one mother mother- law in is about enough to have in a I family unless family unless youre you're very fond o os excitement The study of genealogy has become become be be- come conic widespread in Utah where its intricacies afford all the fascination of an ingenious puzzle and fortune- fortune for the historian and biographer biographer biographer pher there is a Utah Genealogical society and a Utah Genealogical magazine which has compiled and published the complete family history history history his his- tory of Brigham Young so that it is 13 possible to give exact information concerning his wives and children children- wives rives and six fifty-six children The Many Ian Wives His first wife Miriam Works s died soon after she and her husband were baptized into the Mormon church Th They y were married when he lie was twenty-three twenty years old and she was eighteen A few years after atter her death he lie married at Kirtland Mary MaryAnn MaryAnn MaryAnn Ann Angel who was then thirty years old when he lie was thirty The editors of the Utan Utah Genealogical Magazine wrote 0 of her of-her her In look looks she always suggested the MI-J portraits of Washington on th the of our country But Dut unlike the mother of her hel country silo joe was not childless Uess but bore ore SK 31 c children Including In Including including in- in a set of or twins on of ur whom died in infancy In later y year I ar nr wi wh when n the tl e wives began to multiply li lj f. f Mary Iary MaryAnn MaryAnn Ann Angel was known afi at Mother Young Brigham m Young married his first 11 polygamous wife O on l June lo Hi 1842 1812 I On hUle Page 0 0 From Page One BRIGHAM I YOUNG OUNG OUNG at Na Nauvoo She was Lu Lucy y Ann Anti Decker wn who was twenty twenty- years year old when Brigham Young oung married her he was the then forty one bore le bore him seven children A year and a ahalt half halt later on November 2 2 1843 1843 he hO married Harriet Elizabeth Elizabell Campbell Cook who was then nineteen nineteen- years old when her her- husband was wm tor forty forty- y- y two and on the same day he lie marri married d dAugusta Augusta Adams who was then forty forty- on one years year years years' old Harriet Elizabeth Elizbeth beth Campbell C Cook ok bore bor one onO sont son Oscar Brigham Young but Augusta Adams bore no children Six months later on May lay 8 3 1844 Young married Clara Decker the sis sister er o ohis ot of his first polygamous wife Lucy Ann Aun Decker She was six years younger than her sister being exactly sixteen years old on her marriage day when when Brigham Young was wag ono one month short of forty th forty thee ee Clara Decker was the wife wite who accompanied Brigham Young in the pa party ty of pioneers to Utah She bore him five children i J |