[8884] This person is dead.
[8752] This person is dead.
[10165] This person is dead.
_Abiah Palmer BALIS _+
| (1802 - 1857)
_George Washington BALIS _|
| (1825 - 1897) |
| |_Maria H. CLOUGH ____+
| (1800 - 1881)
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|--Benjamin Edmund BALIS
| (1878 - ....)
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|_Adelia R. MCGLASHAM _____|
(1831 - 1907) |
|_____________________
_Major Glenn BROCK II_+
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_Major Glenn BROCK III_|
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| |______________________
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|--Stephanie Rachel BROCK
| (1976 - ....)
| ______________________
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|_Nancy BURGESS ________|
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|______________________
[5050] This living person agreed to be listed.
_________________________
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_James CRESSWELL ____|
| m 1974 |
| |_________________________
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|--Lisa CRESSWELL
| (1976 - ....)
| _Ralph Winston RICHMOND _
| | (1917 - 1998)
|_Patricia RICHMOND __|
(1950 - ....) m 1974|
|_Luella LAUSTED _________+
(1917 - 2001)
[14123] This living person agreed to be listed.
[6336]
William Kelly see details here
was a member of the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican War. Here is a report on the Mormon Battalion by Duane Merrill, grade 4
"The Mormon Battalion was made up of 500 of the best men of the Mormon Pioneers who were on their way to Utah. The Pioneers had sent to President James Knox Polk and asked to be hired to transport products to the Oregon country. The President said he wished to hire 500 of their men to fight against the Mexicans in the Mexican War.
The Mormon Battalion left Winter Quarters in the summer of 1846 and marched all the way to California. This is known as one of the most famous marches of all history. President Brigham Young had told them that they would not have to shed any blood, and that proved to be true. The men spent their time teaching the Spaniards how to build houses and dig wells and many other useful things."
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WILLIAM “EDWARD” KELLY AND HIS FAMILY
(including 80 endnotes with 5 maps)
WRITTEN BY PAULA DIANE STUCKI ANDERSON
William Kelly’s Great-Great-Granddaughter
(30 July 2007)
William “Edward” Kelly was born at Cross Valley in the parish of Marown, Isle of Man, on 6 April 1828, the fourth son of John and Elizabeth Quine Kelly. His brothers were, starting with the eldest, John Zacharias, Matthias (later known as Mathew), Robert, Thomas (later known as Thomas “E”), Joseph, James and Caesar. His only sister was named Elizabeth.
On 17 September 1840, John Taylor, an apostle (and future president) of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and several male companions arrived in Douglas, the capital of the Isle of Man, and began to preach the gospel of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Although John Taylor was an Englishman, his wife was from an Isle of Man family and her relatives warmly welcomed John Taylor and his missionary companions. According to family stories, William Kelly, a boy of 12, was attracted to these Mormon missionaries and their message so he became a self-appointed “spy.” Since William spoke and understood the local Manx dialect, he easily mingled with groups of men on the wharfs or in the ale shops of Douglas, listening to their plans to assault the missionaries. He relayed such plans to John Taylor, saving the missionaries from being attacked or even arrested. Because of these experiences, William developed a loving, close friendship with John Taylor that was life-long.
After listening to the Mormon message, John and Elizabeth Quine Kelly decided to take their family and leave the Isle of Man for America; joining the Mormons at their headquarters in Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1843, Cross Valley was sold to pay debts and to finance the Kellys trip to America. On 5 March 1844, William “Edward” Kelly and his family sailed from Liverpool, England, on the square-rigger Glasgow. The 150 Latter-day Saints on board were under the direction of Elder Hiram Clark. There are very few details known about this voyage since the passenger list no longer exists for the Glasgow but other records state that the Glasgow arrived in the Port of New Orleans, Louisiana, on 13 April 1844. The Kellys, along with the rest of the company, arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, on 27 April 1844, two months before the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, Hyrum, were murdered at Carthage, Illinois.
By 5 July 1844, John and Elizabeth Kelly had purchased a farm from James and Mary Ivins. The 160 acre farm was situated in the northwest quadrant of Section 4 in Sonora Township, Hancock County, located east of Nauvoo on the south side of present-day Highway 96. The property cost almost a thousand dollars and John Kelly was given a year to pay the amount in full to Mr. Ivins. This property eventually belonged to Thomas “E” Kelly and his sister, Elizabeth Kelly Cottier Wallwork. By November 1844, John Kelly had joined Joseph Cain (a fellow Manxman) and John Taylor in a business partnership. At various times, three of John’s sons, John Z., Robert and Thomas, were also involved with their father in business and property transactions. John Kelly, Senior, became a successful business man and property owner, especially after most of the Mormons left Nauvoo, in 1846. He also bought and sold property in Warsaw and Carthage. Perhaps due to his age, William “Edward” Kelly was not involved in business dealings with his father and William never owned any property in or around Nauvoo.
By 1851, John Kelly, Senior, owned a general store in the city of Nauvoo. Research indicates that he probably owned two general stores or a general store and a warehouse. In 1842, James Ivins, the same man who sold the Sonora Township property to the Kellys, started building three red brick structures (store, home and a third structure, purpose unknown) on a half acre of land situated on the southeast corner of lot 4, block 117 (corner of Main and Kimball Streets) that was located across Main Street from the Jonathan Browning home and gun shop. In April 1845, John Taylor purchased the buildings from James Ivins. The Church’s printing office moved into the store and, on 10 May 1845, John Taylor moved into the home. On 23 August 1845, John Kelly purchased a small parcel of land, 26 feet (running north-south) and 40 feet (running east-west) in the southeast corner of lot 4, block 117. He appears to have paid almost five hundred dollars for this property. I agree with James W. Nicholes (who also researched the records for this property) that the Kellys probably lived on this small piece of property. By 18 January 1847, John purchased the brick store (where the Church’s printing press had been located for a short time). He purchased the store from A. B. Babbitt, a Church trustee. By 1847, John Kelly, Senior, had an estate of $1772.00.
The other general store (or warehouse) was situated in the southwest corner of lot 3, block 125, (corner of Main and Parley Streets). This was the location of the Daniel Butler home and cobbler shop. The home was a two-story brick structure built in the Federalist style. The cobbler shop was more like a general store. Both home and shop were located across the street from the George Riser home and boot shop. The foundation is all that is left of the Butler home and shop although a photo of the home still exists. At a tax sale held 16 July 1851, Block 125 [lot 3] “was sold for delinquent tax of the year 1850 - $3.05 at which sale John Kelly was purchaser.” William had already left Nauvoo before his father purchased the general stores. He probably worked on the farm in Sonora Township. Eventually he acquired the skills of a tailor but it is not known when and where he learned this trade.
William was baptized in Nauvoo on 21 October 1844 by Elder Thomas Torbet [Tarbot]. On 8 January 1845, at the age of 16, he was ordained to be a Seventy and was received into the 16th Quorum of Seventies on 19 January 1845. He received the first of two Patriarchal Blessings in Nauvoo on 20 October 1845. William and five members of his family received their endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. William and William Cottier, his future brother-in-law, received their endowments the same day on 30 December 1845. Ann Faragher (who became William’s first wife) also received her endowment a month later on 31 January 1846.
The Mormon Exodus from Nauvoo began 4 February 1846 and continued for months. William “Edward” Kelly was the only member of his family to leave with the Mormons. We don’t know when he left Nauvoo but he and Ann Faragher probably left together and they were at Mount Pisgah, Iowa, by July. His parents stayed in Nauvoo and died there. His father, John Kelly, died 22 July 1851 of cholera (still owing the doctor for his services) and his mother, Elizabeth Quine Kelly, died 16 March 1854, of unknown causes. Their graves have never been located.
For a few years after arriving in America, Robert lived in Wisconsin, learning to be a carpenter, and then he returned to Nauvoo. John Z. and Robert Kelly left Nauvoo in the summer of 1850 with a religious group known as the Brewsterites. James C. Brewster, a former Church member, had converted a small group of Mormons to his teachings. Although John Z. and Robert were interested in the teachings of Brewster, they may have decided to travel west with the group for safety rather than for religious reasons. Also, Robert was in love with Olive Oatman. She and her family were also going with the Brewsterites. John Z. and Robert eventually left the Brewsterites and finally ended up in southern California. After 1860, John Z. left southern California and traveled north. He married a woman named Catherine and they had a daughter named Anna Jane. John Z. is buried in Vallejo, California.
James Kelly stayed in Nauvoo until some time after his mother’s death. Details of his life are sketchy but he and his wife, Sarah, and their daughter, Sarah Jennie, eventually moved to the Oakdale, California area. After James’s death, his wife remarried. Sarah Jennie Kelly, their daughter, married Edward Mehler and they had one son, Alfred. The Mehlers died in the Los Angeles, California area.
It is unknown when or why Mathew Kelly went to Wisconsin. He is not listed as a Mormon working in the Pineries. He wasn’t interested in the teachings of James Strang and the Strangites, a splinter group from the group that followed Brigham Young to Utah. James Strang and his followers settled in Voree, Racine County, near present-day Burlington, Wisconsin. Mathew became a blacksmith and married Emily Porter there in 1848. Two of their children were born (and one died) in Wisconsin before the family headed for the gold camps of northern California. They eventually joined Robert Kelly in the Carlsbad, San Diego County area of southern California. When Robert died a bachelor, he willed his assets to the nine surviving children of Mathew and Emily. Their descendants still live in the San Diego, California area today.
Thomas “E” Kelly (he added the “E” to distinguish himself from another Thomas Kelly farming near by) and his family stayed in the Nauvoo, Illinois area. He married Maria (pronounced Mariah) Elizabeth Jones whose first husband was Henry Morton. For many years, the family lived on the farm in Sonora Township, east of Nauvoo. In 1862, he sold 80 acres of his farm to his sister, Elizabeth, and continued to farm the remaining 80 acres. His farm was known as “Paradise Hill Farm” and was sold in 1951 by his daughter, Maria Belle to Walter and Roswell Griffith. After the sale, Mima, as she was known, and her mother moved into a house in Nauvoo. Mima and her brother never married. The family is buried near Nauvoo.
William Kelly’s sister, Elizabeth, married twice. Her first husband was William Cottier (a Manxman). They married in Nauvoo in 1849 and moved to St. Louis, Missouri. William Cottier had worked on the Nauvoo Temple as a stone mason but decided to follow Sydney Rigdon after Joseph Smith’s martyrdom. William was eventually excommunicated. Elizabeth and William apparently did not stay with Sydney Rigdon’s group very long. They had three daughters. Eventually Elizabeth and her daughters returned to Hancock County, living northeast of Nauvoo in Pontoosuc Township and, after the death of William, she married her second husband, William Wallwork, a wealthy land owner in Pontoosuc Township. Elizabeth and her daughter, Anna Jane Cottier, are buried in Tull Cemetery, located in Pontoosuc Township. William Wallwork and several other Wallwork family members are also buried there. The oldest daughter, Clara Cottier, returned to St. Louis, Missouri and married John Baeser. They had six children and Clara died there. Elizabeth’s youngest daughter, Elizabeth Cottier, married Franklin Porter. They had three children. Their daughter, Clara Jane Porter, married Clarence Brown, and their descendants still own the family property in Sonora Township and live in Nauvoo and the surrounding area.
After leaving Nauvoo, William “Edward” Kelly enlisted in the Mormon Battalion 16 July 1846 at Council Bluffs, Iowa, across the Missouri River from present day Omaha, Nebraska. He was a private in Company A. Before leaving with the Mormon Battalion, he married Ann Faragher. Ann was also from the Isle of Man. She was older than William but her black hair and eyes made her very attractive. She loved to sing and was very kind hearted. Ann left the Isle of Man and sailed from Liverpool, England to America 16 January 1843 on the full-rigged Swanton, arriving in Nauvoo a year before the Kellys arrived. Date and place of marriage are still debatable. According to the Mormon Battalion Muster Records, William and Ann were married 14 July 1846 at Mount Pisgah, Iowa. However, a journal entry by a contemporary, living at Council Bluffs stated that their marriage took place at Council Bluffs on 19 July 1846, the day before William left with the Mormon Battalion on their historic march. When winter came, Ann and others moved across the Missouri River and set up a community known as Winter Quarters near present day Omaha, Nebraska. Ann Faragher Kelly traveled to the Great Salt Lake Valley as a member of John Taylor’s company in 1847.
William was one of 317 men discharged from The Mormon Battalion on 16 July 1847 at Fort Moore in Los Angeles, California, one year after their enlistment. Each man was allowed to keep his arms with twenty-one rounds of ammunition and accoutrements. Each man also received $31.50 but no transportation allowance for traveling back as originally promised. With their pay, the men bought animals and supplies for the return journey. Some men reenlisted but the majority, including William, did not. He then traveled to Sutter’s Fort (located 30 miles west of present day Sacramento) with the Levi W. Hancock Company. The Hancock Company consisted of 223 men. After leaving Sutter’s Fort, the Hancock Company split into two groups, with 118 continuing on to Utah and 105 returning to Sutter’s Fort. William was in the latter group and went to work for John Sutter. Although William is listed as one of Sutter’s workmen, we don’t know what type of work he did. A family story says that William was present on 24 January 1848 when gold was discovered in Coloma (about 40 miles from Sutter’s Fort) by James Marshall, the boss of Sutter’s sawmill, on the south fork of the American River. His name is not listed as one of the workers with James Marshall on that fateful day. We do know that news of the discovery spread rapidly and William was one of many who panned for gold until he joined a group of 12 men under the direction of Marcus Shepherd who headed for Salt Lake City in October 1848. Before leaving Sutter’s Fort, William and other ex-Mormon Battalion soldiers decided to buy two small brass cannons from John Sutter to take to the Mormon leaders in Salt Lake City. Payment was made in gold flakes and William gave a generous $20.00 in gold flakes. After rejoining his wife, Ann, in Salt Lake City, William used the remaining gold flakes to buy property and support his family. About 1856, the family moved from Salt Lake City to American Fork (then known as Lake City). They eventually had eight children.
Although William had been a private in the Mormon Battalion, he achieved the rank of major in the infantry of the American Fork area. He was the 3rd Battalion Commander and subordinate to Colonel Washburn Chipman. Both of these men were elected to their positions by the local citizens. William’s appointment took place in May 1866.
In 1854, a large group of Danish Saints finally arrived in Salt Lake City. They had actually started for America in October 1853 but the ship became disabled so the ship returned to shore for repairs. After the ship was repaired, they were on the ocean 11 weeks, arriving in Salt Lake City in September of 1854. Later, Kirsten would jokingly say that she arrived in Utah one month before she left the old country! These Danish Saints were distributed among the settlers there. Kirsten Pedersdatter (later known as Christena Pedersen) was taken into the Kelly home as a housekeeper. She was about 17 years old, healthy and strong but she could not speak English. She had left Denmark without her family who later joined her in 1866. She had a cheerful disposition and was eager to learn so William Kelly, with the consent of Ann, married Kirsten (Christena) on 2 February 1856. They were sealed in Salt Lake City in the President’s Office by President Brigham Young on 1 February 1857. They had ten children.
When the family moved to American Fork, William built his first wife, Ann, an adobe home in “town” located in the northwest corner of the American Fork “Fort.” Their neighbors were Henry Buckwalter to the west and Father Currie to the south.. Ann kept a store and later a boarding house. She was considered an excellent cook and a gracious hostess. Even though she was always busy, she still found time to become the first counselor to the first Relief Society organized in American Fork. She enjoyed telling people about the Isle of Man. She kept in touch with her family, especially her sister, Margaret. William established himself as a successful merchant and farmer. William bought a farm and Christena and her children lived on the farm in the southeast part of town known as “the bottoms.” Christena’s closest friend and neighbor was Hannah Wild who lived about a mile away. In the evenings, after their children were in bed, Christena and Hannah took turns going to each other’s homes, visiting and sewing, often until midnight.
The farm was William’s hobby. He loved to see things grow. He was especially fond of horses. He accumulated a herd of cattle. A family story is told that, during the summer of 1863, Christena and Mrs. Joshua Adams went to Pelican Point and lived there all summer, cooking for the men who cared for the cattle. Christena’s two small children went with her. Pelican Point was also a rendezvous place for Indians. The Indians would visit and beg for food, fish in the lake and scatter the fish on the ground to dry. One day, a band of Indians came riding up to Christena’s door, holding aloft a white man’s scalp on a long stick, demanding food. Christena gave them food and the Indians left without harming anyone. Christena left the farm in 1898 and moved into a home on the west side of the First Ward Meeting House in American Fork. She died in American Fork on 27 April 1914 and is buried in the American Fork Cemetery.
On 18 July 1858, William married his third and last wife, Elizabeth Cunningham, known as Betsy. Betsy was about 15 years old and William was 30 at the time of the marriage. William “was a fine looking man, very dark, with a long black beard, six feet two inches tall” while Betsy was pretty and petite with dark brown eyes and black hair. They fell in love with each other. They were sealed in the Endowment House on 19 July 1858. Betsy had a great sense of humor. Despite the many tragedies she suffered, she was always young in spirit and optimistic. She also had a reputation of being very thrifty. Her favorite saying was, “Don’t forget your pocket book is your best friend.” She and her children lived in town but she had flower and vegetable gardens, raised chickens and pigs and had one of the first Holstein cattle herds in Utah. She encouraged her children to get as much education as possible. Elizabeth and her family joined the LDS Church in Scotland and, in 1856, sailed from Liverpool, England to America on the large square-rigged Thornton. They joined the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company and endured terrible suffering and hardships. Betsy walked the entire distance from Winter Quarters to Utah. A family story is that “she was left for dead on the plains, as she was thought to be frozen to death. The ground was frozen so hard that they could not dig a grave so they just wrapped her in a blanket and laid the body on the ground, and hurried on to make camp for the night, as darkness was fast over-taking them. After they had made camp, the mother of Elizabeth felt impressed to go back to the child. Her friends ridiculed the idea, but mother was determined for she maintained that the child was not dead. She had been promised in Scotland that if she was faithful that she and all her family would reach Zion in safety. She went back to the child and found her untouched by the wolves. She was brought back to camp and worked over. Some hot water was spilt on her foot which caused a quiver to go through the limb. Convinced that she was still alive, they kept up their efforts until they brought her back to life.” She became the mother of thirteen children (including a set of prematurely born twins) and out-lived her husband by many years, spending her final years in Ogden, Utah, with family, dying there in 1922. She is buried in the American Fork Cemetery near her husband.
William “Edward” Kelly was fairly well educated for his day. He loved to read books on history and geography. He especially enjoyed reading about the lives of military leaders but he refused to talk about his experiences with the Mormon Battalion, saying that it was too terrible to talk about. He was a generous man. For example, on 23 November 1856, President Brigham Young called for help from the American Fork Ward to help the suffering survivors of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies. William contributed 200 lbs. of flour, one horse and 2 lbs. of corn. Some years later, American Fork decided to extend certain streets east towards Pleasant Grove. Since each street was to be 66 feet wide, 33 feet was needed from property on both sides of each street. On one of the streets being extended, William Kelly lived opposite his brother-in-law, George Cunningham. The surveyor, William Greenwood, told William Kelly that he hated to ask George for his 33 feet because George was famous for debating people and Mr. Greenwood didn’t want to argue with George. William told Mr. Greenwood not to bother George about the land because William would be happy to give all 66 feet needed from his own property.
He was very tolerant of others. In his general store, he was willing to sell his products to both Mormons and non-Mormons. Because of this, he was chastised by Bishop Harrington, Bishop of the American Fork Ward, who insisted that Church members stop trading with William Kelly “until he repents and obeys the council respecting our withdrawing our entire patronage from those who seek our overthrow-.“ Other things began to go wrong. After William’s marriage to Betsy Cunningham, Ann Faragher Kelly’s relationship with William fell apart. Family stories say that William brooded about their relationship and began to drink. In 1868, the LDS Church started the Zion’s Cooperative Mercantile Institution (ZCMI). When a branch of the ZCMI was organized in American Fork, the competition ruined William’s retail business, severely reducing the finances needed to support his families. He was also chastised by Church leaders for refusing to pay tithing, “treating the district teachers with contempt” and “manifesting a very defiant spirit.” Notice was served to William Kelly that he would be cut off from the Church “at this meeting - April 3, 1873.” William’s answer was, “I ask no odds, but cut me off.” The vote was put to the meeting by Bishop Harrington and “a unanimous vote was given and he was cut off [excommunicated from] the Church of Jesus Christ of L.D. Saints for apostasy.”
Despite William’s excommunication, he encouraged his children and wives to attend Church and he was respected and well-liked by others. Although he was listed on the US 1880 Census for American Fork, Utah as living with Betsy and her children, he continued to financially support Christena, her children and the children from his marriage to Ann. When William died 26 years later “of old age and other ailments, with which he has [had] been afflicted for some time,” George Q. Cannon, a fellow Manxman and an apostle in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, dressed William’s body in his temple robes and “posthumously reinstated him in full standing in the Church.” The actual rebaptism was done 18 June 1979 by James W. Nicholes, one of William’s great-great-grandsons.
When William “Edward” Kelly died in American Fork, Utah, on 18 June 1899, Thomas “E” Kelly and his family, who were still living on the farm in Sonora Township, Hancock County, Illinois, were informed of William’s death by a letter dated 3 October 1889, written by Joseph Lamoni Franklin Kelly. William had only been ill a week before he died. William is buried in the American Fork Cemetery near his three wives. His first wife, Ann, preceded him in death, dying on 3 January 1880 in American Fork, Utah. At his death, William left two living wives, Christena and Elizabeth, and 26 children and many grandchildren.
FEBRUARY 2008 ADDENDUM TO:
A BRIEF HISTORY OF WILLIAM “EDWARD” KELLY AND HIS FAMILY
(including 80 endnotes with 5 maps)
HISTORY WRITTEN BY PAULA DIANE STUCKI ANDERSON
William Kelly’s Great-Great-Granddaughter
(30 July 2007)
Since writing A BRIEF HISTORY OF WILLIAM “EDWARD” KELLY AND HIS FAMILY, hereinafter referred to as THE HISTORY, more information has been found that is either an important addition to or a correction of THE HISTORY. The importance of several of these items has required me, Paula Anderson, to write this Addendum. The head numbers below correspond to the endnotes attached to THE HISTORY. The number in parenthesis refers to the page in THE HISTORY. The original endnote is given in black while the correction or addition is given in red and in larger type.
37 (5) Joseph Fielding Diary,” Nauvoo Journal,” BYU Studies 19 (1979), 155-156.
Information from Land and Records Office, Nauvoo, Illinois: William Cottier owned three pieces of property in Nauvoo and property in Appanoose Township, east of Nauvoo. He was born on 1820 in the parish of Patrick, Isle of Man. His parents were William Cottier and Catherine Corkhill. He was called to be a Seventy and received his endowment in the Nauvoo Temple. He received his Patriarchal Blessing on 23 June 1845 from William Smith. While on the Isle of Man, he learned to be a stone mason. He worked on the Nauvoo Temple, cutting stone, and, in 1843, when the Twelve Apostles decided to take down the old wood baptismal Font inside the Nauvoo Temple and put up a new stone one, William Cottier worked on the stone font. William was described as “a steady, faithful, quiet, good workman.” Information concerning the Nauvoo Temple Officers and Laborers comes from the Journal of William Clayton cited in Journal History of the Church, 31 December 1844, pp. 12-15.
Ibid. No Kellys are listed as workers on the Nauvoo Temple.
In THE HISTORY, I stated that “William [Cottier] was eventually excommunicated.” My conclusion was based primarily on Joseph Fielding's Diary. He wrote, ”It was also shown that Joseph had told the Twelve after he had instructed them in all things that on them would rest the responsibility and the care of the Church in case he should be taken away. They invited Rigdon to their council but he did not attend and he soon began to use threatening language against the Twelve, Joseph, etc. to say that he had known for some years that Joseph had not been led by the spirit of God [and gave this] as the reason why he did not attend with him as his counselor, he soon so far committed himself that his license was demanded by the Twelve, but he refused to give it up. He seemed in no haste now to get to Pittsburg, but labored hard to raise a party to himself and succeeded in some degree. Some few cleaved to him, and were in a short time cut off [excommunicated] from the Church along with him. Among the [party] were Samuel Bennett, Leonard Soby, Samuel James, William Cottier, etc.” (Joseph Fielding’s Diary, “Nauvoo Journal,” BYU STUDIES 19: (1979), 155-156.)
In William Clayton's Diary, he wrote, “There is considerable feeling prevailing. Edward Hunter, Leonard Soby, Wm. Cottier, B. Coles are amongst those who have joined Er [Elder] Rigdon, [.] Samuel James is one of his main supports.” (Fillerup, Robert C., compiler, “William Clayton’s Nauvoo Diaries and Personal Writings,” 1840-1846, 4 September 1844.) This excerpt was found on www.code-co.com/rcf/mhistdo/clayton.htm.
For months I tried to find an excommunication date for William Cottier but I was unsuccessful so, on 25 August 2007, I wrote a letter to the Church History Library, located in the Church Office Building, Salt Lake City, Utah, requesting any information concerning a possible excommunication for William Cottier. I attached all the information I had concerning William including the above diary entries.
On 25 October 2007, I received a letter from the Family and Church History Department, Church Archives, Salt Lake City, Utah. The letter stated, “We received your inquiry concerning the possible excommunication of William Cottier. We have searched through our collections and can find no documents for an excommunication of William Cottier. We are enclosing our report.” The letter was signed by Ronald G. Watt, Archivist, Sr. Accompanying the letter was a Research Report, dated 20 September 2007, signed by an Elder Allen who apparently was involved in the actual research. The Research Report Summary is as follows: “The patron has already searched most of the published and many of the unpublished sources. Our search focused on other sources, including stake and mission records and journals. No record of an excommunication of William Cotter was found.” In conclusion, the Research Report stated that, “It is not likely a record could be found of an excommunication for William Cottier if such actually existed. With so much Church activity in the St. Louis area where William Cottier resided, he should show up on the records cited above [in the Research Report]. He seems to have just not been involved. It is interesting to note that none of the three listed by the patron as also being associated with Rigdon (Bennett, Soby and James) were endowed [in the Nauvoo Temple] according to the source cited, although Cottier was.”
It is evident, from the existing diaries quoted above, that William Cottier openly showed interest, for a period, in Sidney Rigdon's claims. But, as a result of this recent research, by me and the Church, it is apparent that William Cottier never followed Rigdon either physically or theologically after Sidney Rigdon's excommunication from the Church 8 September 1844. I am now satisfied that William Cottier was not excommunicated from the LDS Church.
OTHER LDS INFORMATION CONCERNING WILLIAM COTTIER:
Major, Jill C., “Artworks in the Celestial Room of the First Nauvoo Temple,” BYU STUDIES 41:2 (2002), 54, 64, 66. Jill Major wrote, “A painting of William Cottier, a temple stonecutter, was loaned to the temple and hung in the celestial room.” Footnote 23 in this same article states: “Nauvoo Temple Records Ledgers, Book B, October 24, 1844; George D. Smith transcribed the name as William ‘Collier,’ but a search of the original holograph confirmed the name is ‘Cottier.’ Clayton, AN INTIMATE CHRONICLE, 206.” The portrait hung on the west side of the first division of the arch in the Celestial Room of the Nauvoo Temple. The artist is unknown. The whereabouts of the portrait is still unknown.
40 (5) Cemetery records of Tull Cemetery, Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois. Photos of Tull Cemetery and some gravestones are in my possession. Although a notation card was found at the Hancock County Historical Society (Carthage, Illinois) indicating that William Cottier was also buried in the Tull Cemetery, there is no record of his burial on the Tull Cemetery Records. No gravestone for William Cottier was found in the Tull Cemetery.
St. Louis Probate Court Digitization Project, 1802-1900, Cottier, William, Case No. 12583, Date Filed: 1877, Microfilm Reel C 35567, as found on www.sos.mo.gov/archives/stlprobate. Copies of all 45 pages in this Probate File are in my possession. William Cottier died in St. Louis City, Missouri, on 20 January 1877. William’s three daughters, Clara, Anna Jane and Elizabeth, were the heirs to his estate. No money was left directly to Elizabeth Kelly Cottier, thus reinforcing the idea that William and Elizabeth had separated some years earlier. William’s daughter, Clara, who was living in St. Louis City, was named executrix. After her marriage on 19 April 1877, she officially signed over the responsibility to her husband, John George Baeser. In 1883, William Cottier’s daughters, Elizabeth Cottier Porter and Clara Cottier Baeser, each received $164.00. Since Anna Jane Cottier had died unmarried in 1880, her mother Elizabeth (and former wife of William Cottier), acting as Anna Jane’s executrix, collected $178.00 from William Cottier’s estate. Since William Cottier died in St. Louis City, Missouri, approximately one year before Elizabeth Kelly Cottier married her second husband, William Wallwork, and eight years before Elizabeth died in Pontoosuc Township, Hancock County, Illinois, it is highly unlikely that William Cottier was buried in Tull Cemetery, the same cemetery where Anna Jane Cottier, Elizabeth Kelly Cottier Wallwork and her second husband, William Wallwork, were buried.
46 (6) Nicholes, James W., 50. “It’s unclear which event took place first, his proposal or his plans for enlistment. Family tradition claims that they were married at Mt. Pisgah [Iowa], and marriage dates range from July 14th to the 19th. No Church records exist for marriages performed at Mt. Pisgah, but the battalion enlistment records seem to contradict these traditions. The muster role, dated July 16, shows William and Ann at Council Bluffs, as husband and wife. Perhaps the July 14th marriage date is correct, but they could not have been in Mt. Pisgah on the 14th, and then in Council Bluffs, about a hundred miles away on the 16th. The muster roll of course lists them without children, but also without a horse, no cattle, and no other major property. It lists William leaving $7.00 to benefit Ann, and that she was being left in the care of John Taylor. This last point substantiates the possibility that William or Ann or both had left Nauvoo also under his care. William was only 18; Ann was 26.” One can speculate that, since William intended to marry Ann before leaving with the Mormon Battalion, he indicated on the enlistment papers that she was his wife in order to make certain that she received his pay.
Ricketts, Norma Baldwin, THE MORMON BATTALION, U.S. Army of the West, 1846-1848 (Logan, Utah: Utah State University Press, 1996), 16-17. The following quote is from a journal entry: “Sun., July 19, Council Bluffs. In his Sunday sermon Brigham Young and the apostles said again it was right to serve in the battalion. All took courage from their words. Company E was filling up. Abraham Day, who said he wouldn’t sign up, was in Company E. Dimick Huntington arranged for his wife and three children to go with him. William Kelley, assigned to Company A, married his sweetheart, Anna Farragher, in the evening. She did not go on the march.” (Originally quoted in Kate B. Carter, ed., THE MORMON BATTALION, 1846-1848 (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1956), 75.
SELECTED PENSION APPLICATION FILES RELATING TO THE MORMON BATTALION, MEXICAN WAR, 1846-48, UTAH: NARA, REFERENCE NUMBER: 12061: VETERAN SURNAME: KELLY, VETERAN GIVEN NAME: WILLIAM, CLAIMANT SURNAME: KELLY, CLAIMANT GIVEN NAME: CHRISTENA. This information was found on www.footnote.com. Copies of all 119 pages of this file are now in my possession. After the Mexican War Service Pension Act of 29 January 1887, William filed for a pension on 16 August 1887. He stated that he had sprained his ankle February 1870 in American Fork, Utah “by falling off a load of hay and the rheumatism was incurred while so engaged in the battalion.” In the "Mexican War Pension Survivor's Brief," that William filed, he stated, "That the name of my present wife is Christina Petersen." In order to bolster his case, he filed affidavits from Joseph Shipley and Israel Evans. He eventually received a pension of $8.00 a month.
After William died in 1899, Christena [Pedersen] Kelly, William Kelly’s second wife, immediately filed for William‘s pension on 7 September 1899. She stated that she had been disabled since 1 January 1889 by "Rheumatics." Witnesses to her claim were Philemon M. Kelly and Fred Jackson. Since Christena had been a plural wife, she had to prove to the U.S. Government, after Ann Faragher’s divorce and death, that she had been William’s legal spouse at the time of his death and thus entitled to his pension. In her claim, Christena states "that he [William] was not willing to marry her [Christena] again after Ann's divorce [20 June 1877] and said there was no need of it." Christena stated that "according to the Mormon faith she was his wife in polygamy and monogamy, and was recognized as his wife and respected as such in the community." Christena could not afford a lawyer but she was tireless in trying to prove her case and collect the monthly pension. She gathered affidavits from such people as James Gardner, Thomas and Clara [Kelly] Miller, Joseph and Nell [Kelly] Nicholes, Maria Swanson, Thomas and Hellen Barrott and John McNeill. Even Elizabeth Cunningham Kelly, William Kelly's third wife, gave a deposition. Since Christena had applied for William's pension, Elizabeth was not eligible. It took an enormous amount of work but Christena finally proved her case and received the pension. At the time of Christena’s death, she was receiving a pension of $14.00 a month.
In William Kelly’s Pension Application Form, he states, “That I am married; that the maiden name of my wife was Ann Farrager [Faragher], to whom I was married at Council Bluffs, in the State of Iowa, on the 15th day of July, A. D. 1846.” [Bolding is not in the original.] So we finally have William Kelly's own statement of the marriage date and place. The file also includes the divorce information between Ann and William and the court case that Ann Faragher brought against William Kelly.
The above mentioned MORMON BATTALION PENSION FILE for William Kelly is an amazing document that chronicles much of William Kelly’s adult life and that of his three wives. It is interesting to note that William filled out the forms as William Kelley but signed the forms as William Kelly. No middle name is recorded for William anywhere in this document - more proof that William never had a legal middle name.
54 (7) Nicholes, Eleanor Kelly, “Historical Sketch of Mrs. Christina Kelly,” (date written unknown), 1.
The dates of Kirsten’s journey from Denmark to Utah were given incorrectly in the “Historical Sketch of Mrs. Christina Kelly” by her daughter, Eleanor Kelly Nicholes, p. 1. The correct dates are: Emigrated from Aalborg, Denmark, 31 October 1854, and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on 7 September 1855.
TRACING SCANDINAVIAN LATTER-DAY SAINTS STEP-BY-STEP (ELECTRONIC BOOK, 711 pages) found on www.xmission.com/%7Enelsonb/reward.pdf. The Table of Contents for this ELECTRONIC BOOK, titled, THE JOURNEY IS THE REWARD: TRACING SCANDINAVIAN LATTER-DAY SAINTS FROM THE SCANDINAVIAN MISSION (1852-1881) is found on www.xmillion.com/%7Enelsonb/toc.pdf. Aurelia Clemons extracted LDS Scandinavian Emigration Records for 1853-1881, (LDS Film #025696) and these records are presented in the ELECTRONIC BOOK in the Section, “Emigration from the Scandinavian Mission,” 1853-1881, pages 385-686. Kirsten Pedersen is listed on page 400 as emigrating from the Aalborg, Conference on 31 October 1854. The entry reads: "Kirsten Petersen, 16, Dane, page 16" (refers to page in original emigration records). There is also an alphabetical surname list of all the LDS Scandinavian Emigrants from 1854-1868 found on www.xmission.com/~nelsonb/scan_roster.htm. This list can also be found on LDS Microfilm #025696.
Kirsten sailed on the “Cimbria” from Denmark to Liverpool, England. On 7 Jan 1855, Kirsten was onboard the ship “James Nesmith” when it sailed from Liverpool to America. The “James Nesmith” arrived at the Port of New Orleans on 23 Feb 1855 where most of the emigrants boarded the steam boat “Oceana” to St. Louis, Missouri. Under the leadership of Peter O. Hansen, Kirsten and about 175 other emigrants left St. Louis by the steam boat “Clara” for Atchison, Kansas, but the boat was forced to land at Leavenworth. Towards the end of May, the emigrants moved to Mormon Grove, about 5 miles west of present-day Atchison, Kansas. Kirsten Pedersen joined Captain Jacob F. Secrist’s Company, later known as the Jacob F. Secrist/Noah T. Guymon Company. The Company left Mormon Grove, Kansas on 13 June 1855. The group arrived in Salt Lake City on 7 Sept 1855. (ELECTRONIC BOOK, 97-99). There were 368 individuals and 58 wagons in the Company. Jacob F. Secrist died 2 July 1855 and Noah T. Guymon became the Captain of the Company. Kirsten is listed on the Company Roster as Christine Petersen. Christine (Kirsten) was listed as riding in a wagon with Anne E. Ericksen, age 15, who was traveling with her family. For more information concerning the trip from Mormon Grove to the Salt Lake Valley, see www.lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanysearch.
Kirsten (or Christena, as she preferred to be called in America) Pedersen’s parents, Peder Christensen and Anne Jensen, left Denmark on 17 May 1866 and sailed to America on the “Kenilworth”. They are listed on p. 519 in the ELECTRONIC BOOK mentioned above. They are listed as "Peder Christensen, 60, Brudal, and Ane Christensen, 54, Hoieslov [Hojslev], Aalborg Conference, Denmark, page 5" (refers to page in original emigration records). For a good description of the voyage, see A FAMILY - A RELIGION by James W. Nicholes, 104-106 or see p. 191-195 in the ELECTRONIC BOOK. Peder and Ane crossed the plains in the Peter Nebeker Company. Ane was listed as Anne Jensen Christensen and Peder was listed as Peter C. Christensen. Both Anne and Peder [Peter] are listed on the Deseret News Roster with the surname of Bendell, probably a corruption of Brudal, the town where they had lived in Denmark before leaving for Aalborg and then America. When Anne died in 1890, she was buried in the American Fork Cemetery, American Fork, Utah, under the name Ann C. Brudall. Peder or Peter died in America, not in Denmark. Place of death still unknown at this point. For more information concerning the Peter Nebeker Company, see www.lds.org/churchhistory/library/pioneercompanysearch.
60 (8) http://historyresearch.utah.gov/indexes/index.html. “Utah Death Certificates” The Death Certificate for Christena Kelly is Series 81448, Entry 43691. She died of chronic nephritis contributed by “general exhaustion.”
Records of the American Fork Cemetery, American Fork, Utah, can be accessed at http://history.utah.gov/apps/burials/execute/searchburials. Then look at the “Cemetery Burials Database.” Kirsten Pedersen Kelly is recorded as Christena Kelly, grave located at F_153_1.
Kirsten Pedersen’s tombstone reads: “Christena P. wife of Wm Kelly, Born Aug 3, 1837, Alsberg, Denmark, Died April 27, 1914. MOTHER, A most Sacred Name.” The word “KELLY” is chiseled at the bottom of the stone. Unfortunately this beautiful tombstone contains a mistake. Kirsten or Christena was NOT born in the County of Aalborg. She was born in the County of Viborg as were her siblings, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, etc. for many generations. The family eventually left the County of Viborg, went to the County of Aalborg and eventually emigrated. So, whenever Kirsten was asked, “Where are you from?” She probably answered, “Aalborg,” since she was living there when she emigrated but she was definitely born and christened in the Parish of Hojslev, District of Fjends, County of Viborg, Denmark. For Kirsten’s birth and christening record, see www.arkivalieronline.dk. Amt (County): Viborg, Herred (District): Fjends, Sogn (Parish): Hojslev, 1813-1839, opslag (page) 81. This website is free but you must register and then the website will send you a password to use.
OTHER LDS INFORMATION CONCERNING WILLIAM KELLY:
TERRITORIAL CASE FILES OF THE U.S. DISTRICT COURTS OF UTAH 1870-1896, UTAH, 1888, NARA: CASE NUMBER: 1307, DEFENDANT SURNAME:KELLEY, DEFENDANT GIVEN NAME: WILLIAM, 15 pages, taken from www.footnote.com with copies in possession of Paula Anderson. William Kelley, Offense: Unlawful Cohabitation. The complaint of Unlawful Cohabitation (Between 1 June 1885 and 14 May 1888) and a warrant for William’s arrest was issued 14 May 1888. William was arrested on 16 May 1888 and he posted bail the same day. Bail was set at $600.00 and paid by William G. Dunn and James Dunn. Subpoenas were served on 8 August 1888 to Mrs. William Kelley [Christena] and Elizabeth Kelley, requiring them to appear before a Grand Jury of the First District Court of the Territory of Utah in Provo, Utah. On 27 Sept 1888, an "Indictment for Unlawful Cohabitation" was handed down by the Grand Jury. The case was tried in the First Judicial District Court, held in Provo, on 18 Oct 1888. The following is handwritten on the page entitled "Indictment for Unlawful Cohabitation" - "Oct. 9/88 Defendant _____ _____ not guilty." The blanks indicate two words not decipherable by me. It is possible that some papers are missing from this file because there is no official document of the verdict; however, in the SELECTED PENSION APPLICATION FILES RELATING TO THE MORMON BATTALION, MEXICAN WAR, 1846-48, UTAH: NARA, REFERENCE NUMBER: 12061: VETERAN SURNAME: KELLY, VETERAN GIVEN NAME: WILLIAM, CLAIMANT SURNAME: KELLY, CLAIMANT GIVEN NAME: CHRISTENA (See Endnote 46), it states "that the soldier, William Kelly, was brought into court at Provo, the county-seat, to answer a charge of living in polygamy after the passage of the Edmunds-Tucker Bill, but he was acquitted of that charge and claimant [Christena Kelly] was recognized by the court as his legal widow."
_John George NICKLAS ___
| (1806 - 1884) m 1833
_John NICKLAS _______|
| (1839 - 1914) m 1870|
| |_Anna Catharine BETSCH _
| (1809 - 1889) m 1833
|
|--Anna Matilda NICKLAS
| (1872 - ....)
| ________________________
| |
|_Amelia KREUTZ ______|
(1843 - 1899) m 1870|
|________________________
Line 13 dwelling 389
Nicholis, John age 40 OCC: Farming IL GER GER
Amelia 37 GER GER GER
Wilemina 9 WI IL GER
Matilda 7 same
Geo 5 "
Amelia 3 "
John 5/12 "
_Unknown WHITE ______
|
_Andrew WHITE _______|
| (1800 - 1863) m 1833|
| |_____________________
|
|
|--Ann Eliza WHITE
| (1846 - ....)
| _____________________
| |
|_Matilda O'NEIL _____|
(1807 - 1861) m 1833|
|_____________________
[5378]
In the 1850 and 1860 census she is called "Anna E." In the 1880 and 1900 census she is "Eliza."
Ann Eliza, born in 1846 and the last of Andrew and Matilda's children, suffered from some sort of handicap. In the 1880 census she is living with her brother Samuel. The column #20, "Maimed, crippled, bedridden, or otherwise disabled" is checked. Columns 22, "cannot read," and 23, "cannot write" are checked. The 1900 census shows her living with her sister Martha. The word "invalid" is written in the column titled "Occupation." There are "No" s in the columns "Able to read" and "Able to write," but a "Yes" in "able to speak English." At that time and place there were few alternatives to families caring for their own elderly and handicapped members. I'm glad Ann Eliza's siblings rose to the task after her parents were gone.
Line 10 Dwelling # 1727 Family # 1781
Andrew White age 50 male Farmer value real est. - $1000 born Ireland
Matilda " 43 f "
William L. " 11 m Ills
Samuel D. " 9 m "
Martha J. " 8 f "
Mary " 6 f "
Ann E. " 4 f "
John Fitzpatrick 94 m " Ireland
Line 26 Dwelling # 4388 Family # 4553
Andrew White 60 Male Farmer Value real est - 1000 pers est - 790 born Ireland
Matilda 57 f "
William L. 20 m farmhand Ills
Samuel D. 19 m " "
Martha J. 18 f domestic "
Mathew 16 m farm Hand " Attends school
Ann E. 14 f "
Line 9 Dwelling # 218 Family # 221
White, Samuel D. age 39
Josephine 30 wife
Emily 13 dau
Catherine J. 10 dau
Matilda 7 dau
Nevada 6 son
Ida 3 dau
Samuel D. 2 son
Josephine 4/12 dau
Eliza 31 sister check marks in col 20: maimed, crippled etc 22: cannot read 23: cannot write
Wilcox, Harry 33 farm hand
[11504] This living person has not agreed to be listed.