Continuing the Jubilee

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What Jubilee did the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers carry on for many years?

a.                  The dedication of the Nauvoo Temple

b.                  Joseph Smith’s birthday

c.                   The dedication of  the Kirtland Temple

d.                  Brigham Young’s birthday

Yesterday’s answer:

C   24

From the life of Amelia Folsom:   Amelia first became acquainted with her future husband when the Folsom’s and others arrived at their destination on October 3, 1860, and were welcomed to the valley by Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball. Amelia was 22 then, and Brigham was nearly 60. Their courtship began almost immediately.

Amelia made a favorable impression on others, in addition to Brigham Young. She was tall and graceful and had blue eyes and light brown hair. She was also intelligent, charming, and gifted conversationalist. Soon, she became popular among the young men and women in the city. To her credit, she was an excellent pianist and vocalist and was acknowledged as an outstanding hostess.

Brigham Young and Amelia announced their engagement in August of 1862. There are indications that she had refused at least one previous offer to marry him. A newspaper article of the day maintain that before coming to Utah, she had planned to marry Louis S. Hills of Council Bluffs. Though Hills never embraced Mormonism, he later immigrated to Utah and became a prominent banker.

It was also reported that Amelia had become attached to someone else in Utah but had married Brigham Young when that young man was called on a mission. After returning home, it was said that the missionary apostatized from the Church. Whether Amelia gave up those two suitors on her own or because of family persuasion is unknown. Amelia was 24 years old at the time of her marriage to the president and, undoubtedly, had well-formed opinions on whom she wanted to marry.

On January 24, 1863, three weeks after her marriage to Brigham Young, she moved into the Lion House with quarters on the second floor of the home. According to Susa Young Gates, it was at that time that Amelia dropped the “Harriet” from her name, as two of Brigham’s wives were named Harriet. Although there is evidence that she lived for a while at the Beehive House, most of her married life was spent at the Lion House with Brigham’s’ other wives and children. 

When Amelia became a part of the Young family, some of the older wives were somewhat apprehensive because of her attractiveness and her accomplishments, but she soon won their respect and devotion through her considerate and modest conduct.

Amelia loved children and was adored by the younger members of both the Folsom and Young families. Clarissa Young Spencer wrote, “I loved to go to her room because she had such beautiful cut-glass bottles of lovely smelling bay rum and cologne, which I might sniff to my heart’s content. Her father had given her some very fine jewelry that she would permit me to play with on the floor.”

Susa Young Gates also adored her and said, “She made us children happy[y with her new songs and piano pieces which we picked up immediately, as we all played by ear.” Susa was so fond of Amelia that she sought and receive permission to have her middle name changed to Amelia when she was baptized.

International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers, Museum Memories (Talon Printing: Salt Lake City, 2011), 3: 13-14.