Friday, July 6, 2007

Charles Law in the Deseret News, October 26, 1859

Charles Law appears in the following newspaper article which appeared in the Deseret News on October 26, 1859 (page 8). The article indicates that he spent some portion of 1858 in the Salt Lake City 13th ward and owed $2.00 in taxes.

click image to enlarge
image from Utah Digital Newspaper Project

This image comes from the Utah Digital Newspapers project at http://www.lib.utah.edu/digital/unews/ a terrific resource for family and local historians created by the Marriott Library at the University of Utah (see the entire page on their website by clicking here).

Charles had arrived in Salt Lake on September 26, 1857. The Bocock sisters had preceded him arriving on September 12, 1857. According to information passed down through the family Charles married Hannah Bocock on September 29 or 30, Elizabeth on October 1 or 2, and Emma somewhere between October 22nd and 29th. According to the Endowment House Sealing records Charles and Hannah were sealed on January 17, 1858 in President Young's office. Charles and Elizabeth were sealed on January 31, 1858 also in President Young's office. Charles and Emma were not sealed until March 12, 1859 in the home of B. L. Aaron Johnson. Following the completion of the Endowment House they were all re-sealed on August 31, 1861. These sealings can be viewed on Family History Library film 183395, Endowment House Sealings, Book C, pp. 264-265, 266-267, 334-335, and 550.

If the family was in the Salt Lake City 13th ward in 1858, then it was only until April, for in April they headed south with most of the other saints as Johnston's Army approached Salt Lake. Many went to Provo and Springville at this time. Most returned in July, but Charles' family hadn't ever really established themselves in Salt Lake, so they simply stayed on in Springville.

I did check through the Salt Lake 13th ward records for any evidence of the marriages that took place and for any move-in/move-out type records mentioning Charles or his wives, but to no avail. The record-keeping at the ward level wasn't very well done during this period of Church history.

1 comment:

Jean Ohai said...

When they were in the Salt Lake 13th Ward (FHL 889,379), they were all re-baptized as part of the Mormon Reformation. Charles Law and Hannah Law were rebaptized 12 December 1857, as was Amelia [sic] Bocock. Elizabeth Law was not rebaptized until 9 February 1858, just over a week after she married Charles. Emma did not marry Charles during this period as is shown by the way her name appears in the ward record. She was only 14 years old. When she married and was sealed to Charles, it was at the home of Bishop [not B.L.] Aaron Johnson of Springville, with Apostle George A. Smith officiating.