Whilst searching for newspaper articles about Martha Brotherton I came across the following article from an Isle of Man newspaper dated May 2 1874. LDS missionaries had decided to revamp the missionary efforts in the Isle of Man (an Island located off the North West coast of England )and had hired a hall to present their message. At the end of their presentation an elderly man came forward to share his warning about the Mormons, he then read a statement from a Mr. William Hill, formerly a respectable shopkeeper in Manchester, whom the old man had known, and who had, in his hearing repeated the statement.
The first half of this statement I will discuss in my next blog as it contains several other cans of worms in which to go into and in this particular Blog I want to concentrate on William Hill’s own personal and harrowing experiences.
The following is a quotation from William Hill’s statement as recorded in the above mentioned Newspaper -
“Hill, in relating his own personal experience of Utah and it’s morality, said: “I had not been long in the Valley before Parley Pratt (one of the chief Elders) began to visit my house in my absence. One day, when I came home from the Kanyon,my wife told me that Parley had been to her, and he wanted her to leave me, telling her that I was poor and could not save her. I had lived with my wife nearly thirty years, and I am not ashamed to say I loved her, and in return, she loved me. But she said, ‘he threatened to curse us both if I do not become his wife. I would rather have you, William, than all the men I ever saw,’ In a few days after I came home to my wife, as I thought, but found her gone ! On inquiry I was told that Parley had been during the afternoon, and had taken her away in his carriage. I went to Brigham and asked him to give me back my wife; but he turned himself round and said: ‘If Parley has got your wife you must get another,’ I saw her go to the tabernacle, in Parley’s carriage, the Sunday but one after, and the moment I looked at her, a big Danite took me by the shoulders, and said, ‘move on, brother Hill, you can’t stand there,’ I was a marked man ! Six weeks after he took her, I was asked if I would have her back again, to which I indignantly replied ‘Never, while my heart is warm !’ She is now Parley’s 12th wife. I saw her just before I came away, setting potatoes behind Parley’s house, with another of his wives, and when she saw me she dropped down on the ground and covered her head with her hands. I was told the next day that she fainted; they carried her into the house, laid her on her back on the floor, and the first word she spoke was, ‘Oh, William! William!’” Hill got away from the Salt Lake Valley with a company of 63 persons all well armed. The Danites, the avengers, the murderers of the valley, followed for 160 miles but dared not make an attack, as the escaping saints were desperate. Hill walked above 500 miles barefoot, over rocks and mountains, to gain the liberty of England, and to get away from what he always calls “that den of thieves”
And now, said the speaker, what do you think of moral Utah?”
I decided to do some genealogical research into William Hill and his wife Keziah and this is what I found:-
William Hill was born in Manchester, England in 1812, on 11 November 1834 he married Keziah Downes daughter of Edward Downes and Elizabeth Broadhead of Rainow, Cheshire, they were both aged 22 and were married in Prestwich, a suburb of Manchester.
In 1842 they were introduced to the church, probably by Parley P Pratt who was serving his mission in Manchester, England. Keziah was baptised on the 8th April 1842 in Manchester, I don't have William's baptism date, Keziah's mother and siblings also joined the church. The Manchester Branch records showed the address of Keziah, as well as her brother Samuel’s family, as 49 Oxford Street. This was the home next to the British Mission Headquarters, which was located at 47 Oxford Street. Parley P. Pratt and his family lived at that same address during their time spent in Manchester
I believe that Keziah and William emigrated to Utah in 1851.
On the 2nd November 1853 Keziah was divorced from William Hill in Salt Lake City and on the 27th December 1853 she was married to Parley P Pratt as his 10th wife - she was therefore a sister wife to Elizabeth Brotherton, Martha Brotherton’s sister. Four years after her marriage to Parley P Pratt he was shot by the husband of his last plural wife.
William Hill returned to Manchester and died in 1868, he left his estate to a daughter of Keziah's brother as he and Keziah were childless. Keziah died January 11 1877 and is buried in Salt Lake City.
These are the bare facts, there are some letters from Keziah to her family in the Jared Pratt archives - http://jared.pratt-family.org/parley_family_histories/keziah-downs-biography.html
Did Parley P. Pratt feel that he was entitled to take Keziah away from her husband because he was more righteous than her husband William and had a higher priesthood, and as he told Keziah could ‘save her’? What was also shocking was his threat to curse her and her husband if she didn’t take up his offer to become his plural wife. How often did these sort of proposals occur?
Keziah remained faithful to the Church and regularly encouraged and hoped that her family would join her in Salt Lake City. In her later years she had a small school house where she gave lessons.
Here following is an excerpt of a letter written to her brother Samuel in 1863,
“I have always been thankful that I came out the first chance I had and although I have met with many things very contrary to my feelings in addition to having to toil from day to day for the things which perish, I would not part with this experience I have had and the knowledge I have gained for all the riches of this world. And when I survey my own infirmities and my inability to herald forth the tidings of salvation to the children of men, I wonder, oh I wonder that my Father has shown so much mercy toward me as to lead me even through deep waters as it were and this place where I can drink at the fountain of the rivers of righteousness and peace. Dear Sam, I hope that you and each of you are enjoying good health and that you have again constant employment. ……. My health is not good, I would give considerable to have you near. Now I hope the day is not far distant when we can associate at least daily. My school sustains me comfortably but it is very harassing (to one of my age) consisting chiefly of boys from 9 to 16 years of age, and this together with my cooking, and house work, keeps me very busy all the time. I take but little recreation, because I have no one to go out with. I have attended the theatre some 5 or 6 times and been to 4 social parties this winter so far. I was dancing with Brother Woodruff at the Social Hall on Tuesday evening last. He spoke of you very kindly and wished to be remembered to you……… Dear Sam, let me have the satisfaction of seeing some of your family, if not all this year and I will do all that lies in my power to help you, I must now conclude with my best love to each and every one of you, praying my Heavenly Father to bless you, comfort your heart and build you up in your most holy faith, open up your way that you may gather to this land, where you can come and be filled [?] and prepared for His kingdom and covering up the earth ________??? grant you find______??? perfect salvation which I ask in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Your affectionate Sister, Kezia
In my next blog I will discuss some of the other things that William Hill experienced on his trek to Salt Lake City, which will more fully enlighten us to the abuse of polygamy.
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