 1856 - 1918 (61 years) Submit Photo / Document
Has 2 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
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| Name |
Charlotte Kelsey |
| Birth |
18 Nov 1856 |
Midvale, Salt Lake, Utah, United States  |
| Gender |
Female |
| Initiatory (LDS) |
19 Jun 1871 |
EHOUS |
| FamilySearch ID |
KWCN-9NF |
| Death |
22 Jul 1918 |
Shelley, Bingham, Idaho, United States |
| Burial |
26 Jul 1918 |
Shelley, Bingham, Idaho, United States |
| Headstones |
 Submit Headstone Photo |
| Person ID |
I174365 |
mytree |
| Last Modified |
25 Feb 2024 |
| Father |
Easton Kelsey, b. 9 Mar 1813, New Lisbon, Otsego, New York, United States d. 10 May 1899, St. George, Washington, Utah, United States (Age 86 years) |
| Mother |
Abigail Finch, b. 15 Nov 1823, Cornwallis Township, Kings, Nova Scotia, Canada d. 4 Dec 1892, New Harmony, Washington, Utah, United States (Age 69 years) |
| Marriage |
14 Sep 1839 |
Toledo, Lucas, Ohio, United States |
| Family ID |
F22485 |
Group Sheet | Family Chart |
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| Notes |
- Life History of Charlotte Kelsey
who married Delaun Mills Cox
In 1856 , Easton Kelsey was called by President Brigham Young to help g e t out rock for the building of the Salt Lake Temple then in constructio n.
Easton did not want to leave his wife alone ( Abigail Finch Kelsey ) s o h e took her with him where she helped to cook for the men who were get tin g out the granite. Here Charlotte was born.
Easton Kelsey - carpenter, maker of mills, for timber and flour - soo n w as called to settle in Dixie, St George, Utah. They were not here lo ng u ntil they moved to Ash Creek where the wife Abigail kept an inn an d care d for a dairy of milk cows, while her husband East spent most of h is tim e away building mills and running them.
When Charlotte Kelsey was fourteen years old she was quite mature and h a d dark hair and eyes flashing with life and mischief. At this time th e K elsey family went on a visit to the Muddy in Nevada. Here Charlott e me t Delaun Mills cox, and he fell in love with her. However, she emph atica lly said “no”. With a low but hopeful spirit he requested she writ e to h im if she should ever change her mind. When at home again her fol ks an d their friends kept dropping a word here and there about what a fi ne ma n ‘Laun Cox was, and occasionally remarked that ‘Lottie did not see m to c are a drop for him. This kept her thinking and she finally wrot e the let ter
The young man had a team of horses which pulled their wagon the 600 od d m iles to Salt Lake City where “Laun and “Lottie’s small brother Willia m we nt with them. It took 15 days to reach Salt Lake, and they had a lo vel y time all the way. Daniel H. Wells married them.
When they returned they settled in Washington, Wash, Co., Utah. Delau n h elped to build the cotton mill (the only one the Church ever operated . ) He helped build the mill machinery and kept it in working order, imp ro ving it occasionally. This proved to be a fine work as he ever did i n th at line. Lottie’s father owned two lots in the village and gave on e to h is daughter. Here they built their log cottage and here was bor n Abigai l and Elvira.
When the United Order was begun in Orderville, Kane Co., the family mov e d up, stayed at Mt. Carmel until a home in Orderville could be built . Th ey were the third family to finish and move into their home in thi s new t own. The town built up quickly and Charlotte took her turn cooki ng in th e rock ovens for the village, because they all ate together i n a common d ining hall.
The United Order was lived well and everyone in it prospered, but it w a s discontinued by the advice of President Brigham Young in about 1884 . T hey were in need of clothing so they divided the town into district s wit h women at the head of each district to take charge of weaving wool en clo th with cotton warp which they called ‘Linsey.’ Charlotte had char ge of o ne district. The young girls did the spinning and one of the ol d ladie s wound the bobbins. Only the best weavers wove. Charlotte wa s one of t he very best.
Charlotte always said “I am going to do this much today,” and then work e d until she got it done, no matter how late it was before she could g o t o bed, “Her daughter Abigail said that her mother was an excellent sp inne r and her weaving ability increased amazingly.
Two families in the ward were selected to raise silk worms; Charlotte w a s one. When the cocoons were ready, it was Charlotte who unwove them a n d wove the cloth. Without aid she wove the silk into 8 years of clot h 1 8 inches wide. This shows her skill in this art. No loom was fine e noug h to weave silk onto so ’Laun made one for his wife. The result wa s a fi ne beautiful cloth, a rarity in the United States. Of the cloth s he mad e 6 handkerchiefs, 12 inches square. Three were white ladies” han dkerchi efs and 3 she dyed magenda for men. She made the magenda colorin g from r oots and it was a bright red, mellowed with purplish and pinkis h shades.
Delaun installed a little feed mill in the creek and his children and wi f e helped grind cornmeal, graham flour, and other necessities. The tow n m ill burned down, and it was four years before it was rebuilt, mostl y beca use the United States marshals were raiding polygamist families i n the ef fort to jail all men with plural wives. Orderville was compose d mostly o f these families and obeyed its strict, high moral code. So d uring thi s critical period ‘Lottie and her 5 children kept the mill goin g every da y and most every night, except, of course, the Sabbath, to kee p the tow n supplied with flour. They washed and dried the grain, then g round it . The father came usually at night and helped them, especiall y in the we ighing of the gists, and moving of the filled flour barrels . This taxe d the strength of the family and the eldest girl, Abigail, h urt her bac k lifting the grain sacks and it became a permanent injury.
When the father was ‘on the underground’ as they called it, he hid in t h e near hills most of the day. Elvira was entrusted with carrying his m ea ls to him. Each day he would be in a different place or she would ta k e a different route. He hid in the corn or the rocks on the hillside , us ually with a companion hiding for the same purpose. The family laug hed a bout it later but it was a very trying experience for the childre n and th e wives. Charlotte had to evade the marshals too, or they woul d try to f orce her to give information. On ‘quiet’ days children were p osted on lo ok-outs on the top of a hill to watch both ways for a buggy . The marshal s used black buggies, a luxury unknown to the local people , so it was eas y to identify ‘the law’. The men in the fields could b e warned to hide b y a signal. One day a Marshall stepped into the Lau n Cox home, found onl y 2 little girls hiding in the bedroom. He asked w here their mother was . The eldest, Charlotte, said she was over to th e neighbors, while the y ounger one, Maggie, said, “Oh, she isn’t either , Charlotte, she’s down a t the mill.” He left and Charlotte cried and s aid, “Oh, Maggie, now you’ ve told where Ma is and Pa will have to go t o jail.” Maggie was innocentl y very repentant. Charlotte ran through th e field to warn her mother an d Maggie followed. The Mother had alread y fled to the willows alone th e creek, accompanied by several other wome n. As the Marshall looked thro ugh the mill, Maggie spied her Mother an d called and waved to her. Whe n her Mother did not answer, she ran towa rd where she was until Mother st epped out and motioned her back. Maggi e stopped and finally caught on, a nd the day was saved.
Mother Charlotte cox was a very reserved and even retiring personalit y . She always said she could not do public work, but she learned she co ul d later. She was a good singer and she attended choir practice regula rly . Much of the time Laun or her son Leonard were the choir leaders . Sh e was short, firm build of the sturdy pioneer type. Her judgment w as eve n more solid and she was thoroughly dependable. She was a counsel or in t he Relief Society for years and her judgment and decisions were h onored a nd invariably sound and safe to follow. She had the respect o f all who w orked with her. Her self-control was commendable. She is ne ver known t o use a swear word. She said “That is enough, “to her livel y children an d that was all she ever said. If more was needed, one fir m slap slightl y below the middle of the back was sufficient. She neve r gossiped and ta ught her children tolerance as in her saying. “You can’ t measure that per son in your half bushel.” Her daughter Abigail says t hat her calm, fir m way of speaking her terse wisdom make it ‘stick’.
She detested to see quarreling and fighting, and kept a firm hand over h e r children when at home, although she never interfered in their petty d if ferences or their fun. She especially had to hold Leonard down becaus e h is nature was like fir, and he had to be told when to quit teasing . He d id not have a brother to even up with him. She was a strong an d health y woman and was called on by neighbors and relatives for advic e which wa s given kindly, mildly, and wisely and could always be depende d on as goo d.
The last ten years of her life she was quite ill from a stomach injury r e ceived from the constant pressure of the loom on her stomach. In 190 9 sh e worked as a counselor in the Primary. When she had but two childr en un married, they moved to Hinckley. At Leonard’s request his father a nd mot her and brother Orin came to Idaho to help him. His wife was fata lly ill . They had a small home, tended bees, and kept a fine garden bes ides hel ping their son Leonard through his difficulties.
One July day a thunderstorm came up very suddenly and she said, “Oh, Lau n , we’ve got to cover the bee hives.” And hurried from the house. He f ol lowed. She walked through the orchard and was nearly to the tow of be e-h ives when lightning struck a large cottonwood tree, split it in hal f an d grounded, killing her instantly. Laun was several yards behind an d wa s knocked down with the shock. Her Patriarchal Blessing promised he r sh e should never taste death. She didn’t. She was one who never los t he r temper, became frenzied, or lost self-control; yet she was not i n the l east domineering. We cherish her memory.
Written by one of her daughters.
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Has 2 ancestors but no descendants in this family tree.
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