Henry Stevens' Wives
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George Evan Stoddard, son of Elma Marie Skelton, daughter of Ethel Christiana Stevens, daughter of Redick Elisher Stevens, son of Henry Barnabas Stevens, son of Henry Stevens, Jr., and Mary Ann Howe.
Henry Stevens, Jr., married Mary Ann Howe in November of 1832. He was 20; she was 16. He married Augusta Rasimena Dorius in July of 1854. He was 42; she was 15. The following account is from Augusta's autobiography.
Henry Stevens' first wife, Mary Ann Howe, proved to be a good kind mother to me. She was not a strong woman at any time and after we had lived together for ten years, part of the time in Ephraim, part in Spring Town, she died from pneumonia which developed from a bad cold due to exposure. She was buried in Spring Town while we were in Dixie, before we were able even to receive word by the letter thru the carriers, that she was ill.
Her death caused us a great deal of sorrow because she was a most remarkable and good woman and I dearly loved her. She treated my children as though they were her own. In our lonely cabin dug out of the side of the hill where we were each provided with our room, we had lived in love and unity. After her death, I used to sit in my room so lonely and hope and imagine I could see her coming in at the door.
The Lord had called a choice spirit and one aptly chosen to fulfill the commandment and live in polygamy, a mission which to my view, she completed perfectly. She gave birth to six children, four of whom grew to maturity. I assisted in raising them. Henry Barnabas was the oldest son. One daughter died after bringing her seventh into the world. A son James went to California and died there. The only survivor is Elisher Stevens who is now living in Ogden.
Excerpt from the Autobiography of Augusta Rasimena Dorious, completed 16 June 1922, in the possession of George Evan Stoddard.
