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Historical Sketch of James HENDRICKS and Drusilla DORRIS
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Cache Valley

Richmond Fort Click on the image to see an expanded, rotated view. Warning! The expanded view is very large and takes a while to download.

Joseph went to Cache Valley and then wanted us all to go together, so Pres. Brigham Young said for us all to go and stay together. This was in 1860.

My daughter, Rebecca, again married Samuel Roskelley on 22nd of July, 1858 by Pres. Brigham Young in his office in Salt Lake City, Utah. They and William I. Vannoy (who married my daughter Catherine) went with us to Cache Valley and we settled in Richmond.

Samuel Roskelley. Husband of Rebecca Hendricks.

In the . . . . . . spring of 1853? Samuel Roskelley was called to Smithfield and made a Bishop there and presided over that ward in honor for 17 years. About this time my sons and sons-in-law embraced the principle of plural marriage. Then I had a double portion of preaching and praying to do, and I hope the day will come when their trials will be swallowed up in Victory and the principle of Plural Marriage will be honored and husbands will honor their wives and children will honor their parents, for that principle is glorious if carried out according to the commands of God in virtue and righteousness.

We did well until the grass hoppers came and destroyed our crops, then we had to struggle again. Still no woman ever was blessed more than I for my children were all around me except when on business and I have watched over my children as much since they were married as before.

My girls had poor health and if there was any sickness with any of the children, Mother must come. My husband died at Richmond, Cache County, Utah, July 8th, 1870. He was a martyr for the cause of truth. I do not think he ever doubted the truth of the Gospel for one moment. I never heard him murmur nor speak against the authorities of the Church and he always gave good advice to his family. He laid five months in his last illness. He often wanted the brethren to lay hands on him to ease him from pain but I could not ask the Lord to spare his life any longer for I thought he had suffered long enough.

I and James have lived together ever since. The children have multiplied to quite a number. They are all alive except Libbie, who had married the second time to James Gammell in 1850 and gave birth to a girl. This leaving a boy and a girl whom I raised and now they are both married.

I had five children, sixty-three grandchildren, and twenty-three great grandchildren. Counting our two selves, our five children, our sixty-three grandchildren and twenty-three great grandchildren makes ninety-three (93) and seven deaths out of that number leaves eighty-six now living. We came to Salt Lake in Oct. 4, 1847 and we then numbered seven.

I am nearly sixty-seven years of age and nearly at the close of life and what I have written is not a tithe of my life and what I have passed through, but I can bear my testimony to the truth of what I have written.

The Gospel is true. I have rejoiced in it through all my trials for the Spirit of the Lord has buoyed me up or I should have failed. I am nervous and my hand shakes until I can hardly write. I am also a poor penswoman. I have made a very imperfect manuscript but in my weakness I can do no more.

DRUSILLA HENDRICKS
signed.

Historical Sketch of James HENDRICKS and Drusilla DORRIS
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Sunday, 08-Aug-2004 19:33:04 MDT