Founding Fathers of Brigham City

Jun 20

2 min read

With Father’s Day approaching, we thought that we would remember some of the founding fathers of Brigham City. Understanding that polygamy is a controversial, polarizing, and upsetting topic for many, coming into some form of contact with it was an everyday experience of probably all of the citizens of Brigham City during its early years. Many are the descendants of those individuals who entered the practice of polygamy and, I believe, due respect should be given to those who believed in their religion enough to make that difficult sacrifice.

Ben Bennion researched this topic and included his findings in the publication “Polygamy in Lorenzo Snow’s Brigham City: An Architectural Tour.” He noted that “we find at least 36 percent of all town residents living in a polygamist household” (pg. 22) in 1870. By 1880, Brigham City had surpassed Manti “by about 5 percent- with roughly 30 percent… still committed to the Principle” (pg. 24). Bennion also noted that, “In his manuscript history of Brigham City, Andrew Jenson singled out yet another sign of the town’s commitment to the practice of polygamy. His Church Chronology lists more than 30 townsmen imprisoned during the raids for ‘unlawful cohabitation.’ Prompting him to conclude that no other city of comparable size witnessed the arrest of so many so-called ‘cohabs,’ the nickname for those caught ‘cohabitating’ with two or more wives.” (pg. 26)

Does your family history include any of these founding fathers? I apologize for those who I may have missed but feel free to include them in the comments!

Please refrain from disrespectful comments on this page.

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