Life of Heber C. Kimball, an Apostle Part 44

Sarah Stiles.+ Elizabeth Hereford,+ Rebecca Williams,+ Sarah Buckwater.+ Mary Dull.+

Thus it will be seen that Heber C. Kimball was the husband of forty-five wives,[A] and the father of sixty-five children. Truly a patriarchal household.

[Footnote A: At the funeral of his wife Vilate, Heber, pointing to the coffin, said: "There lies a woman who has given me forty-four wives."]

It may well be surmised that the government and support of a family of such dimensions were no small tax upon the wisdom, patience and provident care of even the wisest and most opulent. Forever banished be the thought--aspersion upon reason and consistency as it is--that self-seeking, ease-desiring human nature would take upon itself such burdens and responsibilities from any motive less honorable and pure than that which Mormonism maintains is the true one. Luxury and l.u.s.t go frequently hand in hand; licentiousness and honest toil but rarely.

Heber C. Kimball was a man of industry, a man of virtue, of self-denial, who would sooner have thought of severing his right hand from his body, than to have cherished an unchaste sentiment, or sacrificed a principle to sin or selfish ease. He was often heard to declare that the plural order of marriage, with its manifold cares and perplexities, had cost him "bushels of tears."

Yet his was an exemplary family--as much so as any in all Israel, polygamous or otherwise. His wives loved each other as sisters, and dwelt together in peace and unity; while his children, especially the males, sons of various mothers, clung together with an affection all but clannish in its intensity. Woe betide the luckless wight, who, even in childhood's days, imposed upon a "Kimball boy." The whole family of urchins would resent the insult, and that, too, with pluckiness surpa.s.sing even their numbers.

Family prayer was an inst.i.tution in the Kimball household. Morning and evening the members were called in to surround the family altar and offer up praise and pet.i.tions to the Throne of Grace. It is a common remark to this day that such prayers are seldom heard as were wont to issue from the heart and lips of Heber C. Kimball. Reverence for Deity was one of the cardinal qualities of his nature. Nevertheless, it was noticeable that the G.o.d to whom he prayed was a being "near at hand and not afar off." He wors.h.i.+ped not as "a worm of the dust,"

hypocritically meek and lowly, or as one conscious of naught but the meanness of his nature, and the absence of merit in his cause. But in a spirit truly humble, confessing his sins, yet knowing something of the n.o.bility of his soul, he talked with G.o.d "as one man talketh with another;" and often with the ease and familiarity of an old-time friend.

On one occasion, while offering up an earnest appeal in behalf of certain of his fellow-creatures, he startled the kneeling circle by bursting into a loud laugh in the very midst of his prayer. Quickly regaining his composure and solemn address, he remarked, apologetically: "Lord, it makes me laugh to pray about some people."

Heber loved his children, and was justly proud of his numerous and n.o.ble posterity. If at times he appeared stern, and was severe in his correction, it was not that he loved them less, but their welfare and salvation more. He made no compromise with sin, but nipped it in the bud, though the soil wherein it grew were the hearts of his dearest friends and relations. His greatest desire for his family was that they should be humble, virtuous and G.o.d-fearing. The riches, fas.h.i.+ons, and even culture of the world were as nothing in his eyes, compared with honesty, morality and the treasures of eternal truth.

Nor was he morose and sullen, because thus sober-minded and religious.

Mingling with his deeply earnest, profoundly solemn nature was a keen sense of humor, a continuous play of mirth, like sunlight gilding the edges of a cloud.

One day (it was July 23rd, 1864, and a grand celebration of Pioneer day was on the tapis) he drove down to the shop of James Lawson the blacksmith, to have some repairing done to his carriage, a long vehicle with seats on either side. He had about fifteen of his boys in the carriage, all urchins ranging from ten to thirteen years.

"James," said he, with a merry twinkle in his eye, "I have no shoes for these boys, and I'm going to have them out in the procession to-morrow in this carriage, so that their feet can't be seen."

Then, with a proud glance at his youthful progeny, he added: "There is a load of Elders; I have ordained them all myself."

He often took his children into his confidence, giving them practical lessons in the virtues he desired them to cultivate. His son David H.

relates the following:

"One day President Young made a call upon father for $1,000., for some public purpose, and not having the ready cash, he was at a loss to know where to get it. At his suggestion we went down in the garden and bowed ourselves in prayer, father calling upon the Lord to direct him in the matter. We then arose and started down the street, and he remarked that the Lord would answer our prayer and direct him aright.

When even with G.o.dbe's corner, William G.o.dbe came out of his store and told him that, in looking through his safe, he had come across about $1,000 in gold-dust, belonging to him, which his son Heber P. had left there for him some time before, though father until then knew nothing about it."

In the Spring of 1866 his son, Col. H. P. Kimball, was called into southern Utah at the head of a company of minute men, to aid in subduing the Indians in the Black Hawk War. His son David P. was also called, but having just returned from a mission to England, with his brother Charles, he was honorably released, and his younger brother, Solomon, sent in his stead. The evening before they started, Heber called their mother, Vilate, and her children into his room, and spent several hours with them, giving them much good counsel and explaining to them the relations.h.i.+p of the Lamanites, as a branch of the house of Israel, with the latter-day work, and the important part they were destined to play in this dispensation. He then blessed Heber and Solomon, and promised them in the name of the Lord that they should not see an Indian while they were gone.

This promise, though meant for their welfare, and, it may be added, for the welfare of the Lamanites as well, was quite a disappointment to the two brothers, who were anxious, not only to see the Indians, but to have a "brush" with them. Solomon had often heard of a fight which his brother William and others had had with the red men in Battle Creek Canyon, some years before, in which William had the horn of his saddle punctured by a bullet while ascending the ravine, thus narrowly escaping being wounded or killed. Solomon had seen the saddle, which had a romantic charm for him, and he now wanted to see the Indians. The remainder of the story we will give in his own words:

"We were gone ninety days and rode hundreds of miles, following the tracks of different bands of hostile Indians, and were close upon them a great many times. They were attacking settlements all around us, killing the settlers and driving off stock. At one time, after the Indians had made a raid on Round Valley (Scipio) killing one man and running off five hundred head of stock, Col. Kimball left a part of his command at Thistle Valley to hold the fort at that place, while he went to intercept the Indians on the Sevier River. We had gone but a few hours, when the Indians made a raid on the fort at Thistle Valley, running off all their horses, killing one of the party and wounding another.

"After our company returned home we were drawn up in line in front of the Court House, where President Young, my father, and others came down to see us. Father, looking at Heber and myself, whose clothing and countenances showed hard service, asked us if we had seen an Indian while we were gone. Our humiliating reply was, 'No.' He laughed and said, 'Didn't I tell you so?' and then added: 'I would rather have them kill you, than to have one of my sons shed their blood.'"

But a volume might be filled with incidents of like character in his experience, and then the half remain untold. Suffice this, at present, for his inner life and private family history.

Preaching, colonizing, traveling through the settlements, encouraging the Saints in their toils and sacrifices; sitting in council among the leaders of Israel; ministering in sacred and holy places, and otherwise laboring for and blessing the Lord's people:--so wore away the remaining years of Heber C. Kimball on this planet. His name was literally "a household word" in Israel. "Brother Heber" was everywhere honored and beloved. Even the Gentiles esteemed him, admiring his honesty and outspoken candor, let him lash as he might with the whip of his tongue, the wrong-doer outside, or the hypocrite inside the Church. Loved and honored as are few men in this life, he returned in measure full to overflowing the affection of the hearts which G.o.d had given him.

CHAPTER LXIII.

ANECDOTES AND REMINISCENCES OF HEBER C. KIMBALL--THE MAN AS OTHERS KNEW HIM--GOLDEN GRAINS FROM THE SANDS OF MEMORY.

At this point in our history we deem it proper to introduce a series of anecdotes and reminiscences relating to President Kimball, nearly all of which were contributed, at the author's invitation, especially for this work. These flowers of incident culled from the gardens of recollection, cannot fail to interest the reader, while they ill.u.s.trate, as nothing else could, the character and conduct of this remarkable man.

The first is from Brother N. B. Baldwin, of Fillmore, who writes as follows:

"My first acquaintance with Elder Kimball was in Zion's Camp, in the Spring and Summer of 1834. The following winter the young and middle-aged Elders, all who conveniently could, were called in to attend school in Kirtland, Ohio. William E. McLellin was the teacher of the grammar cla.s.ses, grammar being then taught on the Kirkham plan, by lecture and repet.i.tion. Our cla.s.s consisted of Joseph Smith (who, in the absence of the teacher at other duties, took charge of the cla.s.s), David W. Patten, Heber C. Kimball, Benjamin Winchester, Nathan B. Baldwin and others that I do not now recollect.

"It seemed to be very hard for Brother Kimball to memorize sentences by hearing them repeated. One time when he was thus at fault, Joseph, in a jocular mood, said to him; 'Repeat that correctly, or I will take a stick and whip you as I would a little child.'

"With his model meekness, Brother Kimball smilingly said; 'Well, you may whip me.'

"'Yes,' said Joseph, 'it would be just about like whipping a little child. YOU ARE JUST AS INNOCENT AS A LITTLE CHILD.'"

This simple anecdote furnishes not only a key to the character of Heber C. Kimball, showing his native meekness and veneration, but also an evidence of the estimation in which he was held by the Prophet, even at that early day. Jesus said that "except ye become as little children ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven."

ELDER WILLIAM B. BARTON contributes the following:

"It was my happy privilege, while filling a mission to England in 1874-5-6 to receive my appointment to labor in the Liverpool Conference. This conference included, among others, a few branches that were left of the once flouris.h.i.+ng conferences of c.l.i.thero and Preston. I realized that I was traveling on historic ground. I found some few Saints still in that land, who were personally acquainted with the early Elders and Apostles who first preached and established the gospel in Preston; and I found that while all were kindly remembered, none had made as indelible and lasting an impression on their minds as Brother Heber C. Kimball. They pointed out with pleasure and reverence the places where he and others had stood forth proclaiming the restored gospel. Among these were the Market-place, the c.o.c.k Pit, and the Rev. James Fielding's Chapel. I was fortunate in securing a photograph of this chapel, but had no idea at the time that it would ever be used to ill.u.s.trate a history of the founder of the British mission.

"This Mr. Fielding and a Mr. Aitken were two of twelve men who had united together and made a vow that they would neither eat nor drink until the Lord revealed to them whether he would raise up His Church in their day. The Lord did make known to them that he had already established His Church on the earth, and in due time His servants would be sent with authority to preach and baptize. Brother Kimball visited Mr. Aitken and bore a powerful testimony of the truth, and prophesied to him that if he rejected the message of salvation, he would lose his influence, his flock would leave him, and he would go down; all of which was fulfilled to the very letter, with regard to him and Mr. Fielding also. Mr. Fielding had commenced to build a more commodious church, but he never finished it, and he himself was for a long time an inmate of Grosvenor hospital; a place where unfortunate and aged clergymen spent their declining years."

"Among the early converts of Apostle Kimball in that land were the sisters Mary Ann and Margaret Heaton Topping, whose parents were opposed to and never joined the Church. Brother Kimball counseled them to obey their parents, and told them that the time would come when they would cease to object to their attending the meetings of the Saints. Said he: 'When I say come, come, and all will be well,' which promise was literally fulfilled. He warned one of these sisters not to marry a young man she was engaged to, as he would apostatize and leave the Church, and told her that her future husband was not then in the Church, but would come in and remain faithful; and, said he, 'You shall see the man you are going to marry at the conference that I will notify you to attend.' These remarkable promises were all fulfilled, and Sister Topping is alive to-day to bear witness of their truth."

BROTHER CHARLES HUBBARD, an old friend of Heber's, whom he mentions repeatedly in his history, relates this incident:

"As is well known, President Brigham Young, when he crossed the Mississippi River from Montrose, in September, 1839, and started on his mission to England, was very sick. He was brought to the house of Heber C. Kimball, in Nauvoo. Brother Kimball was also sick with the same disease (ague) but after the fever went off he climbed upon his house and was trying to finish the roof, when his brother missionary (Brigham) came out to walk a little to try his strength. In the effort he fainted and fell to the ground. Brother Kimball, not having strength to lift him, called to me, just across the river, to come and help a.s.sist Brother Brigham into the house, where, after placing him upon the bed, we administered to him and he recovered consciousness.

When I left, Brother Heber followed me to the door and said:

"'Charley, I doubt very much if Brigham ever rises from that bed.'

"But he had no sooner uttered the words, than he spoke up, as with another voice, and said, 'He _shall_ live, and shall start upon this mission with me to-morrow morning.' And they did start the very next morning, on their mission to England.'"

ELDER JACOB HAMBLIN leaves the following on record:

"At the April conference I, with others, was called on a mission to the Indians in Southern Utah, in 1854. We commenced our labors at a place we called Harmony.

"About the end of May of that year, President B. Young, Heber C.

Kimball, P. P. Pratt and others, to the number of twenty persons, came to visit us. President Young gave much instruction, etc. Brother Kimball prophesied that if the brethren were united they would be prospered and blessed, but if they permitted the spirit of strife and contention to come into their midst, the place would come to an end in a scene of bloodshed.

"Previous to this meeting, President Young asked some brethren who had been into the country south of Harmony, if they thought a wagon road could be made down to the Rio Virgin. Their replies were very discouraging, but in the face of this report Brother Kimball prophesied in this meeting that a road would be made from Harmony over the Black Ridge, and a Temple would be built on the Rio Virgin, and the Lamanites would come from the east side of the Colorado River and get their endowments in it. All these prophecies have been fulfilled."

One of the Elders laboring in the Manti Temple writes:

"In an early day when President Young and party were making the location of a settlement here, President Heber C. Kimball prophesied that the day would come when a temple would be built on this hill.