Hyrum Pearse Folsom

HYRUM PEARSE FOLSOM

Hyrum Pearse Folsom was born September 1, 1941 in Buffalo, New York. He was the son of William H. and Zerviah Clark Folsom. At an early age he moved with the family to Nauvoo where his father worked as a carpenter and joiner on the temple. Later for some time they lived in Farmington on the Des Moines River. Here some anti-Mormons tried to hang William H. Folsom. Soon after the family moved to Keokuk, Iowa.

In 1854 they fitted out three wagons with two yoke of cattle each and started out for Salt Lake City but arrived at Council Bluffs ten days too late for the last company. The family remained here for six years, delaying their emigration until 1860 when they joined the Joseph W. Young Co. arriving in Salt Lake October 3rd.

From 1861 to 1870 he was Captain of ten Nauvoo Legion Artillery. In the spring of 1861 he, with his father, William H. and his sister Amelia, were invited guests at a special performance given for the families of Pres. Young and Heber C. Kimball, at the Bowring Theater. Shortly after this when William H. Folsom undertook the job the architect for the Salt Lake Theater he was one of the first to work as a carpenter there. We insert a letter which was written to George D. Pyper at the time of the Jubilee celebration of the theater and is found on page 320 in the "Romance of the Old Playhouse":

"I claim to be the first man who worked as a carpenter on the theater and worked until it was entirely finished. When the first stringer that went across the building was placed, I was on the west wall and placed the west end and got on it and walked across to the east side, eighty feet. It was then fifty feet from the cellar. I worked on the theater until it was entirely finished and then commenced to make scenery frames. The first night the theater was opened and for about a year, I had charge of the west side of the stage and William Hint the east side, and shoved the scenery. I went from there as doorkeeper to the second circle. In connection with eleven others I was soldier in the play of "Virginium". We were all about six feet high. John W. Young was our captain. I continued to work in that capacity for a year or more and until I went on a mission to England in 1864. I was all this time one of the state carpenters." Hyrum P. Folsom

We received a call to go on a mission to Europe, which was dated April 25, 1864, and was signed by President Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Daniel H. Wells. While in the mission field Hyrum was President over the Durham and Warwickshire conferences. He was released and returned home in 1866.

On December 29, 1866 be married Nancy Broadbent. They had nine children, four of whom grew to maturity and raised families to carry on their posterity. There family life was similar to that of many of our pioneers, full of hardship and trials. There were times of plenty and times of scarcity depending on the success of their building ventures. They were called on a mission to go south and help settle "muddy", now called Moappa. They lived there three years and when the mission broke up, they returned to Salt Lake in 1871.

Hyrum Folsom was employed in the office of Henry Dinwoody as office manager for twelve and a half years. During the time he was a director of the Deseret Agricultural Land Manufacturing Society. He was director of the state fair.

About the year 1878 he bought 100 acres around the "Superior addition" in North Salt Lake and 15 or 20 acres around the house which stands on the point of the mountain on the Salt Lake to Ogden highway. The family lived in this big red house for many years. Hyrum P. Folsom was successful in selling this property in North Salt Lake at a profit and entered in the real estate business. He made profits to the amount of $10,000 or $15,000. Then came the depression around 1893 when there was a big business slump. At the time he was forced to mortgage the big red house to help save the business and later lost it through foreclosure.

He and his father established a brick yard for making brick, each having half interest. For many years he was very successful in this venture and obtained more money than his livelihood required.

In January 1889 Nancy Broadbent Folsom died and left six children. Because of the opposition against polygamy, Annie Lenzie Folsom, whom he had married in 1879, had been living with some relatives in St. George, Washington County. At this time she was called back to Salt Lake and according to the civil law requirement was remarried to Hyrum Folsom.

The next year was terrible in the family because four of the children died of diphtheria. There was no anti-toxin known at this time. The disease visited them in a virulent form. Aaron and Paul of Nancy's family and Cornelia and Rose of Annie's eight children were taken with this dread disease within a period of sixty days.

For forty years Hyrum Folsom was a member of the 11th Quorum

Of Seventies of the Liberty Stake. He was the father of seventeen children. He died September 23, 1924 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

Written by Rhea Folsom Smurthwaite 1938