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Ancestors of Henry Grow

The progenitors of the Henry Grow family originate from the Kingdom of Wuerttembergin Germany. In 1809, Napoleon made Wuerttemburg a kingdom, and it remained one until therevolution in 1918. This was a beautiful wooded country comprising forests and agriculturallands. The principle city of the area was Schwabisch Hall, a city now numbering about 20,000.Schwabisch Hall has always been an important German city due to its production of salt. Onecould not be a salt producer unless he were born or married into the profession. These peoplecoined their own money and until recently the Heller (coming from Hall) was a widely used coinin Germany. From the earliest times it was a free city and the first ruler whose authority wasimposed on Schwabisch Hall was the Kaiser. Michelbach, Uttenhofen, Gschlachtenbretzingen,Ottendorf, Westheim, and Tullau are all suburbs of Schwaebisch Hall, and are located in the areasouth of the city. One of the towns, Gschlachtenbretzingen, which is about one mile north ofMichelbach, is a fairly small town and may have had civil and church connections withMichelbach. The entire area comprising these cities is part of Wuerttemburg, Germany.

The research done on Henry Grow’s ancestors has given us some interesting glimpses intothe lives of those who have preceded us. We know that these men and women were industriousand ambitious, and set an excellent example for us, their descendants. It is apparent that thesefamilies did not, in general, move around very much. Their records seem to be located in threeLutheran parishes, Michelbach, Ottendorf, and Westheim. The Grow name has been spelledGraw, Grau, Grohe, or Groh. There are many other Grow families in America apparentlydescending from German families with similar names to these. In addition at least one prominentPennsylvanian Grow family emigrated from England where the name was already anglicizedbefore coming to America. As far as can be determined, there is no connection to the Englishfamily, and as far back as 1622 there are no records that connect the many German families.

Our earliest Grow ancestor we have record of is Michel Graw, who was born in 1577 inSpoeck, near Ottendorf. He married Anna Sanwald, and their son, Adam Grohe or Grau, wasborn in Uttenhofen in 1622. He married Barbara Sessler, and on March 23, 1660, their son, alsonamed Adam Grohe/Grau, was born and he subsequently married Ursula Mackh on September 8,1686. Their son Georg Grohe/Groh, was born about 1692 in Michelbach an der Bilz. Michelbachhas feudalistic origins, and is presently a small town of about 2,000 inhabitants located on one ofthe railroad lines passing through Schwabisch Hall. On April 20, 1717, Georg married MariaRosina Kuetterer. She was the daughter of Joseph Kuetterer and was born in Uttenhofen.Uttenhofen is smaller and does not seem to have the same feudalistic origin as Michelbach.Uttenhofen today is a predominantly agricultural town, with a number of farms that perhaps werethose of the free men from Schwabisch Hall. A large church was also not evident.

Ten children were born to this couple, of which our ancestor, Georg Friedrich, was thefourth. Georg Groh is listed on his son Friedrich’s birth certificate as soldier, meaning he “workedin the castle” and lived in the castle or adjacent to it. The castle is a very large feudalistic homewhich is still standing but is now used as a school. The smaller homes surrounding the castle arealso still standing and some of them are lived in. Under the feudalistic system, Georg Groh mighthave worked in either the fields or the forests. He also undoubtedly had a small plot of ground forhis own use. Since no civil records exist in Germany prior to 1870, no land records are available

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to say exactly where Georg Groh lived. All records were kept by the church, and the church,called Martin’s Church, still stands. The building was erected in the tenth century with the namebeing derived from Martin, who was a great spiritual leader in the eighth century. The fact that thechurch has been standing so long in Michelbach is an indication of the age of the town. Georg’sfamily was raised in Michelbach an der Bilz and worshiped in this church.

Georg Friedrich Groh (George Frederick Grow) was born August 4, 1723 in the town ofMichelbach an der Bilz. Until recently, seventy per cent of the productive effort of Michelbach hasbeen agricultural, whereas today about thirty per cent is agricultural. Many people left Germanyaround the middle of the eighteenth century and went to Russia because there was no work.Friedrich might have left for the same reason. When he was 27 years old he emigrated to Americaon the ship Patience from Rotterdam, arriving on August 11, 1750. Eight other men with thename of Groh or Graw were on the boat. It is possible that some of these men were brothers orcousins to Friedrich. One of his brothers, Georg Groh, might have also come to America. It isapparent that the remainder of his brothers and sisters, totaling eleven children, died in Germany.No one with the name of Groh still lives in Michelbach. One of the stores in Schwabisch Hall hasGroh in its name, apparently the proprietors name.

The date of Frederick’s marriage or his wife’s maiden name are unknown. It is suspectedthat he married in Wuerttemberg and brought his wife, Maria Barbara, with him. The ship lists,however, only recorded the male names. He settled in Pennsylvania, apparently first nearPhiladelphia where he was attending the St. Michael’s Evangelical Lutheran Church inGermantown, when his eldest son, Johann George Groh, was born in July of 1751. Shortly afterarriving in America, Friedrich bought a farm of about 163 acres in Lower Merion Township nearPhiladelphia on the Schuylkill River. Eleven children were born to this couple, of which ourancestor, Henry Grow, Sr. was the eleventh.

Photograph of Frederick Grow’shome with accompanying storypublished in February 1960 in a Pennsylvania newspaper near where Frederick lived.

“Frederick Groh, pioneer Lower Merion settler who came from Germany, was naturalizedSeptember 11, 1763, in pursuance of an Act of Parliament permitting “foreign” Protestantssettled in the colonies to become subjects of King George II. The name was later Anglicized toGrow and in 1778, the family acquired 600 acres in Penn. Valley. This was split up among thesucceeding generations into smaller farms. Adam Grow fought in the Revolution. The ancientstone house shown here is believed to be one erected when the Grows acquired their farm. It islocated on Hagys Ford Rd., near Flat Rock Rd, and in now owned by E. S. Madara. The originalhouse has been preserved. Crow’s Hill where it is located was corrupted from Grow’s Hill.”

Lower Merion Township was part of the original land grant given by Charles II ofEngland to William Penn in 1681, much of which has become known as Penn’s green woods, or

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Pennsylvania. No area better suited the description of “green woods” than this rural township ofthe mid 18 century. It was still partially timbered with virginal forests, and had many streams thatth

drained from its center plateau northward into the Schuylkill River and southwestward into theDelaware River. By 1750 the ownership of the land had begun to come in to the hands of thethrifty, diligent Pennsylvania “Dutch” farmers who were really of German descent and who,because of wars, famine, and oppression in the loosely associated states known collectively asGermany, had crossed the ocean. The voyage was often made at the cost of their entire savingsand by offering to sell their services upon arrival for a set period of years. Penn’s colonywelcomed them just as it welcomed the persecuted Quakers, and through their diligence theyworked out their indebtedness and purchased their own land. This was the background of many ofthe 18 century settlers of Lower Merion Township. Such names as Bicking (Bichen), Growth

(Groh), Levering, Righter (Reiter), Moyer (Mayer, Meyer) are found intertwined in the earlyhistory. They occur in private land, tax, and court records. They are recorded in the churchregisters and burial grounds. Many of these people were not only diligent about things of thisworld but also of the spirit. Although some could not read or write, they were concerned for theirchildren’s education and organized schools. They cleared and cultivated more of the land. Theybuilt mills for lumber and paper and fisheries on the Schuylkill. They had blacksmiths and smallhotels known as taverns. Lower Merion Township became a prosperous, busy rural communityof farms, and the marriages between the families soon made most everyone related to everyoneelse. (For carefully documented and vivid descriptions of this area, see “The ‘Old Dutch Church’in Lower Merion” by Charles R. Barker, Bulletin of Hist. Soc. of Montgomery County, Penn, vol9. GS #974.812 B2h.)

Frederick Grow made written notes in the inside of the front and back covers of his MartinLuther family bible. On the inside of the front cover Friedrich identifies the date and place of hisbirth, and on the inside of the back cover he kept record of the birth of each of his children. Hisbible was printed in Germany in 1746 and was probably brought to America when he came. Manynotes were made in the bible either by him or his descendants. Five children noted in the bibleapparently did not survive. This bible is presently in the possession of George M. Grow, 1914Lycoming Ave, Abington, Pa., a third great-grandson of George Frederick Grow.

Frederick Grow helped to found St. Paul’s Lutheran Church at Ardmore, Pa. He was oneof the six trustees representing the Lutheran congregation who bought 63 acres in 1765 as a sitefor the church and burial ground. The church built on this site was used until early in this century.Many of the Grow family were buried in this church cemetery, including Frederick, MariaBarbara, Henry Sr, and Mary Riter, as well as the remainder of Frederick’s children who survivedchildhood.

George Frederick lived to be 82 years old and died February 6, 1805. His wife, MariaBarbara, died at the age of 81 in 1809. Five children survived both Frederick and Maria Barbara,Johann George, George Adam, Maria Catharine, Jacob, and Henry. The family home still standson Grow hill at Ardmore, Pennsylvania and has been lived in up to the present time.

George Frederick’s youngest child, Henry Grow, was born in July of 1768 and lived outhis life near the old family home. He was the proprietor of the Flat Rock Tavern in Lower Merion,Pennsylvania. Henry married Mary Righter/Riter, and they had seven children.

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The Righters came into Pennsylvania in the late 1600's. Among the very early settlers inRoxborough Township, Philadelphia County, was a certain Peter Righter. There is a tradition thathe came from Germany in 1694 or somewhat later, as a member of the group of Pietists, whosettled on the Ridge above the Wissahickon Creek, south of what is now know as Hermit Lane.Since there is no list of the persons who originally formed this group, or of those who joined thembetween 1694 and the death of Kelpus in 1708 when the community began to break up, there isno proof of whether Peter Righter was or was not a member. Julius F. Sachse in his GermanPietists in Pennsylvania believes this tradition, and states that it was from Phoebe Righter, widowof Daniel Righter, a grandson of Peter, that proof was obtained. The Pietist Community did notown the land on which it established itself. The Righters acquired the land after the Communitywas scattered. The leaders of the Pietists were men of university education and considerablelearning. If Peter Righter was one of them, he was an unlearned follower, for he could not writehis name. The tradition further is that Peter Righter left the group very soon after his arrival here,married and raised a family. There is no record of the arrival of Peter Righter in America.

Peter Righter was certainly of German origin. While he could not write his name, his son,Bartholomew, could write and he signed his will in German script. The Anglicized spelling,Righter, represents quite accurately the sound of the German Reiter.

The first record found of Peter Righter is the deed relating purchase, at a sheriff’s sale on11 September 1725, of 80 acres of land that had belonged to Matthew Holgate. This tractextended across Roxborough Township from the Schuylkill river to the Wissahickon Creek, southof the line of the present Hermit Lane. Although the sheriff died before the actual conveyance ofthis land to Peter Righter was completed, Peter seems to have taken possession at that time. It isevident that by this time Peter was married, and his family was growing up about him on his farm.No record of his marriage, of the name of his wife, or the baptism of his children has been located.If Peter Righter adhered to any church after the break-up of the Pietist community, or hisdeparture from it, what church it may have been has not been determined.

On January 23, 1728, he sold 3 acres, a corner of this land at the northern end of the tracton the east side of the road, to his son Bartholomew. It was not until December 6, 1728 thatSheriff Owen Owen, successor to Owen Roberts, on completion of payment of the price of 22pounds by Peter, executed deeds to convey the land to him. Peter Righter lived on this farm inlower Roxborough Township for 16 years longer. When John Hyatt prepared his list oflandholders in Philadelphia County for Thomas Penn, Proprietor, in 1734, the returns forRoxborough Township included Peter Righter, 80 acres, Bartle Righter (‘in corne’) 3 acres. Withthe sale of 3 acres to Bartholomew (Bartle) the acreage for Peter should have been 77. OnOctober 27, 1741, Peter Righter, yeoman, sold his 77 acres of land for 60 pounds to this third sonMichael. Perhaps Peter was now too old to manage a farm, and lived out the few years left to himwith his son. No wife was named in association with him in this sale of land, so it may beconcluded that she died before this date. Letters of administration were granted 4 August 1744 toBartholomew Righter “on the estate late of Peter Righter, dec’d.” No account or inventory ofthis estate is on file. Bartholomew’s account was to be filed 5 August 1745, when he may havebeen in his last illness, for he died that summer.

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Bartholomew Righter was probably born shortly after 1700 in Roxborough Township, theson of Peter Righter, the emigrant. He learned the trade of cordwainer, and had sufficienteducation to be able to write his name in German script. On January 23, 1728 he purchased fromhis father a “corner” of his father’s 80 acre farm, 3 acres of land on the road leading to Holgate’sFord on the Wissahickon Creek, now probably Hermit Lane. On April 23, 1736 he and his wife,Elizabeth, sold this lot, including a messauge, which he may have built on it, to John GeorgGager. About two years later, on January 4, 1737/8 he purchased 250 acres of land from theNorris estate. This tract was located in upper Roxborough, on both sides of the road fromPlymouth to Philadelphia, now Ridge Road, extending north from approximately the present PortRoyal Avenue to the present Manatawna Avenue, and east from the present Hagy’s Mill Road tothe Township Line Road. He built his new home there, and lived there the rest of his short life.

As is the case with his father, no church records of Bartholomew’s marriage, or of thebaptism of his children have been found. He and Elizabeth were the parents of five children, foursons and one daughter. He was associated with the Quakers or Society of Friends. He wasinterested in a school in the neighborhood for his growing family, and was appointed to serve astrustee of the first school mentioned in Chestnut Hill. In August of 1744 he was appointedadministrator of his father’s estate. On August 19, 1745, “being weak in body” he made his will,giving his plantation and personal property to his wife, Elizabeth, for her use for life or until sheremarried. Should she remarry, her share was to be 50 pounds, and the estate was to be held intrust till the children came of age. The land was then to be divided among the four sons, and thedaughter, Elizabeth, was to receive 100 pounds on reaching age 18. He signed his name to thiswill in German script “Barthol Reiter.” The exact date of his death, and his place of burial havenot been determined. At the June 1757 term of the Court, the sheriff was ordered to partition theland of Bartle Righter among his four sons.

The probate records from Montgomery and Philadelphia counties show two wills, one fora Bartle Righter, proved 20 Sep 1845, and for a Bartle Righter proved 14 Nov 1809. These arefather and son. The name Bartle is a variation of the name Bartholomew.

Bartholomew Righter, Jr., the oldest son of Bartholomew and Elizabeth Righter, seemsalways to have used Bartle as his name. His wife was named Charlotte, and they were the parentsof eight children, of which our ancestor, Mary, was the second. By occupation he was ablacksmith, and lived the greater part of his life in Lower Merion Township. He was born inRoxborough and was a minor when his father died in 1745. When his father’s 250 acre farm wasdivided among the 4 sons in 1757, he inherited 66 1/4 acres, most of it on the westerly side of theRidge Road, and at the southern end of the tract. He sold part of the land to his brother Petersoon after that. He probably sold his Roxborough land before 1769, because his name was not onthe tax assessor’s list of that year. No wife is mentioned on the sale of the land, so he probablymarried Charlotte after March 1763. Perhaps he lived with John when he first went to LowerMerion, for on the tax assessor’s list of 1769 his name was entered with John’s grist and saw mill.On March 26, 1773 he purchased for 235 pounds, 46 acres in Lower Merion, from his brotherJohn. Most of this land Bartle held for the rest of his life, and on it probably had his blacksmithshop. Bartle’s name was on the tax lists for Lower Merion in 1774 with 45 acres of land, 1 horse,2 cattle, and in 1780 his property had a valuation of 1500 pounds.

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Bartle Righter made his will in October 1807 and probably died in 1809, for the will wasprobated on November 14 1809. It provided that his wife Charlotte should hold for her use duringher life all his estate, real and personal. He left 25 pounds to each of his daughters to be paidwhen his youngest son should attain his 21 year. He gave his daughter Elizabeth his best featherst

bed.

A diary kept by Joseph Price has several entries of interest to us:“1805 Feb 7 – Begun a Coffin for old Frederick Grow, he was 82 years old. Been here44 or 45 years. Bout his first purchase in 1760. . .he was a well Read German, left 4 sonsand one Girl”

“1808 Aug 2 – . . .to see the Flat Rock where they are Gooing to Build a bridgeTremendous Rude place. Henry Grow has Built a very deacant 2 story house intended fora tavern.”

“1809 Oct 12 – attend the funeral (of Bartle Righter) the first dutch Buriel I believe Iwas at without whiskey or something. I hope it may continue.”

(Joseph Price and his Diary, 1778-1810, Bulletin of Historical Society ofMontgomery County, Vol II, p 58, p 60. GS # 964.812 B2h. Spellings notcorrected.)

No record of the marriage of Mary Righter/Riter to Henry Grow has been found, but thereis a record of the christenings of three of their children in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, Ardmore,Pennsylvania, or the “Old Dutch Church” as it is affectionately referred to in many histories andby its members. It has been assumed that the marriage of Henry Grow and Mary Righter wasperformed perhaps by one of the itinerant preachers who served the rural congregation and eitherno record was made or it no longer exists. The Temple Index Bureau endowment record for MaryRiter lists her birth as 1784 in Germany, and her death as 26 Aug 1864, and that she was marriedto Henry Grow in 1771. A check of both the 1850 and 1860 census shows a widow, Mary Grow,living with the family of William G. and Catherine A. Smith, her daughter and son-in-law, inLower Merion Township, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. These censuses list her age,respectively, as 74 and 84, and her place of birth as Pennsylvania. This establishes her birth year as1776. Her tombstone in the Lutheran Cemetery in Ardmore, Pennsylvania gives her death at 22August 1864 and her age as 88 years 3 months and 3 days, giving us a birth date of 19 May 1776.

Henry Grow and Mary Righter had eight children, and their youngest child, Henry Grow,Jr., was born October 1, 1817 in Norristown, Pennsylvania. Henry Grow, Jr., when he wasordained a seventy in 3 Dec 1842 in Nauvoo, listed his parents as Henry Grow and Mary Righter.Later, on 22 July 1845, and 13 Mar 1858 when receiving patriarchal blessings, he listedhis father as Henry Grow and his mother as Mary Riter. The interchange of spelling is not unusualas both spellings are pronounced similarly and may be anglicized renderings of the German nameReiter.

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Biography of Henry Grow and Mary Moyer

Henry Grow was born October 1 , 1817, atst

Norristown, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania, theseventh son of Henry Grow and Mary Riter. Hisgrandfather, Frederick Grow, and his grandmotheremigrated from Germany to Pennsylvania before thewar of the revolution and took up a large tract ofland which they divided into five farms of 60 acreseach for their children, four sons and one daughter. The family were farmers. The estate still remains inthe family. This grandfather was in the war of therevolution. The British army camped within a mileof his farm house.

As a young man, Henry was an apprentice toa carpenter and joiner and learned the trade of Mill-wright and bridge builder. By the time he was 25,he was superintendent of all the bridges and culvertson the Norristown and Germantown railroads, bothin constructing and repairing the works, under thedirection of George C. Whitmore, president of theroads and ex-mayor of Philadelphia.

On August 1, 1837 Henry married MaryMoyer, the daughter of Charles Moyer and

Elizabeth Bird. Mary was born April 28, 1817, and was 20 years and 4 months old, and Henrywas two months short of his 20 birthday. They became converted to The Church of Jesus Christth

of Latter-day saints. Henry was baptized in the DelawareRiver, Philadelphia, in May of 1842 by William Morton, butMary was expecting the birth of their third child at anytime, and was not baptized until after his birth, on June 8,1842. According to a granddaughter, Dorothy Kirk,Henry’s family were not happy about his joining the LDSChurch and severed many of their ties with him. Theyemigrated to Nauvoo, arriving May 15, 1843. His firstwork at that place was building a barn for the PatriarchHyrum Smith. He also worked on the Nauvoo Temple untilit was finished in 1846.

Henry and his family went through all the troublesof those days and he was a member of the Nauvoo Legion.He was one of the remnant that remained at Nauvoo afterthe departure of the Twelve with the advance companies of

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the Saints for the Rocky Mountains. His son Pernell said “He was doing all the building workback east for the Church. When Brigham Young left there he said they needed him more therethan they did in the Rocky Mountains, but when he was ready for him, he would send for him.”

The covenant made between the four commissioners chosen by the State ofIllinois–namely General Hardin, commander of the State militia, Senator Douglas, W. B. Warren,and J. McDougal–and the Mormon apostles gave ample time for the removal of the people ofNauvoo. But in April 1846, before the vanguard of the pioneers had got fairly on their journeywest, the anti-Mormons began to rise and the mob outrages on the Saints were horrible. Yet W.B. Warren, the major commanding the Illinois Volunteers, in his reports in the Quincy Whig onthe 20 of May 1846, said: “The Mormons are leaving with all possible dispatch. During the weekth

four hundred teams have crossed at three points, or about 1,350 souls. They are leaving the Stateand preparing to leave, with every means God and nature have placed in their hands.”

Notwithstanding this statement from the commander of the Volunteers, the mob marchedupon the doomed city and on the 19 of September 1846, commenced the famous (infamous)th

Battle of Nauvoo, which lasted three days. Henry Grow was in this battle. The mob of well armedmen with 13 pieces of artillery camped in front of his house, within about an eighth of a mile’sdistance. The first night they were camped there, Henry, while lying in bed, heard a voicedistinctly say, ‘Get up and get out of here in the morning.’ He arose in the morning, hitched ayoke of cattle to his wagon, put in utensils, bedding and tent, leaving every other thing in thehouse, got his wife and four children in the wagon, and had moved about fifty yards from hishouse, when the mob fired a twelve pound ball through the frame house, completely destroying it.Henry crossed over to Montrose, Iowa, where he and his family lived in a tent during the battle.He was in the three day’s engagement with the mob, the defenders being under the command ofGeneral D. H. Wells and Col. Cutler.

Starting on his journey westward, Henry traveled alone with his family across the prairiesof Iowa to Winter Quarters where they arrived late in the month of October 1846. He first built alog cabin at Winter Quarters, and then went to Kimball’s, six miles above, where he built himself ahouse and settled for a year. In the fall of 1847, he moved his family down into Missouri, on theLittle Platte, twenty miles above Weston. There he kept the saw and grist mill in repair, and didother carpenter work for two years for Colonel Estel, who sold out to Holladay and Warner,merchants well known in the early history of Salt Lake City. Henry worked for Holladay andWarner till the spring of 1851 until he had sufficient money to finance the journey to the Salt LakeValley.

Henry and his family then again came up to the Missouri River bound for the Valleys ofthe Mountains, where his people had established themselves. The Mormons still traveled acrossthe Plains at this date on the old pioneer plan of organization of hundreds, fifties, and tens. Henrywas organized in Captain James Cummings’ hundred, in Alfred Cordon’s fifty and BishopKesler’s ten. Because of high water the companies headed up the Elk Horn River and came on tothe Platte below Laramie. On the Sweetwater below Independence Rock, the company wassurrounded by a war party of Cheyennes. Kesler’s ten got separated from the other tens, but they

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succeeded in sending a message to Captain Cordon, who was camped with the remainder of hisfifty at Independence Rock and he sent relief and they went up and camped with their company.Next day, above Independence Rock, they met a thousand Snake warriors waiting for theCheyennes.

Their journey lasted for five months, and Henry Grow arrived in Salt Lake City on hisbirthday, October 1 , 1851. Having friends in Weber County, he located at Mounds Fort, nearst

Ogden. He then located in Huntsville for one winter, and then came down to Ogden to build abridge located on Washington Boulevard and 14th Street. He obtained a contract to build the firstsuspension bridge built in the Territory, across the Ogden River, for Jonathan Browning. Thisbridge was so well done that it attracted the attention of President Brigham Young.

His son Pernell said, “His first bridge was over the Ogden River from–they call itWashington Boulevard now, they used to call it Washington Avenue–down about 14 Street, Ith

believe. I’m not certain. Then he built one across the Provo. Then he went back up and built oneacross the Weber River, there at what they call Riverdale, and then he built one across the Jordan,what they called the White Bridge. That’s the bridges he built.”

President Young invited Henry to move to Salt Lake City, but some of his children stayedin the Ogden/Huntsville area. Henry worked for Brigham Young for the next few years. PresidentYoung called him to supervise the public works, under Miles Romney, the first superintendent ofthe carpenter’s shop. He worked on the Old Tabernacle, which occupied the spot where theAssembly Hall now stands. He also built a sawmill, as the winter was mild. He also workedbuilding the Social Hall.

In 1854, he went to work at Sugar House to build the sugar works under Bishop Kesler,and in 1855 he worked in the building of the two saw mills in Big Cottonwood Canyon known asA and B. In 1856, he moved a saw mill from Chase’s Millin the ‘Big Field’ up City Creek seven miles above SaltLake City for President Young, and the same fall he wentup Big Cottonwood again and framed and put up Mill D,sawed two logs and left on the 17 of December. Thereth

was seven feet of snow, so the five men walked on snowshoes. It was a very dangerous trip and they had manynarrow escapes because the snow was so deep. It tookthem two days to get out of the snow. They ran great riskof their lives. In 1857, he built Mill E at the head of BigCottonwood canyon, near Silver Lake.

With the coming of Johnson’s army in 1858 Henrywent to Provo and erected temporary buildings forPresident Young and other Church authorities to occupyduring the exodus from Salt Lake City. He also built thesuspension bridge over the Provo River. Returning to SaltLake City, he worked on the building of the Salt LakeTheater. At the time of putting up the theater he built a

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water-wheel on the water ditch, opposite Dr. Sprague’s, to hoist all the rock and timbers for thetheater. He also made the heavy beams and principal rafters for the building, and fitted up thefootlights. In 1859, he tore the works out of the old gristmill at the mouth of City Creek Canyonand placed the cotton and woolen machinery in the mill for President Young. This machinery, thefirst of its kind used in Utah, was afterwards taken to St. George.

In 1861, Henry received a commission to construct a bridge across the Jordan River westof Salt Lake. He designed the bridge in the form of a lattice work which he used in the east underthe Remington Patent. The timbers of the bridge were held together by wooden pegs. He alsobuilt a suspension lattice bridge across the Weber River. These bridges were still in use after 35-40 years. In 1863-4, he did a great deal of mill work for President Young at different places.

President Young called on Henry in regard to the construction of the Big Tabernacle. Hisson Pernell tells the following story with respect to the tabernacle. “Well, you see, there was afellow by the name of Angell that was the architect for the Church. Brigham Young told him whathe would like to have built, the self supporting roof and the size of it. Angell, after awhile, cameand told President Young it couldn’t be done. They couldn’t do that. One day when father wascoming out of the shop–they used to have a shop in the Temple Square there all along the eastside, excepting the gates, and half-way down the north side to those gates there. They had shopsin there. So they were coming out, and Brigham Young stopped Father and told him and askedwhat could be done. President Young had seen the Jordan River bridge, and he asked Henry if hecould construct an arch of lattice work that would be as strong and durable as the bridge. ThePresident is said to have sketched on the ground the kind of an auditorium he wanted built, a largeoval shaped roof without any supporting pillars. In that conversation the Salt Lake Tabernaclewas born. Father says ‘I’ll think it over and figure out what I can do and let you know in the nextthree or four days.’ So Mother says he would walk,studying, back and forth, back and forth. When hewas ready, he went and told Brigham Young, ‘Now, Ican build a building 150 feet wide and as long as youwant it with a self-supporting roof, but I wouldn’twant to go over 150 feet wide.’”

President Young and Henry Grow then wentto work, assisted by Architect William K. Folsom,and in 1864 the supporting buttresses wereconstructed. The next year Henry supervised the

construction of the great center arches. They werebuilt on the ground, then raised on the supportingbuttresses. Then the arches were joined together.Gradually the great roof began to take form, underthe superintendency of the two master-builders,President Brigham Young and Henry Grow. Theoutside dimensions of the Tabernacle are: length250 feet; width 150 feet. On the inside it measures232 x 132 feet; height of ceiling 65 feet. The roof

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rests on 44 columns, averaging 20 feet high, and is self-supporting. The seating capacity is 9,000,with standing room for fully 3,000 more.

In October of 1867 the Tabernacle, almost completed, was used for the first time for thesessions of the semi-annual conference.

“Every available inch of space in the vast building was occupied. It was as large acongregation as ever assembled there, and Mr. Henry Grow, the gentleman under whosesupervision the structure was erected and furnished, and who has measured the seatingcapacity, stated that there were 12,000 persons inside when the meeting was called toorder, and a great many crowded around the entrances on the outside. People stood in allthe aisles, rendering it difficult for those distributing the Sacrament to move among them;against the walls; behind the seats; on the stand, encroaching upon the space allotted tothe priesthood; the choir was augmented to its full limit, besides being added to byaccessions from different parts of the Territory.” CD Vol 1

“On October 6, 1867, President Heber C. Kimball, first counselor to President BrighamYoung, delivered the first address in the now-famous domed building on Temple Square.“I have seen a great many people assembled out of doors,” he remarked, “but never have Iseen so many in one house before!” It was a meaningful occasion to those Latter-daySaints who had gathered in the new structure, sometimes called “the great tabernacle.” Ithad been four years under construction, and many had traveled long distances fromoutlying settlements to be part of its first congregation.

Finding from the beginning that it would not seat all the people who came to theConference, President Young had the gallery erected in 1870.

In 1868 the President called on Henry Grow to supervise the construction of the Z.C.M.I.building on main street. The plan was drawn by Obed Taylor and superintended by Growthroughout. From that time on till the spring of 1876, he had charge of all the carpentry work onTemple Block, and acted as superintendent of carpentry work for the Church, including thescaffolding and hoisting apparatus for the Temple. His son Pernell tells the following story withrespect to the Angel Moroni on the top of the temple, “You know the Angel Moroni on top–youknow, it never sways. It always stands straight. There’s a cup in there–a bowl, and on his feet is aball, and on the bottom of that ball is a weight, and that’s Father’s idea.”

In 1876 Henry was asked to build the warehouse attached to Zion’s Co-operativebuilding. At the October conference in 1876, he was called on a mission to preside over thePennsylvania, Delaware, and Maryland conferences. He left Salt Lake City on the first day ofNovember. During this mission he visited all his relatives and the homestead. He left Philadelphiafor Salt Lake City June 12 1877, and on his return was immediately was engaged tearing downth

the Old Tabernacle and commenced building the Assembly Hall, superintending the practical workunder architect Obed Taylor. It was completed in the fall of 1878. “The inside measurement of theAssembly Hall is 116 x 64 feet; height of ceiling 36 feet. A gallery 18 feet wide extends aroundthe building. Seating capacity is 3,000.” Later Henry built two brick houses for President Taylor.

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One of Henry Grow’s most importantprojects was the construction of the DeseretPaper Mill at the mouth of Big CottonwoodCanyon. In 1880 President John Taylor calledhim to go east to look at improvements in papermills. He traveled through Chicago, Cleveland,Buffalo, Springfield (Mass.), Albany, Holyoak,Boston, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, and othercities, to inspect New England paper mills togain all the information he could relative to theprojected work. After visiting these principle

cities in the east, he returned to Salt Lake City and drafted and commenced the building of thenew Deseret Paper Mill at the mouth of Big Cottonwood. “The machine room (two story) is 60by 100 feet in the clear, the engine and rag room (three story) is 60 by 61, and in addition to thatthere is a rotary boiler and rag cutter room above, 25 by 61 feet in the clear. There are two papermachines, five rag engines, two rotary boilers, two rag cutters, 100-horse power engine, and allother machinery and fit-out for making first class quality of paper. This paper mill was completedand put in running order in 1883, being the first paper mill in Utah. It is a good, substantial,granite rock building. It is still in use today, though not as a paper mill. It is known throughout thevalley as the “Old Mill.”

Henry Grow was engaged extensively in the building enterprises of our Territory for morethan thirty years. He was known as a skillful mechanic and an experienced practical builder, andwas well liked by all the hands who have workedunder his superintendency. Among all his works theroof of the Big Tabernacle in Salt Lake, coveringwhat was for a long time the largest hall in Americawest of Chicago, is the most unique and stupendousof his works.

Soon after he joined the Church, Henry Growwas ordained to the Priesthood, and ordained aSeventy in 1844 at Nauvoo, Illinois. He was endowedin the Nauvoo Temple on January 8, 1846. He wasone of the Presidents of the 30 Quorum of Seventiesth

for many years. He was a member of the 19 ward in Salt Lake City, and served as bishop of thisth

ward. He was one of a committee of five men called to plan their new ward house, still standing at235 West 4 North. He was also active in military affairs and played in the first martial band inth

Salt Lake City. He served as City Councilman with Mayor Daniel H. Wells from 1870 to 1876.

The work Henry did in helping to build up Zion in the wilderness and the number of hisaccomplishments will live for generations to come. There is an exhibit of Henry’s old planes andglass turtles in the old State Capitol building at Fillmore. His picture was hanging there along withBishop Kesler’s.

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Henry owned land in Salt Lake City which he gave to the Church, ten acres at theUniversity of Utah, 160 acres west of the fairgrounds, and the west half of the block on 2 Eastnd

between 2 and 3 South. He owned several homes where his wives lived, one which was on 3nd rd rd

North and 3 West which was torn down in 1973.rd

Pernell felt that Henry could have provided better for his family. “He left Mother broke.And he gave all that land to the Church, and he left mother in a destitute condition with sevenkids.” There are letters in the Church Historian’s Office written after Henry returned from beingMission President in Pennsylvania that indicated he had serious financial problems.

Henry Grow was the husband of seven women and the father of four families with thefamilies essentially being in tandem with each other. Henry married Mary Moyer when he wasliving in Pennsylvania. He and Mary began a family and those who descended from these childrenare in many cases a generation further removed back than the others of the family who descendedfrom later marriages. Henry and Mary were married 1 Aug 1837. They had seven children, MariahLouisa, born in 1837, Charles Moyer in 1840, William Moyer in 1842, Brigham Young in 1845,John Wood in 1848, Ann in 1851, and Elizabeth in 1854. On Jan 24 1846 Henry and Mary weresealed in the Nauvoo Temple.

In 1848 Henry started a second family with Nancy Ann Elliot, the widow of WilliamVeach. She had four children, Elliott, Elizabeth, Jane and Julia Veach from this first marriage. Sheand Henry were the parents of eight children. Henry showed his love and respect for the leadersof the Church by naming three of these children after them, respectively Joseph Smith Grow,Hyrum Smith Grow, and Brigham Young Grow. On the 20 of December, 1852, Henry wasth

sealed to his step-daughter, Elizabeth Veach, and this sealing was canceled May 24,1853. Afterhaving her sealing canceled, Elizabeth married a man by the name of Dalton and moved toSanpete County. Nancy Ann Elliot died in 1863, and in 1892, after Henry’s death, her olderchildren had the sealing canceled and had their mother sealed to their father, William Veach.

On November 9, 1856 Henry was sealed to Ann Midgley, and they were the parents ofone child. On August 16, 1858 Henry started his fourth family by being sealed to Julia MelvilleVeach, another daughter of the marriage of Nancy Ann Elliot and William Veach. She wasyounger than most of Mary Moyer’s children. Julia Melville Veach was the mother of fourteenchildren between 1858 and 1886. According to his son, Pernell, when Henry married Julia Veach,Ann Midgley “pulled out and left. He had three then, and I guess she thought if he wasn’t satisfiedwith three, it was time to move. And when he married Julia, this Ann Midgley pulled out and wentto Nephi to her folks.” This sealing was canceled on September 18, 1858.

On March 21, 1870 Henry was sealed to Sarah Rawlins, and later divorced. This sealingwas canceled 16 days after Henry’s death, on November 20, 1891. On July 7, 1875 Henry wassealed to Amanda Melvina Baker. According to the records, three sealings stand uncanceled, thatof Mary Moyer, Julia Veach, and Amanda Baker. As long as Mary Moyer was alive, the wivesseemed to get along and there was peace in the family, but after her death there was troubleamong the wives. Henry had 30 children over a period of fifty years.

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Henry Grow “was 74 on the first of October and he died on the 4 of November.” Heth

became ill right after his 74 birthday of a “kidney complaint” and passed away on November 4,th

1891, in Salt Lake City, Utah as a highly respected citizen and a faithful member of the Church.He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. Pernell said “When he died in 1891 he was active andgot around, but he wasn’t working. He was off on a pension of $30.00 a month. He left 243grandchildren, and had 63 after he died.”

The graves of Henry Grow and his wife Mary Moyer Grow have a “Faith in EveryFootstep” plaque honoring them because they were pioneers who crossed the plainswith the Saints.

The following accounts are recorded in Church Chronology, by Andrew Jenson:Monday, October 26, 1885–Henry Grow was arrested on the Temple Block, Salt LakeCity, on a charge of u.c.

Saturday, November 7, 1885–. . .Grow pled not guilty and was put under $1,500 bonds. .

Thursday, February 3, 1887–Mrs. Sarah Rawlins Grow, a witness in a u.c. case againstHenry Grow, was arrested in Salt Lake City, and placed under $750.00 bonds.

Thursday, February 17, 1887–In the Third District Court, the case against JohnCartwright for u.c. was dismissed. The jury returned verdicts of guilty against HenryGrow and Ezra T. Clark, for u.c.

Saturday, March 19, 1887–In the Third District Court, Salt Lake City, Henry Grow, ofSalt Lake City, was sentenced to five months imprisonment and $50 fine by Judge Zanefor u.c.

Sunday, July 24, 1887–Henry Grow was discharged from the Penitentiary.

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- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sources:

Edward W. Tulledge, History of Salt Lake City and Its Founders, Edward W.Tulledge, Publisher and Proprietor, about 1890.

Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia, p. 94/96

Susan Easton Black, Early LDS Members Rec. 19:493; Index, Nauvoo Land andRecord Files, 279; Index 70's Book B, Sel. pg 135; )

Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p 903

Kate B. Carter, The Great Mormon Tabernacle, Daughters of Utah Pioneers,October 1967

Stewart L. Grow, A Tabernacle in the Desert, Deseret Book Company, Salt LakeCity, Utah 1958

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Entry in Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, by Frank Esshorn, Western Epics,

Inc., page 903.“Grow, Henry (son of Henry Grow and Mary Riter of Philadelphia, Pa.) Born Oct 1, 1817 atNorristown, near Philadelphia and came to Utah Oct 1, 1851 with James Cummings company.

Married Mary Moyer 1834 (daughter of Charles and Elizabeth Moyer.) She was born in 1818.Their children: Maria L, b Sept 10, 1837, m. Samuel Worthen April 27, 1856; Charles M., b.Jan 6 1840, m Elisabeth Langlois Jan 26, 1863; William M., b. May 30, 1842, m. EstherCoffin July 2, 1865; George W., b Sept 10, 1845; John W., b. Dec 21, 1848, m. CathrineMcKay Nov 8, 1869; Ann Grow, b. Dec 15, 1851, m Henry Smith June 21, 1869; Elisabethb., Jan 30, 1854, m. Iowa Hall Feb 8 1870. Family home Salt Lake City.

Married Julia M. Veach April 17, 1858, Salt Lake City (daughter of William Veach and NancyAnn Elliott of Pittsburgh, Pa, pioneers Oct 1, 1851). She was born March 10, 1842. Theirchildren: Theodore M., m. Sadie Stuart; Sylvester Veach, b. Aug 29, 1861, m. Matilda AnnSmith and Hannah Michelson; Mary Ann, m. Walter Worthen; Julia Ellen, m.AndrewLeonard; George Elliot, m. Rose Griffiths; Amelia, m. John Dobbs; Walter V., m. BelleBryson; Maud Rose, m. Will Lowrie; William Henry, m. Elizabeth Adams; Sarah Elisabeth, m.Ora Maddi; Otto Sylvanus, m. Phebe Argil; Eugene Parnell, m Lillie Habish; Frank V., died;Marco Bartlett, m. Selma Fernstrom. Family home Salt Lake City, Utah.

Served as bishop of 19 ward, Salt Lake City. Prominent architect and builder. Among theth

buildings he erected in Salt Lake City were Social Hall, Mormon Tabernacle 1865-1867, SaltLake Theater, Z.C.M.I., 1868, Assembly Hall 1877; also built first suspension bridge in Utah,1853, across Ogden River; the first sugar factory in Utah, 1854, at Sugar House; built severalsaw mills for President Young in 1855; the first woolen mills, 1859; the first suspensionbridges over the Jordan and Weber rivers, 1861; and completed the New Deseret Paper Mills,the first in Utah, in 1883. Missionary to Pennsylvania 1876. City councilman Salt Lake City1870-76. Played in the first martial band in Salt Lake City. Died Nov 4, 1891.”

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The following information is taken from the 1971 Grow Family Organization Report:

The Great TabernacleHenry Grow played a leading role in the construction of the building. Four men share the creditfor the building, “Brigham Young for his foresight in realizing the need for such a building and hisgenius in planning it; William H. Folson for his masterful handling of the exterior; Henry Growwho directed the building of the unique and distinguished roof; and Truman O. Angell who withgreat finesse completed the interior.” (Kate B. Carter). There are no architectural drawings inexistence today, so it is not known what detailed plans there were. It is believed by Stewart Growon the basis of available knowledge that Henry Grow did not have any “comprehensive detailedplan” for the roof of the building but drew details as he went along. It is clear that Henry Growwas the only man qualified to design the roof using the Remington patents and to produce thisphase of the building.

The tabernacle was designated a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark by the governingboard of the 65,000 member American Society of Civil Engineers. A bronze plaque denoting thedesignation was presented at a ceremony held on April 3, 1971.

It is with some degree of interest that we note the designation of the building as a NationalHistoric Civil Engineering Landmark. The ceremony occurred at 4:15 p.m., April 3, 1971 afterthe session of general conference that day. President Nathan Elden Tanner and President HaroldB. Lee of the First Presidency, and Bishop Victor L. Brown of the Presiding Bishopricparticipated for the Church; Paul Willmore, Cecil B. Jacobson, Calvin G. Clyde, Lew A.Wangsgard, and Clyde D. Gessel participated for the Utah Section of the American Society ofCivil Engineers, and President Samuel S. Baxter, National President of the American Society ofCivil Engineers was in Salt Lake for the presentation. The nomination was prepared on behalf ofthe Utah Section by Clyde D. Gessel, Chairman, History and Heritage Committee. TheTabernacle was the first building and the twentieth structure to be designated as a NationalHistoric Civil Engineering Landmark.

The news release to publicize the presentation of the plaque follows:

The Mormon Tabernacle at Salt Lake City is Designated

a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark

“New York, N.Y.– The Mormon Tabernacle has been designated a National Historic CivilEngineering Landmark by the governing board of the 65,000 member American Society ofCivil Engineers. A bronze plaque denoting the designation will be presented at a ceremonyto be held on Saturday, April 3, 4:15 p.m. at the Tabernacle. Mr. Samuel S. Baxter, ofPhiladelphia, national president of the professional society, will unveil and present theplaque to a member of the First Presidency of the Church. The public is invited to attend.

“The tabernacle is the only building to have been selected by the Society in its program ofnaming national historic civil engineering landmarks. The cornerstone was laid in 1864 butconsistent construction did not start until September 1, 1865. The main portion of the

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building was completed two years later. President Brigham Young desired a building toseat 9,000 persons and without internal supports. The greatest engineering challenge wasthe design and construction of the roof. Mr Henry Grow accomplished this with 150-footlattice arches as a result of knowledge he had gained as superintendent of construction forbridges on the Norristown and Germantown railroads in Pennsylvania.

“The construction of the Tabernacle is remarkable for it was completed just 20 years afterthe Mormon pioneers arrived in the uninhabited Salt Lake Valley. Stone and lumberbuilding materials were obtained at great effort from surrounding mountains, for therailroad had not been completed that could bring metal building components from theindustrialized centers of the East. Today, few changes have been made in the originalconstruction and the roof remains structurally sound. It stands in use as one of the greatand unique buildings in this country. Those who have inspected the roof trussesconsistently express admiration for the great and successful effort in building the 150 footby 250 foot clear span building.

“The Tabernacle was nominated by the Utah Section of the 119 year old professionalsociety. Mr. Paul Willmore is president of the Section and Mr. Clyde Gessel is chairman ofits History and Heritage Committee. Both men are Salt Lake City residents.”

H. HandsAmerican Society of Civil EngineersUnited Engineering Center345 East 47 Streetth

New York, New York 10017

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At the ceremony the remarks made by Mr. Gessel, who acted as Master of Ceremonies, follow:“We are assembled here as friends, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-daySaints, and fellow engineers to participate in this ceremony and to contribute in a smallway to the glorious history that surrounds this spot. I hope you enjoy this event.

“It was my pleasure to propose nomination of this Mormon Tabernacle as a NationalHistoric Civil Engineering Landmark under the program of the American Society of CivilEngineers.

“This great building was completed under inspired leadership just 20 years after the firstMormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley.

“Great difficulties had to be overcome. The transcontinental railroad had not been built;consequently, metal building components from the industrial centers of the nation werenot available. Native stone and lumber comprised the principle building materials and thesewere gathered only after strenuous effort in quarrying and lumbering in the surroundingmountains.

“Construction of the roof presented the greatest engineering challenge as PresidentBrigham Young desired a building without internal supports large enough to seat 9,000people. This capacity required a clear span of 150 feet and length of 250 feet.

“Mr. Henry Grow designed and built the 150-foot lattice arches for the tabernacle rooffrom experience gained as superintendent of construction of bridges on the Norristownand Germantown Railroads in Pennsylvania and New Jersey, and similar bridges over theJordan and Weber Rivers in Utah. The arches were formed from the native lumber joinedby wooden dowels smeared with glue. Whenever timbers were split, they were bound bygreen rawhide to shrink them together.

“Church architects William H. Folsom and Truman O. Angell designed and supervisedconstruction of the exterior and interior of the building. Although the cornerstone was laidon July 26, 1864, consistent work on the building did not start until September 1, 1865.Construction was completed sufficiently to hold General Conference on October 6, 1867,and the tabernacle was dedicated October 9, 1875. At the time of completion, thetabernacle dominated the Salt Lake City skyline. The setting is considerably differenttoday.

“Today the Tabernacle stands structurally sound as a famous building of the world.Millions have participated in and appreciated the religious, historic, and cultural eventsthat it has provided a center for.

“I am happy to report that the nomination of the tabernacle was approved by our nationalorganization and accepted by the Church. President Samuel S. Baxter, of our 65,000member Society, is here to present the plaque signifying this honor. Mr. Baxter has servedour Society long and well since his graduation from the Drexel Institute of Technology(now Drexel University). He was awarded an honorary degree of Doctor of Engineering in

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1967. He is a member of numerous other professional societies and served as NationalPresident of the American Public Works Association in 1947 and National President of theAmerican Water Works Association in 1966. Mr. Baxter is presently commissioner andchief engineer of the Philadelphia Water Department. In addition to his many professionalduties, he has provided devoted leadership in civic activities including past President of thePhiladelphia Council of the Boy Scouts of America, and chairman of the CommunityService Department, United Fund Torch Drive for the city of Philadelphia. He is an officerof the Somerton Methodist Church.

“We appreciate having President Baxter here from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania–thebirthplace of Mr. Henry Grow, designer of the roof of the Tabernacle. Mr. Baxter willpresent the plaque. We are grateful that Elder N. Eldon Tanner of the First Presidency ofthe Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is here to accept the plaque.”

In presenting the plaque, President Samuel S. Baxter of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania made thefollowing remarks:

“I am most pleased to be here today and to speak in behalf of the 65,000 members of theAmerican Society of Civil Engineers. There is real pleasure in helping to honor civilengineering achievements that are of prime significance to the development of ourprofession and this nation. In honoring the Mormon Tabernacle today, there is the addedsignificance to me of not only honoring a physical structure, but also honoring a structurewhich has such a religious and moral significance to this community, and to the entireworld.

“The civil engineering profession has attached great importance to bringing to nationalattention those structures and facilities which bear the stamp of genius, and which camefrom our historical background. We should be proud of all things in the history andheritage of the nation, and we have chosen to particularly call attention to those structuresbuilt by former members of our profession.

“Although most Americans are not aware of the unique civil engineering features of theMormon Tabernacle, the building itself is known to millions outside the Mormon faithbecause of the beauty, the significance, and the inspiration which has come from thebeautiful music and the spoken word which have originated from the tabernacle. I hadnever thought that a combination of circumstances would permit me to stand in Temple

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Square and personally express my appreciation for the faith and enjoyment whichemanates from here.

“All of us admire the faith which brought the pioneers to this valley, and within twodecades built the structure which we honor today. We believe that in somewhat the sameway, the civil engineers of the past saw the vision for the future which transformed thewilderness into arable land, and built the harbors, canals, dams, bridges, railroads,highways, and even the somewhat maligned cities. Today the challenge to the civilengineer is greater than ever as he builds and rebuilds to meet the needs of our growingpopulation, corrects the mistakes and shortcomings of the past, and takes a lead part in theworks that are needed to develop and protect our resources and our environment.

“Since ASCE began to identify historical civil engineering works in 1964, nineteen suchprojects have been honored to date, and this one is number 20. All of them have met twoimportant criteria 1) their importance in serving a substantial public need at the time oftheir execution, and 2) in representing a salient advancement in the science and art of civilengineering.

“I feel a personal tie back to the building of this tabernacle, with the especially noteworthyroof with its 150 foot lattice arches. Mr. Henry Grow designed these with the knowledgehe had gained as superintendent of construction of bridges on the Germantown andNorristown railroads leading from Philadelphia. These railroads are still in use in my cityof Philadelphia and suburbs, although no historic structures such as the tabernacle roofhave been left to us.

“On behalf of all our members, including those who are members of our Utah Section, Iwant to repeat again how pleased we are that the Mormon Tabernacle is now singled outto honor the courage and vision of those who preceded us, and who still inspire us today. Ioffer my congratulations and thanks to all who have had a part in the proceedings whichhave made this Historic Civil Engineering Landmark celebration possible. PresidentTanner, it gives me real pleasure to unveil and present this bronze plaque which designatesthe Mormon Tabernacle as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.”

The news item appearing in the professional journal of the Society, ASCE Civil Engineering, wasas follows:

“The Mormon Tabernacle in Salt Lake City, Utah has received a plaque naming it aNational Historic Civil Engineering Landmark. In ceremonies held early in April at thesite, President Samuel Baxter officiated at what was the first time that a building wasdesignated during the five years that the ASCE landmark program has been in existence.The cornerstone of the tabernacle was laid in 1864 with major construction beginning thefollowing year. The greatest engineering challenge faced was the design and constructionof the roof which was accomplished with 150-foot lattice arches fashioned after railroadbridges. Today, few changes have been made in the original construction; the roof remainsstructurally sound. It was nominated by the Utah Section. A splendid turnout attended thepresentation event.”

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The following articles were printed in the Church News:

Stalwarts of MormonismHenry Grow Built Pioneer Edifices

by Preston Nibley“If a certain obscure young man by the name of Henry Grow had not joined the Church atPhiladelphia, Pa, in May, 1842, it is extremely probable that the famous Mormon Tabernacle, onthe Temple Block, would have differed in many respects from its present architectural design.

Henry Grow was born in Philadelphia on October 1, 1817. His parents were Henry and MaryRiter Grow. We know little about Henry’s youth, except that he learned the trade of “millwrightand bridge builder” and before he was twenty-five years of age he was “superintendent of culvertsand bridges on the Norristown and Germantown railroads.” Then someone brought to his doorthe message of the Restored Gospel, which he heard and believed. He was baptized in theDelaware River at Philadelphia in May, 1842 by William Morton.

Henry remained in Nauvoo during the summer of 1846, after the main body of the saints had left,and was one of those who were driven out by the mob in September of that year. With his wifeand children he made his way across Iowa and established himself in a log cabin during the winterof 1846-47, near winter quarters. After the pioneers left Winter Quarters for the west, Henryobtained employment as carpenter for a saw mill and grist mill near Weston, Missouri. Here heremained until he had sufficient money to finance his journey to the gathering place of the saints.He arrived in Salt Lake City on October 1, 1851, his 34 birthday. Having friends in Weberth

County, he located at Mounds Fort, north of Ogden.

Always on the alert for a construction job, Henry obtained a contract in 1853 to build a bridgeacross the Weber River. The work was so well done that it attracted the attention of PresidentBrigham Young and he invited Henry to move to Salt Lake City and work for him. The next fewyears he spent in building saw mills for President Young in Big Cottonwood and City Creekcanyons.

With the coming of Johnston’s army in 1858, Henry went to Provo and erected temporarybuildings for President Young and other Church Authorities to occupy during the exodus fromSalt Lake City. Returning to Salt Lake City he worked on the building of the Salt Lake Theater.

In 1861 Henry Grow received a commission to construct a bridge across the Jordan River, westof Salt Lake City. He designed this bridge in the form of “lattice work” which he had used in theeast, under the Remington patient. The timbers of the bridge were held together by wooden pegs.

When President Young saw the Jordan River bridge he asked Henry Grow if he could constructan arch of lattice work that would be as strong and durable as the bridge. Henry Grow replied thathe could. The President then asked him how wide he could make the arch, and Henry answered“One hundred and fifty feet.” President Young is said to have then sketched on the ground thekind of an auditorium he wanted built; a large oval-shaped roof without any supporting pillars. Inthat conversation the Salt Lake Tabernacle was born.

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The two men then went to work, assisted by architect William H. Folsom, and in 1863-64 thesupporting rock buttresses were constructed. The next year Henry Grow superintended theconstruction of the great center arches. They were built on the ground; then raised on thesupporting buttresses; then the arches were joined together. Gradually the great roof began totake form, under the supervision of two master builders, Brigham Young and Henry Grow. InOctober 1867 the Tabernacle, almost completed, was used for the first time for the sessions of thesemi-annual conference. Finding from the beginning that it would not seat all the people whocame to the conference, President Young had the gallery erected in 1870.

In 1868, Henry Grow supervised the construction of the ZCMI store on Main Street. He thentook charge of the carpentry work on the Salt Lake Temple, and in 1878-79 he built the AssemblyHall.

Henry Grow died in Salt Lake City on November 4, 1891. the work that he did “in building upZion in the wilderness” and the memory of his accomplishments will live for generations to come.

Church News, Saturday, February 28, 1953

125-Year-Old Monument to Resourcefulness, The Great TabernacleOn October 6, 1867, President Heber C. Kimball, first counselor to President Brigham Young,delivered the first address in the now-famous domed building on Temple Square.

“I have seen a great many people assembled out of doors,” he remarked, “but never have I seenso many in one house before!”

It was a meaningful occasion to the 7,000 or so Latter-day Saints who had gathered in the newstructure, sometimes called “the great Tabernacle. It had been four years under construction, andmany had traveled long distances from outlying settlements to be part of its first congregation.

Tabernacle was an apt name, considering the striking scriptural parallel between God’s covenantpeople, ancient and modern. Followers of both Moses and Brigham Young made an exodus intothe wilderness to escape oppression and to find freedom to worship God unmolested.

And each group of people had its tabernacle, though the Israelite tabernacle, a portable, tent-likestructure, served the function of a temple. The Salt Lake Tabernacle is a meetinghouse, not atemple, although like the Israelite tabernacle, it has always been a center place for worship.

The Salt Lake Tabernacle might, in fact, be better compared to another structure described inscripture, one in the Book of Mormon. As recounted in Mosiah 2, King Benjamin addressed hispeople from a tower–built adjacent to the temple–so they could hear his words. The multitudewas so great that the king caused his words to be written down and sent forth among those notunder the sound of his voice.

Similarly, the Tabernacle, for 125 years, has been the platform from which God’s servants haveaddressed His people. With all the capability that technology can offer, their words and imageshave been published, broadcast, and disseminated worldwide.

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Brigham Young saw the immediate need for a shelter for worship in the desert Zion after thepioneers arrival July 24, 1847. By July 31, the first of a series of open-sided boweries had beenerected on Temple Square, with wooden posts supporting a roof of leafy boughs and dirt.

The Old Tabernacle, the first major building on the temple block, was built in 1851-52 on thesouthwest corner where the Assembly Hall now stands. It consisted of low adobe walls, a gabledroof, and a floor below ground level. With a seating capacity of 2,500, the Old Tabernacle soonbecame inadequate for congregations at general conferences, and beginning in 1854 theconferences were again held outdoors.

In April 1863, Brigham Young’s second counselor, Daniel H. Wells, announced at generalconference, “Right here, we want to build a tabernacle to accommodate the saints at our generalconference and religious worship that will comfortably seat 10,000 people.”

It may be difficult today to imagine the impact of such an announcement. The First Presidencywas proposing an auditorium that would be among the largest in the world at the time, to be builtin a desert settlement 1,500 miles from railroad access to building materials.

Brigham Young is credited with the design of the Tabernacle. An unverified account holds that hetook a boiled egg to a meeting, cracked it lengthwise, a little off-center, and placing a hollowed-out portion on a table, said “I want the building shaped like that.” Under his direction, Churcharchitect William B. Folson prepared the plans. Truman O. Angell designed the exterior corniceand the interior woodwork.

President Young wanted the roof to be self supporting, with the view of the pulpit unobstructedby pillars or posts. Henry Grow, a convert to the Church from Pennsylvania who had built bridgesover the Weber and Jordan rivers, was appointed to design the roof. He adapted his bridge-building technique for the roof, using lattice trusses to form huge elliptical arches that spanned theentire width without intermediate supports.

Each of the massive beams was bent to form the curving arch of the roof by steaming it andweighting it at both ends until the desired curve was achieved. The beam was then set in coldwater.

Red sandstone for the 46 supporting piers was quarried from Red Butte Canyon east of Salt LakeCity. Some 1.5 million feet of lumber was hauled in from the Wasatch canyons by ox team. Themeans by which the builders overcame a general scarcity of materials makes the Tabernacle amonument to pioneer resourcefulness. The trusses were pegged together with wooden dowelssplit and wedged at each end. Cracked timbers were wrapped with green rawhide that contractedas it dried, making a steel-tight binding.

When finished, the Tabernacle had an interior width of 132 feet and a floor-to-ceiling height of 65feet. It still ranks as one of the largest works of timber-roof framing in the world, and the only onein which arched lattice trusses are the primary supports.

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Three years after the first meeting was held there, the Tabernacle was fitted with a gallery thatincreased seating capacity from 7,000 to about 10,000.

On October 4, 1875, the Tabernacle was dedicated. John Taylor, then president of the Council ofthe Twelve, read the prayer of dedication prepared by Brigham Young.

The Tabernacle contains the same hand-hewn benches with which it was furnished in 1867.Because of changes to the rostrum and because benches are now further apart, seating capacitynow is between 5,000 and 6,000. The roof structure has not undergone a lot of structural change. It’s 99 percent the way the pioneers built it in 1867.

In 1971, the Tabernacle was designated as a national civil engineering landmark by the AmericanSociety of Civil Engineers, the first building in the country to be so named.

When the supporting scaffolding was removed in 1867, skeptics thought the roof might collapsebecause of its unique design. But it has held ever since.

President Gordon B. Hinckley spoke at a regional conference in January, and he said in effect:“This is such a wonderful old building with its structure, design, and organ. Certainly we couldtear it down and build a brand new, modern auditorium with air conditioning, padded benches andmodern amplification. But why would we? Why would we want to get rid of this wonderful oldbuilding?” As long as that thinking prevails, we’ll have the Tabernacle.

by R. Scott Lloyd, Church News, October 3, 1992

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Excerpts from General Conference speakers about the tabernacle:

“As you sit here this morning and cast your eyes to the ceiling you will feel the majesty of itscreation. Right that you should. Before it was built it was worked out in the mind of a greatarchitect whose name was Henry Grow. The style of the building was happily chosen, andthough I am told that it violates some architectural conventions, it has a large note oforiginality that is very conspicuous. It is a realized dream, and it was wrought out by hardlabor and sublime faith. It has a spiritual quality that puts us all in a proper frame of mind toreceive the word of God. The great men who built it demonstrated that their talents wereequal to their tasks.

“The design of the building was suggested by President Brigham Young, and it was plannedby Henry Grow. The largest hall in the world unsupported by columns, it was build after theRemington Patent of lattice bridges in which construction Mr. Grow was a master. Thebuilding of the stone pillars was supervised by another master builder, William B. Folsum. It ismy joy to pay tribute to these two brethren, as well as to Truman O. Angell, whose geniuswas expressed in the building of the Temple. In fact, there were many fine architects andbuilders in the early days of this State, men who gave their lives to help build the cities andmeeting houses and who had ever before them the establishment of the Kingdom of God inthe world.” –Levi Edgar Young, Conference Report, April 1939, p 74-75

“Perhaps one of the first significant items about the building is its size. It is 250 feet long by150 feel wide; 6 feet to the ceiling, 75 feet to the top of the roof, standing upon 44 stonepillars with 16 doors 10 feet wide, and 4 doors 4 ½ feet wide, allowing the exit of 13,000persons in 5 minutes. Its architect, Henry Grow, claimed that it was the largest hall in theworld unsupported by columns. I have made no research to determine for how long a time thearchitect’s statement may have been true.”

–Stephen L. Richards, Conference Report, April 1952, p. 43-44.

“I have read much of the men whose names are mentioned most in bringing it about: BrighamYoung, Henry Grow, the bridge builder, whose name seems most associated with the basicdesign; William Folsum, Church architect at the time; Truman Angell, who undoubtedly waslargely entrusted with the interior; Joseph Ridges, the first builder of the organ. Their worksare great and human, inspired and ordinary. History happens like that. It is occasionalhighlights in the intermixture of heroic accomplishment and the routine and drudgery of dailyduty. I wish there were time to share their words at some length. But there is never much timefor the past: the present is always so compelling. But some of their words we would share.”

–Richard L. Evans, Conference Report, October 1967, p. 62