Written by Granddaughter Hazel Hemenway Bertock 

I did not know my grandfather during his life-time.  Information concerning his life has been obtained by research and incidents related by the various members of his immediate family.  He was held in high repute by the leaders of the Mormon Church.  When I was married in the Salt Lake Temple, President John R. Winder who officiated asked: “Are you the granddaughter of Luther S. Hemenway?”  I answered, “Yes.” he continued, a” I am proud to have the honor of marrying Luther Hemenway’s granddaughter.” 

My grandfather was born the tenth of March 1811, at Boylston, Worcester County, Mass. He was the son of Luther Hemenway and Finis Paterson Hemenway.  They were born at Framingham, Mass., and were also married there.  Luther S. forebearers, as well as those of his wife Elvira Day, were of Puritanic origin.  They were men and women of prominence, active in public life and in religious affairs.  Grandfather was the fourth child in a family of nine.  He had three brothers and five sisters.  Grandfather’s parents moved to Boylston where six of their children were born,  In 1818  they moved to Sulivan, Cheshire County, New Hampshire, where their three  younger children were born, 

On March 29, 1819, they purchased a home in Sulivan from a Mr. Atwood.  Here my Grandfather’s family lived for nine years.  During this period a shop had been erected by Luther Senior, where the men of the family were engaged as mechanics. 

The family belonged to the Baptist faith, but Luther and Finis eschewed and joined a denomination called the Christian Church.  In this church, Luther Sr. took a very active part. 

The doctrines of this Church were first introduced in Gilsum, the town adjoining Sulivan, by Elders E.B. Rollins and John Smith, two young men who came to Gilsum in 1818 and held meetings in private dwellings and school houses.  Candidates for membership were expected to relate their religious experiences and give evidence of finding a new life.  They were then baptized, taking the scriptures as their only creed.  There was not a uniformity of belief, each individual interpreting scriptures according to his own understanding. 

In the year 1828, a new home for the family was erected near the old one, Its first use was unique.  Luther Sr., became so active in the religious affairs of the Christian Church that he was called to the ministry.  He had much zeal for the religion and natural talent for public speaking.  These qualifications soon elevated him to ordination as a presiding Elder, or Reverend of the Christian Church.  The ordination took place in the new home on the 16th of April 1828.  For the purpose of the ceremony the partitions in the house were not put in place until after the investiture.  There was a large audience for the occasion, as many as the home would accommodate.  He preached in school houses and private homes and converted many.  When asked about the progress he was making in his religious teachings he said: “It is easy to make converts but it is difficult to keep them converted.” 

It has been stated Luther Sr., and his sons were mechanics who improved on their own business.  In 1826 they invented an Awl handle and patented it. The principal was in use for several years, and like most inventors, reaped a meager portion of the profits.  The patents were soon bought by other persons.  In 1829 in this same shop, Joseph Foster, the son of Stephen Foster, not the composer, invented the first Cabinet organ ever made in the world.  ( Sewards History of Sulivan.) 

In 1830 they sold their home and shop to Joseph Foster, and moved to the adjoining town of Gilsum.  Here they purchased a new home which was located but a few feet over the Sulivan line, the barn being on the dividing line.  A new machine shop was erected and they lived in one part of it and worked in the other part until their new home was completed in 1832.  In this same shop Luther Sr. and his sons, Luther S. and Artemus, carried on the business of making awls and handles for twenty years.  A farm of seventy acres was owned and operated by them.  

In about 1834 the town of Gilsum formed its first temperance society.  The organization was fostered and kept alive by the non-alcoholic element of the town.  Luther Sr., Luther S., and Artemus were zealous in the cause of temperance.  One of the society’s most efficient instrumentalities was the singing conducted by Artemus P. Hemenway, who had a fine voice.  Some of the most popular songs he sang were written by a Dr. Hammond.  One townsman wrote as follows:  “Those touching little songs so sweetly rendered by Artemus P. Hemenway, so plainly enunciated that every person in any part of the assembly hall could perfectly understand every word, were a power in themselves.  What Sanky’s songs were to Moody’s sermons, Hemenway’s songs were to the able and faithful speakers of the Philanthropic movement.  Dr. Hammond’s poetical talent and Hemenway’s fine singing, and the sound reasoning of Hammond and Woodward and others did perhaps as much or more that the lectures from abroad to accomplish the great good.” 

The Gilsum young people’s Temperance Society was formed in 1836, through the persistent effort of Elder Luther Hemenway.  The organization was formally organized October 14, 1836.  Its first volume of records had on its title page the following: “Presented to the Gilsum Young People Temperance Society by Elder Luther Hemenway, he being in his 87th year of age.” 

The pledge of the Society is as follows: “We agree that we will neither buy nor sell or use as a beverage any intoxicating drinks.  Neither will we chew, smoke nor snuff tobacco, or use profane language.” 

The amount of good accomplished by this society was very great, and an extensive interest was manifest in well attended meetings that were held for more than eight years. 

In 1840, Luke the oldest son bought the home and farm from Luther Sr., but gave his father life possession.  Luke was living in New York and was a wealthy businessman,  Later Artemus, brother of Luke, bought the home and he in turn sold it to George Taylor, grandson of Luther Sr. 

Luther S., the central figure of this sketch was married on the 28th of May 1836, to Elvira Day, daughter of Daniel Day and Abigail   ( break in the story, missing a page). 

-part of the provisions carried.  A large can provided for the milk and the shaking of the wagon churned the cream into butter. 

A man by the name of Mayfield, who traveled next to grandfather’s outfit, had a sick ox which was unable to travel.  Grandfather dropped out of the caravan in order that Mayfield and his family might not be left alone.  The company went on and left them.  The ox died the next day.  The second day a band of Indians surrounded their wagons.  The little company of pioneers was powerless, Brother Mayfield could speak some of the Indian language, and he talked to them for some time, pleading with the Red Men to spare their lives.  Brothert Mayfield had not talked long with the Indians before they reigned their cayuses back into the timber.  Only sublime faith in God could have saved them that day.  The man yoked one of the cows in with the ox and they joined another company and continued on their journey. 

Crossing rivers was a hardship.  When it stormed it necessitated a lay over to dry their clothing and bedding.  These were days when bread was baked, and clothing was washed.  When all repairs were made the journey was resumed. 

One Sunday morning the company decided to travel until it found a camping place that afforded a comfortable respite for the day.  After they had started a terrible wind began to blow and clouds gathered and the rain came down in torrents.  Some of the wagons were blown over.  The Saints thought the Lord had sent this storm as a punishment for traveling on Sunday.  They had to camp for some time after this to repair and dry their bedding. 

Their provisions were very low the last month of the journey.  The last bit of food was eaten the night before they reached the valley.  They were six months on the journey across the plains, having some sickness and a great many hardships.  The date of arrival was October sixth, 1852.  As grandfather had brought seeds and some plants, he started a nursery which was one of the first in Salt Lake City. 

The family gained possession of a ten acre tract of land located in the fourth ward.  The Grant School was later erected on that property. 

Luther S. was versatile, an ingenious mechanic, a nurseryman, horticulturist, an inventor and manufacturer.  A Newspaper entry of March fifteenth  1853 relates “We were last week presented with specimens of coarse horn coombs of city manufacture by Mr. Hemenway, which we consider superior to the imported.  The imported is generally brought into shape with the hot press, but Mr. Hemanway’s domestic are finished by the cold press and consequently not so brittle as the imported, and the finish is good enough for all purposes until machinery can  be improved. 

In 1855, Luther with the aid of his daughters had ready for the market 14,000 apple and peach trees. He had taught his daughters Ada, Amy, and Finis the art of grafting and budding trees, and the girls helped him with all kinds of work in caring for the nursery.  He grafted the pear tree on native thorn roots, which grew a sturdy stock.  Also, peach trees on pear tree roots, and pear trees to peach trees roots with equal success. 

His wife Elvira and daughters were kept very busy, as were other pioneer women during the fifties and subsequent years following.  In cold weather the task of carding and spinning wool, knitting stockings and weaving blankets and linsie for mens shirts and womens dresses were done by grandmother and aunts. 

The family shared in the hardships of the winter of 1856, when flour sold at a dollar per pound, and not enough could be had at any price due to the ravages of grasshoppers and drought.  For six weeks they were without bread, living on roots, nettles and pigweed greens, until the peas and the potatoes were ready to eat the following early summer.  When the grain was mature a little it was gleaned by hand and ground in the coffee mill, a few hot cakes were made which tasted better than anything they had ever eaten.,  The children were in such a weakened condition while living on roots and greens, that it was difficult for them to walk to school.  Their shoes had worn out and there was no money to replace them, but grandmother came to the rescue.  The wagon covers were still intact, and out of these she made them all some canvas shoes.  

Grandfather was a member of the Twenty-first Quorum of Seventies which met regularly the first and third Sunday evening of each month at the home of David Wilkin.  He was a member of the same quorum for a number of years.  He had an abundance of faith and relied upon the power of God for healing the sick.  

When my father, Lachoneus Hemenway, was a child he fell into a vat of hot molasses or sorghum, his legs and hips were scalded severely.  He was cared for tenderly by his parents. Medical care was not to be had as we have it today, but a physician was called who could assist nature in the healing of the flesh.  The cords of the legs tightened as the healing took place; drawing the limbs back against the thighs in a jack knife fashion.  The doctor said no doubt Lachoneus would be a cripple, but grandfather said that he must not be.  His sisters took turns with the parents, massaging  his legs at regular intervals.  One day when Aunt Elena was passing the room where her brother lay, she heard from the closed room, the voice of her father in prayer; asking that the child be healed to the extent that he would not be crippled.  At the end of the prayer, she heard him say to the child.  “You shall leap like a lion and run like a deer”.  When father was a young man he enjoyed taking an active part in competitive sports, and won first place on several occasions in foot races and pole jumping.  

Grandfather was active in civic affairs.  He helped beautify the state by encouraging the growing of trees and flowers.  He was made chairman of the Gardener’s Club of Deseret in 1859 and in this capacity imparted to others the practical knowledge he had gained in tree and flower culture.  On March the 20th, 1861, “A Review of Fruit Culture in Utah,” an article he wrote, was published in the Deseret News.  On preparing his lectures and newspaper articles, he would request grandmother’s aid and together they would write the information that he had to give on fruit, flower and vegetable culture. 

In the early annual state fairs he took a lively interest exhibiting his own produce and also acting on the judging and awarding committees.  At the annual State Fair of 1862 he exhibited seven varieties of seedling potatoes, which were pronounced “ first rate” and equal in quality to the neshanic, and much more productive.  He had been trying for the past four years to raise improved varieties from the seed of the neshanic, and from 150 varieties produced, seven were chosen as worthy of cultivation and said to ripen as early as the neshanic.  He was named as one of the most prominent men growing fruit trees and flowers, and in 1863 helped to make a list of all the imported fruits to be obtained in the state. 

In 1865, Grandfather was called by President Young to go to Utah’s Dixie.  The purpose of the call was for the experimentation of grape culture for wine making.  Grandmother Elvira was a frail woman, and felt that further pioneering and hardships were more than she could stand, so she refused to go with him.  On the 15th of April, 1865 he married Harriet Hodgson, his first plural wife.  A short time later Luther S. and his wife Harriet, departed for St. George.  Harriet’s sister Sarah accompanied them. 

At the age of fifty-five, when most men begin to retire from a strenuous life, grandfather began the hardest and most trying years of his life. 

Once again in covered wagons the journey to a new frontier was accomplished; and again he settled on a ten acre tract of land.  On this ground he planted his grape vineyards.  In an article written for the Deseret News January 18, 1869, he states: “In this wild, broken desert land where once volcanoes and earthquakes reigned supreme, till its whole face was marked by their terrible violence, the grape has found a home, as congenial, I presume, as it enjoys in Syria or Persia.  It is better adapted to our soil than any other plant we cultivate.  We have been very diligent in procuring the choicest varieties we could obtain, or have any knowledge of, and contemplate that in a few years hence, we shall enjoy as good wine as any other people on the earth. 

Grandfather came back to Salt Lake in the Autumn of 1865 to look after his nursery business which he had left in charge of Theodore Smith, the husband of Amy Hemenway, Grandfather’s daughter.  Sarah, the sister of his wife Harriet came back with him and she became his second plural wife on November 7, 1865. 

During the first few years of his life at St. George, he came to Salt Lake occasionally to procure money from his business there by which to maintain his family and to establish his vine culture in St. George.  

He worked very hard and endured many bitter trials and disappointments.  But still he preserved determination to accomplish that which he had set out to do.  On August 8, 1868, a fruit growers convention was held at St. George; delegates from the various towns and settlements nearby were called to it.  The purpose of the convention was to organize a society that would promote the advancement of fruit growing, and also to procure the most useful and the choicest fruit obtainable.  Luther S. acted as chairman of the convention, and was selected as Vice-President of the Pomological Society which was organized.  

Grandfather’s religious duties were not neglected, for on June 3, 1870, he was named as President of the Twenty-first Quorum of Seventies.  

In 1879 his brother Artemus died at Douglas, Massachusetts.  Grandfather sent a letter of condolence to his brother’s family which has been preserved in the family history.  HIs affection for his brother Artemus is proved by reading the letter.  The letter expresses the soul of an artist. 

“My brother, so full of life, how could he ever become old and his enlivening song forever cease.  In his gayest moments he would out rival the Bobolink in love time.  Art could put fitting words to the Warblers song, and the bird gallantly acknowledged his rival.  Can his voice forever cease and his intellect fade, and the light of it forever slumber like the everlasting rocks.  Let us hope not, but that he has a happy change to a life of greater enjoyment and is now with his kindred dead that have passed on before. 

In 1880, at the age of sixty-eight, he wrote his last article.  It was on Pear and Apple Culture which was published in the Deseret News.  Soon after he became blind. 

Ten children were born to his wives, Harriet and Sarah.  Harriet was the mother of three and Sarah had seven.  Luther S. was the father of seventeen children.  He has hundreds of descendents, many very fine people. 

He died on June 19, 1891 at the age of eighty.  I was not acquainted with him during his life, but I am indeed grateful to have “The honor of being his granddaughter.”   

Hazel Hemenway Bertoch.