Dear Cousin: Vernal
This is grandfather’s history I promised to send you.
Sincerely
Bertha N. Sager

BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF SAMUEL JOSEPH WING
PIONEER TO UTAH
1862

August 13, 1842 - January 23, 1918
(Permission to use picture given by Malcolm & Sharon Beck)

     Samuel Joseph Wing, son of Matthias and Elizabeth Chenoweth Wing was born in Pike County, Illinois, August 13, 1842, the second son in a family of four boys.

     His mother was the daughter of  Samuel Chenoweth, a Frenchman, and was a small woman in stature with beautiful black eyes, and jet black curly hair, she died when her fourth child was ten days old, leaving her husband to work alone on a large farm with the assistance of a negro man and his negro mammy, she would buy him with a large slice of bread with molasses on, to rock the baby in the cradle, while she did the family work.

     His schooling was received at White Hall College, Green County, Illinois.  When seventeen years he went up into the lumber camps of Wisconsin to keep books for Phinias Wright a wealth Saw mill operator.  His intentions were to earn money enough and to return to a Medical School and become a Doctor of Medicine.  When winter snows closed the saw mill, he accepted a position as school teacher in the school at hardscrabble, and Elizabeth Wright, daughter of Phinias was also teaching in the same school.  They became interested in one another and were married at the close of school, June 24, 1860.

     Phinias Wright was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and although the missionaries and Saints were being persecuted in that district, he opened his houses scattered through the vast timberlands for the gathering of the Saints to have their secret meetings.  Samuel and Elizabeth attended these meetings and became converted to the new and hated religion.  Samuel received a testimony of the truth of this gospel and was baptized March 2, 1862, by Moses Cora, confirmed March 24, 1862 by Jonathan Grifith, and some time in the early spring prepared to go to the vallies [sp – valleys – DNW] of the Rocky Mountains were privileges and opportunities were abundant to acquire land and build up with the church and state.

     The name of their company and captain is not know, but traveling with them were his uncle Dr. Joseph Smith Wing and wife Sarah and two children James Strange and Adelia Wing (Sarah was Elizabeth’s sister), also his brother John William Wing who had hidden himself away in the immigrant train and kept hid until he had walked his shoes off his feet and the were to far out on the Iowa plains to send him back.

     They arrived in Salt Lake City early in September, 1862.  Grandfather Wing went to visit Brigham Young and was gladly received because the people had scattered through out the surrounding country and were very well established into cities and towns and each were desirous of having an able schoolmaster to teach their children “science, philosophy, and religion that would make them polished shafts and useful men in the future of the state.”(B.Y.)

     He was sent to Draper, a small settlement located on the South Willow Creek, seventeen miles south east from Salt Lake City to assist John R. Parks who was teaching there and had such a large class of adults as well as children it was necessary for him to have help.  This friendship of Dr. Parks and grandfather continued throughout their lives, and together they made the Draper school one of the prominent schools of the territory.  Dr. Parks was sent to the University of Utah in 1868, and grandfather soon after was called to Fort Herriman (probably 1869) to establish a school there.  Here it was that he was recommended by Bishop Ensign I. Stocking as worthy to live polygamy.  But he and his wife were of New England whose monogamic [sp - DNW] training was of the severest kind, and whose monogamic [sp - DNW] conceptions were of the most exacting nature, found it hard in their hearts to except, but through faith, fasting and prayer the truth was revealed to them especially his wife who saw in a vision the beautiful woman that was to be his plural wife and whom the angel said was her companion and co-worker through out this life and all eternity.  They were also permitted to understand Gods purpose in the instituting the principle of polygamy and testified that it was in the plan that would gain for them exaltation in the Fathers kingdom, with kingdoms, thrones, principalities and power and that his wives were equal in all these blessings, glories, and honors.  So on January 22, 1872 he took for his wife Harriet Amanda Stockings.  To them were born two children Mariah Adaline and Joseph John.  Harriet died May 29, 1875 of consumption and child bed fever, her baby son followed August 5, 1875 of the same disease.

     In June, 1867 he was called to go into Sanpete County to help quell the Indian uprising there under Chief Black Hawk.  This was just a few weeks before his daughter Amanda was born and his wife’s health was so poorly he was unable to go.  But having a nice team of horses he sent one, and his neighbor who was going a foot gladly accepted the gift and rode away; but during one of the skirmishes with the Indians the animal was shot from under her rider, and the gift was a severe loss, for which he never did receive any compensation.

     September 1875, he received a calling from Brigham Young to move his families to Heber City and open up a school for the benefit of the young people whose parents were settling the Upper Provo Valley.  He was also instructed to teach the people music and take charge of the music in all public gatherings.

He often told of Brigham Young going to Heber to conference and finding no one who could sound a commencing note or lead the singing, and being a lover of Sacred music and believing that a “Song is a prayer unto the Lord,” he conferred with Dr. John Parks who would be the man suitable to send into that district and Dr. Parks recommended his friend Samuel Wing who played the Violin, the flute, and taught vocal music as well as sight reading.

     His music classes were held in the evening and all were invited to attend, especially the young people, who responded gratefully and seemed to enjoy “Singing Class” immensely.  All classes both instrumental and vocal were free.

     His day school was located in the one central building and besides being used as a temple of learning it was also the meetinghouse, city hall, ballroom, and theatre hall.  He had enrolled the first winter about forty students, and each one was required to pay three dollars per month, widows children were free.  The tuition was payable in advance, and in lieu of money, wheat, potatoes, flour, molasses, butter, meat, and fire wood were taken.

     It has been said the pioneer school teacher’s salary of those days “Instead of being drawn on the bank, was drawn on a wheel-barrow.” Never-the-less the love for education was inspired; culture was developed; ethical and intellectual ideas were aspired too, and gained by many of his students.  John and Henry Aird, Abram Hatch, Mariah Duke and many more could be mentioned who have all credit to him for their success in life.

     He was superintendent of Sunday Schools in Heber City, serving under Bishop Abram Hatch and when the Wasatch Stake was organized in 1877 he was appointed superintended of the Stake, and labored for many years in that capacity.

     In the fall of 1876 he was called to fulfill a mission for the Church, and was sent to his native state Illinois.  He made a very successful missionary, and his labors were rewarded in many and varied ways.  On his release in 1877 he persuaded his father to return to Utah with him.

     The old gentleman was now a widower (his second wife, Levina Fletcher, having died the past year) his sons all married and gone their way, he was thankful for the offer and gladly came to Utah.

     Now that his father was with him he felt he could get a farm and with the two of them he could continue to teach in the winter and farm in the summer.  So he took up a tract of  160 acres on the Daniels Creek and moved his family on it November 9, 1877, and just ten days later his wife, Elizabeth Wright died, leaving him with six children.  The oldest twelve years and the youngest fifteen months old.

     He did not long remain a widower for on the nineteenth of December 1878 he married Jennett Brown Aird, in the endowment house, Salt Lake City.  She was twenty one years old and of Scotch descent.  She only lived four years after she was married, and died leaving two little girls, Jennie, three years old, and Rosabell, six weeks.  Thus again he was plunged into sorrow, sorrow the hear may fell, but the pen can never express.

     1884 we find the family moved back to Heber City.  The farm had been sold and grandfather is tired of the schoolroom.  He sees a good opportunity for the livestock industry in this state, his son Samuel is getting a young man and together they started out in the sheep business by leasing a band of sheep belonging to a widow (Mrs. Slater of Tooele, Utah).  The agreement was to care for her sheep receiving eight lambs out of every hundred, and one pound of wool out of every hundred pounds as their pay.  These he run for three years, at the end of which he had a nice little band of his own.  Then he took (Scotch) John Murdocks herd for two or three years more.  By this time he has enough to start out for himself, and before long grandfather is prospering and every thing looks bright for the future.

     Again he was married, this time to Mrs. Martha Allison, a widow with five children, (Lorenzo, John, Alexander, Orson and Mathilda).  This was on November 6, 1885, in the Logan temple.  This marriage too was of short duration for in three years he was left again a widower by the hand of death.

     But by no means discouraged and feeling a man can do much good by housing and caring for the widow and fatherless, he married October 2, 1889, Sarah Gold Duke, a widow with seven children.  And in 1890 he sold out in Heber City and moved to American Fork.  Living there for six months then moving to Lehi, Utah, where he lived about eight years, when adversity struck him and he lost all his earthly holdings and was forced to go to the new Mining Camp at Murcur, Utah.  Here he worked for day wages to earn the daily bread for himself and wife and two daughters, Geneva Mabelle, and Golda Ina.

     In 1901 when the Latter Day Saints were called to go into Canada to colonize there, he again went forth to pioneer a new country, and acquire something for his old age; he settled in Taber, Alberta, Canada, later moving to Taber, where he took up a farm and established himself in his church and civic affairs staying in Canada for thirteen years.  At this time he came back to Utah, alone, having buried his fifth wife February, 1910, he was discouraged, penniless, aged, but firm in his belief that Jesus was the Christ, Joseph Smith a true prophet, and life a school of experiences that teach man the value of his free agency, and he that endures to the end though he be chasteneth with tears and sorrow, shall reap eternal happiness and dwell with those they love and serve.

     When asked to write something of himself to be published in “The Owl”, the Wing Family publication, he wrote: “I am a teacher, shepherd and farmer.  I am still active in Sabbath School work and teaching the Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association and other organizations among the youth. (age 70.)  I was born in pioneer days in Illinois, lived awhile in Black River Falls, Wisconsin.  Went to Utah in 1862, came to Alberta Canada, in 1901, having spent my life pioneering in the front.  Have made no great noise in the world, but have kept busy doing all the good and as little harm as circumstances and ability would permit.

     He died January 23, 1918 at Sugar City, Idaho, at the home of his daughter Sadie Wing Jacobs, where he had lived for about a year.  Death was caused by a paralytic stroke some weeks before.

     His body was taken to Heber City, Utah, for burial.  The funeral services were held in the Stake Tabernacle which was filled with friends and relatives.  Beautiful flowers were there as tokens of love.  Songs were sung that touched the heart.  Words of tribute and respect were spoken that enshrined him in the hearts of all who knew him, for the noble, pure, and virtuous life he led.  Honored and proud are we who claim the closest relationship with this one of God’s noble son’s.

(This History was written by Bertha Nicholes Sager, His grand daughter and given in the American Fork Camp of The Daughters of  Utah Pioneers May 10, 1940.)