William Edwards
William Edwards, his personal and family background, and his alleged involvement in and statements about the Mountain Meadows Massacre
William Edwards
1841-1925
Biographical Sketch
[Current evidence now suggests that William Edwards was not in the Mountain Meadows massacre. The first reason for skepticism about his involvement is that neither he nor his father are listed in either of the 1857 militia rolls for the Iron Military District. A second reason has recently been discovered. An affidavit purportedly prepared by William Edwards in 1924 states that he was present at the Mountain Meadows Massacre. However, because the provenance of the document reflects that it was acquired through the notorious forger, Mark Hoffman, there is now considerable skepticism about the affidavit. On present evidence, then, it is unlikely that William Edwards was at the massacre.]
William Edwards was a native of Worchestershire in the West Midlands of England who immigrated to America and pioneered in southern Utah.
Early Years in the West Midlands of England
In 1841, William Edwards was born in Worchestershire, England, the son of Samuel James Edwards (1805-1890) and Ann Robinson (1806-1877). While he was very young, his parents converted to the Mormon Church.
Immigration to America
He immigrated to America with his parents in 1851, settling in St. Louis where they stayed for a year and a half. He was baptized in 1852.
On the Mormon Trail to Utah Territory
In 1853, his family had acquired sufficient means to outfit a wagon with provisions and supplies and the joined the Moses Clawson Company, which departed from the outfitting post at Keokuk, Iowa. They paused at Kanesville (modern Council Bluffs), Iowa to organize the company. The Edwards family consisted of Samuel James, 47, Ann Robinson, 47, Sarah, 26, James Thomas, 23, William, 11, and George, 4.
Years later, William wrote a brief reminiscent account of the crossing, observing how he walked and helped with the cows, the long tedious journey, occasionally punctuated with excitement such as when a large buffalo stampeded their loose stock. Fortunately, they were able to recover the livestock. They passed the usual milestones on the trail: Fort Kearney, the South Fork of the Platte River, Chimney Rock, Fort Laramie, the Sweetwater River, Independence Rock, Devil's Gate, Green River, Fort Bridger, Bear River, and Weber River. After suffering the usual hardships of overland trail they arrived in the valley of the Great Salt Lake in mid-September.
Moving to Iron County
In 1857, the Edwards family moved to Parowan in Iron County. Neither Edwards nor his father were listed in the Iron County muster rolls for 1857, perhaps because of their recent arrival in southern Utah.
William Edwards (not listed in 1857 militia rolls)
Neither Edwards nor his father were listed in the Iron County muster rolls for 1857, perhaps because of their recent arrival in southern Utah.
Edwards was not mentioned in Judge John Cradlebaugh's 1859 arrest warrant. None of the witnesses in the Lee trials identified him as a participant in the massacre or even present at the Meadows. Lee did not mention him in his posthumously-published Mormonism Unveiled, nor was he interviewed regarding or make statements about the massacre during the 1880s or 1890s as some other participants did.
Move to Beaver County
Since at least 1857, settlers in Parowan and Cedar City had been visiting what would later be known as Beaver County to cut the tall grass that grew abundantly along the Beaver River. In 1859, Cedar City had fallen on hard times because of the collapse the ironworks and the pall cast over the community by the Mountain Meadows Massacre. In spring 1859, the Edwards family joined others departing Iron County. Samuel Edwards and family including his son William were part of a small group who moved north to the future site of Beaver County where they initially pioneered a settlement along lower Beaver Creek which they named Lower Beaver. However, by summer 1860, they had determined that the water supply on the lower Beaver Creek was inadequate to sustain their crops through the summer.
The colony split up with families moving to nearby Minersville, Adamsville, or Greenville. The Edwards relocated to Greenville, five miles southwest of the town of Beaver. That year, 18-year-old William Edwards married 15-1/2-year-old Scottish emigrant Helen (or Ellen) McCulloch Miller (1844-1908). It was the first marriage ceremony celebrated in Greenville.
They remained in Greenville for the rest of their lives and Helen bore Edwards twelve children, only four of whom survived to adulthood. Edwards' principal occupation was farming but he also served as constable and postmaster in Beaver for many years. From 1897 to 1913, Edwards served as a bishop of the Greenville ward in Beaver County.
Purported Statement Relative to the Massacre
In 1924, less than a year before his death and more than sixty-five years after the massacre, William Edwards purportedly made a short affidavit concerning his presence at the massacre as a fifteen-year-old youth.
As mentioned above, there is considerable reason to be skeptical of this affidavit. Neither of the 1857 muster rolls for the Iron Military District lists William Edwards. Further, the provenance of the document indicates that it was acquired by Mark Hoffman, the notorious forger of nineteenth century Mormon documents. Based on present evidence, William Edwards was not likely present at the Mountain Meadows Massacre.
Final Year
Edwards died in 1925, survived by his children and grandchildren.
References
Affidavit of William Edwards; Bagley, Blood of the Prophets, 140, 143, 346; Bigler and Bagley, Innocent Blood: Essential Narratives, 422-23; Merkley, ed., Monuments to Courage, 156, 157, 159; New.familysearch.org; Robinson, They Answered the Call: A History of Minersville, Utah, 5-7; Walker, et al, Massacre at Mountain Meadows, 191, 257, 354, fn. 37.
For full bibliographic information see Bibliography.
External Links
For further information on William Edwards, see:
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