William Valentine BLACK

                   Historical information included in notes.

Records of Lila Badger, Holden, Utah. Dia L. Hyatt, Richfield, Utah. Erma Styler, Hoden, Utah.William was a Seventy in the 18th quorum and president of the 21st quorum. He was a high priest and presiding elder at Deseret in 1877. William assisted in locating Manti and Spring City, being a pioneer to Sanpete County. William was a veteran of the Walker and Black Hawk Indian Wars. William was the president of Deseret Irrigation company. He assisted in locating the dams and canals at Abraham, Hinckley, Deseret and Oasis.BLACK, WILLIAM VALENTINE (son of William Y. Black and Jane Johnston). Born Feb 27, 1832, at Lisburn, Antrim, Ireland. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.759 Married Elmira Ayers 1854, Manti, Utah (daughter of Caleb Ayers, died in Council Bluffs, and Lucinda Haggerty, ólatter a pioneer 1853, J. C. Little company). She was born 1834 in New Jersey. Their children: Jane b. 1856, m. Ezra Rappleye; Elmira b. June 25, 1857, m. John Styler; William V. Jr. b. Feb. 8, 1860, m. Annie Rotherham; Lucinda Catherine b. 1861, m. Uriah Curtis; Elizabeth b. Feb. 19, 1863, m. William Broadfield; Annie Eldona b. 1865, m. Uriah Hoyt; Fanny Vrena b. Aug. 24, 1866, m. Alfred Mikesell; Eleanor b. July 17, 1868, m. James Hyrum Walton Sept. 14, 1889; Heber b. Sept. 17, 1871, m. Hattie Simmons. Family home Rockville, Utah. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.759William V. Sr. also married Victoria Ayers on April 7, 1856, Salt Lake City (daughter of Caleb Ayers and Lucinda Haggerty), who was born Nov. 8, 1839, in New Jersey. Their children: George Ayers b. March 3, 1861, m. Emily Partridge; Agnes b. Feb. 11, 1863, m. William McLeod; Ira Adelbert b. Feb. 1868; Joseph V. b. Sept. 14, 1873, m. Amelia Jane Cahoon; Clara b. Sept. 27, 1874, m. Frederick G. Warnick; Victoria b. Jan. 27, 1877, m. George M. Christensen; Albert C. b. Oct. 12, 1878, m. Helen Powell; Marzett b. Jan. 14, 1881, m. Joseph Walton; Marion b. Jan. 14, 1881, m. Stella Damren; Lois b. April 25, 1883, m. James Ewing; William Alonzo b. May 16, 1886, m. Janet Bywater. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah, p.759The StorekeeperOur Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 10, p.271From this period until 1880, prosperity crowned our labors and we had plenty of grain, with very little expense on the dam. In the year 1878 the Utah Southern Railroad was constructed through our country which furnished labor and cash for quite a number of the brethren. In the previous spring the first enterprise in merchandise was commenced by Reuben A. McBride, who brought some goods from Fillmore Co-op store. He sold things at an exhorbitant price and was poorly patronized. Through some cause, probably on account of delinquencies in payments, Brother C. Anderson was sent over to [p.272] take care of what goods there remained, and he boxed them up. I was offered the goods, but declined to take them, and shortly afterwards forwarded them to Fillmore, as a previous offer which we had made to the Co-op at Fillmore had been refused. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 10, p.272About this time a cooperative company was organized, with William V. Black as president, Byron Warner, W. W. Damron, Joseph and Joshua Bennett as secretary and treasurer. A small adobe room was partly completed, but owing to the lack of means the organization died. About that time an offer was made to me by Fillmore Co-op to take goods and sell it, which I accepted. I got a small stock of about $400, but the prices charged me, as I learned afterwards, were exhorbitant. They would charge 23 cents per lb. for candy, when their retail price was 25 cents, also prints, which they would retail for 10 cents they would charge me 9 1/2 cents a yard, and on sugar I would make about 50 cents per hundred pounds on retail prices. I made comparatively nothing as I sold at their retail prices, but it was an accommodation to the people. I dealt in that way until about Christmas, saving all the money I could from railroad work and other sources until I had laid by about $600.00. I settled with the Co-op and received as a present for my honorable dealing, a new suit of cl
othes, of which I was very proud. I borrowed $400.00 from J. V. Robinson, which added to what I already had, made me a capital of $1,000.00, with which I started to Salt Lake City. I paid J. V. Robinson 1 1/2% per month and paid him the principal in about four months. I arrived in Salt Lake City December 22, 1879, and bought goods, some from Z.C.M.I., and some from S. P. Teasdale. I paid $1,000 down and gave notes for about $2,700. I had not intended to get such a heavy stock of goods, but by mistake my bill was doubled. I gave three notes, one payable in 60 days, one in 90 days and one in 120 days. I met the first two promptly but owing to a loss in shipping grain west and not getting my pay, I was unable to pay the last one when due, but paid it shortly afterwards. My business increased rapidly and the population also increased quite fast, and while I devoted a great deal of time to merchandising and other business, the duties of my office as Bishop were not neglected. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 10, p.272In constructing the dam and other speculations, Gilbert had become considerably involved. He had given four mortgages on the dam. It was apparent that it would soon pass out of his hands. William V. Black, Wise Cropper, Hyrum Dewsnup and myself went to Salt Lake and negotiated with Chauncey Webb, Gilbert's father, and other parties interested, and agreed to take the dam and pay the indebtedness to the amount of about $6,000. We made some payments, but soon after, one of the mortgages was foreclosed in the District court and by order of the Court the dam was sold at public auction at Fillmore City. I was the highest bidder, offering $4,000. which was accepted and the dam was knocked down to me. We soon after organized an irrigation company and stocked the dam at $6,000, which was about the net cost. We calculated that an acre of water would [p.273] irrigate an acre of land, and any of the farmers could take as many shares as they could pay for. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 10, p.273In the spring of 1879, a man by the name of Bacher, from Southern Utah, came and proposed to put up a gristmill, as he represented he had ample means. I encouraged the enterprise as the mill was much needed. He bought a mill at Oak Creek, which could not run there for the want of water. He set men to work and agreed to pay at the expiration of thirty days. He wanted me to take shares with him, which I declined to do. At the time for payment he failed and the work was about to stop. He read me a letter from his father-in-law, stating that owing to circumstances, the money could not then be sent, but soon would be obtained, as he was working a mine and making shipments of ore. I had little confidence in the man but agreed to help him out, and honored his orders to the amount of about $800. They worked on about another month and no funds came. I advanced a little along and found in our settlement that he was indebted to me about $2000. He offered me the mill, which I was obliged to accept. I gave him a load of flour and paid a personal note of his for $250, and he left. Subsequently I learned that he had given a mortgage on the first purchase of the mill to Mr. Walker, which compelled me to pay about $500 more. I completed the mill and put it in good running order, which was a source of considerable revenue in good seasons. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 10, p.273At this time others seeing our success, thought they would try their hand. Nephi Pratt, and T. A. Robison came from Fillmore to Deseret and represented that they wished to open up a farm and asked me to sell them a house and lot across the street as they wished to locate a tenant. I did so. It was soon apparent that they wanted to engage in merchandising and commenced the erection of a store. Why they wanted to keep it a secret from me in the start, I do not know, as I am always in for free trade and honorable competition. When the store was nearly ready for opening, they said confidentially to a friend, "The Bishop doesn't know much about merchandising and we will soon run him out." They we
re answered, "Probably not. My impression is that you are building a store for the Bishop," which subsequently proved to be correct. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 10, p.273Things generally at this time were in a prosperous condition. We organized a Relief Society, Sept. 7, 1878, Mary Ann Warren, president. Also a Young Ladies Association, with Almira Black as president. Sometime previous to this the leader having been removed, the choir was nearly broken up and we had very poor singing with our worship, and no one in the ward was suitable for a leader. I laid this matter before the Lord and asked that He inspire some competent person to come to our place and lead the choir. S. W. Western, who had lived with me when he was a boy, and who was now living about 250 miles south, dreamed that I wanted him to move to Deseret to be my counsellor, and that there was a labor there for him to accomplish. The dream so impressed him that he sold out immediately and [p.274] moved to Deseret. He was a good singer and chorister and soon built up an excellent choir, in which he took much interest and remained in the position until the 14th of August, 1889, when he started to England, where he had been called to go on a mission. There was good feeling and union among the people of the ward and in that year 1879, we paid in donations for the erection of the temple at Manti over $800.00.The Orphan Boy Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 12, p.116 I, Isaac Alldredge, was born July 25, 1843, in Jackson County, Illinois, U.S.A When I was about two years old my father died leaving my mother with four small childrenómy brothers William and Parson and my sister Martha and myself. My father had been married before and had two children, Ezekiel and Elizabeth. Mother had three children by a former husband by the name of Wilkes. Their names were: John Brown, Minor James and Samuel Sneed Wilkes. Samuel went to California during the gold excitement of 1849 and was never heard from again. John was shot and killed in the war with Mexico in 1846. Minor was a singing master, class leader and preacher in the Missionary Baptist Church. The rest of my relatives so far as I know were farmers. Soon after the death of my father, Mother with her four small children moved north about thirty-five miles into Perry County. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 12, p.116In 1883, 1884, 1885, I still worked for the betterment of our precinct and filled several positions of trust. In July 1884 our fifth daughter was born. I also worked as a home missionary during these years. On September 4, 1886, our sixth daughter was born. In the spring of 1887 William V. Black, L. R. Cropper, Wm. Alldredge, J. W. Damron, A. F. Warnick and myself filed articles of incorporation to build a canal to be known as the Gunnison Bend Canal. During this season the high water broke out the dam; the stockholders took over our incorporation and went to work with a will to complete the canal for use the next season, which we succeeded in doing. The old board of directors resigned and the following men were elected: L. R. Cropper, president; I. Alldredge, vice president; W. H. Pratt, A. F. Warnick and J. C. Hawley, directors; J. Bennett, secretary and treasurer; I. Alldredge, general water master and superintendent of construction and repair work. Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 12, p.117 This excerpt is smaller than the original, condenced for use of relavant story.