Brigham Young in Chenango County, NY

 Brigham Young in Chenango

Chenango Union, Norwich, NY, September 27, 1877

E.P. Allen, Esq., of the Livingston -?- and formerly of the Chenango Telegraph has been visiting his old home in Smyrna, this County [Chenango Co. NY]; and in a letter under date of the 15th inst. published in his paper, he gives the following sketch of the Young family, who for years resided in that town, during Brigham's boyhood.

"About two and a half miles from the village of Smyrna in a south westerly location is the place where Brigham Young spent his early boyhood, and according to the accounts of persons from here and other parts of the county, he never lost his interest in his early home.  Some of the old settlers who came here nearly eighty years ago maintain that this town was his birthplace.  The claim, however, is disputed by others who give to the town of Whittingham, Vermont, the honor of having produced the late Mormon leader.  It is a fact, however that the father and family of Brigham lived here as early as 1804, and the very places where stood the old log houses - he having lived in at least two different ones in the same, neighborhood - are pointed out, as well as the site of the log schoolhouse where he first attended school.  It is not an unfamiliar locality to people of the town, but until the death of the prophet had not received any particular attention.  It is not difficult of access, as the road for two-thirds of the way leads down a pleasant valley.  Turning westward you pass between two mountains five or six hundred feet high by a "pass" just wide enough for a road.  At the first settlement of the town, it received the name of "The Dark Hollow," and it is just the name it deserved.  It is about a mile in length and for half the distance the bushes and trees are still undisturbed, the taller ones coming together over the road, forming a complete bower.  Frightful stories were once told about wild beasts lying in wait for unwary travelers, and imagination easily conjured up robbers and outlaws as the occupants of this gloomy looking place. Less than a dozen years ago a man named Ezekiel fancied that the mountains on either side of this pass contained gold and several places are now pointed out where he toiled fruitlessly to find a bonanza.

"Getting through this narrow place we come to Cold Creek at the foot of another mountain running north and south.  Twenty or thirty rods east of the creek on the north side of the road is the site of a log house, no vestige of which is visible, where the Young family once lived.  But it was nearly at the summit of the hill west of the creek which is more generally regarded as their home.  It is a few rods north of the road leading to Plymouth, and nearly on the line between the towns of Smyrna and Plymouth.  Nothing remains of the old house or the log schoolhouse, but I met with those who were positive as to the locality and in plowing over it have struck the stones supporting the corner of the house.  I saw the first volume of a quaintly written old book called "Stanyan's Grecian History," but its title page being gone, the date of its publication could not be determined.  The book was a present from Brigham Young to a young lady who afterwards became Mrs. John Munson.  She is now deceased.

"Other members of the Young family are well remembered here.   His brother Phineas was about seven years older and became Prominet in Mormondom.  At one time meeting in Salt Lake City, people from this place he made particular inquiries about a young lady named Chapman and learning that she had been married and become a widow, Phineas wrote to her soliciting her hand as his seventh wife.  She indignantly declined and continues a widow, living in the family of a son-in-law at Ithaca.

"The Young family were zealous Methodists, belonging to a small congregation which held meetings at the house of Deacon Stover whose farm was just east of "Dark Hollow."  Deacon Stover was a brother-in-law of the late Dr. Elwood of Rochester.  Brigham and all the family moved to one of the eastern towns of Steuben County (now in Schuyler County) in 1817 and from thence to Mendon or its vicinity, soon after which his more notorious and infamous career commenced.  Nothing censurable is alleged against any of the family while living here.  Some of the people say that even Brigham would "talk in meeting," but not in quite the rough manner afterwards characteristic of his Mormon preaching."