Item Detail
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Brinkerhoff, Hellen Lucinda Leithead
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1861-1936
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MSS SC 1103
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Biography
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Hellen Lucinda Leithead was born November 15, 1861, to James Leithead and Lucinda Gardner in Farmington, Utah. She was the third of nine children and her parent's first daughter. She accepted a great amount of responsibility from her parents. In the spring of 1866 Ellie's (Hellen) father was called to settle the Muddy Valley, Arizona. Sometime between 1867 and 1869 the rest of her family went and joined her father. After the area was annexed to Nevada her family gathered their belongings and headed up to Berryville, Utah. She married John Brinkerhoff in the St. George Temple on November 14, 1879. John died on September 28, 1880 of a brain fever. She then married John's half brother Hyrum Brinkerhoff on January 13, 1882. After their marriage they moved by oxen cart to Arizona. Afterwards they would move to Mexico and then back up to Arizona. Hyrum died of a heart attack on March 28, 1927. Ellie then sold her house in Thatcher, Arizona and moved to Phoenix to live with her daughter Felma and her family. Hellen died December 25, 1936 as a result of an automobile accident.
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This collection contains the biographies of the James Leithead Family. Each biography consists of copied pages and many include pictures of the subjects and of their families. Also included in the collection are family group sheets which provide vital records for the families. The portion of the collection which describes Hellen's life consists of 4 copied pages; three pages detail her life and one page is a copy of a family group sheet. Every page includes pictures along with text. Hellen's life was similar to many of the early settlers. She was the daughter of James Leithead and his second wife Lucinda. Nothing is mentioned about her father's other wife and children though they traveled with Hellen's family during her youth. Her biography includes a letter that her father wrote to her before the rest of his family joined him in Muddy Valley. The letter contains his instructions to her about behavior; she was six years old at the time it was written. The biography quotes Hellen on several subjects mainly regarding her family life. After her first husband John died she married Hyrum Brinkerhoff who was John's half brother, her biography notes that this was a plural marriage but does not specify how many wives Hyrum had or give any information about his other families. Polygamy.
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