William John Glade: A Family Biography by Florence Glade Wells, Part 1

This biography of William John Glade and his family was written by his daughter Florence Glade Wells, provided by cousin Ben B., and included here with much thanks.

William and Annie Glade Family, 1901.

I would like to start my history by paying tribute to my wonderful parents. They were an ideal Latter-day Saint couple, with a firm testimony of the true Church of Jesus Christ, and raised their family in accordance with its teachings. It was a home where love, harmony and respect abounded for one another. 

My father, William John Glade was born to pioneer parents, who crossed the plains by ox team and hand cart. He was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on May 15, 1868. As a young man he was slight of build with beautiful, brown wavy hair. We all respected him as head of the home, and our spirited leader. I never heard him swear, and he would not allow quarreling or harsh words. He was immaculate in his dress and appearance. He was always on time. The neighbors said they could tell the time of day by Father going to work.

Father was a grocery saleman for ZCMI, and would walk to and from work three times a day—morning, noon, and night—and this after spending eight hours on his feet going about his duties. His clientele was the elite of the city and when they would call in an order, he would know to give them the best. He had a beautiful voice and played the guitar, fife and harmonica. Many Sunday evenings were spent with the whole family sitting around singing the favorite old songs. He was a Sunday School Teacher and Secretary for the 134th quorum of the seventies for the Eighteenth Ward for many years.

My mother Ann, (Annie Harris Hamilton,) was born in Glasgow, Scotland on Easter Sunday April 13, 1873. She was a very cultured, refined person having attended private schools. Her penmanship was beautiful and she loved to read.

When she was ten years of age, she emigrated to America with her parents, two older sisters and a brother. They had all been baptized into the Church, except for her mother. They located in Salt Lake City. As a teenager she worked as the office girl for [Emmeline] B. Wells. After her father died, it was necessary for her to earn more money. She went to work with her sister Mary, at the Trow Laundry. She was a beautiful young lady with long, brown hair that she wore with a figure eight chignon at the back of her head.

Both Father and Mother loved music and sang in the Tabernacle Choir [1]. Their first date was a choir party at Black Rock Beach. This started a beautiful romance. Their main entertainment was going to movies and long buggy rides out into the country. They both sang with the choir at the dedication of the Salt Lake Temple.

 

They became engaged but instead of getting married in the Salt Lake Temple, they decided to go to Logan, so they would have a honeymoon. They traveled by train to Logan and stayed with Mother’s Aunt [Agnes McNair] Purdie. The next day April 26, 1893, they were married by Apostle A. W. Merrill [probably Marriner Wood Merrill]. Her aunt gave them a lovely wedding breakfast and they stayed there over night.

The next day they started home and stopped in Ogden to pick up a beautiful wedding cake made by father’s brother, James. It was five tiers, and so big they placed it in a barrel with handles on each side. It took both of them to carry it to the depot. It traveled to Salt Lake in the baggage car with instructions to “Handle with care.” When they got to Salt Lake they got permission to put the cake in the front of the street car, so father stayed in front with the cake while mother was giggling in the back of the street car. Grandmother gave them a lovely dinner for friends and relatives and the cake was the decoration and main attraction.

Grandfather Glade had deeded to father a building lot on “C” Street between 6th and 7th Avenues. Father had a four room cottage built before they got married. It was ready for them to move into. It had a kitchen, dining room, parlor, and bedroom. They heated it with a coal stove in the kitchen and dining room, and a fireplace in the parlor. Oil lanterns were used for lighting. 

To be continued...

[1] They are not listed in the directory of members of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The directory indicates that it is not complete and requests names of further choir members, so if anyone in the family has any additional documentation about William John Glade and Annie Harris Hamilton singing in the Choir, the Tabernacle Choir historian could include them in the database.

Photo of the Glades from my mother's collection. Photo of ZCMI from Wikipedia. Photo of the Logan Temple from http://www.flickr.com/photos/jamiedfw/4054175759/ under a Creative Commons license.