Jacob Hamblin's House and Wives

As promised, more on my Southern Utah Mountain Biking and Church History trip. Took a timeout to visit and tour Jacob Hamblin's house, located in Santa Clara, a pleasantly historic neighborhood located about four miles northwest of St. George. The SL Trib has a nice little writeup, with photo. Both myself and DW thought the kindly sister missionary who gave us the tour and spiel bore an amazing resemblance to my mother in both appearance and manners, which was probably God's way of discouraging me from asking nasty questions. I complied with this veiled hint from the Almighty. I'm surprised He knew I was coming and planned ahead; I didn't even know Jacob Hamblin *had* a house near St. George until last Thursday!

The most interesting material concerned the story of his first wife, Lucinda. They married in 1839 in Wisconsin, Jacob joined the Mormons in 1842, as did his wife sometime later. In 1843, they moved to Nauvoo. Then the story gets interesting.

Jacob took a second wife, Rachel, while Jacob was still in Nauvoo. After the fall of Nauvoo, the lot of them moved west, but (according to the LDS spiel) Lucinda "abandoned" Jacob and their four kids somewhere along the way. I have a hard time believing any woman would simply "abandon" her four kids. My guess (gut instinct, I can't locate any statements giving reliable details) is that she got wind of polygamy and Wife No. 2 (or just got fed up with the previously known arrangement) and wanted out but, surrounded by the uber-faithful in some Winter Quarterish Mormon village on the Plains, was unable to pry her children away from a Mormon patriarch, who headed off to Utah with Wife No. 2 and the kids. Alternatively, Lucinda was just a flakey wife who didn't eat her Pioneer Wheaties before heading out across the Plains. Incidentally, the LDS spiel also suggested Jacob didn't marry Rachel until *after* Lucinda had "abandoned" him and the kids, which appears to be incorrect.

My incomplete facts come from the 30 minutes I spent with the little Jacob Hamblin autobiography at the St. George Deseret Book (which didn't add much--he said precious little about wives and kids, but plenty about riding around being adventurous and dealing with Native Americans), and this nice little piece with a citation to the Utah History Encyclopedia that seems to confirm that Jacob took his second wife before leaving Nauvoo, but doesn't give enough detail to explain the full story of Lucinda Taylor Hamblin's decision to leave Jacob. I'm guessing the answers are in Juanita Brooks' biography of Hamblin entitled Jacob Hamblin, Mormon Apostle to the Indians (Westwater Press, 1980), but I don't have easy access to a copy.

Anyone with additional information or sources, please chime in.

Comments

[Dale]

I looked up Jacob Hamblin as a general search tonight, and came across your brief comments. I too have visited the Hamblin home. I have also read Juanita Brooks' book. The story of Lucinda's leaving and Jacob's consequent meeting and marriage to Rachel is portrayed as nothing short of miraculous. Facinating reading- I have not researched her sources. Because he kept journals of his activities, much of what she writes is based on first-hand information. You need to find and read a copy of her book. Hamblin seems indeed to have been a unique and devoted man. His adventures are too many to discuss in this kind of forum. Read the book, its worth owning a copy.
Dale

[Cathi Palmer]

Jacob Hamblin is one of my paternal great-great-grandfathers through Priscilla Leavitt. As I have always heard the story, Lucinda just couldn't hack the church and didn't want to trek all the way to Deseret in the wilderness. I ran across an interesting extract from Jacob Hamblin's journal a little over a year ago in which he relates some of the problems of his marriage to Lucinda. He stated that he had had complaints several times from people in the community about Lucinda stealing from or cheating them (I can't really remember which). He seemed pretty relieved when she left.

As for her leaving the kids with him, a) if she really was anywhere near as flaky as he made her out to be, it's a little more understandable, and b) in the rare instances of divorce in those days, it was understood that the man got the children. Wives getting custody is purely a 20th century practice.

Happy hunting!
Cathi Palmer

p.s. Juanita Brooks was a fascinating person. What a survivor!

[Dave]

Thanks for the info, Cathi, it adds a few more pieces to this interseting puzzle. The truth is out there, it just has to find its way to my blog.

[Lyman Hamblin]

Jacob Hamblin is my great-great-great grandfather and I happen to come from Lucinda. I have a copy of Jacob's personal journal. He made several long entries referring to the problems he was having with Lucinda. Apparently she was lying, stealing, and making his life unbearable. They met with church leaders several times trying to resolve their differences but ultimately they went their separate ways in the early summer of 1848. From his journal he admitted he couldn't raise his children alone and started looking for a new wife. Over a year later he married Rachel (Sept. 30, 1849). Hope that answers a few questions.

[Dave]

Thanks for the additional details, Lyman. Coming from Jacob Hamblin's personal journal, that seems to answer the primary question of the timing of Lucinda's departure and Rachel's arrival on the scene. It sounds like Jacob simply did not meet Rachel until after Lucinda left to return to Wisconsin. I'm still curious why she did not take the kids with her. A woman leaving her husband (for whatever reason) was unusual enough, but a woman simply leaving her kids seems to require more explanation. Did Lucinda really desire to leave the kids, or was there more to the story?

[major edit 10/24]

[Eric Platt]

does any one have any information about Iris Hamblin?

[Eric Platt]

Does anyone know anything about Iris Hamblin, I'm just trying to learn more about our history....
Thx.........

[dov menkes]

The most complete bio of Jacob Hamblin is by Pearson Corbett. I have been trying to find pictures of Jacob Hamblins wives, but so far only found one of Louisa (Bonelli) Hamblin at the Church Historical Department. There is a picture of Pricilla Leavitt in the book "The Jacob Vernon Hamblin family" by a descendant: Vera Leib Miller, 1975. I have never found a picture of Lucinda (Taylor) Hamblin, however.

There was a "David Hamblin" living in Kanab in the 1880's, but apprently no relation to Jacob Hamblin.