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“Henry Willard Brizzee, Biography” Compiled by: Roger Curnutt of Las Vegas, Nevada Roger Curnutt, is the Great-Grandson of, Henry Willard Brizzee & Ann Long Didsbury Brizzee Photo: Roger & Marie Curnutt, December- 2004
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1760 – 1826
The line of my great-grandfather Henry Willard Brizzee has been traced to France. Henry’s great-grandfather William Brizzee was born in France and came to the United States in 1768, sailing on a ship named Mito. Henry’s grandfather (William’s son) was Gabriel Brizzee, born in Massachusetts in 1770; Gabriel married Lorana Woodbeck. Henry’s father, also named Henry, was born in MA in 1799; his first wife was Lucinda Pratt.
Henry Sr. and Lucinda had eight children, three of whom served in the civil war. Henry Willard Brizzee was their last child, born May 1, 1826 in No. Leverett, MA.
1827 – 1847
In the early 1840’s, some LDS missionaries visited the area around Leverett, MA and baptized Henry’s oldest sister Lorana and her Husband, Daniel Gardner, into the faith. In April, 1842 Henry Willard Brizzee was baptized into the Mormon religion by his brother-in-law Daniel Gardner. Shortly thereafter, Henry, along with the Gardners left MA and traveled to Nauvoo, IL, joining the Latter Day Saints already building up the area.
Nauvoo was ripe with discontent, not from the Saints, but from Gentiles in the area. Latter Day Saints were persecuted almost from the time they arrived in Nauvoo in 1839 with the ultimate pain of having the Prophet Joseph Smith martyred in June, 1844. In 1845, Brigham Young assured the surrounding people that the Saints would leave Nauvoo in the spring of 1846. Pillage and murder continued however, forcing the Saints to leave sooner. Ordinances from the Saints began shortly after completion of the Nauvoo Temple: Henry Willard Brizzee took his ordinances on February 6, 1846. Departures from Nauvoo began the next day, and from February 1846 through July, 1846 the Saints trekked across Iowa.
In July, 1846 a representative of the United States government met with Brigham Young in Council Bluffs, IA; the representative asked the Saints to provide manpower to the government, with pay, in their war with Mexico. Brother Young agreed to send 500 troops to Ft. Leavenworth, KS. Among the 500 was Henry Willard Brizzee, a private in Company D.
Henry marched with the Mormon Battalion, leaving Council Bluffs in July, 1846. The trek went south through Ft. Leavenworth, across New Mexico, through Arizona and into CA arriving in early 1847. Henry spent Christmas Day, 1846 in Tucson, AZ. The members of the Mormon Battalion were formally discharged in Los Angeles in July, 1847. However, re-enlistment’s were encouraged, and Henry re-enlisted for 8 more months with his final discharge in San Diego, March 1848.
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1848 – 1860
There are some gaps in Henry’s life after his discharge from the Mormon Battalion. Some records indicate that he married Eliza Smith, a 16-year old passenger on the ship Brooklyn that had sailed from New York City the previous year, docking in San Francisco. No written records exist to confirm this or their possible divorce.
We do know that in 1850, Henry married Emily Amanda Rockwell, the daughter of Orrin Porter Rockwell; the couple was married in Sacramento, CA. Two sons came from that marriage: Charles Porter Brizzee and Henry Willard Brizzee III. The marriage ended in divorce, we believe, in the late 1850’s. Emily ultimately moved to Grouse Pointe, UT and died in 1909.
Sometime in the late 1850’s, Henry apparently relocated to Utah. The 1860 census of Wanship Summitt, UT shows Henry married to Melinda McKenzie Haskell Woodbury, b. March 27, 1844, Nauvoo, Hancock, Illinois.
1861 – 1878
On August 5, 1865 Henry Willard Brizzee married Ann Long Didsbury in the Salt Lake City Temple. Ann Long Didsbury had come from England to Salt Lake City in 1854. Her first marriage was as the third wife of Daniel Allen who had died resulting in Ann being a widow. Ann had one daughter with Daniel Allen, Eleanor Maria, born in 1860.
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Henry and Ann had a total of eight children, five born in Utah and three in AZ. From the period of 1865-1878, Henry & Ann lived in the Wanship Summit/Park City area, east of Salt lake Ctiy. Henry Was busy as a nurseryman, but also served as a notary public, attorney and prosecuting attorney. Both Henry and Ann served in many church callings.
In 1875, Brigham Young called Henry, among others, to begin to expand missionary services into Mexico; their labors began in early 1876. Henry was instrumental in assisting the translation of the Book of Mormon into Spanish.
In 1877, Henry and Ann were called by the Church to travel and relocate from the Salt Lake City area to the Salt River Valley in AZ. At this time, the couple had five children, the youngest was Lorana born in January, 1877. The family began their journey, crossing the Colorado River at Lee’s Ferry. Lorana was badly burned in a campfire, delaying their trip by some weeks. Their next child, Everett, was born in Prescott before their arrival in Mesa. Two more children were born after they settled down in Mesa.
1879-1898
Henry spent the remainder of his life living and working in the Mesa area of the Salt River Valley, passing away on March 27, 1898. He is buried in the Mesa Cemetery.
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Henry Willard Brizzee, poured his milk on his oatmeal with this pitcher.
Ann Long Didsbury Brizzee‘s, sewing box.
Photo courtesy of, Roger Curnutt |