Sunday, October 19, 2008

Henry Webster Esplin

Henry Webster Esplin was my great-grandfather. He was born October 20, 1854 in Nephi and died September 22, 1943 in Orderville. He was always on the move and multi-tasking. Here's a little snippet from The History of Kane County: "He was never idle. People said of him that he never walked; he always ran or moved with such swiftness that he seemed to be running. He made his time count in little ways most people neglect. When he came into one of his homes for a meal or for some other reason he carried an armful of wood or some vegetables."

He was Bishop of Orderville from 1884 to 1910.

And here's a funny story you don't hear every day. "Bishop Esplin worked at the Canaan Ranch with a group of men who were not Mormons, or at least not devout ones. The bishop found a Book of Mormon on a shelf in the bunk house and began to read it. The other men smoked and ran out of paper to roll their tobacco in. They started to tear leaves from the Book of Mormon. He insisted that they tear no leaves he had not read. He remarked, 'I read the Book of Mormon that winter while the other fellows smoked it.'" (ibid. pg. 386)

~Dad H

3 comments:

Que Sera said...

I'm glad that you're bringing in the goods on family history. I hope one day my posteriors have something good to say about me...

Anonymous said...

Wait'll you hear the one about the granny who taught her granddaughter to smoke. You can just imagine how she turned out.
~Dad

"The Landlord" said...

I love this! What a wonderful way to live, taking advantage of each moment - something even more important to do today, and yet often more neglected - Thanks!