Life Sketch
Charles and Louisa Shill Richins were pioneers of 1853. They were converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England and Charles, his wife and a daughter—Hannah Louisa—crossed the plains with an ox team company and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah October 16, 1853. They lived in Salt Lake for 7 years. Then in 1860, Charles [aka Charles W. Richins] received a call from Brigham Young to go to a little valley situated on the Weber River to help settle the country. He moved to Henefer with his wife, Louisa, and one child and his new wife Ester, to the sage-covered valley to make their home. Charles pitched two tents near the banks of the Weber River and this was “home” to the Richins family for some time—Louisa with a baby and Ester a brand new bride.
Charles began immediately to provide better living quarters for his families. A great deal of hard labor and time was spent digging and clearing out three dugouts in the hillside. The first year Charles built two brick rooms over the dugouts, then the year after, three more rooms. Additional rooms were made year after year, until the house contained two stories and 15 rooms when it was finally finished. The Big House, as it was referred to, was a mansion compared to the tents, and dugouts of earlier years.
In 1878 Charles married Agnes Wilmot. She was a beautiful girl—very frail and delicate. She was 20, while Charles was 50 years of age. So the third bride came to live in the Big House.
Perhaps, I should add that Charles was the father of 30 children. Louisa was the mother of 5 boys and 5 girls. Esther had 5 boys and 5 girls. Agnes had 4 boys and 6 girls. Aunt Beatrice Richins Smith and Uncle John Richins are the only two living children from Charles and Agnes Richins.
Charles Richins was Bishop of the Henefer Ward from 1861 until the Manifesto was issued, which made living in polygamy illegal. Charles sold The Big House and moved to Mexico. He died in 1903 at the age of 75 years in Mexico.
James Hennefer (son of James Hennefer, Sr. and Charlotte Hickens) was born January 2, 1820 in Woodsley, Staffordshire, England. He came to Utah in 1853 and died August 1898 in Henefer, Utah. James was a blacksmith by trade. He married Sarah Hulks August 30, 1846 in England. She was born November 25, 1825. She came to Utah with her husband in 1853.
