Friday, June 1

Welcome to the Wannaskan Almanac for Friday.

    One of the disheartening things about delving into the past for items for my post is discovering all the flaws of our great men and women. Today is the birthday in 1801 of Brigham Young in Whitingham, Vermont. Young became second president of the Mormons in 1847 after a mob killed Joseph Smith, its first president, in Illinois.
   There was a power struggle for leadership after Smith's death.  With his forceful personality, Young won out and held the presidency till his death thirty years later. Several factions split off from Young's group but Young's group, the Latter Day Saints, remains the most important today.
   Realizing the Mormons were not welcome in the American Midwest, Young decided to head for the Utah region in what was then the Mexican Republic. By the time the first Mormon settlers arrived in Utah, the Mexican War was over and the area was now part of the U.S. Young was appointed territorial governor by President Fillmore. Young established the town of Fillmore in return and named it the territorial capital. Young established towns and built roads and forts all over the west.
    In the years following, Young did not get along with federal judges sent to Utah and President Buchanan appointed a non-Mormon governor accompanied by troops. Young resented this and called out his militia which started the short lived Utah War. Young and the government eventually settled their differences but relations were always difficult.
   Young agreed to let settlers heading for California and Oregon pass through the territory, but in 1857,  a group of Mormon militia ambushed a wagon train and massacred 120 men, women, and children. After 20 years, the leader of the militia was executed. Young had done his best to prevent the massacre.
   On slavery, Mormons were initially opposed slavery. As southerners joined the church, conflict arose. When the settlers arrived in Utah, some members brought their slaves with them. Young himself approved of slavery. He opposed the Civil War and said emancipation would fail. Once the slaves in Utah were freed in 1863, many of them left for California.
    And then there were the wives: one before he converted, 54 after. He admitted polygamy caused suffering for women but was necessary to create large families. Young had 56 children by 16 of his wives.
   Young was an authoritarian, but Mormons today continue to love and revere him as a father figure, so don't bother confronting them with the facts above.

The trek to Utah. Horses not required.

   In 1533 on this day, Anne Boleyn was crowned Queen of England. This was a few months after her marriage to another great autocrat, Henry VIII. Anne was taking over for Catherine of Aragon who had failed to produce a male heir for Henry. English history is full of wars of succession and the best way to prevent such wars was to have a male heir, no matter how young or incompetent.
   Henry had divorced Catherine which led to a break with Rome and to the start of the English Reformation. Anne started off with a girl baby. Next she had a miscarriage. Henry was getting impatient. He started messing around with wife-to-be number three. Anne miscarried again and Henry had trumped up charges of adultery, incest and treason laid against her so he could cut off her head and try again.
   Henry's new wife Jane Seymour became pregnant and gave Henry his much desired son. Jane died two weeks later of complications of childbirth. When Henry died in 1547 (after three more wives, no sons), his son by Jane Seymour, Edward VI took over. But Edward only lasted six years, dying at the age if 15. Anne had a bit of revenge when her daughter Elizabeth became queen. She ruled for 45 years. She had no children. The King of Scotland took over after her death with no war.



      Come back Sunday for more squibs from @jmcdonnell123