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Alberta, Past and Present, Historical and Biographical
Vol 2
William Henderson


A prominent and popular official of Cardston is William Henderson, police magistrate. He was born in Scotland, on the 11th of February, 1851, a son of Robert and Mary (Ross) Henderson, likewise natives of Scotland. The paternal great-grandfather was twice married. His first wife was Jeanette Lumsden and his second wife was Elizabeth Weir; the maternal great-grandfather, William Hogg, married Catherine Wilson; the paternal grandfather, James Henderson, was born in Leadhills, Scotland, and he married Christina Dalzell, and both died in the land of their birth; the maternal grandfather, Peter Ross, married Marion Hogg. All of these ancestors were natives of Scotland. Mr. and Mrs. Henderson, the parents of William Henderson, joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1852 and came to America in 1863. They came direct to Logan, Utah, by ox-team, the journey taking eight weeks. They secured land and engaged in general farming and stock raising near Logan. Later he disposed of his land and devoted his entire time and attention to work in the church. He was active in the Temple at Logan and was holding the office of high priest at the time of his demise, at the age of sixty-five years. When he first joined the church he did some mission work in Scotland and he was president of the branch church in his birthplace. Mrs. Henderson died in her sixty-eighth year. To them nine children were born, two of whom are living: William, of this review; and Jeanette, the wife of Andrew Anderson. The following have passed away: James; Catherine, who was the wife of William Ellis; Christina, who was the wife of Andrew Nyman; Mary, who was the wife of Anthony Anderson; Eliza, who died in girlhood; Thomas; and Robert, who died on board ship.
In the acquirement of his education William Henderson attended the Free Church School at Tranent, Scotland, and came to the United States with his parents in 1863. He crossed the plains with them, driving an ox team, and after locating near Logan he attended the schools in that community for a short time. Subsequently he homesteaded some land near Robin, Idaho. Previous to this he worked in the mountains, getting timber. He arrived in Idaho in 1875 and farmed and raised stock for some time, achieving substantial success from the start. He was one of the organizers of the Cooperative Company at Arirno, Idaho, and he managed the store for some two years. In 1885 he was called on a mission by the church and he went to Scotland, where he remained two years. At the termination of that time he returned to Idaho and resumed farming until he came to Alberta in 1898, and located at Mountain View. He made the trip with horses and a covered wagon and he homesteaded some one hundred and sixty acres of raw prairie land near Mountain View. He hauled logs from the mountains to make his home and he made trips to Lethbridge and Macleod for supplies. He broke part of his land and specialized in raising cattle and horses, of which he had as many as two hundred head. He was one of the founders of the Mountain View Trading Company and managed the store successfully for some time. From 1915 to 1917 he served as Park ranger near Mountain View and in the winter of 1917 he was called to California on missionary work. He remained there until 1918, when he returned to Alberta and located at Cardston, where he built a home and has since resided. He has been police magistrate for two years, in which position he is satisfactorily discharging the many duties devolving upon him.

Mr. Henderson has been married three times. His first wife was Martha Pearson, who was born in Farmington, Utah, and to their union eight children were born: Mary, the wife of George Allen of Ogden, Utah; Catherine, who is decease(]; Josephine, the wife of Joseph Tippets of Ogden, Utah; Janett, whose demise occurred in infancy; William, who is living in Ashton, Idaho; Robert, who is living in Idaho; Christina, who is the wife of Abel Larsen of Ashton, Idaho; aIl(1 Albert G., who is a resident of Mountain View. Mr. Hen(lerson's second wife, Keziah Capell, was born in Lancashire, England, in 1882. To their union five children were born: Orsen E., who is living in Idaho; Jane, whose demise occurred in infancy; Clara, who is deceased, was the wife of Ben Hudson; Thomas Joseph is a resident of Salt Lake City, and served on a mission in the southern states, most of the time in Georgia, from 1916 to 1917. He is a veteran of the World war, having served with the United States Marines; and Ross, who is living at Robin, Idaho. Mr. Henderson's third wife was Eliza Easthope, a native of Bountiful, Utah.

Mr. Henderson gives his political allegiance to the Conservative party and is quite active in local affairs. He is essentially public-spirited and is never too busy to give his aid in the furtherance of any movement for the benefit of the community at large. He devotes a great deal of his spare time to the church and is clerk of the second ward of Cardston, secretary of the High Priest Quorum of the Alberta Stake representative of the Genealogical Society.


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