William Hennefer's father, James Hennefer Sr. (1791-1862), was a tinner, bucklemaker, and iron monger. When William was seven years old, his mother, Charlotte Hicken Hennefer (1793-1832) died and his father remarried around 1831 to Elizabeth Smith.

In October 1840 two missionaries convinced William and his brother James Hennefer, that the gospel was true and they were baptized in 1844. They immediately started to save for the trip to America. It took William four years to save enough. After his arrival in America, he obtained work in Trenton, New Jersey, where he met his future wife, Rebecca Ann Hays.

They traveled to Council Bluffs where they joined a company of Saints going west. Upon their arrival, they found a home and William opened the first sanitary barbershop in Salt Lake City, known as Hennefer's Shaving Salon.

In the spring of 1853, William and his brother, James, were called to take their families to Hennefer where they were to help the migrating Saints as much as possible by being blacksmiths,and raising fresh produce.

In the winter William was a policeman. In April Conference 1854 he called to the Southern Indian Mission where he helped build Fort Santa Clara and Fort Harmony. He did proselyting work among the Indians of Southern Utah.

William was called to serve as a member of the Deseret Dramatic Society to help with productions at the Social Hall. He was also called to be a freighter. He ran freight all over, even to San Bernardino, California.

The town of Henneferville was named after William and his brother James. In 1885 William asked to be released from his mission in Hennefer. He returned home to Salt Lake where he opened a barbershop on Main Street. He served as Sunday School Superintendant and ward teacher.

---by Joan Hennefer Clark

Children of William Hennefer and Rebecca Ann Hays Hennefer

1 Abraham Hays Hennefer Born: January 1, 1851 at Council Bluffs, Iowa Married: Nielsine Kjerstine A. Petersen on November 2, 1874 Died: May 17, 1931 in Salt Lake City, Utah

2 Rebecca Ann Hennefer Born: September 25, 1852 in Salt Lake City, Utah Married: Lewis De Mont Bunce (D); (2) William Whiting on March 15, 1869 (D); (3) Robert Jepson/Jeppesen on March 4, 1899 Died:  December 21. 1908

3 William Henry Hennefer Born: July 28, 1854 in Salt Lake City, Utah Married: Eliza Thompson McAllister on January 17, 1886 Died: January 13, 1913 at Salt Lake City, Utah

4 Edward Elijah Hennefer Born: September 5, 1857 in Salt Lake City, Utah Married: Hattie Jane Tibbits on September 4, 1885 Died: November 5, 1907

Children of William Hennefer and Siddy Dudley McNichols

1 James Wilford Hennefer Born:  May 13, 1857 in Salt Lake City, Utah Teen Died: October 18, 1873

2 Joseph Henry Hennefer Born: October 3, 1860 in Salt Lake City, Utah Young Died: December 3, 1880

3 Mary May Hennefer Born: May 7, 1865 Teen Died: October 11, 1877

4 Siddie Jane Hennefer Born: August 27, 1884 in Salt Lake City, Utah Infant Died: September 22, 1884

5 Nora Buck Hennefer Born: (Adopted at 7 years of age) Married: Joseph Henry Beck on December 26, 1899 Died: October 28, 1918 at Alpine, Utah, Utah

Mormon pioneers traveling west through Henefer Valley had seen a river meandering through flats of sagebrush. It seemed a place suitable for little else but camping and perhaps grazing. Blacksmiths James and William Hennefer, however, imagined they could make a living by offering their services to overland immigrants traversing the valley. When not blacksmithing, they could raise vegetables and grain by diverting water from the Weber River. Thus, in 1853, they founded what was first called Henneferville, later known as Henefer, by erecting the first of several log houses in the area. By 1860, others had joined them.

Henefer native Fannie Richins was appointed in 1932 as Captain of the local camp of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers . Her grandparents James Pope Paskett and Charlotte Buckingham opened Henefers first store, a cooperative. Under Fannies leadership, the new organization named themselves Camp Henefer and began work to construct a place to meet and house their collection of pioneer relics.

With the reorganization of officers in 1936, Lena Hennefer became captain of the dedicated group. The next year, Lena and her husband Theodore donated a lot on Center Street for the building. Theodores great grandfather was Hennefers first settler, James Hennefer. In December work began in earnest, with the excavation and pouring of a cement foundation. A log cabin, reflecting the dwellings of Henefers first pioneers, was planned. Ed Snow erected the building with the help of locals, finally completing the work in February 1940.

William Hennefer, announced that, “In Connection with my Barber Shop, I have just opened an Eating House, where Patrons will be Accommodated with every Edible Luxury the Valley Affords."

THE INDIAN MISSION

At the L.D.S. Church's October, 1853 General Conference, Jacob Hamblin had been called, with thirty-one others, to settle southern Utah and be a missionary to the Indians. Rufus Chester Allen had been called as their President. He had just returned from serving a "General Mission to the Pacific" with Parley P. Pratt. Their mission had taken them to Valparaiso and Quillota, Chile, for four months. Before running out of funds and returning home, they found that more fluency in Spanish was required. It might be noted here that, by rotation, each missionary who lived away from his family was required to spend three months each year with them.

Jacob was born on April 2, 1819, in Salem, Ohio, to Isaiah Hamblin and Daphne Haynes/Haines. He was, of course, William Haynes Hamblin's brother. In Spring Prarie, Wisconsin, on October 3, 1839, he had married his first wife, Lucinda Taylor. They had four children together. In Wisconsin, on March 3, 1842, he had joined the Mormon Church. He had left for Nauvoo later that same year. Lucinda had made the move during the Winter of the following year. Jacob had been ordained an "Elder in the quorum of Seventies" and sent on a political mission to Maryland in 1844. Later, he had returned to Nauvoo, but had fled to Iowa with the rest of the saints in February, 1846. On September 30, 1849, he had married his second wife, Rachael Judd-Henderson at Council Bluffs, Iowa. She was born September 15, 1821, in Johnstown, Canada, to Ezra Judd and Lucinda Adams. Rachael would have eight children. On September 1, 1850, Jacob had arrived in Salt Lake with his sizeable family, as well as some relatives. They all had settled in Toole. His family had become good friends with the Leavitts.

On April 6, 1854, he and other missionaries accompanied President Allen to establish the Indian Mission in southwestern Utah. They reached Harmony on May sixteenth. They waited there until President Young arrived (at the end of the month). Heber C. Kimball and Parley P. Pratt both had accompanied the Prophet. President Kimball prophesied that a wagon road would exist from Harmony over the Black Ridge. He also prophesied that a temple would stand near the Rio Virgin; and the Lamanites (American Indians) would come from the other side of the Colorado to get their endowments. Before leaving Harmony, they built a fort as protection against the Indians.

On June fifth, under the direction of President Allen, they started south along the Black Ridge. They camped that night near the present site of Toquerville. The following day, they camped on the Rio Virgin, opposite the present site of Washington. On the seventh, they camped near the present town of Santa Clara.

The area's Indians were friendly, and already farming along Santa Clara Creek. They had grown wheat, corn, squash, and melons, and had occupied those areas further south. The Annals of the Southern Utah Mission note:

Their chief farming implements were made of sticks of Ash, about 3' long, 3-4" wide towards the end, with the edges sharpened and running to a point. With these they made furrows for planting by throwing the soil right and left ahead of them while on their knees. It was found, in a day or two, that there were 250 men belonging to this camp.

Allen and the rest of the group returned to Harmony. Jacob Hamblin and William Hennefer stayed behind to visit the Indians of the Upper Clara. They found a few lodges and a sick woman the Indians had left for dead. Elder Hamblin administered to the woman. She arose and returned to her lodge. The sight of her return frightened her tribe, as they believed her dead. That June, both elders returned to Harmony with a newly acquired fame among the Indians. As Summer advanced, water at Harmony became scarce. Yet, there was much water at Santa Clara Creek. So, they decided part of the missionaries would settle the Santa Clara. As Summer was drawing to a close, those selected hurriedly left to build their cabins. The site they chose was at the west end of the present town of Santa Clara. Under assignment from President Allen, Jacob and the others would settle there. They soon started building an irrigation dam. Realizing the benefits a dam would bring, Chief Tur-se-gab-its directed 800 of his tribe to help in its construction.

http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:0bBdGNalquwJ:patriot.lib.byu.edu/ETD/image/
etd1153.pdf+%22William+Hennefer%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=12&gl=us&client=firefox-a

Also at: http://users.lasvegas.net/~wmpl/Leavitt3.htm#indian

Sources:

PAF - Archer files = Orson Pratt Brown + (3) Elizabeth Graham Macdonald ; adopted Marguerite Webb Brown + Otto Stronach Shill < Charles Golding Shill + Harriet Stronach Paynter < Robert Chapple Shill + Prudence Goulding > Louisa Shill + Charles Wager Richins > Orson Oriel Richins + Rachel Hennefer < James Hennefer Jr. + Sarah Ann Hulks >

Also a connection through Caroline Fife who married William Thomas Hennefer son of James Hennefer Jr. and Sarah Ann Hulks. William Hennefer 1823-1898 is the son of James Hennefer Sr. and Charlotte Hicken.; and the brother of James Hennefer Jr. 1820-1897.

SUP "Conquerors of the West: Stalwart Mormon Pioneers" Vol. II. pages 1073-1074 Written by Joan Hennefer Clark.

http://www.co.summit.ut.us/history/henefer/dup_cabin.html

http://www.familyheritageseries.org/histories/richins/hennefer.php

Additions, photos, bold, [bracketed information], etc. added by Lucy Brown Archer.

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org