“It’s not a hard-and-fast rule, but I believe that one of the key factors in being a good sister wife is having the ability to see the needs of another sister wife and considering her needs more important than your own.” 
― Meri Brown, Becoming Sister Wives: The Story of an Unconventional Marriage

The wives of William John Silver (1832-1918) faced many challenges that go beyond sharing one man, and throughout their lives they managed to show their inherent strength by supporting one another in desperate times, as their lives were brought together by the man who would become my third great-grandfather. William Silver first entered into wedlock in 1852 in Staffordshire, England to Mary Askie (1829-1862). In 1855 Mary – pregnant with their second child, their son William Askie Silver (1853-1855), and William John Silver all set sail from England to New York to join their Mormon brethren. Joining them in their voyage was Mary Pile who would years later also marry William. Toward the end of their journey Mary gave birth to their second son, John Askie Silver (1855-1916) while on the New Jersey Atlantic Ocean; it was noted in William’s diary that sister Mary Pile tended to sister Mary Askie in the days following childbirth. Even under the most dire of circumstances, sister Mary Pile was there to care for sister Mary Askie and her children in their time of need.

Sister Askie, sister Pile, and William Askie all suffered illness with all too brief reprieves of good health throughout much of the journey. Shortly after their arrival in New York, the family lost their eldest son, William Askie Silver. Mary Askie and William had 3 more children together of which sadly, only 3 of their 5 offspring lived to reach adulthood. The brave Mary Askie died of a fever in 1862 at the young age of 33 in Salt Lake City, Utah. This was less than a year after giving birth to her 5th child, Mary Askie Silver, who’s short life would be robbed by cancer the following year. Thus she left behind her three boys John, Joseph, and Hyrum, and dying infant Mary to be cared for by William. Fortunately for William and the children, it would not be long before they were in the loving care of another sister.

The following year William married Elizabeth Price (1835-1869) of Leicestershire, England and the year after that the couple’s first daughter, Elizabeth Price Silver, arrived in 1864. Sadly, baby Elizabeth died of jaundice only one week later. In 1865 Elizabeth gave birth to another daughter, Marian Price Silver, who would leave this earth at the young age of 12 from diptheria. About two years later Elizabeth gave birth to her only child who would reach adulthood, Mary Ann Price Silver. Then in 1869, tragedy struck the Silver family once again as Elizabeth gave birth to her fourth and final child, William Price Silver, whose tiny life ended that same day. One week later Elizabeth herself would leave this life all too soon, leaving William John Silver with not only Marian Price and Mary Ann Price but also with his boys John Askie, Joseph Askie, and Hyrum Askie Silver in his care. This time there would be no lapse in time when the children were motherless as yet another resilient sister had already stepped up to the plate.

Fortunately for William and the children, he had married my third great-grandmother the previous year. In 1868 William married 17 year-old Althea Caroline Jones who by 1870 is 19 and filling the role of mother to three boys aged 14, 12, and 10 and three girls aged 6, 3, and 2 years. Also listed in the household in the same 1870 census are 40 year-old female Annie Silver whose occupation is listed as “helper mother” and 12 year-old girl Amelia Jones. Amelia is most likely Althea’s younger sister who whose life would be cut short in childbirth at the tender young age of eighteen. With no obvious record of William having a sister by the name of Annie, she is presumed to be Anne Brooks, Althea’s maternal aunt, who would officially marry William in 1880. While it is unclear whether Annie was actually married at this time, one thing is certain, that she cared for her sisters and those they left behind when she was needed most.

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In this photo: Joseph Askie Silver 1857-1930, Clarence Watson Silver 1895-1962, William John Silver 1832-1918, Mary Gibbison 1826-1909, Elizabeth Farnes 1870-1925, Mary Frances Silver 1883-1972, Watson Askie Silver 1898-1983, Ellen Leona Silver 1887-1980, Harold Farnes Silver 1901-1984, Eleanor Farnes Silver 1899-1961, Joseph Watson Silver 1889-1962,
John Watson Silver 1892-1982, Mary Eleanor Watson 1856-1941, Althea Caroline Jones 1851-1942

Althea Caroline (Jones) Silver had a lot more on her plate than most 19 year-olds. She was married to a man with five children from previous marriages and one child of her own, along with her younger sister. In 1870 Mary Pile would become William Silver’s fourth wife, 15 years after they traveled together from England. By this time Mary Pile was a divorced homeopathic doctor and mother to David Pile Felt (1860-1937), Nathaniel Henry Felt (1861-1938), Mary Adelia Felt (1864-1968). She brought all three of her children to join her in the Silver household and would bear two more children with her new husband, William Pile Silver (1872-1925) and Mary Pile Silver (1873-1874). By the time Anne Brooks and William John Silver tied the knot in 1880, Althea would be giving birth to the newest member of the Silver family, my second great-grandmother Caroline Jones Silver (1880-1962). She would eventually birth two more children, bringing her total number of children to eight, plus those of the other Silver sisters. There is also record of William marrying a Hannah Sims in 1862 along with evidence that there may have been eight Silver wives in total. Together these women created a family and a home, while caring for one another’s children when called upon.

There is still much research to be done on this family, hence the phrase “Part One” in the title. This week the series writing prompt was “challenge” based on the #52Ancestors writing prompts by Amy Johnson Crow, which in turn led me to write about this family who was not only challenging to research but also faced their own set of unique challenges. Week three’s writing prompt in the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks series will be “unusual name.” Look for a continuation on the Silver family next week when I write about the unusual naming convention that William used for the Silver children.

It is only the last two years that I have been researching my ancestors of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and as well as the religion and history of the Mormon Pioneers. It is my mission to honor my ancestors and their religions. If you are researching any of the names in my blog or have an interest in LDS genealogy in general, I would love to hear about it in the comments.

Sources:

Diary of William John Silver: https://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/mii/account/290

 

Year: 1870; Census Place: Salt Lake City Ward 19, Salt Lake, Utah Territory; Roll: M593_1611; Page: 705B; Family History Library Film: 553110

Source Information

Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2009. Images reproduced by FamilySearch.

 Photo credit: Silver family in front of Silver Mansion on 8-9th West, Salt Lake City. Retrieved from web: FamilySearch Photos. Contributed by: Marilyn Silver Wood, 4 April 2015. https://www.familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/14844939?p=21125933&returnLabel=William%20John%20Silver%20(KWCB-XRP)&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.familysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2Fmemories%2FKWCB-XRP