Henry Elisha Perry
1827-1875

Life Sketch of Henry Elisha Perryby Lucy P. Holton, Daughter
Henry Elisha Perry was born the 24th of August, 1827, at Lewis, Essex County, New York. He was the third son of Gustavus Adolphus and Eunice Wing Perry. His older brothers were named Alonzo and Lorenzo. He also had three sisters named Rosalie, Melvina and Lucy.

Prepared for the gospelThey were prepared for the Gospel Message by a stranger visiting their home. He was a man of striking personality with long hair and beard. When he entered their home he said, "Peace be unto the inhabitants of this house." He talked about ancient prophecy and said that ere long the Kingdom of God would be established and would flourish in the West.

He said they would soon behold an ancient record, containing the everlasting Gospel and that the New Jerusalem would be built upon this continent.

Missionaries
Amasa M. Lyman, William E. McLellen, Jared Carter and others brought the Gospel to the part of the country where they lived, in the year 1832. Grandfather's whole family gladly received the message and was baptized into the Church.

They opened their home for the elders to hold meetings while they remained in New York. They moved to Farr West, Missouri, in the year 1838 and were with the Church during their many persecutions, drivings and mobbings. When the Church members were driven from Far West, they went to Adams County and then to Hancock County, Illinois; and afterwards to Winter Quarters.

Work in MissouriWhile here Father and Uncle Alonzo, his oldest brother, went back to Missouri to find work in order to get provisions for the rest of the Family to move to Utah. Father obtained work with a man who was a Roman Catholic and was married to a woman who had 2 children, but he had no children of his own. There didn't seem to be much affection between him and his wife. He owned twelve hundred acres of land in the Missouri River Bottoms and also a freight outfit for hauling provisions to Santa Fe, New Mexico and Laramie, Wyoming.

After working for some time on the farm, father was sent out to drive one of the teams, and the next trip he was given full charge of the freighting outfits. He did this work for four years. They fed the Indians so their trains were never molested.

A great testimony of father's honesty, or at least the confidence this man had in him, was given when father was going to leave his employer and move to Utah. He told father if he would stay that he would deed him all his possessions, for he had confidence that father would take good care of him the rest of his life. But of course the call of the Gospel was worth more to father than land and freight outfits, and he was anxious to gather with the Saints.

ElizabethWhile working in Missouri my father became acquainted with and married Elizabeth Zabriskie, daughter of Abraham and Susannah Holt or Hultz Zabriskie.

Left Missouri
My mother's father died sometime before they left Missouri and mother inherited forty acres of land and some money. The land they could not sell and had to leave, but the money, together with what father had earned, fitted them out very well for the trip west. They had one team of horses, six yoke of oxen and two wagons. Uncle Alonzo drove one wagon. They also helped others. Brother and Sister Boyle, who located in Ogden, and Brother and Sister Dunn (Anson) who located in Salt Lake. They and father and mother were very good friends as long as they lived.

John Hindly was captain of their company, containing two hundred souls, equipped for the trip with forty-six wagons. Father and Uncle Alonzo were both good shots and were often sent out to get some buffalo for the Company.

Three Mile Creek (Perry)
They arrived in Utah, Monday the 3rd of September, 1855, and settled at Three Mile Creek, now Perry, Box Elder County. Grandfather and the rest of the family had come to Utah two years before and settled at this place. They had taken up considerable land, which they divided with Uncle Alonzo and father.

Father had a good farm and raised some sheep. Mother would wash the wool, card it, spin it, and weave it into cloth, form which she made suits and dresses for father, herself and the children.

Children
They had eight children, three boys and five girls. They were: Susan Amelia, born 2 June, 1849 at Pottawattamie Co., Iowa; Eunice Jane, born 18 November, 1854 at Farley, Platt Co., Mo.; Henry Morgan, born 3 December 1856; Rosalie Elvira born 15 February 1859; Hyrum Elisha, born 20 March 1861; Margaret Melvina, born 9 May 1863; Heber William, born 25 October 1866; and Lucy Elizabeth, born 11 June 1870. The last six children were all born at Perry, Utah.

Plural Wife
Father married Lydia Thorne, daughter of Ashel Thorne and Sarah Lester, in the Celestial order of Marriage, by who he had one daughter Sarah Sophronia, born 18 November 1859 at Perry, Utah. They were later divorced.

Fruit trees
They soon had fruit trees planted and within a few years were raising their own fruits and vegetables, grain, etc. I believe they had the first yellow peach raised in the town, and many a happy day did we children spend under the early harvest apple tree.

Church and Civic Leader
Father was presiding elder for several years, before the town was organized into a ward. He was chosen captain of a company of men to guard against the Indians. He also, took a great interest in all church and civic affairs of the town.

Father had very poor health, during the last thirteen years of his life, suffering from tuberculosis of the lungs. He died the 19th day of May 1875.

Life Stories of Henry Elisha Perry and Elizabeth Zabriskie
By David Ririe
Henry Elisha Perry was born on August 8, 1827 in Essex County, New York to Eunice Wing and Gustavus Adolphus Perry. Henry Elisha was the fifth child and the third son born to the family. Elizabeth Zabriskie was born on 20 August 1828 in Vermillion County, Ohio to Abraham Zabriskie and Susannah Holt. Their first child, Susan Amelia, was born on 3 June 1849 in Pottawattomie County and Eunice Jane was born on 18 November 1854 in Farley, Platte County, Missouri. The rest of their children were born after they immigrated to Utah in 1855 where they settled with other members of the Perry family in Three Mile Creek. Three Mile Creek was later name Perry, Utah in honor of the Perry family. It is located north of Salt Lake City in Box Elder County. One can only imagine the hardships these folks, and especially Elizabeth, the young mother endured during the arduous trip to Utah. They raised eight children on a farm in Perry, Utah. Henry died at Perry on 19 May 1875 at 48 years of age. Elizabeth died on 23 April 1902 at Rockland, Power County, Idaho. Both are buried in the Brigham City, Utah Cemetery.

The Mysterious Stranger –
How the Perrys Joined the ChurchBy Clare O'Kelly
In the year 1830 in a small town in Northern New York, there lived the Perry family. Mr. Perry and his wife had six children. They lived on a farm and worked very hard to take care of the animals and crops. All the children had chores to do each day. After supper at night they sat at the kitchen table while Mother, Rosalie and Amanda washed the dishes. Sometimes Father would light the lantern and read from one of his books. Other times they just talked and sang together.

One rainy evening the family was seated around the table when they heard a strange noise at the door. They heard footsteps coming through the hallway. A strange man, with a flowing white beard appeared at the doorway, carrying a small, black puppy under his arm. He was a traveler and asked if he could stay in their home for the night.

Father invited the stranger to sit down and motioned for fifteen-year-old Rosalie to hang up his hat and coat. A look of astonishment crossed her face as she went to brush the raindrops from his coat.

"His coat is dry!" she whispered to Amanda, her twelve-year-old sister.

"It's raining hard outside," Amanda whispered back. "His coat can't be dry!" She touched the coat. Rosalie was right. The man had walked in from the rain with a dry coat. What a mysterious stranger!

Mother prepared a plateful of food and set it in front of the stranger. He put the little puppy on the floor to play with the children, and thanking Mother, he ate his supper. When he finished eating he asked six-year-old Lorenzo to bring him his knapsack.

Lorenzo brought it to him and the stranger reached inside and pulled out a book. He opened the book and began to read from it. The language sounded much like the scriptures that Father read from the Bible. The stranger said that the words in the book were the words of God. He told Father that soon this book would be published and many people would be able to read it. He told Father he should try very hard to get a copy of the book to read.

The next morning after breakfast the stranger prepared to leave. He said goodbye to all the children and to Mother and Father. Then he opened the door and left. Lorenzo ran to the window to watch him walk away.

"Where did he go?" he cried.

Everyone crowded around the window. The man had disappeared! Orrin and Rosalie ran outside and looked up and down the road, but could see no sign of the stranger. It was as if he had disappeared into thin air!

Many months later Father came home from town one day. He told Mother about a missionary he had met in town. The missionary sold him a book. After supper everyone sat down to hear Father read from the new book. Father opened the book and began to read. A strange feeling filled the small kitchen.

Mother whispered, "Why, that's the book the mysterious stranger read to us."

"What's it called?" asked Rosalie.

Father turned the book over. "The Book of Mormon" he told her.

Every night the family gathered together to read the Book of Mormon. Soon they had read the whole book. Father and Mother believed the book was true. They asked the missionaries to baptize them and their children. After they were baptized they often held meetings in their home. Later they joined the Saints in the west.

This is a true story about Gustavus Adolphus Perry, his wife, Eunice Wing and their children and how they learned about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, soon after it was restored and organized by the Prophet Joseph Smith.