Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet House

Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet Home, sometime after 1882.

This is a post which I have certainly enjoyed writing. Not only is this site a historic home and the site of a PokeStop, you could also say that it is a family home. Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet was my 6th great uncle. The home is still standing, and is still being used as a residence. In front of the home is a marker which is pictured below. The marker reads as follows:

SYLVANUS CYRUS HULET

1826-1901

A CONVERT OF 1831

UTAH PIONEER 1850

SETTLED IN SPRINGVILLE

CALLED TO THE DIXIE MISSION 1861

MOVED TO SUMMIT 1872

CHILDREN BY CATHERINE STOKER

JOHN RILEY

SARAH ANN

BARBARA ADLINDA

SYLVANUS CYRUS

SYLVESTER SILAS

CATHRYN MELISSA

EMMA TRYPHENIA

CHARLES FRANKLIN

LUELLA

OSCAR WILLARD

CHILDREN BY ELZINA R. MILLER

NORA DEAN

ELIZA ELLEN

MINNIE ELZINA

THERESA

CORA

DAUGHTER BY ELIZABETH DALLEY

EMMA WRIGHT

Marker Outside Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet Home

Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet was born on March 14, 1826 in Nelson, Ohio to Charles and Margaret Ann Noah Hulet. He was the fifth of eight children born to Charles and Margaret, who also adopted two children bringing their total to ten. Charles also had a son from his first wife, who died shortly after his birth, and two daughters from his fifth wife (she may have also been his sixth wife, as there is little evidence to support the validity of some of his marriages.) All in all there were thirteen Hulet children from three different marriages, plus five stepchildren belonging to Mary Lawson. The family converted to their new faith in 1831, and the children were all baptized as soon as they were old enough.

Sylvanus married Catherine Stoker on May 19, 1850 in Mt Pisgah, Iowa. After arriving in Utah Sylvanus and Catherine were called upon to help settle Springville, and he built a home there for them. His primary means of providing for the family were farming and chair making. In 1861 the family was called upon again to help settle a new region. This took them further south to Utah's Dixie where they helped to settle St. George, and Sylvanus again built a home there for his ever-growing family. Sometime before 1872 Sylvanus had purchased some farming land in Summit, about 60 miles north of St. George, and took to splitting his time between the two locations. The travel was quite difficult and time-consuming so in 1872 it was decided that the family would reside permanently in Summit. The couple served many church callings here. After the town's relief society was organized Catherine became the president. She did much to aid the sick, and this is what eventually led to her death. It is said that during an outbreak of disease she was tending to an afflicted family and caught the contagion herself. She died November 8, 1882.

After Catherine's death Sylvanus married Elzina Robena Miller, who was born in Parowan to Robert and Eliza Patterson Miller on February 9, 1861. There were seven children in her family, and her parents found it difficult to make ends meet with such a large family to care for. Elzina often worked outside the home doing household chores such as washing clothes to help earn additional income for the family. She worked in Sylvanus and Catherine's home for several months before Catherine's passing. It is said that in her final days Catherine asked Sylvanus to marry Elzina, as she knew how the household was to be run. They were married in 1883, and had five daughters (one of whom was adopted.) She was a good cook, and was very generous. No one left her home without a good amount of deliciously prepared food. The family had a ranch in the mountains where they produced cheese and butter, and kept bees for honey. She lived as a widow for 29 years, passing away in 1930.

Sylvanus married a second wife, Alice Elizabeth "Betsey" Dalley, in 1884. She was born to James and Emma Wright Dalley on November 1, 1860 in Summit, Utah. Her mother bore 15 children, 11 of whom survived. In 1863 Betsey and two of her brothers were stricken with fever. Both of her brothers eventually died, and Betsey was ill for several months. Once she had recovered it was discovered that she was blind in one eye and completely deaf. Her mother had never been a particularly strong woman, and in 1875 she died, shortly after giving birth to her 15th child. Her father had three other wives besides Emma, and was the father of some 44 children, although only 30 survived. I haven't been able to find much information on Betsey herself. She and Sylvanus were married October 7, 1883. The couple had one daughter who they named Emma Wright, after Betsey's mother.


Sylvanus was the bishop of the Summit  Ward until 1888. He passed away October 22, 1901. Of the three homes he built while creating towns out of barren land, only the Summit home remains. The photo below shows what it looks like in 2018. Hopefully it will be around for a while longer yet.

Sylvanus Cyrus Hulet Home 2018

Bodil Mortensen Memorial

This memorial, which also houses a Poke-gym, is located in the Parowan Heritage Park at 19 Old US Highway 91 in Parowan, Utah. The memorial consists of a bronze sculpture of Mormon Pioneers traveling with a handcart, and an etched plaque.

The plaque reads: 

"Tribute to Bodil Mortensen

Welcome home our dear and beloved Bodil. Not to the valley where your sister anxiously awaited your arrival, but to this small peaceful valley which is now your spiritual place of rest here on earth. The same valley wherein lie the bodies of parents and many family members. Bodil Malene Mortensen was born in Denmark on August 5, 1846 to Neils Otto Mortensen and Maren Kristine Hansen Mortensen. Not to parents of royalty, great privilege or wealth. Just people of ordinary Danish status whose intention it was to migrate to America and join other members of a newly found religion.

Bodil's pilgrimage to the new world was not without the usual problems encountered in oceanic and land travel, but the story of Bodil and her family is only one such story that could be told as there were hundreds of others that suffered through the same trials and tribulations as did they. Many completed their journey, but several like Bodil perished during their trek westward. A tribute to these people seems like a small acknowledgement for what they gave to us all. Their honor and influence did not stop at their graveside. For this we give eternal thanks and gratitude. Memorial presented by members of Bodil's Family."

Bodil's journey to Zion began when she was nine years old. Her older sister had made the journey the year before and was living in Salt Lake City. Bodil's parents decided to send her with some family friends, Jens and Elsie Nielson, along with their son Niels, and then they would make the journey the following year. During the long trek, which began in Denmark, Bodil was charged with helping Jens and  Elsie look after Niels who was 4 years younger than her. They had many experiences together, both good and bad. 

After arriving in America the group traveled by train to Iowa City where they joined up with the Willie Handcart Company. The winter storms had begun early, causing problems for the company. They traveled up Rocky Ridge, a particularly difficult 15 mile trek, in one such storm. Upon arriving at camp it appears that Bodil was sent to gather firewood, as they found the young girl frozen to death the next morning, still clutching some twigs in her hands. The rest of her family made their journey West the next year, and passed by Bodil's grave in Rock Creek, Wyoming without knowing of her death. They settled in Parowan, Utah, which is why this memorial was placed there by her family. Her mother was never the same after learning of Bodil's death, and eventually died of a nervous breakdown.