Transcribed by Ben Parkinson, May 2006 from photocopies from the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
These need to have the source identified and to be corrected and proofread.
Dr. Seymour Bicknell Young, 87 years old, pioneer Utah physician, and senior president of the First Seven Presidents of Seventy of the L. D. S. church, died early yesterday morning at his home, 48 Fourth East street. Death was due to general debility, following an illness of ten days.
Although his health had been somewhat poor for a period of several months, Dr. Young was able to attend to his duties in the office of the Seventies in the church office building until about ten days ago. Since that time he had grown weaker gradually until the end came.
Born in Kirtland, Lake county, Ohio, October 3, 1837, Dr. Young was the son of th elate President Joseph Young and Mrs. Jane Bicknell Young. His father as an older brother of President Brigham Young. Early in his life his parents moved to Nauvoo, Ill., where they remained until the general expulsion of the Mormon people from the place in 1847, when they moved with their family to Winter Quarters. During his residence in Nauvoo, Dr. Young saw much of Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon church, and during his later years was fond of recalling those early days.
In 1850 the family came to Utah, and although Dr. Young was only a boy of 13 at the time, he drove an ox team across the plains in 1851. Dr. Young attended the lectures of Orson Pratt at the University of Deseret. Three years later, in the fall of 1854, he went with a party of men sent by President Brigham Young to settle Cache Valey. There he helped build the first house and establish the first colony in that region.
Dr. Young was called on a mission for the L. D. S. church in Great Britain in the spring of 1857, and left Salt Lake with a party of seventy others in April of that year, pushing a handcart to the Missouri river, a distance of about 1000 miles. He always took great pride in the fact that the members of this company averaged a bout twenty-five mils a day on the journey, although much of the way they were hampered by snow and mud.
When President Lincoln telegraphed President Brigham in 1862 for a company of men to serve in the federal army and protect the mail and telegraph liens west of the Missouri river, Dr. Young was one of those to enlist. He became a corporal in the Lot Smith company and served until honorably discharged in 1863. In the winter of 1863–64 he saw service against the Digger Utes in Tooele county and the Cedar mountains, and in 1866 was a member of the expedition sent to Sanpete and Sevier counties in the Black Hawk Indian war of Utah. At the time of his death, Dr. Young was a member of the John Quincy Knowlton post, G. A. R., and junior vice commander for the department of Utah and an officer in the Black Hawk Indian war veterans.
In 1870 he was called on a second mission to Great Britain. On this trip he preformed missionary labors for the L. D. S. church under the direction of his father, President Joseph Young.
Upon his return to Utah he d[...] to study medicine. He had attended the church schools here and the University of Deseret. When he decided to make medicine his life’s work he selected the University of New York as his school. Here he studied under Dr. Darling, Dr. John William Draper and others. He was graduated from that institution in 1874, receiving the bronze medal as the third honor student in his class, which numbered more than 200. The graduation services that year were held in the Old Peter Cooper Institute.
Following his graduation Dr. Young chose Salt Lake as the place in which to begin his practice. In the early days of his practice he was associated with Dr. William F. Anderson and Drs. Joseph and Denton Benedict. He was personal physician to President Brigham Young, one of the organizers of the Utah Medical Society, and at one time superintendent of the territorial mental hospital, then located in Salt Lake.
Dr. Young gained a high and wide reputation as a physician. He continued his studies during his later years and endeavored to keep in touch with all modern discoveries and developments in the medical world. Besides this he was always interested in the civic and economic development of Utah and did much to advance that growth. He passed through the hardships and privastions of early pioneer life and in his declining years took great delight in recounting those experiences for the benefit of the members of the younger generations.
His professional activities, however, were not such that he could not find time to devote to the labors of his church. In October, 1882, he was called by President John Taylor, then head of the Mormon church, to be one of the first council of seventy, and at the death of Jacob Gates he became senior president in that quorum.
On April 14, 1867, he married Elizabeth Riter, by whom he had twelve children, ten of whom survive. They are Seymour B. Young Jr., Mrs. M. D. Wells, Florence Pearl Young, Levi Edgar Young, Mrs. Willard Arnold, Elma Young, Clifford E. Young, Irene Young, Mrs. Orson M. Rogers and Mrs. J. T. Hammond, Jr.
Later he married Abbie C. Wells, who, with one child, Mrs. Nana Clark, survives.
Brothers and sisters are B. Bicknell Young of Chicago, the Misses Vilate Fannie and Henrietta Young and Mrs. Chloe Benedict of Seattle, and Mrs. Myra Russell of this city. The late Judge Le Grand Young was a brother.
Funeral arrangements will be completed upon the arrival of Dr. Young’s son, Levi Edgar Young, from the east.
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Dr. Seymour B. Young, pioneer of Utah and senior president of the First Presidents of Seventies, died at his home, 48 south Fourth SEast street, Monday morning. He had been in poor health for several months.
President Young was born in Kirtland, Ohio, Oct. 3, 1837, son of the late President Joseph Young and Jane Bicknell. His father was the elder brother of President Brigham Young.
Very early in life, President Young’s parents moved to Nauvoo where they resided until the general expulsion of the “Mormon” people, when they moved with their family to Winter Quarters.
He distinctly remembered the Prophet Joseph Smith, and saw him pass his father’s home on his way to Carthage.
He lived as a child through those trying days of persecution of the Saints. His mother fled from her home at the time of the Haun’s Mill massacre, and with the baby Seymour lay quietly in the woods until the trouble at the little town of Haun’s Mill subsided.
In 1850 the family emigrated to Utah. In 18651 he attended the lectures given by Orson Pratt at the University of Deseret.
He participated in the early development of the territory, performing labors incident to early day development.
In 1872 he entered New York university, where he studied under the famous Dr. Darling, John William Draper and others. He was graduated from the Medical College in 1874, receiving the bronze medal as third honor student of his class out of a total of 208.
The graduation exercises were held in the old Peter Cooper Institute in New York.
Dr. Young was probably the oldest college graduate in the state of Utah, a record in which he took great pride.
His success as a physician is attested by the fact that hundreds of people tell of the great worth of Dr. Young in years gone by as a man of medicine. No physician ever administered greater comfort to his sick than he did. His very spirit was one of happiness and hope.
In the early days he was associated with Dr. Wm. F. Anderson and the Drs. Joseph and Denton Benedict. He was one of the organizers of the Utah Medical Society and at one time medical superintendent of the territorial mental hospital, when located in Salt Lake. He was personal physician of President Brigham Young.
He was called on a mission to Great Britain, and with 70 others left Salt Lake City in April, 1857, pushing handcarts to the Missouri river. On this trip of over 1,000 miles they averaged 25 miles a day, notwithstanding the greater part of the journey was made [...] snow and mud.
In 1870 he went to England a second time in company with his father, Prest. Joseph Young where he also performed missionary labors.
October 6, 1882, he was [...] by President John Taylor to [...] of the First Council of Seventy and at the death of elder [...] Gates he became the senior president of that quorum.
Dr. Young has always taken [...] active part in civic affairs. He assisted in early days in putting [...] many Indian uprisings, and [...]ed in the Union army during the Civil war, in the Lot Smith [...]ade.
He was a member of the [...] R. and the Blackhawk Indian [...] veterans and at the time of his death was a local officer of [...] former.
On April 14, 1867 he m[...] Elizabeth Riter, by whom he had twelve children, ten of whom survive: Seymour B. Young, Jr., [...] M. D. Wells, Fllorence Pearl Young, Levi Edgar Young, Mrs. W[...] Arnold, Mrs. Orson M. R[...] Clifford E. Young, Mrs. J. T. [...], Jr., Elma Young [...]