Born 20 Sept. 1852 in Salt Lake City.[1] Daughter of Lawrence Sterne Hotchkiss and Hannah Corilla Free.[2] Raised by Daniel Hanmer Wells, her mother’s second husband.[3] Married Seymour Bicknell Young, 28 Apr. 1884, in Salt Lake City; two children.[4] Emigrated to England, early 1885, to avoid involvement in court matters concerning her polygamist husband.[5] Used the surname Chapin while residing in England and for many years after she returned to Utah.[6] Returned to North America; lived in New York, Connecticut, Canada, and Colorado before settling in Utah Territory in Oct. 1886.[7] Interacted on numerous occasions with EBW.[8] Died 25 Sept. 1930 in Salt Lake City.[9]
[1] “Endowments of the Living, 1851–1884,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. F, p. 18, Abby Wells, 18 Aug. 1866, microfilm 183405 (restricted access), FHL. Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender: The Life of Daniel H. Wells (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016), 137–138. “Family Tree,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org, accessed 21 June 2018), Abby Corilla Wells (KWJT-N5V).
[2] Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender: The Life of Daniel H. Wells (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016), 136–138.
[3] Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender: The Life of Daniel H. Wells (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016), 136–138.
[4] “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. M, p. 51, Seymour Bicknel Young and Abbie Coralie Wells, 28 Apr. 1884, microfilm 183402 (restricted access), FHL. “It Did Not Pan Out,” Salt Lake Herald, 8 Sept. 1888, 8. 1900 U.S. Census, Fourth Precinct, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., UT, ED 38, p. 8B, Abbie C. Chapin.
[5] “It Did Not Pan Out,” Salt Lake Herald, 8 Sept. 1888, 8. Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender: The Life of Daniel H. Wells (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016), 389.
[6] “It Did Not Pan Out,” Salt Lake Herald, 8 Sept. 1888, 8. Quentin Thomas Wells, Defender: The Life of Daniel H. Wells (Logan: Utah State University Press, 2016), 389. 1900 U.S. Census, Fourth Precinct, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake Co., UT, ED 38, p. 8B, Abbie C. Chapin.
[7] “It Did Not Pan Out,” Salt Lake Herald, 8 Sept. 1888, 8.
[8] EBW, Diary, 28 Apr. 1891; 9 Aug. 1892; 16 Aug. 1894; 2 Feb. 1896; 20 Sept. 1902.
[9] “Utah Death Certificate Index, 1904–1961,” database and images, Utah State Archives (https://archives.utah.gov, accessed 20 June 2018); from Utah Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, series 81448, file no. 520/150 (1930), Abbie Wells Young.