Charles William Penrose
Born 4 Feb. 1832 at Camberwell, Surrey, England.[1] Son of Richard Penrose Jr. and Matilda Simms.[2] Baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, by 14 May 1850.[3] Served as a missionary in Great Britain, 1851–1861.[4] Married Lucetta Stratford, 21 Jan. 1855, in Maldon, Essex, England.[5] Served as counselor to Milo Andrus while emigrating to the U.S. aboard the Underwriter, arriving in New York City 22 May 1861.[6] Traveled to Utah Territory with the Homer Duncan pioneer company, arriving 13 Sept. 1861.[7] Participated in plural marriage.[8] Served another mission to Britain, May 1865–Sept. 1868.[9] Served as assistant editor of the Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 1867–1868.[10] Worked as assistant editor, editor, and business manager for the Ogden Junction newspaper, 1870–1877, in Ogden, Weber Co., Utah Territory.[11] Served on the Ogden City Council, 1871–1877.[12] Represented Weber Co. at a convention to write the constitution for the proposed state of Utah, 1872.[13] Served in the Utah territorial legislature, 1876, 1880, 1882.[14] Sponsored a bill to remove the “political disabilities” of the women of Utah Territory, 1880.[15] Edited the Deseret News, 1880–1892, 1899–1906.[16] Contacted U.S. political leaders in the eastern U.S. in behalf of statehood for Utah before leaving on another mission to England, 1885.[17] His wife Romania Bunnell Pratt was a close friend of EBW; often visited with EBW and repeatedly invited her to dine with them.[18] Served as assistant church historian, 1896–1898.[19] Early member of the Genealogical Society of Utah, 1896; served as president, 1921–1925.[20] Ordained as an apostle, 7 July 1904.[21] Served as president of the European mission, 1906–1910.[22] Served as a member of the First Presidency under Joseph F. Smith and Heber J. Grant, 1911–1925.[23] Wrote “Oh Ye Mountains High” and three other hymns included in the 1985 hymnal.[24] Died 15 May 1925 at Salt Lake City.[25]
[1] “Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1917,” database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com, accessed 5 Mar. 2020), Charles William Penrose. “Endowments of the Living, 1861–1864,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. D, 27 Apr. 1861–20 Feb. 1864, p. 84, line 24, Charles Wm Penrose, 7 Dec. 1861, microfilm 183404, DGS 5270327 (restricted access), FHL. Nellie Todd Taylor, Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 16 (1925): 38–39, 139–140. Portrait, Genealogical and Biographical Record of the State of Utah (Chicago: National Historical Record, 1902), 97–98. “Family Tree,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org, accessed 25 July 2019), Charles William Penrose (KWNP-9W1).
[2] “Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813–1917,” database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com, accessed 5 Mar. 2020), Charles William Penrose. “Endowments of the Living, 1861–1864,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. D, 27 Apr. 1861–20 Feb. 1864, p. 84, line 24, Charles Wm Penrose, 7 Dec. 1861, microfilm 183404, DGS 5270327 (restricted access), FHL. “Church of England Marriages and Banns, 1754–1932,” database, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com, accessed 5 Mar. 2020). Nellie Todd Taylor, Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine 16 (1925): 38–39, 139–140. Edward W. Tullidge, The History of Salt Lake City and Its Founders (Salt Lake City: E. W. Tullidge, 1886), 76. Kenneth W. Godfrey, “Charles W. Penrose: The English Mission Year,” BYU Studies Quarterly 27, no. 1 (Jan. 1987): 114.
[3] “Endowments of the Living, 1861–1864,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. D, 27 Apr. 1861–20 Feb. 1864, p. 84, line 24, Charles Wm Penrose, 7 Dec. 1861, microfilm 183404, DGS 5270327 (restricted access), FHL. “Charles W. Penrose,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Early Church Information File, card 38, microfilm 1750705, DGS 7100497, image 4627/15356, FHL. Charles W. Penrose, Poems (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1950), 7. “Charles W. Penrose,” Go Ye into All the World (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/missionary/, accessed 11 Mar. 2020).
[4] Ninety-Third Semi-Annual Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: Afternoon Session (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1922), 28. Kenneth W. Godfrey, “Charles W. Penrose: The English Mission Year,” BYU Studies Quarterly 27, no. 1 (Jan. 1987): 113–126.
[5] “England & Wales Marriages, 1837–2005,” database, Find My Past (https://www.findmypast.com, accessed 11 Mar. 2020), Charles William Penrose. “Penrose, Charles William,” in Andrew Jenson, Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History, 1901), 257.
[6] “Departure,” Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 4 May 1861, 284. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, European Missions, Emigration Registers 1855–1863, p. 39, Charles W. Penrose, microfilm 025691, DGS 8087183, image 47/762, FHL. Andrew Jenson, Church Chronology: A Record of Important Events Pertaining to the History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1899), 65.
[7] “Charles William Penrose,” Pioneer Database (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/, accessed 25 July 2019). “Report of Elder Homer Duncan’s Mission to England in the Years 1860 and 1861,” Pioneer Database (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/sources/4697/duncan-homer-report-of-elder-homer-duncan-s-mission-to-england-in-the-years-1860-and-1861, accessed 7 Aug. 2019).
[8] “Sealings of Couples Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. D, 22 Nov. 1861–22 Dec. 1866, pp. 185–186, line 5651, Charles William Penrose and Louisa Elizabeth Lusty, 31 Jan. 1863, microfilm 1149514, DGS 7226455 (restricted access), FHL.
[9] “Charles W. Penrose,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Early Church Information File, card 38, microfilm 1750705, DGS 7100497, image 4627/15356, FHL. “Charles W. Penrose,” Go Ye into All the World (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/missionary/, accessed 12 Mar. 2020. Kenneth W. Godfrey, “Charles W. Penrose: The English Mission Year,” BYU Studies Quarterly 27, no. 1 (Jan. 1987): 113–126.
[10] Andrew Jenson, “Penrose, Charles William,” Latter-day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History, 1901), 258.
[11] Ogden Junction (Ogden, Utah Territory), 23 Apr. 1870, 2. “Valedictory,” Salt Lake Daily Herald, 5 June 1877, 3. Hugh F. O’Neil, “First Ogden Newspaper Named ‘Salt Lake Telegram,’” Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner, 11 Feb. 1940, 22.
[12] “Election Returns,” Ogden Semi-Weekly Junction (Ogden, Utah Territory), 15 Feb. 1871, 2. “Local and Other Matters,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 21 Feb. 1877, 1.
[13] “Territorial Convention,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 19 Feb. 1872, 2.
[14] “Election Returns for Weber County,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 12 Aug. 1874, 446. “Territory of Utah, Legislative Assembly Rosters, 1851–1894,” Utah Division of Archives and Records Service (https://archives.utah.gov/research/guides/legislative-assembly-rosters.pdf, accessed 12 Mar. 2020), 41, 45, 47.
[15] “The Legislature,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 Jan. 1880, 125. “Legislative Proceedings,” Woman’s Exponent, 1 Mar. 1880, 1.
[16] “Valedictory,” Salt Lake Daily Herald, 5 June 1877, 3. “Appointment,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 8 Sept. 1880, 504. Andrew Jenson, Church Chronology: A Record of Important Events Pertaining to the History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1899), 199, 222. “The Deseret News,” Salt Lake Herald-Republican, 4 Jan. 1899, 8.
[17] William C. Seifret, “To Get U[tah] in the U[nion]: Diary of a Failed Mission,” Utah Historical Quarterly 51, no. 4 (Fall 1983): 358–381. “Arrivals,” and “Appointments,” Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 16 Mar. 1885, 170–171. “Release and Appointments,” Latter-day Saints’ Millennial Star, 30 Nov. 1885, 762. Kenneth W. Godfrey, “Charles W. Penrose: The English Mission Year,” BYU Studies Quarterly 27, no. 1 (Jan. 1987): 113–126.
[18] EBW, Diary, 8 Aug. 1892; 11 Jan. 1898; 23 Aug. 1898; 27 Apr. 1899; 16 Dec. 1900; 14 Oct. 1904.
[19] Historian’s Office, “Church Recorders and Historians List,” May 1898, p. 4, CR 100 43 (restricted access), CHL. Andrew Jenson, Church Chronology: a Record of Important Events Pertaining to the History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1899), 211. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Church Historian Timeline” (Salt Lake City: Intellectual Reserve, Inc., 2014).
[20] Utah Genealogical Society, Genealogical Society of Utah: to the Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: Genealogical Society of Utah, n.d.). “President Charles W. Penrose,” Utah Genealogical and Historical Magazine, July 1925, 97–101.
[21] Andrew Jenson, Church Chronology: A Record of Important Events Pertaining to the History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Supplement, 1905 (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1905), 20. “Charles W. Penrose Is Chosen as an Apostle,” Salt Lake Tribune, 9 July 1904, 7.
[22] “Charles W. Penrose,” Go Ye into All the World (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/missionary/, accessed 12 Mar. 2020). “UK and Ireland, Income Passenger Lists, 1878–1960,” database, Ancestry.com (https://ancestry.com, accessed 12 Mar. 2020), C.W. Penrose. “New York State, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1917–1967,” database, Ancestry.com (https://ancestry.com, accessed 12 Mar. 2020), Charles W. Penrose. Kenneth W. Godfrey, “Charles W. Penrose: The English Mission Year,” BYU Studies Quarterly 27, no. 1 (Jan. 1987): 113–126.
[23] “Ninetieth Anniversary of Prest. Charles W. Penrose,” Improvement Era, Feb. 1922, 354–358. “First Counselors in the First Presidency,” BYU Religious Studies Center (https://rsc.byu.edu/prophets-apostles-last-dispensation/charles-william-penrose, accessed 19 June 2020).
[24] Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1985), 34, 76, 248, 336.
[25] “Utah State Archives Indexes,” database and images, Utah State Archives (https://archives.utah.gov, accessed 25 July 2019), Department of Health, Office of Vital Records and Statistics, Death Certificates, series 81448, file no. 774/562 (1925), Charles William Penrose.