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    Henry Woonsook
    (1895–1982)

    Henry Woonsook was a prominent member of the Washakie Ward who served in multiple bishoprics as a clerk and counselor and who later helped the church become established in the Bannock Creek region of the Fort Hall Reservation.1 Henry was born at Washakie on 3 February 1895 to Joseph and Mary Purdawat Woonsook.2 At least two of Henry’s grandparents had joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the 1870s alongside other Northwestern Shoshone, so Henry was raised as a third generation Latter-day Saint. Four months after his birth, he was blessed by Moroni Ward, the second Euro-American bishop of the Washakie Ward. In March 1905, at the age of ten, Henry was baptized, confirmed, and ordained a deacon.3 Between 1905 and 1913, he regularly fulfilled assignments to take care of the meetinghouse, one of the key responsibilities of deacons at this time.4 He presumably attended the Washakie day school. Henry began keeping the minutes for the Aaronic Priesthood meetings by the age of sixteen and continued to do so for at least three years, during which time he was also called as the president of the deacons quorum.5

    Henry’s twenties and thirties were a turbulent period. Traditionally, it was not uncommon for Shoshone to have “short-lived, experimental relationships” in their youth that resembled marriages but were not necessarily expected to blossom into long-term relationships.6 This cultural pattern may explain why between 1915 and 1928, Henry married at least six women.7 Most of these marriages lasted less than a year—only a month in two instances—and appear to have been done according to Shoshone custom.8 At least some appear to have overlapped.9 Henry had children in at least two of these short-lived marriages: a daughter with Elsie Lowe and three children with Lilly Tyboats, but only Lilly and Henry’s son Dwight Henry Woonsook (1921–1946) lived to adulthood.10 Although Henry’s brief marriages may have had some cultural precedent, it is unclear whether his fellow Latter-day Saints approved of them.11

    In January 1928, Rhoda Moemberg gave birth to a daughter fathered by Henry although the two were not married at the time. Two months later, the couple married according to Shoshone custom.12 Following his marriage to Rhoda, Henry’s personal life stabilized. In April 1928 and May 1929, they publicly sought forgiveness from their fellow ward members for their conduct, and it was granted.13 In September 1931, Henry and Rhoda were married civilly by Joseph Parry, the fourth Euro-American bishop of the Washakie Ward, and then on 19 November 1931, they were sealed for time and all eternity in the Logan Temple.14 Together, Henry and Rhoda had six children, although only three lived to adulthood: Emily Elizabeth (1928–2012), Wendell Norman (1930–1976), and Gary LeGrande (1943–2014).15

    Henry enjoyed music throughout his life. As a young man, he regularly sang alone or with small groups in his Aaronic Priesthood meetings.16 This love stayed with him as an adult. In April 1940, The Salt Lake Tribune interviewed Henry outside the Salt Lake Tabernacle during the church’s semiannual general conference. The paper quoted him as saying, “I like to come to conference. The music is great.”17 Several years earlier, in 1933, Henry had a chance to contribute to that music when he, Rhoda, and six other members of the Washakie Ward sang in a double quartet at a multicultural concert in the Salt Lake Tabernacle put on by the Utah Genealogical Society in conjunction with general conference.18

    As the 1933 concert demonstrates, by the 1930s Henry emerged as one of the main public faces of the town and ward of Washakie. In 1926, he boxed under the name Chief O’Henry alongside fellow Washakie Ward members Chester and Custer Ottogary.19 In 1932, he was chosen to represent Washakie at an annual banquet for the Salt Lake Council of the Boy Scouts where he was a guest of honor and called the roll.20 In 1938, he participated in at least two churchwide productions at the Salt Lake Tabernacle, playing Samuel the Lamanite in a pageant recounting the history of the Book of Mormon and giving a closing prayer at a program celebrating the restoration of the Aaronic Priesthood.21

    In his public responsibilities, Henry was frequently paired with fellow Washakie ward member Moroni Timbimboo.22 In summer 1935, Henry and Moroni were called on a proselytizing mission among the Assiniboine on the Fort Peck Reservation in Montana, but after just three months, the two men returned following the death of Henry’s three-month-old son, Johnny.23 Thereafter, the two men and their families often spoke in various wards or church groups in northern Utah. According to newspaper reports, Moroni would talk about their conversion and history with the church, while Henry would talk about Shoshone traditions, legends, and religious beliefs.24

    During the 1920s and 1930s, Henry held a number of significant callings within the Washakie Ward. In September 1919, he began to occasionally serve as an acting ward clerk or Sunday School secretary.25 He regularly kept minutes in an ad hoc fashion for nearly ten years until he was formally called as the ward clerk in 1929.26 On 14 October 1934, Henry was ordained a high priest and set apart as the second counselor in the Washakie Ward bishopric under Euro-American bishop Joseph Parry, although he appears to have continued serving as ward clerk for five more months.27 When the bishopric was reorganized in January 1939, under Bishop Moroni Timbimboo, Henry was again called as ward clerk, making him part of the first all-Indigenous bishopric in the church. Several months later, he was called as the first counselor in the bishopric, and he was formally set apart on 11 February 1940.28

    In spring 1940, shortly after Henry was set apart in the Washakie Ward, he and Rhoda moved their family near American Falls in the Fort Hall Reservation.29 It is unclear whether the family intended for this to be a permanent move. They had previously sought temporary work in Blackfoot, Idaho, in 1934, and this may have been seen as a similar temporary move.30 In October and November 1940, the stake released Rhoda and Henry from their callings.31 Because of a lack of Washakie Ward records during the early 1940s, it is unclear whether Rhoda and Henry remained a part of the ward despite their move or whether they returned to live at Washakie.32 Regardless, when the Washakie Ward general minutes resume in 1943, members of the Woonsook family were consistently present at church meetings.33 Henry was called as the first counselor in the ward bishopric for a second time in 1945.34

    Sometime around 1947, leaders of the West Pocatello Stake met at the home of Henry and Rhoda Woonsook to plan for a more established church presence in the Bannock Creek region of the Fort Hall Reservation. In 1948, after Henry and Rhoda personally lobbied apostle Spencer W. Kimball—who served as chair of the church’s Indian Committee and who was a staunch advocate for Native peoples—the church organized the Fort Hall Indian Mission, which was run by the local stakes. Shortly afterward, missionaries began holding church meetings at Bannock Creek, opening a branch, with Henry reportedly serving as the second counselor.35 A 1951 Deseret News report of missionary work in the Bannock Creek region credited their success in part to Henry Woonsook, whom they described as “a stalwart Indian leader.”36 Over the next three decades, Henry served in a variety of callings in the branch, including branch clerk and first counselor in the branch presidency.37 In addition to his church service, he was active politically, serving as a delegate on the Fort Hall Tribal Council from 1957 to 1959.38

    Henry Woonsook died on 14 April 1982 and was buried at the Bannock Creek Cemetery.39

    Cite this page

    Henry Woonsook(1895–1982), Native Saints, accessed May 28, 2026 https://www.churchhistorianspress.org/native-saints/biographies/henry-woonsook

      Footnotes

      1. [1]“Henry Woonsook,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      2. [2]In the 1950s, Henry apparently testified that he was the illegitimate son of Kippechoo Noragan. However, a federal examiner determined that there was no evidence to support this claim “except hearsay and rumor” and the historical record constantly identified Henry as the son of Joseph and Mary Woonsook. (Logan Temple Endowments of the Living, 1884–1957, microfilm 178054, vol. A, p. 651, 29 Nov. 1931, FamilySearch Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City [FamilySearch Library hereafter cited as FSL]; Washakie Branch, part 1, images 83, 151, 155, 202, Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970, Church History Library, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City [Church History Library hereafter cited as CHL]; Washakie Ward Record Book, 1887–1909, image 20, 2 June 1895, CHL; Portland, Multnomah Co., OR, Probate Records: Native American Indian Probates, 1907–74, DGS 103531932, RG 75, A3302, Box 680, roll 1195, file no. 7906, Order approving will and decree of distribution for the estate of Kipachuco Nolagen, 15 July 1953, familysearch.org; “Joseph Woonsook,” “Mary Purdawat,” and “Kippechoo Noragan,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.)

      3. [3]Washakie Branch, part 1, image 202, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Washakie Ward Aaronic Priesthood Minutes and Records, 1903–15, 1953–58, vol. 1, p. 37, 8 Mar. 1905, CHL; “Moroni Ward,” “Susan Purdawat,” and “Tin-dap Woonsook,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org. The age for ordination to the office of deacon was not standardized until 1908. (William G. Hartley, My Fellow Servants: Essays on the History of the Priesthood [BYU Studies, 2010], 54–61.)

      4. [4]See, for example, Washakie Ward Aaronic Priesthood Minutes and Records, vol. 1, pp. 34, 135, 24 Jan. 1905, 6 Jan. 1913, CHL; Hartley, My Fellow Servants, 56–57.

      5. [5]At the time of his calling as president of the deacons quorum, Henry had been ordained a teacher for nearly four years. However, there was a long practice of having men with higher priesthood offices serve in lower offices in an acting capacity. (Washakie Ward Aaronic Priesthood Minutes and Records, vol. 1, pp. 111, 117, 172–73, 19 June 1910, 13 Feb. 1911, 2 May 1915, CHL; Washakie Ward General Minutes, 1902–33, 1943–62, vol. 1, image 17, 9 Mar. 1914, CHL; Hartley, My Fellow Servants, 47–50.)

      6. [6]John W. Heaton, The Shoshone-Bannocks: Culture and Commerce at Fort Hall, 1870–1940 (University Press of Kansas, 2005), 82–83; see Glossary: “Shoshone Customary Marriages.”

      7. [7]In chronological order, these women were Sylvia Tyboats (30 June 1915), Iona Wongan (19 Jan. 1916), Elsie Lowe (ca. May 1919), Lilly Tyboats (22 Sept. 1920), Louise Myrtle Ottogary (4 July 1927), and Rhoda Elenora Moemberg (1 Mar. 1928). Additionally, in November 1917, Henry applied for a license in Wyoming to marry Effie Barney. However, no license was ever returned to the courthouse, so it is unclear if the marriage occurred. (“Sylvia Tyboats,” “Iona Wongan,” “Elsie Lowe,” “Lilly Tyboats,” and “Louise Myrtle Ottogary,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org; biography of Rhoda Moemberg Woonsook; Washakie Branch, part 2, images 169, 200, 242, 239, 282, 289, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Matthew E. Kreitzer, ed., The Washakie Letters of Willie Ottogary: Northwestern Shoshone Journalist and Leader, 1906–1929 [Utah State University Press, 2000], 90; Box Elder Co., UT, Marriage Records, 1887–1969, DGS 5115468, vol. 3, p. 510, 22 Sept. 1920, familysearch.org; Fremont Co., WY, Marriage Records, 1887–1923, DGS 7728099, vol. D, p. 278, 6 Nov. 1917, familysearch.org.)

      8. [8]Washakie Branch, part 2, images 169, 170, 200, 282, 289, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      9. [9]For example, when Elsie Lowe Woonsook died in November 1920, ward records identified her as still married. However, Henry had civilly married Lilly Tyboats in September 1920, two months earlier. Additionally, by early spring 1927, Henry had a relationship with Rhoda Moemberg, and Rhoda became pregnant. Meanwhile, Henry married Louise Ottogary according to Shoshone custom in July 1927. Shortly after Henry and Rhoda’s daughter was born in 1928, Henry married Rhoda according to Shoshone custom. (Washakie Branch, part 2, image 242, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Box Elder Co., Marriage Licenses, 1887–1969, DGS 5115468, vol. 3, p. 510, 22 Sept. 1920, familysearch.org; Washakie Branch, part 2, images 282, 289, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Washakie Branch, part 1, image 203, Record of Members Collection, CHL.)

      10. [10]“Inez Woonsook,” “Dewey Otto Woonsook,” “Dwight Henry Woonsook,” and “Ruth Lila Woonsook,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      11. [11]In a May 1919 letter, Willie Ottogary characterized Henry’s relationship with Elsie Lowe as an illicit affair, stating that the two had “run away” and gone into hiding in Wyoming. Nevertheless, the two would later return to Washakie, where their relationship was apparently seen as a marriage. (Kreitzer, Washakie Letters of Willie Ottogary, 90; Washakie Branch, part 2, image 242, Record of Members Collection, CHL.)

      12. [12]Washakie Branch, part 1, image 203, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Washakie Branch, part 2, image 289, Record of Members Collection, CHL; see Glossary: “Shoshone Customary Marriages.”

      13. [13]Washakie Ward General Minutes, vol. 7, pp. 74, 97, 1 Apr. 1928, 5 May 1929, CHL. Public confessions had long been seen as part of the repentance process in the church, and while most of the church generally halted the practice in the early twentieth century, confession remained a regular part of public worship in Washakie. (See Edward L. Kimball, “Confession in LDS Doctrine and Practice,” BYU Studies Quarterly 36, no. 2 [1996]: 42–56.)

      14. [14]Box Elder Co., UT, Marriage Licenses, 1887–1966, microfilm 480313, p. 78, 8 Sept. 1931, FSL; Logan Temple Sealings of Living Couples, 1884–1957, microfilm 178139, vol. A, p. 221, 19 Nov. 1931, FSL; “Joseph Parry,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      15. [15]“Emily Elizabeth Woonsook,” “Wendell Norman Woonsook,” “Dwayne Herman Woonsook,” “Johnny Keith Woonsook,” and “Henry Woonsook Jr.,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org; “Gary LaGrande Woonsook,” Idaho State Journal (Pocatello), 29 Jan. 2014, section A, 4.

      16. [16]See, for example, Washakie Ward Aaronic Priesthood Minutes and Records, pp. 38, 80, 15 Mar. 1905, 23 Dec. 1908, CHL.

      17. [17]“Conference Draws Crowds from Varied Life Walks,” Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Apr. 1940, 4.

      18. [18]“Indian Members of Church Testify at Genealogy Meet,” Deseret News (Salt Lake City), 8 Apr. 1933, 2; “Indians to Take Spotlight at Genealogical Society Meet,” Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Apr. 1933, 8; Washakie Ward General Minutes, vol. 8, p. 114, 8 Mar. 1933, CHL.

      19. [19]See, for example, Steve Moloney, “Indian Finally Is Dropped in Battle,” Salt Lake Telegram, 16 Mar. 1926, [4]; “Gordon Beats Denver Boxer,” Salt Lake Tribune, 16 Mar. 1926, 11; Steve Moloney, “Thrilling Bouts Feature Manhattan Club Program,” Salt Lake Telegram, 13 Apr. 1926, [6]; Kreitzer, Washakie Letters of Willie Ottogary, 184, 190; biography of Chester Revoir Ottogary; “Custer Ernie Ottogary,” Church History Biographical Database, history.churchofjesuschrist.org.

      20. [20]“Shoshone Brave Awaits Banquet of Boy Scouts,” Salt Lake Tribune, 7 Jan. 1932, 3; “Shoshone Brave from Washakie Will Read Roll of Tribes,” Salt Lake Tribune, 8 Jan. 1932, 20; “Washakie,” Bear River Valley Leader (Tremonton, UT), 14 Jan. 1932, [4]; “Washakie,” Idaho Enterprise (Malad City), 14 Jan. 1932, [5].

      21. [21]“Pageant will be Presented,” Deseret News, 2 Apr. 1938, 11; “Pageant Will Depict Scene in L.D.S. Epic,” Salt Lake Tribune, 3 Apr. 1938, section A, 8; “Record Crowd Views L.D.S. Pageant,” Salt Lake Tribune, 4 Apr. 1938, 5; “Presiding Bishopric Announces Complete Plans for Aaronic Priesthood Anniversary Program Saturday,” Deseret News, 12 May 1938, 13.

      22. [22]Minnesota Minneapolis Mission Manuscript History and Historical Reports, 1925–77, vol. 1, part 3, images 311, 325, 2 July and 10 Sept. 1935, CHL; Washakie Branch, part 1, image 208, Record of Members Collection, CHL; biography of Moroni Timbimboo.

      23. [23]Missionary Department Missionary Registers, 1860–1959, bk. F, p. 96, CHL; “Indians Return from Successful Montana Mission,” Garland (UT) Times, 13 Sept. 1935, [1].

      24. [24]See, for example, “Third Ward,” Herald-Journal (Logan, UT), 29 May 1936, 8; “Sixth Ward to Hold Sacrament Meeting,” Ogden (UT) Standard-Examiner, 17 Apr. 1937, 8; “Washakies Will Speak Sunday,” Ogden Standard-Examiner, 5 June 1937, 8; and Leona Peyope, “Washakie Indian News,” Ogden Standard-Examiner, 27 May 1938, section B, 5.

      25. [25]Washakie Ward General Minutes, vol. 6, p. 53, 21 Sept. 1919, CHL; Washakie Ward Sunday School Minutes and Records, 1910–26, 1961, vol. 3, image 39, 21 Sept. 1919, CHL.

      26. [26]Washakie Ward Manuscript History and Historical Reports, 1847, 1874–1965, image 51, CHL; Washakie Branch, part 1, image 166, Record of Members Collection, CHL.

      27. [27]Washakie Branch, part 1, image 176, Record of Members Collection, CHL; Washakie Ward Manuscript History and Historical Reports, image 57, CHL.

      28. [28]Washakie Ward Manuscript History and Historical Reports, images 63, 65, CHL.

      29. [29]The Woonsook family appears to have moved to Fort Hall by April 1940. According to Malad Stake Relief Society records, Rhoda attended stake meetings for January and February 1940, suggesting that the move occurred between February and April 1940. (1940 U.S. Census, Fort Hall Indian Reservation, Power Co., ID, enumeration dist. 39-3, p. 3A; Malad Idaho Stake Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1888–1973, vol. 7, p. 67, 1940, CHL.)

      30. [30]Griffin Peyope, “Washakie Indian Girl Sends in News Letter,” Cache American (Logan, UT), 18 Dec. 1934, section 2, 2.

      31. [31]Malad Idaho Stake Relief Society Minutes and Records, vol. 7, p. 4, Oct. and Nov. 1940, CHL; Washakie Ward Manuscript History and Historical Reports, image 65, CHL.

      32. [32]A newspaper profile of Washakie in 1941 identified Henry as one of the town’s residents. (“Washakie Is Unique Indian Town,” Deseret News, 14 June 1941, 6.)

      33. [33]See Washakie Ward General Minutes, vol. 9, CHL.

      34. [34]Washakie Ward General Minutes, vol. 9, p. 39, 25 Mar. 1945, CHL.

      35. [35]Bannock Creek Quarterly Historical Reports, 1955–80, image 111, CHL; Golden R. Buchanan to Twayne Austin, 8 Oct. 1948, Indian Committee Correspondence, 1941–52, CHL; Golden R. Buchanan to Arthur W. Hall, 23 Dec. 1948, Indian Committee Correspondence, CHL; Report of the Bannock Creek Branch of the Fort Hall Indian Mission, Mar. 1950, Indian Committee Correspondence, CHL; see also “Spencer W. Kimball,” Church History Topics, churchofjesuschrist.org/study/history/topics.

      36. [36]“12 Indians Baptized at Ft. Hall,” Deseret News, 28 Feb. 1951, Church section, 13.

      37. [37]See, for example, Record of Officers Sustained at the Annual Conference of the Bannock Creek Branch Ward, West Pocatello Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, held 11 Nov. 1956, Bannock Creek Branch Manuscript History and Historical Reports, 1953–83, CHL; and Quarterly Historical Report for the Bannock Creek Branch Ward of the West Pocatello Stake, for the Three Months Ending 31 Mar. 1963, Bannock Creek Branch Manuscript History and Historical Reports, CHL.

      38. [38]“Bannock Creek Names Delegate,” Idaho State Journal, 26 Nov. 1957, 9; “Parker, Cosgrove Win in Fort Hall Tribal Election,” Idaho State Journal, 31 May 1959, 3.

      39. [39]“Henry Woonsook,” Bannock Creek Cemetery, Power Co., ID, Memorial ID 135402096, Find a Grave, accessed 10 Feb. 2026, findagrave.com; Bannock Co., ID, Obituaries, 1963–2013, DGS 100464047, Wi–Zw, image 767, Henry Woonsook, familysearch.org.