Born 9 June 1829 in Belleville, St. Clair, Illinois.1 Daughter of Absalom P. Free and Betsy Strait.2 Migrated with family to Missouri; expelled with the Latter-day Saints and fled to Illinois, 1839.3 Migrated to the Salt Lake Valley with her family in the Brigham Young pioneer company, arriving by 24 Aug. 1848.4 Married Laurence Sterne Hotchkiss, 18 Nov. 1851, in Salt Lake City; divorced 11 June 1852.5 Married Daniel H. Wells, 6 Aug. 1852, in Salt Lake City; eight children.6 Sister wife of EBW.7 Served a mission to England with her husband, who was a member of the First Presidency, 1864–1865.8 Served as a Salt Lake temple worker, May 1893–Sept. 1898.9 Died 6 Mar. 1913 in Salt Lake City.10
Hannah Corilla Free
Hannah Wells, Hannah Free Hotchkill
9 June 1829—6 March 1913
Footnotes
Footnotes
1 “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. A-A1, 20 Feb. 1851–24 Apr. 1854, p. 14, line 182, Laurence Sterne Hotchkiss and Hannah Corilla Free, 18 Nov. 1851, microfilm 183393, DGS 5270317 (restricted access), FHL. Hannah F. Wells, Papers, MS 2709 box 1 folder 3, CHL. “Family Tree,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org, accessed 20 June 2019), Hannah Corilla Free (LKVY-NQD).
2 Hannah F. Wells, Papers, MS 2709 box 1 folder 3, CHL. “Hannah C. Wells,” Woman’s Exponent, Mar. 1913, 1.
3 “Hannah C. Wells,” Woman’s Exponent, Mar. 1913, 1.
4 Camp of Israel Schedules and Reports, 1845–1849, Brigham Young’s First 100, Dec. 1847–1848, MS 14290 box 2 folder 11, image 9/18, CHL. “Hannah Corilla Wells,” Pioneer Database (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel/, accessed 3 Mar. 2020).
5 “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. A-A1, 20 Feb. 1851–24 Apr. 1854, p. 14, line 182, Laurence Sterne Hotchkiss and Hannah Corilla Free, 18 Nov. 1851, microfilm 183393, DGS 5270317 (restricted access), FHL. Brigham Young Office Files, CR 1234 1 box 67, folder 4, CHL.
6 “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. A-A1, 20 Feb. 1851–24 Apr. 1854, p. 53, line 678, Daniel Hanmer Wells and Hannah Corilla Free, 6 Aug. 1852, microfilm 183393, DGS 5270317 (restricted access), FHL. “Hannah C. Wells,” Woman’s Exponent, Mar. 1913, 1.
7 Carol Cornwall Madsen, Emmeline B. Wells: An Intimate History (Salt Lake City: University of Utah Press, 2017), 504.
8 “Hannah C. Wells,” Woman’s Exponent, Mar. 1913, 1. Missionary Department, Missionary Registers, 1860–1959, vol. A, 25 Apr. 1860–27 Apr. 1894, CR 301 22 box 1 folder 1, image 11/160, CHL.
9 Salt Lake Temple, Salt Lake Temple Workers’ Roll, vol. A, p. 1; vol. B, p. 1, CR 306 60, CHL.
10 “Utah State Archives Indexes,” database and images, Utah State Archives (https://archives.utah.gov, accessed 16 July 2019); Utah Department of Health Office of Vital Records and Statistics Death Certificates, series 81448, file no. 344/420 (1913), Hannah C. Wells. “Hannah C. Wells,” Woman’s Exponent, Mar. 1913, 1.