A Son Lost     

 

                                            WILLIAM ALLEN ADEN

(Author's note: What follows is a story that unfolded through the lens of a father's search, much like a letter home might reveal...)

As always, unapologetically unedited.

Dear Paige,

THERE ARE TIMES when the weight of family history takes its toll. We stumble upon stories that tug at us; they pull us further into the research, and to the 'specters' that link us to our own very personal past. If we're fortunate, this process of "discovery" moves us past the usual search for notable kin, patriots, or connections to Zachary Taylor or Taylor Swift, or to some distant war or event. It moves us to study of a life that was, in many ways, unimaginable, and to a life that was ultimately quite beautiful.

Yes, sometimes too, you find that these things go beyond the pale of just a study of "an ordinary life." I think I've found that here, in "A Son Lost." You see, there's nothing ordinary about this "son's" life. It's a true story that blends tragedy alongside the bittersweet taste of justice, the noteworthy, and so much more. 

Paige, it's the tale of a father's love for his son, his lost son. It is an utterly American tale, and a tale of the way west.

If you've heard it before, perhaps in the recollections of your Great Aunt or someone's brother-in-law recalling a not often spoken of story, or somewhere in the misremembered voice of your family's past, I hope you will forgive me as I bring it forward again for the telling. The story revolves around your great-great-great-uncle, William Aden, and his father, your great-great-great-great-grandfather, Dr. Sydney Bennett Aden. Dr. Aden was a Tennessee doctor who never gave up looking for his son. 

Before I get too far, let me explain your connection to them both. I'll start with some highlighted census records and work my way forward from there: 

The story begins about 1850. 

The above image is the 1850 US Census record for your four times great-grandfather, Dr. Sydney Bennett Aiden, and his wife, Delilah. It shows their son William living in the household with them.        

Then something happens. William, an artistic young man and a musician, decides to try his luck elsewhere and, in about 1856, heads to out California.

He is nineteen years old.    

His parents, shown below, won't ever hear from him again.       

                      

                            

The years will go by.

Below is the 1860 US Census for the same household of Dr. Sydney Bennett Aden and his wife, Delilah. The 1860 census shows their daughter, your three times great-grandmother, Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Aden, living in the household:         

William's baby sister, Mary Elizabeth "Lizzie" Aden, who was about three years old when he left, went on to marry W.W. Hatch: 

                     

Above: Lizzie, who was the mother of Mary Ellen (Hatch) King

      

Mary Ellen (Hatch) King pictured with her daughter Edith, your great-grandmother, shown below:

 

Now, a little bit more about William. You see, as I mentioned, William went west, and he never came home. He never had the chance. He died at a place called the Mountain Meadows Massacre in 1857. His death and that of others were one giant horrible mess that simply got out of control. (I do not mean to over simply any of this.) The results of this tragedy are that his family did not know what happened to him. His family searched for answers about what had become of him for years.

   

      

I'm sorry to say that until yesterday, I had never heard of the Mountain Meadows Massacre. There is A LOT of history here, but this letter to you isn't about the history or even the massacre. It's about William, his life, and yes, his Dad. Maybe it's better to just start with the words of his father, your ancestor, Dr. Sydney Bennett Aden:

This is now FIFTEEN YEARS after their son had gone missing. (See news clipping below)

            

     

                   

            

Shortly after William went missing, in the beginning, his bereft father received the letter below, a reply from Brigham Young to his inquiries about his son. There are two letters from Brigham Young to Dr. Aden. I only wish I could have supplied you with copies of the Dr.'s letters of inquiry and all in their original script. 

I am told all of these letters are in Salt Lake with the papers of Brigham Young.

                          

Brigham Young 
                          

The above letter is one that your ancestor, Dr. Aden, received from Brigham Young regarding your three times great-uncle William. Below is a newspaper clipping of his father's quest and disbelief:

Now, Paige, there is a lot here. As I've mentioned before, I am only here to bring you these stories, you know, to blow a little bit of dust off these things along the way. I do not sit in judgment of any of the players in your Great Uncle's story. It would be too easy to do. The settlers, the Indians, and the Mormons, including their sanctioned gunman (The man who ultimately killed William), all share a responsibility for your uncle's murder at Mountain Meadows. Brigham Young too shares some historical responsibility for his death.

       

                      

     My heart goes out to his parents, your ancestors, and to the heartbreak they surely felt about learning the truth of what happened to their son and spending years not wanting to believe it at the same time. I'm "here" more so to celebrate William's young life by telling you about him and about who he was. He was a painter! He was a musician! He was doing all these things while making his way west at only nineteen years old. Sadly, he ended up a casualty in a war that went beyond reason or his control. 

I wanted to also let you know that you carry a piece of William with you, even now. I know that will sound a bit ridiculous, but you do. It's a part of William that was passed down to him by his mother, Delilah (Brown) Aden. It's his X Chromosome, a chromosome that is only passed on from mother to daughter. While a son also inherits "his mother's X chromosome he does not pass it on to his children. 

Paige, you are a direct line female descendant of Delilah's so just like William, you share that same "X."

I know you may find that a silly thing to share with a young man who died nearly 170 years ago, but I hope it will help you feel closer to his story, and to who he might have been if he'd only had the chance. 

I hope you will remember your uncle William Aden, and that in learning about his life, you will find peace and understanding in re-examining that old phrase of "There for the grace of God go I."

Thank you for your beautiful life, William!

Respectfully,

Jeffery Record