A Brief History of Abigail Jane Daley

Born: 26 January 1815
Place: Marcellus, Onondaga, New York
Died: 27 October 1894
Place: Richmond, Cache, Utah

Children: Mary Jane (Hendricks), James, John Daley, Millennium (Fisher), Amanda Ann (Egan)

From Milo’s autobiography: “One month and nine days previous to my baptism, I was united in marriage to Abigail Jane Daley, whose father had been baptized into The Church of Christ about one year before. We were married February 21st, 1833”

In the spring of 1848, the main body of Latter-day Saints making their way westward to the great Salt Lake Valley. At that time Milo was called to go on his first mission to England, and he could take only one wife, Sarah, with him. So he could little else but commit Abigail and their young family–two boys and three girls (another girl died in infancy)–“to their friends” in the close-knit Mormon society and to “God’s care”.  Abigail Jane, to her thirteen-year-old son resolutely remarked, “Let your father go with England. I’m taking you and your younger brother with the Saints to the West.”

Having separated from Milo in 1850, Abigail married Elisha Van Etten. When the Endowment House was built, they had their marriage sealed for eternity on 26 July 1859. Two children were born to this union. But Abigail’s love for Milo never ceased. In later years, she requested that her marriage to Van Etten be canceled, which was done on 4 April 1865. On 17 March 1886, while Milo was living at Oxford, Idaho, Abigail and Milo were remarried in the Logan Temple.

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