Henry Grow was born October 1, 1817 in Norristown near Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The son of Henry Grow and Mary Riter. He was the youngest of seven children, five girls and two boys.

As a young man Henry was apprenticed to a carpenter and a joiner. He learned the trade of millwright and bridge builder, at the completion of his training he superintended the bridges, culverts, etc., on the Norristown and Germantown railroads, both in construction and repairing the works. He served under George G. Whitmore, president of the roads and ex-mayor of Philadephia.

He married Mary Moyer in 1834. She was born April 28, 1817 in Germantown, Pennsylvania, the daughter of Charles Moyer and Elizabeth Bird.

Their first child was a little girl they named Maria Louisa born September 10, 1837. They welcomed their son Charles Moyer on January 6, 1840. Their second son William Moyer was born May 30, 1842.

A convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. William Morton baptized Henry in the Delaware River, Philadephia on May of 1842. This caused problems in the families. Henry and Mary decided to leave their home and emigrate to Nauvoo, Illinois the gathering place of the Saints. They left March 1843 and arrived on May 15th. Henry's first work in Nauvoo was building a barn for Patriarch Hyrum Smith. He also worked on the Nauvoo Temple until it was completed.

While in Nauvoo, Henry and Mary welcomed their fourth child, Brigham Young (he later changed his name to George Washington) born September 10, 1845. Upon completion of the Temple Henry and Mary were endowed on January 8, 1846. They were sealed to each other January 24 the same year.

The family passed through all the troubles of those days. Henry was one of the members of the Nauvoo Legion; a city militia designed to offer security from mobs that might develop. After Joseph Smith was killed by the mobs, Henry and his family were one of the last remnants that remained at Nauvoo after the departure of the Twelve, with the advance companies of the Saints bound for the Rocky Mountains.

On September 19th 1846 the Commander of the Volunteers with the mob marched upon the doomed city of Nauvoo commencing the farmer's battle which lasted three days. Henry was in this famous battle. The mob force of two thousand well-armed men with 13 pieces of artillery camped in front of his house, within a eighth of a mile's distance. The first night they were camped there, while lying in his bed Henry heard a voice on distinctly say: "Get up and get out of here in the morning." He arose in the morning, hitched a yoke of cattle to his wagon, and had moved about 50 yards from his house when the mob fired a 12 pound cannon ball through the house, which was a frame structure.

Henry started his long journey westward, he traveled alone with his family across the prairies of Iowa to Winter Quarters, where they arrived late in October 1846. He first built a log cabin at Winter Quarters and then went to Kimball's, six miles above, where he built himself a house and settled for a year; but in the fall of 1847, after the departure of the pioneer companies, he moved with his family into Missouri, locating on the Little Platte, twenty miles above Weston, where many of the old Missouri Mobocrates dwelt. There he kept the saw and grist mill called Lester's Mill in repair and did other carpenter work for Col. Estel, who later sold out to Holladay and Warner, merchants well known' in the early history of Salt Lake City. Henry remained until he had sufficient funds to finance his journey to the gathering place of the Saints.

He entered into polygamy with Nancy Ann Elliot Veach, widow of William Veach. She was born December 25, 1814, Carlisle, Cumberland, Pennsylvania daughter of James Elliot and Jane Dunn. She birthed a son named Henry on May 3, 1848 in Platte, Missouri.

Henry and Mary welcomed their fifth child John Woods born December 21, 1848. Henry and Nancy Ann welcomed a son they named Joseph Smith on September 21, 1849 followed by another son they named Hyrum Smith born May 9, 1850. Unfortunately both babies died on September 5, 1850 in Missouri.

In the spring of 1851, Henry and his family again came up the Missouri River, bound for the Valley; he was organized in Captain James Cummings hundred, Alfred Cordon's fifty and Bishop Kesler's ten. Orson Pratt commanded the other fifty. On account of high water the companies headed the Elk Horn River and came on to the Platte below Laramie, on the Sweetwater, below Independence Rock. The company was surrounded by a war party of Cheyenne Indians. Kesler's ten got separated from the other tens, but they succeeded in sending a message to Captain Cardon, who was camped with the remainder of his fifty at Independence Rock and he sent relief and they went up and camped with their company. Narrowly escaping from being destroyed by the savages. The next day, above Independence Rock, they met a thousand Snake Indian warriors waiting for the Cheyenne.

Henry and his family arrived in the Great Salt Lake Valley on his thirty-fourth birthday, October 1, 1851. Here Mary gave birth to their sixth child a little girl they named Ann born December 15, 1851. He immediately went to work for a year on the Public Works under Miles Romeny, the first Superintendent of the carpenter's shop. In the winter of 1851 he worked on the old Tabernacle, which occupied the spot where the Assembly Hall now stands. Henry also worked building the Social Hall, the weather being mild that winter.

On January 9, 1852 Henry Grow was sealed to Nancy Ann Elliot Veach. Henry and Nancy welcomed the birth of a daughter on November 15, 1852 who they named Josephine Streeper.

On December 20, 1852, Henry married his sixteen-year-old stepdaughter Mary Elizabeth Veach. She was born January 28, 1936, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, daughter of William Veach (deceased) and Hnery's second wife Nancy All Elliot Veach. The marriage lasted little more than five months, and they were divorced on May 24, 1853. Elizabeth later married Simon Dalton on July 28, 1854.

In 1853 having friends in Weber County, Henry and his family located first in Huntsville then north of Ogden at Mound Fort. The first bridges Henry built was over the Ogden River, located at Washington Ave. and about 14th Street. He constructed the suspension bridge over the Weber River by present day Riverdale Road, for Jonathan Browning.

Henry was called back to Salt Lake City by President Brigham Young to supervise the building of mills and bridges. Nancy Ann birth her fifth child on October 30, 1853, in Salt Lake City; they named her Mary Ann.

Henry and Mary welcomed the birth of their last child, a daughter by the name of Elizabeth on Janary 30, 1854 in Ogden. Henry went to work in Sugar House to build the sugar works under Bishop Fred Kesler in 1854. In 1855, he assisted in building the two sawmills in Big Cottonwood Canyon known as A and B. Henry and Nancy Ann welcomed Sarah Ann on March 18, 1857.

Henry married wife number four Ann Midgley, on November 9, 1856 in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was born April 6, 1826 in Almondbury, Yorkshire, England, the daughter of Thomas Midgley and Ellen Hinchliffe.

In 1856 He moved a saw mill from Chases Mill in Cottonwood to the big field at the forks of City Creek, seven miles above Salt Lake City, for President Young and the same fall he went up to Big Cottonwood again and framed and put up Mill D, sawed two logs and left December 17, 1856 in the company of five other men in seven feet of snow with snowshoes. It took them two days to get out of the snow. It was a very dangerous trip and they had many narrow escapes on the way.

Henry and Ann Midgley welcomed the birth of their only child on November 24, 1857, they named her Mary Ellen.

In 1857, Elder Grow went up and built Mill E, at the head of Big Cottonwood Canyon, near Silver Lake. With the coming of Johnston's army, Henry went West to Provo in 1858 and erected all the temporary buildings of "The Move" for President Brigham Young and other Church Authorities to occupy during the exodus from Salt Lake. He also built the suspension bridge over the Provo River.

On August 9, 1858 Nancy birthed her last child a son she named George Leo in Salt Lake City.

Henry married Julia Melville Veach on August 16, 1858 in Salt Lake City. She was born March 10, 1842, the daughter of William Veach (deceased) and Nancy Ann Elliot.

When Henry married his 16 year old stepdaughter Julia, Ann Midgley left Henry and moved to Nephi to stay with her folks. She divorced Henry on September 18, 1858. She later married Matthew McCune on June 8, 1859.

Julia birth her first child a son she and Henry named Theodore Melville on January 11, 1859. In 1859, Henry tore the works out of the old grist woolen mill at the mouth of Canyon Creek and placed the cotton and woolen machinery in the mill for President Brigham Young. This machinery the first of its kind used in Utah, and was afterwards taken down to St. George.

On August 29, 1860 Julia gave birth to a son named Sylvester Veach in Salt Lake City.

In 1861 Henry received a commission to construct a suspension lattice bridge across the Jordan and Weber River. These bridges were still in use after 35 to 40 years.

Henry started working on the Salt Lake Theatre, he put up a water wheel on the water ditch opposite Dr. Sprages house to hoist all the rock and timbers for the theatre. Henry also made the heavy beams and principal rafters out of plank for the works and fitted up the footlight.

Henry's second wife Nancy Ann Elliot Veach died June 1863 at the age of 48 years. Her daughter Julia (Henry's fifth wife), then only twenty-one years old, took her mothers seven (7) children, the youngest being just four years old at the time, and raised them along with her own.

During the following years 1863-64, Henry did a great deal of capenter and millwork at the request of President Young at various different places. From the time on till spring of 1876, he had charge of all the carpenty work on Temple Block.

In 1863 President Young called on Henry in regard to the construction of the big tabernacle in Salt Lake City. Asked Henry if he could construct a large bowery after the same structural work as the Jordan bridge, and also asked Brother Grow how large he could build it. Brother Grow replied, "One hundred and Fifty feet wide and as long as you want it." Henry built the tabernacle according to the directions given him by President Young: the building was finished in 1867. Most of the lumber used in the building was procured with difficulty in the Wasatch Mountains to the East, and was sawn in the mills in Big Cottonwood Canyon, It then had to be seasoned. This took time. As a result Henry and a small group of carpenters started work on the roof, the construction of which is one of the important phases of the building. The outside dimensions of the Tabernacle are 250 feet long by 150 feet wide, the ceiling is 65 feet high. The huge domed roof rests on 44 columns of masonry and sandstone, averaging 20 feet high and is self-supporting. Seating capacity is 9,000 with standing room for an additional 3,000. The Tabernacle was referred to as one of the seven wonders of the west.

On January 7, 1864, Julia and Henry welcomed their third child a daughter they named Mary Ann followed by another daughter born 21 November 1865 named Julia Ellen, a son born 24 November 1867, George Elliot and their sixth child a daughter named Amelia on March 10, 1869. All born in Salt Lake City.

In 1868 the President called on Henry to put up the ZCMI building on Main Street, he was superintent of construction. From that time till the spring of 1876 he had charge of all carpentry work on the Temple Block.

On March 21, 1870 Henry Grow married and was sealed to Sarah Rawlings. Julia and Henry's seventh child was born February 2, 1871 named Walter Veach followed by Maude Rose born June 15, 1873.

On July 7, 1875, Henry married Amanda Melvina Baker.

Julia birthed her ninth child William Henry on November 14, 1875 in Salt Lake. At the October Conference in 1876, Henry was called on a mission to preside over the Pennsylvania, Delaware and Maryland Conference. He left Salt Lake City on the first day of November 1876; Henry visited all his relatives and the old family homestead.

Henry left Pennsylvania for Salt Lake City on June 12, 1877. On return home he found that his wife Julia had given birth to a little girl named Sarah Elizabeth on Marvh 29, 1877. He was active in Military Affairs and served as a member of the Salt Lake City Council from 1870 to 1876.

On his return from that mission he was engaged in tearing down the Old Tabernacle and erecting the Assembly Hall. It was completed in 1879 and is an extremely beautiful building, today standing next to the tabernacle on Temple Square. He later built two brick houses for President John Taylor and superintended all the buildings and carpenty work for the Church, including the scaffolding and hoisting apparatus for the Temple.

Henry's son Pernell told the following story with respect to the Angel Moroni on the top of the Temple. "You know the Angel Moroni on the top -- you know, it never sways. It always stands straight. There's a cup in there -- a bowl, and on his feet is a ball and on the bottom of that ball is a weight, and that's Father's idea."

In 1880 he was called by President Taylor to go East to look at improvements of paper mills for the purpose of putting up a new paper mill at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon. Henry traveled through Chicago, Illinois; Albany; Holyook; Boston; Philadelphia; Pittsburg; and other cities to get all the information he could relative to the projected work. this accomplished, he returned to Salt Lake City and drafted and at the mouth of Big Cottonwood Canyon commmenced the foundation of the New Deseret Paper Mill. It was completed in and in running order in 1883. It was later destroyed by fire in 1893.

When Henry was back East Julia had her eleventh child by the name of Otto Sylvanus on May 12, 1880, another son Eugene Pernell followed him on August 10, 1882. Most of Julia's children were born on the corner of 3rd North and 3rd West in Salt Lake City.

In 1883 Henry worked on some improvement to the Tabernacle. Henry's first wife Mary Moyer died October 1, 1883 in Salt Lake City and was buried on October 5th in the Salt Lake City Cemetery.

Julia gave birth to her thirteenth child on December 1884 named Frank who unforntunately died two days later on December 20th.

On October 26, 1885 (Mon) Henry was arrested on the Temple Block on a charge of Unlawful Cohabitation. On November 7, 1885 (Sat) Henry Was arrainged before the Third District Court and pleaded not quilty and put under a $1,500 bond. On February 3, 1887 (Thur) Mrs. Sarah Rawlins Grow, a witness in the U.S. case against Henry Grow was arrested in Salt Lake City and placed under a $700 bond. The jury returned a guilty verdict against Henry on March 19, 1887 (Sat) the court sentenced Henry to five months imprisonment and fined $50 by Judge Zane for Unlawful Cohabitation. On July 24, 1887 (Sun) Henry was discharged from the Penitentiary.

During the charges filed against Henry, Julia births her fourteenth and last child by the name of Marco Bartlett on August 21, 1886.

At the age of 74, Henry was living with Sarah Rawlins; it was said he was active and got around. He wasn't working and was on a $30.00 per month pension. Henry became ill with a "kidney complaint." He died at his son Theodore's house about 3 or 4 days later on November 4, 1891 in Salt Lake City, Utah. He is buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery. At the time of his death he lest 243 grandchildren.

Active in the church, Henry had served as bishop of the 19th Ward, Salt Lake City. He was one of the presidents of the 30th Quorum of Seventy for many years. He was city councilman in Salt Lake from 1870-1876. Henry played in the first martial band (drum) in Salt Lake City.

When Henry died, there were bad feelings, Julia would not take him in when he was ill and only attended the funeral because of the children. Julia had seven children at home. Pernell was 9, Marc was 5, Otto was 11, Syl was 13, Lil was 15 and Walt was 17. Julia went to Wilford Woodruff for support for her children and herself, but Woodruff said, "Sister Grow, you've got a nice brick home." She replied, "My children can't eat brick." She was forced to take a mortgage out on the house. Henry left Julia broke. He gave all his holdings to the church. (Henry gave five acres on 2nd East and between 2nd and 3rd South, ten acres up at the University of Utah and 160 acres West of the Fairgrounds to the Church).

On November 20, 1891, Wilford Woodruff canceled Sarah Rawlins sealing to Henry, 16 days after his death.

On February 24, 1892, Wilford Woodruff canceled Nancy Ann Elliott Veach's sealing to Henry and she is sealed to William Veach July 26, 1895. At the request of Elizabeth Veach, Nancy Ann's daughter, sister of Julia and Henry's ex-wife.

Henry Grow was the husband to seven women and the father of four families with familes essentially being in tandum with each other. Henry married Mary Moyer when he was living in Pennsylvania. He and Mary began a family and those who descended from these children are in many cases a generation further removed from Henry than the others of the family who descended from later marriages. Henry and Mary had seven children. Henry started a second family with Nancy Ann Elliott who was widowed in 1845 by the death of William Veach. This marriage resulted in additional eight children. In 1858 Henry started his fourth family with Julia Melville Veach, they had fourteen children between 1858 and 1886. According to these records Henry had 30 children. Three sealing now stand: Mary Moyer, Julia Melville Veach and Amanda Melvina Baker (no children)