INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE AND LABORS OF WEALTHY RICHARDS CLARK

Wealthy Richards was born March 21, 1861 at Farmington, Davis County, Utah, daughter of Franklin Dewey Richards and Mary Thompson Richards. Mary Thompson was married to Dr. Willard Richards and had one child, Phoebe Richards Peart. After his death, she was married to Franklin D. Richards and had the following children: Myron J. Richards, Wealthy Richards Clark, Mary Alice Richards Stevenson and Wilford W. Richards.

Our courtship started when I was 16 years of age and she was 14 years old. I asked her to go to a dance with me and she said that she would let me know at recess - we were then attending school in the old Rock School House. Her answer was, "yes: and we then started going together. I took her to parties and walked home with her after meetings. This continued for several years and I had not thought of marriage until one Sunday evening she suggested that we had better "play quits". She said that she did not know whether she loved me enough and that she would not marry a man whom she did not love with all her heart. I had not told her how much she meant to me or how much I loved her. As soon as it became known that we had stopped going together, she had plenty of suitors, including some of my best friends who would not go with her while I was taking her out. This went on for several months until one day Aunt Nancy Clark, who was president of the Y.M. M.I.A. of the Stake with Wealthy as Secretary, told me that a certain young lady up town would like to see me. She cautioned me about sincerity. It was a happy day for me for I had always loved Wealthy. When I met her, she said that if I had anyone else in mind she would not interfere, but that if I did not, she would be glad to be my sweet-heart. She was just that until the day she passed away. No woman could be truer to a man than she was to me; she was willing to give her life for me.