28 Post-Manifesto Polygamy

As woman’s highest aim and noblest mission is wife-hood and mother-hood all men appreciate any of these qualities which goes to make home the dearest place on earth. My dear girl I want to give you every possible advantage of education and practice to become a model house-wife and that means that you must be an excellent cook (which qualification I think you already possess), a good seamstress, a lover of house plants, a good washer, and possessing originality in the draping and decoration of home that it may be tasty and cozy. I will feel glad for some reasons when you have a home of your own so that you can take pride in keeping it according to your own ideas. (Letter 30)

Avery’s autobiography, however, suggests her more negative feeling toward their new Mexican home, especially because it would represent a permanent settling so far from her home and family in the United States:

From the moment the first load of beautiful white stone was delivered to the building site I was filled with apprehension fear of the financial struggle it would involve and the feeling of permanency that a house in Mexico would bring. This feeling increased as the solid foundation took shape. Then as the walls arose high and higher under the mason’s skill I projected my thoughts ^in^to the years ahead when I should be left in this far away land with my little family my husband on tours for the church most of the time and the folks in Wyo. I would seldom see. Loneliness enveloped me.

When Avery questioned Owen about whether her status in Mexico would be permanent, he replied, “This is our home as long as we are in the flesh or not another dollar goes on the place.” Owen’s words struck Avery like a heavy blow. Having a home of her own, however, would facilitate Avery’s full acceptance within the Colonia Juárez community, for other polygamous wives had settled in Mexico to escape a new national probe into Mormonism and polygamy, finally giving Avery an open support system. Owen made the long trip from Salt Lake City to Colonia Juárez to see her several times, allowing the couple to enjoy a more public marital relationship together. The birth of Owen and Avery’s daughter, Ruth, in February 1904 seemed to signal this emergence of normalcy in their marriage and family relationship.

Most of the time the two distinct families led separate lives from each other; however, situations arose when Helen, Owen, and Avery met