Mark Henry Preece

Mark Henry Preece was born Nov 26, 1865 in Franklin, Idaho to Mark and Eleanor Ellen Comish Preece. Mark is a Pioneer of Cove.

History

Soon after Henry was born, his mother died. Henry's father remarried in 1872 to Emma Bloomfield, who raised Henry as her son. Soon after their marriage, the Preece family moved to Cove.

"Henry went bare-foot most of the time winter and summer. He only had one pair of shoe's. His shoe's were made from cow-hide. ...When he didn't have shoe's to wear he had to go bare-foot. He would go as long as he could in the snow and then he would put his hat down and stand on it for a while and then go again as fast as he could."

At a young age, Henry learned how to drive a team of horses. His skills were used in the construction of the Logan, Utah Temple when he helped to drive timber and rocks from canyons to the temple site.

During this time, Henry's stepmother had a stroke. Henry's father began hiring help to care for her and also manage the household. Some who were employed were Sarah S. Gregory and her younger sister Charlotte M. Gregory. While Charlotte was there, she and Henry began getting to know one another. Henry helped with his stepmother, carrying her to the creek and church whenever it was necessary. As time went on, Henry's father hired another woman, and Henry was told to work elsewhere.

"It was on a beautiful moon-light night, while horse back riding that night Henry proposed to Charlotte and asked her to marry him and become his wife for life and Eternity. She said, 'That kind of a hard question to answer, I'll have to think it over and see Mother and see what she has to say about it.'"

Mark Henry Preece married Charlotte Marie Gregory on May 20, 1885 in the Logan, Utah Temple. They purchased a farm to raise their family. Henry served two missions for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: the Southern States in 1894 and Britain in 1907.

On Sep 3, 1943, Charlotte died. Henry remarried to Sarah Ann Boice on Dec 2, 1943 in Franklin, Idaho. They had no children together. After Sarah died in 1957, Mark moved in with one of his daughters in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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