Carving the Meaning of Life:

An Essay Inspired by Delly Henderson

Handpainted, bas relief carving, "The Woman at the Well," by Adelbert "Delly" Henderson was completed in 1921. This photograph was taken in my mother's home.

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What is most important for us to pass down to our families?

For Latter-day Saints the item of most precious worth is immaterial, our testimonies. Material riches have no value by comparison. However, there is at least ONE material item in my family I hope gets passed down through the ages for a thousand years. It is priceless because it is a testimony. It is a 1921 wooden carving depicting the Savior entitled, "The Woman at the Well" by Adelbert Cutler Henderson (1862 – 1938), who went by A.D. or "Delly."

Thank goodness I remember the story of Solomon's wisdom. A third of Delly's carving cannot be given to each of my sons. Just one will receive the carving, along with careful instructions about its care. The carving is not only to stay within the family, but it is to stay within the Church. Why? It is a testament to the Henderson descendants.

*****"Delly" Henderson*****

Adelbert Cutler "A.D. or Delly" Henderson (1862 – 1938)

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Delly was a carpenter from Clifton, Idaho. He supervised the building of many LDS church buildings in southern Idaho and northern Utah during his adult lifetime. Delly Henderson built the so-called "Longfellow School," which was a red brick and sandstone block building near Clifton that was described as "the pride of the community" (in: History of Clifton, Idaho, p. 105).

When he was not directing the building of chapels or other construction projects, he was sitting on his porch, arguing politics while he whittled. Piles of shavings were his signatures. One always knew where he had been sitting.

Actually, Delly loved four things: the Church, his family, working with wood, and politics, probably in that order. Delly served a term in the Idaho state legislature (1913-1916).

In 1921 Delly won several awards for his carvings at the Utah State Fair – one of which was of the Prophet Joseph Smith. Just a few weeks later Delly sent President Heber J. Grant a beautifully carved bust of the Prophet Joseph Smith, perhaps the same one presented at the Fair. President Grant sent back a letter of great praise to Delly, stating "I assure you that I shall take good care of it and preserve it" (letter dated: Oct. 13, 1921).

That bust is still retained by Museum of Church History & Art in Salt Lake City, Utah.

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A few short words written by Delly Henderson may be almost as significant as his carvings. These words were handwritten in a note entitled "Gentlemen," dated March 2nd, 1920:

A man who is clear both outside
and inside; who neither looks up to
the rich nor down to the poor;
who can loose [lose] without squealing and
win without bragging; who is considerate
of Women, Children and old people;
who is too brave to lie, too generous
to cheat, and who take his share of
World and lets other people have theirs;
is a man.

[Quoted from a photo of the original published in: Jocelyn H. Faux (1994) Our Mayflower Ancestors and Their Descendants: Ten Generations from Howland-Tilley to Henderson-Howell, p. 462; available in Church History Library & Archives.]

***** My Grandmother*****

Photo taken by my mother in 1972. My grandmother stands next to "The Woman at the Well." The roses were grown in my grandmother's garden.

I remember as a child visiting the home of my grandmother, the daughter of Delly. The carving hung in a place of honor in her small living room. She would point to it and tell me the story of the woman at the well. It was my grandmother's teachings and my love of the carving that provoked my little essay entitled, "The Woman at Jacob's Well."

Samuel G. Henderson (1820 – 1904). Photo probably taken in Utah or Idaho.

Once my grandmother started to tell stories it was hard to get her to stop. She knew so much, and she was determined to get it into my head. Only some of it stuck.

One of my favorite stories from my grandmother was about Samuel G. Henderson, the father of Delly. I was told that Samuel was a "personal bodyguard to the Prophet Joseph Smith" while in Nauvoo -- circa 1839. Samuel liked to hand-wrestle with Joseph. Only later as an adult did I learn that Joseph had dozens upon dozens of "bodyguards." Most men in Nauvoo felt it was a duty to protect the Prophet. Joseph was a beloved figure by the Nauvoo citizens.

*****Conclusion*****

Samuel G. Henderson joined the Church in Missouri and went to Nauvoo in 1839. He stayed in the Church until the end. His son Adelbert "Delly" Henderson, the carver and builder, died in the Church, and left his descendants his religious carvings and some writings. My grandmother made sure I learned the traditions of my ancestors.


Again, what is the most important possession we have that must be passed down to our families? What meaning about life can we "carve" for our descendants? Perhaps there is something material to pass down, but ultimately there is nothing more valuable than our testimony. Our descendants deserve to have a record of it.

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Copyright 2009 S.Faux (Email: foxgoku54 [at] gmail [d0t] c0m; URL: http://mormoninsights.blogspot.com). Readers may distribute this post for noncommercial purposes provided such distributing is of the entire post, including author's copyright and contact information. All other rights reserved.




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