William J. Flake

William Jordan Flake (July 3 1839 – August 10 1932) was a prominent member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who helped settle parts of Arizona, and was imprisoned for polygamy.

William Flake was born in North Carolina. William Flake eventually moved to Mississippi with his family and in the early 1840s became members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Flake moved to Utah with his parents in 1849 by wagon train. In 1850, his father was killed while examining a colony site in California. His widowed mother took the family and became one the earliest residents of San Bernardino.

In 1858, William Flake married Lucy Hannah White and a year later started a cattle ranch in Beaver, Utah. Flake was called by Church leaders to enter into a plural marriage. He asked his wife to consider the decision, and after much prayer and consideration, she agreed. William Flake and Prudence Kartchner were married in 1868.

In 1877, he was called by LDS Church President Brigham Young to start a settlement in the northern area of what was then the Arizona Territory. William left with a wagon train and herds of cattle for the Little Colorado River region of Arizona and arrived in January 1878. Despite much hardship after spending 13 months on the trail and a winter living in stables and wagons, the settlement survived. In the fall of 1878, Erastus Snow, an LDS Apostle, visited and joined with Flake naming the town "Snowflake": "Snow for me and Flake for you." Flake became a rancher and prominent cattleman, noted for his generosity and assistance to his neighbors.

In 1883, Flake was imprisoned in the Yuma Territorial Prison for a short time for unlawful cohabitation, a common charge used to prosecute LDS men under the Edmunds Act. After his release, he was asked which of his wives he was going to give up. He replied, "Neither. I married both in good faith and intended to support both of them." He had served his sentence and could not be retried on the same charges.

William Jordan Flake was the father of 15 sons and five daughters and lived to the age of 93, passing away on August 10 1932 in Snowflake Arizona. When he died, the flag at the Arizona State Capitol was flown at half staff in honor of his contribution to the settlement of the state.

Congressman Jeff Flake and politician Jake Flake are descendants of William Flake.

Trivia

*William's cousin, Elijah W. Flake, fought on the CSS "Virginia" in the historic civil war battle (known as the Battle of Hampton Roads) between the "Virginia" and the USS "Monitor".