Samuel & Eleanor Cotterell House, 96 North One Hundred East, Farmington

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The Samuel and Eleanor Cotterell Home is a small, stone residence constructed early during the initial settlement of Farmington. It has been significantly altered with the basement house and rear shed additions, with the loss of the interior, and with minor fenestration changes. Farmington , however, has a number of early buil dings of similar construction material; which represent the most dominant theme found in the area's vernacular architecture. The Samuel and Eleanor Co tterell Home, particularly in light of its early construction, is contributo ry to an understanding of this architectu ral theme. Historian and Date: David R. Haws December Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No.

UT-124 Page 2 Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home 96 North 100 East Farmington, Utah Earlv Settlement of Farmington Farmington was an early Latter-Day Saint Settlement. It was used the first winter of to winter stock . 1 Farmington is located at the base of the Wasatch Mountains in Davi s County, approximately midway between Salt Lake City (to the south) and Ogden (to the north). Although the salinity of the soil increases with proximity to the Great Salt Lake, Farmington's early pioneers found good soil and ample water closer to the bench. The first permanent settlers (the families of Daniel C. Davis, Thomas Grover, William O. Smith, Allan Burke and Daniel A. Mi 1ler) arrived at the Farmington site in An ecclesiastical leader (Bi shop Joseph L. Robinson) was appointed in March of .

3 "In December, there were 27 one-story and 9 two-story adobe houses in Farmington. There were also 33 log houses, most of which were covered with wood pine shingles. Several other houses were in the course of construct ion."4 It was this year, that the Cotterel1 Family moved to Farmington.s Samuel and Eleanor Taylor Cotterell had joined the LDS church in England and emigrated to the Nauvoo, Illinois area in Samuel's father William died on the plains of Iowa in Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No. UT-12 4 Page 3 during the slow early period of migration. Samuel's mother, Sarah Jefferson, continued on with her son's family, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley in Initial Ownership of Parcel Margaret Steed Hess notes, in her history Mv Farmington: A History of Farmington.

Utah "On the southeast corner of 1st and 1st N lived John D. Williams and later David Sanders. It is now the home of Frank and Grace Sartor."9 While Hess fails to reference speci fie time periods, this information appears to be based on the recollections of others, possibly passing remarks made in her presence while she was a young woman. The Abstract of title indicates that John D. Williams lived on the adjacent block (Block The first title record on the property was dated January 23, granted by probate judge H. C. H. (Hector C. Haightio) to Samuel Cotterell.

The probate judge himself was not given a patent to the ground until November 3, ** Although purchased earlier, final title was granted to Samuel Cotterell in It appears unlikely that John Williams or David Sanders had any direct association with the Samuel and Samue1 and E1eanor Cotterell Home HABS No. UT-12 4 Page 4 Eleanor Cotterel1 Home. Because of the nature of the home and other stone and adobe buildings in Farmington, it would appear that the home was initially constructed soon after the arrival of the Cotterell family in Farmington. T he probabi1ity that Hess incorrectly associated the ownership of the home might be attributed to false recollection. It should also be noted that Mrs .

Hess was quite old at the time of her book; that Samuel Cotterel 1 died before her birth and that she was not old enough to have personal recol lection of John Williams. While the possibility remains that John Williams and/or David Sanders may have been early occupants of the structure; this scenario seems quite remote. However, because they have both been associated with the house in the current literature, they will be briefly ment i oned here. principal HigWrjc Occupants John D. Wi11i ams: John Dune Williams joined the LDS Church a year after Samuel Cotterel1, but stayed in England to pres ide over a branch of the church in Worcester.12 John emigrated to America in 1 3 and is 1isted as a resident of Davis County in the 185 6 Territorial Samue1 and E1eanor Cotterell Home HABS No.

UT-124 Page 5 Census . The I860 Census lists him in the Steam Boat Valley, Carson, Utah Territory. In he is listed in Farmington. At the time of his death in John was noted as a 30+ year res ident of Farmington. 14 While this data tends to be contradictory, he would appear to have arrived in Farmington within a few years of Samuel Cotterell. David A. Sanders: David A.

Sanders was also born in Worcester, England in the summer of 1S and emigrated to Utah with his parents (William and Elizabeth Hunt Sanders) two years later.16 He married Lucy Grover in (Lucy was the daughter of Thomas Grover, and has been noted at the first whi te child to be born in Farmington, on January 7, David's first plural marriage (to Elzada Hess) was solemnized in A second plural marriage (to Mary Alice Van Fleet) wa entered in David was married again to Phoebe Atkinson, 2 3 March after the death of his first and second wives, but before the death of his third wife. (Mary Alice Van Fleet had been previously sealed to Hart Udy in . David appears to have grown up in Farmington, and stayed in Farming ton the first year of his and Lucy's marriage.

David and Lucy were in Nevada for the birth of their second child Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No. UT-124 Page 6 and had returned to Farmington for the birth of their third child Elzada, who had also been raised in Farmington had her first child in that same year in Morgan, Utah. David appears to have moved both his fami 1ies to Morgan, where he stayed unt il i860. At this time he moved both families back to Farmington, where Lucy had her last 6 children Elzada had her next three children and Mary had her 7 children Elzada's last three children were born in Plymouth, Box Elder County and and Littleton, Davis County David had 30 children in all, and died in 4 months before his 9 3rd birthday. David was a Peace Officer, a contractor; and was at one time the Sheriff of Davis County.

Samuel Cotterel1: Samuel Cotterel1 remarried following the death of his first wife, Eleanor Taylor, in 17 Samuel's second wife, Mary Heap, had two children from her previous marriage to John Cowley. She survived Samuel by nearly 20 years, and continued to live in the home. Following her death, title to the property was Samuel and Eleanor Cot tere11 Home HABS No. UT-124 Page 7 consolidated by William Cotterel!, Samuel and Eleanor's oldest son; and passed to his oldest son, Joseph William Cotterell; and daughter-in-law, Sarah Loui se Oviatt; for the sum of Joseph Cotterel1: Joseph Cotterel1 worked in sales and investment, and in 13 00 operated a general merchandise, grocery and meat market with his brother-in-law, Henry L. Oviatt.

In Henry took over the store, which was located just west to the Foss Home on State Street.* 3 Minnie E. Spencer: In the Cotterel 1's sold their home to Minnie Elizabeth Hadler Spencer, the second wife of Alfred Spencer.19 Both Minnie and Alfred were natives of England. Minnie took a mortgage in for Her husband Alfred died in and she executed an unrecorded deed prior to her own death; granting title to her two daughters, Minnie Mable and Emi1ine Hadler. This deed was recorded after Minnie's death in with quit claim deeds from Minnie Mable, and Alfred John (the only son) giving clear title to Emiline Hadler Spencer Shay. Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No. UT-12 4 Page 8 Gordon D. Price: Emiline sold the property 2 years later to Gordon D.

Prince, who was a blood relation on their Hadler 1ine (Emma Loui se Hadler, Gordon Price's mother; would appear to be a sister of Minnie E. Hadler Spencer). Gordon appears to have created the large reinforced concrete basement house addition to the home sometime around He sold the property to its last occupant, Frank W. Sartor, in Architectural Information: Architectura1 Character: The Samuel and Eleanor Cotterell Home is a small, vernacular residence constructed of natural stone. Changes to the interior have obscured its original floor plan, but the roof 1ine would tend to indicate that it was originally designed as a single cell or double cell structure. The natural stone exterior produces a varied texture surface.

The roof line, wall piercings and trim are noticeably plain and do not compete with the texture of the wal 1 surfaces. Samuel and Eleanor CottereI 1 Home HABS No. UT-124 Page 9 OutbuiIdings: A frame storage shed, sheathed In salvaged 1 " plank material is located approximately 16 feet to the east of the addi tion. This structure appears to be approximately 30 years old. Footnotes 1 George Quincey Know 1 ton, A Brief History of Farmington Utah (Kaysville, Utah: Inland Printer), P 9. 2 Ibid. P 9. 3 Ibid. P 10 "Ibid. P 10 5 Obi tuary of Wi11iam Cotterell, LDS Biographical Index. Statistical Data on Samuel Cotterell Family taken from LDS Family Group Records. Statistical Data on William Cotterell Family taken from LDS Family Group Records. ^Obituary of William Cotterell.

^Margaret Steed Hesc, Mv Farmington: A History of Farmington Utah (Utah: Daughters of Utah Pioneers), P 24. 10 Knowlton, P 45. ]1 Davis County Abstract of Title Records. While rights to file for the ownership of land claims were bought and sold, clear title to individual parcels in Utah was not granted by the federal government (which held title to all of the territory, as public lands, following the Mexican-American War) unti1 the opening of the land office in When the citizens of Utah were f inally granted relief from thi s cloud to land ownership; the relinquished claims of those who had occupied the land prior to this relief {some of whom had either died or left the territory), were often recorded in order to document the chain of occupancy and legitimize claims.

Samuel and Eleanor Cotterell Home HABS No. UT-124 Page 10 Condi tion of Fabri c: The stone masonry has weathered very we 11. Stone, however, appears to have been originally 1imi ted to the principal and secondary facades (front and left sides). An interior lining of adobe appears to have been used throughout the building, and has been protected by the stone at these two elevations. The right side (south elevat ion) walls are composed of soft brick over the adobe 1ining and have severely deteriorated, leaving little of the fired brick fabric. The deterioration at the south elevation has extended to the external chimney flue; where the top two courses have been replaced and the flue has received a metal 1iner.

Construct ion Technique: The use of an adobe wall liner, and inferior materials at less visible elevations was a common pract ice throughout Utah. The adobe liner contributes to the extreme thickness of the original exterior walls. The rear (east) elevation is obscurred by the frame, shed roof addition, but is probably also of soft brick and adobe construct ion. Possible Design Influences: The Cotterell Home has a relatively odd ground plan. It would have been very unusual for a building with a its rectangular ground plan to have a floor plan of a single room. Smal1 , Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No.

UT-124 Page 11 vernacular folk buildings such as the single cell, double cell, pair house (parstuga), etc.; had rectangular ground plans with one, two or three (respectively) basically square rooms. The more tradi tional vernacular home in Utah was the ubiquitous Hal 1/Parlor. However, in the construction of a Hall/Parlor home, with the ridge running perpendicular to the principal approach; the roof would have to be supported on either surfaced rafters, spaced approximately 2 4" on center (requiring a substantial amount of what was then a scarce material), or heavier purl ins, running parallei to the ridge, spaced approximately 4 feet on center and braced at a heavy interior bearing wa11.

By means of the ground and floor plans which were selected, the CotterelIs were able to maintain the more familiar look of a parallei ridge; while us ing purl ins (instead of rafters) parallel to the ridge cuid supported at the already massive exterior walls. Because the end wal1s were only a single room width apart, this saved on the amount of material needed for the roof (especially since heavy log purl ins were substituted for surfaced rafters), whi1e allowing for the elimination of an inter ior bearing wal1. 'The interior space could then be partitioned by a lighter wall {probably a cingle wall construction, since it failed to survive). Samue1 and E1eanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No.

UT-124 Page 12 While the resultant floorpian would not be recognizable as a Hall/Parlor, it would function somewhat similarly a large parlor, directly accessible from the main entrance, with a more isolated best room at the rear. It should also be noted that the configuration of the Cotterell Home --- wi th the rear eave substantial ly lower than the front eave ; wi th the highly textured exterior wall treatment; yet with the tradi tional wall piercings of the principal facade-- exhibits many of the characteristics of transitional (Medieval to Georgian) homes. William and Eleanor would have become fami liar with these smal1 cottages, many of which survived in England at the time the Cotterells left.

And as with most vernacular architecture; fami 1iar architectural types and techniques were quickly adapted to meet present needs . Wa 11 s : The exterior walls are composed of random grani te rubble stone, wi th some quartz and other materials. An effort was made at the time of construction to select larger, roughly squared stones for the corners. The stonework extends up the gable of the north elevation (secondary facade, since the buiIding occupies a corner lot), and across the west elevation (principal facade). . The south wall (and probably the obscurred east wall, as well) is constructed of a soft fired bri ck over an inner adobe 1ining. Samuel and Eleanor Cotterell Home HABS No.

UT-124 Page 13 Openings : The principal windows at the original portion of the home are one-over-one, double hung, wooden sashes; with wooden lintels and 2 inch wooden lug sills. Aluminum storm windows have been installed over the window piercings. Roof : The roof is gabled, with the ridge running para 1 lei to the principal facade. The roofing has been replaced with compos ition shingles, over tongue and groove and ungrooved 1" sheathing. There is some evidence that the roof sheathing received minor alterations at the time of re-roofing. The roof structure, however, is visible at the south elevation, and reveals that the roof is carried on round log purl ins, instead of rafters.

Exterior Alterations: The exterior of the building has remained substantially intact, although sign if icant alterations include the addition of the small, wood, casement sash, at the location of the current bathroom and visible at the north elevation; and the installation of a large aluminum sash at the east end of the south elevation. An aluminum awning, also a recent addi t ion, extends across most of the original building's principal facade. Samuel and Eleanor Cotterell Home HABS No. UT-124 Page 3^4 The two addi t ions also constitute major alterations, and include the smal1 frame addition sheathed in lineal masonite siding, added to the rear of the building; and the large concrete basement house added to the south of the original home.

The smal1 frame addition dates from the 19 while the concrete basement hose dates from the late or early and has only recently been partitioned into rooms. The basement windows are metal awning sashes. The basement is accessed by an external stairway (enclosed in a frame shed at the east elevation) and an internal stairway. The head space of the internal stairway projects as a moni tor above the composition roof of the basement house and is surrounded on three sides by f ixed, wooden sashes. The concrete walls of the basement house appear to be reinforced, which would tend to indicate a post construction date. The County Assessor's files, however, indicate a date of construction for the home; which might indicate a slightly earlier construction date for the basement house addition.

Interior Alterations: The interior has been significantly altered with the addition and, possible removal of partitions and the cladding of the interior with sheetrock. Samuel and Eleanor Cotterell Home HABS No. UT-124 Page 15 In rural areas, where large tracts of land were involved, homesteaders might file individual patents on their ground; not ing which port ions (if any) had been previously sold to (or occupied by) others. Where cities had been incorporated, the Mayor was usually granted the initial patent to the ground within the city, and would subsequently pass title to the current owners through the instrument of a Mayor's Deed. Unincorporated communities would pass title similarly through a local official. 12 0bi tuary, Deseret Evening News, October 8, 13 Ibid. I*Ibid.

15 Statistical data on David Sanders Family taken from LDS Family Group Records. 16 Esshom, Frank Pioneer and Prominent Men of Utah Utah: Western Epics, Inc), P 1 statistical data on Samuel Cotterell Family taken from LDS Family Group Records. ls Statistical data on Joseph Cotterell Family taken from LDS Family Group Records. 1 ^Statistical data on Alfred Spencer Family taken from LDS Family Group Records. Bibliography David County Records (Plat, Tax and Abstract} Esshom, Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah Utah: Western Epics, Inc } , Hess, Margaret Steed My Farmington: A History of Farmington, Utah Copyright by Daughters of Utah Pioneers. Know1 ton, George Quincey A Brief History of Farmington. Utah (Kaysvi1le, Utah: Inland Printing), Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 Home HABS No.

UT-124 Page 16 LDS Genealogical Library, Salt Lake City, Utah Family Group Records Biographical Index Census Records i860, Church Records Utah Gazetteer LDS Historical Department Journal History Manuscript Hi story Portrait Index Obi tuaries -- Deseret Evening News Will!am Cotterell, son of Samuel and Eleanor Cotterel1 John Dune Williams (DEN Oct 8, Samuel & Eleanor Cotterell House HABS No. UT-124 (Page 17) C4 I CD <