James Hendricks and Drusilla Dorris were married in 1827. In 1836 they moved from Tennessee to Missouri, settling in Caldwell County. James was critically wounded in the Battle of Crooked River in October 1838.
He was paralyzed from the neck down for a while and was essentially an invalid for the rest of his life. There were times when open sores covered James’ body from top to bottom. Drusilla would have to lift him up and lay him back down as many as 50 times a day.
This is the burial site of both James and Drusilla Dorris Hendricks in Richmond, Utah. | Kenneth Mays
The family eventually made the journey from Missouri to Nauvoo, Illinois. Because of James’ limitations, most of the responsibility of providing for the family fell upon Drusilla. At times of desperation, Drusilla would pour her soul out to the Lord. Various individuals came into her life and blessings followed. At one point, Drusilla had to travel to St. Louis to make money for the necessities of life. She had a premonition of something terribly wrong at the time Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed at Carthage (see Carol Cornwall Madsen's "In Their Own Words: Women and the Story of Nauvoo").
The Hendricks family went west with the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-days Saints. Although physically limited, James served as bishop of the Nineteenth Ward. James lived until 1870, Drusilla until 1881. They are both buried at Richmond, Utah.
The home seen here has traditionally been identified as the Hendricks Nauvoo home. It is privately owned and not open to the public. The owner's privacy should be respected.