Charles Henry Wilcken

Biography Wilcken left Holstein, then ruled as a Duchy by the King of Denmark as Duke of Holstein, while a member of the German Confederation, in 1857, ahead of his wife Eliza Christina Carolina Reiche Wilcken (1830–1906) and two small children. He planned to emigrate to Argentina to join his brothers there; however, while waiting in London to sail, he ran out of funds and could only afford to go to New York City. Wilcken's family joined him in the U.S. in 1860. Wilcken eventually had three additional wives and fathered 18 children.

Six foot four inches tall, Wilcken worked as a miller in Salt Lake City, a skill he learned in Prussia. Later he served as the friend, driver, and bodyguard for LDS Church presidents John Taylor and Wilford Woodruff. He assisted leaders of the LDS Church to relocate their polygamous families and he served as a go-between for them and their families when they were imprisoned.