Flake was born in
Anson County, North Carolina, the fourth son of Agnes Love and James Madison Flake. Flake was called by church leaders to enter into a
plural marriage in 1868. Lucy agreed to the marriage, because of her belief in the LDS Church; she even helped choose his second wife. William Flake and Prudence Kartchner were married in October 1868. Flake and Kartchner would have seven children. 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." On December 5, 1884, Flake was tried in Prescott, Arizona in the District Court and found guilty for practice of
polygamy and unlawful
cohabitation, Flake received a $500 fine and was imprisoned in the
Yuma Territorial Prison for six months. While in prison, Flake still served as one of the counselors to the bishop of the Snowflake
ward. Flake was treated humanely in prison, reportedly allowed to work how he pleased, read as much as he pleased, and eat "excellent food". William Jordan Flake was the father of eleven sons and nine daughters and lived to the age of 93, dying on August 10, 1932, in Snowflake. ==Legacy==