Mary Ann Stockdale by Pearl Robbins Olsen

( By Granddaughter Pearl Robbins Olsen, copied 24 November 1955 by Barbara Darrington, a great great grand-daughter, from the original obtained from Francis Marion Egbert of Twin Falls, Idaho. Also copied by Alberta Blamires Streeper)

Mary Ann Stockdale was born 6 March 1805 at Penryn, Cornwall, England, daughter of William and Avis Francis Stockdale. Very little is known of her early life nor her family, except that she was one of nine children and two children of her mother. Two brothers and a sister are the only ones listed in her record. No records were kept in those early days, and it is hard to obtain records, only from cemeteries and early day churches.

Mary Ann was married in 1830 at Devonshire, England, to Edwin Carter. He was a stone mason. From this union there were five children born, namely, Edwin, William, Ellen, Jane and Mary Ann Carter. Grandmother was always a hard working woman. Her description was five feet six inches tall, weight about one hundred sixty-five pounds, beautiful black wavy hair and blue eyes. She must have been a strong healthy girl, and led a normal life. Her husband worked in a stone quarry and was accidentally killed on 10 June 1842. This was a terrible shock to his wife. She was left without support, except what she could earn to keep her children. The oldest child was ten years old, the youngest, one year. She did most any kind of work such as washing, ironing, cleaning, mending, also sewing and darning. Her hair lay in deep waves, was shiny black and hung long below her waist. She had it cut off and sold it to buy food for her family. She accepted the gospel in her native land, and was baptized at Ledbury, England in 1851. She married again, a man by the name of James Martin. To this marriage a son was born, his name was James Martin. This marriage was not successful, the husband was a good worker, but most of his wages were spent on drink. The little son, Jimmy, was a delicate child so the other children divided the nicest food with him because they could eat more common food and his appetite was poor.

Mary loved her religion sincerely, paying her tithing to her visiting teachers; her husband did not approve of this very much. Her two oldest sons, now grown to young men decided they could not live at home under the abuse of their stepfather. One day they said, "Mother, we cannot stand it any longer. We are going away." The poor mother protested but without avail. With aching heart, she packed their few clothes. She never saw them again. It is supposed they came back to the old home. When they found she had left, they went back to Australia or America.

Her second husband died, and she was alone again, but her heart was set on going to Zion. She worked and saved all she could for that purpose. She left Liverpool early in the year 1854 on the ship Thornton with a company of Saints. This ship was an old sailing vessel and at that time it took three months to cross the ocean from England to New York. Being wintertime, a great storm came up, drifting the ship off her course. Then a fire broke out, the Saints were ordered below and the doors locked. They could hear the sailors going back and forth working hard to save the ship from burning up and sinking. After hours of anxious waiting the people were called on deck and the captain thanked them for obeying orders.

Finally they landed at Castle Gardens, New York. Mary lived in New York City about five years, working and earning money to go on to Zion. Jane and Mary Ann came on

two years before their mother. At last in 1861, she started on the three thousand-mile trip to Utah.

The railroad had extended two thousand miles into the west. She came by rail as far as Florence, Nebraska with her daughter Ellen and son-in-law William Henry Bone and their three children, Mary, William James and Rhoda Jane, and her son James Martin. William Bone was lame so he could not walk all the way so they bought a wagon with two yoke of oxen, so he and the children could take turns alternately walking and riding. Mary Ann pushed a handcart with Ellen's and Jimmy's help with eighty pounds of provisions. Mary Ann walked every mile of the one thousand miles over the burning hot desert into Salt Lake City. She had accomplished her dearest hope. She met her two daughters in Kaysville. She sold the oxen and wagon and bought cattle and with her son James, bought a home in Harrisville, now North Ogden. James married Lydia Flint of Kaysville and raised a large family. He became Bishop of Harrisville Ward and served many years. His mother, Mary Ann, lived with him until she was ninety-one years of age. She suffered typhoid fever at the age of ninety. She recovered but her memory was impaired. At the age of ninety-one she went to live with her daughter Jane Robbins at Stone, Idaho, remaining with Jane the balance of her life. She was not sick nor bedridden until the last few days. She passed peacefully away on 20 May 1899 at the advanced age of ninety-three years and two months. They laid her away in the cemetery at Snowville, Utah.

She left a large posterity which is scattered throughout the states of Utah, Idaho, Montana, Washington, Nevada, Washington D.C., Tennessee, California, New Mexico and many others

This is written in loving remembrance of Grandmother Martin by Pearl Robbins Olsen.

(Notes for Mary Ann Stockdale 26 June 1993 )

History: Mary Ann Stockdale Carter was born about March 6th, 1805 at Penryn, Cornwell, England. Her father was William Stockdale born in 1773, at Dublin, Ireland. He was a Mormon convert, and he died in the poorhouse in England. He died the 18th May 1862 at the ripe old age of 89 years at Plymouth, Devonshire, England. Her mother was Avis Francis, born the 5th April 1778, Maby, Cornwellshire, England, died 14th of February 1864 at Plymouth, Devonshire, England at the age of 86 years.

She married Edwin Carter about 1830. They were the parents of five children. Her husband Edwin Carter worked for many years in a Stone Quarry in England, and was killed one morning when a blast of dynamite was set off without warning and he was buried many feet below in the rocks. When the news was taken to his wife she rushed to the top of the quarry expecting to find him there. But when she was told he was buried many feet below in the rocks, in her grief she tried to jump over the cliff. It took four men to keep her from jumping off. In her great sorrow she was unable to shed tears. All was done for her that could be; the doctor was called, and said she would die in a very short time unless she could start to cry. She finally started to cry, which saved her life.

She was left with five little children to provide for. She had a very fair skin, dark blue eyes, and dark auburn hair. She always wore it in ringlets, and it hung far below her waist. She had a very kind and loving disposition.

After the death of her husband she had to work very hard for a living for her family of little children. At one time not knowing how to get bread for her children she had her beautiful hair cut off and sold so she could provide for them.

One day as she was washing clothes, (she took in washing for a living,) she needed a place to put them. She quickly picked up a stocking she had been darning and brushed the table with it; not knowing a large darning needle with a string of yam was hidden in the stocking. It ran through the fleshy part of her hand: she couldn't pull the needle out with her fingers, so taking one end of the needle between her teeth and placing her other hand on her wrist she pushed with all her might with her free hand and pulled with her teeth, the needle and yam went through her hand. Then regardless of the agony and pain she suffered she finished the washing. Blood poisoning set in causing her hand to swell twice it's normal size and turn dark. The doctor said her hand must be amputated to save her life. In great faith she was administered to by the Mormon Elders, they rebuked the disease that had set in, the darkness and swelling left immediately and her hand was restored to it's normal health.

She continued on caring for her children rejoicing in the blessings of the Lord to her.

She was later married the second time to James Martin, Sr. In the year 1846. They had two children born to them, James and John Martin. John died when a small child and was buried in England. A few years later her husband James Martin Sr. took sick with a paralytic stroke and was bedfast about seven years before his death making it very hard for the family.

She was baptized in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints in England in the year 1851 and on the 4th of May 1856 she left England and sailed for America on the ship "Thornton." She with her children, Jane Carter, Mary Ann Carter and James Martin who was about 10 ears old, from Plymouth, Devonshire, England. Her oldest son Edwin Carter had left England to find work. He went to Canada and his mother never heard from him again. Her next son William Carter left England and went to Australia, to find work. If her sons wrote to her she never received their letters though she longed to many times, and her heart ached with anxiety over them.

Years later after she had left England she heard that William had returned to Plymouth, England and found that his mother, sisters and brother had gone to Utah, but their mother never saw or heard from either of her boys after they left home.

After coming to America she lived in New York five years then immigrated with an ox team to Kaysville, Utah, arriving September 12th, 1861. After coming to Utah she made her home with her own children, but worked out for her own living most of the time. She worked two or three days out of every week washing and cleaning, she worked out until she was 72 years old. She then made her home with her youngest son James Martin at Farr West, Ogden, Utah, who was Bishop there for many years. When she was about 85 years old she had typhoid fever, but through the blessings of the Lord was made well again, after a long sick spell. Some time between her 85th and 90th birthday she went to live with her daughter, Jane Carter Harris Robbins, at Stone, Oneida, Idaho, where she remained until her death.