Chris & Julie Petersen's Genealogy

Mary Jane Campbell

Female 1848 - 1921  (72 years)


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  • Name Mary Jane Campbell 
    Born 4 Oct 1848  Oakley or Saline, Fife, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Gender Female 
    Died 29 Jul 1921  Mountainville, Sanpete, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Buried 30 Jul 1921  Mount Pleasant City Cemetery, Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Person ID I235  Petersen-de Lanskoy
    Last Modified 27 May 2021 

    Family Nathaniel Spens,   b. 21 Jun 1838, Edinburgh, Midlothian, Scotland Find all individuals with events at this location,   d. 25 Nov 1916, Mountainville, Sanpete, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location  (Age 78 years) 
    Married 21 Jun 1869  Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, United States Find all individuals with events at this location 
    Last Modified 28 May 2021 
    Family ID F14  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  • Notes 
    • RESEARCH_NOTES:
      1. Censuses:
      1880 US: 1st to 10th Ward, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah, NA film T9-1337, p. 14C:
      Nathaniel Spens, painter, M, 43, Scot, Scot, Scot.
      Mary, keeping house, wife, M, 29, Scot, Scot, Scot.
      Isabella, dau., S, 19, Eng, Scot, Scot.
      Eliz'h, at school, dau., 14, UT, Scot, Scot.
      Jas., at school, son, 10, UT, Scot, Scot.
      Thos., son, 8, UT, Scot, Scot.
      Mary Jane, dau, 6, UT, Scot, Scot.
      Eliz'h, dau, 4, UT, Scot, Scot.
      Nathaniel, son, 7M, UT, Scot, Scot.
      Eliz'h Campbell, mother-in-law, W, 58, Scot, Scot, Scot.

      1900 US: Mt. Pleasant precinct excluding Mt. Pleasant City, Sanpete, Utah, p. 174A [living next door to a son James Spens]:
      Nathaniel Spens, Jun 1836, 63, m. 31 years, Sco Sco Sco, emigrated 1863, farmer.
      Mary, wife, Aug 1848, 51, m. 31 years, Sco Sco Sco, emigrated 1867.
      Nathaniel A., son, Oct 1879, 20, S, UT Sco Sco, farm laborer.
      John A., son, May 1884, 16, S, UT Sco Sco.
      Sarah, dau., Feb 1889, 11, S, UT Sco Sco.
      Clara, dau., May 1891, 9, S, UT Sco Sco.
      Jacob Graf, servant, Apr 1889, 11, UT Ger Ger, farm laborer.

      2. Reviewed Rootsweb.com Worldconnect 8 Dec 2002. Parents are Thomas Campbell, b. 1819 at Bo' Ness, Lanark, Scotland, and Elizabeth Smith, b. 1822/3 at New Monkland, Lanark, Scotland. Database ":1527405" notes location of birth as Oakley, Bethgate, Fife W-Lthn, Scotland and that she was a twin to Joseph Campbell; also notes that there were a total of 14 siblings and that her parents died in Salt Lake City.

      BIOGRAPHY:
      1. The book "Women of Faith and Fortitude" by the daughters of Utah Pioneers (photo accompanies article): "Mary Jane Campbell Spens, b. 4 Oct 1848 at Oakley, Saline, Scotland, d. 28 Jul 1921 at Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah, parents are Thomas Campbell and Elizabeth Smith, pioneer of 29 Aug 1868 with the William S. Seeley Wagon Train, m. 21 Jun 1869 Nathaniel Spens at Salt Lake Endowment House (he died 25 Nov 1916 at Mt. Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah, children:
      James, 13 Mar 1870 [at American Fork, Utah, Utah; d. 21 sep 1913]
      Thomas, 14 Feb 1872 [at American Fork, Utah, Utah; d. 20 Feb 1939]
      Mary Jane, 6 Oct 1873 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 22 May 1953]
      Anne Elizabeth, 3 Sep 1875 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 5 Feb 1935]
      Bertha Ann, 6 Oct 1877 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 18 Mar 1955]
      Nathaniel, 9 Oct 1879 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 16 Aug 1956]
      Martha, 30 Aug 1881 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 22 Apr 1902]
      Jamima, 24 May 1883 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 24 May 1883]
      John Alexander, 17 May 1885 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 27 May 1920]
      Robert William, 17 Oct 1886 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 21 Mar 1898]
      Sarah, 10 feb 1889 [at Salt Lake City, Utah, Utah; d. 26 Dec 1963]
      Clara, 4 May 1891 [at Mount Pleasant, Sanpete, Utah]
      Mary and her family emigrated to New York from London on May 23, 1866 on the ship 'American Congress.' They lived in McKeesport, PA for two years before traveling on to Salt Lake Valley. They needed employment in order to save enough money for the long journey. They joined the wagon train of William Seeley at Laramie, Wyoming, and walked much of the way. When they arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, they camped their covered wagon in the tithing yard for 3 months. Finally, her family was assigned to settle in American Fork where they built a dugout for their home. Mary became as proficient as her mother at making cat-tail rugs to dress the dirt floor. At age 19, Mary married a man who was twice widowed. She reared his two little girls to adulthood. Of the 12 children Mary bore, ten grew to adulthood. She taught them all the restored gospel and accompanied them to church each week. Mary was a tall slender woman. She had no schooling, she could not read or write. No one could 'short change' her on money. She was a serious person with little humour in her personality. She was thrifty and clean in her housekeeping, and immaculate and neat in her personal habits. One day, while she was living in Salt Lake City, an electrical storm came up. She stepped to the door just as lightning struck a tree in front of her. The tree split and the imprint of half of it was left on her body. The hair was singed from her head and she fell to the ground. She recovered completely and never had fear of lightning."

      2. From the website www.Nathanielspens.com: "A year after Maggie's death, Nathaniel sought a third wife. He most likely met Mary Campbell during a visit to American Fork to see his daughter, Elizabeth - the Campbells had settled in American Fork. Nathaniel married Mary Campbell in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City on his 31st birthday, June 21, 1869. That same day Nathaniel had Jane Ann Burnhope sealed to him first. According to the Endowment House records, Joseph F. Smith performed the sealings for Nathaniel, Jane and Mary. Maggie was seemingly forgotten, her temple ordinances left undone. Like Nathaniel, Mary was no stranger to sorrow, having witnessed or been told of the death and burial of eight of her twelve siblings in Scotland, many to smallpox. Although the smallpox vaccination was available to baby Princess Victoria, obviously it was not available to everyone. Also, Mary, like Nathaniel, had been sent to the registrar, however, on a much sadder occasion. The reader will recall that 22-year-old Nathaniel reported the birth of his niece, Margaret Leck, in 1860 in Glasgow. Thirteen-year-old Mary was sent to the registrar in 1864 just four days after her brother James had reported the death of their seven-year-old sister. The cause of the death was smallpox. Mary tearfully reported that smallpox had now taken her nine-year-old brother, Alexander.
      Mary and her twin, Joseph William, were born October 4, 1848 in Oakley, Saline, Fifeshire, Scotland, her parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Smith Campbell, having joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in February of that same year in the Dunfermline Branch. Her Grandmother Mary Durham Campbell was baptized in April, 1848 so Mary was the third generation in her family to hear and accept the gospel. The Campbell family's church records were later transferred to the Oakley Branch where Mary's father, Thomas Campbell, was ordained an Elder at Bathgate on September 15, 1850. In 1852 their church records were transferred again, first to the Falkirk Branch and later to the Bathgate Branch. The children were baptized some time after age eight. Mary was baptized in the spring of 1866, probably at Bathgate, at age 15. On May 25, 1866, Mary Campbell, almost 16 years old, with her parents, Thomas and Elizabeth Campbell (both age 45), her 18-year-old brother, James, and three younger sisters, Annie (9 years old), Martha (4), and Jane ("an infant" of two years) sailed from Liverpool by way of London to America, arriving in New York July 5, 1866. The Emigrations Records indicate that this family sailed on the ship, "American Congress," with Captain Woodward, and that Brigham Young, Jr. was the church agent. Thomas Campbell was a laborer and his son, James, was a miner according to the register. For two years after their arrival in America, the family lived in McKeesport, Pennsylvania, sixteen miles up the Monegahala River from Pittsburgh. On August 10, 1867 Mary's brother, James, married Elizabeth Burnside. James was a figure skater and loved the winters in Pennsylvania where he could cut his name in the ice. Mary and the other family members may not have been so inclined to enjoy the cold weather and more anxious to move on. Move on they did, probably by train, to Laramie City, Wyoming where they joined Captain W. S. Seeley's train. At that time Laramie, Wyoming was the terminus of the Union Pacific Railroad. With the help of the Church's Perpetual Immigration Fund, on August 1, 1868, the Campbells began the last part of their journey to Salt Lake City (Deseret News 17:227 Aug 29, 1868). Thomas Campbell, wife and three young children (Mary, Martha, and Jane); James Campbell, wife and child (Thomas); and John Burnside, wife and six children traveled in the same company. On August 6th Wm. S. Seeley sent a list of Saints in his train and wrote the following message to George Q. Cannon from Benton, Dakota Territory: "The health of the Saints is generally good, and they are all in good spirits in the expectation of soon reaching Utah; We have had one death which please insert a notice of" (Deseret News, Aug 19, 1868). On August 29, 1868 they arrived in Salt Lake City, having walked much of the way: "Another Train In. - Captain Seeley's ox-train of 89 wagons got in this afternoon. He brought with him 272 passengers. The trip was made in four weeks, the train having left Laramine this day four weeks at 4 o'clock in the afternoon. There were four deaths during the trip, one of an aged person and that of three children who died of measles (Deseret News 17:227 Aug 29, 1868). Upon arrival, the Campbells camped in the Tithing Yard and depended on the Bishop's storehouse for supplies. After three months at the Tithing Yard, Brigham Young asked Thomas Campbell to take his family to American Fork. After moving to American Fork, Thomas Campbell and his son James worked in the mines. From Vera Elizabeth Young Allen's story of her mother, Jeanne Campbell Young Marcroft, we learn a little about pioneer life in American Fork. Thomas and James worked together, hauling logs from the American Fork Canyon. They built two dugouts, which were their homes: "The lights they had in these homes were made of greased rags pulled through the hole of a large common button. One half of the rag was placed in a tin saucer full of tallow grease, and the other half sticking up out of the button was lighted. These homemade lights were called 'Bish lights.'" Later Vera relates that Thomas made some candle molds out of tin and he and Elizabeth made their own candles, as did most other families in the area. Jeanne goes on to describe the sitting room and the bedrooms: "The sitting room contained one table made from large tree limbs; one wooden cupboard made from boxes with shelves, with little white curtains used in place of doors; three chairs and one high stool, all made of tree limbs; and two large soap boxes. At the end of the room was a dirt fireplace. The walls and ceilings were smoothed by scraping the earth with a sharp board. The floors were a clay substance from the American Fork Canyon made into a form of cement. The two bedrooms had beds made of tree limbs and ticks made from straw."
      Elizabeth Campbell learned how to make cattail rugs, which were placed in the bedrooms on the floor. The cattail stocks were soaked in salt for 24 hours, according to Jeanne, and while they were still damp, braided into small rugs, round in shape, and placed in the bedrooms and by the cupboard and table. After about six months, when the rugs began to look shabbly, new ones were braided to replace the old ones. Mary's mother was particular that everything looked neat and tidy. And, like generations before her, she taught her daughters the art of homemaking. For Mary and her sisters this included learning how to make cattail rugs as well as how to polish the tin dishes with wood ashes.
      Jeanne explained the kitchen and the art of pioneer cooking to her daughter, Vera: "The kitchen had a fireplace in the wall and the cooking was all done in a large kettle hanging from a chain over the fireplace. The bread was baked in this kettle. The kettle was about two feet in diameter and over a foot deep. It had a large bale and a cover. The bread dough was molded into large round loaves and cooked in this kettle." It was in American Fork that Mary learned how to make her own gum from milkweed pods. The pods were broken open in the morning and left in the sun all day. In the evening, the milk had formed into a rubber substance, which was gathered and chewed for gum, according to Jeanne. (Many years later, on February 15, 1882, James Campbell, May's brother, purchased that ground on the old bench in American Fork for $5.00. This land is described as "beginning at NW corner of Block 47 Plat 'A' running South 500 claims then East 742 clms to what is known as the North Field Water Ditch, then then along the west side of said ditch north by westerly to a 4 rod street then due west 381 claims to Camp Street - NE 1/4 Sec. 14 T.5.S.R.1 E. Salt Lake Meridian." James sold the land Nov 8, 1884 for $250 and moved to Mount Pleasant.) Thomas and Elizabeth Campbell's stay in American Fork seems to have been a preparatory time. They were called to live the United Order. After those efforts failed, they began to rebuild their lives. Thomas and Elizabeth Campbell renewed their faith, as did many of the early Saints, through rebaptism on February 13, 1869 in the American Fork Ward. Their son, James Campbell, and his wife, Elizabeth Burnside Campbell, were also rebaptized on the 13th, as was Elizabeth's mother, Elizabeth Burnside. This was just two days before Thomas and Elizabeth Campbell, John Mason Burnside and wife, Elizabeth Burnside, and James and Elizabeth Campbell went to the Endowment House in Salt Lake City. Mary's own original baptism date is not complete but she was also rebaptized four months later by Brother Shelley on June 19, 1869, two days before her own marriage to Nathaniel Spens in the Endowment House. She was 19 years old. Not too long after Mary married, her parents moved to Salt Lake City and lived just east of Liberty Park in what was later called Old Rock Row. A year later, on the 25th of August, in the 1870 Census (page 184), Nathaniel and Mary are living in American Fork. Not only are Nathaniel's two girls back with him, but he and Mary have a baby, James. It appears that the family was away when the Census was taken. Perhaps a neighbor was questioned and provided the census taker with the surname of Spencer rather than Spens. Nathaniel and Mary's ages were most likely estimated as they are shown as being only two years apart in age. Finally, James is recorded as being born in February rather than March. It is noted in the census that the mother could neither read nor write. In addition to raising Nathaniel's two little daughters, Isabella and Elizabeth, whom Mary willingly took into her arms and heart, she bore Nathaniel twelve children. Their first son was born March 13, 1870, in American Fork and named James in the traditional Scottish pattern, after Nathaniel's father. When James was born, there were twenty other families living in the American Fork area, all farmers. Their immediate neighbors, according to the 1870 Census, were the Laycoxes and the Bloods.

      3. See many references to Mary in husband's biography quoted in his notes [from website : "Nathaniel Spens' Biography. Draft by Louise Brown February 2, 2003].

      BIRTH:
      1. 4 Oct 1848 per biographies above. Note that 1900 census varies with birth date of Aug. 1848.

      2. Burial Index cited below says 4 Oct 1850 in Scotland.

      MARRIAGE:
      1. Per biographies above.

      DEATH:
      1. Per biography above.

      2. Utah State Historical Society Burials Database, online: Mary Spence b. 4 Oct 1850 in Scotland and d. 28 Jul 1921 at Mt. Pleasant, Utah from Gangarene of foot. Bur. Mt. Pleasant Cemetery, A_55_1_7. Father listed as Thomas Campbell.

      3. From website : "Nathaniel Spens' Biography. Draft by Louise Brown February 2, 2003: "Mary was helping her daughter, Sarah, one day when the oven door fell on Mary's foot, smashing her toe. The injury developed gangrene and resulted in Mary's death on July 28, 1921 at the home of her daughter, Mary Jane Spens Burnside. Her doctor, O. Sundwall, signed the death certificate. Mary was buried in white casket in a brick vault."

      BURIAL:
      1. Per Burial Index cited above.