Mary A. Pritchett

HISTORY OF MARY ANN FULCHER PRITCHETT--SHE CAME TO UTAH IN THE SPRING OF 1866

WRITTEN BY HER GRANDDAUGHTER FRANCES CHRISTOPHERSON.  SARAH YEAMAN CAMP, CASSIA COUNTY COMPANY

Sketch of Mary A. Pritchett's Life

Mary A. Pritchett was born July 4, 1819 in North Carolina.  At the age of two years she moved to Virginia, where she resided until she immigrated to Utah.  At the age of twenty she was married to James Mitchell Pritchett by whom she had nine children, eight of which grew to maturity.

The Gospel was brought to her by elders Jediah  Grant, Josiah Grant, James Park and Hamilton.  After receiving the gospel herself, her greatest desire was that the hearts of her children be touched and that they may all gather to Zion with her.

Her husband was enabled to disposed of his property to prepare for the journey, and in the autumn of 1864, she started to Ohio where she was to meet her husband two moths later at Portsmouth.  Their outfit was an excellent one for that age, well laden with excellent food, clothing and bedding.  But they had proceeded but about 75 miles on their journey when a band of gorillas relieved them of their horses, so now they had to leave everything by the roadside and travel on foot to Burnswick, Ohio, a distance of about 200 miles.  Here they took a steam ship to Portsmouth where she met her husband and afterwards took passage for St. Louis.

In the spring of 1866 they prepared to cross the plains with a company of saints.  Her history from that time on became the history of the saints so well known to all.  Fairview was their final stopping place and their home has been in that ward ever since.

On June 14, 1868,  the Relief Society was first organized, and she was chosen president, which responsible position she held with pride up to the day of her death, which occured March 5, 1901.

 As we review her life, we wonder if there are many who preformed so many blessed deeds of charity as she.  She was ever at the bedside of the sick.  Her motherly chair and counsel were never asked in vain by man, woman or child.  And the needy were never refused assistance when they applied to her.

Spinning and weaving never oppressed her so much that she had not time to attend her religious duties.  She always had a desire to die in the harness, and her desire was granted her.  During the last two months of her illness, the responsibility of the Society rested on her mind so much that she did not forget to send in her membership fee of 10 cents with the request if she died or lived that it be devoted at the proper time, March 17th.

Her influential and useful life closed March 5, 1901.  All Fairview lost a mother when Grandma Pritchett died.

As received from JoAn Pritchett Blodgett.