Mary Ann Wagstaff Bullock

[The following was taken from histories deposited at the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.]
Born 20 Oct 1838 Cambridge, England
Death 31 Mar 1914 Warren, Weber, Utah
Parents Frederick Wagstaff & Mary Ann Stewart
Spouse Thomas Henry Bullock
Married 25 Jun 1864
Seath Sp. 23 May 1906 Warren, Weber, Utah

Children
Lillian Cora 2 Aug 1865
Maud Mary 16 Jul 1867
Henrietta Jane 9 Aug 1870
Thomas Frederick 2 Aug 1871
Walter William 8 Jun 1874
Henri Stewart 20 Aug 1876 (died infant)
Pamela 18 Oct 1878
Pearl Lida 23 Apr 1882

Year arrived in Utah 3 Oct 1863
Company of Daniel McArthur Handcart
Submitted by: June Ellen Wayment Orton
525 E 2850 N
Ogden, Ut 84414-2015

At 23 years of age, Mary Ann boarded the ship Amazon to come to America. She traveled alone but her sister Elizabeth Wagstaff Shupe and her aunt Elizabeth Stewart Marriott had come to America six months earlier.

She started walking across the plains with a handcart company, but a young teamster, rather liking her company, asked her to ride in his wagon, using the excuse for having her there, that she was mending his clothing and sewing on buttons etc.

She said in later years that it made the trip a lot easier for her but it gave her a guilty feeling because there were women much older than myself than had to walk all the way.

One day after arriving in Utah, that young teamster named Thomas Henry Bullock, announced to Mary that he was going to marry. When she exclaimed “who” he calmly answered “No”. Assuring her she would not live in polygamy because he did not want to either, she accepted. They were married in the Temple and went to Salt Creek to live. Their home was a one room cabin with a quilt hung over the opening for a door.

When Mary Ann was in labor with one of her babies, a tribe of Indians were passing by moving to new territory. As they came up even with the doorway,each Indian would put his head in the doorway and look around, curious to see what the Indian ahead of him had seen.

Thomas Henry explained the situation to the chief who then came to stand in front of the doorway untiall all the tribe had passed by.

Mary Ann did later accept polygamy as Thomas Henry was called to take a second wife. She was Jane McBride, an immigrant girl from Scotland.

The story passed down to the family was that when one of the babies died, pressure was put on Mary Ann to sustain Thomas to take a second wife, with the assumption that because she was dragging her fee in this respect was why the baby died

Jane McBride had hired as a household helper. It was she that was taken as his 2nd wife. When Thomas Henry bought a length of material for one wife a dress, he always bought enough of the same material for the other, Mary Ann always put her material aside and did not use it until Jane had made hers and worn it out.

Jane, much younger than Mary had the youngest family, so Thomas lived with them. Stories passed down from Jane's family were that she would get upset when Thomas would visit Mary Ann and one time threw the family Bible down the hole of that little house out back with the half moon cut in its door. Some one retrieved it. It was cleaned and restored and kept by the family.

Mary Ann was a thorough house keeper, a woman with a strong sense of fairness, and a warm heart. When her daughter Maud Mary died leaving a family of seven children, she cared for them as best she could, and took the baby Vern and raised him for a number of years. When Thomas was old and ill and wished to live out his last years with Mary Ann, she gladly took him in and cared for him until he died.

Mary Ann Wagstaff was born 20 Oct 1839, a daughter of Frederick Wagstaff and Mary Ann Stewart. She was born in Cambridge, England, and was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints while still living in England, Feb 1863. The ship Amazon lists her as 23 as she registered to sail to America. She crossed the plains as part of the Dixie Company led by Captain McArthur as this company crossed the plains in 1863. Thomas Henry Bullock had traveled east to become a teamster for this company.

I am indebted to Luretta C. Simpson for the following:

My mother Pearl Lida Bullock Cole, told me stories from the life of her mother, Mary Ann Wagstaff. Mary Ann Came to America alone. However, some family members were already here. She started walking across the plains with a company, but a young teamster, rather liking her company, asked her to ride in his wagon, and used tan excuse for having her there that she was mending his clothing and sewing on buttons, etc.

She said in later years that it made the trip a lot easier for her, but he gave her a rather guilty feeling as there were women much older than herself that had to walk all the way.

Mary Ann was a very well trained seamstress when she lived in England. There is still evidence of her neat hand sewing in a dress which I have that she made entirely by hand stitching.

The young teamster who asked her to ride with him and sew buttons on his shirts was Thomas Henry Bullock.

One day, sometime after they had arrived in Utah, Thomas Henry said to Mary Ann. “Well, Mary Ann, I'm going to get married.” To this Mary Ann exclaimed, “Really, who are you going to marry?” Calmly he relied, “I'm going to marry you.”

Mary Ann had already had several proposals of marriage to be plural wife to men who were of great respect in the church, but she had not wanted t be a plural wife. She let Thomas Henry know she'd had these proposals, and he assured her that if she married him she would not live in polygamy, as he also did not want to live in polygamy.

I imagine she thought it over carefully. Perhaps she had already done so. Judging from the exactness of her sewing, she would be that way about life in general. At any rate, she accepted Thomas Henry's proposal and on the 25 Jun 1864 they were married in Salt Lake City, Salt, Utah. They both received their endowments and were sealed for time and all eternity the 26 June 1876 in the Endowment House. After becoming his wife, they moved to Salt Creek, later called Warren, Utah, where they resided the remainder of their lives.

Mary Ann had an Aunt Elizabeth Stewart (Marriott), an Uncle William Stewart, and a sister Elizabeth Wagstaff (Shupe) who had come to America and to Utah six months earlier, so she was not without family when she arrived.

After their marriage, Thomas Henry and Mary Ann were living in a one-room cabin. It did not have a door, just a quilt or blanket hung over the doorway to give privacy. Mary Ann was in labor with one of her babies. At this time a tribe of Indians were passing by, moving to new territory. As they came up even with their doorway, each Indian would put his head in the doorway and look around, curious to see what the Indian ahead of hi m had seen.

You can imagine how disconcerting this must have been to Mary Ann or any others who might have been in the household to help. Thomas Henry knew something had to be done. He went to the chief of the tribe and explained the situation to. The chief came and stood in front of the doorway until all of the tribe had passed by.

I picture him standing straight a d tall with his back to the doorway, his arms folded across his chest and a stern look of authority on his face. At any rate none of the Indians tried to look in the doorway with him there.

Mary Ann did later accept polygamy as Thomas Henry was called to take a second wife. His wife was Jane McBride, an immigrant girl from Scotland.

Mary Ann was the mother of eight children, to of whom died in infancy. I have heard from a different source, not from my mother, that when one of her babies died in infancy probably Walter William Bullock born 8 Jun 1874 and died 3 May 1876, that pressure was put on Mary Ann to Sustain Thomas Henry to take a second wife, with the assumption that because she was dragging her feet in this respect was why the little boy died.

Jane McBride had been hired as a household helper when Mary Ann's child was born. I assume that the child Henri Stewart who was born 20 Aug 1876. It was 13 Oct 1876 that Thomas Henry took her for his second wife.

Mary Ann had a pine floor in the kitchen of her home. Mother said, every evening when the children were all in bed, Mary Ann would scrub her floor with hot lye water, thereby always keeping her floor white. One of her favorite sayings in regard to housekeeping was, “If you keep the corners clean, the center will take care of itself.”

In looking at Mary Ann's picture and the dresses she wore and also the sewing she had done, I picture in my mind as a medium to small women, very neat and orderly, perhaps even prim, but with a strong sense of fairness and a high self-esteem.

Mother told me when Thomas Henry would buy a length of dress material for one wife, he always bought another length of material just exactly the same for the other wife, But Mary Ann would put hers away and not make it up until Jane and made hers and worn it out. That is not unlike we women today, we do not like to dress exactly like other women. We are different and like to dress differently. This was probably to Jane's liking as well.

Jane, of course, was much younger that Mary Ann and her children were small while most of Mary Ann's were grown. As result, Thomas Henry lived with Jane and the younger children.

Then finally the day came when Thomas Henry was old and ill. Mother thought he probably had sugar diabetes a so many of his children have had, but it wasn't known in those days. At this time Thomas Henry came to Mary Ann and asked if he could come home to her to spend the rest of his life. Mary Ann told him he most assuredly could, and she took care of him until he died 23 May 1906 at 67 years of age.

I hope you get as much joy from reading this short history as I have received from writing it. We have so much t be grateful I having ancestors who braved the frontier and other dangers for the love of the gospel of Jesus Christ. May we always cherish their memory and love and live the gospel as they tried to do. …

Lureta C. Simpson

Mary Ann lived in a little home in Warren alone. I have heard stories from members of Jane's family that Jane would really get upset when Thomas Henry would go over to visit Mary Ann. One time Jane Threw the family Bible down the little house with the half moon out back. Someone retrieved it, and it was cleaned and restored. A member of Jane's posterity still has the Bible.

My Father, Chester T. Wayment, tells me of his mother who was Mary Ann's daughter, Maud Mary Bullock Wayment, becoming ill and dying from Typhoid pneumonia just a year after her husband, William T. Wayment, returned from a mission, leaving her little family of seven children, one of them just a new baby. Mary Ann, the grandmother, must have looked after this little family as best she could. She and her daughter, Pearl, took Uncle Vern, the baby., nursed him and raised him for a number of years. My father was four years old and he tells how he loved to go to his grandmother's home and play with Vern. The oldest one of these children was fifteen years old.

Their father William T. Wayment, married Elsie Wade, and they moved to Ogden to live. Leaving this young family to care for themselves.

Mary Ann passed away 30 Mar 1914, and is buried in the Warren, Weber County, Utah, Cemetery.

Ogden Standard …... Bullock

The funeral of Mrs. Mary Ann Bullock was held yesterday afternoon in the Warren Ward Meeting house. Bishop William Wayment presided and the speakers were F. F. Barrow, Joseph Wayment, Joseph Skeen, Patriarch George W. Larkin and Bishop Wayment.

Special music was furnished by the choir, Jesse Wayment and Herbert East. The internment was made in the Warren Cemetery.

Their children are:
Lillian Cora 2 Aug 1865
Maud Mary 16 Jul 1867
Henrietta Jane 9 Aug 1870
Thomas Frederick 2 Aug 1871
Walter William 8 Jun 1874
Henri Stewart 20 Aug 1876
Pamela 18 Oct 1878
Pearl Lida 23 Apr 1882