Mary Norris Evans Forbes
Mary Norris, the daughter of William Norris and Mary
Rowland, was born 12 April 1832 in Cardiff, Glamorganshire, Wales.
She was baptized a member of the LDS Church 28 April 1849 by
John George.
On 9 March 1854 she married Thomas Evans who had three
children from a previous marriage. His first wife, Ann Johns, died 4 February
1846.
Thomas, Mary, his mother (Hannah Morgan age 74) his three
children from the first marriage (Thomas age 9; Emma age 8; and Hyrum age 5)
plus their two children (Elizabeth age 3 and Joseph age 1) left Liverpool,
England on 19 April 1856 on the sailing ship, Samuel Curling. They arrived in
Boston on 23 May 1856.
The Evans family came to Utah with the Third Company of
handcart pioneers under the direction of Captain Edward Bunker. This company
was made up mostly of Welshmen. The party was outfitted at Iowan City where the
handcarts were made.
Their son, Joseph, died with measles on the trail and was
wrapped in a sheet and buried by the side of a stream.
They arrived in Salt Lake City 7 October 1856 and settled in
Kaysville (now Layton). The first year, they lived in a dugout.
Their last child, Mary Ann was born 28 March 1857.
Thomas Evans died 16 November 1857 while hauling logs from
the mountain to build their home. His grave is the second or third in the
Kaysville Cemetery.
Mary was left a widow with five children and a mother-in-law.
She did washing for Mrs. Ellison and Mrs. Celia Raymond. She spaded the ground
and planted potatoes, harvesting 50 bushels. She gathered acorns to fatten a
pig. She had a spinning wheel. The yarn was used to make stockings and other
articles of clothing. She also practiced mid-wifery at which she was quite
proficient.
On 21 September 1860 Mary married James Forbes. They became
the parents of five children- Catherine (my ancestor), Jane, Margaret Hannah,
James Henry and John William. The family lived in a small rock house nestled
against the mountain east of present-day US 89. The house is still standing
(2002).
This Indian story was told by Mary to her children and
grandchildren. One day Mary was churning butter. She was frustrated because the
milk was slow to turn to butter. An Indian came and wanted some pancakes for
his wife who had a new baby. Mary told him when didn't have any and her cream
wouldn't whip into butter if she stopped churning. She couldn't make him
pancakes. Later, when made the pancakes.
James took some to the Indian's camp. The Indian thanked
James and then he told James his wife was a good woman but she had too much of
this (he stuck out his tongue).
There were certain Indians that frequented stopped and
visited with the family throughout the years.
The 'manifestation of the Spirit' was experiences by Mary
and many of her descendants in this family. It was manifested to Mary that her
father-in-law, John Forbes, whom she had never seen and was still in Scotland,
suffered an affliction that left him deformed. She knew this before her husband
or her brother-in-law knew it.
Mary died 9 February 1913 at the age of 81. She is buried in
the Kaysville Cemetery.
