Mary Ann Andrew

HISTORY:

Mary Ann Fisher was born in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England, a small town near Manchester, May 22nd 1827. She was a daughter of William and Ester Harrop Fisher, and the second daughter in a family of seven. They earned a livelihood by operating a small silk weaving loom in their home. The family belonged to A11 Saints Church, more commonly called the Church of England, and consisted of the following members: Job, Mary Ann, Nancy, Elizabeth, William, Jane, and John. We know very little of the early life of Mary Ann, although we have learned that she served as a maid in the Andrew household, prior to her conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

When she joined the Church, her parents and brothers and sisters became very bitter towards the Mormons, so she decided to come to Zion with a company of immigrants which included Frederick Chadwick Andrew, with his wife, Elizabeth Whittaker, and two small boys, John and Samuel Andrew. The Andrew family was of the aristocracy and when Frederick joined this practically unknown religion, his family also became bitter and cut him off from all inheritance. Dr. David Andrew. a son of Samuel Andrew, visited our grandfather's old home in Manchester while filling a Mission in England and found them to be rather well- to-do, aristocratic people, but he was given to understand that religion was not to be discussed, although they accepted him graciously.

Grandmother was the only member of her family to join the Church, although her sister Jane Fisher Schofield came to Utah many years after Mary Ann's death and tried to make her home with her sister's children, in hopes of becoming a Mormon, but she could not overcome the bitterness in her heart which she had nurtured for so many years.

When she could not accept the Gospel, she decided to return to her native England, where she passed away. Her death took the last of Grandmother's immediate family, thus making it impossible for us to get further information concerning her people. We have no record of the name of the ship on which Grandmother sailed or its captain. (Jenson's Church Chronology contains the information: Sunday, March 12th 1854: The ship John M. Wood sailed from Liverpool, under the direction of Robert L. Campbell, with 393 Saints, including 58 from Switzerland and Italy. It arrived in New Orleans, May 2nd, 1854). Grandmother often told graphic stories of the sufferings, sickness and deaths on that long voyage and of wrapping the dead in muslin, binding them to a board and slipping them into the water.

They proceeded up the Mississippi Rivers arriving in New Orleans May 2nd 1854, proceeding to St. Louis and thence up the Missouri River, to join other companies about to cross the plains (SLC). They crossed the plains by ox-teams, encountering the many hardships and trials so common among the Saints. The weary travelers reached Salt Lake City, October 28th, 1854 and Mary Ann and Frederick Chadwick were married on the 19th of November 1854 in the Endowment House. (*) Theirs was an ideal polygamous marriage and the two wives lived congenially and happily in the same house, which was built of adobe, and located on 4th South Street, between Main and West Temple.

The first wife, Elizabeth, whom we affectionately called Mother Andrew, gave birth to a girl Alice, and two boys, Joseph and Richard after arriving in Zion. The girl died in infancy. Her second son John, born 27th August 1845, was a musician and for many years, played in John Held's band. Some of the boys of the family followed their father's trade of blacksmith, although Richard drove a mule-car, and was accidentally shot by a man examining a gun. (Sat. 28th July R.S.W. Andrew, a street car driver, was accidentally shot and killed in Salt Lake City. Church Chron. p 112) This was indeed a tragedy, as he left a young wife with a son of three weeks, who grew to manhood and served several years as Bishop of the Seventh Ward.

Mary Ann Fisher Andrew became the mother of nine children:

William Robert Dec 5, 1855

Ester Alice Apr 28, 1857

Mary Ann Jan 30, 1859

Emeline Apr 20, 1860

Alfred Oct 14, 1861

Albert Jan 3, 1865

Christina Sep 14, 1866

Annie Eliza Aug, 11, 1868

Orson Fisher Mar 28, 1872

Christina Andrew Bowles was a member of the Salt Lake Opera Company, and one of my fondest recollections is of attending the performance of The Bohemian Girl with my grandmother in the Salt Lake Theater. She also went to Chicago with the Tabernacle Choir of which she was a member for many years.

Grandmother was of a kind, gentle and retiring disposition and many of her little bits of helpful philosophy have remained with me throughout my entire life. She taught her children to love and live their religion. Some of the boys were Bible students and I have listened to many discussions of religious problems in their home.

The old blacksmith shop was built on the same property with the home and one of my happy childhood memories is of playing around the old shop and watching all the activities pertaining to the work. The two wives lived very congenially in the same house, although each had her own apartment. The first wife, Elizabeth, learned the tailoring trade in England, so she did all the sewing for both families. Mary Ann was a good cook and housekeeper, and the two worked happily together. She was immaculately clean and the boards of her kitchen floor were always scrubbed spotlessly white. She made soap and lye for the family wash and also made tallow candles for their own use. She was a dainty, frail looking lady, although her health was good.

My Grandfather, Frederick Chadwick Andrew, passed away 2nd of March 1878, and Mary Ann Fisher Andrew passed away 5th of February 1895 at the home of her daughter, Mary of 943 Lake Street, Salt Lake City, Utah at the age of 68 years. She was a faithful member of the Relief Society, and through her kind loving nature was loved by all who knew her. She leaves a large posterity to love and cherish her memory.

I affectionately dedicate the following lines to her memory:

My Grandmother's Eyes

I remember by Grandmother's eyes

Of a soft and delicate hyacinth blue,

That seemed to say, as they looked at me,

Be gentle and kind and true."

I never see Hyacinths blooming now,

Dispensing their fragrance rare,

That I do not think of her kindly eyes,

So clear and blue with her silver hair.

With a presence alluringly charming,

She was dainty and fragile and fair;

I never see hyacinths blooming now 

That I do not see Grandmother there.

Ella Jackson Coulam. Grand-Daughter. LeGrand Camp -- DUP May 5th 1865)

Copied from the original MSS, with a few minor changes, by Clarence L. Gardiner).

*Endowment House was dedicated May 5th 1865

SOURCE: Ancestry and Descendants of Frederick Chadwick Andrew. Pages 65-66.

1880 Census:

Census Place 7th Ward, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Family History Library Film NA Film Number T9-1337 Page Number 60D

BURIAL:

Possible Match: Name: Mary Ann Andrew Birth Date: 0 0 0 Birth Place: UNKNOWN Death Date: 7 February 1895 Death Place: SALT LAKE CITY, UTAH Burial Date: 7 February 1895 Cemetery: Salt Lake City Cemetery Source: Sexton Records Grave Location: E-12-1-3-

OBITUARY:

At Salt Lake City on February 5th, at 12 am, Mary Ann Fisher Andrew, relict of the late F. C. Andrew of the seventh ward.

Deceased was born May 22, 1827, in Cheadle Hulme, Cheshire, England, emigrated to Utah in 1854; she lived and died a faithful Latter-day Saint.

Funeral services will e held in the Third ward metting house on Thursday, at 1 o'clock pm.

SOURCE: Deseret News. Feb 6 1895. Page 5. Family History Library Film# US/CAN 26936.