Sealed on 10 Feb 1828 in Brigham Young's office by BY. Endowment House not finished yet...Buried in old part of the Fairview Cemetery...Probbly a big slap of cement for a base and the gravestone on top.
Sealed on 10 Feb 1828 in Brigham Young's office by BY. Endowment House not finished yet...Buried in old part of the Fairview Cemetery...Probably a big slab of cement for a base and the gravestone on top.
HISTORY OF MARY IRENE (RENE) CLEMENT SANDERS:
Dryden, Cayuga County (now Tompkins) NY was the birthplace of Mary Irene Clement Sanders. She was born 23 Jul 1837, the ninth of ten children born to her parents Thomas and Betsey Foote Clement. The other children are listed. In the year that mary Irene was born, 1837, two of her sisters, Marilla and Louisa died. Her brother Alvah died in 1840.
Mary Irene's mother, Betsey Foote, was the daughter of David and Irene Lane Foote. David was a religious man who read the Bible studiously. He joined several different churches: Methodist, Episcopal, a church started by a minister unhappy with Methodism, but he could not believe in many of the creds and tenets taught and thought there must be a religion more as taught by the disciples of Jesus. one night he had a dream or vision in which it was shown to him that the true Church of Christ would soon be established on the earth. About this time there were many religions being taught. He went to hear them all, but would always reject them.
In the winter of 1829-30 thre began to be rumors of a golden Bible said to have been found in Ontarion, NY. One of the ministers he had gone to hear before, obtained one of these books. It was called the Book of Mormon. David borrowed it and read the book through. He knew it was a true record, but he knew nothing of the purpose for which it was revealed, as no person belonging to the Church of Jesus Christ of LDS came that way.
In March of 1832 David moved his family to Greenwood, Steuben, NY. His sister Lowly and her second husband, Josiah Richardson lived there. In 1833 two elders of the Church came to Greenwood. They were the first elders he had met. They told him the object of the coming forth of the Book of Mormon and other principles of the Gospel. He laster attended a conference in Genessee, NY and here he became convinced and was baptized by Elder John Murdock. He obtained a Book of Mormon for himself and wnt home rejoicing. He became a new man and gave up his bad habits of using spiritous liquor and chewing tobacco. He later became an elder and was given a license to preach. He baptized his brother-in-law Josiah Richardson and in the fall of 1835 he and Richardson went back to Dryden to preach the gospel to their family members still there and their neighbors. He only succeeded in baptizing his daughter Betsey and her husband Thomas Clement. In 1836 David Foote moved to Kirtland, OH. He later went to MO and then to Nauvoo, IL with the saints.
The Clement family had been members of the Church for two years when Mary Irene was born. Shortly after the tenth child, Thomas Alma, was born in 1842, the father Thomas died. He was only fifty and had worked very hard building up the land for farming in Dryden.
Betsey carried on as best she could with her family. In the fall of 1843 her brothr, Warren, living in IL, wrote to her urging her to join with the saints in Il. After much prayer and contemplation she wrote to Warren that she accepted his advice. So in the spring of 1844 she setabout preparing for the journey. She purchased two large green wooden chests to carry clothing, bedding, etc. She felt quite secure knowing she would soon be close to relatives and friends. She gathered her six remaining children about her -- one daughter, Sarah Loretta had married -- and they set off. They went by boat to Il. Brother Warren met the family at Naples and drove them to his father's home six miles south of Columbus and Adams County, IL.
In 1845 the Council of the Twelve sent out a directive to the saints to move nearer to Nauvoo for protection from the increasing mobbings. Also, in 1845, her fahter, David Dird. In 1846 her mother, Irene died. Both were buried in the Nauvoo City Cemetery. In Sept. of 1845 Mary Irene's sister Laura Elizabeth died aat age 17 and was buried between her grandparents. Early in 1846 Nancy, another sister was married to George A Smith. He was a cousin of the prophet Joseph Smith. St. George in UT was was later named after him. She was his third plural wife. The mobs continued to get more demanding. Finally the saints had to abandon their homes and most of their possessions. Betsey and her four remaining children; Albesrt, Darius, Mary Irene and little Tommy left Nauvoo in the winter of 1846 to journey west. She filled her to green chests with the thins they would need in their new home whereever it might be. Some of the ghings taken besides bedding and clothing were many beautiful handmade baby clothes that most ofher children had worn. one history says that a beautiful wedding dress was in the chest which later became a family heirloom and was used by some the granddaughters when they married. Another history sayd that it was some beautiful material later made into a wedding dress that went into the trunk.
The family arrived in a place called Pigeon Grove or Pigeon Hollow, Pottawattamie, IA, near Kanesville. Also camped at Pigeon Grove was the Moses Martin Sanders family. Young John Franklin Sanders, just turned 16 at the time, saw the pretty nine year old "Rena" and fell in love with her. He planned that he would marry her when he was able and she was old enough.
On the 2nd of Nov. 1846, taagedy struck. Twenty-six year old Albert died of what is thought to have been cholera. Albert had been his mother's main support and strength since the death of her husband four years previously. Then Betsey took to her bed with ague, chills, and fever and on 8 Nov. she passed away. She was 52 years old. They were buried side by side on a lonely hillseide. It is believed that thier older sister Nancy Smith took care of the three orphaned children for a time, but death struck again on 26 Mar., 1847 when Nancy died of Cholera. Nancy's one year old baby, Nancy Ellen passed away at this time, too. The Smith faily lived in Winter Quaarters across the Missouri Rivesr from Kanesville.
Their Aunt Almira Foote Ferguson and her husband Isaac took the three children into their home. In 1847 Mary Irene was baptized. She inherited the two large chests that were her mother's and all that they contained. The family prepared for the trek toZion and by April of 1848 they were ready to go. They traveled in the Hebesr C. Kimball Co. and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in Sept. of that year. Isaac was very harsh with the three children who were ill most of the way. They were constantly given doses of Calomel which Darius was later heard to say "wrecked out systems" from then on, and they were never physcially strong. Together, hand in hand, walking much of the way, the three youngsters reached their destination. They were very close to each other in their orphaned state and remained so all of thir lives. Rena had most of the care of little Tommy as they crossed the plains.
The Ferguson family settled in Cottonwood. The moses Martin Sanders family was living in West Jordan, close by. Almira taught Rena many household skills, especially how to sew a fine seam. Cottonwood consisted of the early settlers on the south side of Little Cottonwood Creek. Jehu Cox was the first settler there. Silas Richards came in 1849 with anumber of saints who had just crossed the plains in a company of which he was captain. In 1850 a school house was built and he becme the school teacher. At this time Rena would have been 13, Darius 15, and Tommy 8 ears old. They are listed in the 1850 census of Utah as members of the Ferguson family with Ferguson as their last name. In 1851 Silas Richards became Bishop of sLittle Cottonwood settlement.
As the Indians were somewhat hostle, and depredations were frequent in other paarts of the country, Brigham Young suggested they build a fort. An adobe fort was erected in 1854 with walls 12 feet high and 6 feet thick at the base. Most of the people moved into the fort, but they never had any Indian problems. On account of this structure and the great unity of the people which prevailed in the settlement the place became known as Union Fort.
John Franklin Sanders heard that Isaac Ferguson was mistreting the boys and planned to marry Rena in polygamy. He made arrangements for their Uncle Warren Foote to take the children to his home. While the Fergusons were away one time, John Franklin took his team and wagon and brought the children with their belongings, including the two green chests to Uncles Warren's home. No trouble was caused by this act. This story was told by Albesrt Clement to Frank Cox.
Mary Irene was married to John Franklin Sanders at Union Fort 15 July 1855, just eight days before she beame `18 years old. They were married by bishop Silas Richards Rena made a most beautiful wedding dress all by had with stitches so fine you could not see them More about this special dress will be given in the supplement to this history. (pictures were at the end of this history). She later wore this dress for many special occasions.
Their first child, Nancy Irene was born at Union Fort on 1 Oct. 1856. in 1857-58 Rena made some beautiful temple clothes and she and John Franklin went into Salt Lake and were sealed on 10 Feb. 1858 in Brigham Young's office. Ehe Endowment House was not yet completed. Brigham Young performed the ceremony. Thse beautiful temple robes with the same fine stitching as the wedding dress came down in the family as precious heirlooms.
On 22 Mar. 1858 John Franklin took Jane Gibson as a second wife in plural marriage. She was sealed in the President's office also and again by Brigham Young. She was only 15 at the time.
According to a daughter of John and Jane, Ellen Sanders Cardon, Mary Irene apparently gave her consent but after the marriage decided she didn't want to live it after all, so they just waited until she did agree to it. That is why the 1860 census shows Jane working as a servant in the home of Levi and Huldah Terrry in Lehi and it was 1865 before Jane's first child was born. Temple records show a re-sealing of John and Jane on the 14 Jan 1865 in the Endowment House.
Rena and John's second child, John Franklin Jr. (always called Frank throughout his life) was born 4 Nov. 1859, also at Union Fort. Shorthly after this the Sanders family was called to Sanpete County to help settle that area. for more about this settlement and the many contributions John made to the community of Fairview read the history I have written of him. I have learned since writing that history that he built the first adobe home outside of the fort. It was a very well built two-story building and was used for many years for important town functions as it was best suited for that for some time. It was still standing and in fairly good repair as late as 1970 and was still being lived in.
Rena had six more children in Fairview. She was a quiet woman. She kept a very clean house and was an excellent cook. She made most of the burial clothes for those who died. Her husband would bring the Church Officials to their home when they came to Fairview because he knew his wife was a good housekeeper and a good cook. "She could set a good table in a clean house".
She had the first sewing machine in Fairview. Her friends would come and do their sewing and mending there. She had magazines and newspapers coming to her home each month. As the women sewed she would read to them.
She was nice looking woman with fine black hair and blue eyes. Her hair was long and heavy. She suffered some from headaches. While she was in SLC at one time someone offered her money for her hair. She thought this might relieve her headaches so she had her hair cut and wore it shoulder length from then on.
(22August 1875)
When she was only 38 years old Mary Irene died in Fairview. From the way her condition was described we think now it was a ruptured fallopian tube. She was buried in the old part of the Fairview cemetery. They tell me her grave is a raised one, probably a big slab of cement for a base and the gravestorne on top. It is easy to spot. As her granddaughter Belva Cox Watson says in her history of Mary Irene, "she had 57 grandchildren; 11 of these died as children or were never married or did not have a family. If the two brothers, Darius and Thomas did as well as their sister, their mother Betsey would reach her goal in coming west for the health of her children".
This history was compiled by Roselyn Slade in May 1983 form several sources:
1. Mary Irene Clement Sanders by Pearl S Openshaw, 1969
2. Grandmother Rena Sanders by Belva C. Watson
3. Encyclopedic History of the Church-- Union Ward, PP 898, 899
4. Family records, Letter of Lucille Cardon Matthews
Excerpts form the last pages of Belve Watson's history regarding the two green chests and some of the family heirlooms:
"The chest swer about 16 x 16 x 30 inches. The one chest is in pretty good condition and has the original paint on it. The other one was used as a seat in the kitchen and sometimes was used for an extra seat at the table for 2 or 3 to sit on." One chest was given to the DUP museum in SL, the other is at present (1983) in the home of a great granddaughter in Provo, Utah, Nancy Cox McKay.
"The wedding dress was made of fine white batiste with a heavy thread design in 3 inch squares - a flower-like design in the middle of each square. This dress originally had 6 widths in the skirt. It had a high neck with a one inch band and long full sleves." When her first daughter was 8 or 10, Rena took tow widths from the skirt and made Nancy a nice dress. Later the waist had become so thin and worn that Nancy made another blouse for it without the high neck. Around 1945 the dress was given to the DUP museum in SL. Before it was taken there, Thelma Pritchett Woodward, a granddaughter, had her dauthter, Carma, model the dress and have her picture taken.
Sealed on 22 Mar. 1858 in Brigham Young's office by By. Endowment HOUSE not yet finished