MARINDA HARTWELL MARRIED, THEN LEFT, SAMUEL BURGESS
For years, Marinda Hartwell (my great great
grandmother) was a mystery. She was
reported to have run off with a soldier from Johnson's Army, leaving behind
five small children, one just an infant.
No one knew what happened to her after that. We searched without success. My mother's cousin Irene Platt thought the
soldier may have been her brother—I'm not sure how that would lessen the blow. Leaving her husband was one thing, but we couldn't
understand how she could dessert her children, nor understand what would drive
her to do so.
Marinda,
the eldest child of Laura and Phipps W. Hartwell, was born 3 July 1831 in
Granville, Washington County, New York, according to family records. She had three younger brothers: Daniel, born about 1833; Martin, born 23
August 1835; and George Washington, born 4 May 1836; and all supposedly born in
Granville, Washington, New York.
Laura,
her mother, died sometime between the birth of her last child in 1836 in New
York and her husband's remarriage in August 1845 in Wisconsin. Where was the family during this time? I haven't been able to discover. I have not been able to find them in the 1840
Census.
However,
thirteen year old Marinda was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois on 11 February 1845.[1] There
doesn't seem to be record of any other members of the Hartwell family joining
the Church. Correspondence with
descendant Barbara H. Birdsall indicates nine year old George Washington
Hartwell can be found on a Church attendance record in Nauvoo.[2]
Surely the children were not there by
themselves. Was Laura in Nauvoo? Barbara H. Birdsall writes that Phipps W.,
Marinda's father, is not in these records.
(I need to look in Nauvoo records)
Phipps
W. Hartwell married Arasina Chaffee 24 August 1845 in Dodge County, Wisconsin.[3] I assume the younger boys went to Wisconsin
with him. Did Marinda? Or did Marinda stay with the Mormons instead?
The next record we have of Marinda is
her marriage certificate. Samuel
Burgess, age 24, was married to Marinda Hartwell, age 19, on 2 June 1850, in Springville,
Pottawattamie, Iowa.[4]
There
are two different entries for the family in the 1850 Census—one in Iowa and one
in Utah. The dates listed for them don't
make sense.
The
1850 Census for Pottawattamie County, Iowa[5],
dated 5 November 1850, lists Thomas Burgess, age 65, Mary Burgess, age 64,
Samuel Burgess, age 35, and Marinda Burgess, age 25, all born in England. The census indicates Samuel and Marinda had
married within the year.
If
this census was taken in November, however, it would have been impossible to
cross the plains that year with a covered wagon through the snow. Thomas died two months later in Utah. I think the census date is wrong and was
likely during the summer months, instead.
They
crossed the plains with a Mormon wagon train and arrived in the Salt Lake valley.
The 1850 Federal Census for Great
Salt Lake in Utah Territory[6]
lists
Samuel I Burgess, age 24, laborer, born in
England; Marinda, age 20, born in New
York; and Mary A., age 67, born in England.
Mary
Ann was Marinda's mother-in-law. Her
father-in-law, Thomas Burgess, is not mentioned. He died 22 January 1851 in the Salt Lake area
of Utah. I have been unable to discover
the date the 1850 Census was taken.
Perhaps it wasn't taken until after Thomas' death.
Five
children were born to Marinda and Samuel within a period of less than seven
years. The first two children were born
in the Salt Lake City area: Laura
Marinda on 10 April 1852 and Samuel Israel on 24 September 1854. They moved a few miles south to Cottonwood (which
today is part of Salt Lake City) and Mary Elizabeth was born 1 January 1856,
Thomas William on 15 February 1857, and Cleopatra on 4 August 1858.
I'm
sure Samuel's widowed mother Mary continued to live with them until her death in 1862. I would think this would have been helpful
with so many babies, but perhaps she made things more difficult. We don't know her personality. We don't know Samuel's personality. We don't know Marinda's personality. Samuel and Marinda's grandchildren—the
children of son Thomas William—tended to be quiet and reserved.
Marinda
must have been quite unhappy. Why else
would she have left? Johnson's Army
arrived in the area in late June 1858.
Marinda left sometime between the time her daughter Cleopatra was born
in August 1858 and 1860 when a Census of Samuel Burgess' family[7]
with five children, ages 1 to 9, in Brigham City showed her absent.
Five children under the age of 10 were left
without a mother.
The
1860 Census in Camp Floyd, Utah, shows Jno (John) Hughes, age 24, blacksmith, born
in New York; Marinda, 28, born in New
York; and Hannah Higgins, 20, born in Virginia[8]. Camp Floyd was west of Utah Lake and the
place of encampment of Johnson's Army.
Marinda's younger brother George Washington Hartwell
had married a Mary Hughes after Marinda left the Midwest. Perhaps they were related and the soldier
came bringing her news of home. I have
not been able to discover any relationship.
Although divorces were very easy to get in Utah
during that time period, we have not been able to find record of a divorce for
Marinda and Samuel Burgess. Nor have we
found record of a formal marriage between Marinda and John Hughes.
The following year, on 17 April 1861 and while they
still lived at Camp Floyd, a son was born to Marinda and John Hughes, whom they
named John.
Barbara H. Birdsall (a descendant of Samuel Burgess and
Marinda) reported that "John did not go with Johnson's Army when they left
Utah. Apparently he did not want to
fight in the Civil War because he deserted and changed his name. They moved to Carson City, Nevada where he
worked at his trade as a blacksmith." [9]
I don’t know that he changed his name. The 1870 Census has a different spelling but
that could be the fault of the census taker.
However, he did not go east with Johnson's Army to fight in the Civil
War. He did move to Nevada.
The 1870 Census of Carson City, Ormsby County,
Nevada, dated 8 June 1870 lists John Huse, age 37, blacksmith, value of real
estate 150, and that he was born in Ireland.
Marinda, age 38, occupation keeping house, was born in New York. John, age 9, son, was born in Utah. Isabella, age 6, daughter, was born in Nevada. Ella, age 4, daughter, was born in Nevada.[10]
Marinda is reported to have died later that same
year after the census was taken, at the young age of 39.
Three more children under the age of ten were
left without a mother.
[1] "Nauvoo
Early Mormon Records" by Lyman De PLATT, published 1980 in Highland, Utah
is 11 Feb 1845, baptized by William BURGESS.
[2] Barbara H.
Birdsall, rlbirdsall@AOL.com
[3] Philipp
Hartwell married to Arasina Chaffee, 24 Aug 1845, Dodge county, Wisconsin. FamilySearch.org. Wisconsin Marriages. system origin: Wisconsin-EASy, film 1275941,
ref p00962
[4] Marriage
Certificate: Samuel Burgess, age 24, was
married to Marinda Hartwell, age 19, on 2 June 1850, in Springville,
Pottawattamie, Iowa. Copy in possession of Jessie W Larson. Iowa Marriages 1809-1992, Index, FamilySearch.org;
Indexing batch M02529-5 Iowa-EASy, film # 227280, p. 36.
[5]
1850 Federal Census, District 21, Pottawattamie, Iowa; Roll: M432_188; page 123B; image 252. Ancestry.com 1850 Federal Census [database
on-line] Provo, UT, USA
[6]
1850 Federal Census, Utah Territory, Great Salt Lake; Roll: M432_919; Page: 84B; image 126 of
180. Ancestry.com 1850 Federal Census, Utah Territory,
Great Salt Lake [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA
[7] 1860 census, Brigham City, Box
Elder, Utah Territory; Roll M653_1313; page 528; image 541. Ancestry.com 1860 Federal Census, Utah
Territory [database on-line], Provo, UT, USA
[8] 1860
Census--Fairfield, Cedar, Utah, Camp Floyd post office, 9 Oct 1860; Roll: M653_1314; page 1053; image 525. Ancestry.com 1860 Federal Census [database
on-line], Provo, UT, USA
Jno
Hughes, 24, blacksmith, New York
Marinda,
28, New York
[9] Email Correspondence with
Barbara H Birdsall, great grand daughter of Laura Marinda Burgess Nay rlbirdsall@AOL.com
[10] 1870
Census--Carson City, Ormsby, Nevada, 8 June 1870
John
Huse, 37, blacksmith, value of real estate 150, born in Ireland
Marinda,
38, Keeping house, NY
John, 9, son, Utah
Isabella,
6, dau, Nevada
Ella, 4, dau, Nevada
My family tree has Elvira Hartwell, b. 1834 IN, marrying James Thomas Roberts in 1851, having 2 children and living in Greenview, IL. Her parents from Ancestry.com were Alva Hartwell and Amanda Caliesta Twaddle, both from the northeast US.
ReplyDeleteMarinda Hartwell Hughes was my GGrandmother. Her and John Hughes's daughter (Isabella?) Mary Agnes Hughes Smith was my Grandmother and lived next door to us in Kingman, AZ. My understanding is Marinda and siblings were Protestants, perhaps Presbyterian. Something, possibly her parents dying, caused Marinda to be sent to live with an aunt in Nauvoo where she met up with the Mormons.
ReplyDeleteWe have always understood the reason Marinda left her five children, one a new baby, was because the Mormon church or else simply her Mormon husband, was bringing a second wife, a 16 year old girl into their home and Marinda would not stand for that so, knowing her Mother in Law would take care of the children, she left in a blinding storm, walked 40 miles to Camp Floyd and was allowed to cook and wash for the soldiers to earn her keep.
John Hughes, my GGrandfather came from Rosemount, County Westmeath, Ireland during the potato famine with his family. Four siblings I believe. None at the time spoke English and they were on one of the 17 Irish typhus ships that came down the St. Lawrence River. Every ship had typhus victims including young John's father, also John, who died there and was buried on the Canadian side with many other Irish. Young John turned 13 on the ship - his Mother had a friend in NYC and finally made her way there with the children. One of John's sister's married the Comptroller of NYC and their life was good. Young John lied about his age to join the Union Army and I believe he was a drummer boy for them but later on, was a member of the famous Dragoons that went out west. I have a picture of him taken somewhere around Wisconsin as a teenager so apparently on their way from Canada to live in NYC, they possibly also lived in Wisconsin but am only guessing from where the picture was taken.
Marinda and John had three children. He ran a ferrier's shop in Pioche, NV and Marinda lived with the children on the other side of the state - without digging out my old genealogy records, I will guess it was Carson City. At age 39, Marinda, while crossing the room, dropped dead of a heart attack. Sadly, her son also died at 39 while mining in Colorado. The children were put in two different orphanages; one was Catholic I believe in Silver City, NV. Grandma Smith, the oldest, at age 16, was just put out on the street. Next was her sister Nellie. Grandma made her way to Pioche to her Father and they ended up in Mineral Park, AZ where she met and married my Grandfather, Anson Hubert Smith whose family were from Belfast, Northern Ireland. Grandpa founded the first newspaper in Northern Arizona in 1885 I believe it was and it is still running to this day as the Kingman Daily Miner. Mineral Park was about 25 miles north of Kingman, AZ towards Las Vegas but is no longer there as the Duval mine sucked it up but down below it, Chloride, AZ was created and it is still there.
Anson and Mary Agnes Smith had 12 children, my Father Hughes McDonald Smith being their 12th and last child. Anson was called the Father of Hoover Dam for he had a dream one night of damming the Coloroado for hydroelectric power for Arizona and southern California. People thought he was nuts but he never gave up and as a State Senator, constantly pushed it. He lived long enough to see his dream come true. There is a plaque on the Arizona side of the dam to him.
Nellie Smith, Mary Agnes's sister married in this area or the Needles, CA area which is close and they owned a ranch in the Las Vegas area.
I am 76 but older cousins of mine told me long ago they don't believe Marinda Hartwell was ever really a Mormon, thus her reaction to a second wife in the house. The Hartwell family from whence she comes is well known in America and they were related to many founders of the country. The Hartwell Tavern is still near Boston I believe and Mary Hartwell helped Paul Revere spread the word that the British were coming.
Linda Athens - Wildrose7@suddenlink.net
Kingman, AZ 86401
Linda,
ReplyDeleteYour comment about Marinda being sent to live with an aunt in Nauvoo possibly after the death of her mother (since her father lived until 1880) is intriguing to me. It is logical and I will need to pursue it further. I couldn't understand why she would have been there by herself.
The idea that Samuel was to marry a 16-year-old and was the reason Marinda left is interesting. Only Samuel, his mother Mary Ann, and his 5 children are listed in the 1860 census. Samuel was then called to take his family south to help establish St. George. His mother Mary Ann died in St. George in June 1862, the 8th person to be buried in the St. George cemetery, leaving him alone to raise the children now aged 3 to 10. I'm sure another wife at that time would have been helpful but I find no evidence of one. Ten years later, in Nov. 1872, he did marry Mahala Jane Thomas, a midwife.
Thanks for including so much information about John and Marinda's descendants and the Hoover Dam story.