CALVERT, Martha Jane

1840 - 1925  (84 years)  Submit Photo / Document

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• Name	CALVERT, Martha Jane
  Birth	19 Apr 1840	Itawamba, Mississippi, United States
  Gender	Female
  WAC	15 Apr 1856
  _TAG	Reviewed on FS
  Death	20 Feb 1925	La Verkin, Washington, Utah, United States
  Burial	22 Feb 1925	Toquerville, Washington, Utah, United States
  Headstones	Submit Headstone Photo
  Person ID	I20897	Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith
  Last Modified	19 Aug 2021

  
  

  Family ID

  F11300

  Group Sheet  |  Family Chart

  
  

  Family	DODGE, Augustas Erastus ,   b. 6 Dec 1822, Six Point, Jefferson, New York, United States Six Point, Jefferson, New York, United Statesd. 12 Jun 1900, Toquerville, Washington, Utah, United States (Age 77 years)
  Marriage	17 Apr 1891
  Family ID	F10587	Group Sheet  |  Family Chart
  Last Modified	24 Jan 2022

  
  

• Photos		https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-231-35279-2-61/dist.jpg?ctx=ArtCtxPublic
  		At least one living or private individual is linked to this item - Details withheld.

  
  

• Notes

  The first wife Susan Arbarilla Alexander, had seven children: Isaac Robbins Bowman, died when nearly a year old, Catherine Malissa, Margaret Elenora, Brigham Alexander, Mary Alexander, Anna (or Annie) Alexander, and Heber Alexander. Bertha Eyring, the second wife, bore three children: Henry Eyring, Clara Eyring (died at 5 years of age), and Hyrum Eyring. Martha Jane, the third wife, bore 12 children: William Calvert, Joseph Calvert, Ellen Calvert, Cyrus Calvert, Nellie Calvert, Frank Calvert, Ray Calvert, John Calvert, Effie Calvert, Levi Calvert, Ruth Calvert, and Laura Calvert. The family moved from the farm (called Independence Farm) to Peterson were they had a store. Ruth was born there had just a year later in 1880 there was an epidemic of Diphtheria and Martha Jane's four children died with it-Ray, 9 years old, Effie, nearly 5 years old, Levi 2 1/2 years old, and Ruth, over 1 year old. Effie died in May, Ray and Levi in June, and Ruth in December. This was really a blow, to have 5 pass away, four so suddenly. Not long after they moved back to Salt Lake City. Their daughter, Laura, was born in Salt Lake, 16 March 1886. Isaac developed dropsy and died on May 1, 1892. After his passing, Martha Jane and daughter lived in Ogden for some time with her son Joseph. She then married Augustus E. Dodge and lived in Toquerville seven years before he died. She continued to live there until her daughter, Laura, was married to Arthur Webb, and then some time later they moved to LaVerkin. She died at LaVerkin 20 Feb 1925, nearing her 85th birthday, and was laid to rest in the LaVerkin Cemetery. *Note to self: Dropsy is an older term for Congestive Heart Failure. Martha Jane Calvert was born 19 April 1840, in Itawamba Co, Mississippi, the daughter of William P. Calvert and Annie Hamaker. In the book "Our Calvert Kin" written by Dewel and Delores Lott. Vol. 2 pg. 495 is found the following statement by Martha Jane Calvert: " I was born in the state of Mississippi, Itawamba Co. in 1840. I was with my parents when they were driven from Nauvoo, into 'Winter Quarters' (Florence, Nebraska). There I lost my father and mother. They both died from the hardships they had to endure, and three sisters and two brothers died there, all with the measles. I came across the Plains with Lorenzo Young. He didn't come with a company, he was bringing some sheep and cattle to help stock the country. That was in 1849. I rode horseback and drove cattle up to Sweetwater. There I got my feet hurt so that I couldn't ride any more. When I arrived in Utah, I went to live with my sister who was married to Isaac Chase. They lived at the Old Mill in Liberty Park, Salt Lake City." On the monument at Winter Quarters there are listed the names of a lot of people who died there in 1846. Among those names are the following: Nancy Calbert David Calvert 16 Julia Cavet 4 I am sure these are Martha's sisters and brother. What a hard life this lovely person must have had, especially when you realize that at the time her parents and brothers and sisters died, she was only 6 years old. Her older brother, John, was with his family, but he was called up in July to go with the Mormon Battalion of 500 men. When she was 17, she married Isaac Bowman. They had 12 children, of whom 7 lived to maturity. After Bertha left Isaac, "Aunt Martha" as she was called, tried to care for Bertha and Isaac's sons-Henry and Hyrum. She tried to comfort the boys. Hyrum would go to the corner of the house and sob for hours at a time. He grieved for and missed his mother. Aunt Martha felt so sorry for Hyrum, she'd pick him up, love him, fix bread, butter and honey, to try to satisfy him, but he said, "You are not my mother." Statement of Ruth Bowman, great grand-daughter: I remember the beautiful handiwork she did. She crocheted lace about 2 inches wide to border pillow slips and to border the coverings of shelves in our china cabinet. She knitted a blue doll shawl for my doll and a large white baby shawl for me when I was a baby. We went to southern Utah to see he and visited some water wells someplace there. She stayed at our home and visited with us. This was about 1924. Statement of Roscoe T. Webb, Grandson: She lived with us in LaVerkin when I was a young boy. I remember one time she went to California to see her sister Ellen Carrick. She had an old trunk with a false bottom, and when she returned from California, she had hidden oranges under there and brought them to us. It was a real treat, especially since, in those days, people weren't supposed to bring fruit into or out of California. She was a real sweet person. In 1908, after William's wife Loretta died, Martha Jane lived with William's children in Toquerville, and cared for his children until he married his second wife, Mary Elizabeth Waite on 25 Sep. 1909. Martha Jane Calvert Bowman Dodge By Pearl B. Snow When I think of this little lady, my grandmother, Martha Calvert Bowman Dodge, I visualize her as a lovely lady with beautiful brown eyes and silver hair. She had worked hard all her early life especially, and had many sorrows and disappointments. She was always so willing to listen and was so sympathetic to all our problems. She was very versatile, able to do many things well. She had a strong testimony of the Gospel and great faith. I knew her best when she came to help take care of our family in February, 1908, at my mother's passing in Logandale, Nevada. I was only 5 1/2 years old and there were seven in our family, five older and one younger than I. That fall, 1908, she left father (William C. Bowman) at the ranch with the three older boys, Stephen, Elmer, and Leon, and took we three girls, Lucina, Laura, myself, and Cecil to Toquerville, Washington Co., Utah, and we attended school there. Father rented a place there, and then when school was out, she took us back to the ranch and stayed with us until father married in September. Then later it seems that she came nearly every winter for a month or so. She was always busy at something, no time wasted, knitting beautiful shawls, and lace, etc. During one of those winters, I wrote a shot sketch of her life for one of my school classes, with information that she told me. How I've regretted that I didn't write more and take advantage of my opportunity. So the source for this is that brief sketch and experiences that I remember as she told them. Martha Jane Calvert was born 19 April 1840 in Itawamba Co., Mississippi. That is one of the counties just over the line from Alabama. Evidently they hadn't lived there long because only she and her younger sister Julia Ann were born there. the six older brothers and sisters were born when they lived on Ryans Creek, near Brushy Pond and Crane Hill, in what in now Cullman Co., Alabama. The two eldest were born near by, as that is where all of their relatives lived, in what is now Walker, Blount or Jefferson Counties. Her father was William P. Calvert, born 1 March 1805 in East Tennessee, and her mother was Annie Hamaker born 5 June 1805 in Tennessee also. She was the daughter of John Hamaker and Sarah Spiers (or Spears), married 2 May 1824. Martha Jane's grandfather was Joseph Calvert, born 5 Jan 1782 (died 25 Aug 1841 in Blount Co., Alabama), and his wife was Elizabeth born about 1785 (died 21 Sept 1829) in Blount County, Alabama, at the age of 44 years. Martha's father, William P. Calvert, was the eldest of their 14 children. After his mother's death, his father married Margaret Lake and they had 5 more children. Her grandfather, Joseph Calvert, had two brothers- William and Jonathan. So far we have researched but haven't found who their parents were. Maybe someday, we hope to be able to. Martha's parents and family were converted to Mormonism while they were still living in Mississippi, but evidently they left soon by wagon and moved to Nauvoo. She said, "I was with my parents when they were driven from Nauvoo to Winter Quarters." According to the Essentials of Church History by Joseph Fielding Smith, quote "Wednesday, February 4th, 1846, the first of the Saints left Nauvoo and crossed the Mississippi River on the journey to the West. On the 6th of February, Bishop George Miller and a company with six wagons crossed the river, and a few days later the work of ferrying the Saints to the Iowa side was kept up day and night." The weather was extremely cold, so many weren't prepared with proper clothing or necessary shelter "Many of the wagons were without covers and others had covers which would not shed the rain." It was stormy and muddy. Quoting further, "It was not the intention of the Saints to leave Nauvoo until the spring time had fully arrived. But the human fiends, who hated the religion of the Saints and coveted their substance and property, were not willing for them to wait. "What cared they for the suffering and exposure of an innocent people, driven from their homes and sheltered by the broad canopy of heaven in the midst of winter." From Essentials of Church History. Martha Jane's family were among these first to leave as her mother died from exposure and hardships that month, the 22nd of February 1846 at Winter Quarters (We also have a death date of 22 Sept. 1846). Her father lived until the 18th of September and on the 22nd, two sisters Nancy Ann, age 10, and Julia Ann age 4, died with Measles. Shortly before or after (we haven't the exact dates) Sarah, age 8, and two brothers, William, age 14 and Samuel, age 12, all died of measles too. So three sisters, two brothers and mother and father all died within that year, and David C., age 16 died the next February, the 10th, 1847. Shortly after the mother's death, the 18 year old brother, John Hamaker, joined the Mormon Battalion, as the government wanted all ale bodied men between the ages of 18 and 45. That left three children-Elizabeth, the oldest at 21, and Joseph, 20 (whom we have no further record of) and Martha Jane, age 6. They were left orphans, and were befriended by the Saints. Evidently Elizabeth came on earlier across the plains and married Isaac chase. Martha Jane says, quote, "When I was nine years old (1849) I came across the plains with Lorenzo Young. He brought herds of sheep and cattle west to help stock the country, so we weren't in a regular company as most of the other pioneers were. I rode a horse and drove cattle until we arrived at the Sweetwater. There a horse mashed my foot and I was unable to ride longer. We had only one experience with the Indians while crossing the plains. One day the Indians came down from over the hill, rode into the flock of sheep, took one and rode away with it." Quote further, "When I arrived in Utah, I went to live with my sister, Mrs. Isaac Chase. They lived at the Old Mill in Liberty Park. I lived there until I was old enough to work for my living. Brother Chase was President Brigham Young's father-in-law. My education was very poor as I was ten years old before I started to school. A speller and a reader were the only books I was given. I attended Lydia Knight's School in the First Ward in Salt Lake City. Sister Knight was Jessie Knight's mother. She married George Dockstator, but as I remember it was only for about a year." She said, "I was married to Isaac Bowman (1 Nov 1857 in the Salt Lake Endowment House by Brigham Young) when 17 years old ad lived at Salt Lake City for several months. When the army came into the city and the Saints had to move south, I went to American Fork with my husband and the rest of his family (I was his third wife). We stayed there all summer and until the fall (1858) then moved back with the rest of the Saints. Shortly after my first baby was born William C. Bowman, (named for my father) born 5 Feb 1859 in Salt Lake City." Her husband, Isaac Bowman, had arrived in Salt Lake City on June 18, 1849 on his way to the California gold fields. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and decided to stay in Salt Lake and not go on to California. At first he was employed by some of the early merchants of Salt Lake City and after turned to school teaching, at which he was very successful. He had taught school before he left Wooster, Ohio. So in the course of about eight years, Isaac had married three wives. they all moved from Salt Lake to Ogden, lived there a short time, and them moved to Mountain Green (up Weber Canyon). Martha Jane says, "We lived there several years (Joseph Calvert born 16 June 1861 and Ellen Calvert born 14 Sept 1863 were born there) and then moved out on a ranch living here 17 or 18 years. Most of my children were born there, Nellie 1 1/2 years old dying there. While living there, the railroad was built thru our farm." From my father's history telling of their life there he says, "When I was six years old in 1865, I can remember when the grasshoppers came over the mountains west from Farmington, about 3 or 4:00 p.m. The headed for our farm. We children thought it great sport to see these light. they were so thick and in such large swarms that they hid the sun and made it look like night had come. It was not so funny when the next morning came and the farm was practically stripped of vegetation and all we had was grasshoppers. We had them for three years and all we could raise were a few vegetables. We had to herd them off the garden. There was a ditch running thru our field. We filled cans with coal-oil and made small holes in the can so that the coal oil would drip. We hung then over the ditches and then we drove the grasshoppers into the ditch and the coal oil mixed with the water would kill them. The water would carry then down on the land and pile them up about three or four feet deep. We would go down to the field and shovel the up in sacks and take then back and use then as chicken feed. It made the chicken lay al lot of eggs, but it wasn't long until the eggs tasted of grasshoppers. Even the milk and everything we ate tasted of grasshoppers. The third year the seagulls appeared in countless numbers. They flew through the air swallowing grasshoppers. When they became gorged, the would vomit while flying and the repeat the operation. At night when the grasshoppers would light for the night, the gulls would disappear flying west-ward. Next morning when the grasshoppers would take to the air, the seagulls would re-appear and get busy. In less than a week the grasshoppers were gone, but that was three years of losing our crop." Each family had a large one-room home and at first worked together harmoniously, and lived well together. I've often heard my father tell that he and Uncle Henry were nearly twins (just 5 days difference in age), and enjoyed each other.