Mary Ann Affleck Hilton
Mary Ann Affleck Hilton
was born October 23, 1830,
in Doncaster, Yorkshire, England,
the daughter of William Preston and Grace Clarke Affleck.
Her
parents were righteous, humble, intelligent people. It was necessary, and not uncommon that Mary
at a very young age went to work in the woolen mills factory. A very severe examination was given to those
who went to work so young. Mary was a
short, stocky little girl. Fearing that
she was not tall enough, she took a little box along and without anyone
noticing it, she stood on the box and got by with it. She wound bobbins of wool yarn.
Mary
Ann’s parents were converted to the principals of the Latter Day Saints gospel
by the early missionaries to England. Her father, a Scotchman, was the thirteenth
male baptized into the church in England. Mary Ann was baptized in 1845. Mary Ann’s husband, David Hilton, was born of
English parents, David Hilton and Mary Heddark Hilton in Befford, Lancashire, England. David’s mother died
when he was a small boy. His father was
a dairyman, and was renowned for having the cleanest cow stables in the
community. David went to work in the
coal mines when he was a very young boy, and worked at mining until he came to America. David’s family had been visited by the Mormon
missionaries. They accepted the message
they brought. David was baptized a
member of the church on March
18, 1850, by Samuel Broadbent.
David Hilton
These
two sweethearts met and on October
23, 1851 (which was Mary Ann’s twenty first birthday), they were
married in Findley Bond, Yorkshire,
England. They were sweethearts all their lives. At the time of their marriage they began
immediately making preparations for the long trip to Zion in the valley of the mountains.
In
England
they had acquired a substantial financial status. They sold all their earthly belongings except
that which they could possibly bring with them and pooled all their finances
with the Perpetual Emigration fund, by which all expenses were paid and money
refunded to them as was needed when arriving at their destination.
In
the spring of 1855 they started the long trek. They knew nothing of what hardships were to be
encountered, but such courage is really inconceivable. They forded rivers, climbed mountains, walked
over the desert wastes, down and up canyons, slept with sky as a roof and
mother earth for their beds and never flinched or thought of turning back. They had committed themselves to the Lord and
were thankful to be able to be going to America, where people could worship
God the way they chose.
They
went to Liverpool where on March 31st, 1855, they
went on board the sailing vessel Juventa
prepared and ready to sail the Atlantic Ocean
from Liverpool Harbor. David was registered as a coal miner age 23
year. Mary Ann 24 years, a daughter,
Mary, age 2 and a son, William, one year old. Erastus Snow had charge of the companies
leaving England
that year. Elder William Glover was
appointed president of the company, which consisted of 413 adults, 130 children
and 25 infants. There were Saints from Italy, Switzerland and
India. The Juventa
was bound for Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania. The voyage was most prosperous. There was no sickness among the adults, a few
measles among the children, but no one died and one child was born.
On
the 4th day of May, 1855, the ship cast anchor off Cape
May at the entrance to Delaware Bay. On the 5th of May the boat was
tugged up the Delaware River to Philadelphia. On Tuesday, May 6th, 1855, the emigrants continued
by railroad to Pittsburgh, PA, from where 200 proceeded on the
steamboat Equinox and 150 went aboard
the boat Washington City. The Equinox docked at St. Louis, Missouri,
on May 17, 1855,
46 days from Liverpool, England, then proceeded up the Missouri river to Atchison,
Kansas. Here the Saints landed on the wharf May 28th.
A
great sickness came upon them in their trip up the Missouri
river. Many of the Saints
died. Among these was David and Mary
Ann’s little boy, William. The boat was
stopped ashore and Mary Ann and David said a last farewell and interred the
little body on the banks of the great river.
There
were teams and wagons prepared for their arrival in Kansas and they immediately set out upon the
prairies to “Mormon Grove”, the chief outfitting place, three miles west of Atchison, Kansas. Several of the saints were still suffering
from the malarial disease that fell upon them, but there was great rejoicing
upon the safe arrival of so many of the company. Days of great preparations took place before
leaving Mormon Grove. David secured a
camp wagon and purchased a yoke of oxen.
He also bought a cow which supplied milk for them as they traveled on. Eight
companies crossed the plains from there, among them the Richard Ballantyne Co.
in which David and Mary Ann and their daughter came. Provisions were not plentiful but everyone
considered the welfare of others and all shared alike. Flour was rationed one cupful a day for each
person. Mary Ann told of a day that she
was indisposed and a good sister granted that she would make some bread dough
for her. She mixed the flour with water
in which someone had washed their hands.
It couldn’t be helped, the flour could not be wasted so the bread had to
be eaten.
As
the journey proceeded, food became less and less, and it was necessary for the
men to hunt wild game to augment the supply.
Grandfather Hilton and Brother Kidgell left the camp at one time on a
hunting trip. They became lost in the
wilderness and for two days and a night much anxiety was endured by their
families. The families feared that the
men had been captured by Indians or killed by wild animals. The men in the camp kept fires burning all
night and shot guns off at intervals during the day. Much joy was experienced when they came into
camp at the close of the third day.
The
company arrived at Fort Bridger,
Wyoming, much broken down in
spirits, supplies and traveling equipment.
Here it was necessary to remain for several weeks to prepare for the
final leg of the great crossing. All
clothing was washed, bedding and traveling equipment repaired ready for the
move.
David
Hilton walked all the way from Fort
Bridger to Salt Lake.
Mary Ann fell ill when leaving Fort
Bridger and was forced to
lie quietly in the wagon until reaching the valley.
They
came down Echo Canyon, through the mountains to Emigration Canyon, thence down the canyon to the
valley. After struggles, toils,
hardships, sorrow, tests of spiritual endurance they came into the Valley on September 25, 1855, six
months and 25 days after they had left Liverpool,
England. This
band of Saints was met at Willow Springs in Emigration Canyon
by the Nauvoo Brass Band, which played sweet strains of music as the tired,
weary emigrants pressed onward to Union
Square. All
were joyful and thankful to be at the journey’s end. The Nauvoo Band, all of whom were on
horseback, with the United States Flag flying, played “Home Sweet Home”. One can scarcely imagine what joy, what
gratitude must have almost swept them off their feet, as they thanked God for
His great love and guidance, as that lovely melody floated over the quietude of
their new home.
While
the company was corralling, President Brigham Young and his councilors drove on
to the Square. They were highly
gratified that so many Saints had successfully endured the great hardships and
arrive safely. There were forty-five
wagons, two hundred and twenty oxen, forty-eight cows, three horses and 402
persons in the company.
Six
months of tedious struggling journey had greatly depleted the Hilton’s finances
by the time they reached this dream home.
Provisions were extremely low that fall of their arrival. The winter was an extremely hard one. Lack of food was found among the most
fortunate.
When
the company in which the Hiltons arrived had been made welcome and necessary
arrangements made, Grandfather and his family were taken to Pioneer Square (now known as Pioneer Park).
Here they lived for six weeks in a camp wagon. A very good friend, Brother Kidgell, his
family and David’s family then moved to a cabin. Here they all lived together until the men
brought enough logs from the canyons to build each a cabin. David built his on the northeast corner of
Sixth East and Ninth South Streets. It
was one room with a dirt roof. Later a
cobble rock lean-to was built on the cabin.
Those
years were poor and lean for the Hiltons.
Hunger and need of clothing were common experiences. Homemade tallow candles, button lights (a
piece of cloth tied around a button and placed in a saucer of tallow) were used
to light the home. Water had to be
carried a great distance or dipped from the stream running down the streets. Hardships were suffered during the extreme
cold winter there, because of lack of food and fuel.
On
the 20th of the following April, 1856, Mary Ann gave birth to a baby
boy. He was named David Allen. For six long weeks before that April morning
the Hiltons had had no bread. Mary Ann
longed for bread. She knew it would give
her strength. A good sister and neighbor
was able to bring her one piece of bread each day for a few weeks; in doing so
she robbed herself. David gathered the
nettle plants that grew in the valley.
They cooked them and were glad to eat them.
The
morning after David Allen was born, Grandfather went seeking nettles. While digging there, President Brigham Young
rode up on his horse, stopped and asked David concerning the welfare of his
family. Grandfather replied that he was
the father of a new baby born the day before and that he was gathering nettles
for food for the mother. President Young
said, “Come with me.” They went to the
grist mill in what is now Liberty
Park (March 1953), and
President Young gave him twenty five pounds of wheat.
Hurrying
home delighted with his prize, he soon busied himself with an old coffee mill,
grinding the wheat to make cakes for Mary Ann.
Oh! How sweet to the taste of
Mary Ann were those little brown cakes, how good to a mouth that had scarcely
tasted bread for six long weeks.
Grandfather feared she would founder she ate so many. Grandmother said, “Oh, David, if I ever get
all the bread I want I’ll never ask for butter”. In later years when more prosperity was
theirs, and Mary Ann remarked a desire for the finer things of life, David
never failed, in his humorous way, to remind her that she should never ask for
“butter”. She was a very conscientious
English lady, with a very happy disposition and very adjustable to
circumstances, and very moderate in demands.
She was always the same dear sweetheart for whom he had dug nettles, and
when her desire was sincere, she got the “butter”.
Grandfather
was employed by Brigham Ellerbeck as a gardener at his palatial home on Brigham Street (now
East South Temple). Later he was
employed by John T. Caine, a well-to-do man and general in the United States
Army. During his employment for general
Caine, a little boy was born to him and Mary Ann. Because of their great love for the general
they named the new baby John T. Hilton.
David was well paid by Mr. Ellerbeck and General Caine and his family
was able to have a few of the pioneer luxuries of those days. Grandfather then was employed in the church
tithing office and remained there until ill health forced him to retire.
On
June 20, 1862,
the Hiltons went into the Endowment House and received their holy endowments
and were sealed for time and eternity in the holy bonds of matrimony.
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