PART 2
To fully appreciate Mary Jane Bargery’s origins, it helps to understand the historical context of mid-19th century England, especially in rural areas like Somerset.
Victorian Society: Mary Jane was born in 1862 during the reign of Queen Victoria. Victorian England was a society of stark contrasts: on one hand, it was the center of the booming Industrial Revolution and the British Empire; on the other hand, many ordinary people lived in poverty or genteel hardship. Class divisions were pronounced. The Bargerys, as rural laboring folk, were near the bottom of the economic ladder. They likely lived in a simple cottage or rented rooms, without luxuries. Education for working-class children was limited (compulsory schooling did not fully come until the 1870s), so Mary Jane’s parents and older siblings might have been barely literate.
Crewkerne, Somerset: Crewkerne was a market town with ancient roots, but by the 1800s it had developed light industry. Historical sources note that in the 18th and 19th centuries Crewkerne’s “main industry was cloth making, including webbing, and sails for the Royal Navy” (Crewkerne - Wikipedia). Nearby towns like Yeovil were famous for glove-making. In Crewkerne, census records from 1851 and 1861 show many women listed as glove makers, button sewers, or linen workers – likely piecework done at home for local factories. Eliza Spurdle (Mary’s mother) is a perfect example: at age 38, as a widow in 1861, she listed her occupation as a glove maker (Eliza Spurdle (1823–1909) - Ancestors Family Search). This suggests the family participated in the cottage economy. The men in Crewkerne often worked as agricultural laborers on surrounding farms or in trades like shoemaking, quarrying the local stone, or as weavers in small workshops.
Religious Climate: Somerset was traditionally Anglican (Church of England), but by the 19th century nonconformist chapels (Methodist, Baptist, etc.) dotted the landscape. There was a spirit of revival and dissent in the air – many working-class people felt alienated from the state church and were attracted to smaller sects promising a more personal faith. It was into this environment that Mormon missionaries ventured. In the 1840s, LDS missionaries had great success in places like Preston and Herefordshire; by the 1850s and 60s, they were laboring in southwest England as well, though with smaller numbers. The fact that the Bargery and Spurdle families joined the LDS Church suggests they were seekers of religious truth who found the Mormon message appealing – perhaps the promise of a restored gospel and a gathering to Zion resonated with their hopes for a better life.
Economic Pressures: The 1860s in rural England were a time of agricultural downturns and competition from industrial centers. Opportunities for advancement were limited for people like the Bargerys. Emigration was a common dream: millions of Britons left for America, Canada, Australia, etc., in the 19th century in search of land and opportunity. Mary Jane’s family, as converts, had a specific destination in mind – Utah Territory – but their motivations likely blended religious fervor with practical aspiration. They were aided by the Perpetual Emigrating Fund, which was essentially a sponsored emigration program. Notably, such church assistance was often targeted at “the less fortunate among the Latter-day Saints” (mhs12.qxd) (mhs12.qxd), which the Bargerys certainly were after Edward’s death. One published list from 1877 identifies Eliza Bargery and her children as PEF debtors from 1868 (mhs12.qxd), confirming that they were among the “poor Saints” who needed help to gather to Utah.
British Mormon Community: By 1862 (the year Mary was born), the LDS Church in Britain had an established structure. The Millennial Star, an LDS publication printed in England, reported 28,000 members in England and Wales by 1851 (mastertemplate.qxd). Somerset had a few small branches. Converts like Eliza might have traveled to larger towns to meet with fellow Saints or to be baptized. It is interesting to note that many British Mormon converts were long-time members by the time they emigrated. In Mary Jane’s emigrant company, it was reported that “most of them have been members of the Church for many years; some for thirty years” (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). The Bargerys likely joined a few years at most before leaving (since Mary was a toddler then), but perhaps other family members or neighbors had been LDS earlier, creating a support network. The social context, then, is of a minority religious group within a traditional community – something that could bring both social stigma and a strong sense of fellowship among the converts.
In summary, Mary Jane’s early life in England was shaped by Victorian social conditions (class and industry), rural hardship, and the LDS missionary movement. These factors set the stage for her emigration. The decision to leave England was not made lightly; it meant cutting ties with one’s homeland. But for families like the Bargerys, the promise of Zion and the prospect of land and prosperity in America outweighed the uncertainties. That bold leap from a somber Somerset existence to a hopeful journey west is the pivot on which Mary Jane’s life turned.
The story of Mary Jane Bargery’s relocation is part of the larger saga of Mormon migration in the 19th century. A few key points provide context for her journey:
Gathering to Zion: Central to early LDS doctrine was the concept of “gathering” – members were encouraged to gather in a central place to build a community of Saints. In the 1840s, that gathering place was Nauvoo, Illinois; after the LDS expulsion from Nauvoo and the trek west, Brigham Young designated Salt Lake City (and surrounding Utah Territory) as the new gathering place from 1847 onward (Utah History Encyclopedia). This led to a coordinated immigration system for international converts.
Scale of Emigration: The migration of Latter-day Saints from the British Isles was substantial. Between 1840 and 1890, an estimated 85,000 Mormon converts emigrated to America, the majority heading to Utah ([PDF] MIGRATION, EMIGRATION, AND IMMIGRATION RECORDS) (Utah History Encyclopedia). Of those, more than 31,000 were from the British Isles by 1868 (Utah History Encyclopedia). British converts were the largest immigrant group in Utah’s pioneer population. By 1870, 24% of Utah’s population was British-born, and together with their American-born children, they likely constituted half of the territory’s people (Utah History Encyclopedia). Mary Jane’s family was part of the tail end of this great wave; 1868 was noted as “the last major thrust” of British LDS emigration in the 19th century (Utah History Encyclopedia).
Transportation Phases: The journey to Utah typically had three phases: ocean voyage, domestic U.S. travel by rail/river, and overland wagon. Early on (1840s–1850s), converts would sail to New Orleans or New York, then travel by steamboat up the Mississippi or train to the Midwest, and then by ox-team across the plains. By the 1860s, with railroads advancing, the route shifted. For example, many sailed to New York (as Mary Jane did), took trains to the Missouri River (e.g., to Omaha, Nebraska), and then joined wagon companies. Each year’s logistics were coordinated by LDS agents. The John Bright voyage of 1868, which Mary’s family took, is documented in the Mormon Immigration Index: it sailed Liverpool->NY with 722 Saints (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). Upon arrival, LDS elders arranged chartered trains. In 1868, the journey was streamlined by the expanding railroad: that summer, immigrants took trains all the way to Laramie, Wyoming (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). From there, they were fetched by wagons sent from Utah (as the railroad was still incomplete by about 400 miles).
Perpetual Emigrating Fund (PEF): This fund was established by the LDS Church in 1849 to assist impoverished converts in emigrating. Emigrants would borrow money for passage and equipment and then repay the fund over time after they settled. The Bargerys benefited from this program. The PEF was crucial in the 1850s, helping thousands, especially during peak years like 1853–1856 when British Mission baptisms and emigration were high (Utah History Encyclopedia). By the late 1860s, the church made one more push to gather the poor Saints before railroad completion (after which outside migration would increase). Church leaders in Utah raised money and sent it to Europe to fund passages for the most faithful, long-standing members who had not emigrated yet (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). In 1868 specifically, large sums were collected to bring “especially faithful Saints of many years’ standing” to Zion (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). Mary Jane’s mother, Eliza, though not a long-time member, was a widow with children – a category often given priority for assistance. The published PEF Debtors list of 1877 (printed in Salt Lake City newspapers to remind people to pay) includes Eliza Bargery and her children (mhs12.qxd), confirming their debt from the 1868 emigration.
Voyage Conditions: Crossing the Atlantic in the 19th century was a major undertaking. Mormon emigrant companies usually chartered a whole ship. Conditions in steerage could be crowded and uncomfortable by modern standards. However, LDS ships were noted for relatively good organization and morale. A church leader would be in charge of the company, dividing passengers into groups with designated responsibilities (cooking, cleaning, etc.), holding daily prayers, and often publishing a ship newspaper or holding singing sessions to pass time. On the John Bright, President James McGaw and his counselors managed affairs. The Millennial Star report (London) for that voyage mentioned the Saints’ “cleanliness, order, unity, good feeling” as key points of counsel (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). Still, outbreaks of disease like measles or smallpox sometimes occurred on emigrant ships. (In earlier voyages, there were a few disasters and deaths, but by late 1860s, safety had improved.) Fortunately, there is no record of serious illness on Mary’s voyage; it seems to have been one of the smoother ones.
Overland Wagon Companies: The final stretch from the railhead to Utah was typically done in organized companies led by seasoned wagon masters. Earlier, between 1847 and 1860, the journey from the Missouri River to Salt Lake took 3–4 months by wagon. With the advent of rail to Laramie by 1868, that wagon journey was cut to a few weeks (roughly 400–500 miles instead of 1,300). 1868 was also the last year the church operated the down-and-back wagon trains: each spring and summer, wagon teams from Utah (often young men and teams sent by Utah settlements as a form of tithing labor) would go “down” to the plains to meet immigrants and haul them “back” to Utah (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). After 1869, emigrants could ride the railroad almost all the way (to Ogden by 1869). Thus Mary Jane’s family experienced one of the final wagon crossings. The record in the Church History Database notes their company in 1868 is “Company Unknown” (Mary Jane Bargery | Church History Biographical Database), meaning the exact wagon train wasn’t recorded, but they arrived before winter. Many 1868 companies arrived in Salt Lake by late August or early September.
Pioneer Trails and Hardships: Even with the shortened route, pioneer travel in 1868 involved hardships. Emigrants slept in canvas tents or under wagons, cooked over campfires, and walked for miles to spare the draft animals. It was physically demanding, especially for women with young children (like Eliza Bargery). Dangers included accidents (wagon wheel injuries, etc.), occasional buffalo stampedes, and thunderstorms. By the late 60s, Indian conflicts on the trail had subsided compared to the 1850s, especially with U.S. Army presence along the rail line, so attacks were rare. One common hardship was death of oxen or livestock, which could leave a wagon stranded. However, church companies had a strong ethos of mutual aid: if one family’s ox died, others would help yoke teams together and ensure no one was left behind. The camaraderie of the journey forged lasting bonds. It’s likely the Bargerys traveled alongside the Case and Spurdle families (named in records) (Mary Ann Case | Church History Biographical Database), who may have been friends or relatives from England. Those friendships would carry into their new life in Utah.
Arrival in Zion: Coming into the Salt Lake Valley after such a journey was a profound emotional experience for the pioneers. Many accounts describe tears of joy and singing of hymns as they saw the Salt Lake Valley from the last mountain pass (Emigration Canyon for those coming from the east). For Mary Jane’s mother Eliza, arriving in Zion meant the successful completion of a spiritual quest that might have seemed impossible a year earlier. For little Mary, it was likely an adventure – she might not have fully grasped the significance, but the sight of the city and the welcome from established Saints would be memorable. New arrivals were typically greeted and taken to the Tithing Yard in Salt Lake, where church officials helped direct them to temporary lodging and distributed supplies (often from the Bishops’ storehouse) to those in need.
Demographic Impact: The continuous influx of Mormon immigrants like the Bargerys helped Utah grow and allowed the colonization of new areas (e.g., Rodchell Gill’s family being sent to colonize the Uintah Basin in the 1870s was possible because the population was growing). By strengthening the LDS population, these immigrants also helped the church maintain its cultural and political dominance in Utah during a time when non-Mormon influence was increasing with the railroad. It’s notable that Brigham Young accelerated 1868 emigration to bolster Mormon numbers before the railroad brought a flood of non-Mormon miners, merchants, and federal officials (Utah History Encyclopedia).
In summary, the Mormon migration was a well-organized group immigration that turned thousands of disparate converts into a cohesive community in Utah. Mary Jane Bargery’s journey was one thread in a great tapestry – one family among hundreds that year – yet each thread is vital to the whole. The emigrants’ faith and endurance left an indelible mark on the American West, and their descendants (including Mary’s) look back on that migration with pride. The ships’ passenger lists, pioneer company rosters, and personal diaries preserved in archives (like those excerpted in Saints by Sea and other sources) allow us to reconstruct and appreciate the scope of this movement. From those records, we know the exact ship, dates, and even some of the speeches and hymns that buoyed their souls on the voyage (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). It is a legacy of faith in action – people moved by belief to cross an ocean and a continent.
(For reference, the John Bright voyage account in the Millennial Star (1868) and the Church Emigration report confirm the timeline of Mary Jane’s migration (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea) (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea). Also, Richard L. Jensen’s research in the Utah History Encyclopedia provides statistics on British immigration and its significance in Utah (Utah History Encyclopedia).)
Mary Jane Bargery’s adult life, particularly her years in Ashley Valley and Salt Lake City, unfolded during a period when Utah was very much a frontier society transitioning to a more settled territory. This appendix provides context on what frontier life was like in her era:
Economic Life: In pioneer Utah, especially outside Salt Lake City, cash was scarce and commerce often ran on barter. Settlers like Mary Jane and Rodchell Gill had to be self-reliant. They built their own homes using local materials (log cabins in forested areas, adobe bricks in valley settlements). They made their own furniture (rough-hewn benches and tables), and produced much of their own food and clothing. In Ashley Valley, the Gills would have maintained a vegetable garden and perhaps an orchard (settlers planted peach and apple pits they brought) knowing it might take years to bear fruit. Hunting and fishing supplemented diets – wild game, fish from streams, and berries were foraged. However, over-reliance on local resources sometimes led to depletion; for example, by the 1880s, game became scarce near settlements, and livestock grazing could denude grasslands.
Isolation and Transportation: Before the railroad and telegraph reached an area, news and mail were slow. For Mary Jane in the 1880s in Vernal, mail came infrequently by horseback or wagon. A trip to Salt Lake City (175 miles away) might take 1–2 weeks by wagon. This isolation meant that communities had to solve their own problems. Medical care, for instance, was handled by community midwives and folk remedies unless a rare doctor was in the vicinity. Mary Jane likely served or was served by midwives for her childbirths; one or two experienced women in the valley would help deliver all the babies. If someone fell ill, neighbors might nurse them, and only in extreme cases could one send for a doctor (the nearest in the 1880s might have been in Heber City or Salt Lake).
Dangers and Disasters: Frontier communities dealt with natural and human threats. We saw an example of a Native American scare in 1879 which the Ashley settlers mitigated by cooperation with the local Ute band (Vernal | History to Go). In general, by the late 19th century, relations with Native Americans in Utah were somewhat stable (the Black Hawk War in central Utah had ended by 1868), but in newly opened regions like the Uinta Basin, caution prevailed. Aside from that, weather was a big challenge: droughts could wither crops, floods could destroy fields, and harsh winters (like the one of 1879-80) could decimate herds (Vernal | History to Go). Disease was another threat – outbreaks of diphtheria, typhoid, or smallpox occasionally swept through. Families like Mary’s, with many children, were especially at risk of losing young ones to illness. Indeed, Mary Jane lost a daughter (Estella) in 1900 to what may have been an illness (diphtheria or another epidemic illness was common then) (Estella Gill (1886–1900) • FamilySearch).
Community and Social Life: Latter-day Saint doctrine emphasized community unity. Each settlement was generally organized around an LDS ward (or branch in smaller locales) which acted as the hub for spiritual and social life. In Ashley Valley, a branch of the church was formed in the late 1870s, and by the 1880s a Vernal Ward existed. Church meetings on Sundays, and additional activities like quilt-making bees, dances, and celebrations were common. Pioneer recreation often included dances (the fiddle was a prized instrument on the frontier) – even in a fort in 1879, settlers might have held a New Year’s dance to lift spirits. Mary Jane, as a young married woman, likely attended local dances with her husband. Mormon settlers loved celebrations such as Pioneer Day (July 24) commemorating the 1847 arrival, and the 4th of July, often marked with picnics, horse races, and patriotic speeches. Even in isolated Vernal, they would not miss these; diaries from similar settlements note how communities came together to mark these occasions.
Role of Women: Women in frontier Utah were partners in building society. The LDS Church’s Relief Society (re-established churchwide in 1867) was active in most wards. It gave women a sphere of organized activity: collecting donations for the needy, working on nursing and midwifery skills, even sponsoring silk production (Brigham Young encouraged women to raise silk worms and weave silk to reduce dependence on eastern cloth). It’s possible Mary Jane participated in such an effort in her community – many Utah women in the 1870s tried their hand at raising silk worms (the Relief Society distributed mulberry leaves and silkworm eggs). Women also were involved in education – by the 1870s, many local schoolteachers were women. If Mary Jane had any inclination and time (though with so many children, she was likely fully occupied at home), she could have taught school or at least taught her own children to read and write at home. Notably, Utah women were somewhat more empowered than their counterparts elsewhere: Utah Territory granted women’s suffrage in 1870 (the second jurisdiction in the US to do so, after Wyoming) and women voted in local elections (though this was temporarily revoked by the federal Edmunds-Tucker Act in 1887 during the crackdown on polygamy, suffrage was restored in 1896). Mary Jane, though not a polygamist, lived amid the controversies of the Polygamy era – many LDS leaders and members practiced plural marriage in the 19th century. While her husband Rodchell did not take additional wives (as far as records show), Mary undoubtedly had friends or extended family in polygamous marriages. The 1880s were tense due to federal anti-polygamy raids; communities often hid polygamist husbands or sent them into hiding. The Gill family, being monogamous, wouldn’t have been directly targeted, but the climate affected all Utahns. The eventual Manifesto of 1890 (when LDS Church officially ended new plural marriages) was a significant shift that Mary witnessed at age 28.
Technological Changes: During Mary Jane’s lifetime, major advancements gradually made frontier life easier. The telegraph reached Utah in 1866, and by the 1870s even remote areas might have a telegraph station at the nearest town (Vernal’s first telegraph line came in the 1880s). Railroads penetrated Utah: the transcontinental line in 1869, and later spur lines. For instance, the Uintah Railway (a narrow gauge line) would reach into Uintah Basin by the early 1900s (after Mary had left, but her older children in Vernal lived to see a railroad connection in 1905). In Salt Lake City, amenities like piped water, electricity (by the 1880s electric lights in some parts), and streetcars (the first horse-drawn streetcars in 1872, electric trolleys by 1900) were introduced. Mary Jane moved back to the Salt Lake area presumably to give her children better opportunities – by the 1890s Salt Lake had high schools, the Latter-day Saints’ University, theaters, and hospitals, which were unimaginable out in Ashley Valley. So she experienced the contrast between rural frontier living and a growing urban center.
Integration into American Life: Throughout her life, Utah evolved from a theocratic pioneer colony to an American state. In 1872, the LDS Church’s hold on politics was challenged by the Liberal Party (non-Mormons) in some towns; by the 1890s, national political parties (Democrats and Republicans) entered Utah. Mary Jane’s family, being devout LDS, likely remained aligned with LDS Church leadership’s counsel in these matters. By the time of World War I, many of Mary’s sons or grandsons might have registered for the draft or even served in the U.S. military – a far cry from the semi-isolationist stance of early Utah. This mirrors Mary’s life: she went from being a citizen of Victorian England to a pioneer in an autonomous Mormon territory, and finally to a U.S. citizen of a state fully integrated into the Union. Frontier life gave way to modernity in her lifetime.
Memory and Commemoration: Later in life, pioneers like Mary Jane were honored for their role. The Daughters of Utah Pioneers (DUP) was formed in 1901 as an organization to preserve pioneer histories. It’s possible that Mary Jane or her daughters contributed information to early DUP collections or local histories. Pioneer women were often asked to recount their stories for posterity. If Mary Jane ever gave an interview or if family members wrote down her reminiscences, those would have been treasured. Even if such documents are lost, the oral tradition likely kept her legacy alive in her family. By the mid-20th century (when Mary died), Utah was celebrating its pioneer heritage annually, and monuments to the handcart companies and pioneer companies were erected. Mary’s journey in 1868 might be mentioned on some compilation of pioneer immigrants, given that her group was among the last wagon trains.
Frontier life required grit, cooperation, and adaptability. Mary Jane Bargery demonstrated all of these. She adapted from an English village to the American West, learned new skills to survive in a raw environment, and cooperated with her community to overcome challenges like Indian scares and environmental disasters. Her life spanned the era of covered wagons to the era of motor cars, embodying the transition of Utah from frontier to settled state.
The experiences of women like Mary were common to many western homesteaders, Mormon and non-Mormon alike. Yet, Mary had the added dimension of a unifying religious purpose – building Zion – which colored every aspect of frontier life with spiritual significance. This perhaps gave extra meaning to the toil and sacrifices. The frontier was not just a place to live; it was a holy endeavor to “make the desert blossom as the rose,” as Brigham Young often phrased it. Indeed, by the end of Mary’s life, the once barren “cactus flat” of Ashley Valley was a thriving agricultural community with irrigation canals and orchards (Vernal | History to Go), and Salt Lake City had grown from a pioneer camp into a city of over 100,000 with a soaring temple at its heart. Mary Jane Bargery’s fingerprints – though not recorded in history books – were on that transformation through her quiet contributions in home and community.
Sources:
All these sources piece together the narrative of Mary Jane Bargery’s life and times. The citations in the text (e.g., (A Compilation of General Voyage Notes | Saints by Sea)) correspond to specific references that substantiate the facts presented. This integrated historical and genealogical research paints a detailed portrait of Mary Jane – from her humble beginnings in England, through her courageous migration, to her contributions on the Utah frontier and the family legacy she left. Each stage of her life is documented with contemporary records, ensuring a scholarly, evidence-based biography that honors her story.
RE: Profile: Mary Jane Bargery Gill 1862-1948 - (Deep Family History Research)