Mary Alice Davenport, 1861-1937

• Born 4 Apr 1861 Draper, Salt Lake, Utah
• Died 13 Nov 1937 Hyrum, Cache, Utah
• Parents: Edward Wilcox Davenport and Clarissa Danforth Crapo
• Spouse: Thomas Joseph Pearce, Sr. (md. 1 Dec 1881 Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah)
• Children: Mary Agnes Pearce; Thomas Joseph Pearce, Jr.; Clarissa Pearce; William Edwin Pearce; Edward Pearce; James Albert Pearce; Sarah Elizabeth Pearce; Warren Pearce; Marcus Pearce; Eudora Pearce

Written by her oldest son, Thomas Joseph, in 1961.

"Some things I remember of her life and Elizabeth, (Lizzie), sent me some.

"Mary Alice Davenport, born 4 April, 1861 daughter of Edward Wilcox Davenport and Clarissa Danforth Crapo. She was born Draper, Utah. Mother was idolized by her older brothers. She was tall and dark like her father and had his sweet and gentle disposition. She was loved by all who knew her. She went through all the hardships the pioneers had to go through. Most of their work had to be done by hand in the house and on the farm. They did not have the things to work with as we have them today.

"Mother did all the washing by hand on the washboard and tub. When we were small she had a hard time to take care of us and get her washing done and take care of the housework.
When I was a small boy I got kicked with a horse as father led them to water. He was heading the team past the corner of the stable. One of them kicked me in the face and I was knocked out. I guess I was badly bruised but not serious. I have a faint recollection of when I came to. Mother was worried about me. They were working with me.

"When the threshers came to do the thrashing, there was lots of work to be done. The grain had to be threshed by horse power driven by six teams of horses going in a circle. There was a big change of things when the steam thresher came in. There was six men with the threshing machine besides those helping to handle the grain, about fourteen altogether. Mother had to do lots of work to prepare for then. She hired some help. I remember it well because we had lots of good things to eat. Generally there were two to three meals to prepare.

"Father was a good gardener so he would plant a good garden and mother and the children had the job of taking. care of it, There was a large orchard on the place so we had plenty of fruit. Mother peeled apples and dried them in the sun by the sackful.

"She made all the clothes when we were young. She made knee pants for the boys and long dresses for the girls until we got older. I wore knee pants when I was a small boy and I was proud of them.

"Mother was very much concerned about the company we went with especially the young people and I think all of us have done very well.

"I did not know very much about my mother before she was married. I am indebted to the Davenport family for this information. Grandfather left Draper, Utah, and went to old Paradise, now Avon, and settled there in the year 1862. Grandma and family came later. They moved to Brigham City, Utah in 1875 and lived until 1878. While in Brigham City, Mother learned to trim ladies’ hats. In 1878 Grandfather bought Grandpa Crapo's home in Paradise, and the family moved back there to live.

"When mother was a child, Grandmother took in a little Indian girl to raise whose name was Nancy. They became very fond of each other, and Nancy was just afraid of the Indians as Mother was. Nancy died when a child.

"Mother was idolized by her five older brothers. Grandfather had to travel 12 miles to Logan, Utah, to get supplies and clothing, food, and shoes. Mother’s shoes were too small and hurt her feet. I think that is what caused the bunion on her big toe.

"When Mother was 17 years old, her brothers bought a small saw mill in White Pine Canyon east of Paradise. Mother helped cook for the men until she married.

"On 1 December 1881 mother married Thomas Joseph Pearce in the Endowment house in Salt Lake City, Utah. To get there from Paradise, about 80 miles from Salt Lake City, they had to travel in a lumber wagon with a wagon box and a spring seat on it. The wagon was drawn by horses. I bet they hurried down there and were slow coming back!

"After their marriage they settled in Paradise and lived there the rest of their lives and were buried there.

Back row:  l. to r. Sarah E., Warren, William E., Edward, Clarissa J., Albert
Middle row:  Thomas Joseph Jr., Mary Alice D., Thomas Joseph Sr., Agnes
In front:  Eudora

"The first house they lived in was a two roomed building. It was made of white pine logs sawed on four sides with lumber siding on the outside and lath and plaster on the inside. They lived in this house until Albert (Bert) was born. The new one was built sometime between when Bert and Marcus was born. Marcus died when he was 18 days old. They held the funeral at home in the new house.

"I have heard Mother and Father tell about when I was born in the two roomed house. It was not finished so when I was born, they had to put canvas on the roof so they could make a bed for Mother. It was raining hard, so, they had to hurry. Babies were born at home in those days and midwives were the doctors.

"When Bert was a baby a bad case of typhoid broke out in the family. I did not get it. I was going to school and one day when I came home they were all quarantined in, I was staying at Grandma Pearce's at the time so I did not get it. There were six of the children sick at the same time. I guess Mother had a problem on her hands to care of all of them. Clarissa was the worst. When she got better she looked like a stack of bones. She just about passed away. The doctor told Mother to go to bed. No, she said, I have to take care of my family. The doctor gave her some medicine and she did not take it. All got better, but it was a miracle. This was about the worst thing they ever had in the family.

"There was lots of Indians passing through Paradise in the early days. They were begging food. Many times after they were married the Indians would come to the house for food. She could make good loaves of bread and many of them went to feed the Indians.

L. to r.  Thomas Joseph, Edward, Eudora, Mary Alice Davenport Pearce

"In the spring of 1906 Mother and father met with a bad when the horses ran away. We did not have a white buggy so Father used a wagon with a box on it. To make it easier to ride, there was spring seats to put on the box. There were five of us in the wagon. Father and I in the front seat, Sister Lizzie Smith and Mother in a seat behind and my brother Will standing up behind them. The horses got frightened at something, they whirled to the right, and broke the tongue of the wagon, and turned back the way they came. Father went over the front endgate down behind the horses and I think the wheel ran over his hand. Mother, Sister Smith and Will were thrown out, spring and all. I dropped down in the wagon box and the only way I could get out was to crawl to the back of the wagon and drop out. I did not. get hurt. Mother got her wrist broken as she hit the ground. The rest of us were all right. I saw people taking care of them so I followed the team. They came to a stop when they went straddle of a tree. I straightened them out and then up town to Logan. We were about a mile from the center of town. Somebody took them to the doctors office. Father’s hand was crippled. It was fairly good. Mothers wrist was always stiff.

"Among Mother’s accomplishments were soap-making and her beautiful knitted lace. She used to quilt for the Relief Society and was paid one dollar for every spool of thread she used on the quilt.
Mother had a sweet, gentle. disposition and was loved by all who knew her. She loved her family and was kind to them. Two of her sons died. Marcus was born 4 April 1898 and lived 18 days. He died 24 (?) April 1898. Edward grew to manhood and did not marry. He passed away in his 38th year on 6 March 1927."