History of Mary Cornelia Woodbury

Mary Cornelia Woodbury was born 31 March 1857 at 6th South, 1st West in Salt Lake City Utah, Seventh Ward.  She attended and was taught by Herbert Van Dam a privately paid teacher,  For seats they used split logs put on three legs.  The would seat seven children on them.  They were taught the Deseret Alphabet and were taught to spell by sound.  She was the daughter and fifth child of Thomas Hobart Woodbury and Catherine Haskell.

When about three years old, her family moved to Dixie in Southern Utah and lived in a dug-out for several months.  There they killed snakes, lizards and tarantulas, to rid the neighborhood of them.  One day something fell on Mary's head and frightened her very much.  It was a large lizard.  Her father raised the first watermelons in Dixie.  He used to trade the Indians all the melons they could carry for a handful of pine nuts for each melon.  It was funny to see them attempt to carry more than one of the large melons.  They would usually drop one before they had gone far; then they would stop and eat it.

When Mary was a small girl of four years, (1861) her father was called on a five year mission.  Even though it was across the Virgin River from where his family lived, he had to remain there as it was impossible to cross except by a long journey.  Before the five year mission was ended a foot bridge was built across the river.  This enabled her father to be home sometimes.  Priorto the bridge being built, his lunch was sent over to him on a rope stretched across the river.

One day Mary was taking her father's lunchy across the foot bridge and she fell in the river.  Her father noticed her floating as the hoops under her dress was holding her on top.  He jumped in and pulled her out.

When Mary was seven years old, she was poisoned by the drinking water and was very ill for several months.  This left her an invalid for seven years.  Her parents moved back to Salt Lake City on account of her bad health.  One day a chance caller told her if she would take three bottles of his medicine, which would cost $60.00, it would heal her.  The medicine was bought and she was healed before the third bottle was taken.  No one knew where this stranger came from or where he went.

Later Mary worked in a tailor ship for two years.  Here she became a very good tailoress.  During these two years she met an English immigrant by the name of Joseph Hyrum Stay, a very handsom young man, they fell in love and were married in May 1877, in Salt Lake City.  Later, in the autum of that year, they in company with her brother John H. Woodbury and his wife Alexiana, traveled back to St. George, Utah and were sealed for time and eternity in the Temple there.  The trip took three weeks.  Nine children were born to this couple, namely:  Joseph Charles, Mary Dott, Sarah Rebecca, Aden Haskell, Ruth, Rosetta, Jesse Haskell, Catherine and Wilford Valentine.

Mary was single twenty years, married twenty years, and a widow thirty three years.  She left this life 24 January 1930 at Wilford Ward.  She was always a church worker especially in the Relief Society.

Note: the above narative is the source of the history recorded in the Jeremiah Woodbury Family book.

Quoting Archibald F. Benett in his discription of mother: (mother in law?)

"We can truthfully say - she possessed a high sense of duty, and her standard of morals was unsurpassed.  Hers was a mission of service where ever she went - a nurse, a comforter, a counselor.  Wise, discreet and sympathetic, a woman of action - she sometimes took weighty matters into her own hands and carried them through to successful completion.

She has left the record of one who loved much, suffered much and was ever true - - a woman who adhered to her own affectionately rigid rules in rearing her family.  A woman who inspired reverence and confidence.

The memory of her is of a character strong, fearless, clear minded and God fearing.

This is her centenial year and she has a posterity two hundred and sixty six (including children, grandchildren, great , and great great grandchildren that raise up to call her name blessed."

Notes taken from the Jermiah Woodbury Family book by Angus Cannon Woodbury that relate to Mary Cornelia Woodbury:

In the fall of 1861 her father was called on a mission to Southern Uath to start a nursery and supply the people of that locality with fruit trees.  The family settled the town of Grafton on the Rio Virgin River near the West entrence of Zions National Park.  The ghost town of Grafton is the location where the Sun Dance Kid was filmed.  In the organization of the town her father Thomas Hobart Woodbury was made Justice of the Peach and Postmaster which he held until the town was abandoned on account of Indial troubles, and the inhabitants moved to Rockville.  In the Cemetary above the town two sisters of Mary are burried.  The grave markers also include several indians, and individuals killed by indians.

There are other accounts of Mary's life that need to be located and included in this page.

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