MARY JANE CUTCLIFFE

By Claudia Spencer Salder

Mary Jane (the 7th wife of Daniel Spencer) was born in Bristol, Somerset, England on July 5, 1835. Her father, George Cutcliffe (1808-1857) was a shoe manufacturer and a shopkeeper. Her mother was Elizabeth Hill Jones (1797-1897). She was the eighth child born in the family of ten-children, seven older ones having died in infancy under the age of one. Mary Jane was blessed with dreams throughout her life. At age five, three nights in succession, she saw an angel with a book. Her parents worried for fear she would die. When nearly fourteen in 1849, she had a dream in which she saw a man, to whom an angel pointed as one "having the true and everlasting gospel." A few months later she saw the man, Elder George Halliday, speaking on the street near her home. She went to the meeting and was later baptized by him. Her family soon followed her example. Daniel Spencer first met the Cutcliffe family while visiting a conference in Wales on December 4, 1855. On other occasions talk was made of immigrating and a future marriage for Mary Jane. On Saturday, April 19, 1856, Mary Jane sailed from Liverpool for Zion, traveling with 707 saints on board the ship Samuel Curling, under the direction of Daniel Jones. She paid cash for her ticket and took considerable merchandise and clothing with her for her trip and future marriage. The ship arrived at Boston on May 23, and from there she traveled by rail to Iowa City them on to Florence, Nebraska. Daniel had left England a month earlier, and he had been made General Superintendent in charge of the immigration for that year. In July, after struggling to get all the immigrant companies outfitted, he expressed anxiety over the late start west for some of them. On August 24, 1856, Erastus Snow called a council meeting of the twelve people involved in the immigrant program, which included Daniel and Franklin D. Richards. A vote was taken, whereupon it was unanimously decided it was best to let all the immigrant companies, who were preparing to start west.   Daniel and those who had helped in the program left on September 4 to return to the valley and arrived October 4. Mary Jane was assigned to Captain John A. Hunt's Company. Daniel s adopted son, Gilbert, was returning from visiting his relatives in Albany, and drove her wagon. The company left Tuesday, September 2, 1856, the last pioneer company of the season to cross the plains. They were detained by early snowstorms. In October, word reach Salt Lake that the late pioneer companies were perishing in the mountains. Sixty mule and horse drawn wagons were immediately sent for the rescue. By December 10, John A. Hunt's Company began to straggle into the valley. Daniel sent four wagons with provisions and Franklin D. Richards went back with the teams to help the saints. Mary Jane arrived December 15. Gilbert -took her to Daniel's home to regain her strength. She took her endowment in the Endowment House on December 22, 1856. On December 27, Mary Jane (age 21) married Daniel (age 62) in a joint ceremony with Sarah Jane Gray and Elizabeth Funnell in Brigham Young's Office. She lived in the adobe home with Daniel's other wives. On February 12, 1857, Daniel rebaptized Mary Jane in the Jordan River. On the following day, February 13, she was sealed to him in the Endowment House by Brigham Young with William W. Phelps and Samuel S. Sprague as witnesses. Mary Jane's father, mother and two sisters sailed from Liverpool on April 29, 1865. They were assigned to Captain William S. Willes' ox train. While in Council Bluffs, her father worked to help the other saints acquire their supplies for the trek. He died of sunstroke in the grain fields. Her mother and sisters continued the journey and arrived in the valley on November 29, 1865. When her mother arrived, she was surprised to find Mary Jane married to Daniel instead of his son as she had supposed was the arrangement. Mary Jane's sister, Ann, lived with the Spencer's for six months until her marriage. As well as being an excellent milliner and dressmaker, Mary Jane made soap, candles and wove carpets for all of Daniel's, large family. When Daniel died in 1868, Mary Jane (age 33) had four children from age 10 to 2. She lost her eyesight for six months following his death, but through her faith it was restored. The adobe home was divided in two separate living quarters, and she lived in #9 on one side and Elizabeth Funnell lived in the other half at #10. Mary Jane had met Ulrich Auer, a farmer who had worked for Daniel on his ranch in Pleasant Green (Magna). Ulrich, who went by the name of   George, a pioneer of 1860, was born July 22, 1840 in Switzerland. Mary Jane married Ulrich on February 19, 1873 in Salt Lake. Judge Elias Smith performed the ceremony. Following the marriage they lived in the adobe home where four children were born. In 1882 they moved to Pleasant Green to work on Toronto's Ranch until 1889, when they purchased an 84-acre farm at 80th West 2700 South-in Pleasant Green. Ulrich was an excellent farmer and knew how to make the land productive. He was called on a two-year mission to Switzerland. Mary Jane and her mother managed the farm and worked as a team to sustain it while he was gone. In 1902, they moved to Salt Lake for two years at the request of her daughter Amelia, and then moved back to their farm. Mary Jane became tired of farming, so the farm was turned over to her daughter, Mary Jane Grossen, and Mary Jane and Ulrich moved to Salt Lake City to live with Amelia, where she lived out her remaining years. She died on June 28, 1909, age 73. She was buried in the Salt Lake City Cemetery on July 1. Mary Jane was known as a strict disciplinarian. She was neat, tidy and precise, and she was a faithful and devoted church member. Ulrich was a good father to all her children, and he made certain they had a college education. He married Regula Bodiner after Mary Jane's death and lived to age 85, dying on October 28, 1925.