A SKETCH OF THE LIFE OF MARY MCREE BLACK BROWN

Prepared by her granddaughter Mary Harriet Critchlow Jensen 

Mary McRee [McCree, McRae] Black Brown was born October 17, 1819 [28 October 1820] Copiah County, Mississippi, the daughter of William McRee [or McRae] and Mary McCorkins. Her parents were of  Scottish descent and had immigrated to Mississippi from North Carolina about 1816. He was a wealthy planter and doctor of  medicine of high standing. [Dr. McRee owned 100 slaves, but as soon as it was possible to do so he gave all his slaves their freedom and retained them at a wage to work on his large plantation.  He provided for them well. Mary had every comfort and luxury available, even a personal maid.] 

In her young days when she was very young, and her father married a life-long friend of his deceased wife, Mary Warnock. She was a very devoted and wise stepmother, Mary was taught to sew by the family seamstress, and when she learned to make good buttonholes her brother, William, made her a present of two silk dresses when silk was very much more expensive than it is today. She was also taught to cook and all her life was considered a splendid cook of the old Southern type. [Mary was also well taught in the scriptures.] 

Mary at twenty-two years of age married George Black, son of a neighboring planter, Charles Black and Rebecca Brewer. When they set up housekeeping, then had four colored servants.

n 1841 Mary and her husband joined the Mormon Church, having been converted to the faith by Daniel Tyler. [Her conversion angered her family, who disowned her.] 

Mary had always been of a religious turn of mind. Her parents were very strict in observing the Sabbath. No work was done by the family or servants on that day.  Everything was prepared on Saturday, and all went to church on Sunday. Mary spent part of Sunday over at the quarters of the slave, teaching them about Jesus and in reading the Bible to them. Her father had a hundred slaves. He was opposed to slavery, so he gave all of his slaves their freedom, but retained them to work on his plantation and provided for them.

In 1845 [1843] Mary and her husband moved to Nauvoo. When they joined the Church her father told her she was being led astray by the devil, so when they left for Nauvoo they gave up family, friends and their land and property which they could not dispose of. Mary had a half section of valuable timberland, which her father had given her as a "gift of love" at the time of her marriage. This was later sold for taxes. 

After arriving in Nauvoo, Mr. Black worked on the Nauvoo Temple for two years, and later engaged in the mercantile business. He took a partner in with him and was successful until his health failed him. He died of malaria in 1845. The partner of Mr. Black a Mr. Gully, defrauded Mary of every cent that was invested in the business. Hewas afterwards excommunicated from the Church. 

During all of these years, Mary had not heard a word from her father. She had buried three little girls [Isabella, Melissa, Elizabeth, and Rebecca are named in the PAF files] and the death of her husband greatly tired her. Falling in health and destitute of means, her husband’s folks in Mississippi who had become converted to Mormonism wrote her to come back to Mississippi. Her husband on his deathbed had told her not to go back to Mississippi, fearing that her people would persuade her to stay. He had practically given his life for his religion as the doctors had told him that if he would go back to a warm climate, he would recover his health. But he refused saying "I can either live or die for the Gospel, whichever God desires of me." 

Mary became very ill, and the doctors told her she would go as her husband had unless she went away from that climate. Mary refused to go but sent for the Prophet Joseph and he brought Brigham Young with, and blessed her, and told her to go home to her husband’s people until spring. They told her she would recover and would live to do much good. 

She took the advice of the Prophet and went back to Mississippi. While there, she made peace with her father who felt more favorable towards his daughter. Her stepmother who had always been so good to her, stood by her in her trials, as she was called upon to give up her last little daughter leaving her with one little son five years old. During all this time her brothers and sisters ignored her. 

Captain James Brown

In the spring Daniel Tyler with others of the Saints in Mississippi took Mary and her little boy, George David Black, back to Nauvoo.  Mary took this child to Brigham Young and told him that this was the only child she had left and she did not want to lose him. Their family history stated that Brigham Young took the little boy down to the Mississippi River and baptized him, then sealed him up against all sickness and disease. He came on to Utah with Captain James Brown and lived in Ogden, Utah. He was later asked to help colonize the area of Oxford, Idaho. George David Black married and had thirteen children, but never had a sick day in his life.  He was killed in a wagon accident in 1913.  Around the time of the exodus from Nauvoo, James Brown proposed marriage to her and she was married to him [July 16,]1846.

When the prophet Joseph was murdered, Mary was in Nauvoo and in common with the other saints went through that trying ordeal.  As the conference of the church called by the authorities to put a leader in Joseph’s place, Mary saw  Sidney Rigdon as he put forth his claims, and when Brigham Young stood up in the pulpit. Mary exclaimed with many others. "The prophet has come back!" for the mantle of Joseph; had fallen upon Brigham and I have heard her testify to this many times.
When they reached Council Bluffs, Iowa, the government drafted five hundred men for the war with Mexico. At Council Bluffs, James enlisted in the Mormon Battalion as Captain of Company "C". Before he left, on July 16, 1846, he married Mary McCree [McRee] Black, a widow with a small son. Mary became one of the laundresses for the Battalion and took her son with her.  Captain James Brown of Company C took Mary his new wife and her little son George David Black with him. 

Also on the Mormon Battalion trek were James Brown's sons from Martha Stephens, Alexander and Jesse, as well as his wife MaryMcRee Black's son, George David Black.

Alexander Brown

Jesse Stowell Brown

George David Black

Mary endured all the hardships incident to that long march, washed for sixteen men and did many hard tasks she had never done before, suffered with heat and thirst, on soldiers rations, and became footsore and weary; waited patiently in the heat or cold, in storm or blistering heat or intense cold while the men dug well, cut down trees or undergrowth to make roads and forded streams, some of which were treacherous with quicksand. 

After wintering in pueblo with all of the sick of the Battalion, where Mary was as an ministering angel to them, they finally arrived in Salt Lake Valley July 29th, 1847 and made their home in the Fort which stood where Pioneer Park now is. Here Mary gave birth to a baby girl, Mary Eliza, who was the third white girl born in Utah. Mary Eliza at fifteen years became the wife of William F. Critchlow. When the baby was three months old her parents were called upon to move north where Ogden now stands. 

While en route, as they came near Sessions Settlement which is where Centerville is today, the wagon in which they were riding tipped over into a large creek and spilled the occupants into the icy water. Fortunately, no one was injured and being near the home of Perrigrene Sessions, they were made welcome over night.  

The next day they resumed their journey, over the Sand Ridge and tired and weary they arrived at their destination on the Weber River, near where the Union Depot now is.The home that awaited them was a log hut that had been occupied by Jim Bridger’s squaw wife. When Mary viewed her future home and saw the loose dirt several inches thick upon the floor, she exclaimed, "This is a hard way to serve the Lord." 

The men folks shoveled out the dirt, made a fire in the fireplace and put up a one legged bedstead. 

The next day they cut down a large cottonwood tree and made a cradle for little baby Mary Eliza. They also built a Dutch oven in the dooryard to roast meat in and take what little bread was rationed out for them. 

The men folks (Captain Brown and his grown sons [Jesse and Alexander] by his first wife [Martha Stephens], first duty was to get the ground ready for planting their precious seed. They had plenty of cattle and milk and butter, but other food was very scarce.

Mary used to bake the meat and when it was cold, cut it in slices and they would spread butter upon it and make believe it was bread.

One day while she was engaged in cooking some meat, several big Buck Indians came bedecked in red paint and feathers and demanded the meat. By signs she explained it was for the men’s dinner.  

They pointed their bows and arrows at the baby in the cradle, making Mary understand in no uncertain manner that if she didn’t give them the meat they would kill the baby. She ran to the baby, snatch it from the crib and ran to where the men were working a mile away expecting any minute to be pierced with a flying arrow, as the blood curdling yells of the Indians followed her.  After this incident one of the men stayed near the cabin.  

Imagine if you can how this woman must have felt. Alone, except for her family, forty miles from the nearest neighbor in a lonely wilderness of snakes, wild animals, and Indians. And compare it with the life she had before she cast her lot willingly and gladly, for the Gospel’s sake, with the Mormons. 

She, though of delicate nature, and slender built, was made of the stuff pioneers are made of. She had courage, faith God, and a disposition to the make the best of conditions.  

Mary learned to make cheese, and was known as the first cheese maker in Utah. 

When the gold rush was on in 1849 she sold great quantities of butter and cheese to the travelers. 

She bore Captain James Brown five children, four daughters and one son, the same as she bore her first husband.  

She lived to be nearly ninety years old, beloved by all who knew her for her sweet personality, generosity, unselfishness and kindness.

[When James died in 1863 Mary moved to Oxford, Idaho to be near her son, George David Black. Later she moved to Ogden to live with her daughter Josephine.  When she was in her eighties, she lived with her daughter, Mary Eliza Critchlow.] 

Her two sons, David Black, and Joseph Smith Brown, lived in Northern Idaho. She had not seen them for several years. Her daughter, Mary Eliza, died suddenly of pneumonia  [in 1903]and her two brothers, David and Joseph were on their way to the funeral. While grandma was grief-stricken over the loss of her daughter the thought of seeing her two sons sustained her. 

While en route to Ogden, they had to change trains and wait several hours at Idaho Falls. Joseph, to pass the time away, went up town. On his way back to the depot at midnight he was held up and shot to death. David took the body back to their home in Idaho and was unable to attend his sister’s funeral. 

When it became necessary to tell grandma about it, none of the family felt that they could do so. Bishop McQuarrie told her of it. She looked at him with stricken eyes when he told her and whisperingly said, "Providence knows best."

Such courage and faith and acceptance of trial in the face of this double bereavement and disappointment was another indication of her wonderful character. She was a wonderful example to all of us.

She passed away sometime between 2 Nov 1906 and 1 Nov 1907 and is buried in a lot close to her husband Captain James Brown in the Ogden City Cemetery in Ogden, Utah.

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http://www.utahcrossroads.org/newsv8n4.htm

When Philip St. George Cooke assumed command of the battalion in Santa Fe, he thought there were too many women,  children, and sick soldiers and decided to send a second detachment to Pueblo. This group left Santa Fe October 18 under James Brown, captain. They arrived in Pueblo November 17 with 92 men, 19 women and 10 children. This was the Brown Sick Detachment (Santa Fe Detachment)

Mormon Battalion Monument located on west side of I-25 just north of Albuquerque, New Mexico enroute to Santa Fe.   Brown Sick Detachment (included)                 James Brown, Captain                Wife: Mary McCree Black; Child: George David Black (Mary’s son by first husband, Charles Black).

                   

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Sources: 

PAF - Archer files

"Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude, Vol. II, International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers,  Publishers Press, 1998. Page 392 (Brown)  ISBN: 0-9658406-1-1 

Conquerors of the West: Stalwart Mormon Pioneers Vol. I, Edited by Florence C. Youngberg, 1999, Sons of Utah Pioneers, SLC, UT. Page 306 to 308.

http://www.brownhistory.org/CJBWives_Children.htm#LovinaMitchell

Photos, items in [Brackets] and bold are among items added by Lucy Brown Archer  www.orsonprattbrown.com

Copyright 2001 www.orsonprattbrown.com