History of Mary Whitesides Hunter
Mary Ann Whitesides Hunter was born, a daughter of John and Penninah Evans Whitesides, in Chester County, Pennsylvania, December 15th 1825. The family apparently moved at sometime to Nauvoo because her history says that at the age of 18 she was married to Edward Hunter, a nephew of Edward Hunter (the first bishop of the church) the ceremony being performed by Hyrum Smith, brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
After the birth of their eldest daughter, Sarah Ann, the first period of this couple's lives was similar to that described in the production "Promised Valley". They started for Utah with the second company of pioneers, but the husband was called to join the Mormon Battalion, and Mary Ann and her baby daughter continued their journey with the family of her husband's Uncle Edward. Mary Ann and a twelve-year-old boy drove a team the entire way across the plains. Her daughter was two years old when they arrived in Utah. She stayed with her uncle's family in Salt Lake City until her husband was released from the army.
Later, they moved to Grantsville, Utah, where they made their home for the remainder of their lives. They were the parents of nine children: Sarah Ann (Booth), Margaret W. (Rydalch), Elizabeth R. (Matthews), Emily Jennis (Anderson), Mary Ann (Martin), William Edward, Penninah Susan (Wrathall), Hyrum Lewis, and Ada Rosetta. During their life in Grantsville, Edward Hunter became the first bishop of the Grantsville ward. Mary Ann served as Tooele Stake Relief Society president from 1879 to 1901. She traveled by horse-drawn buggy, accompanied by one of her teen-aged grandsons, from Grantsville to Stockton, St. John and Clover, Lake Point and Erda, and the Tooele wards, to supervise this program, and give advice or other help where needed in carrying out this calling.
Mary Ann was known as an excellent cook and housekeeper. Some of her recipes are still used by present-day family members, and are known as Grandma Hunter's recipes. In her declining years she had the misfortune of losing most of her sight. She would hire young girls to help her with her housekeeping. She couldn't see if they were doing a job up to her standards. One of these girls told me that she would run her cane over the top of the beds to see the bedclothes were on straight, and she would drag her feet along the floors to be sure they had been swept properly.
She was also accomplished in the arts of sewing, embroidery, crocheting, etc. She made an oval shadowbox displaying flowers she had formed from hair from the heads of members of her family, which was kept in the home of her great-granddaughter, Irene W. Millward. Ruth Matthews refinished her dining room chairs and used them in her home.
Mary Ann Whitesides Hunter, a pioneer women of accomplishment, died in Grantsville, Utah November 20, 1914. She is buried in the Grantsville city cemetery.