Mary Nelson (Bruce) Peterson (1866 - 1925)

Born 15 Apr 1866 in Motherwell, Lanarkshire, Scotland, United Kingdom

Ancestors

Wife of Charles Henry Peterson — married 22 Sep 1886 in Logan, Cache, Utah, United States

Descendants

Died 11 Apr 1925 at age 58 in Afton, Lincoln, Wyoming, United States

Biography

Mary was born in 1866. Mary Bruce ... She passed away in 1925. ^[1]

Mary Nelson Bruce was born April 15, 1866 in Motherwell, Lanark, Scotland to James Barefield Bruce and Isabelle Wilson. She was the fourth child in a family of twelve children. She came with her family to America by boat when she was six years old. Her father was a miner by trade and they settled in Wyoming at Almy, a small but booming town four miles north of Evanston, to find this kind of work.She married Charles Henry Peterson September 22, 1886 in Logan, Utah after a courtship they both liked to tell about which involved him walking many miles to see and date her. To this union eleven children were born. Although life was hard in these early years, Mary had a special knack of making a home out of the materials at hand. Her sewing machine hummed many a day and far into the night the weeks before Christmas. She wouild whistle or sing as she treadled the old sewing machine.Mary lived 56 years and died April 11, 1925 in Afton, Lincoln County, Wyoming where she is also buried along side her husband Charles. For a copy of her obituary. {1}

• Children of Charles Henry Peterson and Mary Nelson Bruce:

Isabell May Peterson (Twin) (1887-1895) Eliza May Peterson (Twin) (1887-1976) Gertrude Peterson (1888-1968) Myrtle Ivy Peterson (1891-1977) Afton Rhea Peterson (1896-1977) (link) Afton Rhea Peterson Rula Jannette Peterson (1898-1993) Charles Newell Peterson (1900-1943) Mary Burnice Peterson (1902-1985) Fielding Bruce Peterson (1904-1958) Harold Franklin Peterson (1907-1996) Kimball Wilde Peterson (1910-1926)

Mary Nelson Bruce Peterson Life Sketch

(Written by Mary Burnice Peterson) Mary Nelson Bruce was born 15 Apr 1866 at Motherwell Lanark, Scotland. She was the fourth child of James Barefield Bruce and Isabelle Wilson. To this union twelve children were born. James Barefield was the son of James Bruce and Elizabeth Hamilton. Isabelle Wilson was the daughter of George Wilson and Janet Collins. There is very little we know of Mother's early life. At the age of six she came by boat to America, accompanied by mother, brothers and sisters. Her father had preceded them to America some time before to secure work, and find a suitable place to live. Grandpa Bruce was a miner by trade, and came to Wyoming to find mining work. Their first home was at Almy, Wyoming, a small but booming town four miles north of Evanston. Those first few years must have been a real test for everyone. New country, new people, and the customs of the people so different than the ones left behind in Scotland. However, the Scots are known for their thrift, and this family possessed a great deal of it. They set to work with vim and vigor and made not only a home for their children, but for every stranger that needed help. Indians, Chinese, Japanese, and Italians all found a friend in the James Bruce and Isabelle Wilson family. Mother's schooling was very limited, a few months at best. But she learned to read and write, and she wrote the words as they sounded to her. This was an ability rather than a disability, as she made her words sound loud and clear whenever we needed a reprimand, or praise. Everyone of us who was away from home and received letters from her can testify to this. She, along with father, saw that all of us had as much education as the schools here could give. And some of us went to classes of higher learning at Universities or Colleges. Mary Nelson Bruce and Charles Henry Peterson were married in the Logan Temple 22 Sep 1866, after a courtship that they both liked to tell about. Father walked many miles to and from the Bruce home to take Mother to dances, parties, picnics, and just to see her. Eleven children were born to this union, namely: Isabell F. May and Eliza May (twins), Gertrude, Myrtle Ivy, Afton Rhea, Rula Jannett, Charles Newell, Mary Burnice, Fielding Bruce, Harold Franklin, and Kimball Wilde. Although life was hard in those early years Mother had a special knack or gift of making a home out of the materials at hand. When they first came to Star Valley she brought many homey things with her. Dainty curtains, pretty dishes, woven rugs, pictures, and we always had plenty of good reading material. Our clothes were always neat and clean and of the best material that could be purchased. Her sewing machine hummed many a day, and far into the night in the weeks preceding Christmas. We all learned many hymns from listening to her. She and Myrtle often sang together, and Rula played the piano. Many, many nights we all sung for hours. Mother would line us up with different things to keep in rhythm as we would march around the table singing and keeping time with our spoons, forks, frying pan, milk pan, etc. Mother was very active in the church. She taught classes in Relief Society, Primary, and Sunday School, and was a faithful visiting teacher. She always had some change under her dresser scarf to give to her visiting teachers to help those in need. She also served on the Primary Stake Board, traveling throughout the valley to take help and encouragement to the different wards. She was a member of the ward choir and sang with others at many functions such as funerals, Fourth of July programs, sacrament meetings, and parties. She had a strong testimony of the Gospel's truth and wasn't afraid to bear her testimony to anyone. She was from the old country, and tea in the afternoon was traditionally a time of rest. But when word came from the General Authorities that the Word of Wisdom was to be observed by all, she gave it up and only in times of sickness was tea ever brewed in the home. We always had a large vegetable garden which produced much of our food. Besides vegetables we raised currants, raspberries, strawberries, and rhubarb. And of course weeds. We kids were elected to pull them. Dad kept many pigs, and he also cared for tithing pigs. We surely fattened them good by the many wheelbarrows of pig weeds we fed them. She was a firm believer in 4H for us younger children, and one or all of us had a project going every summer. She was always encouraging us to try and learn new things to better ourselves, trying in her thrifty way to prepare us for the future. She loved life, had a hearty laugh, and turned it on at some funny little happening real often. She helped to bring many a new life into the world. Or if anyone was sick she was called on to help. If it happened to be a contagious disease, when she came home she would change her clothes, then we children would get the works: sulphur was burned on the stove, canker medicine swallowed, and a small bag of assafetida hung on our necks, to stay there most of the winter. In her later years she laughed about that, but it was a serious matter at the time. Mother believed in herbs and their potential and used them. She pressed sage brush into service for many things, especially infection. And she firmly believed sage brush tea was a shampoo we all must use, of course with a lye soap chaser (I wonder if that brought on gray hair). And I must not forget how she loved flowers! Upon reading this one might think there wasn't any time for fun, but there was and it was varied. Many evenings were spent in spelling matches, arithmetic tests, home evenings, singing and dancing. There was usually a treat to top it off. There were picnics, outings, and camping sometimes for a week at a time. We would go up to Cottonwood Lake and hold Sunday School. Or the women would get together and quilt while the children played. Mother never wasted time. Every minute was accounted for. She had so many talents. Perhaps if she hadn't been so busy with us she might have developed more of them. Mother was interested in Genealogy work, and she and dad paid regularly into a Genealogy fund that went to Church Headquarters in Salt Lake City. They also went to the Logan Temple to do endowments. And when there was a chance for we children to do baptisms for the dead, a way was made for us to go. She made her own temple garments, and was very particular in washing and caring for them. A book could be written about the fifty six years Mother lived here on earth. At the time of her death Dad felt so bad and discouraged he couldn't bring himself to even say the blessing on the food. For days he was in this condition, thinking God was so unjust in taking Mother away. One night after going to bed Mother came to him, and told him she couldn't go on where she was unless he changed his attitude. That was enough to convince him that the Lord knew best.

No more info is currently available for Mary Bruce. Can you add to her biography?

Sources

• Spencer Stucki, firsthand knowledge and from sources in his possession. Click the Changes tab for the details of edits by Spencer and others.
  1. ↑ Entered by Spencer Stucki, Oct 28, 2012

{1} "Scotland Births and Baptisms, 1564-1950," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/FQHS-FZ4 : accessed 19 March 2016), Mary Neilson Bruce, 15 Apr 1866; citing DALZIEL,LANARK,SCOTLAND, reference ; FHL microfilm 6,035,516.

{2} "Scotland Census, 1871," database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VBG1-2V5 : accessed 21 March 2016), Mary N Bruce, Holytown, Lanarkshire, Scotland; from "1871 England, Scotland & Wales census," database, findmypast (http://www.findmypast.com : 2012); citing p. 17, PRO T 1, The National Archives UK, Kew, Surrey; FHL microfilm 104,011.

{3} "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MWM2-NHD : accessed 21 March 2016), Mary Bruce in household of James Bruce, Almy, Uinta, Wyoming, United States; citing enumeration district ED 1, sheet 331D, NARA microfilm publication T9 (Washington D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.), roll 1454; FHL microfilm 1,255,454.

{4} Yates Publishing. U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2004. ttp://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=WorldMarr_ga&h=168459&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&rhSource=7249 Source number: 23.000; Source type: Electronic Database; Number of Pages: 1; Submitter Code: JPL

{5} BRUCE, Mary N (b 1866) marriage information. Heritage Consulting. Millennium File [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2003. http://search.ancestry.com/cgi-bin/sse.dll?indiv=1&db=millind&h=10049923&tid=&pid=&usePUB=true&rhSource=60143

{6} "United States Census, 1900," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/M3VY-2RK : accessed 21 March 2016), Mary N Peterson in household of Charles Peterson, Election District 14-15 Star Valley, Uinta, Wyoming, United States; citing sheet 4B, family 68, NARA microfilm publication T623 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.); FHL microfilm 1,241,827.

{7} Obituary http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Peterson&GSiman=1&GScid=83977&GRid=80840765&

{8} Find a Grave Memorial #808440765 http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=Peterson&GSiman=1&GScid=83977&GRid=80840765&

References:

{9} "My Ancestral Story" by Spencer E Stucki Eugene B. Stucki, son of E. Woodruff Stucki (1894-1968) and Afton Rhea Peterson (1896-1977), was born in 1918 in Paris, Idaho. He married Leonora Spencer (1917-2000), daughter of George B. Spencer (1876-1952) and Adelina Horsely (1878-1943). Ancestors, descendants and relatives lived mainly in England, Scotland, Wales, Switzerland, Massachusetts, Utah and Idaho. Includes bibliographical references and index. Includes Bruce, Budge, Butler, Hales, Horne, Horsley, Peterson, Rich, Spencer, Wilde, Wilson and related families. https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_cD0RgM2INRQW1FcmNscXJweE0/view?ts=576752f5