Mary Lee Bland : | 19

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Hello, and welcome! You’re listening to Song Stories, Quiet Stories episode 19, Mary Lee Bland. I’m your host, Carolyn Murset.

 

Brigham Young and the first group of Mormon pioneers arrived into the Salt Lake Valley of the American West, on July 24, 1847, where the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints settled after being forced from Nauvoo, Illinois, and other locations in the eastern United States.

 

Before I continue with Mary Lee’s story, I will first explain: Following the Mexican War which ended in 1848, Utah became an official territory of the United States in 1850, and in 1896 became the 45th state to join the union.

 

Pioneer Day is an official holiday in Utah commemorating the arrival Brigham Young and that first group of Mormon Pioneers. Celebrations include parades, rodeos, fireworks, dressing in pioneer clothing, and re-enacting a trek.  If you’re a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and live outside of Utah, your local congregation probably observes the holiday, too.

 

My dad was raised in northern Utah, and his ancestors crossed the plains shortly after Brigham Young did with that first group of saints.

There is a monument at the mouth of Emigration Canyon named in honor of Brigham Young’s famous statement, “This is the Place”, honoring the Mormon Pioneers as well as the explorers and settlers of the American West. 

One of these explorers, Don Bernardo Miera y Pacheco is my fifth great grandfather from my mom’s Hispanic family, and was the map maker for the Dominguez Escalante Expedition in 1776. This multi talented renaissance man drew the first map of Utah. My next podcast episode will be about him. 

Now, today you’ll learn about Mary Lee Bland my well loved Great, great, great grandma. She told her remarkable story  to an unnamed grand daughter who later transcribed and typed it, thus making it easier to read, copy and share. I first enjoyed reading it when I perused the stacks of family records and histories that I inherited a few decades ago. Listen to this story!

 

1817- I, Mary Lee Bland was born to Sarah Caldwell Lee and John Bland Jr.  in Kentucky

 Years after my 3rd great grandma Mary Lee told her story, a well written 40 page history was found which revealed many more details than what I have in my three page account. These are a few of the new details:

Mary Lee had blue eyes and blond hair. 

Mammy Chloe was wet nurse for Mary Lee at the same time as her own son, Sammy. 

William Fletcher Ewell practiced medicine among those who had no money. 

Mary’s life sized portrait was in a gold frame and was saved from destruction by her brother; Zachary. 

 

Have you started writing details about your life? Are you making progress. What questions do you wish you’d asked a family member or friend before they passed on.

Family historians have encountered road blocks in verifying Mary Lee’s famous relative claims. It’s no doubt she was patriotic, though. How do you show others your patriotism.

 

Come back next time and I’ll tell you about a family member from my Hispanic mom’s family who ventured across the American Southwest from Santa Fe and back in 1776, while the 13 original colonies on our eastern coast were declaring their independence from Britain. 

 

Until then subscribe to this podcast on your smartphone podcast app; or at iTunes or google play. Please Leave a five star review and a comment. Here at my website; mycarolynmurset.com have a look at my events page and my digital store. Thanks for listening. Thanks for writing. (The writing prompts are in bold lettering.)

 

I’m your host, Carolyn Murset. 

Update: Mary Lee Bland is not a descendant of Richard Henry Lee, signer of the Declaration of Independence. They were third cousins, thrice removed. She was more closely related to Thomas Jefferson, as a second cousin, twice removed.