Daughter of John Pledger Thomas, Jr. and Mahala Jane Mathis
Married George Washington Sevy, 19 Dec 1877, St. George, Washington, Utah
Children - Moses Thatcher Sevy, Launa Bernetta Sevy, Una Bernetta Sevy, William Exile Sevy, Nelle Jane Sevy, Lemuel Hardison Sevy, George Thomas Sevy, Hannah Mahala Sevy, Martha Ann Sevy, Lola Myrl Sevy
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 261
In answer to our request we have received from George Thomas Sevy, the only living son of Martha Thomas and George Washington Sevy, a sketch of Martha's life.
My mother, Martha Thomas Sevy, was born January 11, 1857, at Salt Lake City, Utah to John Pledger Thomas and Mahala Mathis. Mother was the third child of four born to my grandparents. They were John, Jane, Martha Ann and Penelope. Whatever middle names there might have been I do not know, as I don't remember seeing any of them except Aunt Jane with whom I had a short visit in the winter of 1925 while passing through St. George, Utah. For some reason unknown to me John separated from my grandmother when she moved to Dixie, Southern Utah. Instead of settling in St. George she moved to Pine Valley where she resided until 1896, when she moved to Colonia Juarez, where she lived with mother most of the time until she died. I do not have the date of death, but it was sometime between 1906 and 1912. John P. Thomas returned to Missouri and we have no record of anything more of his life.
Grandmother Thomas became the official midwife at Pine Valley. She married Andrew Gibbons and they had two boys, Andrew and David, and then separated, and my grandmother became a widow again. As to my mother, she started to school after she reached the age of six. In the springtime of her first year of school she and a little school friend got permission to spend the week-end exploring along the Pine Valley Creek. They took their lunch and made a day of it, going up creek toward the eastern side of the valley. It was a beautiful day and the creek was lined with trees and shrubbery of many varieties. Wild flowers grew in profusion everywhere. The chirping and singing of birds lent enchantment all the way. The little girls enjoyed themselves in picking up the pretty rocks, examining bird nests, bending young saplings over improvising them for teeter-totters, and everything else little girls could think of. Returning home early in the evening mother found herself feeling quite tired out. She lay down and went to sleep. When grandma Thomas went to waken her, she found that she had some fever. Grandma gave her some sort of medicine and put her back to bed as she didn't feel like eating. Next morning she woke up with a raging fever and soon she was unconscious and for several days she was in a semi-coma. Grandma diagnosed it as scarlet fever. Her life hung in the balance for several days. Then gradually improvement was shown, but after a few days it became apparent that she had a serious hearing defect, and later it was discovered that she had become stone deaf. Never did she hear again. Also she had lost the sense of smell. I heard her say many times in later years, that the last sound she could remember was the singing of the birds. What a blessing it was to her that she had spent the day along the banks of Pine Valley Creek. She continued attending school even though handicapped with total deafness. She faced her dilemma with courage and vigor, so that she did learn to write a legible hand and could talk coherently. Her vocabulary was somewhat limited. Still being of a friendly nature she gathered around her many friends. She was a very proficient pioneer housewife and a wonderful home organizer. At about 18 years of age she got a job at Iron City, cooking and waiting on tables. At that time Brigham Young was trying to establish an iron foundry in Iron County. It was here that my father, George Sevy, met my mother, who at the time was a very beautiful "teen-ager". He used to have a photograph of her when she was sixteen. Even though my father was 44 years older than she, he courted and married her as his third wife on December 19, 1877, in the St. George Temple.
At this period of Utah history a full blast of persecution was being carried on by the U. S. Government against the polygamists. Mother was harassed nearly the whole time, living on what was termed the "underground" viz "hideout". After her third child was born, the first was a girl, Mahala, born September 9, 1870, I, George Thomas born August 7, 1881, and Lenel, born July 18, 1884. During the very last days of 1884 father started to Mexico with mother and her three children. We crossed the Mexican border some time in February 1885, living a camping life along different places scattered along the Casas Grandes River in a wagon box until December 7, 1885. Father was then set apart as Presiding Elder and led a caravan into the San Diego Valley, settling on a beautiful flat along the Piedras River, which was a tributary to the Casas Grandes River. Here the people built stockade houses for temporary living. These houses were one-room affairs with dirt roofs and dirt floors. The people soon had water out on the fertile soil by building a rock brush dam and about two miles of canal. By early summer the desert was "blossoming as the rose." It was soon revealed that the people had settled about two miles south of the colony purchase. It was here that my brother William was born. Father was now made bishop and the entire community moved up river about two miles and here, in a narrow valley, built a beautiful little city named Colonia Juarez, which became the cultural center of the Juarez Stake of Zion. Here a fine brick school building was erected which housed the Juarez Stake Academy. At Colonia Juarez, mother had born five more children: Nelle Jane born April 9, 1888, Moses Thatcher born January 21, 1890, Martha Ann born November 9, 1891, Lola B, born November 16, 1893, Una Bernetta born October 4, 1896. Father had moved his second wife into Juarez, arriving at this destination January 1, 1888. She had one child, a boy nine years old. Aunt Maggie (we polygamist children were taught to address a sister wife as aunt) had three children after arriving in Mexico. Aunt Maggie died of cancer October 19, 1897. Minerva, the oldest, was eight years old when Aunt Maggie died.
Father brought the four children to mother saying, "These from now on will be your children and you will be their mother." This made twelve children for mother to take care of, but she was a wonderful organizer and the family moved on even after father's death, which occurred June 22, 1902. Mother never lost a single child, every one she raised to adulthood. Since her own passing April 28, 1920, all have passed away but four of us, myself, age 91, my sister Nelle age 84, Martha age 81 and Lola age 79. Our mother was dedicated to her family and taught us to keep God's commandments. The day was never too long for her to shirk her motherly nor wifely duties. Even though deaf, she filled the place of faithful wife and kind, long-suffering mother. I know she gained a great and priceless reward. May we all prove worthy of such a mother.
The following items are taken from history files of DUP -
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 263
Martha Ann Thomas Sevy was a popular young woman for she was a very beautiful girl and a wonderful dancer. She kept perfect time with the music whether it was fast or slow. She was able to feel the rhythm, either from the air or from the dance floor, although she could not hear the lilting melodies. Her husband, George, was a strong man, large in stature, handsome, and somewhat older than Martha. He was a fine man who believed the gospel implicitly and was faithful to his God and to the counsel that the servants of the Lord gave, so when he was counseled to go to Mexico to escape persecution for his polygamous marriages he took two of his wives and moved there to help colonize. Martha, with her three children, went first in 1885, and his second wife, Aunt Maggie, followed later. Phoebe, his first wife, never did go.
Martha and George were among the first group to enter what later became Colonia Juarez. It was at great sacrifice that these people moved to Mexico and they suffered many hardships for a few years. They lived in a dug-out until they could build homes. Finally they had built houses, planted orchards, gardens and flowers, and were feeling happy. Then word came that the colony had settled on the wrong land. They must move and when they learned their true plot was in a canyon which was rocky and full of brush, they were discouraged. Sorrowfully, but with determination, they made the move and set to work building irrigation ditches and rebuilding, replanting and resettling. When they began to see the results of their hard labor and toil they realized it probably was for the best in the end.
George was made Bishop of the Church in Colonia Juarez, and he served the Lord and his people long and well. He built a home in the center of town for Martha, who lived with her growing family. It was a small place, but later he was able to build a large home where he could entertain people who came into town for conferences. Martha was a wonderful cook and often, from what seemed like nothing, she would come up with a good satisfying meal for her family and friends. Many times at these conferences for the Church, anywhere from 30 to 40 people would eat and sleep at her home. Beds and pallets were put anyplace there was room for even a child to lie down. Sometimes the bedding situation was rather stretched and oft times Martha would put straw on the floor under a rug and cover the child, or children, who lay on it with one of her dresses. The dress styles being long and full at that time, this was easily accomplished. A very busy woman, Martha never once felt that too much was asked of her. She enjoyed very much helping the settlers in every way she could. Her babies too never suffered from neglect at any time, for despite her deafness, she could always seem to sense it when they started to fuss and their wants were immediately attended to.
One time not too long after they had come to Mexico, flour was a very scarce item and they used mostly cornmeal. George made a trip into El Paso and brought back a sack of flour. Martha quickly put about a gallon of it away in her trunk as she was hoping to have something special for Thanksgiving. Later a lady who was ill and needed some flour traded Martha a pan of flour for a pan of dried apples which Martha also put away with the flour, so on Thanksgiving day when the family came in and Martha had the table all set with a white cloth and dinner on, they had a feast with white bread and apple pie for their special Thanksgiving dinner. George was astonished and asked her where she had gotten them. When Martha told him he caught her to him and danced her around the table with everyone laughing and joining in the fun.
Martha moved out to the farm after Maggie's death, to take over the running of it along with the mothering of Maggie's four children, the oldest one of which was married within a short time. To Martha they were as her own children, for they belonged to her husband and she loved them with the same love she showered on her own brood, and there never was any differentiation in her treatment of the children.
When George passed away in 1902, Martha was left with the family, but the Lord blessed her with much patience, love and endurance. She did many things to keep the family together and raise them in the love of the gospel until one by one they married and left her for homes of their own.
When the Mexican rebels began persecuting the Saints in the colonies, they were counseled to leave. Martha stayed away for only a short time, then came back to her home. Martha loved her adopted homeland and she and George had taught their children to love and respect it for it was the place they turned to for peace and harmony when they were being hounded for their beliefs. Martha was active and attended her Church duties to the end. She had two very dear friends with whom she often visited. On one trip to El Paso to visit with friends, she took with her some dried fruit for a special friend. At the International Line the officers took the box and said she could not take it across. Martha took it back and held it firmly in her arms and told them it was for an old lady friend and she was going to take it to her. They smiled and let her pass with it.
During her later years Martha had diabetes. She died on April 28, 1920, at her son Matt's home in Colonia Juarez, just four days after the birth of Matt's first son. She was buried beside her husband in Colonia Juarez.
Married George Washington Sevy, 19 Dec 1877, St. George, Washington, Utah
Children - Moses Thatcher Sevy, Launa Bernetta Sevy, Una Bernetta Sevy, William Exile Sevy, Nelle Jane Sevy, Lemuel Hardison Sevy, George Thomas Sevy, Hannah Mahala Sevy, Martha Ann Sevy, Lola Myrl Sevy
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 261
In answer to our request we have received from George Thomas Sevy, the only living son of Martha Thomas and George Washington Sevy, a sketch of Martha's life.
My mother, Martha Thomas Sevy, was born January 11, 1857, at Salt Lake City, Utah to John Pledger Thomas and Mahala Mathis. Mother was the third child of four born to my grandparents. They were John, Jane, Martha Ann and Penelope. Whatever middle names there might have been I do not know, as I don't remember seeing any of them except Aunt Jane with whom I had a short visit in the winter of 1925 while passing through St. George, Utah. For some reason unknown to me John separated from my grandmother when she moved to Dixie, Southern Utah. Instead of settling in St. George she moved to Pine Valley where she resided until 1896, when she moved to Colonia Juarez, where she lived with mother most of the time until she died. I do not have the date of death, but it was sometime between 1906 and 1912. John P. Thomas returned to Missouri and we have no record of anything more of his life.
Grandmother Thomas became the official midwife at Pine Valley. She married Andrew Gibbons and they had two boys, Andrew and David, and then separated, and my grandmother became a widow again. As to my mother, she started to school after she reached the age of six. In the springtime of her first year of school she and a little school friend got permission to spend the week-end exploring along the Pine Valley Creek. They took their lunch and made a day of it, going up creek toward the eastern side of the valley. It was a beautiful day and the creek was lined with trees and shrubbery of many varieties. Wild flowers grew in profusion everywhere. The chirping and singing of birds lent enchantment all the way. The little girls enjoyed themselves in picking up the pretty rocks, examining bird nests, bending young saplings over improvising them for teeter-totters, and everything else little girls could think of. Returning home early in the evening mother found herself feeling quite tired out. She lay down and went to sleep. When grandma Thomas went to waken her, she found that she had some fever. Grandma gave her some sort of medicine and put her back to bed as she didn't feel like eating. Next morning she woke up with a raging fever and soon she was unconscious and for several days she was in a semi-coma. Grandma diagnosed it as scarlet fever. Her life hung in the balance for several days. Then gradually improvement was shown, but after a few days it became apparent that she had a serious hearing defect, and later it was discovered that she had become stone deaf. Never did she hear again. Also she had lost the sense of smell. I heard her say many times in later years, that the last sound she could remember was the singing of the birds. What a blessing it was to her that she had spent the day along the banks of Pine Valley Creek. She continued attending school even though handicapped with total deafness. She faced her dilemma with courage and vigor, so that she did learn to write a legible hand and could talk coherently. Her vocabulary was somewhat limited. Still being of a friendly nature she gathered around her many friends. She was a very proficient pioneer housewife and a wonderful home organizer. At about 18 years of age she got a job at Iron City, cooking and waiting on tables. At that time Brigham Young was trying to establish an iron foundry in Iron County. It was here that my father, George Sevy, met my mother, who at the time was a very beautiful "teen-ager". He used to have a photograph of her when she was sixteen. Even though my father was 44 years older than she, he courted and married her as his third wife on December 19, 1877, in the St. George Temple.
At this period of Utah history a full blast of persecution was being carried on by the U. S. Government against the polygamists. Mother was harassed nearly the whole time, living on what was termed the "underground" viz "hideout". After her third child was born, the first was a girl, Mahala, born September 9, 1870, I, George Thomas born August 7, 1881, and Lenel, born July 18, 1884. During the very last days of 1884 father started to Mexico with mother and her three children. We crossed the Mexican border some time in February 1885, living a camping life along different places scattered along the Casas Grandes River in a wagon box until December 7, 1885. Father was then set apart as Presiding Elder and led a caravan into the San Diego Valley, settling on a beautiful flat along the Piedras River, which was a tributary to the Casas Grandes River. Here the people built stockade houses for temporary living. These houses were one-room affairs with dirt roofs and dirt floors. The people soon had water out on the fertile soil by building a rock brush dam and about two miles of canal. By early summer the desert was "blossoming as the rose." It was soon revealed that the people had settled about two miles south of the colony purchase. It was here that my brother William was born. Father was now made bishop and the entire community moved up river about two miles and here, in a narrow valley, built a beautiful little city named Colonia Juarez, which became the cultural center of the Juarez Stake of Zion. Here a fine brick school building was erected which housed the Juarez Stake Academy. At Colonia Juarez, mother had born five more children: Nelle Jane born April 9, 1888, Moses Thatcher born January 21, 1890, Martha Ann born November 9, 1891, Lola B, born November 16, 1893, Una Bernetta born October 4, 1896. Father had moved his second wife into Juarez, arriving at this destination January 1, 1888. She had one child, a boy nine years old. Aunt Maggie (we polygamist children were taught to address a sister wife as aunt) had three children after arriving in Mexico. Aunt Maggie died of cancer October 19, 1897. Minerva, the oldest, was eight years old when Aunt Maggie died.
Father brought the four children to mother saying, "These from now on will be your children and you will be their mother." This made twelve children for mother to take care of, but she was a wonderful organizer and the family moved on even after father's death, which occurred June 22, 1902. Mother never lost a single child, every one she raised to adulthood. Since her own passing April 28, 1920, all have passed away but four of us, myself, age 91, my sister Nelle age 84, Martha age 81 and Lola age 79. Our mother was dedicated to her family and taught us to keep God's commandments. The day was never too long for her to shirk her motherly nor wifely duties. Even though deaf, she filled the place of faithful wife and kind, long-suffering mother. I know she gained a great and priceless reward. May we all prove worthy of such a mother.
The following items are taken from history files of DUP -
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 263
Martha Ann Thomas Sevy was a popular young woman for she was a very beautiful girl and a wonderful dancer. She kept perfect time with the music whether it was fast or slow. She was able to feel the rhythm, either from the air or from the dance floor, although she could not hear the lilting melodies. Her husband, George, was a strong man, large in stature, handsome, and somewhat older than Martha. He was a fine man who believed the gospel implicitly and was faithful to his God and to the counsel that the servants of the Lord gave, so when he was counseled to go to Mexico to escape persecution for his polygamous marriages he took two of his wives and moved there to help colonize. Martha, with her three children, went first in 1885, and his second wife, Aunt Maggie, followed later. Phoebe, his first wife, never did go.
Martha and George were among the first group to enter what later became Colonia Juarez. It was at great sacrifice that these people moved to Mexico and they suffered many hardships for a few years. They lived in a dug-out until they could build homes. Finally they had built houses, planted orchards, gardens and flowers, and were feeling happy. Then word came that the colony had settled on the wrong land. They must move and when they learned their true plot was in a canyon which was rocky and full of brush, they were discouraged. Sorrowfully, but with determination, they made the move and set to work building irrigation ditches and rebuilding, replanting and resettling. When they began to see the results of their hard labor and toil they realized it probably was for the best in the end.
George was made Bishop of the Church in Colonia Juarez, and he served the Lord and his people long and well. He built a home in the center of town for Martha, who lived with her growing family. It was a small place, but later he was able to build a large home where he could entertain people who came into town for conferences. Martha was a wonderful cook and often, from what seemed like nothing, she would come up with a good satisfying meal for her family and friends. Many times at these conferences for the Church, anywhere from 30 to 40 people would eat and sleep at her home. Beds and pallets were put anyplace there was room for even a child to lie down. Sometimes the bedding situation was rather stretched and oft times Martha would put straw on the floor under a rug and cover the child, or children, who lay on it with one of her dresses. The dress styles being long and full at that time, this was easily accomplished. A very busy woman, Martha never once felt that too much was asked of her. She enjoyed very much helping the settlers in every way she could. Her babies too never suffered from neglect at any time, for despite her deafness, she could always seem to sense it when they started to fuss and their wants were immediately attended to.
One time not too long after they had come to Mexico, flour was a very scarce item and they used mostly cornmeal. George made a trip into El Paso and brought back a sack of flour. Martha quickly put about a gallon of it away in her trunk as she was hoping to have something special for Thanksgiving. Later a lady who was ill and needed some flour traded Martha a pan of flour for a pan of dried apples which Martha also put away with the flour, so on Thanksgiving day when the family came in and Martha had the table all set with a white cloth and dinner on, they had a feast with white bread and apple pie for their special Thanksgiving dinner. George was astonished and asked her where she had gotten them. When Martha told him he caught her to him and danced her around the table with everyone laughing and joining in the fun.
Martha moved out to the farm after Maggie's death, to take over the running of it along with the mothering of Maggie's four children, the oldest one of which was married within a short time. To Martha they were as her own children, for they belonged to her husband and she loved them with the same love she showered on her own brood, and there never was any differentiation in her treatment of the children.
When George passed away in 1902, Martha was left with the family, but the Lord blessed her with much patience, love and endurance. She did many things to keep the family together and raise them in the love of the gospel until one by one they married and left her for homes of their own.
When the Mexican rebels began persecuting the Saints in the colonies, they were counseled to leave. Martha stayed away for only a short time, then came back to her home. Martha loved her adopted homeland and she and George had taught their children to love and respect it for it was the place they turned to for peace and harmony when they were being hounded for their beliefs. Martha was active and attended her Church duties to the end. She had two very dear friends with whom she often visited. On one trip to El Paso to visit with friends, she took with her some dried fruit for a special friend. At the International Line the officers took the box and said she could not take it across. Martha took it back and held it firmly in her arms and told them it was for an old lady friend and she was going to take it to her. They smiled and let her pass with it.
During her later years Martha had diabetes. She died on April 28, 1920, at her son Matt's home in Colonia Juarez, just four days after the birth of Matt's first son. She was buried beside her husband in Colonia Juarez.
Daughter of John Pledger Thomas, Jr. and Mahala Jane Mathis
Married George Washington Sevy, 19 Dec 1877, St. George, Washington, Utah
Children - Moses Thatcher Sevy, Launa Bernetta Sevy, Una Bernetta Sevy, William Exile Sevy, Nelle Jane Sevy, Lemuel Hardison Sevy, George Thomas Sevy, Hannah Mahala Sevy, Martha Ann Sevy, Lola Myrl Sevy
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 261
In answer to our request we have received from George Thomas Sevy, the only living son of Martha Thomas and George Washington Sevy, a sketch of Martha's life.
My mother, Martha Thomas Sevy, was born January 11, 1857, at Salt Lake City, Utah to John Pledger Thomas and Mahala Mathis. Mother was the third child of four born to my grandparents. They were John, Jane, Martha Ann and Penelope. Whatever middle names there might have been I do not know, as I don't remember seeing any of them except Aunt Jane with whom I had a short visit in the winter of 1925 while passing through St. George, Utah. For some reason unknown to me John separated from my grandmother when she moved to Dixie, Southern Utah. Instead of settling in St. George she moved to Pine Valley where she resided until 1896, when she moved to Colonia Juarez, where she lived with mother most of the time until she died. I do not have the date of death, but it was sometime between 1906 and 1912. John P. Thomas returned to Missouri and we have no record of anything more of his life.
Grandmother Thomas became the official midwife at Pine Valley. She married Andrew Gibbons and they had two boys, Andrew and David, and then separated, and my grandmother became a widow again. As to my mother, she started to school after she reached the age of six. In the springtime of her first year of school she and a little school friend got permission to spend the week-end exploring along the Pine Valley Creek. They took their lunch and made a day of it, going up creek toward the eastern side of the valley. It was a beautiful day and the creek was lined with trees and shrubbery of many varieties. Wild flowers grew in profusion everywhere. The chirping and singing of birds lent enchantment all the way. The little girls enjoyed themselves in picking up the pretty rocks, examining bird nests, bending young saplings over improvising them for teeter-totters, and everything else little girls could think of. Returning home early in the evening mother found herself feeling quite tired out. She lay down and went to sleep. When grandma Thomas went to waken her, she found that she had some fever. Grandma gave her some sort of medicine and put her back to bed as she didn't feel like eating. Next morning she woke up with a raging fever and soon she was unconscious and for several days she was in a semi-coma. Grandma diagnosed it as scarlet fever. Her life hung in the balance for several days. Then gradually improvement was shown, but after a few days it became apparent that she had a serious hearing defect, and later it was discovered that she had become stone deaf. Never did she hear again. Also she had lost the sense of smell. I heard her say many times in later years, that the last sound she could remember was the singing of the birds. What a blessing it was to her that she had spent the day along the banks of Pine Valley Creek. She continued attending school even though handicapped with total deafness. She faced her dilemma with courage and vigor, so that she did learn to write a legible hand and could talk coherently. Her vocabulary was somewhat limited. Still being of a friendly nature she gathered around her many friends. She was a very proficient pioneer housewife and a wonderful home organizer. At about 18 years of age she got a job at Iron City, cooking and waiting on tables. At that time Brigham Young was trying to establish an iron foundry in Iron County. It was here that my father, George Sevy, met my mother, who at the time was a very beautiful "teen-ager". He used to have a photograph of her when she was sixteen. Even though my father was 44 years older than she, he courted and married her as his third wife on December 19, 1877, in the St. George Temple.
At this period of Utah history a full blast of persecution was being carried on by the U. S. Government against the polygamists. Mother was harassed nearly the whole time, living on what was termed the "underground" viz "hideout". After her third child was born, the first was a girl, Mahala, born September 9, 1870, I, George Thomas born August 7, 1881, and Lenel, born July 18, 1884. During the very last days of 1884 father started to Mexico with mother and her three children. We crossed the Mexican border some time in February 1885, living a camping life along different places scattered along the Casas Grandes River in a wagon box until December 7, 1885. Father was then set apart as Presiding Elder and led a caravan into the San Diego Valley, settling on a beautiful flat along the Piedras River, which was a tributary to the Casas Grandes River. Here the people built stockade houses for temporary living. These houses were one-room affairs with dirt roofs and dirt floors. The people soon had water out on the fertile soil by building a rock brush dam and about two miles of canal. By early summer the desert was "blossoming as the rose." It was soon revealed that the people had settled about two miles south of the colony purchase. It was here that my brother William was born. Father was now made bishop and the entire community moved up river about two miles and here, in a narrow valley, built a beautiful little city named Colonia Juarez, which became the cultural center of the Juarez Stake of Zion. Here a fine brick school building was erected which housed the Juarez Stake Academy. At Colonia Juarez, mother had born five more children: Nelle Jane born April 9, 1888, Moses Thatcher born January 21, 1890, Martha Ann born November 9, 1891, Lola B, born November 16, 1893, Una Bernetta born October 4, 1896. Father had moved his second wife into Juarez, arriving at this destination January 1, 1888. She had one child, a boy nine years old. Aunt Maggie (we polygamist children were taught to address a sister wife as aunt) had three children after arriving in Mexico. Aunt Maggie died of cancer October 19, 1897. Minerva, the oldest, was eight years old when Aunt Maggie died.
Father brought the four children to mother saying, "These from now on will be your children and you will be their mother." This made twelve children for mother to take care of, but she was a wonderful organizer and the family moved on even after father's death, which occurred June 22, 1902. Mother never lost a single child, every one she raised to adulthood. Since her own passing April 28, 1920, all have passed away but four of us, myself, age 91, my sister Nelle age 84, Martha age 81 and Lola age 79. Our mother was dedicated to her family and taught us to keep God's commandments. The day was never too long for her to shirk her motherly nor wifely duties. Even though deaf, she filled the place of faithful wife and kind, long-suffering mother. I know she gained a great and priceless reward. May we all prove worthy of such a mother.
The following items are taken from history files of DUP -
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 263
Martha Ann Thomas Sevy was a popular young woman for she was a very beautiful girl and a wonderful dancer. She kept perfect time with the music whether it was fast or slow. She was able to feel the rhythm, either from the air or from the dance floor, although she could not hear the lilting melodies. Her husband, George, was a strong man, large in stature, handsome, and somewhat older than Martha. He was a fine man who believed the gospel implicitly and was faithful to his God and to the counsel that the servants of the Lord gave, so when he was counseled to go to Mexico to escape persecution for his polygamous marriages he took two of his wives and moved there to help colonize. Martha, with her three children, went first in 1885, and his second wife, Aunt Maggie, followed later. Phoebe, his first wife, never did go.
Martha and George were among the first group to enter what later became Colonia Juarez. It was at great sacrifice that these people moved to Mexico and they suffered many hardships for a few years. They lived in a dug-out until they could build homes. Finally they had built houses, planted orchards, gardens and flowers, and were feeling happy. Then word came that the colony had settled on the wrong land. They must move and when they learned their true plot was in a canyon which was rocky and full of brush, they were discouraged. Sorrowfully, but with determination, they made the move and set to work building irrigation ditches and rebuilding, replanting and resettling. When they began to see the results of their hard labor and toil they realized it probably was for the best in the end.
George was made Bishop of the Church in Colonia Juarez, and he served the Lord and his people long and well. He built a home in the center of town for Martha, who lived with her growing family. It was a small place, but later he was able to build a large home where he could entertain people who came into town for conferences. Martha was a wonderful cook and often, from what seemed like nothing, she would come up with a good satisfying meal for her family and friends. Many times at these conferences for the Church, anywhere from 30 to 40 people would eat and sleep at her home. Beds and pallets were put anyplace there was room for even a child to lie down. Sometimes the bedding situation was rather stretched and oft times Martha would put straw on the floor under a rug and cover the child, or children, who lay on it with one of her dresses. The dress styles being long and full at that time, this was easily accomplished. A very busy woman, Martha never once felt that too much was asked of her. She enjoyed very much helping the settlers in every way she could. Her babies too never suffered from neglect at any time, for despite her deafness, she could always seem to sense it when they started to fuss and their wants were immediately attended to.
One time not too long after they had come to Mexico, flour was a very scarce item and they used mostly cornmeal. George made a trip into El Paso and brought back a sack of flour. Martha quickly put about a gallon of it away in her trunk as she was hoping to have something special for Thanksgiving. Later a lady who was ill and needed some flour traded Martha a pan of flour for a pan of dried apples which Martha also put away with the flour, so on Thanksgiving day when the family came in and Martha had the table all set with a white cloth and dinner on, they had a feast with white bread and apple pie for their special Thanksgiving dinner. George was astonished and asked her where she had gotten them. When Martha told him he caught her to him and danced her around the table with everyone laughing and joining in the fun.
Martha moved out to the farm after Maggie's death, to take over the running of it along with the mothering of Maggie's four children, the oldest one of which was married within a short time. To Martha they were as her own children, for they belonged to her husband and she loved them with the same love she showered on her own brood, and there never was any differentiation in her treatment of the children.
When George passed away in 1902, Martha was left with the family, but the Lord blessed her with much patience, love and endurance. She did many things to keep the family together and raise them in the love of the gospel until one by one they married and left her for homes of their own.
When the Mexican rebels began persecuting the Saints in the colonies, they were counseled to leave. Martha stayed away for only a short time, then came back to her home. Martha loved her adopted homeland and she and George had taught their children to love and respect it for it was the place they turned to for peace and harmony when they were being hounded for their beliefs. Martha was active and attended her Church duties to the end. She had two very dear friends with whom she often visited. On one trip to El Paso to visit with friends, she took with her some dried fruit for a special friend. At the International Line the officers took the box and said she could not take it across. Martha took it back and held it firmly in her arms and told them it was for an old lady friend and she was going to take it to her. They smiled and let her pass with it.
During her later years Martha had diabetes. She died on April 28, 1920, at her son Matt's home in Colonia Juarez, just four days after the birth of Matt's first son. She was buried beside her husband in Colonia Juarez.
Married George Washington Sevy, 19 Dec 1877, St. George, Washington, Utah
Children - Moses Thatcher Sevy, Launa Bernetta Sevy, Una Bernetta Sevy, William Exile Sevy, Nelle Jane Sevy, Lemuel Hardison Sevy, George Thomas Sevy, Hannah Mahala Sevy, Martha Ann Sevy, Lola Myrl Sevy
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 261
In answer to our request we have received from George Thomas Sevy, the only living son of Martha Thomas and George Washington Sevy, a sketch of Martha's life.
My mother, Martha Thomas Sevy, was born January 11, 1857, at Salt Lake City, Utah to John Pledger Thomas and Mahala Mathis. Mother was the third child of four born to my grandparents. They were John, Jane, Martha Ann and Penelope. Whatever middle names there might have been I do not know, as I don't remember seeing any of them except Aunt Jane with whom I had a short visit in the winter of 1925 while passing through St. George, Utah. For some reason unknown to me John separated from my grandmother when she moved to Dixie, Southern Utah. Instead of settling in St. George she moved to Pine Valley where she resided until 1896, when she moved to Colonia Juarez, where she lived with mother most of the time until she died. I do not have the date of death, but it was sometime between 1906 and 1912. John P. Thomas returned to Missouri and we have no record of anything more of his life.
Grandmother Thomas became the official midwife at Pine Valley. She married Andrew Gibbons and they had two boys, Andrew and David, and then separated, and my grandmother became a widow again. As to my mother, she started to school after she reached the age of six. In the springtime of her first year of school she and a little school friend got permission to spend the week-end exploring along the Pine Valley Creek. They took their lunch and made a day of it, going up creek toward the eastern side of the valley. It was a beautiful day and the creek was lined with trees and shrubbery of many varieties. Wild flowers grew in profusion everywhere. The chirping and singing of birds lent enchantment all the way. The little girls enjoyed themselves in picking up the pretty rocks, examining bird nests, bending young saplings over improvising them for teeter-totters, and everything else little girls could think of. Returning home early in the evening mother found herself feeling quite tired out. She lay down and went to sleep. When grandma Thomas went to waken her, she found that she had some fever. Grandma gave her some sort of medicine and put her back to bed as she didn't feel like eating. Next morning she woke up with a raging fever and soon she was unconscious and for several days she was in a semi-coma. Grandma diagnosed it as scarlet fever. Her life hung in the balance for several days. Then gradually improvement was shown, but after a few days it became apparent that she had a serious hearing defect, and later it was discovered that she had become stone deaf. Never did she hear again. Also she had lost the sense of smell. I heard her say many times in later years, that the last sound she could remember was the singing of the birds. What a blessing it was to her that she had spent the day along the banks of Pine Valley Creek. She continued attending school even though handicapped with total deafness. She faced her dilemma with courage and vigor, so that she did learn to write a legible hand and could talk coherently. Her vocabulary was somewhat limited. Still being of a friendly nature she gathered around her many friends. She was a very proficient pioneer housewife and a wonderful home organizer. At about 18 years of age she got a job at Iron City, cooking and waiting on tables. At that time Brigham Young was trying to establish an iron foundry in Iron County. It was here that my father, George Sevy, met my mother, who at the time was a very beautiful "teen-ager". He used to have a photograph of her when she was sixteen. Even though my father was 44 years older than she, he courted and married her as his third wife on December 19, 1877, in the St. George Temple.
At this period of Utah history a full blast of persecution was being carried on by the U. S. Government against the polygamists. Mother was harassed nearly the whole time, living on what was termed the "underground" viz "hideout". After her third child was born, the first was a girl, Mahala, born September 9, 1870, I, George Thomas born August 7, 1881, and Lenel, born July 18, 1884. During the very last days of 1884 father started to Mexico with mother and her three children. We crossed the Mexican border some time in February 1885, living a camping life along different places scattered along the Casas Grandes River in a wagon box until December 7, 1885. Father was then set apart as Presiding Elder and led a caravan into the San Diego Valley, settling on a beautiful flat along the Piedras River, which was a tributary to the Casas Grandes River. Here the people built stockade houses for temporary living. These houses were one-room affairs with dirt roofs and dirt floors. The people soon had water out on the fertile soil by building a rock brush dam and about two miles of canal. By early summer the desert was "blossoming as the rose." It was soon revealed that the people had settled about two miles south of the colony purchase. It was here that my brother William was born. Father was now made bishop and the entire community moved up river about two miles and here, in a narrow valley, built a beautiful little city named Colonia Juarez, which became the cultural center of the Juarez Stake of Zion. Here a fine brick school building was erected which housed the Juarez Stake Academy. At Colonia Juarez, mother had born five more children: Nelle Jane born April 9, 1888, Moses Thatcher born January 21, 1890, Martha Ann born November 9, 1891, Lola B, born November 16, 1893, Una Bernetta born October 4, 1896. Father had moved his second wife into Juarez, arriving at this destination January 1, 1888. She had one child, a boy nine years old. Aunt Maggie (we polygamist children were taught to address a sister wife as aunt) had three children after arriving in Mexico. Aunt Maggie died of cancer October 19, 1897. Minerva, the oldest, was eight years old when Aunt Maggie died.
Father brought the four children to mother saying, "These from now on will be your children and you will be their mother." This made twelve children for mother to take care of, but she was a wonderful organizer and the family moved on even after father's death, which occurred June 22, 1902. Mother never lost a single child, every one she raised to adulthood. Since her own passing April 28, 1920, all have passed away but four of us, myself, age 91, my sister Nelle age 84, Martha age 81 and Lola age 79. Our mother was dedicated to her family and taught us to keep God's commandments. The day was never too long for her to shirk her motherly nor wifely duties. Even though deaf, she filled the place of faithful wife and kind, long-suffering mother. I know she gained a great and priceless reward. May we all prove worthy of such a mother.
The following items are taken from history files of DUP -
Our Pioneer Heritage, Vol. 16, p. 263
Martha Ann Thomas Sevy was a popular young woman for she was a very beautiful girl and a wonderful dancer. She kept perfect time with the music whether it was fast or slow. She was able to feel the rhythm, either from the air or from the dance floor, although she could not hear the lilting melodies. Her husband, George, was a strong man, large in stature, handsome, and somewhat older than Martha. He was a fine man who believed the gospel implicitly and was faithful to his God and to the counsel that the servants of the Lord gave, so when he was counseled to go to Mexico to escape persecution for his polygamous marriages he took two of his wives and moved there to help colonize. Martha, with her three children, went first in 1885, and his second wife, Aunt Maggie, followed later. Phoebe, his first wife, never did go.
Martha and George were among the first group to enter what later became Colonia Juarez. It was at great sacrifice that these people moved to Mexico and they suffered many hardships for a few years. They lived in a dug-out until they could build homes. Finally they had built houses, planted orchards, gardens and flowers, and were feeling happy. Then word came that the colony had settled on the wrong land. They must move and when they learned their true plot was in a canyon which was rocky and full of brush, they were discouraged. Sorrowfully, but with determination, they made the move and set to work building irrigation ditches and rebuilding, replanting and resettling. When they began to see the results of their hard labor and toil they realized it probably was for the best in the end.
George was made Bishop of the Church in Colonia Juarez, and he served the Lord and his people long and well. He built a home in the center of town for Martha, who lived with her growing family. It was a small place, but later he was able to build a large home where he could entertain people who came into town for conferences. Martha was a wonderful cook and often, from what seemed like nothing, she would come up with a good satisfying meal for her family and friends. Many times at these conferences for the Church, anywhere from 30 to 40 people would eat and sleep at her home. Beds and pallets were put anyplace there was room for even a child to lie down. Sometimes the bedding situation was rather stretched and oft times Martha would put straw on the floor under a rug and cover the child, or children, who lay on it with one of her dresses. The dress styles being long and full at that time, this was easily accomplished. A very busy woman, Martha never once felt that too much was asked of her. She enjoyed very much helping the settlers in every way she could. Her babies too never suffered from neglect at any time, for despite her deafness, she could always seem to sense it when they started to fuss and their wants were immediately attended to.
One time not too long after they had come to Mexico, flour was a very scarce item and they used mostly cornmeal. George made a trip into El Paso and brought back a sack of flour. Martha quickly put about a gallon of it away in her trunk as she was hoping to have something special for Thanksgiving. Later a lady who was ill and needed some flour traded Martha a pan of flour for a pan of dried apples which Martha also put away with the flour, so on Thanksgiving day when the family came in and Martha had the table all set with a white cloth and dinner on, they had a feast with white bread and apple pie for their special Thanksgiving dinner. George was astonished and asked her where she had gotten them. When Martha told him he caught her to him and danced her around the table with everyone laughing and joining in the fun.
Martha moved out to the farm after Maggie's death, to take over the running of it along with the mothering of Maggie's four children, the oldest one of which was married within a short time. To Martha they were as her own children, for they belonged to her husband and she loved them with the same love she showered on her own brood, and there never was any differentiation in her treatment of the children.
When George passed away in 1902, Martha was left with the family, but the Lord blessed her with much patience, love and endurance. She did many things to keep the family together and raise them in the love of the gospel until one by one they married and left her for homes of their own.
When the Mexican rebels began persecuting the Saints in the colonies, they were counseled to leave. Martha stayed away for only a short time, then came back to her home. Martha loved her adopted homeland and she and George had taught their children to love and respect it for it was the place they turned to for peace and harmony when they were being hounded for their beliefs. Martha was active and attended her Church duties to the end. She had two very dear friends with whom she often visited. On one trip to El Paso to visit with friends, she took with her some dried fruit for a special friend. At the International Line the officers took the box and said she could not take it across. Martha took it back and held it firmly in her arms and told them it was for an old lady friend and she was going to take it to her. They smiled and let her pass with it.
During her later years Martha had diabetes. She died on April 28, 1920, at her son Matt's home in Colonia Juarez, just four days after the birth of Matt's first son. She was buried beside her husband in Colonia Juarez.
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