History of Catherine Maxwell -

Adapted from a history by Mrs. J. M. Jones

Catherine Maxwell was born in Lanark, Lanarkshire, Scotland, on 15 April 1827. She was a proud woman, firm in her convictions, and strong in character. She was the daughter of Ralph Maxwell, who was born 25 Dec 1794 in Celerity, Ireland and, Elizabeth Donnely, who was born in 1804.

Catherine started working in a factory at age six. She had a beautiful voice and would often sing as she went about her work. Her favorite song was “Listen to the Mocking Bird“. She also sang Operas. Catherine’s family belonged to the Presbyterian Church before their conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day-Saints in 1843, or 1844. Her father was President of the Glasgow Branch of LDS Church for many years.

After her father’s death about 1853, the family re-doubled their efforts to move to Zion, and join her brother John, who had come ahead to prepare a way for them to come.

They left Liverpool, England 23 March 1856 on the ship “Enoch Train”, and arrived in Boston, Massachusetts Harbor 1 May 1856. They traveled by rail to Iowa where whey purchased a handcart for the journey across the plains.

A man by the name of M. Gaddes paid for her to ride to Utah, but she walked so her mother could ride. Catherine’s mother became in Winter Quarters so decided to stay until she became able to travel. This left Catherine, a young lady of 25, with the responsibility of caring for her brothers and sisters, namely Arthur, Ralph, Elizabeth and Ann, also Ellen Russell (who later became a sister-in-law) and Elizabeth Darrough.

When they finally were able to leave Winter Quarters in 1856 (their mother stayed behind until she was able to travel), they traveled in the second Handcart Company led by Daniel D. McArthur. The names and ages of the family as listed by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers (D.U.P.) lesson Jan 1971, pg. 312 are as follows: Elizabeth 52 (this has to be in error, as explained later in this history), Arthur 30, Catherine 25, Elizabeth 23, Ralph 18, and Ann 14.

The way was long and they saw no other white persons along the trail. Often some their possessions had to be left along the trail to lighten the load. Catherine did manage to bring a beautiful paisley shawl with her prized possessions.

Word reached the Maxwell family that their mother had joined another Handcart Company and that she was on her way. But she was not strong enough to take the hardships of the journey, and she died at head of Echo Canyon. She was buried in a large cave alongside of the trail. In the meantime, when Catherine’s brother, John, heard that his mother was on the trail to Salt Lake Valley with another Handcart Company, he went back along the trail to meet them. There he learned that his mother had died the day before he met the company. This was severe shock to him.

This news made Catherine’s heart ever heavier, for she found that upon arriving in the Valley that the man she was to marry already had a wife. She said, “I will be the second wife to no man”, but she changer her mind when she met Jacob Mica Truman. She became his second wife, within six months.

Having lived most of her life in the industrial cities of Scotland, many adjustments had to be made by her to become a pioneer wife.

Often indeed did her fiery Scotch temper have the upper hand. Many of the neighbors felt sorry for the gentle Elizabeth Boyce, Jacob Truman’s first wife. But well do they remember the mutual anger at Jacob when he brought home a third wife, Julia Ardena Hales, whom he had married 14 Jun 1857. Together they made him see the error in bringing Julia there as she did not fit in with them.

Alice Hunt Jones, a granddaughter of Rhoda Maria, relates the following incident:

“I will just have to relate a little incident told to me by a granddaughter of Catherine's (Libby Terry). One morning Aunt Katie (as she was more commonly known) was getting ready to go milk the cows, she had her little brass milk bucket in her hand ready to go, when Julia said to her, ‘I slept with Jacob last night, but all you slept with was little Jacob.’ At that Aunt Katie threw the bucket at Julia's head, but Julia ducked in time to miss it.”

Julia finally left and divorced Jacob, leaving Catherine and Elizabeth with the labor of rearing their families in the path of righteous living.

Jacob Mica and his two wives, Elizabeth and Catherine, lived in South Cottonwood for several years. Then he was called by Brigham Young, to go help settle the little town of Hamblin, better known as Mountain Meadows. They lived there several years, when in November 1881 he was taken very ill and after one week he died suddenly on the 23rd. He was only 56 Years old. John Pulsipher wrote in his diary that Jacob Mica Truman was buried 26 November 1881 in the little cemetery on the small hill just southeast from the town.

Jacob and Catherine had seven children:

Ralph, born 2 Oct 1857
Rhoda Maria, born 4 May 1859
Lauretta Catherine, born 4 Aug 1861
Elizabeth Ann, born 26 Apr 1863 (but died on 9 Jun 1865)
Mica Spencer, born 19 Oct 1865
Ellen Sophia, born 18 Feb 1867
Arthur Monroe, born 12 Dec 1869

Years later Catherine moved to Huntington, Emery County, Utah, to live with her son Mica and family, where she lived for a few years. Her son Arthur lived in Sugar City, Idaho and when his wife died she went to live with him to help take care of his son Reave who was just a small boy at the time. Later she moved back to Huntington, where she felt more at home.

At the age of 90 years she fell and broke her hip, from which she never entirely recovered and she died 31 December 1922, at the age of 93 years. She was buried in Huntington Cemetery.
 

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Reflections of Grandma Truman
By Arthur Reeve Truman, son of Arthur Monroe Truman
 

Grandmother Truman was very protective of me in my early childhood and up through my age of 13 or 14 years. My earliest recollection of her is (while) living in Rexburg, Idaho, where my father practiced law. She lived with us and was in charge of the household and of me.

I do not know what her age may have been at that time. I remember her as being of slight build, maybe 115 to 125 lbs, about 5' 5". I don't recall that she talked very much about her family, brothers or sisters, if any. She did talk of having worked in a textile mill in Glasgow, at age 12, and frequently talked about the beautiful city of Edinburgh.

I remember we had quite a time finding the LDS baptismal place in the Madison River nearby, where I was baptized. In Rexburg, she would take me to visit and play with a boy named Eddie Miller; also in Sugar City, where I would play with the children of a Ross family, (who are) my 1st and 2nd cousins.

I recollect I wrote a lot of letters for her from Rexburg to Huntinton, to Enterprise and to Gunlock, Utah. I would also read (to her the) reply letters from these towns. I am not sure whether or not she could read or write, but I believe she could to some extent.

I lived with her in Huntington for a while, (when) I was going to grade school then. Seems like I did some letter writing for her there - to Enterprise and Gunlock - to a Pulsipher family, maybe St. George also.

After graduating from high school in Huntington and coming to Salt Lake for a summer or two, I lost tract of her activities. She was living in Huntington at that time. I am sure that without her love and care, my early life would have been very difficult.