History of Ann Maria Bailey Sharp

Ann Maria Bailey Sharp 1829-1910
Daughter of Robert Bailey and Ann Maria George Bailey
Wife of John W. Sharp
Mother to 

              John George Sharp 1862-1962

              Charles Phillip Sharp 1863-1868

              James Henry Sharp 1864-1868

              Samuel Thomas Sharp 1867-1867

              *Ann Maria Easter Bailey Sharp 1868-1926

              Stephen William Sharp 1872-1947

               Jesse Sharp 1874-Deceased 

Ann Maria Bailey Sharp

This story of Ann Maria Bailey Sharp was written by her husband John W. Sharp, for his granddaughter, Lavera B. Evans, at her request for a school assignment. 

An Maria was a daughter of Robert Bailey and Ann Maria George Bailey and was born on the first day of April 1829 at Shipdham in the country of Norfolk, Old England. 

Her father was a shoe maker, and her mother kept a sewing school in her young days for small children. Ann Maria Bailey Sharps father died when Maria was about 5 years old on June 7, 1834 - Her mother being left a widow with 3 children, Maria being the oldest of the three. The other two died soon after the death of their father. 

Her mother turned her attention to teaching in the Sabbath School of the Church of England for which she received a small penitence each week. And, she also kept a school for small children to stay while their parents went out to work. She taught them the first Reedaments of a Education.

Maria, as she was familiarly called, was very apt at learning sewing and at a very early age became the leading seamstress of Shipham. She also, learned the millenary and dress making business and soon became the most expert in the town of Shipdham and was saught after by most of the leading ladies of this place to do their work. Some of the samples of her work done when a young girl are now in the possession of some of her grandchildren. 

Ann Maria Bailey was baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in the year of 1850 or 1851 at Shipdham by John Everitt. Maria and her mother were both baptized the same day by the same Elder. 

The Elders were always made welcome at their home and not withstanding their being Latter Day Saints they were always treated with the greatest of respect.

It was on or about the tenth day of January 1858 when Maria first saw John W. Sharp. He was a traveling Elder sent to travel and labor in the Shipdham district of the Norwich Conference. And after he had been traveling there for some time Maria and her mother arranged for Elder Sharp to make his home at their home when in Shipdham. As there being a branch of the church Elder Sharp was there about every week. Maria was very kind to the Elders, often giving them money and other presents to help them. Of course she was particularly kind to Elder Sharp and they became very fond of each other, and when he left traveling in that district and was sent to labor in the New Castle upon Tyne Posturate, Maria often sent him a little money and other things to help him on his mission. 

And on the 17th day of March 1861 she was married to John W. Sharp at Norwich City by Elder Elias Hicks Blackburn, who was the first Bishop of Provo Utah and was now on a mission to England and was at this time President of Norwich Conference. 

After Maria’s marriage she spent two weeks visiting her friends then with her husband Elder Sharp they spent a short time with Elder Sharp’s family and on the 21st day of April 1861 they left Northampton and went to Liverpool and on the 23rd went on board the Clipper Ship, Underwriter and sailed for America with 624 saints, under the presidency of Milo Andrus, Homer Duncan, and Charles W. Penrose. They arrived in New York on the 22nd day of May, arriving at Florence, Nebraska on the 2nd day of June 1861.

When we had been out at sea about 8 days Maria was taken sea sick and by the time of arrival at New York she was very sick. Upon advice of one Sister Menmech I went to the drug store and bought some medicine which done her good, but she was still very sick. When we arrived at Chicago her husband John W. Sharp spent the last dollar they had for medicine and while her husband was out spending his last dollar a young man by the name of Simmons who had been a traveling Elder in England where Maria lived came to see if any persons were with this band of emigrants whom he knew, and he came across Maria. When her husband returned the two were in conversation. Of course Maria introduced the young man to him and after some little conversation the call was for all to get aboard the train. We separated, Maria and I going with the crowd and the young man bid us good bye and left us. While we were pushing through the crowd making out way to the cars the young man, Mr. Simmons came up to us again and said well I suppose you are off and we said yes. He said I’ll say good by again and with that shook hands first with Maria, then taking my hand and wishing us Gods speed left in my had a two and one half dollar gold piece. This was all the money we had to last us till we arrived in Salt Lake City. 

After leaving Chicago we arrived at Quincy, at this pint we went on the Mississippi River to Hannibal and from there we went on train to Saint Joseph over a road not then finished. From here we went on board the steam boat for Florence, Nebraska, where we arrived about 2nd of June, here we had to lay over until the 4th day of July when the wagons and cattle from Utah arrived. Meanwhile we had to live in old lumber shanties and dug outs, we had to crowd in as best we could and at night spread our beds of blankets and quilts on the floor and we lay there like sardines in a can. When we had been here about three week, Brother Sharp met with Daniel Clift and Thomas Hawkins both Salt Lake Merchants and he engaged with them to drive a team to Salt Lake and he helped herd their cattle. But, about June 30th Sister Sharp was taken very sick and her husband gave up his engagement to drive team for Clift an Hawkins and came and loaded up in the church train. We left Florence about the 4th or 5th of July and moved camp a short distance each day so that we could get use to camp life. Maria was sick a good part of the journey across the plains, but she walked a good part of the way across and was sometimes so sick she could hardly get to camp. And not withstanding the second Captain had tome her not to walk much but the teamster William Hunter ofter refused to let her ride. On one occasion we were walking and could not keep up with the train and so was about to be left behind when a old gentleman who had joined the company after we had started with his own outfit asked what the matter was for he saw that Sister Sharp could not travel. He had her get into his wagon and ride into camp. Other times she was so feeble that she would have to hold on to the hind end of the wagon with one hand and her husband would hold her up on the other side and thus we would travel until we reached camp tired and worn out. This continued  all the way across the plains until at last Brother Park who was in the next wagon to us went to the Captain and informed him as to the condition of Sister Sharp for by this time she had become very sick with Bloody Flux.

The Captain went to the teamster and gave him a good talking to after which the teamster came to me and apologized and let Sister Sharp ride, which she did until we reached Salt Lake City, where we arrived on the 15th day of September 1861.

We were met at Sugar House by my brother, Charles Sharp, and David Adams and we went to Brother Adams home on the corner of 7th East and 1st South Street and had dinner and in the evening left there with my Brother, Charles and went to Union Fort 12 miles South of Salt Lake City. Here we lived in one of Silas Richards houses until the May following when brother Sharp went to work for President Brigham Young in his shoe store. In the mean time we had worked together in trying to get something to live upon and what Brother Sharp could not get for his work Sister Sharp would get for her sewing work. And she often had to be sewing by the light of the fire for there was no oil to burn and not many candles in the place. But, some had got some pitch pine wood and this they would keep to burn at night so as to give them a little light to see by. 

It was here in Union where our first child was born John George Sharp 6 February 1862. 

In May 1862 I went to the city to work and the only place I could find to rent was a hole in the ground with a roof over it. In size about a 10x9 mud walls, mud floors and mud steps to get into it, here we lived until the fall of that year. In the meantime I had located the owner of a vacant lot across the street, and made arrangements with him to purchase it and then went to work and dug a large hole in the ground, and made some adobes from the dirt and had made a dug out and fixed it up for our own. We lived in this dugout until the fall of 1866 when we built us a good adobe house two rooms. Sister Sharp was very feeble and sometimes very sick. During one of these sever spells she was visited by 2 heavenly messengers. One standing at her bedside and the other at her feet. The one by her side said they had come to give her a choice either to go with them or live. She told them she would rather live and see her children grow up and be cared for. They then left her and she soon after got better. During the time we were living in the dugout we had hard times. Flour went up to 25 and 30 dollars per sack and wood was $40.00 per cord. 

While I was working for President Brigham Young we were put on rations according to our families but Sister Sharp never complained or murmured. One day while brother Sharp was working for President Brigham Young she took all her best clothes and turned them in to President Young to assist in the immigration of her mother, brother, and sister who came to Salt Lake that year, 1862.

In the summer of 1862 Brother Sharp was called upon to go to Sanpete after Indians as they were on the war path killing men, women, and children and he served for 112 days in the mean time Sister Sharp looked after everything at home. After his return we built our new home and by winter was able to move out of the ground and enter the home which made Sister Sharp very happy. We lived there until the Spring of 1872 when we sold out our city property and went to live at Union on State Street, a farm where Brother Sharp had home steaded, and there we had a hard time being all new land and her husband not being used to farming; but we got along, Sister Sharp taking in boarders part of the time.

In the year 1876 Brother Sharp was called on a mission to the Southern States and Sister Sharp was left to take care of everything. As soon as she had heard that her husband had been called, she wanted to know when he was to go and what she could do to help him get ready for going. 

In November of 1876 he left and the responsibility of the whole home and farm rested on her shoulders. In the spring of 1877 she would go out in the field with the two oldest boys John George, and Charles and help them with the horses and get them started to plow and ect. This continued until fall when she received a letter from Brother Sharp telling her he was very sick and requesting her to go and get the necessary money for him to get home with. 

She went to Charles H. Crow and borrowed $80.00 for him to come home with. Brother Crow going with her to the Deseret National Bank to get it. He going security for the same and Brother Somis S. Hills, cashier, of the bank sent it to Brother Sharp, who shortly after returned home sick. Sister Sharp attended to him and took good care of him and while everyone thought he would die, Sister Sharp was the only one who thought he would recover. He had to be attended both night and day. Soon after his recovery he went to work in the Z.C.M.I. in Salt Lake City and Sister Sharp looked after things at home. This continued for many years and while her husband was on the police force she still looked after things at home and was very faithful especially was this the case during the raid made on the Saints when her place was made the meeting place for the Presiding Authorities of the Church. 

Latter years her health began to fail her and finely she was confined to her bed for three years and three months she was not able to help herself or speak to us. And at last on the 23rd day of February 1910 she passed away. 

Having been a good wife a loving mother and a faithful Latter Day Saint. She had a family of 6 children 5 boys and 1 girl.