Martha Jane Knowlton Coray

Martha Jane Knowlton Coray was born on June 3, 1821, in Covington, Kentucky. She was the third of ten children born to Sidney Algernon Knowlton and Harriett Burnham, who were from New England. Her ancestor Lt. Daniel Knowlton served in the American Revolutionary War. The Knowlton family moved around the Midwestern United States during Coray's childhood, living in towns such as Cumminsville, Ohio and Bear Creek, Illinois. She attended a Campbellite church as a child, and, at the age of ten, taught a Sunday School class of students older than she. in the freezing Mississippi River through a hole cut in the ice. Afterwards, Page performed her confirmation. Weeks later, on January 21, 1840, Joseph Smith Sr. gave Coray a patriarchal blessing, bestowing upon her the gift of tongues and the gift of prophecy. She was the first person in her family to join the LDS faith. == Nauvoo years ==

(ca. 1860s) On February 6, 1841, she married Howard Coray in her father's house Coray had been documenting what she saw happening around her since the age of thirteen, Her daughter Martha Coray Lewis noted that her mother "preserved notes of sermons that would otherwise have been lost to the Church." This occurred before polygamy was officially announced by the church. They rented a room from Robert B. Thompson to use as a school and taught as many as 150 students at a time. Much of Coray's early work on this project involved transcribing Mack Smith's verbal narratives of her son's life. Howard Coray later joined his wife in this effort, and the final product was finished in 1845, after approximately a year of work. Young, the president of the church at the time, was also angered that the publication of the work had occurred without his prior approval, and publicly criticized Coray's writing. While she was alive, Coray never gave permission for the work to be reprinted; but the biography was later published in the Improvement Era in 1903 and again in 1945. It was then entitled "History of the Prophet Joseph, by His Mother". ==Traveling Westward==

In the spring of 1846, Martha Coray left Nauvoo, like the majority of the Latter-day Saints, to travel west. In order to obtain the means necessary to make the journey, the Coray family worked as government farmers and ferry boat tenders in various places in the Midwest, They made the trek west to Utah Territory with the John Sharp company. She gave birth to three along the way. By the time the family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1850, it consisted of six children. (ca. 1870s) == Frontier life ==

The Corays' first residence in Utah was a house adjacent to the Salt Lake Theatre. Then, in 1855, the family moved to Tooele, Utah, where Coray oversaw dairy production on their farm. Unsatisfied with life in Tooele, the Corays relocated, splitting their time between a house in Provo and a farm in Mona. With this move, Coray shifted her home industry focus from producing cheese to crafting soap and distilling ointments. Her soap production served as the family's contribution to the United Order, an initiative pushing towards Latter-day Saint self-sufficiency. Financial difficulties often plagued the Coray family, and, during times of famine, Martha Coray would feed her children watercress, lilies, rabbit meat, and wild onions. She would also make candles of tallow, which the children would then sell to the community. Over the years, her role oscillated between frontierswoman and middle-class wife as the family's financial situation shifted. Coray stepped in to assist Howard financially whenever needed. Though she never received formal schooling herself, she taught school multiple times throughout her life. While her husband, Howard, was serving as a Latter-day Saint missionary, Coray stood in for him in his teaching position at the University of Deseret (now the University of Utah). She also taught Sunday School and served on the local LDS Sunday School Board. Her son George went on to attend Cornell University and later became a professor at the University of Utah, and her daughter Martha Jane Coray Lewis became a writer. Towards the end of her life, her grown children moved to Mona to build homes for their own families on the Coray property and live there. Law and politics Once her children were grown and more free time became available to her, Coray became involved in Utah politics. Her priority was helping the Latter-day Saints maintain their autonomy in Utah Territory, and she contributed to this effort by producing homemade liniments and health products, as well as establishing a Latter-day Saint-operated school; financial support for educational institutions in Utah Territory at the time was not well-established or stable. Coray had her own income, voted in local elections, and owned land. Because the Salt Lake City Land Office required that landowners live on their property, the Corays transferred their Provo home to Martha's name in order to maintain both that property and their farm in Mona. Coray also worked as the representative for the ''Woman's Exponent,'' an LDS woman's publication, in Nephi and Mona; she sold subscriptions and subscribed herself. In addition to the histories she recorded throughout her life, Coray wrote pieces on women's rights, and some of her writing was published in the Exponent. Coray also took an interest in law. On multiple occasions, she inquired after patenting some of her homemade products and production methods. She also advised friends and neighbors on legal matters, often holding power of attorney for them and appearing in court. She took charge of legal matters for the irrigation efforts in Juab County, Utah, which became the Mona Irrigation District. Coray never attended law school or received formal legal training of any kind, but her participation in legal matters regardless was in line with convention in Utah at the time. Her legal knowledge came in handy when family members endeavored to start businesses or purchase land. Her daughter Martha described her as "a rapid and lucid writer, a brilliant conversationalist, and a fine speaker on a wide range of subjects," including history, philosophy, poetry, and law. ==Brigham Young Academy==

During the founding of the LDS Church's educational system, Brigham Young had instituted a rule that each academy board include at least one woman. on Brigham Young University's campus While serving as trustee, she wrote: "I am a little disappointed at the want of general interest shown in the B. Y. Academy at Provo. I am now so situated that I can give considerable attention to its workings and its struggling also to accomplish the greatest good, with the smallest amount of means". When she died, many BYA students attended her funeral. == Legacy ==

Martha Jane Knowlton Coray died on December 14, 1881, in Provo, Utah As of 1908, she had 50 grandchildren and 45 great-grandchildren. She was also dedicated to her faith; it influenced almost every aspect of her life. She was described as "a devout member of the Church and a competent writer," as well as "a woman of native brilliance and intense dedication." ==References==