Mary Reeves was born August 6, 1820 in West Newark, Essex, New Jersey, the daughter of James Reeves and Eunice Manning. It is estimated she married George Coleman about 1840 probably in Niagara Falls, Niagara, New York. Their son, Moroni, was born May 31, 1844 in Hancock County, Illinois. This indicates Mary and George had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and had gathered with the main body of saints in Illinois. Mary and George were endowed February 7, 1846 in the Nauvoo Temple just prior to the exodus from Nauvoo. Two of her sisters, Ann Eliza and Matilda, had also joined the Church and were part of the 1846 exodus from Nauvoo. Her husband joined the Mormon Battalion in the summer of 1846, and died December 18, 1846 near Santa Fe, New Mexico, during the battalion’s march to California.
Mary married and was sealed to Judson Tolman December 20, 1852 in President Brigham Young’s office. Judson was living in Tooele at that time, so possibly she lived there also. No record has been found of any children born to this union.
Ann Eliza, Mary’s sister, died January 7, 1857 shortly after giving birth to her ninth child. Mary quickly got a divorce and cancellation of her sealing to Judson January 26, 1857. Possibly to take care of her sister’s six living children, she married her brother-in-law, Joseph Godfrey, March 7, 1857 in the Endowment House. They were not sealed together, but she was sealed on that date to George Coleman, and the four children born to her and Joseph were considered born in the covenant to Mary and her first husband George Coleman and Joseph Godfrey had been friends for many years, having been sailors together in their youth, and they had emigrated from Canada together. She was a great granddaughter of Joseph Godfrey). The children of Mary and Joseph were born in North Ogden, Weber, Utah. Joseph died December 18,1880 in North Ogden. After being a widow for a little over four years, Mary died March 1,1885 in Park Valley, Box Elder, Utah.
Compiled in October, 2000, by Pauline Hanks Christiansen, 2nd great granddaughter of Judson Tolman and Sarah Lucretia Holbrook.
(Contributed by the Thomas Tolman Family Organization. Excerpt from Judson Tolman: Pioneer, Lumberman, Patriarch by E. Dennis Tolman, Second Edition, 2004, page 149.)
Bibliography
1. Nauvoo Temple Register (book – FHL #977.343/Nl K29c)
2. LDS Family Group Record Collection – Archives
3. Ancestral File
4. Endowment House, Sealing to Spouse, Living – films at Family History Library Special Collections – spouse (1) (FHL #1149514, p 88, #546) spouse (2) (FHL #0183393, p. 75, #957)
5. Anderson, Lois Lindsay, “A Sketch of Joseph Godfrey’s Life,” written in 1928, copy at Joseph Smith Memorial Building, (929.273 A l #8265). She was a great granddaughter of Joseph Godfrey.