(The following excerpt is taken from Benjamin Hewitt Tolman: Brother, Pioneer, Husband, Father by Dawnine T Mills Johnson, First Edition, 2014, pages 4-1 to 4-12).
Polly Jane Tolman was born at Brigham City, Utah January 19, 1855. (She was probably named after her grandmother, Polly Johnson Angell.) Polly Jane was the second child and first daughter of Benjamin Hewitt Tolman and Sarah Jane Angell. She had an older brother, Benjamin II, and a younger sister, Emma Mariah. Polly Jane was only 2 years old when her father Benjamin’s died in 1857. As far as we can tell Sarah Jane took her three children and moved back to Salt Lake City, Utah to be with her family. The 1860 Census for the 13th Ward of Great Salt Lake City, Salt Lake, Utah Territory, United States, shows Truman O Angel (age 50), Polly Angel (age 47) and Sarah J Tolman (age 26) and the three children listed as Benjamin Angel (age 7), Polly J Angel (age 5) and Emma M Angel (age 3). Not much more is known about this time.
Polly’s mother, Sarah Jane, married Jarvis Johnson later September 16, 1860. The family then moved back to Honeyville where they lived for 9 years. After Sarah Jane’s death at only 34 years old on March 21, 1869, Polly Jane lived mostly with her grandparents, Truman O. and Polly Johnson Angell in Salt Lake City, Utah. While living with her grandmother, she went out dressmaking by the day. She sewed mostly for members of President Young’s family, probably since Mary Ann, Brigham’s wife, was Polly Jane’s aunt being the sister of Truman O. Angell.
Polly Jane’s grandmother Polly Johnson Angell died, April 1, 1878, in Salt Lake City, Utah. Per Polly’s brother Benjamin’s journal: April 1878 On the third of this month, Wednesday about noon I received a letter from my Uncle Osborn Angel [sic] of Salt Lake City bringing the painful news of the death of my Grandmother, Polly Angel [sic], very suddenly on the first. I immediately prepared and was in Salt Lake City that evening same date and attended her funeral the next day. On the 4 [sic] it was thought my sister, Polly Jane, who had been living with her would make her headquarters at her aunt’s at Grantsville…. Sunday 7th I started and went home accompanied by my sister, Polly.
After spending some time with her brother Benjamin, Polly Jane went to live with her mother’s sister, Aunt Mariah Woolley, and her family in Grantsville, Tooele County, Utah. In Mariah’s home, Polly Jane helped with the housework, the sewing and the care of Mariah’s children—there were twelve of them
By some records, Polly Jane became the third wife of Samuel Wickersham Woolley on 22 September 1873, Salt Lake City, Utah. There is further information that shows that this date is incorrect. Most histories show she didn’t go out to Grantsville until after her grandmother’s death in 1878. [Author’s Note: In “The Descendant of Thomas Tolman (1608)”, (Compiled by Gerald Lee Tolman, copyright 1996 by the Thomas Tolman Family Genealogy Center, pg. 198), it shows the marriage of Polly Jane Tolman to Samuel Wickersham Wooly [sic] as February 8, 1881.] At the time of her marriage plural marriage was openly practiced and sanctioned by the Church, but under the State law, polygamy was an offense. Because of this, her marriage was known only in the immediate family for about three years.
On 11 September 1884, a son, Alonza Hewitt, was born to Samuel and Polly Jane. Because of persecution from the outside, it was necessary for her to take the child away for a while. She lived quietly with her brother Benjamin, better known as “Uncle Benny,” for a while in Honeyville. When it was considered safe to come back home, she came back to Grantsville and lived in the family with Brother Woolley’s second wife, Rachel Cahoon Woolley. She remained there for about two years until Rachel’s death. Then Rachel’s home became her home and Rachel’s four children went to live with Mariah.
For some years she did considerable dressmaking for her friends and their daughters. Sometimes she let herself become too crowded with work because she could not say “No” to the girls when they wanted new dresses for special occasions such as Christmas.
On January 9, 1897, a baby girl came into the home. This baby was named Lucy. After two years later on 12 November 1898, Elnora was born. Then on January 24, 1901, John was born. He passed away the following day. Polly Jane lived only a few days passing away on 30 January 1901. She and her baby were buried in Grantsville, Utah.
Per the “Biography of Samuel Wickersham Woolley, Pioneer 1848”, written by Lucy Woolley Brown, his daughter:
“My mother lived in the house that had been the home of the second wife until she died. In this house I was born, twelve years after the birth of my bother Alonzo, or Lon, as we call him. My birth was on January 9, 1897. Nearly two years later, my sister Elnora, (nicknamed Nonie) was born, and two years after that came John, who died the day of his birth. A few days later, Mother also died. Now we three children of Polly’s were brought into the big house to live. Many of the first and second wive’s [sic] children were married by this time, but Rachel, Mary, Alice, Nellie and Viola were in the home and they became mothers to us. Of course Father and Aunt Maria were there was heads of the household.
Benjamin writes many things in his journal about his sister. The following is his experience upon hearing of Polly Jane’s death along with his attendance at the funeral:
“January 1901 Wed 30 My dear sister Polly Jane Woolley died at Grantsville, Utah, aged 46 years and 11 days. I got the word by telephone by way of Deweyville Thu. 31 about 15 minutes to 2 o’clock p.m. It was a sorrowful time. The message read like this: From S. W. Woolley to B. H. Tolman. Polly died last night, funeral Saturday 11 a.m. February 2nd. I took the train this afternoon for Bountiful where I stayed all night with my Uncle Judson Tolman who is going with me to Grantsville. February 1901 Fri 1st… There were among the crowd who were going to the funeral, Apostle John W. Taylor and Pres. Angus M. Cannon of the Salt Lake Stake. When I looked upon my dear sister in that silent state it was more than I could bear up under and I had to give way. She spoke of me several times during her sickness and in such a way that she seemed to think if I was there I could help her with my faith, etc… I was asked to be one of the pallbearers… Sun 2 …. I should say, perhaps, that Polly’s death was perhaps the cause of premature birth. She had little or no faith of getting well. The babe died, of course, but lived about hours. She no doubt saw her mother with her little boy and said she would soon be with them. She leaves two of the dearest little girls that I ever saw and also one boy, Alonzo H. who is just past 16 years. The little girls are about 2 and 4 years.”
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