Here is a little bit more about the woman we are honoring on our float: 

Mary Jane Parker Butterfield

Marker from Herriman Cemetery

Mary Jane Parker Butterfield

Birth:Jan. 21, 1817, Parsonsfield, York County, Maine
Death:Jul. 21, 1901, Herriman, Salt Lake County. Utah (Buried in the Herriman Cemetery)


Married to Thomas Jefferson Butterfield, Founder of Herriman.




Did you know that Mary was a member of the First Relief Society in Nauvoo?

"Mary Jane Parker was born on January 21, 1817, in Parsonfield York County, Maine. She
is the daughter of Samuel and Hannah Edgecomb Parker. Mary Jane was slight of build,
just 5 feet tall, with black hair and bright, expressive eyes. She was taught early to work.
Mary Jane was 18 when she married Thomas Butterfield in Farmington, Maine. Soon
afterwards, they attended a meeting and heard the Prophet Joseph Smith tell of the
restored gospel. They were immediately converted and baptized by Thomas’ uncle,
Josiah Butterfield.

Life was difficult for the new couple. They experienced many hardships. Mary Jane was
faithful and courageous in taking care of their home and protecting her family. She
earned a living for her family for over a year when Thomas was sent on a mission.
Thomas was good with animals and was called upon to help the Saints move from Ohio
to Missouri, and then to Illinois. Mary Jane packed their belongings herself in a wagon
and drove the oxen. When living in Missouri, two men came to the Butterfield home
while Thomas was away, climbed on the house and knocked a hole in the roof, intending
to throw a burning faggot inside. With authority Mary Jane commanded them to leave.
The men never returned.

Soon after the first Relief Society was organized in Nauvoo, Mary Jane became a member. She helped the sick, made clothing, and knitted stockings for the men working on the temple. Many years later, Mary Jane recalled the experience of being part of that first Relief Society, “……(the sisters) should do a good work and be a great help to the Church. I was a member of the Society and enjoyed myself very much in meeting with the sisters.” (from the Herriman Historical Society Website)


Her Husband, Thomas, was the First to Live in the Area we call Herriman:

Thomas Butterfield

"In 1850 Thomas Butterfield was living in West Jordan. In the spring of 1851, while searching for fresh water and a place to raise their livestock and families, he and Samuel Egbert found a small stream of water flowing from a canyon. He later returned and further explored the area, then moved his family, sheep, cows, oxen, horses and bees to the site he had chosen. With the help of his family, he plowed a ditch, erected a cabin, planted crops and cut firewood to prepare for
the coming winter.


In the next few years the Thomas Butterfield family was joined by others. The area became known as the Butterfield Settlement. After Henry Harriman, Thomas Butterfield was called to be the second presiding authority of the area until he left on a mission to the Salmon River area in 1855. After coming home, he married his second wife, Mary Farmer. When the Young Men’s Improvement Association was formed in 1879, Thomas served as its first President.

Thomas Butterfield was a very industrious man. As the years went by, he added to the variety and amount of crops planted until the family produced most everything they needed or cared for. His herds grew large and prosperous. He was known for his generosity, always giving to those in need or less fortunate. He was a friend to the Native Americans in the area. He gave them food and a place to camp. "   (from the Herriman Historical Society Website)

Our Float Idea

Brainstorming

For the last several meetings our committee has been busy brainstorming ideas for our float and a couple of float drawings were submitted. Some of the ideas we considered were: a family of dinosaurs, a transforming wagon, temple building, a bridge that changed to show the changes in time, Butterfield canyon quarry and the building of the old stone church, pioneer sorghum mill, old Herriman changing into new Herriman, and several others.

Our Idea's Origin

One of several local histories we studied was the story of Mary Jane Butterfield.   Mary married Thomas Butterfeild in Maine. They converted to the gospel in its early years and settled with the saints in Nauvoo. There, Mary was part of the first Relief Society.  They moved with the saints west and they were one of the original families that founded Fort Herriman.   Thomas kept many kinds of animals, including sheep up in Butterfield canyon (which was named for him); he also ran a family farm.   Thomas was called away on many church assignments, and Mary was often left with the children and farm to make do the best that she could. This  paragraph from her history especially attracted our attention:

"Mary Jane was talented and artistic. When settled in Utah, the family raised sheep and
cattle. Mary Jane carded and spun the wool. She would have cans on the stove steeping
sage and berries, adding a little of this and that until she achieved the dye color she
wanted. She was an excellent weaver. She gathered weeds, flowers, and bark to create
pleasing arrangements for her home. Mary Jane was a quilt maker of record in Herriman.
There is an example of her Log Cabin quilt still preserved. She was a member of the first
Relief Society in Herriman, serving as teacher and treasurer."

You can read a complete history of Mary Butterfield at the Herriman Historical Society's Site Here. (pdf file)

The Submitted Idea

The idea for the float came from Becky of Mill Canyon ward. The drawing was done by her 15 year old daughter Kaitlin.  It is a float that honors the resilience of Mary Butterfield.

(click to see larger copy)

This float features Mary at her loom, a huge spinning wheel, containers of bubbling dyes, whimsical sheep and cats and colorful balls of yarn.


Where do We go from Here?

Our next step is to fine tune the idea. We need to decide exactly what is going to appear on our float and decide on the scale of various elements.  We also need to finalize a float theme. Our next meeting is Wednesday, 6pm at the Foothills building. Everyone is welcome to attend.

Your Ideas Needed!!

Welcome to the new Herriman South Stake Days of 47 Committee blog.  Here we will keep you updated on what we are doing on the float, and let you know what we need help with.  Building a float is a big job and we will need everyone's help. So let's get to work!

First we need an idea for our float. 

The Days of 47 theme for 2012 is "Pioneers - Building on the Dream"

Our float will be judged on these criteria: 

1. Theme
2. Asthetics
3. Originality
4. Craftsmanship
5. Special Effects

 We would also like our float to have depth and motion, and the design must consider viewing on the left right and from the air.   Music/sound is optional.

We'd love to hear from you!  Please submit a drawing of your idea to any member of the committee, or respond to this blog post and I'll get you in contact with the big boss.    We need your ideas by January 12th!