Mary Ann Francom was born in Uitenhage, South Africa, on November 25, 1853. Her parents were William and Amy Harding Francom. Her parents were originally from England, but after learning of the growing opportunities in South Africa, they migrated in 1847 to claim new land during the “The Colonization Movement”. The family settled in Uitenhage, a few miles from Port Elizabeth in the Cape Colony and this is where MaryAnn was born in 1853. She was the ninth child of ten, but was the only living daughter living among 6 brothers.
The family lived in a row of three-room cottages until about 1856, when Mary Ann’s father, William, started a merchandise business. With the help of his sons, her father established and operated a traveling store, moving with portable supplies in a wagon or wagons to sell to the farmers. This new business became a good operation and they became prosperous and the family was able to move into a six-room brick house.
Mary Ann’s older brother wrote a memoir of his life and in it he remembered their life in South Africa:
“The kitchen was one long room, with the fireplace, or brick stove as it was then called, at one side of the room. All of the cooking was done over an open fire and in this brick oven. Stoves - as we know them, were not known in Africa at that time. What a good cook my mother was! The big plum puddings, the roasts of meat and the vegetables she used to cook seemed to me the best I have ever tasted.
We had about two acres of garden with a hedge of white and yellow quince on one side, while pomegranate hedges grew on the other side. We had an orchard of figs: blue, white and yellow; also there were grapes pears and apples, in addition to vegetables of all kinds. We had three crops a year, since our garden was irrigated from the water in the ditches along the streets. This water came from a reservoir in the hills above the city.
Our store was built near our residence. I remember the sign painted on the store, "Francom Mercantile & Grocery - Prince of Wales”, together with a picture of a bunch of feathers. Across the street from our store was the market square where gardeners and farmers brought their produce to be sold at auction. Merchants and housewives and anyone who wanted to buy were there. They sold all kinds of fruits, vegetables, cheese, butter and eggs. On this square they also sold horses and goats at auction. Most people had goats, since that was the source of our milk supply. “
The Francom family had learned of the gospel and was baptized. They heard of the saints gathering in America and longed to be united with them as the LDS religion was not a popular religion in South Africa and many were persecuted at that time. In 1862, Mary Ann’s oldest brother William went to America, with another brother, Joseph, going there the following year. Mary Ann’s mother longed to go as well and in 1865, her father gave consent to leave Africa with the rest of the children to go to America. However because of the persecution of the people of the Mormons in that particular area they did not let anyone know, except members of the Church, that they were planning on leaving by ship to come to America, so early in the morning they packed their wagons and headed for the Port which was about twenty miles from Uitenhage. It took them about a day’s journey to get there and they stayed one night and then boarded the ship the next day together with about 40 other members of the Church. Miner G. Atwood was the captain for this group of saints and all would have to listen to his direction. At this time the family business was thriving to such an extent that the second eldest brother, George, had to stay in Africa with her father to help him wind up his affairs in anticipation of following the rest of the family to the new country.
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| Mary Ann Francom |
Amy, Mary Ann’s mother, set out to travel to America with the 4 youngest children: John, Samuel, MaryAnn and James. The cost of passage was 18 pounds per adult, families were 20 pounds and it was 25 pounds to be able to have a cabin. The ship they were to take was called The Mexicana and everyone boarded on April of 1865. William spent the night with them and the other Mormon members in the ship as it lay in harbor, but the next morning said his farewell as he was to stay in South Africa with son George, in order to close things up with the business.
The trip required six weeks to arrive in America and they arrived in New York on the 18th of June 1865 after an uneventful trip across the Atlantic. After arriving in New York, they took the railway to Omaha, Nebraska on the train which was at that time the end of the rail line. Here the group of saints met and prepared to form a company to go across the plains in covered wagons. The Fancom family was well enough off that they had enough money that they could outfit herself with the proper wagons and teams and all the necessary things in order to leave on the journey.
In early July, the wagon train came to the Missouri River and Mary Ann, who was now of age to be baptized, was baptized along with her younger brother.
Mary Ann’s older brother, Joseph, who had journeyed to America a few years earlier met them at the Green River passing and traveled with them the rest of the way. They finally arrived to the Salt Lake Valley in November of 1865. The family decided to settle in Payson after a few months of searching where to live.
There is a story that has been told about Mary Ann, and how like the others, she would go with her mother to social functions. There was a dance one evening that Mary Ann attended with her mother and a married man came to talk to Mary Ann. The story goes to tell that the married man proposed right then and there marriage. He happened to have red hair, which Mary Ann did not like. She said to him: "You redheaded old fool you, I wouldn't marry you if you were the last man on earth.” The ironic thing about that statement is that later, some of her children would be born with and grow to have red hair.
In 1870, Mary Ann met and married Charles Selman. Mary Ann was 16, Charles was 23. They lived in Payson for many years and had 10 children while living there.
Charles Selman was born in Gloucester, England on October 31, 1847.His parents were Margaret Giles and Isaac Selman. The family lived in England for some years and then around 1849, they moved to Cardiff, Wales. After moving to Wales, they were introduced to Mormon missionaries in 1849 and all the family members who were of age, were baptized the same year. Charles, known as Chas throughout his life, was baptized at age 8.
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| Charles "Chas" Selman |
When Chas was 14, he was apprenticed as a tin smith. A tin smith in the late 1800’s was a person who formed objects such as milk pails, basins, cake and pie pans, chandeliers and crooked-spout coffee pots. After his apprenticeship was completed, they then generally would become a journeyman, not yet being a master smith employing others. Many young tinsmiths took to the road as peddlers or tinkers in an effort to save enough money to open a shop in town.
Charles worked as such from age 14 to 22. When he was 19, he met a woman named Miriam Edwards and they were married on Oct 22, 1867. They had a child named Charles Thomas on April 9, 1968. The marriage did not last long, because Miriam never embraced the LDS religion. Charles wanted to immigrate to America with other people of his faith so they divorced.
Charles immigrated to Utah arriving there in September of 1868. He drove an ox team from Laramie, Wyoming to Utah carrying Mormon immigrants and he helped build the first railroad running between Ogden and Salt Lake City. When his contract was finished he moved to Payson, where he met and married Mary Ann Francom in 1870.
The family lived in Payson for many years and Charles and Mary Ann had 10 children: Mary Elizabeth (b.1872), Lillie May (b.1874), Clara Dora (b.1876), Sylvia Charlotte (b.1879), Charles William (b.1881), George Lewellyn (b.1884), Emron Franklin (b.1887), Delsel Giles (b.1890), Harry Drexel (b.1893), and Leonidas Harding (b.1896). All of their children lived to adulthood which was rare for those times.
During those many years in Payson, Charles listed “Day Laborer” as his occupation. Mary Ann stayed home and raised the children.
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| Selman home in Payson, UT |
In the year 1901, a small town called Raymond in Canada was being settled after a miner from Utah planned to build a sugar factory and a town there. This would provide a great opportunity for making a living in Raymond. There were jobs related to the sugar factory, business opportunities in town, and farming and ranching could be carried on in surrounding areas where land was inexpensive. Hearing of the greater opportunity for their sons, particularly for land and for work, Charles and Mary Ann emigrated with one daughter, Clara Dora, and their six sons ranging in age from about 21 to about 5 years of age. The rest of the daughters had been married and stayed behind with their own families in Payson. They set up home in this new frontier town and helped build up the community. There were many Mormons who came to do the same thing, so the church was very strong in this little community.
The Selman’s were among the first families who arrived in Raymond. The first settlers pitched tents and prepared for winter. Within days of their arrival a vicious snowstorm hit when they were poorly prepared for such challenges and most of them, along with others who subsequently joined them, were forced to spend the winter in tents. It wasn’t until the following spring that they were able to build a house.
The family flourished in Raymond. The rest of the children married and settled in Raymond or neighboring communities. Mary Ann and Charles were active in the community and in the church. Mary Ann was in the first Relief Society Presidency of Raymond. Charles and Mary Ann were directors on the Raymond Fair Board many years.
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| MaryAnn (in black) with daughters and grandchildren in Raymond |
Mary Ann suffered her health in later years. She struggled with varicose veins, some of which had ruptured causing great ulcerous sores on her ankles and legs which made it difficult to walk.
In 1920, Mary Ann fell and broke her hip and had to walk with crutches for the rest of her life. Though difficult, she continued to cook and clean and do the household duties. That same year, Mary Ann and Charles celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary. In total they were married for 58 years.
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| 50th Anniversary Pary Invitation |
Mary Ann wrote in a small autobiography of her life the following:
“It was in the springtime that my lover came and I suppose it was love on first sight. We joined together in the springtime, April 4, 1870. Since that time we have lived together in the sunshine, in the rain, sharing one another’s pleasures, one another’s pains. In 1920, I met with an accident which made me a cripple. I had to retire from public life. The saddest part of my life came when I had to part with my lover January 1, 1929.”
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| Mary Ann and Charles |
Charles Selman died on January 1, 1929 at the age of 81. Mary Ann lived ten more years and died on September 18, 1939 , one month away from turning 86. They were both buried in Raymond at the Temple Hill Cemetery.
