Martha Ann Truman Ashby Powell

Martha Ann Truman (Ashby) was born to Elizabeth Boyce and Jacob Mica Truman.

Martha married Nathaniel Ashby Jr. on August 11, 1870 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City, Utah. He had already married Mary Virginia Garr.

Martha and Nathaniel had six children: Richard Truman Ashby, Jacob Henry Ashby, Ann Elizabeth Ashby, Alice May Ashby, Emma Lucilla Ashby and Rodney Carlos Ashby.

Tragedy struck the Ashby home in 1881. Diptheria broke out and the death of three children in less than a week would have been a hard trial for anyone to bear.

Emma Lucilla, Jacob Henry and Alice May died of diptheria.

Nathaniel had tuberculosis at this time. Martha and Nathaniel went on a mission to the Sandwich Islands, hoping the climate might help him. It did not have the desired results and they returned home early in 1882 and On the way home he died near San Francisco, in the Pacific Ocean, while sailing from Honolulu, Sandwich Islands to San Francisco on his way home to St. George.

Martha had feelings of helplessness when she arrived in San Francisco. She was distressed that she had no money or means to convey her husband's body to their home for proper burial. She was met by a stranger on the docks who shook her hand and there was given an envelope that contained sufficient funds to purchase tickets for herself, her stepson and to ship her husband's body to St. George.

Martha next married John Powell on March 20, 1885. Martha died seven years later on February 26, 1892. This marriage necessitated great changes in Martha's life. John was 28 years older than Martha and he lived over 160 miles away from St. George.

They had three boys together. The first two were born at Gunlock, probably on the Truman ranch. The last son was born in Fillmore. They were: John Franklin Powell, Jesse Truman Powell and Nathaniel Ashby Powell.