Mary Ellen Fox Richards
Born 30 June 1850 in Salt Lake City.[1] Daughter of Franklin D. Richards and Charlotte Fox.[2] Baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 5 Mar. 1857.[3] Married Thomas George Webber, 25 May 1867; six children.[4] Consulted with EBW concerning the Relief Society store, 1890; socialized with EBW, 1890–1904.[5] Member, registrar (1903), and regent (1906) for the Utah State Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), 1899–1928.[6] Director of the Ladies’ Literary Club.[7] Member of the DAR committee that unveiled the statue of the Marquis de Lafayette in Paris, 1900.[8] Delegate to the congress of the General Federation of Women’s Clubs held in Paris, June 1900.[9] Founding and active member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1901–1903.[10] Chair of the Free Kindergarten and Neighborhood House Association, 1912.[11] Involved in several charitable and social organizations.[12] Died 29 Aug. 1929 in Salt Lake City.[13]
[1] “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. E, 1 Jan. 1867–16 Aug. 1869, p. 28, line 9481, Thomas George Webber and Mary Ellen Richards, 25 May 1867, microfilm 1149515, DGS 7226456 (restricted access), FHL. Presiding Bishopric, Presiding Bishopric Stake and Mission Census, 1914–1935, pp. 32, 41, CR 4 311, CHL. “Family Tree,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org, accessed 24 Oct. 2019), Mary Ellen Richards (K2HZ-HZH).
[2] “Endowments of the Living, 1851–1884,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. E, 27 Feb. 1864–9 June 1866, p. 141, line 2997, Mary Ellen Richards, 1 July 1865, microfilm 183405, DGS 5270328 (restricted access), FHL. Franklin L. West, Life of Franklin D. Richards (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1924), 268–269. 1850 U.S. Census, Great Salt Lake, Utah Territory, Mary Ellen Richards, p. 49.
[3] “Endowments of the Living, 1851–1884,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. E, 27 Feb. 1864–9 June 1866, p. 141, line 2997, Mary Ellen Richards, 1 July 1865, microfilm 183405, DGS 5270328 (restricted access), FHL.
[4] “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. E, 1 Jan. 1867–16 Aug. 1869, p. 28, line 9481, Thomas George Webber and Mary Ellen Richards, 25 May 1867, microfilm 1149515, DGS 7226456 (restricted access), FHL. Edward William Tullidge, “Thomas G. Webber,” History of Salt Lake City (Salt Lake City: Star Printing, 1886), 86. Franklin L. West, Life of Franklin D. Richards (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1924), 268–269.
[5] EBW, Diary, 3 Dec. 1890; 10 July 1891; 10 Jan. 1901; 20 Aug. 1904.
[6] “German Genealogy Group,” National Society of the Daughters of the Revolution of 1776 (https://www.germangenealogygroup.com/records-search/daughters-of-the-revolution.php, accessed 25 Oct. 2019). “Society,” Salt Lake Telegram, 11 Dec. 1925, 23. “Women Nationally Prominent Honored Guests in the City,” Salt Lake Telegram, 18 Mar. 1928, 12. EBW, Diary, 16 Jan. 1900; 16 Feb. 1903. “Election of Officers,” Evening Telegram (Salt Lake City), 16 June 1906, 3.
[7] “Ladies’ Literary Club,” Salt Lake Tribune, 14 May 1899, 10. EBW, Diary, 26 Jan. 1894.
[8] “Paris Letter,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 July 1900, 29:1. “A Salt Laker in Paris,” Deseret Evening News (Salt Lake City), 21 July 1900, 15.
[9] “Woman’s Clubdom,” Salt Lake Herald, 8 Apr. 1900, 15.
[10] James T. Jakeman, Daughters of the Utah Pioneers and Their Mothers (Salt Lake City: Western Album Publishing, 1915), 1, 3.
[11] “Society,” Evening Telegram (Salt Lake City), 5 June 1912, 5.
[12] “Mrs. Webber Dies at Home,” Salt Lake Telegram, 30 Aug. 1929, 13.
[13] “Utah State Archives Indexes,” database and images, Utah State Archives (https://archives.utah.gov, accessed 25 Oct. 2019); Utah Department of Health Office of Vital Records and Statistics Death Certificates, series 81448, file no. 1536/160 (1929), Mary Richards Webber. “Mrs. Webber Dies at Home,” Salt Lake Telegram, 30 Aug. 1929, 13.