This story was written by her daughter, Elizabeth Evans.

 

Margary Waterhouse Boyack, the daughter of Thomas Waterhouse and Isabella Donaldson, was born on December 10th, 1833 in Dundee, Scotland.   There were two boys and four girls in their family.  The father was of English descent and the mother was Scottish.

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Thomas Waterhouse was a grain merchant and a very respectable citizen of Scotland.  He disappeared mysteriously at a time when he was returning home from a trip to England where he had been to visit his relatives......and was never heard of again.  The cause of his disappearance always remained a mystery to his family and their belief was that he had accidently drown at some of the docks.

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One brother of Margary Waterhouse was a British soldier and died away from home.  The other brother, also, died before having the opportunity to embrace the gospel.

The sisters and their mother, after the disappearance of their father and husband, did all sorts of needle work.  A little shop was opened and these things were sold to the public.

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The gospel came to them through missionaries and they readily accepted it.  One sister, Isabelle, immigrated to American in 1854, but she died and was buried on the plains of America in 1854.  She was buried on the plains.  Her sister,  Margary, located her grave a year later when she was crossing the plains.  The grave had been torn open by animals, but pieces of cloth were the means of recognition.

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Margary Waterhouse met her future husband, James Boyack, Jr. in Scotland.  He and his folks had also joined the LDS church and had planned to come to Zions as soon as possible.  She immigrated to American in the company of his parents, his brothers and sisters.   James, Jr having come to Zion two years previously.  

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She was among the early pioneers to cross the plains arriving in  Salt Lake City in October 1855; where James Boyack, Jr. met the company.  He had been working on the Salt Lake Temple previous to her coming.

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Many hardships and sacrifices were endured by these early pioneers, but my mother, Margary, never complained or whished that she had remained in Scotland where a more comfortable life could have been had.  She was happy here in rendering service to others and finding joy in the religion she had so recently accepted.  All through her life she was spiritually blessed and was active in her service until a very few days before her death.

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She was married to James Boyack, Jr. on Nov. 23, 1855, in Salt Lake City....later going though the Endowment House when it was opened.  After her marriage,  she moved with her husband to Palmyra which was about three miles NW of Spanish Fork in 1855.  They lived there for a short time and their first year at Spanish Fork

in 1856, making her home  - then an one-room adobe house was built.  Most of the children were born in this home before additional rooms were added on.  See their children at end of this bio.

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A third son, the ninth and last child, was born, May 9th, 1876.  He was christened, Ralph Banks Boyack.
He was serving a mission for the Church in the south-western states, laboring mostly in Texas, when his mother died.  He married Sarah E Morgan after his return from this mission and has since resided in the old home in
Spanish Fork.

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Margary Waterhouse Boyack was always an active and ardent worker in the church and community. Her main work was probably in the Relief Society and after the third ward was organized, she was set apart in Jan 1892 as Relief Society President of that ward.  This position she filled until her death.  She was also a great worker for the dead as well as the living as she did a great deal of work in the Manti Temple.

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The sudden death of her husband in 1893 was a great shock to her and to the children, but she had her family close around her.  Most were married at this time, and she continued to do her activities in and outside of the home.  Many blessing has been promised her in two patriarchal  blessings and most of these blessing were fulfilled during her life.

Her great desire as that she might not live to burden others.  This wish was certainly granted, since she lived but a few days after taking a paralytic stroke.  This fatal stroke came on her Saturday, January 16, 1903 and she died at the age of 69.  She was survived by all nine of her children.

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