Our American Connection - The Biographies Part 5

MARY ANN WILDE

Sister of Sarah Jane Wilde Burnett

Mary Ann Wilde was born on November 12, 1845 in Oldham Lanceshire England and was the second child born to John Wilde and Nancy Cocker. She is the younger sister of Sarah Jane Wilde Burnett. John Wilde left England for Utah leaving behindhis wife Nancy Cocker, the two daughters and a son Matthew. His plans were to send passage for his family as soon as possible. John Wilde entered into a polygamist marriage prior to sending for his family. He married a widow lady by the name of Mary Tyson Slater. Mary had been widowed earlier and she was left with 9 children. Because of Mary's large family, John Wilde was never able to save enough money to send for his first wife and family.

Prior to 1868, Mary Ann and her sister Sarah Jane came to America.
Mary Ann met and married Albert Gerome Slater, the son of her father's polygamist wife. They were married in Salt Lake City, Utah. After their marriage Mary Ann and her husband lived in Huntsville, Weber County, Utah. Together they had thirteen children.

Mary Ann Wilde Slater died on 22 April, 1931 and is buried in Ogden, Weber County, Utah. Albert had died earlier on May 14, 1914. He is also buried in Ogden.

ALBERT GEROME SLATER

On August 9, 2005 Mack and I visited the Ogden City Cemetery to view the new Burnett headstone placed on the gravesite of David R Burnett and Isobell Ruxton Burnett.
On the west side of the Burnett headstone were three headstones that I recognized the names and believed them to be those of Burnett/Fuller ancestors.

The center headstone, a round cylinder shaped marker, was that of Albert G. Slater. Inscribed Albert G. Slater. June 12, 1843; May 14, 1914. Albert Slater was the husband of Mary Ann Wilde Slater, the sister of Sarah Jane Wilde Burnett, our Great Grandmother. On left of Albert’s marker was a flat square marker inscribed Mary Ann Wilde Slater. The birth and death dates are Nov 11, 1845—Apr. 22. 1931. On the right side of Albert’s marker was a round cylinder maker, similar to that marking Albert’s resting place. The named inscribed was Annie E. Slater, Feb. 14, 1848—Oct 1, 1908. Who was this person?

Searching my records of the Wilde/Burnett families, I found that Albert Slater had entered into the practice of polygamy. Albert had married Mary Ann Wilde on December 4, 1871, in Salt Lake City, Utah On Dec. 4, 1871 he married a second time to Annie E Whitaker, again in Salt Lake City. Researching the U of U Newspaper website I found that Albert had been sentenced for unlawful cohabitation on June21, 1887 in the First District Court of Utah. His sentence is unknown. A copy of the news article is in my file.

The record, if valid, on familysearch.org indicates Mary Ann Wilde and Albert had 13 children. Again if records are correct Albert and Anne E. (Tautipi) Whitaker had 11 children. Continuing my research I found that Anne E. Whitaker was born in Ana Bomoto, Society Islands, Tahiti. The 1880 US Census list both Mary Ann Slater and Annie Slater living in the same household where Albert is listed as head of household. Annie Slater’s race is listed as Black, A daughter Lilian M. is also listed as Black. A second child Jane is listed as MU. Definition unknown. Were these individuals actually black, I believe not, I believe they were dark skinned Polynesian? The 1880 Census shows the birthplace of Annie Whitaker and her parents as the Sandwich Islands. The family group record and the LDS Ordinance Record on familysearch.org list Anne E. Slater’s parents as Tuana Tautpi and Thomas William Whitaker. I have found evidence that this is not correct. Mary Anne’s father was a Polynesian, surname of Tautipi. Thomas Whitaker did marry Tuana Tutipi after her first husband died, however Anne was adopted by Thomas William Whitaker and he brought Anne to the United states.

Further research was done on the Whitaker surname. I mentioned to JaNaye Hirst Whitaker, who has been my hair dresser for many years of my findings about the name Whitaker. She immediately recognized some of the facts regarding Annie E. (Tautipi) Whitaker Slater relating to a book she had pertaining tothe life history of her husband’s Whitaker family. Reading the book “The Biography of Elizabeth Mills Oakden Whitaker”, I found substantiating evidenced that Anne E. Slater was not the daughter of Thomas Whitaker. Thomas Whitaker did marry Annie’s mother when he resided in Tahiti, however she had been married prior to a Tahitian and Annie was a child of that marriage. Annie’s mother, Tuana Tautipi died while she and Thomas was living in Tahiti. When Thomas returned to the United States he brought Tuana’s young daughter, Annie with him. She lived in his and other Utah households in Utah until her marriage to Albert Slater. I have included in my file the information taken from the biography.

I have not included the family group of Albert and Annie Whitaker in my family records, however I did include a copy of the family group recorded on familysearch.org. The relationship of Mary Ann Wilde to the Burnett members of the Fuller/Burnett family is distant through her sister and Mack’s Great Grandmother, Sarah Jane Wilde Burnett, the wife of William VanDawson Burnett.

Bette Brown Fuller