--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Martha J. C. Lewis collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 5 number: 6 published: 1902-04 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'Martha J. C. Lewis, "Martha Jane Knowlton Coray. A Sketch," *Improvement Era* 5, no. 6 (April 1902): 439–440.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0506unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0506unse start_page: 439 end_page: 440 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1902-04) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0506unse publication_year: 1902 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1902, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Martha Jane Knowlton Coray. A Sketch MARTHA JANE KNOWLTON CORAY. BY MARTHA J. C. LEWIS. [In this number, we print a portrait of Mrs. Martha Jane Knowlton Coray, who, at the dictation of Lucy Smith, wrote the history of the Prophet Joseph, now being printed in the Era. The sketch of her life which follows was kindly furnished by her daughter, Martha, wife of the late Professor T. B. Lewis. In her note to the editors, she speaks of the portrait as only a poor representation of her mother, but it is the best in existence. The lines about her mother's mouth were strongly marked, though this copy of a poor photo does not show any lines at all. "The jet black hair, but slightly tinged with grey, should show a clear, straight parting exactly in the center. The artist should deepen the shadows in the upper lip from the nose to the mouth and nostrils, to make the figure look more like the original. But what can he do to restore the light to the flashing, brilliant, black eyes, having never felt their piercing pow- er?'' The editors acknowledge courtesies, also, from Messrs. L. L., How- ard, and George Q. Coray who furnished a second photo from which our artist has received assistance to form the portrait herewith presented, which also has her autograph to her children. — Editors.] Mrs. Martha Jane Knowlton Coray, was born June 2, 1821, in Covington, Kentucky. She was the daughter of Sidney A. and Harriet Burnham Knowlton, and great-grand-daughter of Lieu- tenant Daniel Knowlton, the splendid patriot who served his country so efficiently through the Continental and Revolutionary wars. Mrs. Coray was married to Howard Coray by Patriarch Hyrum Smith, and later sealed in the Nauvoo temple. She and her husband came to Utah in the fall of 1850. I think she joined the Church when about seventeen years of age. She was secre- tary of the Nauvoo Relief Society, and also the secretary of the 440 IMPROVEMENT ERA. first relief societies organized in Salt Lake City, and later in Provo. She was a warm personal friend of the prophet and patriarch Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It was ever her custom when going to meeting to take pencil and note paper; she thus preserved notes of sermons that would otherwise have been lost to the Church. The late President Woodruff consulted her notes, when he was Church Historian, for items not to be obtained elsewhere. I have heard her say that the cause of her writing the history of Joseph Smith was that she might preserve as much as possible of the history of our great prophet to read to her own children; she, accordingly, went to Mother Smith, and asked her permission to write what she could remember of her son's history. Mother Smith gave her glad consent, and my dear mother went to her daily, and wrote until Mother Smith would grow weary. She then read over, several times, what she had written, making such changes and corrections as Mother Smith suggested. The work was undertaken purely as a labor of love. Mrs. Coray was a many-sided woman. Though, in a measure, self-taught, she was well taught; she was a rapid and lucid writer, a brilliant conversationalist, and a fine speaker on a wide range of subjects. She had a fair knowledge of law, philosophy, history, poetry, chemistry and geology — the latter two being her favorite studies. She could and did assay minerals, and distil herbs, write eloquent lectures, and cook dinners that would tempt the appetite of an epicure. She was a member of the first Board of Directors of the Brigham Young Academy in Provo, and, for many years, an earnest and efficient Sunday school worker; and always a tender devoted wife and mother; true to her friends, but not too quick to forgive an enemy. She was the mother of twelve children, all of whom lived to man and womanhood. She died in Provo, Utah, December 14, 1881. Her husband, Howard Coray, now in his eighty-sixth year, and ten of their chil- dren, still live to mourn her loss and honor her memory.