Martha Ann was born the third child of James Foss and Susan Davis Townsend in Buxton, York, Maine on 2 March, 1832. At the age of 8, she and her parents and brother James Francis (10) and sister Mary Jane (12) left Buxton, Maine with other Mormon pioneers in 1840 bound for Kirkland, and Nauvoo, Illinois. She often told of their several weary weeks of travel and how parts of the canvas cover seemed never to stop flapping in the wind. They lived in Nauvoo from 1840-1846. Martha Ann was baptized at the age of 12 in the Missouri River in Nauvoo on 27 August, 1844 by Abraham Smoot, father of Apostle Reed Smoot and confirmed by Apostle Wilford Woodruff. The Townsends were in Nauvoo at the time of the martyrdom of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, 27 June, 1844 and were very good friends with Wilford Woodruff and his family.
They left Nauvoo with other Mormon pioneers in 1846 and crossed the Mississippi River living in Missouri from 1846 to 1852. Her father did masonry work there. Martha Ann married Henry Robinson in Missouri when she was about 20 years old. He was born 30 November, 1824 in Hull, York, England. He played the violin. The marriage only lasted six weeks because he was cruel to her and she quickly divorced him but had gotten pregnant. She was in the early stages of her pregnancy (3-4 months) when she and her family left Missouri for Utah in 1852. They traveled with a Mormon pioneer group called the "John M. Higley Company" and arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah on 12 August, 1852 and John Townsend (John T. as he was known) was born a few months later on 21 January 1853. Martha Ann's father, James, built the first hotel in Utah in Salt Lake City, called "The Salt Lake House" and sold it for $25,000.00 in 1864. After a mission to England he returned in 1866 and built a large hotel called the "Townsend House" in Salt Lake and was offered at one time $100,000.00 to sell it.
Martha Ann (21) married George Washington Lufkin (22), the son of Samuel Henry and Eleanor Johnson Lufkin, on 9 July, 1853 in Salt Lake at the Endowment House when John T. was about six months old. They were sealed 29 April, 1856 in the Endowment House. George was mean to John T. and he was never legally adopted by George W. George had also arrived in SLC in 1852 with a different company of pioneers than Martha Ann from the state of Vermont, where he was born 30 June, 1831 and had lived and joined the Mormon Church.
George Washington was a carpenter and furniture maker by trade and went to work immediately, after his arrival in SLC, on the social hall. He built a home, with a cabinet shop on the same lot. Eventually it all burned to the ground so he built a new home and shop in a different location of town. Martha Ann helped him stain, varnish and stencil furniture as well as kept up her home. They lived there until sometime in the early months of 1863 and during this time had four more children; Florence May, born 26 March, 1855; George Eastman, born 26 May, 1857; Martha Emma, born 2 February, 1859 and Susan Asenath, born 11 November, 1860.
In 1862 George received a mission call from President Brigham Young to go south and help settle the Dixie country in southern Utah. They lived in Virgin, Utah by St. George until 1864. They had another child in Virgin, Jessie Lowe, born 20 July, 1863, which gave them a total of 6 children.
In 1864, they moved to Dalton, Kane County, Utah and they had another child, Jane Maria born 14 February, 1866. George was still on his mission for the church.
In 1867 they moved to St. George, Utah, along with many other church leaders, including Brigham Young and George built a two-story adobe house and a furniture shop but still helping organize the church in that area. On 7 August, 1869, Marion Davis was born in St. George, Utah.
They were again requested by Erastus Snow to move to Panaca, Utah, which became Nevada in 1875 to help organize the church there the fall of 1869. In 1871, while in Panaca their 9th child, Vernie Isabell was born on 18 September. In the spring of 187, President Erastus Snow came and released him from his mission so they moved back to St. George, Utah because they liked it so much but after a few months living there they decided to move back to Salt Lake in November 1872. In October 1872, their oldest daughter, Florence, married William Alexander Barron who was the brother to Hannah Sabina Barron. Hannah Sabina married John T. Lufkin, Florence's older half-brother in October 1873. In December 1873, George (43) and Martha Ann(42) became grand-parents from Florence and William.
On 3 January, 1880, when Martha Ann was 47 and George was 48, they had their last child, Kate Naomi giving them a total of 10 children. (2 boys and 8 girls). They lost Martha Emma at 2 months old in Salt Lake City in 1859 so had 9 children living. John T. and his brother George Eastman were the only boys.
By 1888 five of their nine children were married, so they decided to move to Logan, Utah where they could be close to the Temple to do Temple work. Martha Ann loved to do Temple work. George Washington was sealed to 12 women in the Logan Temple that he was not married to between 1886 and 1890, some of which were family members on both sides of their family. Martha Ann was a member of the Logan 6th Ward, Cache Stake.
She was a wonderful housekeeper, cook, and did beautiful needle work and taught her daughters to do the same. They did a lot of entertaining in their home. She was always willing to help and go where ever they were called or where ever they could better themselves. She moved over and over again in her lifetime with a large family. Let it be noted that when they moved while serving the church, they would up and leave each location only with their personal belongings. The left all the household items and furniture for the next missionary family coming to replace them.
Martha Ann died in Logan, Utah on 10 January, 1912 at age 80 and George Washington died in Logan on 7 January, 1922 at age 91 and both are buried there leaving a legacy they would be proud of.
By daughter, Jane Maria Lufkin Hailstone
