Daughters of the Pioneers
I am the keeper of a heritage, part of a procession
that will not end with me. My birthright was the bequest of
progenitors who walked across the plains to find surcease
from bitter persecution because of their religious beliefs;
they who struggled to transform a desert into a haven
where today I enjoy the fruits of their labors.
Honoring our pioneer ancestors is the purpose of
the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.
History of Martha Stewart Warburton
Martha was born in Tooele, Utah on March 6, 1855. She was the daughter of Benjamin and Agnes Gillespie Stewart. She was born during a time of famine, when there was not food in the family home, and at the time Tooele settlers were building a mud wall around the community.
At the age of 16, Martha became the wife of Richard Warburton who was 26. Their home was on North Main Street, almost at the center of town. Martha was the mother of seven children: Arthur, Harold, Katherine, Leslie, Agnes, Ernest and Leo. Only three of her children outlived her. She was widowed at the age of 52, and was a widow for thirty-five years.
Martha was a very good cook and for many years made a living cooking for salesmen and transients and she took in boarders.
Quiet and reserved, Martha's life was spent in home service and care of her family. She loved her church and was a loving, caring, unselfish woman.
When the Daughters of Utah Pioneers was organized in Tooele (January 1915), Martha was elected second vice-president to Barbara Bowen, her best friend. She served in this capacity until 1925.
Martha died on October 6, 1932 after a two year illness following a stroke.
On September 22, 1933 the Martha Warburton Camp of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers was organized and named in her honor.
Mormon Cooking
When the Mormon pioneers first came to the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, there was little, if anything, growing that was edible. They survived on the food they brought with them (which had dwindled terribly) and the meager supplies they found here. They ate roots, weeds, and whatever they could find. They planted their crops and a harvest was a very big event.
In 1856 during a grasshopper plague the pioneers almost starved. They went without bread for weeks. They ate crow, grass, pig weed, thistle and anything they could find to allay hunger.
The women tried to cook substantial meals that would sustain the people who were engaged in hard labor. Many of these recipes are "stick-to-your-ribs" cooking which helped sustain their lives. We enjoy these same recipes, but have learned to limit our consumption.
The following recipes are some of the old standbys and favorites of the pioneers.
Old Fashioned Rice Pudding
3 cups cooked rice
3 cups milk
1/2 cup sugar
3 tbsp. butter (or margarine)
1 tsp. vanilla
Combine rice, milk, sugar and butter. Cook over medium heat until thickened, about 30 minutes, stirring often. Add vanilla. Pour into serving dish. Serve hot or cold. Makes 6 servings.
Pioneer Bread Pudding
1 cup flour
2 cups bread crumbs
1 cup sugar
1 cup milk
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 cup butter
Mix flour and sugar and crumbs; add nutmeg, mix thoroughly. Melt butter and milk; add to dry mixture. Steam in double boiler for 1 hour. Serve hot with sauce.
Sauce 3 tbsp. butter
3 cups water
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup flour
Add butter and sugar to hot water. Bring to a boil. Add flour made into a soft paste. Add to hot syrup and stir well. Boil 1 minute.
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Daughters of the Pioneers Creed © DUP
Martha Stewart Warburton history © Martha Warburton Camp
© 1998 by Karen Shields Emery. All rights reserved. Links to this page are welcome - please do not reproduce or republish without my permission.
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