Martha, the third child of Orson Pratt Brown and Jane Bodily Galbraith was born on June 19, 1901 in the Colonia Dublán, Chihuahua, Mexico.

Orson was born on May 22, 1863 in Ogden, Weber Co. Utah and Jane was born on April 2, 1879 in Kaysville, Davis Co., Utah.  Colonia Dublán was a Mormon colony of polygamists that had migrated from the United States when polygamy became illegal in the United States.

Her father Orson moved his families to various colonies, depending on his callings in the church, so the family did not stay in one place too long.  He was a rancher, and had large land holdings.

Martha (Betty as she became known in her adult life) was a beautiful child, bubbly and adventurous.  In 1952, her brother Grant stated, "From there (Oaxaca) we went to live on the Las Sparas Ranch for some time. There was a large cave there, and I remember that one time Dad offered five dollars to any one of us children who would go up and inside of that cave, and if I am not mistaken Betty (Martha) was the one that would do it."

In 1912, the Latter-day Saints were given 24 hours notice by Pancho Villa's General Blanco to leave Mexico or fight.  Jane and her children were living on Petacachi Ranch, which is between Morelos and Douglas, Arizona.  She packed up what goods she could on a horse driven wagon, loaded her children on top, and began the trek back to the United States.  A wagon wheel hit a chuckhole, and 7 year old William Galbraith fell and was crushed by the hub of the wheel.  Ronald, the eldest, unhitched a horse and rode back for help.  Grief stricken, Jane returned to Morelos to bury her son, then resumed her journey.

They made their journey through Douglas, Arizona, and spent the winter in El Paso, Texas.  They then journeyed to Salt Lake City, moved to Kaysville, Utah, then back to Salt Lake City, Utah, where they lived in a succession of rented homes, carrying Grandma Galbraith with them.  Needless to say, the constant moving was hard on the children, changing schools, making new friends.

In approximately 1921, Mother Jane gathered her children Martha, Pratt Orson, Porfirio (Thomas) and Emma and moved to San Jose, Calif. to be with Grant, who was working there as part of a surveying team for the State of Calif.  The younger children attended school, and Martha attended the university. 

Betty, as she called herself, grew up to be a lovely, fair skinned woman with dark wavy hair and with one green eye and the other hazel.  She loved music and dancing.  She was a wonderful cook, sharing her knowledge with her nieces.

Betty met and married a handsome young man by the name of Charles Edward Leach.  They bought a restaurant in Gilroy, Calif. and named it "The Blind Pig."  Her bother Grant had bought into it and worked as a cook for several years.  It was such a successful endeavor; they decided to move to a larger restaurant.  This new restaurant did not pan out and they had to sell it.

Betty gave birth to a beautiful, dark haired girl with large hazel eyes and named her Mary Jane Leach in August 12, 1928  while living in Gilroy, Calif.

Betty and Ed moved to San Francisco, and Betty worked at the largest department store, managing the fur department.  She was a successful salesperson because of her effervescent personality.

Aron, her brother by O.P. Brown's last wife, remembers," I took the bus to San Francisco and from the bus station called my sister Betty, whose husband Jack (Ed) Leach answered telling me where I would find her, in the fur department of the largest department store in San Francisco.  I got on the elevator and stepped off at the fur department floor.  I asked a lady where I might find Betty Leach.  She pointed in Betty's direction and this gal came streaking from her department towards me screaming "MY BABY BROTHER!!"  Evidently Jack (Ed), her husband, had warned her that I would be coming.  I looked for a place to hide, I was so embarrassed.  She reminded me of my sister Bertha because of her exuberance."

Betty divorced Ed after ten years of marriage, because Ed had developed a drinking problem that had affected his personality after 10 years of marriage in 1937. Ed died on November 3, 1979.

Betty married Lawrence (Larry) Moore, a younger man in 1943.  He owned a beauty salon in San Francisco, and  worked as a hair stylist.  He was a wonderful person, and was kind to Mary Jane.  He bought them a lovely home on Jones Street, got a dog and a cat for Mary Jane, something she had never had.  They enjoyed their life together until he died of a heart attack while being operated on for a hernia 9 years later (1952).  The autopsy also showed the beginning of liver cancer.  Betty was devastated by his death. 

She worked as a business manager for the Club Catering Co. for 5 years before she became too ill to work.

Her last street address was 1179 Capitol Avenue, San Francisco, Calif.

Betty died on Sept. 22, 1972 of probable ventricular fibrillation due to coronary artery disease, was cremated by Cypress Lawn Memorial Park, Colma, Ca. and her ashes are buried in San Francisco with Larry Moore's remains.

Julia Porras de Cardenas Brown (Grant Brown's wife)
with Betty Galbraith Brown Leach Moore around 1967

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Thanks to all of our family members who shared their resources and memories, especially Aron Brown and Mary Jane Guidichi.
--Martha Brown Davis, October 10, 2002 

Sources:

PAF - Archer Files = Orson Pratt Brown + Jane Bodily Galbraith > Martha Elizabeth Brown

Copyright 2001 www.OrsonPrattBrown.org