An Independent Woman

The value of the diaries of Patty Bartlett Sessions cannot be exaggerated. Patty told her tale while she was living it, shifting attention from one scenario to another with little or no elaboration. She was too busy to explain fully what she already knew, writing, as it were, only reminders for herself. Yet she must have had some intuitive sense that her life and activities were historically important. Occasionally she assumed a more literary tone. She freely, fully, and dramatically discussed her ambiguous feelings as her husband David took polygamous wives. Obviously she resented not being consulted the way she would have liked, but she was convinced the ought to accept the principle of plural marriage. Rosilla, David Sessions's first plural wife, remained behind at the time of the exodus from Nauvoo, but in June caught up with the company in Iowa, probably traveling with Perrigrine and his family.

In 1851 Patty married John Parry (1789-1868), a Welsh convert, whose wife had died as they were crossing the plains. Although she always spoke of him with respect and affection, she bemoaned the interruption of their relationship when he took a plural wife in 1854, Harriet.

John Parry

Actually Patty probably gained more from polygamy than she realized. Always of a strong nature, she became even more astute in her business dealings as she took control of her own affairs. Forced independence helped Patty to establish her success in various ventures.           

Patty became a strong woman. She became independent and knew how to do things on her own. She "laid up considerable" because she worked hard as a midwife and as a consultant on other medical matters; she toiled at cultivating her gardens and orchards and in selling and preserving their fruits; and she wisely invested in other properties, saving what she made in all her endeavors. She bought stock in Zions Cooperative Mercantile Association, and by 1883 owned shares worth sixteen thousand dollars. She was as compulsive about her financial accounting as about recording her daily activities. Thus her financial ledgers become veritable repositories of information about the pioneer economy. She recorded the costs of delivering babies, of purchases she and others made at the cooperative store she operated for a while, and of items she acquired for her home; the charges for properties she purchased, the rent received from them, and construction expenses; and the value of in-kind payments for tithing. She never made a loan without noting it and crossing it out when paid. She made a record of all her business dealings with her family, including her two husbands. Patty Sessions was a formidable business woman, often seeming just plain miserly. She was not miserly, but she was frugal. She worked hard for what she accumulated. She took care of her belongings and her property. She expected the same of others and a fair accounting such as she offered for business dealings.