Anna Maria (Bartlett) Mott Henry was born on December 31, 1861, in Christchurch, Hampshire, England. She was the daughter of Mary Anne (Footner) and Alfred James Bartlett (1845-1886). In 1885, she married Robert Innes Mott, a poet, in Christchurch. They came to California, where he died less than a year after their marriage. On April 3, 1893, she married George Samuel Henry, a builder and contractor in Redlands, San Bernardino County, California.
The Henrys moved to Arizona in 1893 and had four children: Maude Footner (Henry) Hopkins (1894-1990), Neill Henry (May 5, 1896 – October 6, 1896 – a baby named for Buckey O'Neill), Ola Gertrude (Henry) Pitchford (1899-1937), and Amelia (Henry) Oldershaw (1902-2002).
George passed away on March 23, 1904, in Prescott. At the time of his death, he was the superintendent of construction for the contractors who were rebuilding Fort Whipple. A dressmaker and milliner by trade, Anna supported herself and her three children by many forms of employment.
She was Secretary and Treasurer for Rebekah and Pocahontas Lodges, collected insurance premiums for the Woodmen of the World, did janitorial work at the Odd Fellows Hall, with the help of her daughters Ola and Amelia, and was the Spirella Corset Company representative in Prescott. At various times, Anna was a clerk in the Yavapai County Recorder's office, was a part-time cashier in a grocery store, and served as librarian in the County library. As a well-known parliamentarian, she taught classes in parliamentary law for organizations such as the Monday Club.
Anna received the Decoration of Chivalry from the Rebekah Lodge during its State Convention in 1905, the award being given for efforts in establishing the first orphanage in Arizona for children of Odd Fellows and Rebekahs. She was a member of the Woodmen of the World (WOW), Pythian Sisters, the First Congregational Church, and the Degree of Pocahontas, which was a ladies auxiliary of “The Improved Order of Red Men.” In 1936, Anna was presented with a life membership in the Monday Club.
Anna lived at 320 North Mt. Vernon Street, on North Alarcon Street, and at 605 Maple Street in Prescott. In 1936, Anna became ill and went to stay with her daughter in Texas. She died on November 11, 1939, at the home of her daughter, Maude Hopkins, in Fort Worth, Tarrant County, Texas and was buried in the Odd Fellows Cemetery in Prescott.
Her daughters Ola (Henry) Pitchford and Amelia (Henry) Oldershaw are represented in the Arizona Territorial Women’s Rose Garden as well.
Donor: Marjorie Pitchford Prince & Amelia Oldershaw
Photo Located: Historic Photo Collection - PO-516pb
Updated: 2/4/2016, Gretchen Hough Eastman
