Mary Wharton was born on 24 Feb 1762 in Stapleford, Chester and from a very young age found she had a profound belief in the divine and thought deeply about death, judgement, heaven and hell.
Her mother had been a very prominent member in the Methodist society and Mary grew up being a deeply religious person.
After several bereavements of close family which only deepened her faith she went on to marry in 1790 a widowed Methodist minister who had four young daughters.
Mary remained a very big part of the Wesleyan community for around 50 years in Mouldsworth. She spread the word of God by helping all Ministers in preparing their sermons and teaching them about being kind, good and helping others where you can.
Mary was a devout Christian and lived her life by these beliefs and taught others in her community including trainee ministers. She would always help the sick and the disadvantaged through her faith but never went over the top with her beliefs.
She continued to teach and live by these beliefs for over 50 years while looking after a home and five children. Her faith never wavered once. She taught people to accept what you have and not to be afraid of death, to be kind to others and to lead by example, which Mary did throughout her life.
In her later years she became too infirm to worship in the community but her faith never wavered and when she knew her time had come she wasn’t afraid.
Mary died on 12 May 1841 aged 79 years and left a legacy which was recorded in her diaries and with permission from her only son Charles Janion was published in the Wesleyan Magazine around that time.
Her profound belief in the teachings of the Lord and her unwavering faith in Christianity meant her legacy was to teach so many people ‘how to live and how to die.’
