Mary Jane Alley Foster was born June 5, 1818 to Henry Alley in Boxford, Massachusetts. Her family primarily lived in Lynn, Massachusetts. On March 8, 1843, Mary Jane married Edmund Foster, son of Simon Foster and Mary Perkins Foster, in Nashua, New Hampshire. Mary Jane followed him west after more than a year separation, in late 1855. Although they may have had more children, Mary Jane and Edmund had at least two children: George, born in New Hampshire in approximately 1847, and Jennie, born in Illinois in approximately 1858. Edmund Foster died in Massachusetts on August 5, 1867 at the age of 52. While it is not clear how long Mary Foster lived, in 1880 she resided in Evanston, Illinois with George and Jennie.
From the description of Mary Jane Alley Foster family correspondence, 1844-1866. (Unknown). WorldCat record id: 368030240
