Mary came from Jamaica, a Creole as she described herself in the local terminology, born around 1805 of a white soldier probably named Grant and a locally born mother, herself a gifted Creole of high intelligence. After the inevitable departure of the father with his regiment, mother kept the military connection, running a boarding house adjoining Up-Park Camp, for invalid officers and their wives. The substantial income from this business was supplemented by treatments based on the herbal medicines of which she had expert knowledge. This she passed on to Mary, who in childhood helped in preparing and administering the doses, practising on her dolls and any unfortunate dogs and cats she could corner ; she proved a quick and willing learner, and subsequent events showed that she also inherited her mother's fine business sense.
At a very early age Mary had been taken in by an lady of advanced years and substantial means, probably as a companion for her grandchildren, and although from the age of twelve she was allowed to spend a great deal of time with her mother, it was doubtless as part of this surrogate family that she was able to go to London in her mid teens, spending about a year there. After returning to Kingston she was soon off to London again, in all likelihood on her own this time, taking with her a substantial stock of West Indian preserves and pickles, which she had no doubt observed to be in high demand. This time she stayed for two years, returning when she heard that her patron aand benefactor was gravely ill. Having survived a shipboard fire, Mary personally nursed the old lady until she died. She then returned home to live, helping her mother in her medical activities, but also finding time to further hone her export-import skills by visits to Haiti, Cuba and New Providence in the Bahamas, from where she brought back a large consignment of shells and shellwork which sold at a goodly profit in Kingston.
