Hannah Newman

Hannah Newman is the fourth or twelve children born to Henry James Newman and Maria Louisa Penn, both of England. With three of their children, the Newman immigrated to America with a desire to be with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After arriving in America, they joined the John A. Hunt Company to journey to Utah. This company was the last wagon train journeying to Utah for the year.

Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Cholera, a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water, infected many of the travelers. When the company was west of the South Pass in Wyoming, Maria gave birth to a daughter, Hannah. The baby died the same day and was buried on the plains around midnight November 13, 1850.

From a history written of Maria Newman: “The baby died the same day. The birth and death of her little daughter, the digging of a crude grave in the frozen ground, were very hard on her in her weakened condition. As the train moved off in the distance, mother glanced back and saw the wolves digging at the tiny grave.”

Little Infant Hannah was buried on plains at about eleven or twelve at night, November 13, 1850.