Mary Ann Lavender

Mary Ann Lavender is the fifth of all children born to George Lavender and Mary Ann Coles, both from England. The family immigrated to America to join other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. After arriving in America, they joined the Abraham O. Smoot Company to trek west to the Salt Lake Valley.

Exhaustive travel, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. While traveling through Wyoming, Mary Ann passed away and was buried along the Mormon Trail.

From her mother’s history: “There was no material with which to make a coffin or even a box to place the little body in. They dressed her and wrapped the body in a blanket and put it in the grave, then they laid sage bows over the body and filled the grave with the dirt. They put stones over it for protection then made a fire over that to disguise the grave from the Indians.”