Mary Ann Vest

Mary Ann West is the third of nine children born to William Vest and Hannah Jane Henderson, both from England. William and Hannah joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in n March 1853. With a desire to join other Saints in “Zion” in the Great Salt Lake Valley, they immigrated to America, sailing on the ship “Juventa.”

After arriving in America, they traveled to Nebraska to join the Charles A. Harper Company to journey west. The company left 25 July 1855. While still in Nebraska, Hannah gave birth to a daughter, and named her Mary Ann. 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.

Somewhere along the Mormon Trail, little Mary Ann passed away. According to a history written by a granddaughter of William and Hannah: “Grandmother had a beautiful dress pattern she was bringing to make a dress. All she could do was wrap the little one in the material and go on with the rest.”

The family traveled on to Utah and lived in Southern Utah for the rest of their lives.