Mary's Story
Birth: November 22nd, 1852 | female | in Burnley, Lancashire, England
Death: July 2nd, 1854 | 1 year old | along the Mormon Trail West
Memorial: Stone 4 | left column
Mary Proctor was the fifth child born to Thomas Proctor and Susanna Chadwick, both from England. After crossing the ocean and arriving in America, the family joined an unknown company to travel to the Salt Lake Valley with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, prematurity, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers.
From the journal of Mary’s father, Thomas: “Baby Mary was stricken with illness along the way and died on July 2, 1854. Heartbroken, the mother could not bury the baby in just a blanket, as was the usual manner. She emptied her dress box and made a small casket. Morning came and the company had to move on and could not stay to bury their dead. An elder without an outfit of a family offered to stay and bury the baby. When night came he had caught up with the company and reported the task done.”
Eighteen-month-old Mary is laid to rest along the Mormon Trail.