Ruth Ann Kington

Ruth Ann Kington was the second of eight children born to Thomas Kington III of England and Margaret Pisel of Pennsylvania. Thomas and Margaret met and were married in Nauvoo, Illinois.

The Kington family joined the Aaron Johnson Sr. Company of 1850 to journey with other members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latte-day Saints to the Salt Lake Valley. Exhaustive travel conditions, disease, injury, lack of food and medicine, premature birth, and extreme weather were some of the greatest threats to pioneers. Along the way, cholera (a bacterial disease caused from contaminated water) infected many in the camp. Among the victims was 5-year-old Ruth Ann. She is buried where they were camped, near Salt Creek in Nebraska.

According to the autobiography of Mary Ann Maughan: “this morning is so wet and uncomfortable it was thought best to remain in camp. some are washing and baking[.] all are busy. about noon it cleared up, and we had Public Meetting in camp, some have fasted and all humbled themselves before the Lord and Prayed that he would remove disease from us. Brother [Spicer Wells] Crandle [Crandall] said in four days five had been takein from their midst, and requested the Brethren to pray that their family may be speared [spared].”