Mary Ann Pratt facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Mary Ann Pratt |
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| Personal details | |
| Born | Mary Ann Frost January 14, 1809 Groton, Vermont, United States |
| Died | August 24, 1891 (aged 82) Pleasant Grove, Utah, Utah Territory, United States |
| Resting place | Pleasant Grove City Cemetery 40°22′09″N 111°44′27″W / 40.3691°N 111.7409°W |
| Spouse(s) |
Nathan Stearns
(m. 1832; died 1833)Parley P. Pratt
(m. 1837; div. 1853) |
| Children | 5 |
Mary Ann Pratt (born January 14, 1809, in Groton, Vermont; died August 24, 1891, in Pleasant Grove, Utah) was a special helper for new mothers (a midwife). She was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement.
Mary Ann was the second wife of Parley P. Pratt. He was one of the first twelve leaders, called apostles, of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She traveled with him on many important trips, including one to Europe. She also helped publish his writings and poems.
Mary Ann joined the church and later followed Brigham Young to Utah. She was one of the Mormon pioneers who arrived in Utah Territory in 1852. Her life story shows a lot about the early days of the church.
Contents
Mary Ann's Early Life
Mary Ann Frost was born in Groton, Vermont. Her parents were Aaron Frost, a farmer, and Susanna Gray Bennett Frost. Her family moved several times when she was young. They lived in places like Berwick, Maine, North Yarmouth, Maine, and Bethel, Maine.
On April 1, 1832, Mary Ann married her first husband, Nathan Stearns. Their daughter, Mary Ann Stearns, was born on April 6, 1833. Sadly, Nathan Stearns died from an illness called typhoid fever on August 25 of the same year. This left Mary Ann as a widow with a baby who was only four months old. Mary Ann also got sick but recovered.
Joining the Latter Day Saint Church
Mary Ann's husband's relatives, Patty Bartlett Sessions and her husband, joined the church in Maine in 1834. Mary Ann's uncle, Orange C. Frost, told her mother about the church.
In the summer of 1835, Brigham Young and other missionaries taught in Bethel, Maine. Mary Ann decided to join the faith. She was baptized by a church leader named David W. Patten. Her mother and grandmother also joined the church at that time.
Mary Ann's father, grandfather, and sister Olive Grey Frost were baptized soon after. Olive later married Joseph Smith, the church founder. After Smith's death, she married Brigham Young. In 1836, Mary Ann moved to Kirtland, Ohio, where many church members were gathering.
Marriage to Parley P. Pratt
Mary Ann met Parley P. Pratt at a church meeting in Saco, Maine. In late 1836, Mary Ann moved to Kirtland, Ohio. This was where the church had built its first temple.
In Kirtland, Mary Ann met Parley P. Pratt, who had recently lost his wife. He was one of the original twelve apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. They were married in Kirtland on May 9, 1837.
In July 1837, Parley P. Pratt left on a mission trip to New York City. During this trip, he helped publish a new edition of The Book of Mormon. He also wrote a book called A Voice of Warning to explain the new faith.
Life in Missouri and Illinois
In April 1838, church members were forced to leave Ohio. Pratt and Mary Ann moved to Far West in Caldwell County, Missouri. Their first child, Nathan Pratt, was born there on August 31, 1838.
On October 30, Parley P. Pratt was arrested by the Missouri Militia. He was put in jail for eight months. Mary Ann joined him in jail with their two children until March 17, 1839. She then moved with other church members to Quincy, Illinois.
On July 4, 1839, Pratt escaped from jail. He reunited with Mary Ann and their children in Quincy on July 11. During another time when Parley was in jail, Mary Ann helped publish his writings and poems.
Mission to England
On August 29, 1839, Mary Ann and Parley left for New York City. Parley then sailed to England for a mission trip on March 9, 1840. Mary Ann returned to her parents in Maine for a few months. She arrived in Manchester, England, in mid-October 1840.
Their daughter, Olivia Pratt, was born in Manchester, England, on June 2, 1841. They left England with 250 new church members on October 29, 1842. They arrived in Nauvoo, Illinois, the new church headquarters, on April 12, 1843.
Mary Ann's Children
Mary Ann Pratt had five children in total. She had one daughter with her first husband, Nathan Stearns.
- Mary Ann Stearns (born April 6, 1833 – died April 4, 1912)
- She married Oscar Winters.
Mary Ann and Parley P. Pratt had four children together:
- Nathan Pratt (born August 31, 1838 – died December 12, 1843)
- Olivia Thankful Pratt (born June 2, 1841 – died June 12, 1906)
- She married Benjamin Woodbury Driggs.
- Susan Pratt (born April 7, 1843 – died August 1844)
- Moroni Llewellyn Pratt (born December 7, 1844 – died April 18, 1913)
- He married Caroline M. Bebee.
Sadly, Nathan and Susan died when they were very young, shortly after arriving in Nauvoo.
Later Life and Work
On February 13, 1846, Mary Ann, Parley, and their children left Nauvoo with most of the church members. Mary Ann returned a week later to stay with her parents, who were still in Nauvoo.
On September 18, 1846, Mary Ann left Nauvoo with the last group of church members. She arrived at Winter Quarters, Nebraska, in June 1847. She told Parley she was returning to Maine with the children. This was likely the last time they were together.
In March 1848, Mary Ann received money from Parley from the sale of their house in Nauvoo. She then returned to Maine.
After living in Bethel for about three years, Mary Ann left on March 10, 1851. She stayed for some time in St. Louis, Missouri, and Kanesville, Iowa. She and her three surviving children left Kanesville on June 10, 1852. They arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, on September 10, 1852.
Parley returned from a mission trip in October 1852. Mary Ann did not reunite with him, but she allowed their children to visit him. On March 5, 1853, their marriage officially ended.
Mary Ann lived the rest of her life in Pleasant Grove, Utah. She never remarried. She worked as a midwife, helping many mothers deliver their babies. It is said she helped deliver hundreds of children without losing any.
In 1880, Mary Ann wrote an article in a Salt Lake City magazine called Woman's Exponent. The article was titled "Give to those Rights to Whom Rights Belong." In it, she wrote about her belief that women should have more legal and political rights. This shows she was an early supporter of women's rights in America.
Mary Ann died in Pleasant Grove in 1891, at the age of 83. She was buried in the Pleasant Grove City Cemetery.
See also
- Parley Pratt
- Wives of Joseph Smith
