Mary Mitchell
Born 26 Aug. 1825 at Leominster, Herefordshire, England.[1] Daughter of Edward Mitchell and Hannah Payne.[2] Baptized as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by John Spiers, 18 Mar. 1841.[3] Emigrated to the U.S. from Liverpool, Lancashire, England, on the Palmyra, arriving in New Orleans 11 Mar. 1845.[4] Married Samuel Pitchforth aboard the Palmyra.[5] Migrated to the Salt Lake Valley with the Edward Hunter/Joseph Horne pioneer company, arriving 26–30 Oct. 1847.[6] Having no children, adopted a Native American boy and named him Lehi Pitchforth, ca. 1851.[7] Served as president of the Levan Branch Relief Society, 1869–1872, in Juab Co., Utah Territory.[8] Having settled in Nephi, Juab Co., provided accommodations for Thomas and Elizabeth Wood Kane, who traveled with Brigham Young to St. George, Washington Co., Utah Territory, 1872.[9] Served as secretary for the Juab Stake Relief Society when it was organized, 1878; appointed as president in a stake conference meeting attended by EBW, 1883.[10] Selected as a vice chair of the “Mormon Women’s Protest,” 1886.[11] Appointed to the committee to draft a protest memorial to be delivered to the president and U.S. Congress by EBW and Dr. Ellen B. Ferguson, 1886.[12] Chair of the meeting to organize the Nephi Woman Suffrage Association, 1889.[13] Member of the Relief Society general board, 10 Oct. 1892–10 Feb. 1901.[14] Entertained EBW on multiple visits to Nephi, 1893–1899.[15] Died 20 Nov. 1907 in Nephi.[16]
[1] Church of England, Parish Church of Leominster, Herefordshire, England, Baptisms, Marriages, and Burials, 1816–1836, 1812–1801, 1813–1815, 1837, Mary Mitchell, p. 201, microfilm 1593747, DGS 7566118, image 224/611, FHL. Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970, Nephi Ward (Old), 1852–1882, p. 11, line 130, Mary Mitchel, CR 375 8, image 78/170, CHL. “Family Tree,” database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org, accessed 24 June 2020), Mary Mitchell (K2H4-QSJ).
[2] Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970, Nephi Ward (Old), 1852–1882, p. 11, line 130, Mary Mitchel, CR 375 8, image 78/170, CHL. Mattie Hiatt, Nephi Records (Nephi, UT: By the author, 1939), 270.
[3] Record of Members Collection, 1836–1970, Nephi Ward (Old), 1852–1882, p. 11, line 130, Mary Mitchel, CR 375 8, image 78/170, CHL. John Spiers, Reminiscences and Journal, 1840–1877, MS 1725, folder 1, images 19–20/358, (restricted access), CHL.
[4] “Mary Mitchell,” Saints by Sea (https://saintsbysea.lib.byu.edu, accessed 9 Sept. 2019).
[5] Doris A. Clark, “The Oatman Story and Ann Hughlings Pitchforth Taylor and Her People,” MS 22357, image 25/144, CHL. “Razing of Century-Old Nephi Home Recalls Memories of Pioneer Days,” Daily Herald (Provo, UT), 1 Apr. 1960, 5. Lisle G. Brown, Nauvoo Sealings, Adoptions, and Anointings (Salt Lake City: Smith-Pettit Foundation, 2006), 242. Devery S. Anderson and Gary James Bergera, eds., The Nauvoo Endowment Companies, 1845–1846: A Documentary History (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2005), 382 (restricted access). “Sealings of Couples, Living and by Proxy, 1851–1889,” The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Endowment House, vol. A-A1, 1851–1854, p. 18, no. 22, Samuel Pitchforth and Mary Mitchell, 20 Dec. 1851, microfilm 183393, DGS 5270317 (restricted access), FHL.
[6] “Mary Pitchforth,” Pioneer Database (https://history.churchofjesuschrist.org/overlandtravel, accessed 9 Sept. 2019).
[7] “Razing of Century-Old Nephi Home Recalls Memories of Pioneer Days,” Daily Herald (Provo, UT), 1 Apr. 1960, 5.
[8] Pearl D. Wilson, A History of Juab County (Salt Lake City: Utah State Historical Society, 1999), 89.
[9] Elizabeth Wood Kane, Twelve Mormon Homes Visited in Succession on a Journey through Utah to Arizona (Salt Lake City: Tanner Trust Fund, 1974), 25–50.
[10] “A Chronicle of the Relief Society,” Woman’s Exponent, July 1906, 5. “Nephi, Juab Stake,” Woman’s Exponent, 22 Sept. 1883, 6. Nephi Utah Stake, “Nephi Utah Stake Relief Society Minutes and Records, 1878–1973,” pp. 151–155, LR 4242 14, CHL. “Editorial Notes,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 Mar. and 1 Apr. 1900, 5.
[11] ‘Mormon’ Women’s Protest: An Appeal for Freedom, Justice and Equal Rights (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1886), 6.
[12] ‘Mormon’ Women’s Protest: An Appeal for Freedom, Justice and Equal Rights (Salt Lake City: Deseret News, 1886), 47–48. “The Rotunda,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 Apr. 1886, 169.
[13] “Editorial Notes,” Woman’s Exponent, 15 May 1889, 5.
[14] Andrew Jenson, Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia: A Compilation of Biographical Sketches of Prominent Men and Women in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, vol. 4 (Salt Lake City: Andrew Jenson History, 1936), 194. History of Relief Society, 1842–1966 (Salt Lake City: General Board of the Relief Society, 1966), 51.
[15] EBW, Diary, 18 Sept. 1890; 17 Dec. 1893; 23 June 1896; 18–21 Sept. 1899.
[16] “Utah State Archives Indexes,” database and images, Utah State Archives (https://archives.utah.gov, accessed 9 Sept. 2019); Utah Department of Health Office of Vital Records and Statistics Death Certificates, series 81448, file no. 124/321 (1907), Mary Pitchforth. “Pioneer of Plains Dies at Ripe Age,” Inter-Mountain Republican (Salt Lake City), 23 Nov. 1907, 3.