Celebrating Women in the Church History Biographical Database
As we’ve delved into the research and expansion of the Church History Biographical Database, we’ve unearthed a treasure trove of documents illuminating the pivotal roles women have played throughout the history of the Church. Women have often been the unsung heroes, their contributions woven subtly yet profoundly into the fabric of our faith. From pioneers to devoted missionaries, their stories not only enrich our understanding of Church history but also serve as a reminder of the contributions women have brought to the early beginnings of the Church.
The Church History Biographical Database is a comprehensive collection of profiles of early members of the Church spanning from 1830 to 1945. It documents the diverse activities undertaken by these individuals, whether they served as missionaries (1830–1945), participated in a Utah-bound overland pioneer company (1846–1868), or contributed to the storied legacy of the Mormon Battalion (1846–1847).
The Church History Biographical Database is an excellent starting point to learn about early members of the Church.
Women Missionaries
Figure 1 Missionary companions: Josephine Booth, Lizzie Nelson, and Eliza Chipman
The Church History Biographical Database includes over 5,500 women missionaries who served in some capacity. Most data for missionaries in the database come from two primary sources: the Missionary Registers housed in the Church History Library and Andrew Jenson’s roster list. Recently we have added a source by Susa Young Gates who created a handwritten list of all known women missionaries from 1865 to 1923. This record includes their names, mission, set apart date, and return date. It is a valuable source that includes over 1,000 women missionaries.
Officially, women did not serve full-time proselyting missions until 1898. Initially, women were called to serve in non-proselytizing missions, such as education missions, midwifery missions, the Tabernacle Choir, and genealogical missions.
We also have record of several women accompanying their husbands on their missions. These women shared the gospel through casual meetings with neighbors and friends. Phoebe Pratt accompanied Parley P. Pratt to Chile in 1851. And Susa Young Gates joined her husband Jacob F. Gates in Hawaii. Both had not been called but decided to help their husbands in whatever way possible.
In a more official capacity, we have Louisa Pratt and Chloe Antoinette Eldredge. Louisa was called during the 1850 spring conference to join her husband, Addison Pratt, on his mission to Tahiti. While a surprise, she accepted the call and brought along her four daughters. These women learned the language, gave talks in meetings, and preached the gospel to the women of the island of Tubuai. Chloe is one of the earliest women we have record of being set apart to serve as a mission president’s wife in England. Her husband, Horace Sunderlin Eldredge, was called as the mission president in 1870. While specific duties are not known, her setting apart designates a more official role than previous wives who accompanied their husbands.
Elizabeth McCune served as an excellent example of unofficial missionary service. While visiting England in 1897, Joseph W. McMurrin asked her to speak at a conference. Her talk was so impactful she was asked to speak at additional gatherings across England, spreading the message of the gospel to a wider audience. Many leaders in the Church noticed her efforts and were inspired by the potential of having proselyting women missionaries.
Figure 2 (Left to Right) Mrs. S E. Noall; Miss C. Smith; Jennie Brimhall; Inez Knight. Manchester Conference 1898.
Inez Knight and Jennie Brimhall were the first two women called to preach the gospel in England. Their local stake president sent a letter directly to President Wilford Woodruff recommending Inez and Jennie as potential missionaries. A few days later at the April 1898 General Conference, the First Presidency of the Church announced that women could be called to serve as missionaries. If you’d like to know more about their mission, the BYU Library Digital Collections has the missionary journal of Inez Knight. The Church Historian’s Press also has a collection of journals of early sister missionaries.
Pioneer Women:
About 70,000 to 80,000 people are estimated to have emigrated to the Salt Lake Valley from 1846 to 1868. Just over 29,000 of the nearly 59,000 pioneers officially documented in the Biographical Database are women. We are continually researching for and identifying new pioneers to add. Of the many courageous women pioneers, we’d like to highlight the following individuals:
The first three pioneer women to set foot in the Salt Lake Valley were Harriet Page Young, Ellen Sanders Kimball, and Clarissa Clara Decker. They all traveled with the Brigham Young Vanguard company of 1847. In a poem titled “The Lady Pioneers,” published in an 1890 edition of the Woman’s Exponent, the author, Ellen Jakeman, commemorated these women and the other first pioneer women in Utah.
The journey often lasted months, and there were times when pregnant mothers gave birth on the trail. Sarah Ann Holladay Dowdle was the first of many Latter-day Saint pioneer women to give birth during the trek west. She traveled with the Mississippi Company, the first company to head west. On May 6, 1846, when they reached Osage River, Sarah gave birth to her first child, Sarah Catherine Dowdle. She would continue to Fort Pueblo, Colorado, where the company spent the winter until its eventual continuation to Utah, arriving in July 1847.
The average age of death in the United States in the 1850s was about 40 years old. So, it is no small feat that Mary Ann Van Leuven traveled and reached the valley at 84 years of age. She joined the Robert Wimmer Company in 1852 and reached her intended destination on September 15 of that year. Based on census records we believe she lived nine more years after her journey to Utah.
And then there’s Elizabeth Xavier Tait, possibly the pioneer who completed the longest journey to get to the Salt Lake Valley. One of a few converts from India, she decided to travel to Utah with her family once the missionaries closed the Indian Mission in 1856. Her husband and son left a bit earlier and sailed through the Pacific and traveled to Utah from California. Due to her pregnancy Elizabeth waited and took a different path than her family. She sailed from Bombay to Liverpool, then almost immediately after arriving set sail for Boston. We know her newborn child at least survived the journey up to Boston, but likely passed away before the trek to Utah. She made her way to Iowa where she gathered with other incoming Saints and eventually joined the ill-fated Willie Handcart Company. She survived the journey and arrived in Salt Lake City after travelling 18,500 miles.
Mormon Battalion:
The Mormon Battalion was a volunteer military organization formed in 1846 during the Mexican American War. The unit was mainly comprised of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Of the 616 people we have identified traveling with this group, 33 women and 51 children are known. (You can find these non-enlisted individuals in the Mormon Battalion Camp Followers list). The women were soldiers’ mothers, wives, and daughters who joined the battalion as cooks and laundresses. As part of the Army of the West, the battalion marched toward California. Many of the battalion members became ill during the march. To accommodate the situation separate detachments were organized to travel to Pueblo, Colorado, which included almost all the women and children. From there they would organize and travel to Salt Lake City. We can only confirm four women who completed the 2,000-mile march to California with the Mormon Battalion: Susan Davis, Lydia Hunter, Phoebe Brown, and Melissa Coray.
Other Notable Women:
Many of the women in the database also achieved renown for a variety of additional accomplishments in politics, Church leadership, and social life.
Figure 3 Emmeline B. Wells
Emmeline B. Wells was Utah’s most notable suffragette. Emmeline joined the Church in its early days and followed the Saints to Utah in 1848. After settling in Utah, she became the second editor of the Woman’s Exponent, the Relief Society’s periodical, was a founding member of the Utah Women’s Press Club and served as the general president of the Relief Society from 1910 to 1921. In her leadership roles, she advocated for women’s rights through suffragist activism.
Figure 4 Ellis Shipp (middle row, far right) with a Midwives class, 1896
Ellis Shipp, one of the first woman doctors in Utah, was called by Brigham Young to study medicine with the hope of decreasing the mortality rate of mothers and newborns in Latter-day Saint communities. She was a prolific teacher and key contributor in expanding the call for midwives and nurses as she helped train hundreds of other women for those roles.
Figure 5 Jane Elizabeth Manning
Jane Elizabeth Manning was an early African American member of the Church. She was part of the early Church establishment in Nauvoo, Illinois, where she became friends with Joseph and Emma Smith. When Latter-day Saints were expelled from Nauvoo, she joined the journey to Utah in 1847, becoming one of the first Black settlers in the valley. She endured many hardships because of prejudice against her race but remained faithful to the Church until her death in 1908.
Figure 6 Martha Hughes Cannon
Martha Hughes Cannon, born in Wales, traveled to Utah with her family in 1861 as part of the Joseph Horne Company. In her twenties, she was called to serve as a medical practitioner where she studied and eventually became a doctor. In 1896 she ran against her husband for Utah state senator, and in November of that year secured her position in the senate. She was the first woman elected as a state senator in the United States.
The Church History Biographical Database stands as a rich resource, inviting all to explore the fascinating histories of the early Women in the Church. In exploring their lives, we not only honor their legacy but also gain a deeper understanding of the invaluable role women have played in shaping the history of the Church. We hope the Biographical Database helps us continue to celebrate and appreciate the women who, with unwavering dedication, contributed to the foundations of the Church.