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        Pioneer Database

        1847–1868

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        Birth Date
        Between 1822 and 1825
        Death Date
        Unknown
        Gender
        Female
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        Hannah Smith

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        • Hannah was an African American slave and according to "John Brown's company of 10, report," traveled to Utah with Robert M. Smith. Additional research has revealed that at the time of the trek, Hannah was the mother of Ann, Lawrence, Nelson, and Jane. She later had more children including: Charles, Marion, Martha, and James. 

          It is interesting to note that the 1850 Census listed Hannah's "color" as "yellow". While the 1860 Census listed her "color" as "M" for mulatto. The 1850 Census was actually taken in 1851.  

          While still in slavery, Hannah and her children were taken to California (by Robert M. Smith) where they eventually gained their freedom. In the 1860 Census she was listed under the surname "Sunily."

          Indirect evidence indicates that Hannah was born sometime between 1822 and 1825.

        Willard Richards Company (1848)

        • Age at Departure: Unknown

        Traveled with

        • Robert Mays Smith (Age: 43)
        • Rebecca Ruth Smith (Age: 38)
        • Biddy Mason (Age: 29)
        • Rande (Age: 26)
        • John Dorn Smith (Age: 13)
        • William D. Smith (Age: 11)
        • Ellen Mason (Age: 9)
        • Elijah B. Smith (Age: 9)
        • James S. Smith (Age: 5)
        • Ann Mason (Age: 4)
        • Sarah F. Smith (Age: 3)
        • Joseph Smith (Age: Infant)
        • Harriet Mason (Age: Infant)
        • Jane (Age: Infant)
        • Nelson (Age: Unknown)
        • Lawrence (Age: Unknown)
        • Ann (Age: Unknown)

        Sources

        • 1860 United States Census
        • Beasley, Delilah L. The Negro Trail Blazers of California (New York: Negro Universities Press, 1919), 88-90. 
        • Brown, John Zimmerman, comp. Autobiography of Pioneer John Brown, 1820-1896 (Salt Lake City, 1941), 88, 96, 100.
        • California State Census, 1852.
        • Carter, Kate B. The Story of the Negro Pioneer. (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1965), 33.
        • John Brown's company of 10, report, 1848 June in Camp of Israel schedules and reports 1845-1849.
        • Mississippi company, report, 1848 May in Camp of Israel schedules and reports, 1845-1849.
        • "Slave Inhabitants in Utah County, Deseret," 1850 Utah Census, Utah County. 
        • Smith, Jessie Carney, ed. Notable Black American Women (Detroit: Gale Research Inc., 1992), 733.