Daughter of Elizabeth Rutledge of Lancaster County, South Carolina and Littlejohn Utley Jr. of Wake County, North Carolina. Her parents had married at Perry County Alabama and, after the loss of two young children and the birth of several others, had found their way to Illinois.
They gathered with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, determined to migrate to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah Territory.
Martha had married a widower, William Brittan Adams, at Pottawattamie County, Iowa 3 November 1849. He had 3 young daughters. They eventually joined a west bound wagon train, along with her parents and other family members.
Seven persons, in the 1852 Allen Weeks Company of LDS immigrants, had died along the trail after leaving the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs).
They had reached Loup Fork and made the ferry crossing. Just before reaching another crossing of the Platte River and Horseshoe Creek, Martha Ann E. Adams, the 22 month old daughter of William Brittan Adams and his second wife, Martha Ann Utley, died of what was reported as "brain fever".
The Trail Journal recorded the sad details of the little girl's passing and the illness of her mother:
"July 25th. Sunday, at 9 o'clock a.m. the bell rang for meeting. Capt. Wm. B. Adams' child is very sick. After meeting he requested the company to remain till morning on account of his child; his wife had also been taken sick. The company voted to remain; about sunset his child died and his wife grew worse."
"July 26. Capt. Adams' child was buried, the cattle were scattered about this morning and were not got up to start until 9 o'clock a.m., traveled but a short distance till Mrs. Adams grew worse and on request, the camp stopped."
Martha Ann died very late that evening, buried alongside the Mormon Trail, as had her little daughter had been. The little mother was three months pregnant with her second child.
"Martha Ann [Uttley] Adams July 26 Aged 20 Years and three months in Child bead [bearing]"
Martha Ann's mother, Elizabeth Rutledge Utley, died the following day; three generations buried on the Great Plain in a span of three days!
They gathered with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, determined to migrate to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah Territory.
Martha had married a widower, William Brittan Adams, at Pottawattamie County, Iowa 3 November 1849. He had 3 young daughters. They eventually joined a west bound wagon train, along with her parents and other family members.
Seven persons, in the 1852 Allen Weeks Company of LDS immigrants, had died along the trail after leaving the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs).
They had reached Loup Fork and made the ferry crossing. Just before reaching another crossing of the Platte River and Horseshoe Creek, Martha Ann E. Adams, the 22 month old daughter of William Brittan Adams and his second wife, Martha Ann Utley, died of what was reported as "brain fever".
The Trail Journal recorded the sad details of the little girl's passing and the illness of her mother:
"July 25th. Sunday, at 9 o'clock a.m. the bell rang for meeting. Capt. Wm. B. Adams' child is very sick. After meeting he requested the company to remain till morning on account of his child; his wife had also been taken sick. The company voted to remain; about sunset his child died and his wife grew worse."
"July 26. Capt. Adams' child was buried, the cattle were scattered about this morning and were not got up to start until 9 o'clock a.m., traveled but a short distance till Mrs. Adams grew worse and on request, the camp stopped."
Martha Ann died very late that evening, buried alongside the Mormon Trail, as had her little daughter had been. The little mother was three months pregnant with her second child.
"Martha Ann [Uttley] Adams July 26 Aged 20 Years and three months in Child bead [bearing]"
Martha Ann's mother, Elizabeth Rutledge Utley, died the following day; three generations buried on the Great Plain in a span of three days!
Daughter of Elizabeth Rutledge of Lancaster County, South Carolina and Littlejohn Utley Jr. of Wake County, North Carolina. Her parents had married at Perry County Alabama and, after the loss of two young children and the birth of several others, had found their way to Illinois.
They gathered with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, determined to migrate to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah Territory.
Martha had married a widower, William Brittan Adams, at Pottawattamie County, Iowa 3 November 1849. He had 3 young daughters. They eventually joined a west bound wagon train, along with her parents and other family members.
Seven persons, in the 1852 Allen Weeks Company of LDS immigrants, had died along the trail after leaving the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs).
They had reached Loup Fork and made the ferry crossing. Just before reaching another crossing of the Platte River and Horseshoe Creek, Martha Ann E. Adams, the 22 month old daughter of William Brittan Adams and his second wife, Martha Ann Utley, died of what was reported as "brain fever".
The Trail Journal recorded the sad details of the little girl's passing and the illness of her mother:
"July 25th. Sunday, at 9 o'clock a.m. the bell rang for meeting. Capt. Wm. B. Adams' child is very sick. After meeting he requested the company to remain till morning on account of his child; his wife had also been taken sick. The company voted to remain; about sunset his child died and his wife grew worse."
"July 26. Capt. Adams' child was buried, the cattle were scattered about this morning and were not got up to start until 9 o'clock a.m., traveled but a short distance till Mrs. Adams grew worse and on request, the camp stopped."
Martha Ann died very late that evening, buried alongside the Mormon Trail, as had her little daughter had been. The little mother was three months pregnant with her second child.
"Martha Ann [Uttley] Adams July 26 Aged 20 Years and three months in Child bead [bearing]"
Martha Ann's mother, Elizabeth Rutledge Utley, died the following day; three generations buried on the Great Plain in a span of three days!
They gathered with the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, determined to migrate to the Great Salt Lake Valley in Utah Territory.
Martha had married a widower, William Brittan Adams, at Pottawattamie County, Iowa 3 November 1849. He had 3 young daughters. They eventually joined a west bound wagon train, along with her parents and other family members.
Seven persons, in the 1852 Allen Weeks Company of LDS immigrants, had died along the trail after leaving the outfitting post at Kanesville, Iowa (present day Council Bluffs).
They had reached Loup Fork and made the ferry crossing. Just before reaching another crossing of the Platte River and Horseshoe Creek, Martha Ann E. Adams, the 22 month old daughter of William Brittan Adams and his second wife, Martha Ann Utley, died of what was reported as "brain fever".
The Trail Journal recorded the sad details of the little girl's passing and the illness of her mother:
"July 25th. Sunday, at 9 o'clock a.m. the bell rang for meeting. Capt. Wm. B. Adams' child is very sick. After meeting he requested the company to remain till morning on account of his child; his wife had also been taken sick. The company voted to remain; about sunset his child died and his wife grew worse."
"July 26. Capt. Adams' child was buried, the cattle were scattered about this morning and were not got up to start until 9 o'clock a.m., traveled but a short distance till Mrs. Adams grew worse and on request, the camp stopped."
Martha Ann died very late that evening, buried alongside the Mormon Trail, as had her little daughter had been. The little mother was three months pregnant with her second child.
"Martha Ann [Uttley] Adams July 26 Aged 20 Years and three months in Child bead [bearing]"
Martha Ann's mother, Elizabeth Rutledge Utley, died the following day; three generations buried on the Great Plain in a span of three days!
Family Members
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