Vilate's parents were Betsy Elizabeth Markham and Elias Gardner. Her parents met in Portage, Ohio after joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints but at that time Elias was married to his second wife Amy Prichard, his first wife Harriet Snow Smith having died. While in Winter Quarters Nebraska Elias' wife Amy died and Vilate's mother and helped him care for his three minor children. Elias and Betsy Elizabeth Markham were married December 9th 1846 16 days after the death of Elias' wife Amy. Betsy and her sister Ruth Markham had been baptized in June of 1840 into the Mormon/LDS Church.

Although Vilate's mother was the only wife of her father Elias when they married they would go on to practice polygamy leaving Vilate with over 30 half siblings that lived in the Gardner family plus some step-siblings. Her father would have a total of 9 wives, but not all at one time. His father would also marry Vilate's aunt Ruth Markham and two of Vilate's step-sisters. Her father had children for over 50 years and 10 were born during the same years as Vilate's children.
Vilate had an older brother in 1849 through this marriage but he died at two months of age. Vilate would be born on the fourth of July in 1851 in Payson, Utah. She would marry Andrew Killian on December 1st 1873 and they would be sealed in the Endowment House in Salt Lake on April 3rd 1876. Andrew had been born in Lafayette County Missouri on February 18th 1848. There children were:
1. Lydia Killian who was born August 28th 1874 in Glenwood, Sevier County, Utah.
2. Andrew Killian who was born July 9th 1877 in Glenwood.
3. Thomas Killian who was born November 3rd 1881 in Sevier County, Utah.]
4. John Killian who was born February 22nd 1884 in Salem, Utah.
5. Harvey Elmer Killian who was born December 9th 1889 in Salem, Utah.
Vilate and Andrew appear to have moved to where her son Thomas was living in Menan, Idaho. Andrew died April 25th 1916 and Vilate died January 29th 1922 and they were buried in the nearby Annis Cemetery in Jefferson County.
Vilate's mother died the same year as her husband.