Utah: Walking Where They Walked

Have you ever discovered a family story that completely changed how you see your own life? What if that discovery came not from hours of computer research, but from simply standing in a place where your ancestor once stood?

That's exactly what happened to my dear friend Michelle Ercanbrack when she volunteered to help teenagers learn about Mormon pioneer history. As a BYU family history program graduate and former Ancestry researcher who worked on shows like "Who Do You Think You Are," Michelle thought she was just lending her expertise to educate young people. Instead, she stumbled upon a missing piece of her own family puzzle that had been hiding in plain sight for decades.

A Professional Genealogist's Blind Spot

Michelle's story reveals something profound about family history work. Sometimes we can spend years building trees for everyone else while neglecting the most meaningful connections in our own lineage. Despite having deep pioneer roots on all four branches of her family tree and working professionally in genealogy for a decade, Michelle had never heard the name Mary Ann Malley, her own ancestor who survived one of the most tragic episodes in American pioneer history.

"I was stunned that I had gone and done the thing and been in the place and knew nothing about someone I was connected to, that had been there and had been part of that."

It wasn't until after her first volunteer experience that an aunt casually mentioned their connection to the Martin Handcart Company, one of two pioneer groups caught in devastating early blizzards in 1856 that claimed hundreds of lives.

When Michelle returned four years later for another trek, she came prepared to learn Mary Ann's story. What she discovered was a tale of resilience that would transform her understanding of both her heritage and herself.

The Story Behind the Story

Mary Ann Malley was a 39-year-old widow from Preston, Lancashire, England. A mill worker during the Industrial Revolution, she had joined the LDS church as one of the first converts in her town. After her husband John Riley died of tuberculosis at age 35, Mary Ann made the difficult decision to immigrate to Utah with their 12-year-old son Thomas.

But the journey nearly didn't happen. On the day they were supposed to board the ship, John's sisters kidnapped Thomas, hoping to keep him in England. Somehow, Mary Ann found him and they made it aboard, already a sign of the determination that would define her story.

The Martin Handcart Company faced delays at every turn. Leaving Florence, Nebraska in August—dangerously late in the season—hundreds of immigrants pulled their belongings in wooden handcarts across the American frontier. When early blizzards hit Wyoming in October, the company found themselves trapped in what's now called Martin's Cove, camping for five days in up to two feet of snow while waiting for rescue parties from Salt Lake City.

Standing in Sacred Ground

When Michelle finally visited Martin's Cove herself, the experience was transformative. Standing where Mary Ann had camped in those desperate circumstances, Michelle was overwhelmed by the emotional weight of her ancestor's ordeal. But what moved her most was a detail from another survivor's diary: in the midst of that frozen hell, Mary Ann was brushing another woman's hair and providing comfort when she herself was fighting for survival.

"I get this glimpse of the person that she was. On death's door, in a snowstorm, she's brushing someone's hair. I love that about her."

There was also the matter of the dress. Mary Ann's sisters had sewn her a special dress before she left England, packed carefully in a box. When the company was told to abandon everything non-essential to survive, Mary Ann refused. "If the box stays, I stay," she declared. That dress made it to Salt Lake City and was later repurposed into a child's dress—a tangible reminder of Mary Ann's determination to hope for better days ahead.

The Whole Story

If you haven't yet heard Michelle's complete story about discovering Mary Ann Malley and the profound experience of walking where her ancestors walked, listen to the full episode:

Prefer audio only? Click here to listen on your favorite podcast app.

🎧 Listen to the full episode to discover:

• How a professional genealogist overlooked her own family's most compelling story
• The tragic yet triumphant journey of the Martin Handcart Company
• Why Mary Ann refused to abandon her dress box even when facing death
• The transformative power of visiting ancestral places in person
• How Michelle is now intentionally sharing these stories with her young daughters
• The emotional moment when Michelle connected with her ancestor's spirit at Martin's Cove

The Power of One Story

Mary Ann's story reminds us that our ancestors weren't just names and dates. They were real people who faced impossible choices with courage and grace. Her decision to care for others even while fighting for her own survival speaks to a character that transcends generations.

But Michelle's experience also reveals something crucial about how we connect with family history.

"It was transcendent, it was transformative, it was so powerful. I feel like she was there and that was so humbling."

The difference between knowing a story and experiencing it firsthand can be profound. Michelle had helped countless others discover their family histories, but it wasn't until she physically stood where Mary Ann had suffered and survived that the story truly became part of her own identity.

Your Story

Think about the names in your family tree that might have their own stories of courage and resilience. Are there places connected to your ancestors that you could visit? Sometimes the most meaningful family history discoveries happen not behind a computer screen, but when we step away from our research and walk where our ancestors once walked.

Story Seeds 🌱

Plant these conversation starters and watch your family stories grow.

1. For Parents/Grandparents: What places from your childhood or your parents' stories do you wish you could show me? Can we plan a visit together?
2. For Aunts/Uncles: What family stories do you remember that you don't think the younger generation has heard? Which ancestors do you think had the most courage?
3. For Siblings/Cousins: Have you ever visited any of the places where our grandparents or great-grandparents lived? What would you want to see if we could take a family history trip together?
4. For Anyone: What's the most difficult challenge anyone in our family has ever faced? How did their experience shape the opportunities we have today?
   
   

Story Sparks 🔑

Unlock your family's hidden stories with these research techniques.

1. Look up major events (like handcart companies, mill strikes, or local disasters) in your ancestors' time and place to understand what they might have experienced.
   
2. Add facts to the timelines in your Ancestry family tree. Add details about when ancestors immigrated, joined religious communities, or faced significant challenges. This helps you see their full story arc.
   
3. Research the "journey stories" in your family tree. Focus on ancestors who moved long distances. What route did they likely take? What challenges did they face? Are there historical sites you could visit? Are there diaries or first-hand accounts of others who traveled the same path?
   
4. Set up location-based Google alerts for ancestral places. This helps you discover when historical sites, museums, or genealogical societies in your ancestors' locations share new resources or hold special events.
   
   

Michelle's story challenges every family historian to ask a powerful question: What happens when you stop researching your ancestors' lives and start walking where they walked? Sometimes the most profound family history discoveries happen not when we find new records, but when we allow ourselves to truly connect with the people behind the names.

 Ready to discover more stories that will transform how you see your own heritage? Subscribe to Stories That Live In Us wherever you get your podcasts. And if this episode moved you, please leave us a rating and review—it helps other family story seekers find these transformational tales.

© 2025 Crista Cowan. All rights reserved.