Ann Long Didsbury Brizzee

 

Biography, by Roger Curnutt, Las Vegas, Nevada

 

1842-1853

 

Ann Long Didsbury was born at Saint Sepulchre Hospital in Northampton, England on November 7, 1842. Ann’s father was Edward Didsbury, a private in the 34th Regiment of Foot. Ann’s mother was Martha Long Didsbury, a housewife. Martha Didsbury passed away while Ann was a young child, and Ann went to live with her uncle, John Varah long.

 

There are no apparent records showing when the long family joined the LDS church; however Ann accompanied the Longs with an LDS company in coming to America in 1854, so the supposition can be made that both the longs and Ann were baptized before 1854.

 

1854-1857

 

On February 22, 1854, the John Varah Long family along with Ann Long Didsbury departed from Liverpool, England on the ship Windermere, destined for New Orleans. The Long Family consisted of John Varah, wife Eleanor and three children. The LDS company they were with consisted of 482 church members; Daniel Garn was elected president of the company.

 

The sea voyage to New Orleans was long and very difficult. Due to bad weather, the Windermere was forced south into the area of Cuba before heading north into New Orleans. The weather became so bad on March 18th, the ship’s captain requested that the Saints pray to our Heavenly Father for safe passage, and the winds finally subsided. Small pox and cholera became an epidemic on board; on April 15, John Varah Long’s infant son died of small pox and was buried at sea.

 

The Windermere arrived in New Orleans on April 23, 1854, a voyage of over 60 days. Eleven persons with small pox were sent to Luzenburg Hospital in New Orleans. President Garn requested that John Varah Long and five other Elders remain with the ill Saints at the hospital until they had sufficiently recovered to proceed. The assumption can be made that John Long’s family and Ann Long Didsbury also remained behind in New Orleans.

                                                                                                                                             

                                                                                                                                             

 

 

Departed

Liverpool

England

on the

Ship

Windermere

Arrived in

New Orleans

On April 23, 1854

England

to

America

 

1854

The record show that on April 27th, the Garn Company boarded the steamboat Grand Tower for St. Louis. After arrival, the company transferred to the steamer Sonora for the trip up the Missouri River to Kansas City. There are no records definitely showing that the John V. Long family and Ann Long Didsbury caught up with the Garn Company. However, the diary of Sarah Davis Carter reads, “After the quarantine was over at the hospital, we followed the company of Saints up the Mississippi river. Catching up with the Saints, we immediately made preparations to start the journey across the plains.”

Even though the company records have been lost, we can safely assume that both the Long family and Ann Didsbury caught up with the Garn Company in either St. Louise or Kansas City. The company arrived in Salt Lake City on October 1, 1854, seven months after leaving Liverpool.

 

1858-1864

 

On 25, July, 1858 Ann Long Didsbury, age 15, became the third polygamous wife of Daniel Rapelle Allen who was originally from New York. From this marriage, one child was born on January 17, 1860, Eleanor Marie Allen. Daniel Allen died in 1873. There is no known record of divorce between Ann & Daniel.

 

1865-1877

 

On August 5, 1865 Ann married Henry Willard Brizzee in the Salt Lake City Temple. She was 23 and Henry was 39. For the next 22 years, Henry and Ann lived in the Greater Salt Lake area, mainly in Wanship Summit, on the east side of the valley. Henry held a number of positions including legal and agricultural, while Ann was a housewife. Both were active in the LDS church. During their time in Utah, Ann gave birth to five children, three sons and two daughters.

 

 

 

                                                                                                                                              

 

 

 

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1878-1924

 

During their many years in Utah, Henry was instrumental in helping translate the Book of Mormon into Spanish and, at the request of the Church, helped set up the mission field in Mexico. Because of this, in 1878 the Church asked that the Brizzee family relocate to Lehi Valley in South Central Arizona and help the Church to grow. The Brizzee’s journeyed by covered wagon to the Phoenix-Mesa area arriving in 1878. Along the way, one son was born in Prescott and two more were born in Mesa after their arrival.

 

Henry & Ann farmed north of Mesa, while both (and their family) were active in the church, and were also helpful in bring the LDS temple to Mesa. Henry died in 1898 and is buried in the Mesa Cemetery. Ann lived for a while with her son Everett and his family, and then spent the remainder of her life in the home of her daughter, Lorana Brizzee Robertson, on West 2nd St. in Mesa. In the early 1900’s Ann’s eyesight became so bad that her daughter Lorana accompanied her to an eye doctor in Salt Lake City– this was a most strenuous journey requiring taking a train to Los Angeles, then up to San Francisco and then across to Salt Lake City.

 

Ann Long Didsbury pushed a handcart to SLC – she and other young women Saints prayed that their efforts would not result in breast cancer (apparently the bars on the carts went against their chests). No cancer surfaced.

 

Ann Long Didsbury Brizzee died in Mesa in 1924, and is buried next to her husband in the Mesa Cemetery.