David Caldwell & Mary Ann Vaughn

David Caldwell was born in Belfast, Antrim, Ireland in 1781, the son of John Caldwell and Nancy Wooden. Mary Ann Vaughn was born the 12^th of June, 1791 in Glasgow, Scotland, the daughter of Abraham Vaughn and Jane Cooper.

David apparently left Ireland while a young man and traveled to Scotland, for it is there, in the birth place of Mary Ann, that they were married on the 14^th of May, 1813. Seven years later (as recorded in the "Dictionary of Scotish Settlers", Vol 1 pg 35), David and Mary Ann, immigrated to Canada on the ship "Commerce" in 1820 (thanks to Michelle for sending us that information). There first four children (Ann, Mary, John and Jane) were born in Scotland and traveled to Canada with them.

They located near Perth, in the area which was then called Upper Canada and is now Ontario. Here David became a prosperous farmer, tilling 200 acres of land with the eventual assistance of his sons. The family became noted for their thrift, honesty and fair dealings. Values which are often associated with religious beliefs. They did not, however, belong to any church. And so, through their simple and clean mode of life, being unprejudiced and unbiased in their opinions, the message of the restored gospel, as presented to them by one Elder John Barrowman in 1843, appealed to them. After due investigation, David and Mary Ann accepted the gospel and were baptized members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in that same year. It appears that the exact original date of baptism could not be confirmed and so that work was performed for them again on the 3^rd of October, 1967. We do not know if any of the children were baptized in 1843. Records, however, indicate that all have had proper ordinance work completed. For some, dates indicate that they completed their own work while they yet lived. For others the work was done or at least repeated vicariously.

The Caldwell home soon became a haven of rest for the missionaries and a place where meetings were often held. But David and Mary Ann became very desirous of uniting with the members of the church, the headquarters of which were now at Nauvoo, Illinois. And in 1846, they sold their property in Canada and, in company with a group of their friends and neighbors of the same faith, set out for Nauvoo. About this time, David's health failed and the family was compelled to stop at Monroe (just 30-40 miles south of Detroit) in the State of Michigan where they resided for several years. Here David died and was buried in 1849.

In the spring of 1852, Mary Ann, with her three sons (David Henry, Abraham Vaughn and Isaac James), one daughter(Caroline Caldwell Neddo) a grandson(Isaac, son of Caroline) and David Henry Leonard and Anne Leonard(children of her deceased daughter, Jane Caldwell Leonard), made preparation to emigrate to the Salt Lake Valley where the headquarters of the church was now located. But, meeting with many difficulties, they were compelled to spend the winter of 1852-53 in St. Louis, Missouri. Then, in the spring of 1853, they were successful in connecting with a 50 wagon emigrant company at Winter Quarters(upper northwest corner of the state of Missouri). The company was lead by one Moses Clawson, captain of the company.

For that day and time, the Caldwell's had what was considered good equipment for the journey; two wagons drawn by two span of horses and three yoke of oxen; two cows and ample provisions. In fact, they had the only horse teams in the company of a final total of 58 wagons.

With the exception of an occasion al stampede of their animals and the coming into their camp one night of two mountaineers who, for safety, were put under guard until morning, nothing of a startling nature happened during their journey across the plains.

The company arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on September 17^th, 1853. They apparently first settled near what was then called English Fort (Taylorsville). We believe that she relocated to Tooele County with her son, David Henry, in 1857(see history of David Henry Caldwell and Fanny Catherine Johnson for more detail). Eleven years later, on December 22, 1868, Mary Ann joined her husband David, once again. She was buried in Clover, Tooele County, Utah.