East (Family : East, Edward Wallace, 1814-1884)

Edward Wallace East (1814-1884) was a Mormon pioneer who settled in Utah and Arizona.

Edward Wallace East was born October 11, 1814 in Henry County, Virginia to Thomas East and Sarah Graves. As a young man he served in the Texas Rangers. He married Willmirth Margaret Greer on October 2, 1839 in Washington County, Texas, and together they had twelve children. In July 1853 East joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and in 1855 emigrated west to Utah. He settled in Salt Lake City and spent fourteen years as county clerk. While in Utah he married Emma Lundburg in 1864, and they had one child together. He remained active in the Church, serving missions to the Southern States in 1869 and 1875. In 1877 he moved his family to Arizona, and died in Pima on May 30, 1884.

Willmirth Greer East (1824-1902) was a Mormon pioneer who settled in Utah and Arizona.

Willmirth Margaret Greer was born November 18, 1824 in Bedford, Georgia to Nathaniel Hunt Greer and Nancy Ann Terry Roberts. She married Edward Wallace East on October 2, 1839 in Washington County, Texas, and together they had twelve children. In 1853 he and her husband joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and emigrated to Utah in 1855. They settled in Salt Lake City, where she taught school and wrote poetry. In 1875 she went with her husband on a mission to Texas. Then in 1877 the family moved to Arizona, living in Apache and Graham counties. Willmirth East died on March 31, 1902 in Pima, Arizona.

Eliza R. Snow (1804-1887) was a Mormon poet in Utah.

Eliza Roxcy Snow was born January 21, 1804 in Becket, Massachusetts to Oliver Snow and Rosetta Lenora Pettibone. Her family moved to Ohio while she was a child, where she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1835. She followed the early migrations of the Saints, working as a teacher in Kirtland, Ohio and Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1842 she married Joseph Smith, and after his death married Brigham Young in 1849.

Snow was deeply involved in the Church, participating in the organization of the Relief Society and later serving as its second general president. She was also a noted author and poet in pioneer Utah. Snow died on December 5, 1887 in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The East family were Mormon pioneers from the American South who settled in Utah and Arizona. The family was established with the marriage of Edward Wallace East (1814-1884) and Wilmirth Matilda Greer (1824-1902) in Texas in 1839. Together they had twelve children. In 1853 the Easts joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and emigrated to Utah in 1855. The family settled in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Edward East worked as a court clerk. In 1864 he married Emma Lundburg (1846-1902), and together they had one daughter. Prior to 1880 Edward and Wilmirth East moved to Pima, Arizona, while Emma remained in Utah.

From the guide to the East family papers, 1857-1893, (L. Tom Perry Special Collections)