A Brief History of Elizabeth Ann Anderson 

Compiled by Elizabeth’s great-grandson David Mortensen 

Passed Down from Peter Anton Mortensen and also extracted from  

Ann Mortensen McClary’s work on the Mortensen Family

Elizabeth was the youngest daughter of Catherine McKenzie and Alexander Anderson.  She was born on January 7,1851 in Glenisla, Scotland.  She converted to the LDS faith along with her mother.  Church records show that she was confirmed in 1859.  She immigrated to the US with Catherine and made the difficult journey to Utah.  There she married Richard Frankland in 1869.  They settled in Levan.

Ranching and farming in 1870’s Utah was not easy.  Elizabeth and Richard worked hard and had five children.  During the 1880’s problems arose and Elizabeth Ann ended up divorced.  In 1887 Peter Anton Mortensen, following then-current church doctrine, decided to take a plural wife.  He courted Elizabeth while continuing to support his first family.  In 1888 they married and set up a separate household with Elizabeth’s earlier children in Grover Utah.  They had a daughter Lillie in 1889, and a son Parley in 1891.

In 1892 Elizabeth’s daughter Frances Frankland went to a dance in Torrey fifteen miles away.  On the way home she started feeling sick.   Unfortunately, it was Diptheria.  Eventually, everyone in the household except Peter and baby Parley got sick.  John Frankland had a light case and was able to help Peter care for the others.  This tragedy resulted in the death of Elizabeth Ann and baby Lillie.  Frances recalled that Elizabeth Ann called all the children around her and told them she was going to die, she asked them to all be good and stick together. .  Somehow, little 1 year old Parley was not infected.  John Frankland was able to help care for him.  

Parley was raised by Peter and his first wife Jensina.  Even though Parley never really knew his biological mother, he always remembered her and kept her picture with him.  Elizabeth Ann’s headstone is in Grover, Utah.