Archives West Finding Aid

Mary Jane Mount Tanner was born on 1837 February 27 to Elizabeth Joan Bessac and Joseph Latimer Mount, Jr. The Mount family converted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in 1841 and moved to Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1847, the family emigrated to Utah territory and settled in Salt Lake City. On 1856 May 22, Mary Jane Mount married Myron Tanner (1826-1903); together, they had nine children, three of whom died in early childhood. Mary Jane Mount Tanner eventually settled in Provo, Utah. On 1866 May 19, Myron Tanner married Ann Crosby as his second wife under the system of plural marriage; together, they had eight children, three of whom died in early childhood.

In 1842, while recovering from an illness following childbirth, Tanner decided to become a writer. Tanner was a memoirist, diarist, and poet. Her book Fugitive Poems was published in 1880, and she contributed many pieces to journals and Church publications. Tanner completed an autobiography in 1883, which was not published in her lifetime. In her writings, Tanner chronicled the challenges of polygamy, or plural marriage, but she defended the practice in letters. A lifelong member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Tanner served as president of the Relief Society for 15 years. Mary Jane Mount Tanner died on 1890, January 8 in Provo, Utah.

Ward, Margery W. (1980). Introduction. In Mary Jane Tanner, A Fragment: The Autobiography of Mary Jane Mount Tanner (pp. 1-22) University of Utah Tanner Trust Fund.