Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home

In the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home, visitors hear stories about Brigham Young’s leadership in Nauvoo as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. They also learn details about the family’s home life in Nauvoo, their decision to leave their home and city behind, and their efforts to prepare for a new life in the West.

This brick home was the Young family’s second home in Nauvoo. The first Nauvoo home, which Mary Ann and their children moved into in September 1840 when Brigham was abroad serving a mission in England, was an unfinished log cabin. When Brigham returned home in 1841, he worked to finish the structure. Meanwhile, construction was in progress on the family’s brick home. The Youngs moved into this new home on May 31, 1843, and lived there until they left Nauvoo in February 1846.

Brigham Young’s leadership in the Church expanded while the Saints lived in Nauvoo. On April 14, 1840, while serving abroad in England, he was sustained as president of the Quorum of the Twelve. While living in this home, Brigham met with other members of the Quorum of the Twelve, as well as civil authorities, new converts, and returned missionaries. Following Joseph Smith’s martyrdom on June 27, 1844, Brigham Young became the senior Church leader. As tensions escalated in Nauvoo following the martyrdom, Brigham’s responsibilities further increased. He and other Church leaders prepared to move the Saints to what is now Utah. These preparations included providing for temporal needs such as wagons and supplies. More importantly, the community worked quickly to finish the Nauvoo Temple so that members could receive their temple ordinances. Before the Saints left Nauvoo, Brigham and other apostles performed endowments and sealings for thousands of people in the House of the Lord.

Read about Brigham Young’s role in preparing the Saints to move to the Salt Lake Valley in Saints, Volume 2, Chapter 1.

What to Expect

The Pioneer Trail tour is a guided tour which begins at the Seventies Hall and concludes at the Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home. The Brigham and Mary Ann Young Home is a multi-room guided tour that includes the kitchen and bedroom. After the tour of Young Home, you are free to explore the rest of Nauvoo. You might be interested in other Pioneer Trail experiences such as the Trail of Hope or the Pioneer Memorial and Exodus to Greatness.