Leonora Cannon Taylor


Leonora Cannon Taylor was a member of the Relief Society organization at the time of its origin and the first wife of John Taylor, the third president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Personal Life

On October 6, 1796 in Peel, Isle of Man, Leonora Cannon was born to George Cannon and Leonora Callister. As the oldest daughter in the family, when Leonora's father died when she was thirteen she went away to London to work and help support her family.
While in London, she explored religion and joined the Methodists. Given the opportunity, she eventually moved to Canada where she met John Taylor, a Methodist preacher at the time. They married in Toronto, Canada in 1833. After having two children, they were introduced to the Latter Day Saint movement by Parley P. Pratt. The Taylors were baptized into the Church of Christ, the original name of the church founded by Joseph Smith, in 1836 and moved to America to join the other members of the church.
The couple traveled with and served in the church all their lives. They had eight children together, many of whom did not survive into adulthood. Leonora preceded her husband in death, dying of pneumonia in 1868 in Salt Lake City.

LDS Church involvement

Taylor was an original member of the Relief Society when it was formed in March 1842. She and her family traveled around the country with the members of the LDS Church throughout her life, living in Ohio, Missouri, Illinois, Iowa Territory, and Illinois and eventually settling in Salt Lake City, Utah. Throughout this time she cared for her family, especially her husband, John, who served in the church in many capacities. She was left alone with the children during her husband's missionary service in Great Britain and nursed him back to health when he was shot in the incident at Carthage Jail where Joseph and Hyrum Smith were killed.