1847 Brigham Young entered the Great Salt Lake Valley which became the hub of westward expansion of new converts to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Our ancestors were caught up with this movement.

Papa's grandfather, William Heaton (1827-1877) was born in Little Horton, Yorks, England, whose father was Jonathan Heaton (1894-1855) of Great Horton, Yorks. He was buried in England, but Frances O'Dwyer (1804 - 1872) was brought to Payson, Utah after William's 4 year mission to Scotland, and buried there, as was his wife, Esther (1830 - 1875). Her parents were Valentine O'Dwyer and Alice Wild.

Esther Beilby Heaton was a small, pretty girl with sparkling dark eyes and black wavy hair, with a fair English complexion. William was nine and one half inches over five feet and a slender, strong young man. He was the first of seven in the Yorkshire area to join the Church when he was twenty-two. Within a year he was called to do missionary work in the English countryside villages. He walked many miles and converted many. He had never been away from home before in his life and was filled with joy when he saw his parents and children in the first conference.  He had opposition from ministers who felt threatened with the new doctrine and made it difficult for him to find lodging for the night, or a place to tell the "glad news" in the rain. He talked in a shed, a stranger, also young, shared his bed.

In priesthood, elders, to keep him in the field, voted to give Elder Heaton a new suit of clothes. He and Esther saw her two brothers, Robert and Christopher, and older sister, Mary Beilby, leave Liverpool for Zion. Esther is lonely and she and William marry. She lives at home but her father becomes bitter when they hear the boys both die of a fever. Esther moves to his parents' home while William continues to do missionary work after helping her father harvest - he explains no one had time to listen when crops needed gathering. Esther has a baby boy. They named him Christopher Beilby Heaton, 1852, for her brother who had just died in America. William converts six people right after he gets word he is a father. They ahve one more son, William McDonald Heaton (Jan. 1856 - Oct 1856) before they migrate to Salt Lake. They sail to Boston on the Enoch Train, March 21, 1856 and wait at Iowa City while handcarts are built for 350 converts to push 1200 miles across the Plains. William's family was in the second company under Captain D. McArthur. They were eager to start, but some ill-prepared for such hardship.

When William became too ill to go on, he was left by the trail to die. The captain knew they had to make so many miles each day or face the Rockies in snow. He would not wait.  Easther had to push on  so her two children would have the safety of night camp. Shew as exhausted, but couldn't sleep and got a young Irish convert, Mary Jane McClere, to go back on the trail to find William. He was still alive.  They pulled him put, put his arms around their shoulders and their arms around his waist on opposite side and struggled back to camp. Mary had helped with the baby before, she continued to assist Esther until William recovered enough to make it on his own.  Later William prayed, revived a boy left for dead from the first company. The company lost an oxen but after hunting it in vain they found another standing on a far knoll. They ran out of food, their shoes were gone, the mountains turned cold with early snows. Two days out after forced marches of 28 and 20 mile days, Brigham Young heard of their plight from the first company and sent out provisions and wagons to rescue them. It was too late for Mary McClere's father, he died leaving a wife and seven children. Others died, like William's baby, four days after they reached the valley the 27th of September 1856. There were high banks of snow. 

As the Salt Lake Valley filled up, newcomers were encouraged to move out. The Heatons built a home in Payson and planted gardens, acquired animals to help sustain their family. Jonathan was born Jan. 1857 - 1930. He was twelve when his father was called to the Muddy Mission and helped Chris, who was eight years older, drive the animals along their wagon. While Johnston's Army was camped at Camp Floyd near Salt Lake City, Alvin Franklin was born at Peteetneet Creek, also near that city.  President Lincoln, the Civil War, the first Pony Express rider to leave Missouri River on to Fort Kearney, Laramie, Fort Bridger, Great Salt Lake City, Camp Floyd, Carson City, Washoe Silver Mines, Placerville to Sacramento were backdrops as William's family helped settle the West. 

William Wild - a surname on Mother's line ....