Ann Green

Ann Green was born 3 October 1799, in Lugwardine, Herefordshire, England. When a young woman, she went to the city of Hereford to work as a maid in the home of a wealthy English couple, Joseph and Elizabeth Dutson. Their son, John, fell in love with Ann. Because Ann was a servant in their home, John’s parents felt that it was beneath John's station to marry her. Notwithstanding their protests, John Dutson and Ann Green were married in March of 1826. In the summer of 1828, John went away on a business trip, and was never heard from again. (He died at Sea)

Ann and her children first heard the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ preached by Wilford Woodruff. They believed what they heard, and Ann was baptized by Wilford Woodruff 29 March 1840 at Hill Farm. Her entire family joined the church. Ann, her children and her family, with the exception of two sisters, set sail from Liverpool, England for America 24 September 1842 on the ship “Medford". They landed in New Orleans 13 November 1842 and journeyed to St. Louis where they remained during the winter. Ann's father, William Green, became ill and died there. While living in Nauvoo, Ann met John Carling, a widower with three children. They were married 10 June 1844. Ann Green Dutson and John Carling became the parents of two sons.

Ann Carling holds the unique position of having had the Prophet Joseph Smith lay his hands on her head and set her apart as a midwife. He told her that she would be successful if she used herbs, exclusively, in her work. Ann Carling became known as the "herb doctor”. She brought hundreds of babies into the world. Ann and her husband, his three children and their two small sons, crossed the plains to Salt Lake Valley in 1852. They first settled in Provo, then moved to Fillmore where Ann made her home the remainder of her life.

For many years Ann was the only midwife in Fillmore, Utah, and neighbouring towns. Her fee was 3 dollars and she accepted it either in cash or merchandise. She was not only godmother to all the babies but doctor for all the ills of both young and old. Even the Indians came to Ann for medical assistance, as they trusted the white "herb doctor" in every way. It was her custom to perch on the running gears of a wagon and tell the driver to drive as fast as the horses would go. From this precarious perch she fell one day en route to Meadow and broke her hip. This brought a halt to her practice as a midwife at the age of ninety.

On 16 July 1893, she passed away peacefully - Age 94.