Her husband, Isaac Russell, died from swamp fever in Sept. 1844 while they were living in Richmond, Missouri just three months after the assassination of Joseph Smith.
They had just moved there from Far West in order to secure means to travel with the Saints to Salt Lake. Mary was left a widow with six children and destitue in a strange land.
She wrote to her rich relatives in England for some financial help and received $60.00 with a note saying that if she would deny the Mormon faith and return to England, they would give her and her children a home to live in.
She refused their offer and decided to purchase a mare and a cow and continued her struggles to support her children, never thinking for a moment of giving up the faith that meant so much to her.
Once the county officers learned of her condition, they threatened to take her children and place them in other homes. They came but brought a near neighbor who knew nothing of her condition.
He was a wealthy landowner and the owner of many well-treated and well-cared for Negroes. He recognized that Mary was a lady and before leaving said, "Mrs. Russell, your children shall remain in your care."
He also told her that if her son would drive the cows over to his pasture every morning, he could throw them all the fodder they wanted.
It should be pointed out that Mary Walton's sister-in-law and daughter were also living with her and her six children. Their presence provided much needed support.
Mary's daughter, Mary Elizabeth (13), was often called upon to help a Mrs. Russell (no relation) who kept a hotel and whose husband was a tailor. She learned the trade well enough to make suits.
Samuel (11) would work all week in the fields alongside the grown men. Later, Dr. Allen rented them a respectable house with more land and employed Mary and her sister-in-law to make the fall clothing and summer wear for his Negroes.
Then, some Californians, passing through, gave Sam a bill of sale for a young black mule that had broken away from them if he could find her. And he did, so with "Old Bet" he soon had a team besides two of Old Bet's colts.
From then on, the little family began to prosper. A brother of Dr. Allen's uncle, who owned a big mill, gave Mary the job of making flour sacks. Sam looked after the stock, which increased rapidly.
He got a big mother pig from Dr. Allen's uncle and soon had pork for sale, and the girls took in sewing for Dr. Allen and many of his relatives.
In all these years, Mary Walton never lost sight of the purpose she had in view since the day of her husband's death, which was to follow the Saints to the Rocky Mountains and, with her children, again enjoy the blessings of the gospel.
By the sale of the stock, two good outfits were secured, one wagon with six yoke of oxen and one with mules, besides ten head of choice cows and six or eight head of horses and mules.
About the 5th of June, 1861, they left their home on the Missouri River and, with another staunch Latter-day Saint family started for Council Bluffs. From there, they met up with a company of 57 wagons led by Capt. Duncan.
Mary Walton had accomplished the long cherished desire of her hear and had brought her children to the Church.