Mary Ann asked Polly Leach to

come help her when her baby was due, so as soon as there was a sign the baby would come soon, Edward went to get Polly Ann. Like a good neighbor, and a cousin too, Polly Ann came quickly and did all she could. But. Mary Ann's labor lasted for two days, and there was no doctor in reach. The baby, a beautiful little girl, was finally born. Mary Ann held her, but she was too weak too nurse. They named her Ann Elizabeth Sherrill. She was too weak to live. Mary Ann wept over her baby as the breath left her tiny body. 

James and Edward built a bonfire at the corner of James' property near the river, to make it easier to dig in the frozen earth. Those strong, young men laid James' baby to rest as silent tears rolled down their cheeks. Later they would make a wooden marker for her grave, until they could have one carved in stone. James resolved to be strong for Mary Ann, to comfort her and hold her. This too would pass, and they would have more babies, and they would live. As he returned to their cabin, he offered up a silent prayer to God, who knows our hearts.