Her parents moved to Providence, Rhode Island when she was young, where Mary Ann later became a Free Will Baptist and worked as a Sunday School teacher.

[1][2] Angell first learned of the LDS Church when Thomas B. Marsh traveled to Providence in 1830 to conduct his missionary efforts.

In 1831, Mary Ann, along with her mother Phoebe and brother Truman O. Angell, left Providence to escape her abusive father and moved to China, New York.

[3] Mary Ann then set out alone for Kirtland, Ohio, the gathering place of the early members of the church.

[4][6] Upon Young's return from England, Angell helped nurse him back to health after he became very ill with scarlet fever.

Some of Young’s plural wives recognized Angell's position of prominence and apparently held her in high esteem.

[5] Angell died on June 27, 1882, in Salt Lake City, Utah, surviving Young by nearly five years.

When Young lost consciousness, Angell used various techniques to revive him, including throwing cold water in his face, rubbing camphor on his eyes and mouth, and a primitive version of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, which would not be commonly practiced until the mid-20th century.

"[2][7] Mary Ann's brother, Truman O. Angell, assisted in the construction of the Salt Lake Temple and served for a time as the official architect of the LDS Church.

[3] George Thatcher was a prominent Utah pioneer who had managed a number of Brigham Young's business interests, and was instrumental in developing political, business and church interests in Cache Valley, (Logan, Utah) on behalf of Brigham Young and the LDS church.