Jessica Warner

Jessica Warner's interest in her own pioneer ancestors was piqued by her grandmother's Christmas cactus. Its vibrant red blooms in the middle of winter caught her attention, and her grandmother told her how that very plant had made the journey from England across the plains in a handcart with a pioneer ancestor. That cactus has been passed down from generation to generation ever since. Pioneer stories and traditions like this have always been a part of Jessica's life--things like making corn-husk dolls and gypsum marbles, playing Fox and Geese, and using "homemade" lye soap.

Jessica grew up in Idaho, Wyoming, and Utah. She participated in a pioneer trek reenactment in Utah's west desert as a young adult (where she experienced the joys of a sprained ankle and chopping off chicken heads), and has visited most of the historic sites along the Mormon Pioneer Trail (including an off-road adventure over Rocky Ridge that ended in a destroyed tire). She and her husband are now raising their own family in New England, where they have grown to love the land so many of the pioneers left behind when they migrated West.