As Sisters In Zion: The Story Behind the Song

In 1852, two sisters from a small village in England responded to the message of Mormon missionaries and joined the Church. Julia Hill was nineteen years old, and her sister, Emily Hill, was only sixteen. Together they endured enormous hardships as they made their way to America and joined the Willie Handcart Company. The sisters also took upon themselves to help a new widow, Martha Campkin, and her five young children on the arduous trek to the Salt Lake Valley. Faced with exhaustion, starvation, exposure, and even death, they strengthened one another and intensified their resolve. Alone, they would fail; together, they could succeed and live. Emily later wrote a poem about her experience that has been set to music and sung by Relief Society sisters all over the world. But the story of that hymn, As Sisters in Zion, is more than the experience of two sisters. As the greatgreat- granddaughter of Julia Hill, author Debbie J. Christensen reveals the fascinating, untold story behind this beloved song and the call to comfort the weary and strengthen the weak.