The child Martha Hughes, who left her native Llandudno when her family emigrated as converts to the 'Mormon' church in 1861, is barely known in Wales. But the adult Dr Martha Hughes Cannon was a remarkably talented and determined woman whose achievements are widely recognised and celebrated in Utah. This extract from Poeri i Lygad yr Eliffant, Y Lolfa 2016 (English version: Welsh Saints on the Mormon Trail , Y Lolfa, 2019) details her contributions to causes such as public health and women's suffrage, as well as the distinction of being the first woman in the United States to be elected as a senator.