Nineteenth-Century woman of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Poet and Writer of Hymns

Emily is presently most famous for her hymn "As Sisters in Zion" although she was renowned as the writer of the jubilee poem for the Sunday School and her work in suffrage in her own day. Much of her work was poems for birthdays and anniversaries before greeting cards were available.

Emily was born in Warminster, Wiltshire, England to Thomas and Elizabeth (Slade) Hill. When Emily was 12 years old she heard The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints missionaries preaching the gospel in her neighborhood and quickly became convinced of the truth of their words. Emily's family and friends were less than thrilled with her enthusiasm for the Church. She was told by her father that if she joined the Church she would not be welcome in their home. Despite this opposition Emily was baptized when she was 20 years old and immediately left for the United States with her older sister, Julia, who had also converted. Upon their arrival in America, Emily and Julia traveled from New York to Iowa where they joined a handcart company to make the Mormon trek west to Utah. Their company experienced many difficult trials and may not have made it to Utah except for the timely rescuers sent from Salt Lake City by Brigham Young.

In Utah, Emily entered into the covenant of plural marriage when she wed William Gill Mills on June 14, 1857, in Salt Lake City. The couple had one child before William left on a mission for the Church. After he had been gone for three years Emily received a message from William stating that he would not be returning to Utah and severing their relationship.

Following this difficult trial, Emily married Joseph Woodmansee on May 7, 1864, in Salt Lake City and bore him eight children. When Joseph experienced financial difficulties due to incorrect mining speculations Emily began working in the real estate industry, where she became quite successful. Because of her talent in business Emily was appointed Treasurer of the Woman's Cooperative Store - a position she held for over ten years.

Emily was also well-known for her abilities as a poet. Many of her poems were published in various magazines and journals, such as The Contributor and Parry's Literary Journal. In October 1899 she was awarded the gold medal for the Sunday School Jubilee Poem.