Church leader Brigham Young sent a group of Mormons to Southern California in 1851. Young instructed the group that California was a free state, and their slaves would be free when they arrived in California. Smith ignored Young, and chose not to free Biddy or Hannah. Robert Smith, his family, and his slaves joined them in San Bernardino, California, sometime later. Biddy was among a large group of slaves in the San Bernardino settlement. As part of the Compromise of 1850, California was admitted as a free state, and any slave who resided in the state or was born in the state was free. Biddy had lived in California for four years, and some of the other slaves had been born in California, so they were covered by the law. Biddy wanted to be free, but was under the control of Robert Smith, and ignorant of the laws and her rights.