Our Pioneer Heritage

 A few weeks ago, our daughter-in-law, Anne, told me that she and Cameron had accepted to be the "Ma" and "Pa" for a re-enactment of the Mormon pioneers who crossed the plains and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley.  I was so excited that they were going to do this, and when she asked if I would sew her a couple of pioneer dresses, I was more than happy to do so.  I certainly breathed a sigh of relief when she sent this picture after I had mailed the dresses to her, and they fit perfectly!  She is one beautiful pioneer woman, right?!

 I kept hearing from Cameron how hard Anne was working to get everything ready for the trek.  I don't know how excited he was before, but after the trek, he agreed it was one of the best experiences they could participate in.  I asked Anne to write a little about their experiences. 

"Cameron and I were asked to participate in a church activity called Trek.  Trek is where we pay tribute and gain a small understanding for our religious ancestors.  These ancestors pulled handcarts, with all their belongings, from Iowa City, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah. Many of these original groups encountered bad weather conditions, hostile Indians, starvation, and exhaustion while making the journey, nevertheless continuing on to “Zion” so that we may enjoy the religion we have today.  

 Pushing and pulling the handcart up a mountain trail. 

For the activity, we were organized into families.  Cameron and I were a Pa and Ma to a group of 7 youth ages 13 to 17.  We were able to shut off our technology and walk and work together for 17 miles through the praries pulling handcarts very similar to theirs.  We journeyed 3 days where we camped and cooked on dutch ovens for our meals.  I have to say that although hesitant at first with our abilities, we ended up loving every single minute of this great trip.  We came to appreciate the early pioneers and strengthen our beliefs while enjoying one another’s company and growing to love our 'Trek children'."

Cameron and Anne (far right) with their pioneer family in the trek.  Way to go, Ma and Pa, and family!  What a great experience for you and the other "families" to have a mini-experience of what the actual pioneer journey was like! 

 The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saint Seminary Manual asks the following question: 

"Imagine that you were asked to travel 1,300 miles (about 2,090 kilometers) on foot while pulling a cart and that you were allowed to bring only 17 pounds (about 7.7 kilograms) of personal belongings. Would you volunteer for this journey?

 Between 1856 and 1860, almost 3,000 Saints chose to travel west across the plains of the United States to Utah, pulling their belongings in handcarts. Most of the handcart companies loaded provisions, personal items, and some food into handcarts and walked from Iowa City, Iowa, to Salt Lake City, Utah. The last three companies began their journey in Florence, Nebraska.

Most Church members, including those living outside of the United States, wanted to gather with the Saints in Utah. However, many did not have enough money or supplies to get there. For this reason, President Brigham Young established the Perpetual Emigrating Fund in 1849. The fund gave emigrants a loan to help them pay for travel and supplies. Because of a variety of financial problems, the fund was depleted in 1855, and President Young was concerned that it would not be sufficient to assist the Saints who wanted to emigrate in 1856. He proposed that emigrants who needed assistance from the fund should travel using handcarts instead of wagons. Handcarts were much less expensive and would allow more of the Saints to emigrate.

The long journey was filled with the natural fears of fatigue, possible illness, concern for food and water, questions about the durability of their wagons or handcarts or their domestic animals, the potential dangers of Indian attacks—indeed, all the fears that go with the unknown. Adding to these fears was the sorrow many felt as they left extended family members behind, most never to be seen again. Cross-country migration was a very significant event in their lives, and it was long remembered by those who made it. In fact, journals suggest that the pioneers viewed their migration sufferings as a sacrifice for the Lord that they willingly made."

While it is impossible to know the exact number of LDS deaths among the 60,000 to 70,000 Latter-day Saints who migrated to the Salt Lake Valley from 1846 to 1869, the estimate is about 4,600, according to Susan Easton Black who has studied this quite extensively.

Sadly, one of those who died along the trail was my great-great grandmother, Sarah Ann Pool, who was born September 8, 1832, in Lanchester County, England.  Her mother had joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England and wanted her husband to join the church but he would not.  From Sarah's diary we read: 

--> 

"So mother left him and brought her three children to ‘Zion.’  My brother was 14 years old, I was 8, and my sister was 2.  It was a sad goodbye to leave our father and set sail for America with the first company of Saints in 1840.  We were about six months reaching Nauvoo."

 

 My great great grandmother, Sarah Ann Pool

Sarah married John S. Clark about 1854 in Missouri and had three children with him.  Their life seemed so happy until tragedy came to the family.  Her husband was wounded on the battlefield during the Civil War, pneumonia developed, and he died December 20, 1863.  He was buried in Independence, Missouri.  

Sarah Ann was left a young widow at the age of 31, and three small children to take care of.   She took her children and went to St. Louis where she soon joined the Church.  Sarah Ann wanted to go to Zion with the rest of the Saints.  However, widows with a family needed a chaperone to go across the plains, so it seemed that perhaps she married a man by the name of James Turner on July 4, 1868, for this reason.  A year later, she and James and the three children started for Zion by mule train (team) for the Salt Lake Valley. 

-->

Trials, tribulations, and danger-filled experiences were their lot, and, sadly, on July 26, 1869, Sarah Ann died about a day's journey from Green River, Wyoming.  She was buried hastily because Indians were chasing the party after having ambushed and killing several stragglers earlier in the day.  

However, young Francis, the middle child who was eight years old, was so saddened to part with her mother, and after the quick burial, she left the group and went back to her mother’s grave.  She said, 

“I can remember throwing myself on the damp mound that marked my mother’s grave, and how some men from the party had to come back for me and drag me to where the others had hastened.”   

They hadn’t noticed Francis even being gone until they had gone on quite a ways, and then had to send a party back to find her.  There they found young Francis sobbing on her mother’s grave unaware of all the dangers around her.  

 

 My great grandmother, Francis Adelia Serena Clark Chamberlain

            When they arrived in Salt Lake, James Turner walked away from the children.  Now the children were orphans.  However, they soon were adopted and reared by separate families.  Later, Francis married a wonderful man with whom she had twelve children.  The youngest child was named Edith Pearl Chamberlain, who just happens to be my grandmother.    

 My grandmother, Edith Pearl Chamberlain Cook

My grandmother, Edith, also married a wonderful man whose name was Marvin Dean Cook.  They had five children, and my mother was their youngest child.

 My mother, Lola Jean Cook Rigby

So, as you can see, I am a sixth generation member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon), and I feel so blessed that my ancestors went through so much for their posterity to have the gospel.  It means everything to me and my family.  May we ever make them proud with the way we live our lives to make their great sacrifices worth it.