Unique Family Pioneer Stories

[Peppermint Patty]

I'm interested in any unique, faith promoting or interesting pioneer stories that have been in your family for generations.

One that has been in my family for generations is that my great great grandfather was clearing land to farm in the Ogden area and was bite by a rattlesnake. He immediately prayed and was prompted to go to his cabin and eat a huge spoonful of lard. He then went and took a 4 hour nap.

When he woke there were no bad effects of the snake bite and he resumed his farming. I don’t know if there have been any medical studies regarding whether eating lard can help alleviate a rattlesnake bite, but it sure is an interesting story and one that has stuck with me and my children.

I would be interested in hearing other’s stories.

[boblloyd91]

My great great grandmother fell down a well in Cache County. She was scared and prayed. She reported that she felt calm and went to sleep. She said that when she woke up she was no longer in the well, and was able to walk home

[Duncan]

My Parents are converts but i'll share how I found one of the missionaries who taught and baptized my dad. I was house sitting for them a few years back and for whatever reason I was interested to know whatever happened to the elders who taught him. So I called him where they were at and he couldn't remember their names except one had a really common name. So I contacted the Church archives and asked if they had baptismal records from that time and they said if the family hasn't donated anything then they don't have anything. So whatever. He thought he was baptized in 1963 by two elders serving in the North Central States mission and baptized in the city that I live in. My dad has this ancient briefcase in their closet that as kids we were never allowed to look in. So I looked in it and miracle of miracles found his baptismal certificate!! It said he was baptized in Nov. 1962 by Elders (making up similar names) D. Jensen and J.M Cavey. So, on Ldsmissions.net they have mission websites and I know that the North Central States Mission in 1963 covered a huge area that is now covered by several missions. So, I looked at several entries of missionaries who could have served in that mission then, so I checked the South Dakota Rapid City Mission, Minnesota Mission and one or two others. There were a few people who put up profiles who served in the early 1960's. I contacted all of them to see if they knew anything about these two elders. I got back a few responses saying they rememeber them but had no idea where they were or they didn't know them. However one person sent me a picture of Elder D. Jensen as a young missionary and on the bottom it said something like Thanks for everything Elder De Verle Jensen

So, now I had at least a first name. I looked up USA 411 for any De Verle Jensen thinking that cannot be a common names at all. Surprisingly I found a few. One of whom lived in Cedar City Utah. I figured it could be him but who knows, all I know is this person has the exact name as the missionary who baptized my father way back in 1962 in Canada. So I looked up De Verle Jensen on google and came up with a business in Cedar City with an email address. As I say all I knew is he has the same name, he could be 30 years old, not LDS or whatever. So I figured it's a shot in the dark so I sent an email to him saying my father was baptized into teh LDS faith in my city in 1962 by someone with your exact name are you possibly him or do you know anyone fitting that description. A few weeks later he emailed me back saying he was one of the elders that met my dad and taught and baptized him and he rehearsed how it all happened and a few other experiences he had. He has no idea whatever happened to the other missionary. So I sent him my parents contact info and he called my Dad and they talked for about 45 minutes. I told him because of his serving a mission here in the FRIGID cold back when my dad joined the Church,met my Mom they got sealed, 4 kids, 2 of who served missions and the other 2 are sealed in the Temple and we are all active. It was a beautiful experience for our family.

[Peppermint Patty]

My Parents are converts but i'll share how I found one of the missionaries who taught and baptized my dad. I was house sitting for them a few years back and for whatever reason I was interested to know whatever happened to the elders who taught him. So I called him where they were at and he couldn't remember their names except one had a really common name. So I contacted the Church archives and asked if they had baptismal records from that time and they said if the family hasn't donated anything then they don't have anything. So whatever. He thought he was baptized in 1963 by two elders serving in the North Central States mission and baptized in the city that I live in. My dad has this ancient briefcase in their closet that as kids we were never allowed to look in. So I looked in it and miracle of miracles found his baptismal certificate!! It said he was baptized in Nov. 1962 by Elders (making up similar names) D. Jensen and J.M Cavey. So, on Ldsmissions.net they have mission websites and I know that the North Central States Mission in 1963 covered a huge area that is now covered by several missions. So, I looked at several entries of missionaries who could have served in that mission then, so I checked the South Dakota Rapid City Mission, Minnesota Mission and one or two others. There were a few people who put up profiles who served in the early 1960's. I contacted all of them to see if they knew anything about these two elders. I got back a few responses saying they rememeber them but had no idea where they were or they didn't know them. However one person sent me a picture of Elder D. Jensen as a young missionary and on the bottom it said something like Thanks for everything Elder De Verle Jensen

So, now I had at least a first name. I looked up USA 411 for any De Verle Jensen thinking that cannot be a common names at all. Surprisingly I found a few. One of whom lived in Cedar City Utah. I figured it could be him but who knows, all I know is this person has the exact name as the missionary who baptized my father way back in 1962 in Canada. So I looked up De Verle Jensen on google and came up with a business in Cedar City with an email address. As I say all I knew is he has the same name, he could be 30 years old, not LDS or whatever. So I figured it's a shot in the dark so I sent an email to him saying my father was baptized into teh LDS faith in my city in 1962 by someone with your exact name are you possibly him or do you know anyone fitting that description. A few weeks later he emailed me back saying he was one of the elders that met my dad and taught and baptized him and he rehearsed how it all happened and a few other experiences he had. He has no idea whatever happened to the other missionary. So I sent him my parents contact info and he called my Dad and they talked for about 45 minutes. I told him because of his serving a mission here in the FRIGID cold back when my dad joined the Church,met my Mom they got sealed, 4 kids, 2 of who served missions and the other 2 are sealed in the Temple and we are all active. It was a beautiful experience for our family.

Duncan, what an amazing conversion story. Thanks for sharing!

[Stargazer]

My brother and I are the first LDS members in our family (on both parents sides), so we don't have any LDS family stories that are not our own. I think my own conversion story is pretty interesting, and I've posted it here before, but you're asking for pioneer stories.

The best I can do is the story of my great great grandfather who was born in Vermont in 1822. He came to Northern California in the Gold Rush, and ended up marrying one of the daughters of a chief of the Konkow Indians. They ended up having 7 children altogether. My great great grandmother's photo can be seen in the photo collage on this page, about halfway down the page.  She's the elderly lady on the top row, second from the right.  Her name was Katie.  The other elderly lady, top row all the way to the right, is my cousin Vera, one of Katie's granddaughters, who died at the age of 104 back in 2006. 

 

Katie's fourth child, my great grandfather, John Clark, was a real, genuine prospector (his Vermont-born father might have tried his hand at it, but earned his living primarily in business).  But while John found lots of gold and silver deposits in both California and Nevada, he never worked any of his claims -- he sold the claims that he filed in his own name, and prospected also as an employee of a number of mining companies.  One of his claims was even named after him.  It was a placer mine in Amador County, California.  It had the name "Clark Placer Mine".  In case you're wondering what a placer mine is, if you've watched the Discovery channel series "Gold Rush", you've seen the miners digging alluvial deposits and running the dirt through water and shaker boxes of one sort or another.  That's placer mining.

[Duncan]

We have another one, I admit though I am kind of on the fence about believing a portion of it. My Mum's non member uncle, Roy was one of the first 30,000 Canadians to sign up for WW1 in 1914 and one of the last to come back in 1919 when they demobilized, he survived the whole thing. In June of 1916 he was on patrol with others and were out all night and the morning were exhausted and they were behind the lines and this was on the night before a big attack. So, Uncle Roy and the others scouted a small farmhouse and he didn't feel right about it but the others went and slept in the house while he slept in the shellhole, well at some point during the day the house was shelled and Uncle Roy got some shrapnel in his foot, if he was sleeping in the other direction he may have gotten it in the head. Things is Unce Roy wasn't some big player in the Canadian scene or discovered anything or whatever BUT his son, who is also a non member suddenly became interested in family history and he discovered a whole wack of names and we've been doing them in the Temple

Edited January 23, 2015 by Duncan

[pogi]

My parents never told us any pioneer stories growing up. I knew that my fathers ancestors were Greek and not LDS, and I just assumed that my mothers ancestors were later converts.  A couple years ago I started getting interested in family history work and discovered names of people who were born in England and died in Utah in the pioneer era.  It turns out that I am a descendent of 31 pioneer ancestors.  I became very curious of their stories and began a research project.  I compiled their stories, journals, and most of their pictures in a blog that I presented to my mother for mothers day a couple years ago.  It has been an incredibly inspiring, educational and uplifting project for me.     Here is the blog: http://pioneerheritage.blogspot.com/

 

Here is one interesting snippet from the Journal of Louisa Harriet Mills:

 

While at Winchester the family first heard the Gospel. It was carried to them by Brother Charles R. Savage, who later became a member of the old folks committee, and William Wilde, who later became Bishop of the Coalville, Utah Ward. Until this time my mother had belonged to the Baptist and Methodist Churches, but did not seem satisfied with either. The Gospel came to them in a very peculiar way. I was a baby of eleven months and became very ill and was given up by the doctor. The Minister passed judgment upon me and said that I would be dead by morning.

My mother was watching over her dying baby, waiting for the Doctor and the Minister to return, when someone knocked upon the door. Upon answering the door she found two home missionaries who were strangers to her. The visitors were quite boisterous Mrs. Mills thought, and she became very much afraid. She asked them to please be quiet because she had a dying baby in the house. On hearing this, Brother Savage asked to see the baby. He said, “in the name of the Lord the child shall not die.” My Mother thought him beside himself. He also said that with her permission he would administer to the child in the name of the True and Living God. She gave her consent but with instructions to be quick before her minister should return.

In the blessing he gave he said, “That I should not die but should live and be a Savior unto my people and that they should be gathered to the land of Zion". Brother Savage also said that I should be dressed that day and that my mother should hear the gospel and receive it at their hands. These promises have been fulfilled.

 

Louisa was married to this guy -

 

Recognize him?

[JAHS]

My great-great grandmother Ellen Marie Partington was adopted by Willard Richards, who was secretary to Joseph Smith. She writes of her experiences in Nauvoo when she was a little girl:

 

"I was well acquainted with Joseph Smith, the Prophet.  Dr. Richards was his private secretary.  We lived close to the mansion where Joseph lived.  I was frequently sent on errands to him.  I was not old enough to realize what a great man he was, but I loved him all the same.  When I went with messages from the doctor, he would pick m up and hold me in his arms while I told my errand and say something pleasant to me and then kiss me and put me down again.  I remember well when the heartrending news of his martyrdom reached Nauvoo. Young as I was I shared in great sorrow. I went with the doctor's family to view the remains of the two noble men. I was there when their aged mother was brought in to see them. It was a sight never to be forgotten."

[pogi]

This one touched me:

 

Elizabeth Dearden (Aunt Betty), wife of Thomas, was loved by everyone in the community. She was an experienced midwife and officiated at the birth of many Henefer children. She was the mother of 13 children. They lived about 1 1/2 miles out of town at the mouth of Main Canyon. On March 4, 1895, she delivered a girl baby for Mrs. Charlotte Beard (Hazel Ann), took care of mother and child, then walked home to care for her son Stephen, who was ill. Two days later Stephen passed away. In the afternoon of the same day, after laying out her dead son, Aunt Betty came to the home of the Beard's to take care of Mother Beard. Surprised, Mrs. Beard said, "Oh, Betty, why did you come today?" and Betty answered with a quiet serene smile, "I have done all I can for the dead, now I must take care of the living.

 

[pogi]

I thought this was humorous from David Moore's Journal:

 

Sometime during this winter, Little Soldier, the Chief of the Utes, went by my house on north of the junction of Ogden and Weber, on the run as fast as his horse could go while he was yelling like a maniac.  The next day he came to my house.  I asked him what made him run his horse the day before and yell so.  He replied, "Whiskey" 

"Ah Soldier, whiskey is not good for you." 

"Yes whiskey is heap good for me, it make me feel like (t)o yelp all the time."

 

 

[Tacenda]

 

Mary Ann Mellor and Louisa Mellor Clark

 

I’d originally intended for these to be two separate posts, but so much of what I admire of Mary Ann Mellor and her daughter Louisa were too connected for me to split apart.

The Mellor family’s emigration to join the saints was difficult from the start. On the day their ship was set to depart from Liverpool, Mary Ann went into premature labor and gave birth to conjoined twins that died after a few hours. The doctors were unsure if Mary Ann would survive. But because this was the last ship available in the season, the future of perpetual emigration funding was tenuous, and the family had already sold their land in Leicester, Mary Ann told her family to board the boat without her. Her sixteen year old daughter, Louisa, and her two year old daughter chose to stay behind with her, and her husband took the other five children with him. Louisa did this knowing full well that she might be left alone with a two year old to care for in an unfamiliar city, possibly never seeing the rest of her family again, but she made the choice to help her mother in her time of need. By a twist of fate, Mary Ann's husband came back two days later for them, as the ship was anchored for a time in a nearby river after its departure. Against doctors’ wishes, they carried Mary Ann on a stretcher to the boat, and the whole family journeyed across the ocean together.

As part of the Martin handcart company, they faced many difficulties on the trail. Mary Ann had regained some of her strength, but was still weak enough she nearly gave up on many occasions. On one occasion, she did. She told her family she would go no further, kissed her children goodbye, and “sat down on a boulder and wept.” Again, Louisa chose to come to her mother’s aid. She told the family to go on without her, prayed that she and her mother would be able to catch up with the company without harm, and got off her knees and went to work. As she returned to her mother’s boulder, she found a pie in the road, which she gave to her mother to eat. They rested for a time, and then succeeded in rejoining the group. Louisa recounts that “many times after that, Mother felt like giving up and quitting, but then she would remember how wonderful the Lord had been to spare her so many times, and offered a prayer of gratitude instead.”

Mary Ann, her husband, and her seven children all arrived safely in Utah. They were eventually called to settle Fayette (building the first brick home there), and in 1875, James was called to serve a mission to England. He returned in 1877, arriving on the doorstep with a woman named Mary (Polly) Knowles that he introduced to Mary Ann as a woman he’d brought back from England to be his plural wife. Stunned, Mary Ann stared at them for a few minutes, then showered them with a pan of fermenting milk and slammed the door. Eventually Mary Ann and Polly would have a cordial relationship. Louisa became the second wife of Edwin Clark, had nine children, and became active in temple work.

My attention was initially drawn to Louisa as I read this account. I love her bravery, devotion, and faith, choosing on two separate occasions to risk her life to support her mother. But I think Mary Ann is also worthy of praise. Despite discouragement and loss, she always made the choice to keep trying, and managed to maintain her spunk. I think their story is a beautiful account of the difference a brave teenager can make, and the power that comes through a strong mother/daughter bond.

Source:
Olsen, Andrew D. (2006). The Price We Paid: The Extraordinary Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Pioneers.

 

ETA:  The above was taken from someone's blog, it isn't written by me.  I only learned of this relative recently, my mother never told me about them.  I vaguely remember her saying there was contention with one of my ancestors, and now think it was the polygamist wife that James took.  Also, I remember playing all over the Fayette valley as a child!

 

Also, so excited to be able to quote and c/p again, yeah Chrome!!  

Edited January 23, 2015 by Tacenda

[Rob Osborn]

My 4th great grandmother was Janetta Ann McBride whose Father died in the snowstorm in the ill fated Martin Handcart company of pineers whose story is found here-

https://www.lds.org/friend/2000/08/journey-by-handcart-part-two?lang=eng

[The Nehor]

Most of my cool family stories have shown up in the Ensign at some point. Downside of sharing a family line with a current apostle so probably do not count as unique.

Edited January 23, 2015 by The Nehor