Remembering Our Ancestors Winter 2007

Transcription

1 South Davis Family History Center 3350 South 100 East Bountiful, Utah (801) Hours of Operation Weekdays: Mon. thru Fri. 9 AM to 4 PM Evenings: Tues. thru Thurs. 7 PM to 9 PM Saturdays: 10 AM to 1 PM Remembering Our Ancestors Winter 2007 From the Director s Desk My job as a volunteer coordinator for a local hospice has given me rare opportunities to visit with terminally-ill patients. I am constantly touched by the courage and faith of the sweet people I visit. Every visit teaches me something new about facing the enormous challenges of this life. It is simply an honor to visit with people during their last few moments on earth. Recently I visited with a wonderful Italian man. Though not religious, he was a kind, generous man who had served others all his life. He had never married and had no children. All his remaining family members are still in Italy. It was difficult for him to be away from his family as he approached the end of his life. He reflected to me and a volunteer how sad he was that his mother had passed away without ever hearing him tell her how much he had appreciated her sacrifices for him and his siblings. His father had died from malaria Also in this Issue page Who & What Is New at the Center Celebration: Indexing the 1900 Census..2 Research Tips: Utah Pioneers Utah Death Records Swedish Soldiers Registry..4 Lyrics to Pioneer Songs , 8 Talks for Today: LDS Handcart Pioneers. 5 when my friend was only a small boy. His dear mother became a young widow with five small children. When he was eleven years old, his village in Italy was invaded by the German Army when WW II broke out. This was a very difficult time for his beloved mother, but he said, I was only a child, and I never really appreciated what she went through until I was older. I never told her how I loved her and appreciated what she did for us kids. Now it is too late. I felt such compassion for him, being in such despair. I said to him, You know, I believe that when you pass on to the other side, you will see your mother again. You will be with her, and you will be able to tell her how you feel. He asked, Is that what you believe? I said, Yes, with all my heart. I have had, and know others who have had, many experiences that confirm this to me. He then turned to my

2 volunteer and asked, Do you believe this, too? Again, came the assurance he was looking for, Yes, absolutely. My dear Italian friend had tears in his eyes as he thought about this. I believe it gave him great comfort. He died a few days following our visit with him. How grateful I am for the testimony I have that we will most assuredly be able to see our families in the next life. I have no doubt about that. I know our ancestors will be there. Many grand reunions will take place! How important it is for us to remember those who have gone on before us. Family history work is about making these grand reunions possible. We work to unite families. Many of our ancestors suffered greatly to obtain our freedoms. It is time we seek them out and perform the saving temple ordinances for them. Now is the time for Remembering Our Ancestors. -Donna Smith, Director South Davis Regional Family History Center Who s New at the Center During this past year, a number of new faces have joined (or rejoined) our staff, including: Jan Bradfield, North Salt Lake Parkway Rachel Creswell, North Canyon Stake Charles & Mary Lou Burgoyne, Val Verda Pam Collins, Centerville Stake John & Ann Morris, North Canyon Stake Beth Price, North Canyon Stake Earlene Smart, Orchard Stake Louise Spencer, North Canyon Stake Claire Upton, Bountiful East Stake Sandra Wardle, North Canyon Stake In addition, Marsha Roth, a former director of the Center, recently returned from serving an LDS mission. Thanks to all of you for sharing your time and family history talents with us. What s New at the Center While working at the Family History Center, patrons now have free access to a number of subscription databases, including Godfrey Memorial Library, Footnote.com, Heritage- Quest, and WorldVitalRecords.com. Come and try them out! We also have some brandnew computers with large, flat screen monitors. Our Next Family History Fair Fair time is just around the corner Saturday March 8, 2008 from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at Bountiful High School. The theme is Heaven Bound. For more details and registration forms, visit Celebration Report: Indexing of 1900 U.S. Census Completion of a Church Family History Department project for Internet Indexing of the 1900 U.S. Census was celebrated by a packed audience at the Relief Society Room of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building on Thursday, November 29, All who worked on this monumental project were honored. The five top producers were recognized for their exceptional efforts, and their photos were projected for all to see. Sister Beverly Pendleton of the Bountiful 21 st Ward, Bountiful Utah East Stake, was among the five so honored. Because Sister Pendleton was unable to attend, her brother David Haslam, also of the Bountiful 21 st Ward, accepted a certificate and pin on her behalf. Jeffrey Sappenfield, Extraction Director for the Bountiful 21 st Ward, was also present. Beverly Pendleton Bountiful East Stake 2

3 The census project was expected to take 5 years, but thanks to volunteers like Sister Pendleton, it was finished in just 12 months. It was calculated that 62,584 individuals worked on the project, spending 2,360,134 hours to extract 1,693,577 images. Each image (containing about 25 records) was input by two different extractors from different stakes, then a third person--an arbitrator checked the two images against the original microfilm and made any necessary changes. A heroic effort for the many indexers throughout the Church, the results have been shown to be 96% accurate with the original records. Because the project was completed so quickly and accurately, doors have been opened to additional record repositories that were previously unavailable to Church workers. The Bountiful Utah East Stake wishes to thank all who made this gigantic effort possible, including teams from the Church Family History Department, the Internet indexers, the arbitrators, the checkers, the ward extraction directors, and the many others not mentioned. This is one of many Church indexing projects that will eventually be published so that members and non-members alike have access to the records and can search for their ancestors and families. The work moves forward! -Anthony Lee Bernard Stake Family History Director Bountiful Utah East Stake Research Tips: Utah Pioneer Ancestors A Utah pioneer has been defined as a person who: (1) came to the Utah Territory or State of Deseret, (2) died crossing the plains, or (3) was born in the Utah Territory or State of Deseret before May 10, 1869 the coming of the transcontinental railroad. Mormon Pioneer Search arch3.htm This is still one of the best places to start research on a Utah pioneer. Scroll to the bottom of the home page and enter the pioneer s surname in the search box. (To find alternate spellings, simply type the first two or more letters of the surname.) Results come from company rosters, early bishop s reports, passenger lists, early newspaper reports, census records for 1850, 1860, and 1880, etc. Because the database is constantly growing, you ll want to check back from time to time. Daughters of the Utah Pioneers This site has an index to the DUP s collection of about 100,000 pioneer histories. From the home screen, click History Department on the left side. Click History Card Index. Enter the surname of a Utah pioneer and click submit. If the pioneer s name is found and you are a direct descendant or a DUP member, you can obtain a copy of the histories submitted for that pioneer. The cost is 25 per page, with a minimum charge of $1.00. To request histories, click on the "Get Request Form" link. Fill out the form completely. (Remember that histories of women are filed under their married names, so include all of a woman s surnames.) My ancestors were out standing in their fields. Bring or mail your completed form to the DUP library at 300 North Main, Salt Lake City, Utah The History Department is open Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Please arrive before 3 p.m. 3

4 Utah Death records, Mormons and their Neighbors An index to over 100,000 biographical sketches appearing in 185 published volumes. These sketches include persons living between 1820 and 1981 in northern Mexico, New Mexico, Arizona, southern California, Nevada, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, and southwestern Canada. Search by name, dates, or key words. Results include a call number, so you can find the sketch at BYU s Harold B. Lee Library. Willie and Martin Companies For an excellent discussion that both inspires and dispels myths, see Weather, Disaster, and Responsibility: An Essay on the Willie and Martin Handcart Story by Howard A. Christy. Originally published in BYU Studies vol. 37 no. 1 ( ), here it is available online. From the home page, click Products and then select Articles. In the Search by Author box, type Christy. Click more information and then download. The entire article appears in PDF format. Mormon Migration versus The Gold Rush Here s another great resource for historical details that would enhance the biography of your Utah pioneer ancestor. From the home page, click Publications in the top left corner. As an example, type precious gold in the search box at the left of the next screen, click the > to search. You retrieve the article More Precious than Gold: The Journey to and through Zion in by Fred E. Woods, Associate Professor of Church History & Doctrine at BYU. Click indexes from the list on the left of the home screen. In the search box, type your ancestor s surname. (If the surname is very common, you may need to type more; try surname, given name in that format.) To view the image, click on the person s name, then click it again on the next screen. A miniature copy of the death certificate appears click on it. If you pass your mouse over the lower right corner, an orange button will appear. Click on it to enlarge the image. Some of the images that appear are a good size for printing. These you can print by simply passing your mouse over the top right corner of the image and then selecting the print icon that appears. However, many images have a lot of black background and will not print a large enough copy without adjustments. These you should first save. Pass your mouse over the top right corner of the entire image and select the save icon that appears. (It looks like a little floppy disk.) For convenience in finding the image again, give it your ancestor s name and save it to your desktop. Then go to the desktop, find the name and open it with your photo editor. (At the Center, the photo editor appears automatically when you click on the name of a photo image.) Now you can crop or resize the image before printing. (When you re through printing, remember to delete the image from your desktop.) Another good option is to save the image to a disk or flash drive. Sweden: Central Soldiers Register A searchable database of soldiers records created by the DIS computerized genealogy club in cooperation with the Centrala Soldatregistret. A Swedish soldier would assume a new surname upon entering the military. With this database, you may be able to find a soldier s original family surname by entering his military name, or vice versa. 4

5 Song for the Willie & Martin Companies Some said they were foolish, Some said they were blind To leave so late in the season And try to make it on time. But they were moved by a message, They were called by a voice, And a feeling inside that left them no choice. And they flowed like a river Over the west, Crossed prairies and mountains To a valley to rest. On the high plains it caught them, Winter s first cold. It blocked their way forward, Took the young and the old, Through wind, cold, and fever, Through suffering and loss, Knocked to their knees When they counted the cost. And they flowed like a river Over the west, Crossed prairies and mountains To a valley to rest. Wind-blown and weary, Starving and cold, More than two hundred gone To the earth s frozen hold. When the rescue relieved them, In their last, dark despair, They gave thanks for the trials They were given to bear. And they flowed like a river Over the west, Crossed prairies and mountains To a valley to rest. And the river continued In the lives that they made. And the river remains and flows in my veins. And the river remains and flows in my veins by Douglas Nielsen Used with permission of Pres. Steve Nielsen, North Canyon Stake Talks for Today: Remembering LDS Handcart Pioneers I feel honored today to speak of my pioneer ancestors and feel a serious responsibility to say that which will honor their memory. President Gordon B. Hinckley has reminded us, Whether you are among the posterity of the pioneers or whether you were baptized only yesterday, each is the beneficiary of their great undertaking. Elder Oaks added that all of us enjoy the blessing of their efforts, and all of us have the responsibilities which go with that heritage. I ve chosen to focus on the handcart pioneers. Their story starts in the early days of the Church. Converts in the British Isles and Europe took to heart the doctrine of gathering, and the fire of emigration burned brightly as they looked forward to gathering to Zion. Funds for the journey could be borrowed from the Perpetual Emigration Fund, which the Saints had established soon after settling in the Salt Lake Valley. However, these funds were now running low because of crop failures caused by drought and crickets. In September 1855 President Brigham Young went back to his old plan of traveling with handcarts. Wilford Woodruff noted, It would require more gold than all the Saints possess upon the earth to gather the Saints unto Zion from all nations in the way they have been gathering, but now the handcart operation has been introduced to this people, it will bring five here where one has been brought heretofore. The Saints not only accepted the handcart proposal but clamored for it. Adding to their anxieties were the persecutions that many had been enduring from the time of their baptism. Such was the case with my maternal thirdgreat grandfather, Peder Mortensen, his wife, and eight children. One night an angry mob converged on their home. When the mob reached the front gate, their leader suddenly collapsed, and harm to the family was averted. 5

6 When the Mortensen s left their home to join the 162 Danish Saints in the James G. Willey Company, their eldest son remained behind to serve a mission. The family was promised by Priesthood authority that they would all survive the trip to Zion. That blessing was fulfilled. In the Willie Company, there were also many Scottish emigrants, such as James and Mary Laird, my paternal second-great grandparents, and their three young children two boys, ages 6 and 4, and a girl, age 1. They had been members for a number of years, and James had served a mission just a few years before. Unlike the Mortensen s, the Laird s income was meager, and they lived a humble existence. But they, too, had the spirit of gathering. They became part of the most remarkable travel experiment in the history of North America. There were 10 handcart companies between 1856 and Nearly three thousand men, women, and children pulling their worldly possessions in hand-made, two wheeled carts, trudged some thirteen hundred miles to Zion. There were blind and deaf, little children and infants in arms, gray veterans of Waterloo, old ladies, and pregnant women. They began their journey with unwavering faith and great determination. These common, ordinary people who had dreams and goals, discouragement, and probably even a headache or two just like us now hold a place of honor in church and family histories. You ve heard the story how the company started too late in the season; how the handcarts were not built in time and then were made of green, unseasoned wood; how their stock was driven off by Indians and lost in a storm; and how the worst winter in memory set in early; and how rations were cut severely and many died of sickness, starvation, or froze to death. That is the tragedy, but what of the triumph? How did these average people ever accomplish such a super-human feat, all the while fostering such Christ-like qualities as love, compassion, sacrifice, obedience, loyalty, integrity, endurance, courage, unselfishness, gratitude, cooperation and unity as well as other redeeming qualities? Elder David A. Bednar has suggested that the handcart pioneers knew something about the Atonement that few of us understand. In a masterful speech given at BYU in 2001, he recalls a statement by President David O. McKay, summarizing the overarching purpose of the gospel: The purpose of the gospel is to make bad men good and good men better and to change human nature. Elder Bednar explained, The purpose of the gospel is to make bad men good, or in other words, to put off the natural man and good men better, or in other words, to become more like a saint. If I were to emphasize one point this morning, it would be this: I suspect that you and I are much more familiar with the nature of the redeeming power of the Atonement than we are with enabling power of the Atonement. It is one thing to know that Jesus Christ came to earth to die for us. But we also need to appreciate that the Lord desires, through his Atonement and by the power of the Holy Ghost to live in us not only to direct us, but also to empower us. The gospel of Jesus Christ is not simply about avoiding bad in our lives; it also is essentially about doing and becoming good. These redeeming and enabling powers of the Atonement are not separate and discrete but two dimensions which are connected and complimentary. Most of us clearly understand that the Atonement is for sinners, but we may fail to realize that it is also for saints for good men and women who are obedient and worthy and conscientious and who are striving to become better and serve more faithfully. I wonder if we mistakenly believe we must make the journey from good to better and become a saint all by ourselves through sheer grit, willpower, and discipline, and with our obviously limited capacities. These qualities are necessary but ultimately insufficient. Truly we must come to rely upon the merits, and mercy and grace of the Holy Messiah. (2 Nephi 2:8) 6

7 Grace, as shown in the Bible Dictionary, is frequently used in the scriptures to connote enabling power. The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ. It is likewise through the grace of the Lord that individuals, through faith in the atonement of Jesus Christ and repentance of their sins, receive strength and assistance to do good works that they otherwise would not be able to maintain if left to their own means. This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts. Thus, the enabling power of the Atonement strengthens us to do and be good and serve beyond our own individual desire and natural capacity. Elder Bednar cited examples of this grace or enabling power in the scriptures. The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi was one who understood and relied upon the Savior s enabling power. (See I Nephi 7.) Nephi did not pray to have his circumstances changed; rather, he prayed for the strength to change his circumstances. Elder Bednar emphasized, I personally do not believe the bands with which Nephi was bound just magically fell from his hands and wrists. Rather, I suspect that he was blessed with both persistence and personal strength beyond his natural capacity. Brothers and sisters, the implication of this episode for each of us is quite straightforward. As you and I come to understand and employ the enabling power of the Atonement in our personal lives, we will pray and seek for strength to change our circumstances, rather than for our circumstances to be changed. Another example from the scriptures is Alma, who went to reclaim the apostate Zoramites. He did not pray to have his afflictions removed, but he prayed that he and his companions would have the power to act and affect their situation. (See Alma 31.) The Mortensens could have purchased a wagon and oxen but chose instead to share their wealth, making it possible for three additional families to come to Zion. Having sacrificed their comfort, they suffered dysentery, hunger, weakness, cold, hardship, and frozen limbs along with their comrades. James Laird had been assigned to help bury the dead. The food rations had been cut, and he felt himself weakening. He said, Captain Willey, I m afraid to use the shovel this morning. The Captain handed him a handful of corn saying, Eat this. Do come and help. He was about to eat, then he looked at his little family. Mary said, Eat that corn, James, to save your strength. Instead James put the corn in her lap. He picked up his shovel and strength came to him that stayed during the remainder of that unbelievably difficult journey. One day a friend lagged behind. James knew, as did they all, that if a person stopped, he would freeze to death. He tried to cajole his friend in to coming, but he wouldn t budge. Then James was prompted to box his ears to fire up his blood. The friend became angry, and his life was saved. Six-year-old Joseph Smith Laird walked the entire way because his little brother was in the cart. When the snow came, he had to run to keep from freezing. John Chislett, one of their leaders, said, It was surprising to an unmarried man to witness the devotion of men to their families under these trying circumstances. Many a father pulled his cart, with his little children on it, until the day preceding his death. I have seen some pull their carts in the morning, give out during the day, and die before next morning. After the first rescue group reached the Willey Company, they still had to climb Rocky Ridge. It was a 5-mile climb to 7300 feet, for hundreds of people who had gradually been starving and freezing with just a taste of food in 48 hours. It would be a seventeen-mile, twenty-five hour, nonstop, killing journey to Rock Creek. Fifteen people died that next night, and the Mortensen boys were some of the very few who had the strength to dig the graves. Their mother and sister gave their last few remaining sheets to bury the dead. 7

8 When a loved one died, there was more faith and burning testimony, as evidenced by a common journal entry, It did indeed seem a great trial to have to leave our dear father behind that morning, knowing we looked upon his sweet smiling face for the last time; but not without a hope of meeting him again on the morning of the resurrection. And a number of others included that they died with their faces toward Zion. I want to express my gratitude to those many rescuers, the Valley Boys, who also found within the Atonement more strength than their normal capacity and thus saved many generations of those who would come. And also to those compassionate souls who were waiting in Salt Lake City when the handcart companies arrived. It was reported that within one hour of arriving, every person was being cared for in homes. Through the suffering came some beautiful hymns written by handcart members, including Sweet Is the Peace the Gospel Brings, O, Say What is Truth? and As Sisters in Zion (which was originally written, We ll all pull together ). How reassuring it is to understand that we could have been pioneers and that today we can handle very difficult things because of the enabling power of the Atonement. There are things we can do to honor these special people. We can do everything in our power to Remember! as President Hinckley has advised. (That is the main word on the monument at Rock Creek, where the Willie and Martin Company camped after the grueling climb of Rocky Ridge.) We can make an effort to come to know our own ancestors. We can regularly share their stories to a generation starved for real heroes. We can research their names to make sure their temple ordinances have not been missed. We can write our own life story, specifically to include our testimony and spiritual experiences which can strengthen generations to come. Most of all, we can apply the great, eternal principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His Atonement, understanding that He can strengthen us beyond our normal capacities to be more than we alone could ever be and to do more than we alone could ever do. -Karla Beecher, Centerville 2 nd Ward, Centerville Canyonview Stake Song for a Pioneer Man Whose Wife Died on the Plains He wasn t there when her fever pitched To cool her brow, to whisper of his love. His duty called as it called on all For wood, for water, for game, for grass. Far in the hills, alone and tired, He felt her spirit pass. When graves were dug And the prayers all prayed, A hymn of comfort tried, Only then did he learn the words She left him when she died. Tell John I died with my face t ward Zion. I m not quite as weak as I seem. And tell John I tried to keep faith and be strong And I always held on to our dream. But it s cold, and the snow drifts and whispers With the voices of loved ones I ve known. And when it blows, then I know there s a place Where we ll share an embrace And I ll look in his face, And this pain will seem so long ago, long ago. No, he wasn t there when she slipped away, But day after day he would try To remember the words that she left for him, There on the trail when she died. And it s cold, and the snow drifts and whispers With her voice and others he s known. And when it blows, he knows there s a place Where they ll share an embrace And he ll look in her face, And this pain will seem so long ago, long ago by Douglas Nielsen Used with permission of Pres. Steve Nielsen, North Canyon Stake 8