Pioneers Archives - Mormon History

Picturing History: John Young Home, Mendon, New York

Ashley Morales — Tue, 01 Aug 2017 04:45:42 +0000

This article was originally published in the Deseret News on July 26th, 2017.

Brigham Young was born to John and Nabby Young at Whitingham, Vermont, in 1801. At about age 16, Brigham was told by his father that he was old enough to go out on his own and provide for himself. His mother had just passed away.

His father, John Young, later moved to the area of Mendon, New York. Eventually, Brigham and his ailing wife, Miriam, also moved to Mendon on the back part of his father’s property. They were all practicing members of the Reformed Methodist Church.

In 1832, Brigham, Miriam, John and all of Brigham’s immediate family joined the Church of Christ, later The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All stayed active in the LDS Church throughout their lives.

According to Larry C. Porter, Brigham built a house for his father on his father’s property in Mendon. For some reason, that structure was subsequently divided in two. Half was moved across the street with each part facing the other from opposite sides of Cheese Factory Road. Over time, both portions were added on to, essentially creating two new homes. Both of those altered structures still stand. (See Larry C. Porter, “Brigham Young: The Man for the Hour Will Be Ready Whenever the Hour Strikes,” BYU Speeches, Jan. 27, 1998.)

They are owned by the LDS Church, but they are used as private residences.

Kenneth Mays is a board member of the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation and a retired instructor in the LDS Church’s Department of Seminaries and Institutes.

Ashley Morales

Frequently whimsical and overly optimistic about how much time it will take to do things, Ashley Morales is deeply passionate about the gospel and all kinds of creativity. Her hobbies include philosophically analyzing nearly every book, play, video game, and movie that she consumes, writing music and short stories, promising herself that she will finish writing her novels, going to sleep too late, eating foods she’s never tried, putting off cleaning her house, browsing Zillow, spending as much quality time as possible with her wonderful husband, trying to be a good mother to her fantastic children, and never finding the balance between saying too much and too little. One day, she hopes to leave a positive mark on the world and visit every continent (except Antarctica) with her family.

Pioneering 101: The Characteristics of Pioneers, as Described by President Hinckley

Ashley Morales — Tue, 25 Jul 2017 00:21:43 +0000

As Latter-day Saints, the word “pioneer” tends to conjure mental images of handcart companies trudging toward the Utah desert and all the suffering that accompanied such journeys. Perhaps some people also think about modern-day pioneers—Saints who are the first or only members in their families. Still, what exactly is the definition of a pioneer? Can any Latter-Day Saint become one?

Fear not, friends! This question need not keep you up at night any longer. In the fourth chapter of Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Gordon B. Hinckley, we can read about the reflections of our beloved former prophet on this very subject. He believed that “each of us is a pioneer in his own life, often in his own family.” Basically, honoring and becoming pioneers requires that we actively nurture the following five essential characteristics within ourselves.

Working Together, by Olinda H. Reynolds. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Faith in Jesus Christ

This is the solution to almost every problem that arises in our path from mortality to exaltation, so we’re used to hearing it. However, President Hinckley offered some revealing insights into what it means by recounting the experiences of the pioneers.

He pointed out, “It was through eyes of faith that they saw a city beautiful [Nauvoo] when they first walked across the swamps of Commerce, Illinois.” After persecution and the death of Joseph Smith, he remarked, “Again, it was by faith that they pulled themselves together under the pattern he had previously drawn and organized themselves for another exodus.” President Hinckley further noted that when the pioneers trekked across the American Midwest, it was “with faith [that] they established Winter Quarters on the Missouri [River]” and continued moving west despite the suffering and death that defined their stay. Finally, President Hinckley observed, “It was by faith that Brigham Young looked over [the Salt Lake] valley, then hot and barren, and declared, ‘This is the place.’”

Quoting Paul explaining that “faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen” (Hebrews 11:1), President Hinckley extolled the pioneers’ ability to bring their faith to reality through hard work and confidence in God. Faith is more than simply acknowledging that the Lord is able to do what He says He can do. Living with eyes of faith means being able to perceive the “evidence of things not seen”—a thriving city in a swamp, new beginnings in death, springtime in a horrible winter, and Zion in a desert. Pioneers have faith to see what can and should be, guided in their optimism by their conviction that if the Lord could create wine out of water, prophets out of common folk, and saints out of sinners, then He can surely make a beacon out of a barren valley and a rolling church out of a few struggling handcart pullers.

The Lord Himself embodied this kind of faith. For example, He was able to see world-changing apostles in lowly men, including humble fishermen. His Atonement attests to the enormous potential He saw in each person for whose sins and afflictions He suffered.

Calling of the Fishermen (Christ Calling Peter and Andrew), by Harry Anderson. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Faith means to see what cannot be seen—and then to act upon it. Pioneers have this kind of faith.

Active Involvement in the Building of Zion

The hardships endured by the pioneers are nearly unimaginable to us. Many of us live in a time and place in which modern conveniences are commonplace, and we rarely feel the stings of plague, starvation, and fatal exhaustion.

Expressing his admiration of Brigham Young and the pioneers, President Hinckley remarked, “They were tired. Their clothes were worn. Their animals were jaded. The weather was hot and dry—the hot weather of July. But here they were, looking down the years and dreaming a millennial dream, a grand dream of Zion.”

Consider everything that you own and enjoy—your job, house, furniture, electricity, plumbing, entertainment center, social prestige, etc. Imagine leaving every single shred of it behind. What would compel you to do that? What could possibly be worth giving all of that up?

If you would do it for a place where people are “pure in heart” (Doctrine and Covenants 97:21) and “of one heart and mind and [dwell] in righteousness” with “no poor among them” (Moses 7:18), then you may be a pioneer. If Zion—the City of Holiness, in which all things are consecrated for the kingdom of God—is your ultimate goal, then you may be a pioneer.

Pushing, Pulling and Praying, Bound for Zion, by E. Kimball Warren. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

As President Hinckley observed regarding the pioneers’ westward movement, “It was an arduous and fearsome journey. They had doubts, yes. But their faith rose above those doubts. Their optimism rose above their fears. They had their dream of Zion, and they were on their way to fulfill it.”

Zion represents the pinnacle and the ideal of Latter-Day Saint life. Pioneers dream of and prioritize Zion.

Willingness to Sacrifice

Closely related to the concept of Zion is the principle of sacrifice, especially with regard to your materials, time, and even life, so that you can benefit other people. President Hinckley used the example of the plight of the Willie and Martin handcart companies to illustrate this point.

When they were nearing the Salt Lake Valley but in real danger of perishing, President Hinckley recalled that Brigham Young organized rescue efforts while declaring, “That is my religion; that is the dictation of the Holy Ghost that I possess. It is to save the people… I will tell you all that your faith, religion, and profession of religion, will never save one soul of you in the Celestial Kingdom of our God, unless you carry out just such principles as I am now teaching you. Go and bring in those people now on the plains.”

Helping the Martin Handcart Company across the Sweetwater River, by Clark Kelley Price. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Although he was grateful that many of us don’t have to pass through the same kinds of afflictions that the pioneers did, President Hinckley was quick to remind us that we should not rest comfortably. He said, “There are so many who are hungry and destitute across this world who need help… We have some of our own who cry out in pain and suffering and loneliness and fear… There are so many young people who wander aimlessly… There are widows who long for friendly voices… There are those who were once warm in the faith, but whose faith has grown cold.” Fervently, he encouraged us to be a church where “strong hands and loving hearts will warm them, comfort them, sustain them, and put them on the way of happy and productive lives.”

Like the pioneers who risked their own safety to help their struggling brothers and sisters in the Willie and Martin handcart companies, we are called to make sacrifices to reach out and improve the circumstances of those around us. Dangers must be braved, luxuries must be disregarded, and pride must be extinguished in favor of being a source of light and hope to others.

Sacrifice is the spirit of Zion and the legacy of our Lord. Pioneers exemplify it.

Honor Those Who Came Before You

Imagine working diligently to create something beautifully and passing it on to your posterity as a special heirloom, expecting them to cherish and perhaps improve upon it. Instead, they simply neglect or even destroy it.

No doubt this was a concern for the pioneers. They persevered through persecution, poverty, sickness, and death to preserve the gospel and find a place to live the ways of God peacefully, praying that their descendants would carry on their work. Nevertheless, the church continues to deal with enemies and see precious souls of infinite worth become discouraged and fall away.

The Church has grown miraculously against all odds, but it could still grow much faster and become stronger if we make greater efforts to respect our pioneer heritage. That’s not limited to people who can trace their genealogy to anyone who pushed a handcart across the plains. President Hinckley explained, “Whether you have pioneer ancestry or came into the church only yesterday, you are a part of this whole grand picture of which those men and women dreamed. Theirs was a tremendous undertaking. Ours is a great continuing responsibility. They laid the foundation. Ours is the duty to build on it.”

Handcart Pioneers Arrive in Salt Lake, by Clark Kelley Price. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

The pioneers themselves were building on foundations that had preceded them. The Bible and Book of Mormon abound with the teachings of prophets and disciples who passed on their wisdom and knowledge of doctrine to anyone who would listen and take heed. They broke the cycle of apostasy, refusing to dishonor the saints of the ancient past by letting the gospel become lost. Even at the cost of their lives and comfort, they were determined to uphold the cause of the Lord.

Keep building on what has already been built so far. That’s the pioneer way.

Share Your Testimony Through Word and Deed

Of course, the best way to build upon that which came before you is to be a missionary. Those who can serve formal missions are encouraged to do so, but everyone is expected to do something to keep the work of the Lord rolling forward with a growing momentum.

With reverence toward the example of the pioneers, President Hinckley declared, “As great things were expected of them, so are they of us… We have a charge to teach and baptize in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.” The Lord Himself commanded, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15).

Their willingness to bear the scorn of the world and the harshness of the elements constituted the bearing of the pioneers’ testimonies to the children of God. If you are to be a pioneer, the question is not whether you will share your testimony with the world, but rather how.

Carrying the gospel to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people is our duty and privilege. Pioneers accept that responsibility with humility and courage.

Tag! You’re It. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Do You Have What It Takes?

Handcarts were heavy. So is the mantle of discipleship. However, when we learn from the early pioneers of this dispensation, we will find our hearts and spirits changed enough to wear that mantle well.

Do you have the faith to see what cannot be seen? Do you dream of Zion above all else? Will you sacrifice everything for that dream and the betterment of your brothers and sisters around the world? Will you honor your predecessors and share the gospel with all who will listen? Can you be a pioneer?

Thanks to President Gordon B. Hinckley and his inspiring direction, we may be able to pass Pioneering 101 and start on our way toward becoming pioneers in our own right.

Pioneers Catching Fish, by Sam Lawlor. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Ashley Morales

Discovery of Pioneer Journal Sheds Light on Temple Square Mystery

Ashley Morales — Mon, 24 Jul 2017 07:00:10 +0000

The following article originally appeared in Deseret News on July 20th, 2017, and it was updated on July 21st, 2017.

On the 170th anniversary of the Saints entering the Salt Lake Valley, a longtime question has now been answered. How long after Mormon pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley was land surveyed and designated as the official location of Temple Square? A week? A month? According to a recently discovered journal belonging to pioneer surveyor Jesse Carter Little, the location of Temple Square was known the day pioneers entered the valley, July 24, 1847.

The Church Office Building in Temple Square. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

In April, Rob Thurston of Provo, Utah, age 60, made an amazing discovery about his great-great-grandfather, Jesse Carter Little. He found his ancestor’s journal containing entries made along the journey west to the Salt Lake Valley. But the journey to acquiring the journal was an adventure in and of itself.

“When I was a young boy about age 7, I used to go down to Manti, Utah, to where my grandmother lived,” Thurston said. “In her old house I used to like to play hide-and-seek and hide under the stairs.”

In the small confines of the room under the stairs, Thurston remembers seeing an old cream-colored box filled with aged letters and photographs. At the time, the letters were of particular interest because of the stamps that could be cut out and added to his stamp collection.

It wasn’t until this past April that memories of the cream-colored box came flooding back in Thurston’s mind. “I asked my mother whatever happened to the box,” he said. “She wasn’t exactly sure but recalled that it was given to a BYU professor to take a look at. The professor was contemplating writing an article about the items in it and also indicated he would see if they held any worth.”

The only problem with the box was it was given to the BYU professor, who Thurston declined to name, in 1977, 40 years ago. “I thought, ‘That’s it, they’re gone,’” Thurston said. “And to top it all off, my mother could not remember the name of the BYU professor.”

After a lot of hard work, Thurston found out the name of the professor, who, fortunately, was still working at Brigham Young University. He called the professor and mentioned the cream-colored box. Sure enough, the professor still had the box and remembered his mother. Thurston made an appointment to see him.

At the office of the BYU professor, Thurston recovered the box. It had been on a shelf for many years. “I remember what the professor told me,” said Thurston. “’There really isn’t anything in there. I didn’t see anything of value. Go ahead and take it.’”

Thurston took the box home and opened it. It held more than 180 items.

“Not knowing exactly what I had, I took the box to a document expert to help me understand. I was told that there were a number of significant things.”

The box contained a treasure trove of journals, letters and photographs from Thurston’s ancestors. “It gave depth to my ancestors I knew nothing about,” he said.

“There was a letter from Brigham Young I was excited about and a bunch of letters from an ancestor named Jesse Carter Little. He was the one ancestor I knew. He helped found the Mormon Battalion, and he met with President James K. Polk to get funds to help the Saints come west.”

The pinnacle of the discovery was an 1846 journal kept by Jesse Carter Little from the first pioneer company coming across the plains with Brigham Young. It contained tons of detailed information about the company’s trek west. “He recorded how many miles they went, where they reached, location names and coordinates for longitude and latitude with a sextant and compass,” Thurston said.

The most interesting entry was the one dated July 24, 1847. Little was in the advance party that entered the valley, and he recorded the following on two lines in his journal. Line one reads: “Salt Lake Valley 114 miles from Fort Bridger.” The second line reads: “Northern boundary of the Temple Square 40 degrees latitude and 111 degrees longitude.”

To check the accuracy of Little’s journal, the distance from the address of Fort Bridger to the address of Temple Square was calculated using Google Maps. It yielded 118 miles versus the journal’s 114. Plugging the longitude and latitude coordinates from Little’s journal into the U.S. government’s NASA website latitude/longitude finder yields the location of Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah.

“For the last 85 years these treasured items were either under the stairwell of an old house or in the office of a BYU professor. Finding these items was important. In my family, we are calling this the miracle of the cream-colored shirt box.”

Walking to General Conference in Temple Square. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

Ryan Morgenegg is a writer for Deseret News.

Ashley Morales

The Erie Canal as a Facilitator of God’s Kingdom

Ashley Morales — Wed, 12 Jul 2017 02:04:41 +0000

With innovation and prosperity come access. With access comes power. With power come miracles.

The Erie Canal, which celebrates its 200^th birthday this year, provided many miracles—not the least of which included a means of travel and communication that allowed The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to spread and thrive better than it would have otherwise.

How so, you ask?

For one thing, the rise of wealth in the area may have contributed to the Second Great Awakening, when interest in religion throughout the existing United States was revived with notable ardency, resulting in many denominations frequently butting heads over doctrine and wrestling to retain and increase their memberships. After all, as Nephi so eloquently related, opposition is necessary for progress, and in this case, finding earthly satisfaction in material goods urged the desire to find spiritual satisfaction in one’s relationship with God as well. Although it was not the only factor that ignited the religious fire of this time period, the Erie Canal was certainly an important spark.

The Erie Canal. Courtesy of Pexels.

Furthermore, the canal’s sheer reach across the continental United States let all kinds of people carry their ideas and causes to faraway places in record time. In fact, one of its many nicknames was the “psychic highway.” Of course, among the groups that took advantage of the canal’s accessibility were the Mormons, who were able to use it to travel around the country to build cities for themselves, transport the materials necessary for such cities, and even serve missions. On its waters were brought all the paper and equipment needed to publish the Book of Mormon as well. Even the likes of Charles Dickens himself was floating on it when he was first impressed by the Mormons he met there. Never before had the Lord’s commandment to baptize the world seemed more realistic.

Before the Erie Canal was built, getting around the country was difficult and exhausting. While it was undergoing construction, however, it brought many jobs; its completion ensured more wealth in nearby areas, promoted other sectors of economic growth by providing transportation for all kinds of goods, greatly helped U.S. citizens get wherever they needed to go, and served as a symbol of America’s engineering innovations. However, equally important is its role in the rise of the kingdom of God in the latter days, for God does work through the hands of man to accomplish His ends.

Ashley Morales

Remembering George A. Smith

Ashley Morales — Wed, 28 Jun 2017 07:23:58 +0000

This article originally appeared in the Deseret News on Jun 26th, 2017.

One of Utah’s great founding fathers, George A. Smith, was born 200 years ago on Monday in Potsdam, a village in northern New York. His life deserves to be remembered and celebrated. Arguably, he was second only to Brigham Young in providing leadership to the territory that would become the State of Utah.

George A., as he was affectionately known, served in the Territorial Legislature for 19 years, was a vigorous promoter of Utah statehood and a chief colonizer of Utah, Iron, Washington and Kane counties. He helped lay out and establish the communities of Parowan, Cedar City and Santa Clara. St. George was named in his honor. He promoted the transcontinental railroad and cooperative industries including the ZCMI. During the Utah War, he rallied resistance to the approach of Johnston’s Army.

George A. was an early convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, founded by his first cousin Joseph Smith. In the Spring of 1834, as a 16-year-old, he walked 1,600 miles as a member of the Zion’s Camp expedition. He was asked to serve in the First Quorum of Seventy at 18 and when only 22, became a member of the church’s Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was one of the early missionaries to England, introducing the Mormon message to the people of London. After the deaths of Joseph and Hyrum Smith, he helped organize the trek west, arriving with the first company of pioneers in 1847.

George A. served the church in his capacity as an apostle, historian and recorder and first counselor in the First Presidency to Young. In all these responsibilities he made enormous contributions. He is credited as church historian with laying the foundation for the work that continues in that office today. Likewise, the construction of the St. George Temple was due in large measure to his efforts.

St. George Temple. Courtesy of the LDS Media Library.

In stature, George A. was imposing, standing at nearly 6 feet in height and weighing more than 250 pounds. He also possessed a larger than life personality. He was by all accounts a charismatic speaker, lacing his discourses with humor, historical anecdotes and sage counsel.

He was devoted husband and father. His first wife Bathsheba, who later became General Relief Society president wrote this of her husband:

“My husband had of necessity to be away from us much of his time. My hope and joy centered in my children as well as in their father. I love my husband dearly. I believe but few in the wide world have been as happy as we have been.”

George A. struggled with serious health problems all his life, and on Sept. 1, 1875, at the relatively young age of 58, he died at Salt Lake City home from pneumonia.

Young left this tribute to his friend and counselor George A. Smith:

“By his removal to a higher sphere, I will lose a devoted friend, a wise counselor, and a lifelong companion. He leaves behind him, so far as my knowledge extends …, a record as pure and as worthy of imitation as that of any servant of the Most High, who ever lived upon His footstool. He gave his heart, his mind, his energy, his love, in fact his all, to the furtherance of the great purposes of our God.

“In youth and then manhood, in the sunshine or in storm, in peace or in persecution, he was true to his religion, his brethren and his God. And more than this, what can we say of anyone!”

Richard N. W. Lambert is vice chairman of Mormon Historic Sites and a retired assistant United States attorney.

Ashley Morales

Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area receives grant to expand OHV trail system

Megan Finley — Thu, 23 Mar 2017 19:35:38 +0000

This article originally appeared on DeseretNews.com on March 22, 2017.

WASHINGTON — The National Park Foundation has received a grant from the Polaris Foundation to help expand access to the Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area by enhancing the Arapeen OHV Trail System in the Manti-LaSal National Forest.

The improvements will begin this summer and will include the addition of road base to the upper 6.6 miles of Manti Canyon from the intersection of North Fork to Skyline Drive (Arapeen OHV Trail No. 1).

“The Arapeen OHV Trail System is one of Utah’s great high-mountain trails. It is open to side by sides, ATVs, 4×4 vehicles and motorcycles. The best time to ride is July through September,” Kevin Christensen, Sanpete County’s economic development director, said in a statement announcing the grant.

Other Arapeen Trail System projects completed or underway include work on trails No. 4 in Mt. Pleasant Canyon; No. 42 in New Canyon near Ephraim; No. 35 in 6-Mile Canyon near Sterling; and No. 37 in Manti Canyon. In addition to these trail improvement projects, the trail system is also investing in new facilities, adding a trailside restroom along trail No. 35.

The Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area was established in 2006 for the purpose of commemorating the efforts and sacrifices made by Mormon pioneers in the early years of their settlement across central and southern Utah.

Original Content Link can be found here.

Megan Finley

In between writing short stories she’ll never finish and marathoning Marvel movies, Megan Finley is often found missing the loves of her life, her two cats Leia and Loki. Her passion for “geek culture” extends into her passion for academics, as she is an optimistic MA student with plans to be the next Professor X (with hair). Her life’s dream is a simple one—to drink a hot chocolate in every Disney park in the world.

Black Mormon Pioneers Who Forged the Way

Keith L. Brown — Tue, 08 Mar 2016 20:55:18 +0000

On 18 February 2016, two well-known aficionados on the subject of African-American Latter-day Saints in the early history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, presented the first installment of lectures in the newly revitalized Evenings at the Museum Lecture Series. The series of lectures is sponsored by the Church History Department and takes place at the newly renovated Church History Museum in Salt Lake City, Utah.

The Two Distinguished Lecturers – Margaret Blair Young and Darius Gray

Margaret Blair Young and Darius Gray first met in July 1998. Soon after, they began collaborating on research projects that chronicle the lives of African-American Saints in the early history of the Church. In the course of their work, they have been blessed with “manna from Heaven” in the form of rare documents and other snippets of information that have helped them piece together the stories of theses brave and heroic men and women who proved to be steadfast and immoveable even in the midst of trials and adversity.

Darius Gray is a convert to the Church (1964). In the years prior to the 1978 Revelation on the Priesthood being received and removing the restriction of African-American males being ordained to the Priesthood, he was a member of the presidency of the Genesis Group. After the revelation was given in 1978, he became President of the Genesis Group.

Gray recalled that shortly after becoming a member of the Church, he learned that there were approximately 300-400 Black members out of a membership of 2.5 million at that time. This was the equivalent of less than half of 1 percent. He commented, “I felt very isolated. I did not see others who looked like me, did not see others who reminded me of my parents or people I had grown up with, churches I had attended.” As he learned about Black Latter-day Saint pioneers, he was able to make the connection.

For 30 years, Margaret Blair Young taught literature and creative writing at Brigham Young University (BYU) in Provo, Utah. Feeling that there was something missing in her life and career, in 1998, she went to the temple earnestly seeking something that she might do “that would matter.” That experience combined with a priesthood blessing that she received from her husband, inspired her to begin writing black history. She was somewhat apprehensive about the undertaking as she felt that a white woman writing about black history would seem like “appropriation.”

Margaret first heard of Darius when she listened to his testimony on a cassette tape. They met for the first time when she was invited to be on a panel in observance of the 20th anniversary of the 1978 revelation. Darius was also there and introduced himself afterwards. It was at his suggestion that they later began coauthoring books, including a novel trilogy about Black Mormon pioneers. Darius commented, “God does indeed work in mysterious ways, and when you least expect it. It has been a process. Working in partnership with someone writing books is a challenge. With two people who are strong-willed, opinionated, and with differing viewpoints, it takes God’s intervention to bring it all together.”

During their presentation on 18 February, which was in observance of February being Black History Month, Young and Gray focused on the lives of three prominent African-American Mormon pioneers – Elijah Abel, Jane Manning James, and Green Flake.

Elijah Abel

There are some people who make their mark on history, and then they seem to fade off into the sunset without anyone ever getting to know much, if anything, about them or the contributions that they made. One such person in Latter-day Saint history is Brother Elijah Abel.

Elijah was born on 25 July 1810 in Washington County, Maryland to Andrew and Delilah Abel. It is likely that his family were slaves. There is some historical evidence that he used the Underground Railroad to escape slavery into Canada.

He eventually found his way to the first settlement of the Latter-day Saints in Kirtland, Ohio, where he was baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in September 1832 by Ezekiel Roberts. He also became a personal friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith. He was blessed during his lifetime to assist in the construction of temples in Kirtland, Nauvoo, and Salt Lake City. In 1842, in Cincinnati Ohio, he married Mary Ann Adams and they had eight children.

Elijah Abel was the first African-American Elder and Seventy during this dispensation. He was ordained an Elder on 3 March 1836 in Kirtland, Ohio by Zebedee Coltrin. He was ordained a member of the Third Quorum of the Seventy on 20 December 1836 in Kirtland, Ohio by Zebedee Coltrin and became a “duly licensed minister of the Gospel” for missionary work in Ohio. His ordination was certified in Nauvoo, Illinois. In 1839, he was made a member of a Nauvoo Seventies Quorum. He was also the first Black missionary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Listed as a “minister of the gospel” in an 1837 edition of Messenger and Advocate, he served missions to Canada and New York in 1838, and another mission to Ohio shortly before his death.

He died on Christmas Day, 25 December 1884, at the age of seventy-four, only two weeks after his return from a proselyting mission in Ohio, where he had become ill through exposure. He is buried in the Salt Lake Cemetery. His obituary which appeared in the Deseret News on 26 December 1884, makes specific note of his Priesthood, as it had become controversial. Darius Gray told the audience, “The detail is significant. I love that they recognized then, in 1884, that at some point in history people would want to know that this man truly was ordained to the priesthood.”

Jane Manning James

Jane Elizabeth Manning James, born on 22 September 1822, in Fairfield County, Connecticut, was one of the first people of African descent to join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She never lived as a slave, but was a servant in a white farmer’s home.

She became a member of the Presbyterian Church, but after hearing the teachings of two Mormon missionaries she was converted. She was baptized in Connecticut in 1842, and left from Buffalo, New York, with a group of Saints, including eight other members of her family, to join the Saints in Nauvoo. However, her family became separated from the group when they were denied passage on a ship. As others boarded the ship, Jane and her family began an arduous journey of nearly 800 miles on foot to Nauvoo, arriving in late 1843. Jane recalled the journey:

We walked until our shoes were worn out, and our feet became sore and cracked open and bled until you could see the whole print of our feet with blood on the ground. We stopped and united in prayer to the Lord, we asked God the Eternal Father to heal our feet and our prayers were answered and our feet were healed forthwith.

Joseph and Emma invited her to live with them and she found work in their home helping Emma, staying for many months. After Joseph was martyred in the Carthage jail in Carthage, Illinois in 1844, Jane lived with Brigham Young’s family until the trek west. She married Isaac James, another free Black and member of the Church, and they left Nauvoo with the Saints. She and James had eight children. Throughout the entirety of her life, Jane remained faithful to her steadfast testimony of the restored gospel, even in the midst of poverty and other life’s challenges. She died on 16 April 1908, and President Joseph F. Smith spoke at her funeral.

Green Flake

Green Flake was born into slavery in Anson County, North Carolina in January 1828. He was given to James and Agnes Love Flake by James’s father, Jordan Flake, as a wedding gift.

He was baptized a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at the age of 16 in the Mississippi River by John Brown on 7 April 1844, but remained a slave and took the name of his master, James Madison Flake, a Southerner who converted to the Church. He accompanied the Flake family to Nauvoo, Illinois.

Darius Gray pointed out to the audience that it was Green Flake who drove the wagon in which President Brigham Young was riding when he first laid sight on the Salt Lake Valley. Darius further pointed out that it was Green Flake to whom Brigham Young said, “This is the right place; drive on.”

During their lecture, Margaret and Darius shared a note written by Green Flake in response to an invitation that he had received inviting him to attend the 50-year jubilee honoring the 1847 pioneers. The note read, “Dear friend: I reseved you most kind and wellcom leter and ticket and was glad to rseved it and I will bee down to the Julile. Yours truly, Friend Green Flake.” Margaret also shared the following words attributed to Green Flake at a Pioneer Day celebration in Ohio:

Being a slave is all right—if you just want to be a slave, that is. But many of the colored folks wanted a better life if they could find one. Most everyone don’t want to be a slave and be in bondage to another, because you cannot have even your own thoughts and dreams. You cannot plan for the future when all decisions get made by someone else.

Brigham Young had Green Flake freed in 1854, and he died a faithful member.

Keith L. Brown

Keith L. Brown is a convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, having been born and raised Baptist. He was studying to be a Baptist minister at the time of his conversion to the LDS faith. He was baptized on 10 March 1998 in Reykjavik, Iceland while serving on active duty in the United States Navy in Keflavic, Iceland. He currently serves as the First Assistant to the High Priest Group for the Annapolis, Maryland Ward. He is a 30-year honorably retired United States Navy Veteran.

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The Loggers Who Helped Build Nauvoo

Lisa M. — Tue, 18 Jun 2013 01:49:56 +0000

The history of the early pioneers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—which church is sometimes inadvertently called the Mormon Church—is teeming with inspiring stories of courage, sacrifice, industry, and a willingness to give everything to build the Kingdom of God on the earth. The Mormon Tabernacle Choir is donating a commemorative historical marker to tell the story of one such group of early pioneers: the Wisconsin loggers whose sacrifice and labor helped to build Nauvoo, Illinois.

Nauvoo, sometimes called the city of Joseph, was central to the heritage of The Church of Jesus Christ. The historical marker will be built at the Trail of Honor Park in Black River Falls, Wisconsin. It will sit near the mills where Latter-day Saints harvested more than one and a half million board-feet of lumber and then floated it down the Black River to Nauvoo some 400 miles away. The Choir will dedicate the site June 19, 2013. Ron Jarrett, president of the Choir, said:

The sacrifices of these logging pioneers are not well known, even among Church members. We wanted to honor these unsung heroes by singing their praises. [1]

Settling in Nauvoo

At the beginning of 1839, the early members of The Church of Jesus Christ were being forcefully evicted from their homes in Missouri under threat of violence. They found refuge in Illinois and were able to purchase land along the banks of the Mississippi, including a small town called Commerce. There were only a handful of dwellings at the time, and the land was swampy. The Prophet Joseph Smith, the first president of The Church of Jesus Christ, renamed the town Nauvoo, a Hebrew word meaning “beautiful.” The pioneers drained the swamp, platted the land, and began building up the towns. The state Legislature granted the Nauvoo Charter, which gave the Latter-day Saints the right to establish the local government as well as a local militia, a municipal court, and a university. The Prophet Joseph extended a call to members of the Church to gather to the area, and they came by the thousands. [2]

Between 1839 and 1846, Nauvoo grew from “a humble town with one stone house and a few poorly constructed cabins to a metropolitan city rivaling the population of Chicago.” During this period of rapid growth, the Latter-day Saint pioneers built more than 2,500 homes as well as countless other business establishments, including stores, mills, and public and Church buildings. [1] The Latter-day Saints were also encouraged to beautify their homes and their city by planting and cultivating trees, vines, and bushes. [3] The most ambitious architectural projects were the Nauvoo House (which was a large hotel built to accommodate strangers who came to the city to learn about the Latter-day Saints) and the Nauvoo Temple—the Latter-day Saints’ place of worship. [1]

Mission to the Wisconsin Pineries

The decision to construct both the Nauvoo House and the Nauvoo Temple at the same time greatly increased the need for more lumber. However, lumber was scarce in the area, and imported lumber was too expensive for the Latter-day Saint pioneers’ limited financial resources. Church leaders received reports that they could obtain quality, inexpensive lumber in Wisconsin. Thus, the decision was made to send men up there to establish sawmills. A small contingent of 32 pioneers traveled to Wisconsin in September of 1841, and within four years an estimated 200 Church members were working in the mills and logging camps. Ultimately, the Church members in Wisconsin operated four sawmills and six logging camps to supply the mills. [1]

The work was difficult and the conditions were often harsh. Substantial amounts of food were required to sustain not only the people but also their livestock, which were essential to the work. The first season—before the pioneers planted gardens—the loggers’ diets mainly consisted of salt pork, flour, and potatoes as well as the game, fish, berries, and nuts when they could be found. [1] Winters were especially hard as heavy snows made it difficult to obtain supplies. Allen Joseph Stout, who was a carpenter, wrote of his experience during the winter of 1843–44:

About the last of Mar. [1844] our provisions gave out, so as to leave us quite hungry. Some ate an ox after he had been dead three weeks and I cut of [sic] a piece and salted it and set it away but it stank so that it made me sick, and just as I was done fixing my stinking meat two sled loads of flour hove in sight so I did not eat any of that old carcas [sic]. (Dennis Rowley, “The Mormon Experience in the Wisconsin Pineries, 1841–1845,” BYU Studies, 32(1–2), p. 133.)

The pioneers “harvested an estimated one and a half million board feet of milled lumber, over two hundred thousand shingles, and an inestimable number of loose logs, hewed timber and barn boards. The short, straight and relatively mellow Black River floated a dozen lumber-laden rafts 400 miles to Nauvoo.” [1]

Through the remarkable labor and the many sacrifices of the loggers in the Wisconsin pineries, members of The Church of Jesus Christ were able to build and beautify their city. Members in the area remember the sacrifice their forebears’ made to help build a “City Beautiful” as well as a temple to their God. Mary Jurgaitis, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ who lives half a block from one of the logging sites, said:

They came here to honor God. I like to imagine the loggers’ satisfaction at the moment they came around the last bend in the Mississippi and the Nauvoo Temple was brought into their view. What a thrill that must have been for them. [1]

Additional Resources:

Picturing history: Historical marker commemorating Mormon pioneer loggers dedicated at Neillsville, Wisconsin

Black River Falls

Lisa M.

I am a wife and mother of 4 beautiful children in a small town in the mountains of Idaho. We ski as a family in the winter and camp, fish, and go to the beach in the summer. I’m a lifelong member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I am grateful for the Savior and the blessings of the gospel in my life.

Mormon Pioneers: Planting and Growing

ashley — Wed, 28 Nov 2012 01:20:00 +0000

Mormon history is rich with faith-filled stories of overcoming persecution, migrating in the vilest of circumstances, and trusting God with everything they had. But there is more to the history of Mormons (members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes mistakenly called the “Mormon Church”) than the spiritual side of things—there is of course, logistics. After all, you can’t expect to be fed manna every day just because you’re a believer—you have to plan, build, and grow.

When Mormons arrived at the Salt Lake valley, in Utah, there was nothing there. In fact, it wasn’t even part of the United States yet. Mormons had been driven from so many places because of their unique belief in God—and this valley was pronounced as “the place” where they would finally be able to settle.

After Brigham Young (the second prophet in Mormon history, after Joseph Smith) showed where the temple would be, the people were heavily involved in the planning, or the platting, of the city. Not only were the surprisingly wide streets ingeniously made on an easily understandable grid system (with the center being the temple) but there was much more, like the well-built irrigation systems that are still in use today. Brigham Young had seen all of this in vision. The plan carried Salt Lake City into modern times with very few adjustments needed.

Why was this platting so important, more than just for ease of governance? We learn about the unique history from an article titled, “Travel guide: Mormon Pioneer National Heritage Area:”

It was called the plat of Zion (Zion meaning the pure in heart). These were all viewed as little miniature experiments in Zion, in building Zion in each little town… They were called the United Order, a way of living where everybody just deeded over all of their belongings to the church and then they were given back as they needed, according to what their assigned tasks were in a community. If they were a cattle herder, then they needed a horse.

In order for these Latter-day Saints to live this United Order, which was the way God wanted them to live, they needed to be organized.

As a Mormon myself, I have been taught, since my youth, that having an organized life is the way of God. We live by the scripture found in Doctrine and Covenants (a book of modern day revelations) 88:119, “Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a house, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God.” That is why if you ever go into LDS Church building, especially the Temples, that everything is organized—it is the way of God. This is yet another reason the history of Mormonism proves why they established such a successful community—because they followed their way of “platting” after the pattern of God.

I invite you to learn more about Mormons by meeting with Mormon missionaries. I know that God lives and that His Son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of the world. I love Him, and I will be forever grateful for what He has done for me, my family, and for all mankind.

This article was written by Ashley Bell, a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

ashley

Ashley Bell is a 22-year old wife, mother, BYU graduate, and member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Ashley loves to run, cook, garden, read, and most of all spend time with family and friends.

Captain Christensen’s Shiny Boots across the Plains

Keith L. Brown — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 21:22:31 +0000

By Doris

Captain Jens Martin Christensen was a faithful convert to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is frequently misnamed the Mormon Church). Jens was born on April 29, 1843, in Hammerholt, Denmark, the seventh of eight children, to Christen Oveson and Kirsten Marie Andersen. When Jens grew up, he proudly wore his red military uniform jacket, black trousers, and large black fur hat as a member of the Danish queen’s guards. Jens was known for keeping his boots polished and looking smart.

When Jens heard the gospel preached in Denmark in 1866, he gained a personal testimony of its truthfulness and was baptized on February 4 of that year by Elder S. Petersen. Not long thereafter, Jens boarded a three-mast ship called the Kenilworth and sailed to New York from Germany. He brought his fiancée, Maren Johanne Rasmussen with him, having snuck her out of her home against the wishes of her parents. Her mother had locked her in her bedroom, but Jens tied bed sheets together to help her escape. They then took a train to Hamburg, Germany, where they sailed from.

After arriving in New York, Jens and Maren travelled up through the Great Lakes and came down the Missouri River by rail, trying to avoid the inflated prices of the direct rail tickets. They travelled further to North Platte, Nebraska, where other Saints arrived to walk the rest of the way across the plains to Utah. The tradition of Jens’ descendants is that Jens kept his boots shiny all the way to Utah.

Maren became very sick with cholera. Jens was a volunteer to help the many sick pioneers, and he would carry Maren around with him, sometimes holding an umbrella over her to protect her from the sun. Maren survived the trek to the Salt Lake Valley, and she eventually recovered fully. They were married on October 22, 1866, and moved to Fairview, Utah, where they built their first home. They were sealed a few months later, on May 8, 1867 in the Endowment House in Salt Lake City (the Salt Lake Temple was not yet complete). Their faith was tried when church authorities asked them in 1878 to relocate to the Manasseh-Ephraim area of Colorado, 500 miles away. Then, after moving, Jens was called on a mission to Denmark. He sought reconciliation with his in-laws, but they refused to acknowledge they had a daughter.

After returning home from his mission in April 1887, Christensen’s health began to fail. He and his family moved to Murray, Utah, where he stayed until he passed away on July 8, 1908, at the age of 65. Jens’ descendants look to their ancestor for faith and determination to remain clean and pure, even in the face of adversity.

If you wish to read the full account of Jens Christensen, it is told in Erastus Snow Christensen, 1874–1943, A Family History, by Steve Mecham and Verda Christensen Murphy, accessible at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Family History Library on Film No. 142703, Item 2.

Keith L. Brown

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