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

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.

In 1839, the Mormons purchased a small town named Commerce located in Illinois on the banks of Mississippi River. Commerce was a name given to the area by land speculators hoping to cash in by naming the place something they thought would attract settlers. The Mormons occupied this area from 1839 to 1846. Shortly after moving to the area, they renamed the town of Commerce to Nauvoo. “Nauvoo” is a Hebrew word with an anglicized spelling. The meaning of the word is “beautiful place” and is derived from the scripture found in Isaiah 52:7, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!”

The site of the future city of Nauvoo was hardly a beautiful place. It was a swamp on a bend of the Mississippi River and was infested with mosquitoes. Many Mormons suffered bouts with malaria and even death. Through much diligence the Saints persevered. They were able to eventually drain the swamp and construct a beautiful city. In those days, Nauvoo was the largest city in the State of Illinois. It exceeded the size of Chicago which was merely a dusty little cow town.

Although Nauvoo was primarily a Mormon community, the Catholic Church had been active in the area as early as 1820. Traveling priests had planted apple orchards on the west side of the river, however, they did not have a regular presence in the area until 1840. The Catholic parish record tells us that the two groups got along well.

During the time when the Mormons occupied Nauvoo, the Catholics were permitted to celebrate Mass in the Mormon Mansion House on Main Street, in the Mormon Hall of Seventies, located on Parley Street, and in the Mormon temple, commonly referred to as the Nauvoo Temple, where a place was set aside for the Catholic people of the vicinity (Pamphlet excerpt, pg.1 “Highlights of the SS Peter and Paul Parrish. Nauvoo Illinois, 1986).

Joseph Smith befriended a Catholic priest named Father Aleman. He was a priest in the neighboring McDonough County. Their interaction in the 1880’s is recorded in the Catholic NRI History File.

Needing to visit a parishioner, Father Aleman approached Joseph Smith and asked him for help. Smith provided him with ferry service and a carriage to his destination. He reportedly said of Aleman “The priest attends to their people faithfully….and mind their own business, whereas the other preachers are continually bothering the Latter-day Saints.”

Even though the Mormons thought they had found a place of refuge, the violence and persecution followed them to Nauvoo, and in 1844, Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum were martyred in the Carthage jail in Carthage, Illinois. Even after the martyrdom of the Prophet, the persecution continued and Brigham Young and other Church leaders fled the United States for Mexican territory with the blessing of the Mexican Government. The Mormons settled in numerous places including the Salt Lake Valley. When the Mexican American War culminated with the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo in 1849, the Mormons were again within U.S. territory. After the war, the Mexican Government extended invitations to repatriate Mormon citizens who were affected in former Mexican territories.

Parley P. Pratt, one of the Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo, owned a General Store and stayed behind to assist Mormons in their preparation for the Westward trek.  In 1848, Pratt sold his store to a Catholic priest named Father James Griffith for $900. Griffith was the first resident pastor in Nauvoo and he used the store for a rectory and church building. In 1873 the first Catholic Church built in the traditional style was completed in Nauvoo.

** This article was written by Mel Chandler

Primary Bibliography:

“Highlights of the SS Peter and Paul Parrish,” Nauvoo Illinois, 1986. Pamphlet excerpt, pg.1.

Larmer, Rev Father John, History of McDonough County c. 1880 with photocopy in NRI History File.

Cannon, Janath R.  Nauvoo Panorama Nauvoo Il:  Nauvoo Restoration Inc. 1991.

Additional Resource:

The Lord Jesus Christ in Mormonism

Guest Author

It wasn’t until the latter part of the 20th century that The Church of Jesus Christ began to take a more proactive interest in historical sites. Since early Latter-day Saints migrated west, many historical sites, such as homes and businesses in Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois, had fallen into disrepair or been demolished completely. When Church leaders began to organize the reconstruction of such sites, there was a lot of research and restorative work to be done. In many cases, property had to be purchased from current owners, as early Latter-day Saints had sold it when they moved west. The Church organized the restoration of many of these historic sites, and erected monuments at other locations, carefully choosing sites where significant events had occurred. Mormon Newsroom reports that “exhibits and guides at each location tell the story of [The Church of Jesus Christ] and its people to thousands of visitors from around the world each year, encouraging a broader understanding of the time, the culture, and the religious significance of each location.”

Historical Accuracy

A great deal of research goes into developing an historical site. Don Enders, a recently retired historian for The Church of Jesus Christ, told Mormon Newsroom that before beginning any restoration, extensive research is conducted. He said:

We work with local historians to cover the details in the time period; then we examine the present construction [of the building]. And regardless of condition, the building offers us clues. The type of glass, nails, moldings, construction methods or size of windows that were used, even saw marks in the wood, are all telltale signs of how a building is put together.

Researchers also examine official government records, such as tax and real estate documents to ensure the correct location or building is being restored. Researchers value the historical accuracy of finished projects, and work to ensure that the site is as accurate as possible. Steven L. Olsen, a member of the Church Historic Sites Committee, told Mormon Newsroom:

We try to make the finished product look real, but it’s kind of hybrid between modern and historic technologies. We hope that it’s engaging enough from a historical perspective that people will suspend their disbelief and look past the modern elements of the site to learn about the real history.

Types of Historical Sites

Under the umbrella of the Church History Department and the Historic Sites Committee, there are several types of sites for members and friends of other faiths alike to visit.

• Historic Sites: These include restored buildings and tours in places of historical significance, such as Kirtland, Ohio, and Nauvoo, Illinois.
• Historic Landmarks: These exist primarily to emphasize the Latter-day Saints’ focus on worship, and include historic churches, tabernacles, and temples, such as the St. George Tabernacle in St. George, Utah.
• Historic Markers: These exist in sites where no restoration was possible, but where important pieces of Latter-day Saint history occurred, such as the temple site at Far West, Missouri.
• Visitors’ Centers: There are 10 Visitors’ Centers in the United States, most of them near temples. They are staffed by volunteer missionaries and intend to teach visitors about the doctrines and beliefs of The Church of Jesus Christ.

• 

  Hill Cumorah Pageant

• Pageants: These outdoor, large-scale plays depict important events from Church history and the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Some of the more well-known include the Hill Cumorah Pageant in Palmyra, NY, and the Mormon Miracle Pageant in Manti, UT.

Mission of Historical Sites

While some of the historic sites are merely signs and landmarks, many sites have full- and part-time volunteer missionaries staffing them. These missionaries are well-equipped to give tours, answer questions, and teach the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Steven L. Olsen explained: “We preserve site to help provide an experience that opens a person’s heart and soul to the message. Many have found the beginnings of their testimonies when they have gone to the historic sites and had the Spirit bear witness to them”. The purpose of Church historic sites is to provide a window to the past, an opportunity for people to learn more about the history of The Church of Jesus Christ, and an environment for visitors to feel the peace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

All historic sites are free and open to the public. Find an historical site near you: http://www.mormonnewsroom.org/historic-sites

This article was written by Megan McDaniel

dwhite

Doris White is a native of Oregon and graduated from Brigham Young University with a degree in English and a minor in Editing. She loves to talk with others about the gospel of Jesus Christ.

I, William Marsden, son of Abraham Marsden and Hannah Thornton…was born…on the 16^th of March 1814, in the town of Oldham, County of Lancashire, England. My father was by trade a cotton spinner. I was brought up in the cotton business, and followed the same until I was twenty-five, years of age. My parents were strictly Methodists, they belonged to what was called the New Connection Methodists.

Conversion and Mormon Missionary Service

At the age of twenty four I joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I was baptized on the 7^th of October 1839 in the river Irnvel, Manchester County of Lancashire, by James Mahon, Priest. I was also ordained a Priest January 5, 1840, by Parley Peter Pratt and Brigham Young, two of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The next day being Sunday, President Brigham Young requested me to go to Oldham to preach to the people as they did not have any Latter-day Saint preacher there. I did go having to make the journey on foot, a distance of seven miles. I invited Thomas Yates and James Mahon, Priests, to accompany me which they did. Thomas Yates and myself continued to labor there. In six weeks there were six persons baptized, each one belonging to a different denomination. I continued to labor there until a branch of the Church was organized. The branch was organized on Sunday February 17^th, 1840. I then went to labor in new places, wherever I could get an opportunity to preach to the people.

On the 16^th day of October 1840, I was ordained an Elder under the hands of Brigham Young and Willard Richards. The blessings pronounced on me were that I should have power over unclean spirits, and cast them out, and to heal the sick. I labored in Oldham and nearby places until April and in May I was appointed by Parley P. Pratt on a mission of Leeds in Yorkshire. I was there two weeks and returned home to Manchester County, a distance of 30 miles, the journey I performed on foot, being without purse or script [sic], and found sickness in my family.

A few days after my arrival home, my son Abraham died. Previous to being sent to Leeds, I was in the employ of a Mr. Francis Parnell, who by reason of my religious faith, discharged me, he being a prominent officer in the Methodist Church, and thought it a disgrace to have in his employ any Latter-day Saint, in consequence of which I was I was very poor, yet the Saints came to my aid and assisted me so that I was able to bury my dead. Soon after I was counseled by Parley P. Pratt to emigrate to America and there earn means to send for my family.

Mormon Emigration to America

Consequently I sold my household furniture, and by small donations from my friends was able to emigrate. I left the shores of England, from the Liverpool docks, by the ship “Clifton” on the 23^rd day of September, and landed in New York the 12^th of November 1840. I searched a few days for employment, but could not obtain any.

Under the direction of the church leader in the area, William preached in New York City and New Jersey.

Labored in the town of Patterson, baptized quite a number of persons, then back to New York and then to Trenton, New Jersey on the 18^th of December 1840, and found my cousin Thomas Thornton.  He was a blacksmith by trade. I remained with him 16 days, which time I worked in a cotton factory for a Mr. Ives.

William journeyed, preaching the Gospel to Philadelphia and then again in New Jersey where he met Brother Mulford who said he would pay all expenses if William would accompany him to Nauvoo, Illinois.

I left Burlington on the 12^th of April 1841, traveling on the canal to Pittsburg, and arrived at Nauvoo about the last of April. On my arrival there President Brigham Young invited me to his house. He found me employment during my stay of 17 days, then my family arrived from England. My wife Jane Appleby Marsden, my son Samuel, my daughter Hannah Mariah, also my brother Samuel and his wife Sarah Wilkinson, they all sailed from Liverpool, England in the ship “Hanover” to the New Orleans, from there by steamboat up the Mississippi River to Nauvoo. They landed in New Orleans on the 1^st day of May 1841, and arrived in Nauvoo on the 15^th of May 1841.

Myself and family stayed with President Young for about 3 weeks, during which time my brother and myself made a house to live in. Brother Brigham let me have a city lot, and I being poor and destitute of tools of any kind, we borrowed an axe and got some hazel-brush and drove sticks in the ground and wove in brush like basket or wicker work. We then dobbed it with black mud inside and out, it had a board roof, the chimney and fireplace being made of sod, the size of the room was 10 by 12 feet. I then went to Oquawka, Henderson county, with Richard Hardman. We dug a well for Simon Owens, for which we received two cows with young calves. We worked there two weeks, and then I returned home to Nauvoo, bringing my cow and calf with me, which was very acceptable to my family, as they had been living on coarse corn meal and sour milk.  The milk was obtained through the charity of the neighbors. …

On the following November 11^th, my father and mother arrived in Nauvoo from England. I met them there and brought them to my house where they lived most of the time. My wife and I received our endowments in the Nauvoo Temple. Both my father and mother died on the 11^th day of November 1849 and were buried in the Oquawka, Illinois cemetery. They died of cholera. I also buried my wife Jane and three of our children.

On the 29^th day of April 1855, I left the state of Illinois for Utah, traveling by ox team with my family…arrived at the City of Salt Lake, September 3^rd, 1855, and on October 3^rd, I moved to Provo, Utah and I became acquainted with Lucius Nelson Scovil. On the 16^th day of September 1856, I married his daughter Sariah in the temple in the Salt Lake City.

Wheat Molasses

October 8, 1857, all the Militia was ordered out to Echo Canyon to confront the U.S. Troops sent out to Utah unlawfully by President James Buchanan. I was appointed Colonel of the Southern division. May 7, 1858, I guarded President Young and family on account of the US Troops. Next day I presented President Young a gallon of molasses I had made from wheat. President Young made a note of this on the Church record as I was the first man in Utah to make molasses from wheat.

Cotton Machinery

June 24, 1858, I went to Salt Lake City with Ebeneazer Hanks and visited with Brigham Young. He told me to manage and assist Hanks to get machinery to manufacture cotton. I commenced to make drawings for the cotton machine. I went to the machine house in Sugar House Ward, remained there and superintended the making of machinery until it was completed. Part of the iron we used was scrap iron left from Johnston’s Army at Camp Floyd.

October 15, 1861, I left Provo City for Parowan, Iron County, with my family and I superintended the cotton factory until October same year. Later January 1864, I spent superintending the factory until May 1869. I made the first cotton ever made in Utah by machinery.

I supervised and established a cotton factory in Parowan and was superintendent over the cotton factory for many years.

Delisa Hargrove

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have moved 64 times and have not tired of experiencing this beautiful earth! I love the people, languages, histories/anthropologies, & especially religious cultures of the world. My life long passion is the study & searching out of religious symbolism, specifically related to ancient & modern temples. My husband Anthony and I love our bulldog Stig, adventures, traveling, movies, motorcycling, and time with friends and family.

A new FamilySearch Center, operated by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (which church is frequently misnamed the “Mormon Church”), opened in Nauvoo, Illinois, on May 16, 2012. Nearly 300 people gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony at the historic Raymond Clark store, across the street from the Nauvoo Temple.

The original FamilySearch Center was in the Clark Store, but about five years ago, this building was made into a visitor center for the newly reconstructed Nauvoo Temple. The Center was moved to the LDS (“Mormon”) church building nearby, but fewer patrons used the facility, even though it was still open to the public.

Two years ago, the Temple Arrival Center replaced the visitor center in the Clark Store, and several Church representatives determined the Clark Store would be a better location to meet the needs of FamilySearch patrons, but the building needed a lot of work to be brought up to code.

Now the new facility houses a state-of-the-art research facility that is open to the public free of charge. The Nauvoo FamilySearch Center is one of 4,500 genealogical research centers open to the public and offering records from all over the world, but few are as up-to-date as this one. The Nauvoo FamilySearch Center has 15 high-speed Internet computers which offer free access to genealogical websites such as FamilySearch.org, Ancestry.com, Fold3.com, and Findmypast.co.uk. Patrons are also able to order microfilms and microfiche online from Salt Lake City for a nominal fee and are then able to use the microfilm readers in the Center for their research. The Nauvoo FamilySearch Center is open 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mondays, Fridays, and Saturdays, and 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. It is closed on Sundays.

The Center also offers training classes and family history videos for the inexperienced, and volunteers are available to help people get started with their own family history or to answer questions along the way. During the ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 16, Mayor John McCarty was presented with a binder containing his family tree traced back eight generations. He learned he had an ancestor, Leonard Bratz, who settled in Nauvoo in the mid-1800s and whose brother George was called to help keep the peace and insure the safe departure of the remaining Saints who were fleeing West. George’s son later became mayor of Nauvoo.

The Nauvoo FamilySearch Center is the second center of its kind on a Mormon historical site. The other is located in Kirtland, Ohio, but it has not been updated. The unique thing about the Nauvoo Center is it has a visitor facility for people to learn about family history and to capture part of the vision.

Latter-day Saints descended from Nauvoo citizens who come to the Center will be able to search their ancestors, even if they do not have their names. Once they find their ancestors’ names, they can get additional information at the Land and Records Office.

The Nauvoo Center will also be a community resource for genealogical and historical research, open to the public at no cost.

LDS Church Historian and Recorder Steven L. Snow said at the opening ceremony, [Nauvoo] tells stories. There’s a remarkable story of the community before and after the saints came. These stories can once again be told, found, and shared.”

For those who understand LDS (“Mormon”) history, it is fitting that such a center is in Nauvoo. According to Mormon history, this is where the temple ordinances for eternal families were first restored, and thus, the first wave of family history in our day began here.

The Nauvoo Mormon Temple was the first temple in which sacred ordinances could be performed by proxy for deceased ancestors. Now that the Nauvoo Temple has been reconstructed and this FamilySearch Center has been built, many more families can be together forever.

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.

of-common-sense.site123.me/