FAMILY
TREE FULL OF MORMON PIONEERS
At age 20, I took a
family history class at BYU and started gathering my family history from my
grandparents and aunts. I discovered that I had Mormon pioneers on all but one
of my family branches. (See chart below.) As a young girl, I remember my mom making
me a pioneer costume to wear for my first grade program in Eureka, Utah. In
1947. We were celebrating the centennial of the pioneers coming to Utah on July
24, 1847. I didn’t realize then that I was a pioneer descendent as I marched in
my first pioneer parade with my cousins. All of us were in costumes pulling a
small cart decorated like a pioneer wagon.
Mormon pioneers had been driven from
their homes in Nauvoo, Illinois by mobs who persecuted them for their religious
beliefs. Other pioneers had gathered later to the Church in Utah after being
converted in their homelands. My ancestors were from England, Iceland, Scotland
and other areas. Many took sailing ships to America, then came across 1000
miles of desolate plains, walking, riding in covered wagons or pushing
handcarts to settle in ZION or the promised land where they could worship God
as members of the restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
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| Click to enlarge and see my Johnson, Vernon pioneers family tree |