Today is a special holiday in Utah, it marks the day that Brigham Young and his company rode into the Salt Lake Valley in 1847, where he famously declared "This is the right place, drive on."
From the settlements of that company and the thousands of pioneers that traversed the United States wilderness to make their home here, our great state of Utah was born.
This holiday has special meaning for me because my heritage is one of good pioneer stock. Today I highlight just one of those individuals, a strong, courageous woman named Ellen Walmsly Clegg. She is my fourth-great-grandmother.
Ellen was born in Parish Salisburg, England, in January 1816. She later married Johnathan Clegg, and in 1838 she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. With her husband and children, she traveled across the waters of the Atlantic on the good ship Horison in the company of 856 saints under captain Edward Martin. They further followed Brother Martin after arriving in the Americas by joining his handcart company, with the goal of joining others of their faith in Zion. If you are not familiar with the hardships this company (and that of their sister company, the Willy Handcart Company) faced, I would highly recommend that you watch this film to become acquainted with their faith-promoting tale and heart-rending experiences on the trail west. One of the greatest miracles of Ellen's journey west is that not one member of her family perished. She, her husband, and her children survived the perilous troubles that opposed them. Her youngest child, Margaret, was an infant during the journey. Margaret is my third-great-grandmother. Johnathan and Margaret settled in Provo, Utah, and later moved to present-day Heber City. Johnathan and Ellen owned a third of the land that is presently designated as Heber City, and later they donated 80 of those acres to the church as a free-will offering.
My favorite story of Ellen is that of her calling as a midwife. The Prophet Brigham Young had a vision of her as a midwife. When she received the news of his vision, she felt immensely overwhelmed and underprepared for such a task. President Young assured her that it was indeed a call from God, and to her everlasting credit, she followed that counsel in faith and went on do deliver hundreds of babies. She went out into storms, deeply packed with snow, to succor mothers and aid infants. Once, on her way to aid a family in need of her medical attention, the mule she was riding bucked her off and as a result she broke her leg. Undaunted, she continued on to the home of the family and ministered to their needs. WHAT A WOMAN. Having delivered my first child this past year and the admiration and caring I felt for the nurses that helped me, I can only imagine the hope and love and courage she gave the women she aided in her calling as a midwife.
Grandma Ellen, I admire you, and I honor you today as my Utah Pioneer hero.
From the settlements of that company and the thousands of pioneers that traversed the United States wilderness to make their home here, our great state of Utah was born.
This holiday has special meaning for me because my heritage is one of good pioneer stock. Today I highlight just one of those individuals, a strong, courageous woman named Ellen Walmsly Clegg. She is my fourth-great-grandmother.
Ellen was born in Parish Salisburg, England, in January 1816. She later married Johnathan Clegg, and in 1838 she joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day saints. With her husband and children, she traveled across the waters of the Atlantic on the good ship Horison in the company of 856 saints under captain Edward Martin. They further followed Brother Martin after arriving in the Americas by joining his handcart company, with the goal of joining others of their faith in Zion. If you are not familiar with the hardships this company (and that of their sister company, the Willy Handcart Company) faced, I would highly recommend that you watch this film to become acquainted with their faith-promoting tale and heart-rending experiences on the trail west. One of the greatest miracles of Ellen's journey west is that not one member of her family perished. She, her husband, and her children survived the perilous troubles that opposed them. Her youngest child, Margaret, was an infant during the journey. Margaret is my third-great-grandmother. Johnathan and Margaret settled in Provo, Utah, and later moved to present-day Heber City. Johnathan and Ellen owned a third of the land that is presently designated as Heber City, and later they donated 80 of those acres to the church as a free-will offering.
My favorite story of Ellen is that of her calling as a midwife. The Prophet Brigham Young had a vision of her as a midwife. When she received the news of his vision, she felt immensely overwhelmed and underprepared for such a task. President Young assured her that it was indeed a call from God, and to her everlasting credit, she followed that counsel in faith and went on do deliver hundreds of babies. She went out into storms, deeply packed with snow, to succor mothers and aid infants. Once, on her way to aid a family in need of her medical attention, the mule she was riding bucked her off and as a result she broke her leg. Undaunted, she continued on to the home of the family and ministered to their needs. WHAT A WOMAN. Having delivered my first child this past year and the admiration and caring I felt for the nurses that helped me, I can only imagine the hope and love and courage she gave the women she aided in her calling as a midwife.
Grandma Ellen, I admire you, and I honor you today as my Utah Pioneer hero.
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