Skip to main content

Shoutout to my Pioneer Ancestors

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.





Comments

Popular posts from this blog

The Problem with Chick Flicks.

I really, really, really enjoy a select few movies that I willingly watch over and over again. Pride and Prejudice is one of them. You see, Elizabeth's defense of her family, her sense of self respect, her ability to admit that she was wrong and to appreciate Darcy despite all his quirks, and quizzical brow-ness... it's marvelous. My husband doesn't share the sentiment, could you tell? ... and that's okay. There's rare a chick flick I enjoy near as much as I enjoy Pride and Prejudice or A Walk To Remember , and I wanted to explain why. You see, there's more than just a few problems with (many, not all) chick flicks:  (and if you have a chick flick that escapes many of these pitfalls then please oh please leave it's title in the comment section!) The heroine (or suitor) is less than honorable. I have a hard time rooting for a girl to get a gentleman when she's spending her time being scandalously loose with other men ( #thenotebook) . An...

Where's Number Three

A neighbor in her mid-thirties. A woman in her seventies. Their single commonality? They both asked me: Where's number three? I have a son, his name Charlie And then McKay, he's not quite three In my heart, both fit perfectly Yet others ask: Where's number three? Perhaps it's that I miscarried, My spouse's infidelity, The ache of infertility, A battle raging mentally, Illness on a crippling spree, Our family is complete, maybe. The reason's one or more of these, Yet you dare ask: Where's number three? In this question, running free Are judgements, jeering icily "You're not enough, Mik, can't you see? Buck up and give us number three!" I used to flounder, squirm, agree Or curl up small, cry, and plead. With time, I've seen things differently. I won't explain for number three. The questions of maternity Are just between my spouse and me And Parents, guiding Heavenly So please don't ask: Where's number three? Artwork Credit: Be...

Have You Ever Read a Book That Made You Grieve? Rejoice? Weep?

Have you ever read a book that spoke so deeply to your soul that you wept while you read it, couldn't put it down even for the pain, and thought about it for days after you finished? I have. I've been fortunate to wander upon many books that have done such for me, but the most recent literary treasure of this variety in my life has been "Between Shades of Gray" by Ruta Sepetys. I don't want to give much away, but I will say this: this book brought to my awareness of the WWII era histories of many Estonian, Latvian, and Lithuanian people. Previous to this novel I was aware that Jews (and other persecuted groups alongside them such as gypsies, the intellectually disabled and homosexuals) were victims of holocaust crimes under Hitler. But I was not aware that Stalin held his own "cleanse" and subjected millions of people to labor, cruelty, and death. The reason why I loved this book was because of the humanity and true charity many victims chose ...