Mormon Times. [8], On February 4, 1846 (the same day the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo began), the ship Brooklyn cleared New York harbor and began its nearly 6-month voyage to the Pacific coast of the then-Mexican Territory of California. Learn more about where you can go, historic sites you can visit and more! The apparatus was built to Clayton and Pratt's specifications by the company's carpenter, Appleton Milo Harmon, and was first used on the morning of May 12, 1847. Every year from 1847 until 1869, church members making this journey were formed into organized companies. After the initial departure of the Latter-day Saints living in Illinois and Missouri, converts to the church from other areas in the United States and from Europe followed the initial trail to join the main body of the church in Salt Lake City. Bridger was enthusiastic about settlement near Utah Lake, reporting fish, wild fruit, timber and good grazing. With Jaelan Petrie, Stephanie Albach, Chris Kendrick, Shannon Skinner. The vanguard company now faced a more rugged and hazardous journey, and were concerned about negotiating the passes of the Rocky Mountains. [15] Religious freedom was written into the constitution of the Kingdom of Denmark in 1849. "Trail of Hope: The Story of the Mormon Trail". After crossing the Green River, several members of the party suffered from "mountain fever" (probably Colorado tick fever, which is carried by the Rocky Mountain wood tick). Mormon history can be divided into three broad time periods: (1) the early history during the lifetime of Joseph Smith, (2) a "pioneer era" under the leadership of Brigham Young and his successors, and (3) a modern era beginning around the turn of the 20th century. The passengers of the ship Brooklyn left the United States with the hope of finding religious freedom. In late February, plans were made to gather portable boats, maps, scientific instruments, farm implements and seeds. In addition, as the discharged men traveled to rejoin their families in the Salt Lake Valley, they moved through southern Nevada and southern Utah. Handcart Pioneer Companies. While much time was spent on traditional activities such as cooking, sewing, and tending children, several women served as scribes and diary keepers. This company consisted of about 100 wagons. They created irrigation systems, laid out farms, built houses, churches and schools. Harriet Page Young, wife of Lorenzo Young, was the first woman selected for the company. About LDS Pioneer and Handcart Companies, 1847-1856. This database contains an index of names and other details for groups of Mormon pioneers who traveled to Utah primarily in handcart companies. Full Company List. Over the course of two months, Brannan managed to recruit 70 men, 68 women, and 100 children—238 persons total. Twenty five percent of the total were children under the age of eight.[6]. Between 1847 and 1869 more than 70,000 people crossed the plains to get to Salt Lake City. Each year during the Mormon migration, people continued to be organized into "companies", each company bearing the name of its leader. During the last week of June, Sam Brannan, leader of the Mormon emigrant ship Brooklyn, met the company near Green River, Wyoming. Today a monument stands in the spot where he made this declaration. The initial company would select and break the primary trail with the expectation that later pioneers would maintain and improve it. Directed by Kels Goodman. During the trip through the rugged mountains, the vanguard company divided into three sections. These southern explorations eventually led to Mormon settlements in St. George, Utah, Las Vegas and San Bernardino, California, as well as communities in southern Arizona. This project covers all company commanders of the Mormon Pioneer migrations from 1847-1868) Finding Aids. Indeed, one may ask what effect this disease had on the 1847 Mormon pioneer companies. p. 23, 24. Although his name has increasingly become associated with his statement, he is still better known as the unnamed old man in the corner of a Sunday School class who arose to silence criticism directed toward those who allowed that company to come … The Mormons settled in the Salt Lake Valley, which at that time was used as a buffer zone between the Shoshones and the Utes, who were at war. While it was difficult to find large areas in the Great Basin where water sources were dependable and growing seasons long enough to raise vitally important subsistence crops, satellite communities began to be formed in all directions. The settlement of Provo was particularly troubling to the Utes, since it was at the heart of their territory. He told Young that local Indians raised good crops, including corn and pumpkins, but that there was ever-present danger of frost. May 31, 2018 - Mormon Pioneer Companies (1847-1868) Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki. Quotes By Genres. Young divided this group into 14 companies, each with a designated captain. These two companies are … Soon after the first Mormon pioneers reached Utah in 1847, the Church began encouraging its converts in the British Isles and elsewhere in Europe to emigrate to Utah. Handcarts cost less, and handcart … This was shortly followed by the Walker War.[17]. Some companies, however, started late in the season which resulted in hardship and sometimes disaster. He urged the vanguard company to continue on to California but was unable to shift the leader's focus away from the Great Basin. In November 1845, Samuel Brannan, newspaperman and small-scale publisher of the Mormon paper The Prophet (later the New York Messenger), was directed by church elders to charter a ship that would carry its passengers away from the eastern United States to California, which was then part of Mexico. By the beginning of 2000, there were 2,435 members in four districts and eighteen branches, and in 2005 there were 5,951. Take a look at interactive, … She was in ill health and Lorenzo Young feared to leave her and their young children behind. The sections on Mormon beliefs and motivations for going west have been omitted. Church members eventually headed south into present-day Arizona and Mexico, west into California, north into Idaho and Canada, and east into Wyoming, settling many communities in those areas. Chronological Company List. The Mormon handcart movement began in 1856 and continued until 1860. Kane obtained permission for the Mormons to winter on Indian territory, and the site was originally called Kanesville. Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database, 1847-1868 Description Each company is listed under its captain's name, and basic information is provided including a photograph of the captain, where available. The experiment began in 1856 with the Edmund Ellsworth company and ended in 1860 with the Oscar Stoddard Company. These two companies included 486 Mormon pioneers using 96 handcarts. During the pioneer era, Zion became a "landscape of … In 1856 the Mormon pioneers trekked across the Great Plains in wagon trains and pulling handcarts to find a new home safe from persecution. It was hoped that the group could, wherever possible, establish fords and ferries and plant crops for later harvest. Ground was broken, irrigation ditches were dug, and the first fields of potatoes and turnips were planted. 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