I met Sheldon Miller when I was about eight. He was just a year older than I was, when he and his family moved into our Provo, Utah neighborhood in 1956, to the house across a corner park from my home. His younger sister Mary Ann and baby brother Scott were the same age as two of my siblings, and we all became fast friends and playmates right away. We spent as much time at their house as they did in ours. They remember the cookies my mother used to make, and I’ve always remembered the heavenly fresh bread that Sister Miller produced from her oven. But something was missing; Someone wasn’t there.

Sheldon didn’t have a father; at least I never knew him. And as a child, to me it seemed strange. I remember a picture of a soldier in their home, but I could never put a name to that member of his family. I recalled hearing that Sheldon’s dad had served in World War II, and had survived the Bataan Death March. Sheldon told me stories about his father, and showed me artifacts handed down from him. But I was little, and didn’t comprehend what “Bataan” was.

As I grew and studied history and learned about the events of the past, Bataan took on special meaning for me because of Sheldon’s father. He wasn’t my ancestor, but because of the affection I felt for Sheldon and his family, my view of that historical event and its consequences forever influenced my understanding of that time in history. The men and women who lived and died during that horrific experience and those who survived it, were all heroes; and the living returned to their homes and families and gave them a legacy of what it means to endure to the end. The stories of these ancestors that have been recorded and preserved and shared are now the history and inspiration for generations to come. The story of Sheldon’s ancestor will always be with me.

On the World’s Timeline: Ancestors are the People of History™

Ancestors are the People of History™. Do you know who your ancestors are? Have you collected their stories and shared them with your family? Do your children and grandchildren know the wonderful people they descend from? When we know our family’s place in history, we can draw upon the strength of their lives and bring history home for us, the next generation, and for future generations to come. As we come to know our ancestors and their stories, we touch history and it becomes ours.

People of History are found everywhere. Their lives and stories are all along the World Timeline…. Immigrating on ships such as the Mayflower, Martha Washington or Cavour and thousands of others; or making history as sailors aboard Old Ironsides, the Arizona at Pearl Harbor, or the Titanic. Families suffering in the Depression, on the Plantations, or by dry watering holes….at Liberty Jail, Winter’s Quarters, Martin’s Cove, and Crossing the Sweetwater.

We find them in history…climbing Mt Everest, mapping the ocean floor, teaching 3rd Grade for 30 years, or creating the winning Dutch Oven recipe. They are heroes from the Battle of Agincourt and Saint Crispin’s Day, the Village Greens of Concord and Lexington, and the Peach Field at Gettysburg, Crossing the Delaware and the March of Bataan; the rescue at Dunkirk, landing on Omaha Beach, or serving in Iraq; and for every hero on the battlefield, there were a thousand men and women who made the equipment and paved the way for that hero.

Ancestors are found going up the stairs of Tower One on 9/11, guarding the homeland, standing 17 hours in open heart surgery, and fighting forest fires or plowing the soil, tilling the ground, planting the crops, picking the cotton or weaving the cloth; they were building the Erie Canal, trekking across new frontiers, laying the track of the transcontinental railroad, and erecting Hoover Dam; debating on hot sweaty days in Philadelphia in 1776, serving as a US Marshall in 1880, marching with Martin in 1963. They contributed to the First Flight and that one small step for man; one giant leap for mankind. And since time began, the people of history have been dying, and giving birth, that others’ might live. All of them need to be remembered, known as ANCESTORS. Through our genealogy and family memories, we bring history home and personally, touch the past

Invitation to Share Family History Worldwide

This heritage of family history is valuable because knowing it and sharing it can inspire and educate, motivate and lead, and improve and shape the present day, the next generation and the future. By making ancestors and their place in history known, and recording and preserving it, family history can reveal, encourage, and teach us how to live and be the best we can be. To make all of this possible, we need to know the stories of the past.

I have been privileged to research the lives many people, including those of mine and my wife’s ancestors and to share some of their stories in articles for Meridian Magazine (www.meridianmagazine.com). The wonderful result of this opportunity is that I have been able to write and compile a collection of ancestors’ faith-promoting stories that are now available online to share with our families for generations to come. Distant cousins have contacted me many times over the years as they have discovered family in one of my Turning Hearts articles. They have thanked me for a previously unknown story of their ancestor, for helping them learn their family’s role and place in history, for giving them an understanding of the sacrifice that these relatives made through the trials and circumstances of their lives. And in each case I have been blessed with finding a new member of my eternal family, learning their family stories, and the testimonies of faith those relatives and stories bring.

We invite our Meridian Magazine audience to seek out and share their family’s place in history in our new “Ancestors are the People of History” article series for the Turning Hearts Column. Send us the story of your family’s place in history, and we will share that memory with the worldwide Meridian Magazine community.

Preparing and Submitting your Ancestor’s Story

Go to your pedigree chart, pick out a familiar ancestor and write their brush with history for our new “Ancestors are the People of History™”. Or choose someone you know very little about and find their place in history; then tell the story of their unique contribution. Or review your own journal and prepare a story from your life that will touch history for those that follow.

Write from your heart. A family story doesn’t need to be long and dramatic. It doesn’t need to be a life story. It only needs to be real. Don’t simply pass on traditions. Work at getting the details right; be sure to include dates, times, and places along with names, including the maiden and married names for the women. Remember, this piece of history is going to be posted online and overtime, the details you give, the people you list, and lessons of their lives will become searchable on Google and scrutinized… and others will join in the great work of family history. Please send your submissions to proctor@meridanmagazine.com with the subject line - APH Attention: James W. Petty, AG, CG.

Natalie Lloyd has given us such a story from her heart.

Inaugural Submission: The Rest of the Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies:

The Willie and Martin Handcart Companies Trek is an oft-repeated story of heroism and faith. It has been well over one hundred fifty years since the fateful October snowstorms brought these LDS pioneers to their destiny with history in 1856. Come next July 24th, remember this account “The Rest of the Story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies” by Natalie Lloyd. As the first submitter for “Ancestors’ are the People of History”, Natalie shares her family’s experience, including the “rest of the story” in this faith-promoting recording of her Willie Handcart ancestors, who like the Martin Handcart Company travelled the Mormon Pioneer Trail in that long ago treacherous fall. Read it out loud with your loved ones and feel the People of History touch you.

I want to tell you a little bit about one of my own ancestors. Her name was Elizabeth Nicholson Cunningham. Born in Borland, Fife, Scotland in 1807, Elizabeth married John Nichol at just 15-and-a-half years of age. Four years later she had her first child Agnes, and not long after that, her husband left Scotland to seek their fortune in Australia. Elizabeth worked to support herself and her child as a seamstress in Scotland and after many years of hearing no word from or about her husband, she moved on with her life.

In 1834, she remarried to James Cunningham, a man who worked the mines and had subsequent health problems. Together, Elizabeth and James had a few more children. In 1841, the Cunninghams were among the first in their area of Scotland to join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Elizabeth did all she could, even borrowing money to help the elders, to show her faith and testimony, and to help grow the church. At this point, her daughter from her first marriage was grown with children of her own, and who should suddenly reappear in Scotland but Elizabeth’s first husband, John Nichol, who previously had been presumed dead.

After unsuccessfully trying to convince Elizabeth to leave her new family and her new religion and return to Australia with him, John failed also in trying to convince his daughter and her family to leave with him. In the end, he gave up and was never heard from again. After such an emotional shock and struggle, maybe Elizabeth was ready for a change. But maybe it was based on pure faith in Christ and belief in the gospel that helped her decide to heed the call for the saints to gather in Zion.

In a blessing she received prior to departing from her home in Scotland, she was told that if she remained true and faithful to the commandments and covenants of the Lord, all of her family would arrive safely in Zion. May 1st, 1856, leaving behind her eldest daughter and grandchildren in Scotland, Elizabeth took the rest of her family, despite her chonically-ill husband, and made the 6-week journey by boat to America, and from there, they traveled by steamboat and rail to Iowa City, where they joined up with their fellows in preparation to head West. On July 26th, the Cunninghams and the rest of the Willie Handcart Company left Iowa City. George, son of Elizabeth and James, and only about 15-years old, later wrote these words:

“While traveling along, people would mock, sneer, and deride us on every occasion for being such fools as they termed us, and would often throw out inducements to get us to stop. But we told them that we were going to Zion, and would not stop on any account. When we went through a town or settlement, pulling our handcarts as we always had to do, people would turn out in crowds to laugh at us, crying ‘gee’ and ‘haw’ as if we were oxen. But this did not discourage us in the least, for we knew that we were on the right track. That was enough.”

“After several weeks pulling, hauling and praying, we arrived at Florence, but were detained again several weeks more. Some stayed here, and would not go any farther. In fact, we were told that if any wanted to stop, that they might do so, but the council was to go on to the valleys. I can remember of being at a meeting one night when Brother Levi Savage, a returning missionary arose and spoke. He counseld the old, wealk [weak], and sickly to stop until another spring. The tears commenced to flow down his cheeks and he prophesied that if such undertook the journey at that late season, of the year, that their bones would strew the way."

“But the council was to continue to Zion, and this group of saints had already experienced derision and inducements to stay behind once before. And so putting their faith and trust in the Lord and not in the words of men like Levi Savage, the Willie Handcart Company left Winter Quarters.

“The beginning of the journey went smoothly, but by Sept. 4: Some of the cattle were run off by Indians. Some 300 miles west of Florence, a thunderstorm and buffalo stampede drove away the rest.

“Food was low by the time the Willie Company reached North Bluff Creek, and rations were cut. There, Franklin Richards and a group of returning missionaries including Parly P. Pratt met up with the company. They did their best to encourage the saints, and then the elders, who were on horseback, decided to hurry on to Salt Lake City to get help.

Sept. 30: Willie's Company reached Fort Laramie, with 500 miles still to go. No one was expecting them, however, and anticipated provisions were not there.

Meanwhile, on Oct. 4, Richards arrived in Salt Lake City and told Brigham Young of the companies' plight. In his next day's conference address, Young called for volunteers. "We want 20 teams by tomorrow morning to go to their relief. It will be necessary to send two experienced men with each wagon. . . . Go and bring in those people now on the plains!"
Oct. 12: Willie cut rations, to 10 ounces of flour for men, nine for women, six for children and three for infants.

On Oct. 19, at the North Platte crossing, the last of the flour was used.
Oct. 20: The Company woke to find a foot and a half of snow on the ground and sub-zero temperatures. Because a lot of the clothing and bedding had been left behind to lighten the load, they were unprepared for the cold.

George Cunningham wrote about keeping the faith and positive attitudes during these trials. He said:

“Here we plodded along through the mud with all the courage that we could muster. Our bright young sisters helped us by doing all they could to encourage us in every shape, and whenever an opportunity afforded, they would try to cheer us along with their beautiful strains of vocal music. They seemed to have songs very appropriate for every occasion. This was much help to us under such stiff circumstances. Some of their words I can well remember yet such as:

“Some will push and some will pull
As we go marching up the hill
So merrily on the way we go
Until we reach the valley oh.”

They used to sing also the following words a great deal:

“Hurrah for the camp of Israel
Hurrah for the handcart scheme
Hurrah, hurrah, its better by far
Than the wagon and ox team.”

One night along the trail, Elizabeth’s daughter, Betsy, George’s little sister succumbed to the bitter cold. Limp and lifeless, the Cunninghams were encouraged to cover her up and leave her behind. It must have been very difficult for James and Elizabeth to leave their little girl without even a proper burial. After continuing on with the company a ways, and after agonizing over this decision, Elizabeth remembered the promised blessing she had been given for her family. If they remained faithful to the gospel, ALL of them would arrive safely in Salt Lake.

Trusting that the Lord would not turn his back on this promise, Elizabeth convinced her husband to turn back with her and find their child. They left alone and came upon Betsy in the same condition as she had been left. Continuing to exercise faith, James and Elizabeth built an fire and rubbed their daughter all over, until they quite literally rubbed the warmth and life back into her. Betsy woke up, made the rest of the trek, and went on to become a wife and raise 16 children, 13 of her own and 3 others.

When Elizabeth, James, and Betsy caught up with the company, conditions were as bad as ever. People were starving. George wrote: “Many were frozen to death. I think that there were only five or six men in camp towards the last but what were frozen. Our captain drove all he could and did his duty. He was badly frozen and came very close to dying. Some would sacrifice themselves by giving their food or perhaps some old blanket that covered them. In common cares, we cannot tell what our friends and neighbors are, but there are circumstances which undoubtedly proved them.”

Not only is George Cunningham noted as the author of his family experiences, he was also known as what Laman and Lemuel would have called a “visionary man.” He was blessed with the gift of dreams, of prophetic visions of sorts. Just when the company was beginning to hit rock bottom, when it looked impossible that any would survive to make it to the valley without any food left and without any warm clothing, George laid down one night and dreamed a dream. In this dream he saw two men coming toward him on horseback. They were riding very swiftly and soon came up to the company. They said that they had volunteered to come to the rescue and that they would go on further east to meet a company which was still farther behind and that on the morrow, the handcart company could meet a number of wagons loaded with provisions. So clearly had George dreamed this that he was able to thoroughly describe the men saying: They were dressed in blue soldier overcoats and had Spanish saddles on their horses. I examined them, particularly the saddles as they were new to me. I also could discern every expression of their countenance. They seemed to rejoice and be exceedingly glad that they had come to our relief and saved us.

The very next day, the Willie handcart company woke to 18 inches of snow and lots of gloomy faces. Convinced that his dream would soon come to pass, George and the Cunninghams set out, leading the group with optimism inspired by the nighttime vision. George went on to write: “The day was rather blustery with alternate snow storms blowing from the North, mixed with clear spells which lasted sometimes for nearly half an hour. During one of the clear spells I spotted two persons that I had dreamed of the night before, riding fast towards us. I called the fact to the attention of the crowd, being quite a distance off. I roared out, ‘Here they come, see them coming over that hill.’ They told me that I was a true dreamer, and we all felt that we should thank God.”

While it was a great blessing for the Willie Handcart Company to receive this aid, many mistakenly believe that the story ends here. In fact, these saints still had some 300 miles left to travel before finally making it to the valley, still traveling in the bitter cold through mountains and other desolate land. Through faith and perseverance, they finally made it Salt Lake City on November 9th. True to the promise she had been given, Elizabeth’s entire family, sickly husband and all, survived the journey and came to settle in American Fork. Even the daughter Agnes that had stayed behind in Scotland eventually came to Utah after the railroads were built.

I have heard the story of the Willie and Martin Handcart Companies many times over the years and each new telling of their trials and faith inspires me. Natalie’s story uniquely penetrated my soul in 2009, the year of much suffering, and depression, and hardship, with something I had never stopped to think about, a piece of new history. Even following their rescue at the 6th Crossing of the Sweetwater, these early saints still had hundreds of miles to go; Faith in Every Footstep, pulling their handcarts over Rocky Ridge, trekking on to Rock Creek Hollow, continuing on till their journey’s end, in the Valley of the Great Salt Lake. Our journey today, yours and mine, requires the same faith and endurance.

This is one of tens of thousands of stories of courage and faith, and heroism, which the readers of Meridian Magazine can share with us. There are yet untold versions and additional variations on these inspiring themes waiting to be discovered and shared as the descendants of these pioneers and other peoples of the past, learn and preserve their family history stories. Please write down a family story, read it to your family, and then send it to proctor@meridianmagazine.com with the subject line - APH Attention: James W. Petty, AG, CG. As we come to know our ancestors and their stories, we touch history and it becomes ours. Ancestors are the People of History.