There are many ancestors… generations upon generations who have come before me.
Today is a day of reflection. Looking in the mirror I see my Grandma Cannon’s blue eyes. I see my mom’s callick in my brown hair. I feel the fervor of faith gifted from my Grandma Joy. The the golden embers of Italian skin after an afternoon bathing under the golden sun, which comes from my paternal Grandpa Rizzo who immigrated to New York City from Sicily in the early 1900s. I feel the rumble of persistence and belief in others from Grandpa David, whose life’s work encouraged excellence in invention by his own pioneering spirit in the field of computer science. I light up at the opportunity to splash paint, to snap a photo, or record fleeting poetic pros as my father did with his own artistic expression. I long for and strive for peace, a characteristic garnered by ever patient and kind mother.
There are countless others before me, whose songs I do not know, and whose eyes I have not seen, but whose influence have been passed from generation to generation through seeds of thoughts, actions, and words.
Today I would like to pay tribute to the pioneers in my own heritage, those who crossed the wild plains of our great American continent, as well to the pioneers who forged new thoughts, new courage and new standards for excellence for myself and my posterity to follow.
To die in a great moment of battle requires great courage, especially in the light of attacking enemies.
However, the daily battle of life also requires fortitude to carry on! To work in the face of tedium, to solve problems in the opportunities of despair, to love day after day through kindness in word, deed and thought. Those ancestors who stuck through a challenge, who garnered a solution, and who fought valiantly for the cause of truth, those are ones I honor today.
My own mother, Gayle Gable and my step dad Clark have served four LDS missions as a senior couple, most recently to the Omaho, Nebraska mission in the Winter Quarters Visitor Center, along with the small temple there and the Kaynsville Tabernacle. Last summer we had the opportunity to visit with our small brood.
While the modern day city of Omaha is bustling with crowds, business and commerce, the history there starts with the pioneers. It was their fleeing from Nauvoo, and subsequent winter encampment which planted the roots of what we see today.
In down town Omaha a new Bronze statue collection was erected just a few years ago that pays tribute to the great pioneers who lived and passed through Omaha. This artistic masterpiece spans through several city blocks, including a herd of run away buffalo, and sprawling birds.
My mom, Gayle, shared some thought about our shared pioneer ancestors in her returning remarks this past year at her homecoming, which are included below.
“On the wall at the Kanesville Tabernacle is a quotation from the book of Luke which says,
“…Lo, we have left all, and followed thee.” Luke 18:28.
“This is obviously the early apostles but it also describes the Mormon pioneers. Every time before now, they were persecuted and driven from their homes. They left Winter Quarters and Kanesville to follow the prophet who called them to leave and go to Zion. They did so voluntarily because they had faith and because they believed the words of a prophet. It makes me wonder what I am willing to DO – to sacrifice – to follow a prophet. What are you willing to DO?
“My ancestors came to America after they joined the Church in England, The Isle of Man, and Wales. Some came fairly early and some came later but before the train. Some were in Nauvoo, others passed through Florence, which is what Winter Quarters became, as hand cart pioneers or late pioneers.
“My third great grandmother, Mary Edna Woolley Evans, died of heart failure and was buried in Florence while her family was preparing for their handcart journey to Salt Lake City. She had 14 children. All have stories to tell. All suffered for their beliefs. They were cold, hungry, tired, hot. I thought often when it was bitter cold and the wind was blowing, “I can go in a warm house. I can get in the car and go. I can put on another coat. I have warm boots, a coat, hat, scarf, and gloves. I can go to the store and buy shoes and groceries. When it was hot and humid, I could turn on the air conditioner or buy an ice cream cone.
“My 2nd great grandfather, John Bennion, and his brother Samuel, did not go west with Brigham Young but were asked to stay and go to Missouri to obtain supplies to outfit wagons. This was still soon after the extermination order. Would you go off to Missouri? They did to follow the prophet.
“My great grandfather, Harry Taylor, came through on a wagon train in 1862. Sometimes it seems like the pioneers were a long time ago, but that makes it seem quite close. I didn’t know him but I did know another great grandmother.
“My 2nd great grandfather, Angus Munn Cannon (brother of George Q Cannon) was a teenager in Winter Quarters. His older sister, Ann, wrote a history later in her life. She tells of everyday life and despite their troubles, including the 6 of them being orphans, how much fun they had, especially with the nightly dances. She loved the gospel and loved to hear the preaching of the leaders. She tells stories of serving her family and others. As I read her account, I realize how important it is to be happy, to stay true to your beliefs, and to serve others. Let me quote a little from her writings.
‘I shall never forget the blessings I received when an orphan. The Lord was my friend. When I would slip into the water I would empty my boots and walk on. Joseph Caine bought a box of gentlemen’s boots from England and they were too small for the men so they were given to the women. I got a pair and cousin Mary Ann’s father bought her a pair from the store, so we were very comfortable with our Jersey coats and boots; the rain did not affect us much.’
Later she wrote:’On the journey to Council Bluffs, I traveled with the family of Uncle Taylor (John Taylor & wife Leonora Cannon Taylor, sister of Ann’ s deceased father) and helped with the cooking and washing. We washed on the bank of the creek…Sometimes I tread the clothes in the bed of the stream with my bare feet. Dr Curtis’ wife used to say, ‘Annie, if you were my girl, you could not paddle in the water the way you do. ‘. ‘But, I said, “I have no mother, ‘ Aunt Leonora was sick with rheumatism and there was a big family to do for.’
Many are the tales and struggles of the Mormon Battalion. They, too, followed the prophet. Imagine being called to leave your family destitute in Kanesville to walk to San Diego.
Listen to Zadoc Judd who said, ‘This was quite a hard pill to swallow-to leave wives and children on the wild prairie, destitute, and almost helpless. Having nothing to rely on only the kindness of neighbors, and go to fight the battles of a government that had allowed some of its citizens to drive us from our homes, but word came from the right source and seemed to bring the spirit of conviction of its truth with it and there was quite a number of company volunteered, myself and brother among them.’ Again, they followed the prophet.
The Battalion was promised by Brigham they would save their families & they would not have to fight in the war. These promises came true. They did build they road from Santa Fe to San Diego, helped build the small town of San Diego, discovered the gold, & built the road over the Sierra Nevada Mountains, opening the way for many thousands who went west, not just the Mormon Pioneers.” – Gayle Gable
I am grateful for my rich pioneer history. I am also grateful for the recorded stories of their lives so that we could remember them.
I love this quote by Elder Ballard that perfectly sums up our responsibility to carry on in their footsteps, not to a promised land but to a consecrated heart.
“This is a great time to live, brothers and sisters, and it is up to us to carry on the rich tradition of devoted commitment that has been the hallmark of previous generations of Latter-day Saints. This is not a time for the spiritually faint of heart. We cannot afford to be superficially righteous. Our testimonies must run deep, with spiritual roots firmly embedded in the rock of revelation. And we must continue to move the work forward as a covenanted, consecrated people, with faith in every footstep, ’till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done’.” – Elder Ballard
