Who Are Your Pioneer Ancestors?

Do you recognize any of the people in these pictures? Look again, because they could be related to you, your spouse or your neighbors.

These are some of the early pioneers — ancestors of the people you know right here. And we are so proud of these pioneers that we risk yet another fire hazard to celebrate them on the 24th of July.

Significance of the 24th of July

Why the 24th of July? There’s a story to it. 

Early members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were not often welcomed wherever they tried to build their home. They tried Kirtland, then Independence, then Nauvoo, and at last Utah, where they were finally able to stay. 

The first Mormon Pioneers arrived in the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847. Two days later, on the 24th, Brigham Young entered the valley and declared that this was the right place. The 24th of July, Pioneer Day, commemorates this historic moment for the pioneers. 

These first pioneers (Brigham Young, John Taylor, Orson Pratt, and other influential Church leaders) are very important. But so are our ancestors — the ones who settled Panguitch, Cannonville, Junction and Loa. 

I was only able to graze the surfaces of some of these pioneers’ lifetimes of service, with just enough space to cover pioneers influencing parts of Garfield County. But I hope this article will inspire you to look further into who your pioneer ancestors were and what they did for you. 

Some of Our Pioneer Ancestors

Ebenezer Bryce is an obvious one to the Bryce Valley crowd, but don’t worry, I won’t spend too much time on him — I’ll leave that to the tourist spots. Suffice it to say that Bryce was a fine craftsman, and he built things all over Utah and Arizona. Did you know Ebenezer Bryce built the oldest LDS meeting house still in use today? That chapel is in Pine Valley, Utah.

Joel Hills Johnson is another ancestor I know of from the area. He wrote the words to the LDS hymn “High on the Mountain Top” as an anthem to Utah and to his God. Johnson traveled all over Utah in his time, even coming down to Parowan (then called Little Salt Lake) and starting the settlement that would become Enoch. He has descendants in Panguitch and Henrieville today.

Ebenezer Beesley is not as much of a Southern Utah man, but his great great grandkids are! And he is a favorite ancestor of mine. Ebenezer Beesley wrote the music to go with Johnson’s beautiful poem, perfectly capturing the highs and lows, rocks and fields of Utah.

James Henrie probably helped resettle Panguitch when the saints decided to return in 1871, and apparently he did such a good job that they named Henrieville after him! He helped build the first grist mill in Panguitch and held many offices in both Church and state. He is buried in Panguitch Cemetery along with his mother, Myra Mayall Henrie, and many of his children (he had a lot). 

Myra Mayall Henrie was the first Relief Society President in Panguitch. She was also a pioneer woman since before Nauvoo, and a devoted school teacher. She gave everything she had to the little town.

James Lewis Thompson was another Pioneer since before Nauvoo. He saw many hardships from being dragged out of his sick bed in Independence, Missouri, to enlisting in the Mormon Battalion during the Mexican-American War. Thompson likely lived in and built up both Henrieville and Cannonville around 1877 until he died in 1891, though the history between those towns can get mixed up sometimes. He and many of his children are buried in Henrieville Cemetery.

Why We Should Learn About Our Pioneer Ancestors

Now that you know something about some of the people who lived here 150 years ago, so what? Well I’ll tell you the “so what” for me:

The biggest thing is just perspective. I recently visited Nauvoo, and I gained a lot of perspective on what my life means having seen what my ancestors went through to make my life the way that it is. 

I tried to imagine how hard daily life was for them: no running water, machinery, or modern medicine. But there was something more to it than that. There was something to how they showed what they believed in.

They didn’t just talk about the things that they cared about; they followed those things to the ends of the earth. My ancestors wrote poems, songs and stories about those things. They moved, and moved again. They built and rebuilt meetinghouses — settled and resettled communities. Some even died so that I would have the religious freedoms and daily comforts that I have today.

Who Are Your Pioneer Ancestors?

So my invitation to you today is to find out more about your pioneer ancestors. First of all, do you have any pioneer ancestors? If so who are they? What did they do for you? Why are they important to you and your life? If you find anything really interesting, let me know. We’d love to publish something more about the pioneer ancestors we revere so much!

– by Abbie Call

Feature image caption: Left to Right – Top: Myra Mayall Henrie, James Henrie, Ebenezer Bryce, Bryce and his wife, James Lewis Thompson. Left to Right – Bottom: Ebenezer Beesley, Joel Hills Johnson.

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Read more from Abbie in One of the Best Father’s Day Gifts.