"A Position of Highest Esteem"

The compassionate rescue of Mormon refugees by my Great, Great Grandparents, Ezekiel and Charlotte Rawlins Downs was mentioned briefly in an earlier blog post titled, “A Family Divided”. While that entry focused on later decisions in Ezekiel's life, this entry will highlight his charitable kindness in 1839 to neighboring Mormons  while residing in Quincy, Illinois.

We read in I Peter 4:8: “And above all things have fervent charity among yourselves: for charity shall cover the multitude of sins.” 

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "In the annals of our Church, the city of Quincy and its citizens will always occupy a position of highest esteem.

We shall always be grateful for the kindness, the hospitality, the civility with which they met our people who were exiles from the state of Missouri."

It is wonderful to know that President Hinckley holds my ancestors in a position of the highest esteem for their participation in this rescue. Ezekiel and Charlotte took in five families of persecuted saints and provided them with everything they needed for survival and with honest labor to help them to get back on their feet.

Lloyd Newell, narrator for “Music and the Spoken Word” read a moving tribute to the generosity of early Quincy citizens:

"Quincy bears a legacy of mercy that ripples down the centuries, reminding us that the milk of human kindness is always more powerful than force or fury.

In 1839, persecution in Missouri forced the departure of nearly 10,000 Latter-day Saints into neighboring states and communities. Large groups began leaving in February of that year, headed for various locations in Illinois and Iowa.

Many came to western Illinois. With a population of about 1,500, Quincy was the region’s principal town at the time. In an extraordinary act of humanitarian service, Quincy’s 1,500 residents sheltered and assisted more than 5,000 Latter-day Saint refugees.

Arriving refugees needed accommodations and jobs. Quincy citizenry provided both. Despite snowstorms, Quincy citizens repeatedly rescued Latter-day Saints stranded without adequate food or clothing on the Missouri side of the river. One observer at the time noted that the citizens "donated liberally, the merchants vying with each other as to which could be the most liberal."

Local groups in Quincy interacted with Church leaders and representatives to carry out successful philanthropic activities. They provided jobs and donations of cash, clothing and provisions to needy Latter-day Saint refugees. They raised money locally and signed endorsements authorizing fundraisers in St. Louis and New York City."

It is wonderful to imagine the Downs family, leading citizens in this community, being anxiously engaged in this rescue. Perhaps Ezekiel vied to be the most liberal in his donations; I hope he won the contest. I am most proud of this couple for their charitable kindness in Quincy in 1839, a Christ like example I will try to remember and emulate.

As mentioned in the earlier post, due to Ezekiel's grief at the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph and his difficulty accepting Brigham Young, he cast off his wife and five of his children, left the church, and eventually remarried. Nevertheless, his wife Charlotte remembered the Quincy time period and knew Ezekiel's heart was one of charity and kindness. Even though she undoubtedly suffered as she crossed the plains as a single parent with five children and raised them on her own in the harsh untamed frontier of Utah, he remained dear to her heart. His name is listed on her tombstone as her husband. I choose to believe this indicates that she always loved him and forgave him. Her example of charity towards her husband is another legacy I cherish.

I hope to learn from the example of these inspiring ancestors, for in the final assessment, "charity covereth a multitude of sins."