Happy Birthday Avelyn

We are so proud of Avelyn today on her tenth birthday!  She is a wonderful granddaughter, and an amazing big sister. We love her so much!

Click the link below to see a few slides of adorable Avelyn.

Happy Birthday Avelyn!

Pony Express

This building was originally at
Ruby Station when Frederick William Hurst
was stationed there in 1860-61.

After completing missionary service in Australia and Hawaii, my Great, Great Grandfather Frederick William Hurst was in charge of the Pony Express Station at Ruby Valley, about 375 miles west of Salt Lake City.

Great, Great Grandpa Hurst

Each station had its overseer, stock tenders, and a blacksmith shop for shoeing the horses.  Extra ponies were always kept in readiness.

Often targets of Indian attacks, Pony Express Stations were built as indestructible as possible of rocks, adobe and logs.  Many were burned to the ground during Indian uprisings.  

Men such as my Great, Great Grandfather, who were chosen to manage these stations were exceedingly courageous, since their job was perhaps the most dangerous on the route.  More station men were killed than riders during the operation of the Pony Express.

The Indians in the vicinity at that time were very hostile toward the settlers, who were building upon their lands and consuming their game and food.  Great, Great Grandpa Hurst believed as did the Prophet Brigham Young that it was better to feed and love the Indians rather than fight them. Grandpa had a compassionate heart and desired to alleviate their suffering, giving them bread and also a kind of poi he had learned to make while on his mission in Hawaii.  His history illustrates this love at Christmas time when he steamed a large plum pudding in flour sacks over a bonfire and presented it as a special treat to the Indians. As a result, the natives loved and trusted him and often warned him of hostile bands who were bent on destroying the station, giving him time to secure proper defenses.

Nevertheless, Frederick was in continual peril, as exhibited by the following letter he sent by a special Pony rider to Major Howard Egan in May, 1860, concerning the attacks on Pony Express Stations:

• DEAR SIR—It is in great haste that I sent myself, for the purpose of informing you that James Carlow has just arrived and states that the Pah-Ute Indians have forced the boys to leave every station between Diamond Springs and Carson Valley. He reports that John Applegate and Raphael (Ralph) Lozier were killed for certain yesterday. Dry Creek, at 10 o’clock, a.m., May 22, Wm. Streeper took the cut-off with the mail, and has not been heard of since. Silas McCandless and Lafayette Ball arrived at Roberts’ Creek last night, at 9 o’clock; the Indians chased them for five miles, shooting with their rifles; the boys were on foot. They all left Roberts’ Creek last night, at 12 o’clock, with all the horses and mules. They saw a great number of fires in the hills; they report sixty men killed at Carson sink. The chief of the Shoshones is here and anxious to see you. The Indians around here appear to be friendly at present. Shacup says he would like to have a big talk with Alfred Huntington. Your orders respecting the stations have and will be promptly attended to. Yours, F. W. HURST 

The Second Wife

Thomas and Mahaleth Beard

"In this day and age it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking a new car, job promotion, beauty makeover, or some level of fame will make us happy. And sometimes it happens - for a time. But it never lasts because wealth, power,  beauty and fame simple don't bring lasting happiness, as much as we wish they would. Rather, true happiness comes from following Christ's example and developing Godlike attributes such as goodness, love, justice and mercy. It comes from serving others and helping them to follow the example and teachings of Jesus Christ. It comes from overcoming the appteties of our human bodies and instead following the promptings of the Spirit. It comes from working hard and having a healthy lifestyle, friends, family, and personal achievements. Regardless of what you do or don't have in this life, your deepest, most lasting happiness will come from knowing God's plan and following it."

These words from lds. org are exemplified by my Great, Great Grandmother, Haley Tanner.

Mahaleth “Haley” Abiah Tanner was born March 30, 1867, in Union, Utah, to John Joshua and Mahaleth Chase Tanner.

Little is known of her life before her marriage June 27, 1884, at the age of seventeen, to my Great, Great Grandfather, Thomas Beard, Jr., age 48. They were sealed for time and all eternity in the Endowment House.

Mary Ann Openshaw Beard
Thomas' First Wife

In this union, she became Thomas’ second wife. As a young man of 22, Thomas had married Mary Ann Openshaw, age 35, the young widow of James Simister. Hence, at the time of Thomas’ marriage to Haley, he had already been married to his first wife, Mary Ann, for twenty-five years. 

President Wilford Woodruff

Three years later, only eight months after the birth of Haley’s first son, John Tanner Beard, her husband was called on a mission by President Wilford Woodruff on October 15, 1887, to his native land, Great Britain, where he labored for two years “without purse or script”. He departed, leaving Haley and young John alone during this service, undoubtedly lonesome for their husband and father. The missionary was described as being willing at any time to oppose friend or foe in defense of the Gospel of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Although it is hard for us to understand the relationships in a plural marriage, everyone said how kind and thoughtful "Aunt Haley" was to Mary Ann, who was known as “Grandmother Beard”. They lived in separate homes, but Haley took care of Mary Ann, especially in her old age. Mary Ann passed away in 1901.

Several years before his marriage to Haley, Thomas (who had been a coal miner most of his life) had been called by the President of the Summit Stake to devote his time to growing vegetables, seeds and flowers. Haley loved flowers and helped her husband in this activity from which they made a very meager income, as the climate in Coalville was quite cold. She also assisted Thomas in landscaping many homes and gardens in Coalville for which they won many blue ribbons and gold medals for best displays at the Summit County Fair.

In 1907, Thomas was called to care for the Coalville Tabernacle, both inside and out. The Beard family labored together to upgrade the grounds and plant flower beds and shrubs. It became known as one of the most beautiful spots in the state and people traveled from all over Utah to see it. The General Conference of the Church was held in this tabernacle at one time, and many spoke of the beautiful building and landscaped grounds.

Thomas Beard passed away December 23, 1917, leaving Haley a widow at age 50.

Haley continued to be known as a willing helper to anyone who needed her help. During the bad flu epidemic of 1918 “Aunt Haley”, as she was affectionately called, went from home to home to nurse and care for the sick, but she, herself, never contacted the flu.

Throughout her life Haley was never heard to complain and was a very pleasant and loving mother to their nine children. She was happy.

One Uninterrupted Honeymoon

Isn't that great! "Their union of 50 years has been as one uninterrupted honeymoon, so perfect have been the bonds existing between them."

This couple brings new meaning to sharing a name. James Mack, the brother of my Great Grandfather was born to Henry and Sarah Shaw McCracken in Scotland in 1836. When he came to Utah, for reasons unknown he unofficially changed his surname to Mack, a confusing shortened version. This practice was followed by his family members who immigrated later. 

His wife Elizabeth shared his name, Mack. James' tombstone includes both names, but his wife's marker only includes the shorter version.

James' death certificate lists his legal name with (known as James Mack) in parentheses.

The name Mack continued to be used for two generations, until the time my father enlisted in the Marine Corps and was required to use his legal name.

Common Ancestry

In the April General Conference of 2005, Thomas S. Monson, who was then the First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church told the story of one of his ancestral families. He began by saying, "It is important to know, as far as possible, those who came before us. We discover something about ourselves when we learn about our ancestors."

President Monson shared the following history:

Margaret Miller - President
Monson's Great Grandmother.

"I recall as a boy hearing of the experiences of my Miller ancestors.

In the spring of 1848, my Great Great Grandparents, Charles Stewart Miller and Mary McGowan Miller, joined the Church in their native Scotland, left their home in Rutherglen, Scotland, and journeyed across the Atlantic Ocean.

They reached the port of New Orleans and traveled up the Mississippi River to St. Louis, Missouri, with a group of Saints, arriving there in 1849.

One of their 11 children, Margaret, would become my great grandmother."

Elizabeth Ferguson Miller

Side note: Another of Charles and Mary's daughters was Elizabeth Ferguson Miller, who would become the wife of James Mack (McCracken).

"When the family arrived in St. Louis, planning to earn enough money to make their way to the Salt Lake Valley, a plague of cholera struck the area. The Miller family was hard-hit: in the space of two weeks, mother, father, and two of their sons died. My Great Grandmother, Margaret Miller, was 13 years old at the time."

Side note: Elizabeth was six years younger than Margaret, only 7 years of age at the death of both of her parents.

"Because of all the deaths in the area, there were no caskets available—at any price. The older surviving boys dismantled the family’s oxen pens in order to make crude caskets for the family members who had passed away.

The nine remaining orphaned Miller children and the husband of one of the older daughters left St. Louis in the spring of 1850 with four oxen and one wagon, arriving finally in the Salt Lake Valley that same year.

I owe such a debt of gratitude to these and other noble forebears who loved the gospel and who loved the Lord so deeply that they were willing to sacrifice all they had, including their own lives, for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. How grateful I am for the temple ordinances which bind us together for all eternity."

Temple Workers and Artists

Both my Great, Great Grandfather Frederick William Hurst and his son, Frederick William Hurst Jr., helped to build the Logan Temple. 

Great, Great Grandpa is shown front and center in this photo of temple workers; he is holding his hat in his hand. William Jr. is to his father's left (our right in the photo). 

Frederick William Hurst, Jr.

We learn in the book, "Logan Temple: The First 100 Years" that William (Jr.), a talented and dedicated artist had plans to go east to continue his schooling. The church leaders recognized his potential and he was called as a "temple missionary" and sent off to school to study portrait and decorative painting, with the view that he would return and help beautify the temple (which he did). 

Original Paintings in Creation Room in Logan Temple

This father and son team also helped to paint the Salt Lake Temple, and to construct several other important buildings such as the Paris Tabernacle in Idaho.

Carry On

I am incredibly inspired by my Great, Great, Great, Great Grandfather, Horace Spafford, who was severely tested in his life and endured unspeakable hardship and loss, yet remained faithful.

Horace was born in 1797 in a county neighboring the birthplace of the Prophet Joseph Smith in Vermont. At age twenty-seven, he married Martha Stiles. He was a quiet, unassuming man, devoted to family, community and the prevailing religious teachings of the time. His family enjoyed comfort and security through his hard work and industry.

By 1837 six children had been born to Horace and Martha when they learned of the restored gospel and joined the church. In the next thirteen years, five more children were born as the Spaffords endured all the persecutions that Mormons suffered during that time.

Martha and Horace grieved when their oldest daughter, Caroline, married and left the church. They never heard from her again.

In the spring of 1850, unable to endure the persecutions any longer, they sold their possessions and outfitted themselves to make the trek to Zion in the west.

By this time their daughter Irinda had married Spicer Crandall who was also a member of the church and the couple, along with their infant daughter, prepared to go west with the family.

They joined the Warren Foote Company and were assigned to the 2^nd Division, 4^th Group of 10. Horace is listed in the company records as traveling with two wagons, eleven persons, and twenty-two cattle.

The wagons traversed the trail with the normal challenges of overland excursions along primitive paths and all seemed to go relatively well until they reached the Platte River in Nebraska.

One night in June, after their evening meal of biscuits made from flour and alkali dust (a common practice), many members of the family became extremely ill.

By the next morning daughter Irinda and granddaughter Josephine were dead. Within the next four days, two other daughters, Minerva and Rhoda, and two sons, Horace Jr. and Moroni, and Horace’s wife, Martha, were also dead, victims of cholera.

Alma, only ten years old, was also stricken with the dread disease. While burning with fever, he crawled to the river’s edge and dangled his feet in the water through the night. By morning his fever broke, the cold water saving his life, the only member of the family who had cholera and survived.

After the deaths of his wife, five children, and one granddaughter, Horace wrapped their bodies in a feather bed and quilts and placed them in one common grave on the edge of the Platte River. He covered the grave with large stones to discourage wolves and other wild animals from ravaging the bodies.

As Job of old, Horace’s faith was surely tested. He was fifty-three years old, had no home, owned only two wagons and a few possessions, and within the course of a few days, his family was reduced by half. But, he carried on, sustaining his surviving three sons and two daughters. With unbelievable fortitude, he squared his shoulders and once more joined the company to come west.

On September 2, 1850, the family arrived in the Salt Lake Valley. That very evening the Prophet, Brigham Young, came to greet the weary people. He counted out the first eight wagons to continue south to the shores of Utah Lake to build a fort there and make their homes. Horace's wagon was one of the eight. He rested for seven days and then moved on with his family to Springville where their long journey of 1,100 miles was finally over.

The United States Census of Mortality Schedules of 1850 lists the casualties in the Spafford family:

Excepts from journals of others in the Warren Foote Company somberly record the events of the tragic deaths in the Spafford family:

From Luke William Gallup (SIC):

•  June 22^nd - 2 more of Br. [Horace] Spafford chidren dead in 2^nd division. We Started and travelled 17 miles,—encountred a Storm of wind & rain which spared us in a great measure but was severe before and behind us, delayed over one hour
• June 28^th - Thunder shower about daylight, & the wind blew down one of our tents. At 11 AM. passed Walls com[pany]. They were washing & airing their things, & sickness was in their midst—some had already died, 10 since they started, had lost.  Br. [Horace] Spaffords family had lost most of any. They called on us for medicine & we let them have some; & then went on—suffered some for want of water & the great heat.

From Elmer Taylor (SIC): 

• The thrid day cholera attacked thecamp … Half of Horace Spafford’s family, the mother [Martha Stiles] and five children who were traveling with the Taylors, also died, the father [Horace] and five children recovering … In all there were about thirty victims. Elmer [Taylor] assisted in digging th gtaves [graves] and burying the dead.

 From Mary Ann Weston Maughn (SIC): 

• Friday 21st - We were called this morning to bury two of our company who died of cholera, there aremore [are more] sick in camp. We have been in sight of the Platte River all day. Camped on Salt creek. Some of the camp came up with another child dead they burried it on the bank of the creek at twilight. I makes us feel sad to bury our friends thus by the way.
• Saturday June 22d - This morning before starting, we were called to Bury 3 more children. they all belonged to one family. we started late and before all had cross the creek it comenced to rain very hard[.] we were detained till noon. traveled 9 miles[.] camped on the paria [prarie] with [no] wood or water or some that is very poor. this is the worst time we have had since we crossed the Mis[s]ouri river[.] everything wet and several sick in camp. very little fire.
• Sunday 23d - We have Buried 3 more this evening[.] traveled 8 miles[.] very rainy and warm.
• Monday 24th - This morning is so wet and uncomfortable it was thought best to remain in camp. some are washing and baking[.] all are busy. about noon it cleared up, and we had Public Meetting in camp, some have fasted and all humbled themselves before the Lord and Prayed that he would remove disease from us. Brother [Spicer Wells] Crandle [Crandall] said in four days five had been takein from their midst, and requested the Brethren to pray that their family may be speared [spared].
• Tuesday 25^th - Started early this morning, the weather cool and windy. At two o'clock it commenced to rain very hard thunder and lightning, some of the brethren had to stand in front of their cattle as they would not face the wind and rain. The mother of the five children spoken of yesterday died this forenoon, she will be buried this evening. We have passed five fresh graves today. The road is good but crooked, following the ridges. We are camped on a creek which is called Pleasant Point. We have buried Sister Spafford, the mother of nine children, there are no more sick in camp and we hope the worst is over.

Later, further along on the journey, another near tragedy occurred in the Spafford family as recorded in journals (SIC):

From Gilbert Belnap (SIC):

• While in camp a few miles above Larney (Laramie) we come very near loosing a very useful member of our company, a man by the name of Spafford, who came nearly being drowned. He had lost his mother three sisters and one brother the result of the colora [cholera]. Through the infatiguable energy of Thomas Robinson and John Chitesten [Chidester] he was saved from a watery grave.

 From Elmer Taylor (SIC):

• Eight miles above Fort Laramie, Mattison [Madison] Welsh [Welch] and Nelson Spafford narrowly escaped drowning while swimming the Platte river, driving stock to feed.

Waiting for the one and only

This beautiful woman is my Great, Great, Great Aunt Alvira Deseret "Dessie" Lindsay Hurst. 

She was born in Paris, Idaho, in 1868, the sixth of eight children. 

Her father, William, was a skilled cobbler and made his children's shoes, but with so many growing feet in the family, Dessie sometimes went without. She often ran through the snow barefoot and then scurried on top of the shed to warm her feet in the sun. 

In spite of poverty, when Dessie recounted the hardships of her early days, she was never bitter, but always spoke of happy times filled with love.

School tuition was a strain on the family funds. It was considered most important for the boys to be educated, and due to lack of money, Dessie did not get to attend school unless one of her brothers had to stay home for the day due to work or illness. This made her all the more willing and anxious to learn and she happily attended whenever possible. 

As a teenager Dessie found work in a dairy to help support the family.  One day when she was carrying buckets of butter into the dairy, a man was waiting at the door and asked her a question. Because of the noise of the machinery, she was unable to hear him. Not wanting to appear rude, she just gave him a nod. Later she learned that she had said "yes" to a proposal of marriage. Beautiful Dessie had had many chances for marriage, but had been waiting for her "one and only". 

The young man who had proposed to her at the dairy was Frederick William Hurst, Jr., an artist and builder from Logan, Utah. He was in Paris at the time working on the LDS Tabernacle. 

As he was passing the Lindsay home and noticed a pretty little eighteen-year-old girl standing by the well with two huge buckets, he came to to her rescue and proposed on the spot.

Frederick and Dessie kept company, fell in love, and were married within a few months in the Logan Temple. 

Frederick later had the privilege of using his wonderful talents in working on the interior of the Salt Lake Temple. 

Don't worry - It's Harold B., not Harold A.

Imagine running across this grave marker in Hayden Cemetery, near Tetonia, Idaho. It kind of made my heart skip a beat or two.

Although the middle initial has been omitted, this memorial actually marks the resting place of Harold B. McCracken, not the Harold A. McCracken we know and love.

Harold B. is Harold A.'s second cousin. They share Great Grandparents. Harold B. descended from John McCracken, the brother of Harold A.'s Grandfather, Thomas McCracken.

What is the value of twenty-five pounds?

My talented Uncle Frederick Piercy traveled from Liverpool to the Valley of the Great Salt Lake between 1853 and 1854. His purpose was not permanent residence in America but rather to document the journey both in picture and prose, and ultimately produce an illustrated travel book to encourage British Mormons to emigrate to Utah. 

Examples of his artwork on this journey include:

Upon returning to England in 1854 he worked with the editor of the Millennial Star, James Linforth, to prepare his manuscript for publication. His sketches were made into high quality steel engravings by Charles Fenn. The result of this effort culminated in a delightfully personal and lively detailed and illustrated description of the emigration trail. 

The manuscript was first published in fifteen monthly segments from July 1854 to September 1855, after which it was sold as a bound volume.

Unfortunately, by the time the compilation was on the market in 1855, due to epidemics and illness in New Orleans, the emigration trail had been significantly changed, passing through east coast ports instead. Consequently, the volume was out-of-date by its first publication. The information and quality artwork were top-notch and valuable, but not as practical to the saints who were Zion bound. Hence, it did not sell well.

Uncle Frederick and Brother Linforth agreed to sell the engraved plates and copyright to the Church. There was miscommunication over the price and Frederick discovered that he had been paid less than Linforth, in the amount of twenty-five pounds. He prevailed upon Orson Pratt, the President of the England Mission, to correct this inequity. Brother Pratt wrote to Brigham Young, who was dealing with political emergencies in Utah at the time, having been informed that the United States Army was approaching the Salt Lake Valley, and consequently did not promptly respond to Frederick's concerns. It appears that Frederick never received what was due to him.

The Piercy family was offended by this treatment. When Brigham Young requested that they and others come to Utah in 1857, Frederick and his wife Angelina refused. In June of that year, Brother Pratt informed President Young that Frederick Piercy had apostatized and was filled with bitterness toward the Church.

From that time forward, Frederick became less prolific in his artistic work. Although he labored for the remainder of his life as an artist and teacher, only 21 of his pieces are known to have been exhibited. 

In 1881, Angelina passed away. Frederick married another artist in 1884. He passed away in 1891, having suffered paralysis to a degree for the last ten years of his life.

Many questions remain unanswered:

• What would have happened if he had forgiven the debt?
• What would have happened if he had come to Zion at Brigham Young's request?
• Would his emigration trail drawings and watercolors have marked the beginning of an illustrious career in religious artwork, rather than resulting in a decline in artistic output?
• What would have happened to his eleven children if he had make different choices?
• Where is his posterity now?
• What is the ultimate value of twenty-five pounds?
• What would each of us have done in the same circumstance?

Warmth, Welcome, Hospitality

 

See Grandma.
See Grandma's hands.
Grandma's hands are always busy!
Grandma's hands are always helping!
Grandma is happy.
See Grandma smile.
See Grandma.

How I love my Grandma Ethel Hurst Speas. I cannot recall a harsh word ever escaping from her lips. Her hands were rarely idle, even when visiting with family or neighbors she would reach for handwork or a crochet project. Nearly each week she came to our home to help out with gardening, sewing, quilting, canning, or whatever needed to be done. Grandpa would drop her off and I remember that a crochet project was always in her hand as she walked in the door. I suspect she crocheted during the short ten mile drive to our home. If the work was done before Grandpa came to drive her home, no minutes were wasted.

I wish that she had kept a ledger of her beautiful handcrafted doilies. Surely, she created dozens and dozens for practical reasons and for special gifts for all those she loved. Each of the grandchildren received one in their favorite color.

Pineapple Crochet

The pineapple motif was prominent in most of her favorite doily patterns. Was she aware of the symbolism of the pineapple? Perhaps not, but she graciously embodied the meaning of the emblem: warmth, welcome, and hospitality.

Each of her creations was unique, due in part to the addition of tiny seed beads to her work. This greatly multiplied the effort required to finish a doily. 

• First she would string tubes of tiny seed beads onto sturdy sewing thread. 
• As she reached each pineapple motif in the pattern, she would incorporate a bead into strategic stitches to add color and texture to the doily.

This example is not one of hers, but illustrates the position of the beads.

When the doily was completely crocheted, the work was not done.

The handwork would be delicately washed and dipped in a light mixture of starch after which she would squeeze out all the excess.

She would dilute
the starch.

Stretching the finished crochet

It was important that the doilies be perfectly round and symmetrical. This was accomplished by stretching the doilies on a porous fiber board. The center, as well as the point of each pineapple and each picot on the edging was secured with a pin. 

The stretched masterpiece was left to dry, the pins were removed, and it was ready to share. 

Grandma enjoyed crochet, she enjoyed the creative process of adding beads to her work, and she enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment when her work was admired. I'm very confident, however, to say that she enjoyed sharing and giving the most. 

Frederick Piercy - Liverpool to Nauvoo

In 1853 Frederick Piercy, my Great, Great, Great, Great Uncle, began a journey from Liverpool to the Great Salt Lake Valley. 

Because of his magnificent artistic talent, he had been asked to help create an illustrated guide for British converts immigrating to America. At this time the membership in Great Britain outnumbered the saints in Deseret, and included many experienced tradesmen with skills badly needed to help build up Zion. This was a mutually beneficial arrangement, as these poverty stricken workers would be blessed with economic opportunities awaiting them across the sea. It was thought that an illustrated gazetteer would help to remove the fear of the unknown for these young saints. 

As Frederick set out he wrote, 

• “On the 5^th day of February, 1853, in compliance with previous arrangements, I embarked in the Jersey for New Orleans, on my way to Great Salt Lake Valley. My object was to make sketches of the principal and more interesting places on the route.”

The resulting work, although not used widely as originally intended, is a masterful collection of high quality, skillfully created and accurate engravings and watercolors, accompanying narrative, facts, figures and statistics of the journey. Some historians have noted that his completed volume, “Route from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake Valley” is one of the most beautiful publications associated with the young church.

Frederick was nearly as talented with his prose as with his paintbrush. As the Jersey departed from Liverpool he described the mournful occasion of leaving his loved ones in this way: 

• “I knew that if I was wise I should look on the bright side of things, and like the artist with his pictures, should even make the shadow and gloom instrumental in adding interest and instruction to my trip. How tame and insipid would be his pictures if they were without shadow! Even so would our lives if they were without their occasional trying circumstances.”

After arriving in New Orleans, Frederick charted his path by the sights and scenes that he wanted to capture in his sketchbook. 

Frederick's depiction of New Orleans

Traveling on Mississippi steamboats, he traveled on to Keokuk where he drew a charming depiction of 

• “the arrangement of wagons and tents, which, with their white covers, looked extremely picturesque amidst the spring foliage of the country.”

Camp at Keokuk

He was deeply moved during his time in Carthage, the site of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum. He made a number of drawings there, both inside and outside the jail.

His feelings and testimony multiplied his talent as he created beautiful and haunting drawings of Nauvoo and the temple ruins.

I am enthralled by Frederick's faith and talent as he captured the sights and scenes of the young church.

More of his work will appear in future posts.

Frederick Piercy: English Artist on the American Plains

The name Frederick Piercy may not be familiar, but his engravings are easily recognized by members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The following are examples of his well known artwork:

Who is this man who contributed so much to our visual knowledge of church historical figures and places?

This amazing man is my Great, Great, Great, Great Uncle, or perhaps it is easier to say that he is my Grandmother Speas' Great Uncle. 

Frederick was born in 1830, the year the Church was restored to the earth. He was the eighth of nine children born to George and Deborah Adams Piercy of Portsea, Hampshire, England.

His baptism was on March 23, 1848, when he was 18 years old. No doubt he impressed the leaders of the English mission. In 1849 he was ordained a priest, and he served as secretary of the LDS London conference that and the following year.

He joined his life with my family tree on September 15, 1849, when he married Angelina Hawkins. He had been a member for 18 months at this time and his bride was a convert of 10 months. The following June he was set apart as a missionary and departed for Paris along with five others ordained to proselyte. His wife, Angelina, expecting their first child, stayed in England.

Frederick's artistic talents were immediately put to missionary use, preparing drawings of Apostle Taylor, the family of Orson Pratt, as well as a composite engraving of the General Authorities of the Church, based on daguerreotypes sent from Salt Lake City.

In early 1853, the idea was presented of creating a series of engravings of the "most notable places" on the emigration route from Liverpool to the Great Salt Lake Valley. 

As he embarked on this assignment, his narrative journal was as delightful as his engravings and wood carvings. The completed illustrated volume, "Route from Liverpool to the Great Salt Lake Valley"  is a treasure.

Stay tuned for more posts about his work and writings.