Jacob Cloward Sr. and Ann Pluck Cloward (LARSON FAMILY)

Jacob and Ann Pluck Cloward

My fifth great-grandparents (Grandma Larson's 3rd great)

(taken from Family Search documents including Pioneer Women of Faith and Fortitude Vol. 1)

Jacob Cloward was born in Maryland, May 17, 1790.  Not much is said about his childhood, but he developed his trade as a blacksmith and a farmer and married Catherine Ann Pluck in February 1815.  Ann Pluck, as she was known, was a descendant of German Quakers in Pennsylvania and married Jacob at the age of 20 in Pennsylvania.  They had 10 children, one son dying in infancy.  

The Pluck family came into contact with the church and were baptized in the spring of 1842.  They followed the Saints to Nauvoo by the fall of 1843.  The whole family was well acquainted with the prophet Joseph Smith.  They recalled that one morning the Prophet Joseph came to their home, greeted the family, and then pulled Jacob aside.  He needed money right away, and the family was quick to help.  He later paid the money back.  The Cloward family was also among those who listened to the Prophet's last public speech, where he unsheathed his sword and said it would not be unsheathed again until his people had their rights, for he "would gladly give his life for them."

They watched Joseph and Hyrum ride to Carthage to surrender to the authorities and as they passed, Ann told her family that they would never see the Prophet alive again.  She was right, and her sons later recalled seeing the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum brought back to Nauvoo, lying side by side in their caskets in the Mansion House, and the great sorrow and lamentation of the Saints being "beyond description."  The family also witnessed the transfiguration of Brigham Young, and wondered at the time if the Prophet had risen from the dead.

One dark night a while later, a mob came to the Cloward home and demanded that Jacob denounce the Prophet or have his house burned.  Jacob said, "We cannot deny the testimony we have and will take our medicine."  The mob proceeded to order Ann and the children outside, and them burned the home, barn, and all their belongings, while also killing their animals.  The family shivered and wept as they watched their house burn, and Jacob was so heartbroken he had to leave until it was over.  The family worried he had been killed, but he said he just couldn't stand to be humiliated and see his family treated so.  He suffered a nervous breakdown as a result and never fully recovered his health.

The family crossed the river with many other Saints and camped on the other side, in great sorrow as they looked across the river at their once happy home.  They made preparations to follow Brigham Young west, and two of their sons were in the original scouting party with Brigham Young, reaching the Salt Lake Valley on July 22, 1847, and reporting to Brigham Young on what they found.  The rest of the family left Winter Quarters for Salt Lake in 1851.  Jacob was 61 years old and not in good health.  When the children asked their mother if she was worried about Father dying along the way, Ann replied, "If he does die, he will have his face pointed toward Zion!"

 They had many hardships along the way while crossing the plains, and once they arrived in Salt Lake, they immediately joined with the many Saints who were settling Provo.  Jacob, suffering from tuberculosis, never recovered his health after the strain of the mob experience, and died three weeks after reaching the valley, on December 5, 1851.  According to the sign near his current resting place, he was the second burial at the Temple Hill Cemetery in Provo, which was located at what is now the site of the Karl G. Maeser building on BYU campus.  The cemetery was later moved to its current location in Provo.

Ann lived there in Provo another 27 years as a widow, raising her younger children and living with her daughters in her older age.  She endured other hardships, living through some frightening experiences in the Black Hawk Indian War, and losing some of her adult children before she herself passed away at the age of 82, on May 5, 1878.  She was a faithful woman with a strong testimony of the gospel, and was buried near her husband Jacob in Provo.

 I'm thankful for the Cloward family's great faith and courage in the wake of much sorrow and tribulation.  They called the Prophet Joseph their friend, and never betrayed him.  They were great people who sacrificed much for their testimonies of the truth and their descendants are blessed because of them.

Americus Vespucius Greer (TAYLOR FAMILY)

AMERICUS VESPUCIUS GREER

March 4, 1832- May 3, 1896

(Story taken from sources on familysearch, including a handwritten document from Americus himself)

He is my 3rd great grandfather through my Nana's mother.

(Nana's great-grandfather)

I've always love history, and ever since my grandma introduced me to "Gone with the Wind," I've had a fascination with the Civil War.  When I got into learning about my ancestors I really wanted to find a Civil War vet- but since most of my ancestors are pioneer Mormons who went west before the Civil War broke out, I didn't think I had any.  Until I came across Americus Vespucius Greer.  His name alone marks him as an interesting figure, and I really enjoyed reading about this Confederate soldier, Texas Ranger, Mormon Pioneer.

He was born 15 minutes after his twin brother, who was named Christopher Columbus Greer, in Alabama in 1832.  I guess his parents were into famous explorers as those are quite the names!  Both twins weighed over 9 lbs (huge! and no drugs- his poor mom)  The family moved to Texas when he was 5 and settled in Washington County.  They had a hard time farming in Texas, where luxuries were scarce and they had to work hard.  Besides the parents and 8 children, they had other cousins and relatives including five "coloreds" living with them. 

Besides helping on the farm, Americus worked as a store clerk and by 18 he was working as a Ranger scout for Captain James Cross.  The family moved around Texas and eventually put up a nice house and a sawmill, and his father became a representative for the county under Sam Houston.  Tragedy struck when his twin brother, Christopher Columbus, became ill with pneumonia following a hunting trip and died in February 1854.  It was a terrible ordeal for Americus to lose his twin brother at the age of 21.

The family was baptized in August of 1854 by Mormon missionaries after hearing them preach and in 1855 his parents sold their land and belongings to buy oxen and a wagon to join the Saints in Salt Lake.  The trek was very difficult, and his father, Nathaniel Hunt Greer, died on the trail in Nebraska territory.  They also lost his little brother Ira along the way, along with a cousin.  Nearly one third of the company died of Asiatic cholera on the trail.  After cholera came measles.  In his memoirs, Americus writes that he had a priesthood blessing around this time and was promised that he "would reach the valley, that the destroyer would not hinder me, and I would be the means of bringing many to the knowledge of the truth."  They arrived in the Salt Lake Valley, but some, including Americus, returned to Texas a year later in 1856- the reasons are not clear.  

Despite his belief in the Union cause, when war broke out Americus enlisted in January 1862 in company H of Young's Regiment of Texas Infantry.  In 1863 he made captain, and resigned in February 1864, after having served as far as Virginia.  I don't know yet which battles he fought in, but hope to find that out.  

In February of 1865 he married Polly Lane.  Goods were scarce and times were hard after the war, so her wedding dress had to be made from a window curtain.  I just love that detail- it's so Scarlett O'Hara!  They continued to farm in Texas and had four children there before following their family out West in 1877.  They visited Utah, but ended up in northern Arizona with his brother Tom's family.  He helped found a small community there named Amity.  His beloved Polly had two more children there, and then passed away at the age of only 33.

Americus with two of his children and his sister-in-law and nephew.

Below is Americus, Polly, and their six children.

Americus lived another 13 years in Arizona with his family and finally passed away at the age of 64, in Provo, Utah.  It is also unclear how he ended up in Provo.  At some point early on he went by the nickname 'H,' and it stuck with him for the rest of his life.  H was beloved by all who knew him and more than just family came to call him "Uncle H." His concern for right living and his attention to others was widely known. So highly was "Uncle H" esteemed, that upon his death on May 3, 1896, the people of Amity renamed their town "Greer."

His strength of character is demonstrated in a letter he wrote to his brother while serving in the midst of war: 

"I want you to be kind and good to your mother and give heed to the counsel of those who are your superior in age and experience ... go to school when you can, try to learn and make good use of your time when about home ... and to use the figure of the poet, "live so in youth that you blush not in age."

 I visited the Provo Cemetery and enjoyed this beautiful cemetery with its mountain backdrop.  I am proud to call Americus Vespucius Greer my ancestor.  (And also proud to have found my Civil War connection!)

Peder and Lena Mortensen (LARSON FAMILY)

Peder Mortensen is my fourth great- grandfather. (My grandma Larsons great- great grandpa through her mother).   I'll be honest- when we used to look at my mom's pedigree chart in her genealogy book, my siblings and I thought his picture was terrifying. Like the scariest ancestor in the whole book. We loved to look at those pictures over and over but even my mom had to admit that his photo was scary looking. It wasn't until a few years ago when I was playing around on the internet that I discovered I had a direct ancestor that was in the famous Willie Handcart Company.  I was surprised that I had never heard that before; that somthing so distinctive as that wouldn't have been passed down and remembered.  I was excited to look him up and find out more about my pioneer ancestor- and lo and behold, it was the scary guy in my mom's pedigree chart!!

I read his history and that of his family and was amazed.  During this time I was asked to speak about family history at a youth fireside before they went on trek, and there was also a Relief Society activity where we were supposed to "bring an ancestor."  In both instances I shared parts of Peder's story.  In both instances I had powerful, spiritual manifestations of his nearness and living spirit that made my whole body tingle from my head to my toes.  It was the first and only time I've really felt like an ancestor communicated with me.  Call me crazy, but it's true though it's hard to put into words.  So- needless to say I don't think he's the scary guy anymore.  I think he's an amazing example of faith, courage, and perseverance.  (I guess people just looked scary in their pictures back then)

Peder Mortensen was born January 28, 1806 in the little town of Haarbule, Denmark, on the Isle of Moen.  His wife, Lena, was also born in Haarbulle in 1808 and they had 5 sons and 4 daughters.  They were a close-knit and very religious family, devout members of the Lutheran faith.  They owned their home and a successsful farm where they raised sheep and cows, and Peder was also a cooper and shoemaker by trade.  

The first Mormon elders came to their town in 1855 and the oldest son Anders was the first to listen.  He was immediately convinced of the truth of the gospel and when he brought his family to the next meeting, they were all convinced as well.  The older members of the family were baptized right away.  Unfortunately, the persecution from their nieghbors began right away and there was much hatred and bitterness against the family for their conversion to the new faith.  They were anxious to immigrate to America to join the Saints in Zion and they sold their farm at a good price.  

While in Copenhagen preparing to sail on to England, the President of the Scandinavian mission, Hector C. Haight, met with the family and asked their eldest son, Morten (my 3rd great-grandfather) if he would stay in Denmark to serve a mission.  The tight-knit family was very upset and distressed, as they had wanted to go to Zion all together and didn't know how they would make it without their eldest son.  Peder was crippled from severe rheumatism and the youngest daugther was only 5 years old.  Seeing their distress, Presdient Haight felt impressed to promise them that if they let Morten stay to serve a mission, that they would all reach Zion safely and be "protected on land and on sea."  The family had great faith in the Lord and so continued on their journey to Germany, followed by England, and then finally to America on board the ship "Thornton," where the Captain was impressed with the order and cleanliness of the Saints and gave them many liberties.  

Once they reached Iowa City they planned to buy oxen and wagons to make the 1400 mile trek in relative comfort.  Instead they decided to go by handcart so that the rest of the money from the sale of the farm could provide the means for other families too poor to purchase their own wagons, to also travel to Zion by handcart.  They ended up providing the means for three other families to make the trek.  They were assigned to the Willie Handcart Company, which included companies of English, Scottish, and Scandinavian saints.  Most of us know the story of Willie and Martin Handcart companies.  They began later than expected, on July 15th, were delayed trying to find a crossing at the Platte River, and their carts continually broke down along the way.  They had to improvise to fix them themselves, and many of the oxen and cattle were run off by stampeding buffalo and never recovered, causing the handcarts to have to be even more overloaded.  Add to this that Peder couldn't walk and had to ride in the wagons or handcart pushed by his children.  Lena was a tiny woman, but full of faith, while she pulled one handcart with the help of her small son, her older sons pulled the other, and her three little girls held onto her skirts.  

When they began to run out of food it was rationed but they hoped to buy more supplies when they got to Fort Laramie, WY.  When there were no supplies to be had there they were reduced to 10 oz a day per person.  Lena would make small biscuits out of the flour for her family rather than the porridge most of the women made, and one day when they were particularly hungry she remembered a pin cushion she had brought from Denmark as a keepsake, and that it was filled with bran.  That night she opened it and cooked the bran for their evening meal.  The snows came early and the old and young began dying of starvation and cold.  Eventually they had to sleep out in the open because there werent enough strong men left to set up the tents every night.  One night at Rock Creek 14 people died in the night and Peder's sons helped dig the grave, as there weren't enough men strong enough to dig into the frozen ground.  Lena and her daughter helped sew the bodies into sheets for  the burials.  

Yet they were lucky that Peder could fix his children's worn out shoes along the way, and that he brought his violin as part of the 17 lbs each person was allotted, to play it at night for the enjoyment of the camp, before things got difficult.  Peder also slept on the family's food to keep it from being stolen in the night.  When the rescuers from Salt Lake found them in the mountains between Colorado and Utah, they wept to see the ragged, barefoot people asking for news of Zion even before they asked for food.  The bacon, flour, and crackers they brought probably saved most of the ssurvivors until they arrived in Salt Lake on November 9, 1856.  76 people had died along the way; the Mortensens were one of the few families that didn't lose anyone, just as they had been promised.  

Shortly thereafter, President Young sent the family to settle in Parowan, Utah, where Peder and his sons bought 20 acres and farmed.  He also worked as a cooper and shoemaker again, though he had to remian in a wheelchair.  Morten arrived in Salt Lake in September 1859 with his Danish wife he had met on board the ship, and the family was reunited finally.  Peder lived just ten years after arriving in Utah, and as long as he lived he went to church, meetings, and social events pulled in the very same handcart he had brought across the plains.  

The Peder Mortensen home

A couple weeks ago we were camping in nearby Panguitch, UT and my husbnad was indulgent enough to drive a bit out of the way to Parowan so I could find Peder's burial site.  It was a beautiful cemetery with lovely views of the mountains and all that makes those little Utah towns so quaint and pretty.  There were many Mortensens since the family resided there for at least 50 years but I eventuallly found the right one. 

The original marker was clearly aged so it looks like some of the family has provided a new one.  The old one can still be read however, and has the distinctive "Faith in every footstep" pioneer plaque attached to it.  It also has an etching of Salt Lake City Temple on one side, where he and Lena were sealed.

I sat in the grass for a while alone and tried to imagine how they lived, and how they must have looked at the same mountains I was staring at, 150 years ago.  I thanked them for their sacrifice, for giving up their life in Denmark, and all their comforts for this great faith- and for the fact that I would not be where I am with the blessings of the gospel in my life, if not for Peder and Lena and my other pioneer ancestors.  Then it started to rain and still I sat there, because I thought I could endure a little rain after all they had endured!  After a little while the sun came out again and I went back to the jeep and we headed home.  But I think Peder and Lena knew I was there.