Family Trivia

Today I will be sending along just a few snippets of fun family history trivia.  I needed a break from some of the more serious accounts from Zerah Pulsipher's journals.

As we study the Doctrine and Covenants and Church History this year in Sunday School it is interesting to think about our own ancestors and that they were all there with the main body of the Saints as they journeyed from place to place, from persecution to persecution.  My mind is boggled really at the thought that a Governor of the United States of America could actually issue an extermination order for a large group of people.  Today's media becomes irate at the least little speculation of someone's civil rights being trodden upon, and yet the Mormon pioneers were beaten, unlawfully jailed, raped, murdered, lost their homes to burnings, run out of town after town, etc. etc.
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One of our Burgess ancestors writes of holding her baby in her arms as she witnessed the mobs burning her small home to the ground.  Can you imagine if that were to happen today!  The persecution of the Saints as they traveled from Ohio, to Missouri, to Illinois and on to Iowa and eventually Utah is a minor  footnote in todays history books.  Remember that your ancestors were all a part of that horrible time and suffered much at the hands of the mobsters.

Even upon entering the supposed peace of the Great Salt Lake Valley they were once again threatened by the government, this time by the United States government.  In 1857 Johnston's army was ordered to march on Salt Lake and take control of that pesky Brigham Young.
Sarah Pulsipher Alger, the daughter of Zerah and Mary Ann recounts a story from that time that involves her brother, Charles.

"My brother, Charles, was sent into the Johnstons's Army camp at night as a spy to find out what he could of their plans.  He went at night wile Johnston and his men were around their camp fire with their wagons in a circle.  Charles crept up in the darkness and crawled under a wagon until he reached the front of it and was huddled close to a small bush under the wagon tongue and double-trees.  He was listening intently when he heard foot steps right close to him.  He did not dare to move for fear he would be heard.  The footsteps kept coming closer until they would have touched him if he had not been protected by the wagon tongue and double-trees.  In a few seconds warm "water" commenced to trickle down over him.  He took quite a sprinkling before the soldier had finished his job and went back to the fire.  Charles decided he had heard all he wanted to for one night and was not long getting out of there."

Sarah Pulsipher, the young daughter of Zerah and Mary Ann went with Zion's Camp.  She was ten years old at the time.  None of her family were a part of the camp.  I don't know why she went or in what capacity, but can you imagine how her mom must have felt sending that little girl on an unknown journey, supposedly into a war environment, not knowing when she would see her again.

Harrison Burgess, the brother of my third great grandfather, William Burgess, Jr. was also a part of Zion's Camp.  Perhaps he helped watch over Sarah on the march as their families were very close, united by multiple marriages.  I will later share some of Harrison's journal entries.  He held his dearest friend, John Carter in his arms as he died from cholera during the march.

Another ancestor, David Pulsipher was a part of the Mormon Battalion.  I am not yet sure of his relationship to Zerah but I believe he was a nephew.  Zerah's brother also joined the church and traveled west with the Saints.  When you go to the Mormon Battalion Visitor's Center in San Diego you can look him up on their computer program and see a picture of him.