Pioneer Legacy of Faith

In celebration of Pioneer Day (July 24th), the church released a program that shows you direct pioneer ancestors and any stories they have on them. There is a spot to add stories and pictures as well. I had quite a few. I recognized so many of the last names from hearing about my pioneer ancestors from my grandmothers.

The Loader name stands out to me because they were featured in the movie 17 Miracles about the Martin Handcart Company. "Seeing" them on screen helped me to connect with them. I clicked on James Loader's name and found an account by his daughter Patience Loader Archer.

James and Amy Loader lived in England when they joined the church. They are my great-great-great-great-great grandparents. Their daughter went to Utah ahead of them and after being rebuked by their son in law, they decided to make the trip. I found this blog post on the family. This will give a little background on the family.

"James and Amy Loader came to America in 1855. James had worked in England as foreman and head gardener for a wealthy gentleman by the name of Sir Henry Lambert. Patience and her eight sisters and four brothers were all born here on this estate where James had worked for 35 years. Somewhere around 1850, the Loaders were baptized members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. James was fired from his job as a consequence. In November 1855, they left for America on the "John J. Boyd" with at least six of their unmarried children, including Patience. Their oldest daughter, Ann (Dalling), had already emigrated with her husband and was awaiting their arrival in Utah.

The Loader family first went to Williamsburg, New York, where they all worked for a time. Even their daughter, Sarah, who was not yet twelve, worked as a nursemaid in the home of a wealthy family by the name of Sawyer. They left in June of 1856 and traveled to Iowa where they joined with their daughter, Zilpah, her husband, John Jacques, and their one-year-old daughter, Flora. Zilpah was expecting another baby, which was born on the plains in August. This new baby, Alpha, survived as (eventually) the longest-lived member of the Martin Company, but little Flora did not survive the trek. She died about a week before reaching the Valley."

Interestingly enough Jacques is also a family name. I am descended through their daughter Tamar Loader (who married Thomas E Ricks) as well as their daughter Zilpah Loader Jacques (through her son born on the trail, Alpha). Their children, cousins, Alpha and Amy Eliza Ricks, married each other. :)

I spent probably an hour or so reading through Patience's account of the trek. The whole time I would say "Can you even imagine???" to Jared. First off, Zilpah delivered a baby on the trail (my great great great grandfather Alpha Loader Jacques). At the same time my great great great great grandmother Tamar Loader was sick with mountain fever. The company couldn't wait for them so they left without them. That night they spent the entire evening keeping a big fire to keep the wolves away. They couldn't spend another evening like that so the family loaded up the sick in the hardcart and pulled them trying to catch up to the company. James Loader, Dad, was very sick during this, but pushed on as his family needed him.

As they were trying to catch up to the company, Indians spotted them and they believed that they were going to kill them, but they think they saw the sick in the handcarts and were afraid of catching something deadly so they let them go. Later they came to an empty camp where they found graves and later found out that they had all been murdered by Indians. They wondered if it was the same Indians they saw earlier in the day.

James died on the plains before the really bad snow and cold hit. He was near to death, and they couldn't leave him, so they put him on the cart and carried him until they stopped for the night. There he passed. Patience writes "he breathed his last at fifteen minut[e]s past eleven o clock at night[.] that had been avery hard and trying day on us all and we spent asor[r]owfull night for we had lost and was bereft of one of the best of earthly fathers[.] he was aman that was deviatedly fond of his wife and children[.] I can say he was proud of his children[.] we was nine daughters and four sons[.]" I just cried at this passage. He sounded like an amazing husband and father and I am so grateful to be descended from him. 

As is mentioned with the Martin Handcart Company, they had to cross rivers in the freezing cold. They were almost swept away in the Platte River. The water was so cold that their clothes were frozen when they came out. They had to trudge through a mile of snow to find wood for their fires each day (there was no men to do it for them). As is also mentioned is the rationing of food. They only had 4 ounces of flour for each person. Patience says how bad it was, but just how horrible it would have been if not half the company had died.

She also tells about the sick wagon and how it got lost and when they went to find it they found 19 people frozen to death. One night a man who was traveling alone stayed in their tent with them. He was sick and they were to take care of him. He passed away in the night. She said he only had a light blanket to keep him warm. He died with 18 others that night. He was a Tailor who came ahead of his wife and nine children to save money for their passage. Soon they were met with men from Salt Lake who told them to go ahead and eat their full rations because supplies were coming and they didn't need to make what they had stretch. Patience says "After the Breathren had left us we fealt quite encuraged[.] we got our flour and beef before night came on and we was all busy cooking and we fealt to thank God and our Kind brothers that had come to help us in our great disstress and miserey for we was suffering greatly with cold and hunger[.] when night came we went to bed[.] we slept pretty comfortable more So than we had done for some time[.] we fealt assurred [blank space] hope[.] we was all glad to Make moove from this place[.] it Seemed that if God our Father had not sent help to us that we must all have persihed and died in a short time for at that time we had only very little proveseans left and at the request of Br Martin we had come on four ounces of flour a day for each one to make the flour last us as long he could [.] I dont know how long we could have lived and pulled our handcart on this small quantity of food[.]"

I can only imagine at this point how depleted they were. I can't imagine finding the strength to go on. Later that day Patience met a man. She says "Some time in the afternoon a strange Man appeard to me as we was resting[.] as we got up the hill he came and looked in my face he sais is you Patience I said yes he said again I thought it was you[.] travel on[,] there is help for you[.] you will come to a good place there is plenty[.] with this he was gone he dissapeared[.] I looked but never saw whare he went[.] this seemed very strange to me. I took this as some one sent to encurage us and give us strength[.] we traveld on and when we got into camp there was five or six of the breathren with there wagons camped there[.]"

They were given new clothes and shoes and more food and provisions. They still had to trek in the bitter cold and snow. They were told that wagons were coming and they would be able to ride soon. She says "this was dileghtfull news to us to think we would not have to pull the cart any more[.] I fealt that I could still walk if I did not have the cart to pull[,] but oh what a dissapointment[,] the next morning we faunt [found] it was only those could ride that was to[o] sick and weak to pull there carts and so we girls all pretty well in health[,] we had to start out with our cart again[.]" She tells of crossing the water again. And coming up to the sweetwater river and the ice having broken and the three men that carried the women and children on their backs and how that gave them so much hope. They made camp near Devils Gate for nine days waiting for provisions. Then they were told to walk and leave their handcarts behind. Amy Loader was able to ride. Soon all the girls in the family were able to ride and had wagons to sleep in at night. Sadly, Zilpah's daughter Flora who was two years old died a week before arriving to Salt Lake.

Reading through all of this I couldn't help but be humbled. These early latter-day saints were asked to give so much and they had so much faith. I feel like in our day we grumble over the smallest things. Through all of this my ancestors never lost their faith. This next passage stood out the strongest to me. The pioneers are such an amazing example to us today.

"We did not get but very little meat as the bone had been picked the night before and we did not have only the half of asmall biscute as we only was having four oz. of flour aday[.] this we devided into portians so we could have asmall peice three times aday[.] this we eat with thankfull hearts and we allways as[k] God to bless to our use and that it would Strengthen our bodys day by day so that we could performe our dutys[.] and I can testefie that our heavenly Father heard and answerd our prayers and we was blessed with health and Strength day by day to endure the severe trials we had to pass through on that terrable Journey before we got to Salt Lake City[.] we Know that if God had not been with us that our strength would have failed us and our bodys would have been left on the plains as hundreds of our poor brothers and sisters was[.] I can truthfully say that we never fealt to murmer at the hardships we was passing through[.] I can say we put our trust in God and he heard and answerd our prayers and brought us through to the valleys."

I just cry at the end of that. I have been feeling so down lately. I have such high expectations of myself. I want so much for myself and for my family. And lately I fall so short and I just don't have the energy/motivation to push myself through it and I feel incredibly inadequate. I was reading through Patience's account and realized that I am not yoking myself with the Lord enough. My trials are so much smaller than what my pioneer ancestors had to go through, but I need to be praying for strength multiple times a day. I know he will be with me as he was with my ancestors. I know he can bring me to where I need to be just as he brought them to the Salt Lake Valley. I need to trust in him as my ancestors did. I know I am not near as exhausted as they must have been in their journey, I won't even pretend that it's anything close to similar, but there is so much hope. I don't have to do it alone. I have been tasked to raise strong young men and a young woman to stand for truth and righteousness in these latter days and thanks to my ancestors I remembered that it's possible. I am not alone. I can have faith as strong as they did. I have a testimony of a Father in Heaven that loves us and the Lord Jesus Christ who knows my pain and sorrows and all I have to do is ask for strength and have faith that in him I can do hard things. 

I am so grateful for my ancestors. I felt strongly while reading this account that they know me. They love me and are guardian angels to me. I am so grateful for the Family Search website and I hope that in time I can learn more and more about my ancestors and their legacy. I know I have inherited so much from them. If you haven't looked up your ancestors, I suggest you take a look. It has been such a beautiful experience so far. I am so grateful for the Loaders (and Jacques) and writing down their legacy of faith.