Several of my ancestors were his and Briggy's bodyguards. During their time in MO, IL, and after moving west on the wagon trail.
Lots of pioneers in my family tree that came from New England stock, many of them. Others immigrated or migrated from the south.
Each of my Mormon ggggrandfathers that I know of (and a great gggrandmother,) fathers fought in the Revolutionary War. Some of the same in the War of 1812.
Before that who knows? Some of my earliest ancestors were here in the 1600's or earlier. I'm actually interested in their history as much or more than my Mormon ancestors. I find their (his)stories fascinating, all of them, no matter. :)
Mom's side: as far back as JS (related to the Webb family that took in pregnant Fanny Alger after Emma kicked her out).
Dad's side: 1849 (ancestor fled France to England during the French revolution, got sucked into mormonism by missionaries in 1849, tried to take his family to Utah but died at the Liverpool docks).
My great grandpa, a convert in the 1880's, was a good friend of Charles Rich and the Bear Lakers. He lived with some of them while he was still a bachelor before getting hitched to great grandma.
On my TBM mom's side all the way back to Joe Smith. I had a ancestor as one of Joe's bodyguard;s. Another got ex'd by Brigham Young(the morg has since reinstated him) since he helped found Cedar City Utah.
As for my TBM dad's side, it just goes back to him and his mother.
Hey Anon 2, one of my ancestors doubled as a bodyguard of Joey, and had the distinction of being excommunicated during Joe's adulterous hookups with other women for actually trying to seduce a young woman other than his wife !
Within one year he was able to get back in the good graces of Joe, and became a member again (why on earth would he have suffered through all that I wonder?) It was following Joseph's death (which that ancestor went on the march w/Joseph to Carthage, and was credited for helping to save Joe's uncle from the same fate as Joseph and Hyrum,) that said ancestor was then allowed to take more wives.
By then my ggggrandmother had died at age 30, before he headed west to Utah with Brigham's company. He took another wife who didn't live much longer either. Following that marriage after he was in Utah he was given three more to marry. Two of those were sisters! The older sister left him after accusing him of cruelty. He accused her of a lack of spirituality. His 5th and last wife also left him.
In the end out of his several plural wives it turned out he could still only live with one at a time. Only one could put up with him. Monogamy got him in the end !
Through my paternal grandmother, I go back to the Missouri/Nauvoo days. Mom was a convert.
On dad's side, among my own cousins, the majority of them remain pretty deeply entrenched. However, among my siblings and nieces and nephews, the Mormon virus is dying quickly. Only one out of my four sisters has any chance at all of continuing the Mormon line through her children. That sister isn't particularly devout, but she married into Mormon royalty.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 06/28/2017 03:05AM by Strength in the Loins.
I have no direct Mormon ancestors. However, way back when in England, there were two brothers named Snow. One of them became my dad's family line; the other became the line that produced Eliza and Lorenzo et al.
My Snow grandfather said that our family had produced both horse thieves and preachers, and he didn't know which was worse.
One 5th-great grandfather/grandmother was in at the time of Joseph Smith. Most of my ancestors came from Scandinavia, and they typically converted and immigrated in Brigham Young's time rather than during J.S.'s reign. I have several 4th-great grandfathers and/or grandmothers and a couple of 5th-greats who were with the handcart companies.
My adopted family goes back to Hartford, Ct. close to the beginning of the cult and I'm in the 10th generation. My mom was a convert and my birth family aren't Mormons although some I guess married into the cult.
On my mother's side, my GGGF & GGGM traveled with the second party to the Great Salt Lake. They were supposed to travel with Brigham but due to illness my GGGF was needed at Winter Quarters. My GGGF helped to build the irrigation system in SLC, and also helped to build Brig's house. I've read his journals and also my GGGM's journal and it breaks my heart. My GGGM produced 16 children and my GGF was her youngest. He went on a mission to New Zealand in the 1890's. GGGF left my GGGM and his other wives to move to Star Valley, WY with his very young Swedish new wife to live after polygamy was "outlawed." Last name was Cook and yes, there is a direct relation to a current apostle. Different mother. My GGGM was the first wife. My heritage. Thank goodness my dad was of another religious belief and I was able to see a different perspective. The straw that broke was 1979 when I attended Rick's College in Idaho. Peace.
On my father's side, our ancestor was a close neighbor of JS. You would recognize his name, but I have to remain anonymous. He never practiced polygamy.
On my mother's side, we go back to Hyrum Smith, and a polygamous ancestor in that family, and also to a very famous Mormon, who was a counselor to Joseph Smith. The counselor had two wives, who were sisters, and one of them died in childbirth, crossing the plains with Brigham Young, so the other wife (my ancestor) raised all of the children. When her counselor husband died, Brigham Young confiscated all of her land, for the church, and made her move to a swamp. Some of her children left the cult in protest, but, unfortunately, her grandchild, my ancestor, came back to the fold, and became an important GA. My family on that side thinks they are "Mormon Royalty."
my super asshole MORmON convert male parent joined MORmONISM to marry his MORmON sweetheart. I was permanently out of MORmONISM at age 38. So on that side of the family, he came in, I went out. My mom's family were long time LDS, but they never did any polygamy so I could not even begin to pretend that they were any kind of MORmON royalty because any one who was MORmON royalty followed Joe and Brigham in having a wife collection.