Gratitude for Ancestors
/With the recent death of Queen Elizabeth, I’ve been thinking a lot about my ancestors. Some came from England and some came from Switzerland. They came for religious freedom to worship Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
Gordon B. Hinckley once said, “Today [we] stand as recipients of the pioneers’ great efforts . . . . I hope we are thankful.” As I reflect on my ancestors who have come to mean so much to me – I want them to know that I Love them, and I’m extremely grateful for the many sacrifices they made in my behalf.
One of my favorite scriptures reads, “And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers.”
In 1997 I had the opportunity to travel along the same route my ancestors traveled one hundred and fifty years prior. At many of the sites I saw a photo of a painting displayed of Chimney Rock in Wyoming. Each time I saw it, I was drawn to it. At first I didn’t know why because it wasn’t the most beautiful painting I’d ever seen, but it filled my soul with LIGHT, and I knew my Great-Great Grandfather Milo John Perry Vincent was born at Chimney Rock in Wyoming.
During this time, my sister and I were studying the short life histories of our ancestors. Oh how I wish they would have written more!
George Ottinger was an artist who became a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1858, and emigrated across the plains in 1861 with the Milo Andrus wagon company. He left a valuable descriptive diary of the journey and made several important sketches and paintings of pioneer scenes along the way. He is the only known Latter-day Saint artist to complete a painting while on the actual trek west.
My sister was reading one night in a book about church history, “Their Faces Toward Zion – Voices and Images of the Trek West”, by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel. She came across a black and white picture along with George’s journal entry for the day.
August 3rd
Left camp at 7:30 Nooned from 1 to 5 P.M.
Stopping until one of the Sisters was safely
Delivered of a fine fat boy, Encamped at
Sundown, opposite – “Chimney Rock,” 18 miles
After reading this, she quickly turned to a short biography in our family history information written about Milo John Perry Vincent’s mother, Phoebe. This painting by George Ottinger was painted on the same day our Great Grandfather was born – at Chimney Rock in Wyoming! And he was the only baby born in the Milo Andrus wagon train company while traveling west.
“Phoebe Perry was born October 21, 1840 at Bishop Stortford, Herefordshire, England. She was the only child of John and Charlotte Waterman Perry. She received her education in the public schools and also was taught music.
Possessing a pleasing personality and coming from a home of refinement, at quite an early age she was placed in a wealthy family and became a lady’s maid. Among other duties, she had to brush the ladies’ hair night and morning and be very careful not to pull any out.
She must have heard of the gospel when a very young girl as she was baptized when she was thirteen years old. She probably possessed a very strong mind and character, as her folks did not join the church. They were members of the English Church. Phoebe was a singer and at the church meetings she became acquainted with John Vincent who also was a young musician. John’s mother used to invite the young people to her home and Phoebe, with her cousins, often went there. Their friendship turned to love and they became engaged.
In the spring of 1860, John’s folks decided to come to America and Phoebe came with them. They left Liverpool May 11, 1860 on the William Tapscott. They were seven weeks on the ocean and were quarantined with small pox. When the boat did arrive in New York on June 20, they had a wonderful time although they were so long crossing.
John and Phoebe obtained work to earn enough money to get to Utah and in the fall decided to get married. In the spring of 1861, they started for Utah. They found they did not have enough money for both of them, so John secured a position with Edward Creighton to help construct the first telegraph lines going west and thereby pay his way. Phoebe came in the company of Milo Andrus.
All through the hot summer, she trudged along, walking most of the way and on August 3, 1861 became the mother of a son. He was born at Chimney Rock and she had walked ten miles that same day. She was then put in a wagon and allowed to ride. At Independence Rock, the baby was blessed and named Milo John Perry Vincent. He was the only child born in that company. The women were very kind to Phoebe as she was only twenty years old and without any relatives to care for her.
After arriving in the Salt Lake Valley, George Ottinger painted another painting, which in 1997 was displayed at the Springville Museum of Art. My sister and I drove to Springville to see this painting. As we stood in front of it, tears ran down our cheeks. Riding in the first wagon, is a woman holding a baby. We were able to get prints of both paintings, have them transferred to canvas, and then framed.
Phoebe’s biography is only one page long, however, the journal of George Ottinger had an entry for almost every day of the trek west! I was able to obtain a complete copy from the special collections department, in the library at the University of Utah.
Little did George Ottinger know how much his work would mean to our family! The old saying “a picture says a thousand words” brought on a whole new meaning! It was the 1861 version of a cell phone camera. I am thankful for his obedience and discipline in recording his journey, and without realizing it, the journey of Phoebe and little Milo John.
Life, as an artist, in Salt Lake City was not easy or economically stable. He remarked that people appreciated paintings but had no money to buy them. In order to support his growing family, Ottinger took on other occupations. He was a member of the volunteer fire company, and when the department was reorganized on a paid basis, Ottinger was elected Fire Chief Engineer. He was also given charge of the city water works, something which enabled him to better coordinate fire-fighting efforts. The fire station at “This Is The Place Park” is named after him. The original fire station is located on the way to Memory Grove, in Salt Lake City, Utah.
Through the work of George Ottinger, and experiences along the trail, we have been blessed to build relationships with our Great-Great Grandmother Phoebe, her husband John and my Great Grandfather Milo John. I was able to get a small glimpse of what they sacrificed for us to enjoy the blessing of living here in the valley of the Great Salt Lake. We are recipients of these and many other Pioneer’s great efforts.
You don’t have to have ancestors that crossed the plains in order to be thankful. We can all be blessed by the actions of our ancestors! We will never be able to repay them for the sacrifices they have made, but we can always remember them and be grateful for those sacrifices.
I know they are with us, and are cheering us on as we progress through the hard times we are faced with each day, just as we were there for them as they endured unimaginable hardships and trials as they made their journeys across the seas and prairies.
I Love Them, I’m Grateful for them! I know we will all be together again someday! May we live our lives in honor of those who gave theirs for us to enjoy the luxuries we are blessed with today. The sacrifices they made, fill our lives with a sense of LIGHT, honor, love, and gratitude.
Have a fantastic week!
Love Ya, Les :)