Here in Utah we celebrate the 24th of July as a state holiday. It is the day the pioneers entered the Salt Lake Valley. I am grateful for my pioneer ancestors and the sacrifices they made to make my life what it is today! I am greatly blessed! I Love Utah! I Love Family History! And I Love My Family! All these things bring LIGHT into my life.

I love his penmanship, and the positive words of wisdom he wrote to his beloved sister in this note, he even references the importance of LIGHT!

“34 Commercial Road
Halifax
Oct 30/98

Dear Sister Peel
Always remember that
Every little mite
Every little treasure
Helps to spread the light
Helps to swell the Treasure

Teach me to feel another’s woe
To hide the faults I see
That mercy I to others show
That mercy show to me

I remain Dear Sister
Your Brother in the Gospel
John Wm Poole West

Be Faithful
Be Prayerful
Be Cheerful”

— John William Poole West

Recently I happened upon a story about my Great Grandfather John William Poole West. My paternal Grandma Erma Hillier’s father. John was born February 11, 1866 in Skipton, Yorkshire, England. He married Mary Ann Cromack on September 10, 1889, in Keighley, Yorkshire, England. They were the parents of two sons and four daughters. He owned and operated his own mercantile store and was quite successful. One day the missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, found this little family and shared with them the good news of the gospel. John had read the Bible a lot but when he went to church, he and the preacher did not agree as to the meaning of much of the “Good Book” (Bible). Instead of going to church, John used to take his little family out into the country to experience God’s great handiwork. He found more religion there than in the English churches.

Among the missionaries who came to the West’s home were two young men. One was Elder Schofield from Spring City, Utah, and the other was Elder Ingram from about where Mona, Utah currently is today. One incident that impressed me is the story of how he quit smoking. He was walking down the street, talking with the missionaries when his pipe went out. He had smoked for a very long time. Long enough for one of his teeth, with which he held his pipe in his mouth, to rot away. One of the missionaries told him, “Mr. West, good Latter Day Saints don’t smoke.” John knocked the ashes out of his pipe and said, “If the Lord doesn’t want me to smoke, I’ll quit.” He never lit his pipe or used tobacco again. It seemed an easy test for him.

The family were all baptized, much to the horror and disappointment of some members of both John and Mary’s families. Some of which would have no more to do with them and wouldn’t even come to wish them well as they left England and sailed to a new home in Salt Lake City, Utah – America. John had sold his store and all other belongings they couldn’t bring with them. Their ship sailed down the harbor and they passed a sailing ship under full sail. When their young daughter Emily said, “Look, they have their washing out.”

After arriving in Utah, they lived for a short time with the families of both Elder Schofield and Elder Ingram, the missionaries who baptized them into the church. After a time, they came back to Salt Lake where John could do better working at something he knew more about – keeping store.

The lived at first near Fairmont Park, approximately 2700 South and 700 East. John wanted a place of his own, so they purchased about ½ acre on Fairbourn Avenue (approximately 440 South and 200 East in Murray, Utah). Here they moved into a tent.

Later he built a bowery over the tent to give more shade and to protect the tent. John loved his new country and was drawn to the Native American Indians and the great outdoors. He used to go and stay with the Indians, eating and trading in a small way with them. He had many Indian items – a tomahawk, an old Colt cap and ball pistol, and a few other Indian treasures.

Some of the children were born in the tent. As the family grew they needed a home, so a small two room home was built. John and Mary Ann Cromack had six children – May, Emily, Juanita, Erma (my paternal grandmother), James Henry, and Charles Shepherd Cromack.

John loved his church and did all he could to magnify any call he received. He liked to act in plays and would go to great lengths to obtain costumes, many of which he and Mary made themselves. (THIS is where I must have inherited my love for creating costumes!) I love how they used their creative talents to make the world a better place. John wore a mustache all his life, but even this was not sacred when he decided to be an Indian in a parade, and he shaved it off. He brought some interesting treasures with him from England. Souvenirs from the Bore War, a Giraffe hide, shield and spear, also a two or three pound round of ammunition. I would have loved to see these things and listened to the stories behind them! Later, John went to work for Miller Cahoon in a mercantile store in Murray. The last bit of information I was able to find is that John died on June 8, 1915 at the age of 49 from “Angina Pectoris” – which appears to be a heart attack. Mary went on to raise her six children alone, and passed away on February 8, 1953 at the age of 87.

May we take a moment to pause and remember our beloved ancestors! They were real! They lived through difficult trials in many ways different than we do today, although the inward struggles are much the same. Just like they did, we can find the LIGHT in the midst of trials and share it with others. “Be Faithful, Be Prayerful, Be Cheerful” - Happy Pioneer Day Utah!!!

Love Ya, Les :)