Recently while surfing through some family history I learned that the final resting place of the ancestors I learned about when I was younger was located above Magna, Ut. in what was then known as Pleasant Green. We recently made a small detour on our drive home to California from visiting family to see this cemetery for ourselves. It is quite literally in the middle of nowhere and somewhat lonely on that hill, but just as I had imagined it.
Pictured above is myself and the boys at the grave site of Sarah Farr LeCheminant my great-great-great- grandmother who left her home in St. Peter Port, Guernsey in 1854 as a widow with 5 children to travel across the Atlantic, up the Mississippi River, and then across the plains to "the gathering place of the saints" in Salt Lake City.
I love this picture with LeCheminant engraved in the headstone and the reflection of Trey picking at something in the ground. A little eerie? Maybe...but the sort of shot that can only be captured by accident.
The biggest, most sun worn piece of stone in the LeCheminant family plot, but the name can still by made out if you look closely.
So...Sarah Farr begat Osmond Nicholas who begat Wilford Davis who begat Blaine Hill who begat Gary B. who begat Jeffrey B. LeCheminant
The small yet "eloquent" family burial plot on the hill above Magna, Ut. While it is a small cemetery there are quite a few people buried here. We got out of the car, I put Kaden on my shoulders, and Julie took Trey as we went in opposite directions convinced it wouldn't take long to find the plot. It of course took much longer than anticipated. Sometime in to our searching as we grew a little frustrated because we needed to get back on the road and with Kaden still on my shoulders I offered up a prayer to find it. Not 20 seconds later did Julie scream out that she had found it. We probably walked right by the plot 3 times and didn't even realize it. Not a monumental occasion, but a refreshing reminder that prayers are heard and answered, even in times of minor frustration. It was a great experience for me to stand at the headstones of my pioneer forbears who I have read and learned about. It all came full circle for me, as I'm sure it has for many of you with your own ancestors, that the struggles and sacrifices made by these individuals was worth it. I am very literally given my opportunities because a 35 year old single mother of 5 decided to leave her channel island home and emigrate to Zion. I love it. I love that I have pioneer heritage and I will no longer take for granted their sacrifices. There is an Amos Lee song with lyrics that read "coming from a long line of pain, my family suffered greatly for my gain." That is true for me, and I'm thankful for the spiritual moment I was able to have with my own family on a warm August morning. I hope someday to take my boys back there after they have heard the stories and are familiar with their heritage so that they too can appreciate what I felt this day on a lonely hill.
