Pioneer

Pioneer: (noun)

1) a person who is among those who first enter or settle a region; 

2) one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress

Today, as we celebrate pioneer day, we think about and remember those who came across on the plains many years ago and first settled Salt Lake City. While we spend time remembering those who sacrificed to come here, I went back through my family history and found the pioneers in my own family.

I found those who match the first definition of pioneer - a person who is among those who first enter or settle a region.

• Martina Concordia Peterson Madsen
• Carl Nilsson Rosberg and Helena Jonsson Eriksson. Helena and her husband Carl came to America from Sweden by boat in 1858 a few months after their twins were born. They arrived in New York and took a train to Missouri to meet up with the saints. As they arrived in Missouri, they were attacked by a mob and almost drowned. They were counseled by Brigham Young to go to Utah, getting there by handcart.

There are also a number of people in my family who match the second definition of pioneer: one who is first or among the earliest in any field of inquiry, enterprise, or progress

• Hans Olson Magleby - baptized in 1855
• Jens Larson Jenson - baptized in 1855
• James Hooper  - baptized in 1868
• James Hayes Hooper - baptized in 1870
• ELizabeth Naomi Parker Hooper - baptized in 1870
• Lena Cecilia Wallin - baptized in 1901
• Richard Wesley McAllister - baptized in 1861
• Thomas Chamberlain - baptized in 1845

Most of my ancestors have been members of the church for quite a while. If we go back far enough in my family history line, I am able to find lots of family members who made the sacrifice to join the church. But, in Lewis's family history, the pioneers are much closer.

• Eugene Vernon Goodrum Jr (Lewis's grandfather) - baptized in 1961
• Margaret Sue Pool (Lewis's grandmother) - baptized in 1960
• Lou Goodrum (Lewis's father)
• Lani Goodrum (Lewis's mother)

I don't know when Lou and Lani were baptized, but they took the first steps in their family to become pioneers and become the first to join the church. Lou's entire family took those first steps. Lani was the only one in her family to make the change.

How grateful I am for the sacrifices that these individuals made many years ago to become members of this gospel and to leave their homes and travel to Salt Lake to join with the rest of the saints. And I'm grateful for the current pioneers that exist in my life and the fact that I can be a pioneer in my own family. A few weeks ago at church, our bishop talked about making the sacrifice to be pioneers in our own families, even though we're all already members of the church. But, to be pioneers, we can make certain changes in our lives to be better than we were before. We can "be the first in any field of progress," making positive changes in our families that can continue to be passed on.