Sunday, September 23, 2012

Pioneer Cemetery

This was the second Church Site, Nick and I visited.



This Cemetery holds the graves of the 3 witnesses of the Book of Mormon; Oliver Cowdry, Martin Harris, and David Whitmer.  There are several other people buried in this cemetery as well...both LDS and non-LDS.

One of the things that touched me so much...aside from the church history aspect...was how many babies and young children were buried in this cemetery.  It made it so real for me, what people went through so many years ago.  To lose a child was not uncommon.  One headstone was dedicated to three children from one family.  One girl was 3 years old, one girl was a year old, and the other was just 6 months old.  This particular memorial site brought tears to my eyes.  To think that these parents had lost all three of their girls at around the same time was devastating to me.  My heart ached for them...even though 200 years has passed since their deaths.

Before we arrived at the cemetery, I spent some time reading the history of the site online.  In the early 1900's the church obtained the land, and it became a Priesthood calling to restore and maintain the cemetery.  Some headstones were dug up from up to 15 inches below the ground.  Others, barely readable anymore, were also found, and placed in an area of the cemetery for remnants of headstones.  Grass was planted, along with beautiful trees and flowers.  A monument was dedicated to the three witnesses, and some background information about the Book of Mormon, along with the Testimony of the 3 Witnesses was transcribed on the monument.

Again, the feelings I felt at this site were that this was a very sacred, holy, ground.  It was a peaceful resting place for all laid to rest there.  It was beautiful, and calm.  The Spirit was strong.  It was humbling, and increased my gratitude for my own family.

No comments: