Pioneer Day in Utah is a collective celebration of a shared heritage of sacrifice. Many people in Utah can trace their family lines back to the Mormon Pioneers, making this Friday’s state holiday personally meaningful for many.
But for many families, learning the details of all the pioneers in their family lines—especially if there are many of them—can be a challenge. FamilySearch.org and the Church History Library are teaming up to help.
This year, make Pioneer Day a little more meaningful by exploring your pioneer heritage using a new tool on FamilySearch.org. FamilySearch.org/Pioneers gives Church members with pioneer ancestry a list of all the pioneers in their family line, with links to information and photos. Follow these three steps this Pioneer Day to learn more about the pioneers you’re related to.
1. Sign In
Visit FamilySearch.org/Pioneers and log in with your FamilySearch.org account. You can also use your LDS Account to sign in.
2. Discover
View the list of people that appear on screen. These are the people in your FamilySearch Family Tree who are included in the Church History Library’s Pioneer Overland Travels database. That means that they are listed in the Church’s records of pioneers who came to Utah between 1847 and 1868.
From this page, you can use the provided links to learn more about the individuals, the companies they traveled with, and your relationship to them. The database also shows how old the person was when they crossed the plains and offers any available stories from the person’s experience on the trail.
3. Share
Once you’ve learned about your pioneer ancestors, choose a few stories to share with your family. Share photos, stories or your own thoughts on social media or in person this week. In this way, you can share your thoughts and feelings about the pioneers while encouraging others to discover more about their pioneer past as well.