Mormon Grove Cemetery and “The Finisher”-Henry Clegg, Jr.

Mormon Grove Cemetery and “The Finisher”-Henry Clegg, Jr. 

Historical Marker near Atchison, Kansas.

Near Atchison, Kansas there is a Kansas State Historical Marker marking a city that disappeared: Mormon Grove.

In 1855, many Mormon pioneers from England were hit with a cholera epidemic which killed hundreds.  Among them were two of our Clegg family members.

Henry Clegg’s wife (Hannah Eastman) and third son (Henry James) are buried in what was simply called “The Saints Graveyard”  by Henry in his journal.

The cemetery at Mormon Grove contains about 50 unmarked graves, mostly cholera victims from 1853 and 1855.  http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=cr&CRid=2184780

Here is a little background about “Mormon Grove” from the “Legends of Kansas” website.

http://www.legendsofkansas.com/atchisoncountyextincttowns2.html

Mormon Grove - When thousands of Mormons were moving westward to the great Salt Lake Valley between 1848 and the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869, they developed several points of departure along the Missouri River. Mormon Grove was but one of the many outfitting stations utilized by the Mormons. Located about four miles west of Atchison in a grove of young hickory trees, the grove became an important rallying point in 1855-56. The first large group of Mormons debarked the river boats in Atchison in April, 1855 and moved westward to Mormon Grove. There, they immediately began to fence 160 acres and planted crops. The site, at the head of Deer Creek, also served as an excellent camping place with water, wood, and range for stock. Like the other Mormon camps along the Missouri River, it was close enough to the port city so the Mormons could easily purchase supplies. The temporary village also had a small cemetery and a couple of permanent structures, but most residents lived in tents, covered wagons, or make-shift dwellings.

 

In 1855 eight companies, totaling 2,041 people and 337 wagons, left Mormon Grove for the Salt Lake Valley. Their route across Kansas appears to have been northwest on the "New Ft. Laramie Road" to the vicinity of Kennekuk, and then continuing on the "Old Ft. Laramie Road" as established by Major Wharton in 1844 to the head of Walnut Creek in present Brown County. Unfortunately, for those many pioneers, they were also hit with a cholera epidemic that year, which killed hundreds of them along the way. About 15 people were left at Mormon Grove to await the next year’s immigrants.

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Hannah Eastman Clegg was the first first wife of 29 year old Henry Clegg, Jr.   She died in “Mormon Grove” 6 days after contracting cholera.  Their infant son, Henry James, also died of cholera the day after his mother and is buried near his mother.    


Henry Clegg, Jr. and his 6 year old son, Israel, survived the cholera epidemic and made their way to Utah as part of the Richard Ballantyne Company on September 25, 1855.  
(http://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/trailExcerptMulti?lang=eng&companyId=59&sourceId=4807) 

Richard Ballantyne.  Henry Clegg was 30 years old when he came to Utah in 1855 with the Richard Ballantyne Company.

Below are selected excerpts from “An Account of the Voyage from Liverpool to Great Salt Lake”, a journal kept by Henry Clegg, Jr. kept in 1855.  

 (A complete copy of Henry Clegg, Jr.’s journal is found here:  http://mormonmigration.lib.byu.edu/Search/showDetails/db:MM_MII/t:account/id:769 and here:  http://history.lds.org/overlandtravels/trailExcerptMulti?lang=eng&companyId=59&sourceId=4807)

Saturday, May 26, 1855

My wife (Hannah Eastman Clegg) still worse (who became sick from cholera on May 22).  Henry James (age 3) and Israel (age 6) took it also.

Sunday, May 27, 1855

Arrived at the Camp Ground at 11:o’clock in the forenoon.

Monday, May 28, 1855

My dear wife died at ½ past 4 o’clock in the afternoon.

Tuesday, May 29, 1855

My wife buried at Atchison at 11 o’clock in the saints grave yard next to Amelia Mercer on the north side X forward.

In the afternoon my lovely son, Henry James Clegg, died at 6 o’clock.  I buried him that same night next to his dear mother.  Went forward to the camp, 5 miles, very wet night.  I was very tired and ready to die with fatigue.

Wednesday, May 30, 1855

Israel well, but I went worse and worse and worse.  For several days I was brought to death’s door.  I cannot describe my situation nor the hardships I endured.  Must be felt to be known.

Henry Clegg, Jr. made no entry for 8 days, but a special occasion prompted him to write on June 7^th.

Thursday, June 7, 1855

Being my birthday I am now 30 years of age.  This afternoon I took a change and began to mend fast.

June 9, 1855

Still Moving. 

Sunday, June 10, 1855

Felt considerably worse and low spirited.

Monday, June 11, 1855

Still sickly.  Given to fret overmuch after my dear wife and child who had gone and left me along by myself.

June 12

A little better.  Walked out a little.

June 13

A great deal better.  Increasing in strength and spirits.

\

Henry Clegg, Jr.

Henry's journal entry dated June 9, 1855,  “Still moving” has always had a great impact on me and many other Clegg descendants. In LDS General Conference of 2004 Gayle M. Clegg spoke of Henry’s difficult challenges:

Why do any of us finish a hard task, especially if no one demands its completion?

My husband’s great-grandfather Henry Clegg Jr. was a finisher. He joined the Church with his family when the first LDS missionaries went to Preston, England. Henry had a view of his destination in his mind as he and his wife, Hannah, and their two young boys immigrated to Utah. Henry left his older parents, who were too feeble to make such a long and arduous journey, knowing he would never see them again.

While crossing the plains, Hannah contracted cholera and died. She was laid to rest in an unmarked grave. The company then moved on, and at six in the evening, Henry’s youngest son also died. Henry retraced his steps to Hannah’s grave, placed his young son in his wife’s arms, and reburied the two of them together. Henry then had to return to the wagon train, now five miles away.

Suffering from cholera himself, Henry described his condition as being at death’s door while realizing he still had a thousand miles to walk. Amazingly he continued forward, putting one foot in front of the other. He stopped writing in his journal for several weeks after losing his dear Hannah and little son. I was struck with the words he used when he did start writing again: “Still moving.”

When he finally reached the gathering place of the Saints, he began a new family. He kept the faith. He continued his story. Most remarkably, his heartache over the burial of his sweetheart and son gave birth to our family’s legacy of moving forward, of finishing.

I have often wondered as I have heard pioneer stories like the one of Henry Clegg, “Could I ever do that?”

(See entire text at https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2004/04/the-finished-story?lang=eng)

Henry and Hannah Clegg are among the honored pioneers that have blessed my life.

I am forever indebted to them for their faithfulness in choosing to accept and sacrifice for the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I want to be a “Finisher” like Henry Clegg, Jr.