TBT - Reflections on the Life of Charles Whitlock

I had a special experience this week.  We went down to the Manti, UT area for a little camping trip and to attend the Manti Pageant.  This is the area where my ancestors settled after crossing the plains with the Saints, so we made sure to visit two cemeteries in the area.

We found lots and lots of Whitlock tombstones in the Mayfield Cemetery; Cat spotted one even before we got out of the car.

We perused the small cemetery for a while, and the girls and I did a few grave rubbings (which caused just a little confusion with Cat, who thought I'd suggested that we do some grave robbings).

The tombstone I was most excited about finding was that of Charles Whitlock, who I blogged about last year. (Edited to add: the tombstone below is actually the firstborn child of the boy in the story I blogged about previously.  Charles Whitlock, Jr. was born in Sanpete County shortly after the pioneers arrived, and I believe he was the first white male born there.  Charles Whitlock, Sr., was one of the original settlers of the town of Ephrai.  He is buried in Ephraim Cemetary and lived 1833-1920.)

I couldn't help but think, as I looked around at the desolate valley Charles and his family helped settle, that their task was one which took exceptional faith and courage.  What must it have been like to travel from the lush banks of the Mississippi River, all the way to the desert of Utah, and finally feel safe in the body of Saints in Salt Lake, only to be told to continue to travel to a smaller, more remote, valley, and tasked with the near-impossible assignment of making it prosperous?

I said a prayer of thanks for these people who lived their lives in such a way that I can have the life I have today.