We remember the stories of pioneers because they remind us that we, too, can overcome the trials and hardships that life throws our way. Pioneer Day, celebrated on July 24 each year in Utah, USA, is a state holiday that honors early pioneers who migrated to and settled in the Western United States, particularly Utah.
Many of the pioneers who settled in Utah were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes referred to as "Mormon pioneers" or "Latter-day Saint pioneers") who hoped to find a place where they could practice their religion in peace, after experiencing many years of persecution and struggle. The holiday is celebrated in Utah on July 24 because the first Latter-day Saint pioneers entered the Utah Valley on July 24, 1847.
Many stories and details about Latter-day Saint pioneers are surprisingly well documented. In this article, many resources are listed that can help you discover if you have Latter-day Saint pioneer ancestors and explore their stories.
How Do I Know If Any of My Ancestors Were Pioneers?
The main time period of pioneer emigration to Utah is generally considered to stretch from 1847 to the late 1800s. The era of immigrating to Utah by covered wagons generally ended with the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869.
The Church of Jesus Christ and many other organizations have gathered helpful collections of pioneer journals, writings, and other records, which are introduced below. FamilySearch also has some quick tools for finding already-marked pioneer ancestors.
While the databases in this article mainly feature recorded pioneers from the Church of Jesus Christ, there were also other groups of people who migrated to Utah and other western US states during this time. General resources from genealogy sites like FamilySearch, Ancestry, MyHeritage, or FindMyPast may still help you find pioneer ancestors and their stories.
Finding Pioneer Relatives Quickly in the Shared Family Tree
If you use the collaborative Family Tree on FamilySearch, some of your ancestors may already be indexed as pioneers in our database. FamilySearch even has an activity you can use to quickly identify these ancestors and learn more about them:
Doing Your Own Research on Pioneer Ancestors
When you look at your family tree, your Utah pioneer ancestors would have lived between 1846 and 1900. If they were born somewhere else and then died in Utah during this time period, this is a good clue that they were pioneers. You can look through your existing family tree to find these individuals. Look at their attached sources to see what information has already been found about them.
For example, George Simmons lived from 1822 to 1897, so his lifetime falls within the pioneer era. If you look at his vitals, he was born in England and died in Utah. This tells us that he was likely a pioneer who immigrated to the US from England. To figure out what sources are attached to him, you could look at the sources tab on FamilySearch.
Once you know what information is missing for a pioneer ancestor, you can use other resources that are outlined later in this article to fill in the missing pieces.
Note: If your family doesn't have a family tree to look at, you may have to dig through family records or talk to relatives to learn more about your family's history. Does your family have names of possible pioneer ancestors you want to find more about? Try using the databases below to search for more information about them. If you are starting from scratch, try the "Getting Started" page on FamilySearch.
How to Find Pioneer Ancestors on FamilySearch
FamilySearch has many discovery activities, research tips, and databases to search to help you discover your pioneer ancestors. From interested dabblers to seasoned experts, there is something for everyone.
Discovery Activities
If you want to learn more about your pioneer ancestors but research is overwhelming to you, never fear! FamilySearch has many activities using your existing family tree. Just follow the link below to see a page with a compilation of all of our pioneer activities.
You can explore which Latter-day Saint ancestors traveled the pioneer trail, which lived in Nauvoo, which served religious missions, and more. There is even an activity for children to see which of their ancestors made the trek to Utah as children and how old they were.
Enjoy your family history discoveries on Pioneer Day!
Research Tips
The FamilySearch wiki is a treasure trove of guides, step-by-step help, and compilations of resources on a wide variety of family history topics.
Here are some useful articles specifically for researching Latter-day Saint pioneers:
- Latter-day Saint Emigration and Immigration
- Tracing Latter-day Saint Ancestors
- Latter-day Saint Record Finder
Databases
FamilySearch also has millions of records in hundreds of collections, all available for free online. Take a look at some of these collections specifically for researching pioneers.
1. Utah Mormon Pioneer Overland Travel Database
This collection was compiled by the Church History Library. The information comes from various immigration and travel rosters from 1847 to 1868. Many wagon and handcart companies kept careful records of their journey. This collection includes basic dates and information for each company, the captain's name (and sometimes a photo), and a list of diaries, journals, letters, and reminiscences written by company members where available.
You can also search the collections directly by your ancestor's name. The database will provide you with an index of information about them that includes their birth date, immigration date, death date, the name of the company they traveled with, and more.
2. Scandinavia Mission Emigration Records
From 1852 to 1920, the Scandinavian Mission kept records of Latter-day Saints who emigrated to Utah from the mission area, which included the countries Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Finland, and Iceland.
If your ancestors lived in Scandinavia before moving to Utah during this time period, this is a great place to find more information about them. You can see their name, age at immigration, birth date, birthplace, emigration date, the city in Scandinavia they departed from, and more.
3. Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah
The Pioneers and Prominent Men of Utah collection contains an index of information and images compiled by Frank Esshom in his book of the same name.
In this collection, you can find birth, marriage, and death dates, as well as images (if available) of the person you search for.
4. United States Mormon Battalion Pension Applications
In 1846, 500 men formed the Mormon Battalion to assist the United States Army in the Mexican War. Their wages from their yearlong army service helped to fund the Saints' migration to Utah. This collection contains the indexed pension applications of the Mormon Battalion veterans.
In each application, you can see dates of military service and the names of dependents. Since the information comes from Fold3, you can't see the images of the records on FamilySearch; however, a link is provided with the record to see the original images on Fold3 (you will need an account with Fold3 to view them).
Other Resources for Finding Your Pioneer Ancestors
In addition to the record collections on FamilySearch, there is a wealth of resources provided by other sites and organizations. Check out one of the resources below to dig deeper into your pioneer ancestors!
1. Church History Biographical Database
The Church History Biographical Database compiles biographical information on more than 100,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ from its early years. This includes biographical sketches of 61,000 pioneers who immigrated to Utah between 1847 and 1868, as well as 44,000 missionaries who served between 1830 and 1940.
You can search the database by name and filter the results to pioneers, missionaries, or Mormon Battalion members.
If you click Show My Ancestors (to the right of the search bar), the database can link with your FamilySearch account and provide you with a list of all of your ancestors who have information in the database.
For each person, the database provides the following information (if available):
- Name
- Photo
- Birth Date
- Death Date
- Marriage Information
- Handcart or Wagon Company
- Missionary Service
- Mormon Battalion Service
- Links to available journal entries
- Links to primary and secondary sources for the information
2. Saints by Sea
Saints by Sea is a database compiled by the Brigham Young University Library. It contains information and first-hand accounts of pioneers who traveled by sea from Europe to the United States, including autobiographies, journals, diaries, reminiscences, and letters. The information comes from the European Emigration Card Index, mission emigration registers, US customs lists, contemporary letters and newspapers, and many other sources.
With the search function, you can search for a person's name, ship name, departure or arrival port, or departure date. The search results are organized by voyage. It will show you the ship and date of sailing as well as all of the people on that voyage with the name you searched.
When you select a voyage, you can see a picture of the ship, along with links to any contemporary accounts of the voyage. You can also see the full passenger list. Each name links to an index of known information about the person from ship records.
3. Historical Pioneer Research Group
The Historical Pioneer Research Group is a nonprofit organization based in Nebraska that researches early Latter-day Saint pioneers. Their database is compiled with the Nauvoo Land and Records collections, 1839–1859 Settlement and Branch records, and more.
The database is free to use. You can search by person, family, or place as well as by birth, marriage, or death dates. When you find your ancestor, their page will give you lots of information, including any property they owned in Nauvoo, family trees of their ancestors and descendants, historical sources they appear in, and a time line of their life.
4. Century of Black Mormons
Century of Black Mormons is a project by the University of Utah intent on finding and researching individuals of African descent who were baptized into The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints between 1830 and 1930. Some of these individuals were formerly enslaved or were baptized while still enslaved.
Currently, Century of Black Mormons has 331 names under research. Of these 331 names, 142 of these individuals have completed bios in the database. You can either search for a specific name or view all of the names alphabetically in their database.
5. Iosepa Branch Relief Society Minutes and Records
Europeans were not the only Saints to migrate to Utah. In the 1880s, many Saints from Hawaii also made the journey to gather in Utah. They established their own settlement in Tooele County, which they called Iosepa (a Hawaiian form of "Joseph"), named after the prophet Joseph F. Smith, who had served as a missionary in Hawaii for many years. These faithful Hawaiian Saints assisted in the building of the Salt Lake Temple and worked in the temple once it was completed.
In 1915, the Church of Jesus Christ decided to build a temple in Hawaii. Most of the settlers of Iosepa returned home to Hawaii to help build the temple and strengthen the community there. By 1917, the settlement of Iosepa had dissolved.
You can read the Relief Society minutes of the Iosepa Branch to learn more about some of the remarkable women of the settlement for free online through the Church History Library!
6. The Welsh Saints Project
The Welsh Saints Project is an ongoing effort by family history students at Brigham Young University to research and document Welsh Latter-day Saints who emigrated to Utah in the 1800s. Where possible, the researchers link biographical information, photos, journal entries, and letters for each immigrant.
More About Pioneers
