Ahlmer Pioneer History

Hey everyone!

So these past few days have been pretty exciting! Today we went and hiked the topochico peak and watched the sunrise! That was soo fun I loved it so much! But walking up in the dark always leads to problems right. The only time I have ever seen more cactus needles in someone is when Addee ran up into the mountains barefoot when she was little! My hands legs and feet are just full of them and its not too fun! Going down got a little tricky as well. Though we had light we decided to take a shortcut and go though a canyon. What we didn't know was there is 4 cliffs in that canyon so going down got a little tricky. We could have gone back up and gone back the long way but I mean what can I say we are 12 young men just FULL of pride and so we decided we could do it!  It took a solid three hours to get down and were pretty happy everyone is alive! My companion had a few panic attacks and that got a little interesting so he took a little longer than the rest to climb down but hey he made it! By the time we all got done we were all crazy hungry and went to a Walmart mall thing and bought cheep Chinese food. Horrible idea! Don't think I'll ever make that mistake again. I'm not sure yet but I think they might have got the meat they used off all the dead dogs in the streets. I'll let ya know what I find out. But all in all today has been a day I will never forget and i really have loved it! One of my best friends in the mission is my district leader Elder Donakey and we had a great time talking while we waited for our companions to come down.

As of right now we have two investigators that are really progressing well. Mario and Betty. Mario is 40 years old and as of about two weeks he found out his wife was cheating on him and then his wife took their daughters and left. He got super depressed about that and started to drink a lot. But since he has been meeting with us he has complete confidence with us. He basically has told us he will do anything he asks to help him put his life back in order. He went from drinking 2 huge bottles a day to drinking 2 this past week. This Sunday he came to church on his own and actually he beat us there! So he got to know a lot of ward members. He has a baptism date for the 6th of April and is really excited. Our focus on him this week is to get him some good friends in the church. Someone that will visit him and really give him support on what he is trying to do. We are also teaching Betty. She really does love listening to us and feeling the spirit. She knows that this church is true and even when her friend who's a TJ told her if she joins our church she won't be her friend anymore Betty told her I would rather lose a friend then my salvation. When she told us that I was about ready to start jumping up and down! She is inviting her friends to listen to our message and come to church with us left and right. Overall I am really excited that we have found these two people that have been so open and willing to follow the Lord!

PS: TJ is Jehovah Witness sorry the computer is weird and won't let me make the correction.

Well I hope all is well and have a great week! 

Elder Ahlmer

Here is some stories about our Grandparents that Zachary asked for, written by Joanne Ahlmer.

Adam Cralk Smyth

My father, Paul E. Anderson’s Mother - Sarah Elizabeth Smyth’s father Adam Craik Smyth was born in Manchester, Lancaster, England in 1840.

He studied music as a young boy, sang as a choir boy in the Manchester Cathedral.  He and his wife, Emily Brown came on a ship over to America, 3 weeks after their marriage.  They came across the plains with an oxcart company.  Arrived in Salt Lake City in the fall of 1864.  All they had with them were their clothes and 10 cents.  He spent his last money on 2 red tomatoes, biting into 1 and throwing it on the ground.  They moved to Logan in a few days where he was employed as a school teacher.   He organized a county choir and many he taught became music leaders in Cache County.

They moved to Mendon in Cache Co.  where he was baptized into the LDS Church.  He followed his profession as a music teacher.  He imported the first organ that was brought into Cache County..  His wife Emily died leaving him 2 daughters; Sarah Elizabeth , 11 days old, and Francis Emily, 15 months old. He returned to SL and was active in music.  He spent time composing and directing musical plays.

He moved from SL to Sanpete County, locating in Fountain Green where he homesteaded and continued teaching school, directing the choir from 1881 to 1886 where he was given the position of recorder in the Manti Temple.  He was hired by manti City to teach and train a choir.  He conducted them to sing at the dedication of the Manti Temple in 1888.  He wrote many church hymns,  the most noted was Joseph Smith’s first prayer.

Abraham Hunsaker

Your Dad’s mother - Margaret Tressa Hunsaker, daughter of Isaac Hunsaker jr., son of Isaac Hunsaker,  son of Abraham Hunsaker and Eliza Collins.

Abraham Hunsaker, born in 1812 in Jonesborough town, Union Co. Illinois.  He married Eliza when she was only 15 and he was 21.  They lived on Abraham’s father’s ranch for 2 months until they could build a small cabin of their own.  They moved to Pilgeon Creek, Ill, where they joined the church.  They had the desire to live closer to Joseph Smith and moved to Mississippi.  After the murder of Joseph Smith in 1844, the persecutions of the mormon people become greater than they could endure.  Abraham owned a flour mill and traded it for an ox and a cow , a wagon, and the other things to cross the Mississippi River not knowing where they were  going or what the future would bring, putting their faith in God.  They took their cattle and sheep with them.  After they reached Council Bluffs, Iowa, a call came to fight in the war between Mexico and the US.  Abraham was 1 of the first to volunteer.  He later feared he had done the wrong thing, leaving Eliza and 6 children with nothing but a covered wagon and a few provisions, not knowing if he would ever return.   Eliza had a well-to -do brother who told her she should give up the Mormon religion and come and live with him and they would never want for anything.  Eliza told her brother that Abraham would come back and she would never give up her religion.  The saints built a small cabin for her and her family to live in and Abraham finally returned.  They left Council Bluffs and traveled west in 1848 with the Cunningham Company.  After arriving in Utah, Abraham & Eliza settled in what is now So. Jordan.  The Indians became very troublesome & began stealing livestock and killing settlers.  Abraham started preparing to move the family to Salt Lake Valley  He sent his son Lewis to round up the horses. He never saw his son again,  which grieved them badly. Thinking he had been killed by the Indians.  

He was called by the Church to settle Carson City, NV.  He sold all his possessions except his cattle and he took his family and Eliza across a very difficult journey over rough mountains,  cliffs and streams into Nevada where water was very scarce.  Many of the cattle died on the way.  On July 17 1856 they located in Carson Valley.  Now Carson City.  They were doing well, when he got a call from Brigham Young to return to Utah. The US Army had been sent by congress to make war on the LDS people because of polygamy.  So  he sold what he could and gave away everything else.  He started for Utah.  During this trip, Eliza gave birth in a covered wagon to their last child, Eliza at Snowville, Utah.  From there they were told by Brigham Young to settle in Brigham city.  In 1858 the saints left Northern Utah and moved south to payson because of the army. Then later they returned to Brigham City.  In 1865 he built the Hunsaker Big House on Main Street and 4th South where Eliza remained until 1880. Then she moved to Honeyville to live with him and his other 3 wives.

He had 5 wives all together.  Here is part of an obt. written in the Deseret news in jan. 1889:

He told his wife, Eliza C., whom he survived but two months and twenty days, that their work would be  done here when he had made one more trip to Logan Temple, which he accomplished.  This remark was made a few hours before her death, and he added that he would soon follow her.

Brother Hunsaker had done much in the interest of cooperation.  His charity was unbounded, he was loved by all and looked up to as a noble man whom God had made great through his humble life.  He died as he had lived, firm as a rock in the faith.

There is a monument honoring him erected in 1956 located on the grounds of the Honeyville Ward Chapel.