Manti Temple

A couple weeks ago we were talking about temples in family study and it sparked an idea! We wanted to go to the Manti Temple Open House. And we did it!

It seemed a little crazy when we were first planning it but it actually ended up being a big blessing. It gave us something to look forward to (and distract us) after losing Poppy. Mark felt it would be best if he and the littles stayed home and deep cleaned everything (bless him!) and I go have some special time with the bigs.

It was such a perfect trip!

We woke up early and made the trek across Colorado and into Utah. The weather was perfect and we made our way to Manti. I had been to the Manti Temple once as a youth to watch the Manti Temple Pageant but had never been inside. We were so excited to see it in all of its pioneer glory! And it did not disappoint.

Manti Utah Temple

The temple was beautiful. We loved all of the blues, greens, and yellows. I think what really won me over was the intricate details on the furniture. Stunning! My great grandparents were sealed in this temple back in 1909. We loved looking in the sealing rooms wondering which one was THE ONE. Jacob and Sarah’s favorite part was the celestial room. I am so grateful for time spent in the temple.

And what made it even better is that we got to do it with my parents! They were so kind to let us tag along on their temple and family history adventures.

If you are interested in viewing pictures of the inside – there are many that can be found HERE.

Once we finished with the temple, we grabbed some milkshakes and then headed south to Richfield to stay the night.

We took it slow the next morning and the kids went swimming in the hotel pool with Gramps. And then we hit the road again!

Richfield Cemetery

Central Utah is not a place that we frequent so we knew we wanted to take advantage of this time there. The first stop was the Richfield City Cemetery. This was such a beautiful cemetery and you could tell how much they honored those who served in the military, especially. There were many, many relatives – most of them distant. However, my great-great grandparents were buried here. They both were pioneers. My grandfather joined the church in Minnesota while my grandmother joined in Sweden and immigrated with her family west. There is so much more to their stories that I wished we knew. Family life is complicated and there’s seemed to be extra so. But I am grateful we were able to spend time with them and think more on their life and legacy.

Burrville Cemetery

Our next stop was to Burrville. This was a trek! It wasn’t so much far but we were grateful for good weather because the road was a little dicey. Burrville is located about 30 minutes from Richfield. There is really nothing there anymore. In fact, I couldn’t find a record of anyone living there anymore (although there are some structures still standing – and the coolest home being built from an existing pioneer home!).

But Burrville was always small. At it’s peak in 1900, the population was only 244 – which would have been the time when my ancestors were there. The valley, known as Grass Valley, is beautiful.

I have been in a lot of cemeteries in my life. I love them. I find them peaceful and comforting. But this was unlike any I had even been in before. It made me sad. It feels like a forgotten place. And more than that, the elements seemed to have been at work there. There is not really any vegetation or grass and so the ground seems to be giving way. It was spongy and you could see the outlines of the caskets underneath. It almost felt like the whole cemetery was freshly made, even though most have been there for over a hundred years. I made sure to tell the kids not to walk on any of the “mounds”. But it was sad. Sad to see so many short casket spots where so many babies and young children had been buried. What really broke my heart was there was a little white stone poking out quite a way from the rest. I walked over and it was a little girl who had born and died the same day. I thought how long it might have been since someone earth side had thought her name. So I said it out loud and said a prayer in my heart for her parents.

My great-great grandfather was buried here, along with his first wife who passed in a tragic accident. There were also many distant family members there as well – almost everyone in the cemetery we were related to in some way or another. I am grateful for family. I feel so strongly that everyone deserves to be remembered and have their story told. I am grateful that we really spent our time in that quiet, forgotten place. I definitely took more pictures of headstones then I did of us. I took one of every name in our family plus sometimes I just feel drawn to one and will take a picture to add to family search.

I am grateful I was able to experience this with Jacob and Sarah and my parents. It was a special morning and one that I won’t forget. I can’t imagine I will ever get a chance to visit there again, and I was grateful we had that experience.

We then divided up and the party car (my Dad, Jacob, and Sarah) went on their way and my Mom went with me. It was so nice to be able to talk with my Mom for a couple hours just her and I.

We got to my parent’s home, unloaded, and then drove down to visit Megan and Linda at their home. It was so great to see them! And then Melina came down, too, and so it was a great visit with the whole family.

We got back to my parent’s and went to bed. The next morning we were up and moving and hit the road for home. It was a bit of a whirlwind trip but so wonderful. Worth every mile!