3 Days Until Trek - Leaving Nauvoo

The Latter-day Saints in Nauvoo left in desperate circumstances. Buyers knew that the sellers were leaving and, in many cases, took advantage of that desperation. Those who followed Brigham Young were willing to sacrifice to follow their leaders west to new homes. They did the best they could to get supplies for their travels and new home, but ultimately did what was necessary in leaving their homes to build a new Zion.

"Sarah Studevant Leavitt recalled, 'We soon found we had to leave the place if we meant to save our lives, and we got what little we could from our beautiful farm. We had forty thousand bricks that my husband and sons had made for us to build a house, and part of the rock to lay the foundation. For this we got an old bed quilt, and for the farm a yoke of wild steers, and for two high post bedsteads, we got some weaving done.'

"Heber C. Kimball was among the lucky Saints who was able to trade his new brick two-story home for thirty-five yoke of oxen. Joseph Fielding 'sold my House and 20 Acres of Land for 200 Dols in Trade, taking 2 Horses, a Waggon, a Coat Cloth, and a few [dollars] in cash.'

"Martha Haven lamented to her mother: 'We have sold our place for a trifle to a Baptist Minister. All we got was a cow and two pairs of steers, worth about 60 dollars in trade.' Some Saints almost boasted about leaving with nothing - 'trusting God like Abraham.' Martha P. Jones wrote: 'In 1846 we started for the mountains without purse or script [sic], wagon or team. We had our two selves and eight children.' They were with the 'poor company' in September, but many others were at Sugar Creek in February with inadequate rations and animals, expecting help from the leaders."

Selection from Stanley B. and Violet T. Kimball's 2011 book, Villages on Wheels: A Social History of the Gathering to Zion.