2. Richard Franklin Jardine

The second ancestor I studied was Richard Franklin Jardine, my third great-grandfather on my Dad's side of the family. He was born on the 30th December 1848 in Scotland. After joining the church with his family, he would eventually travel the plains to Utah and be a bishop for 20 years. In his life, he experienced the effects of polygamy as well as the difficulty of crossing the plains.

Richard Franklin Jardine at BYU Academy 

Richard Jardine was baptized after his parents joined the church in March of 1843. The missionaries had come to Killbride, Scotland and taught them the gospel. The father, James Jardine, was baptized first. Meanwhile, Isabella Jardine waited two years and was baptized Sunday,  May 18, 1845. Richard was 7 at the time the missionaries came and convinced his father to join the church. After converting, his parents immediately wanted to come to America for its religious freedom and independence. However, it would take them 12 years of saving in order to save the money to make the journey. When they finally left, they were going to a new land with a new place and culture.


According to a quote by Wanda Simpson Peterson submitting to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers,

"I’m sure it was very hard for them to say goodbye to their parents, brothers, sisters, and friends, knowing they would never see them again in this life" (Family Search). 

The family made it safely across the ocean but waited until a company was ready to cross the plains. Richard walked across the plains barefoot at age 9. They arrived in Salt Lake safe and sound. This is the are in which Richard spent the remainder of his life. He was known as an honorable, cheerful, sympathetic man who was always preaching. One of his experiences demonstrates his character as well as the events of the time.

The record on Richard Franklin Jardine states his experience after the first manifesto was signed. Several were still practicing polygamy in Rexburg and U.S officers were still looking for polygamists to arrest. According to the story given by Wanda Peterson,

"One night there were officers knocked at his door.  They were invited in and offered their supper, and they made it known they were on their way to Rexburg to arrest those men.  Richard knew he must do something to warn these men.  The officers were invited to stay all night at his home, and after they were in bed and sound asleep, he slipped out quietly, bridled his stallion and was off to warn these men.  After swimming the horse across the North Fork of the Snake River he made it onto Rexburg, warned the men to hide and was back home in bed before it was time for these men to be up and on their way, and he was never found out" (Family Search).

The experiences of Richard Franklin highlight the trials saints went through to get to Zion. Many saved years and traveled thousands of miles. In other ways, this experience demonstrates how the effects of polygamy and the first manifesto affected many late into the 1800s. It also demonstrates the extent of polygamy and the persecution of the government on the people. Many feared that fathers would be taken away from their families. The confusion over polygamy, especially after the first manifesto, must have been a very real part of many people's lives. In any case, Richard Jardine is interesting to me because of the great journey he took from Scotland to Utah and the affect he had on many people's lives. His work as a bishop and his testimony of Christ led him to do much good during his life.

Works Cited

"James Jardine 1819-1891 & Isabella White Jardine 1819-1906." Free Family History and Genealogy Records - FamilySearch.org. Family Search, n.d. Web. <https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/3408176?returnLabel=Isabella%2BElizabeth%2BWhite%2B%28KWJ2-KG8%29&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2FKWJ2-KG8%2Fmemories>.

"Richard Franklin Jardine, Sr. 1848-1927." Free Family History and Genealogy Records - FamilySearch.org. Family Search, n.d. Web. <https://familysearch.org/photos/artifacts/3408805?returnLabel=Richard%2BFranklin%2BJardine%2BSr.%2B%28KW8S-LV7%29&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2Fperson%2FKW8S-LV7%2Fmemories>.