I hear my mom’s voice.

“Sarah! Come here! You have got to see this!”

Common comments from my mom preparing for a biography lesson for Daughters of the Utah Pioneers. Though I have mixed feelings about the club, I like how it motivates my mom and others to be detectives. The poor and limited material the members are given causes my mom to really search for the facts. Through her diligence, women in the past have been brought back.

Besides, it’s entertaining seeing Mom getting excited about new discoveries. So during a “come here” moment, she introduced me to Sarah Gordon Guymon. She pointed to a brown and white picture of an old woman on the computer screen. “She shares your name,” my mom announced.

Was I supposed to be excited? It looked like the typical photograph of the olden days that is easy to find online. After I received further information bit by bit, I felt honored to share our first name.

Sarah crossed the plains to Utah at age 59! Wow. I really don’t hear about those kind of success stories especially considering she lived years after she reached the Salt Lake Valley.

Another “come here” moment came when my mom discovered that my dad’s direct ancestor, Hannah Patten, was only one of the few women over 59 in the wagon company. She was 63. No doubt they knew each other. Sometimes you just get those feelings.

I came to know Sarah more when my mom showed me some of her letters. At first, I thought I was in for an “oh that’s nice” moment. But the letters really brought life. The letters were addressed to her sons who didn’t join the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and therefore, didn’t head west with Sarah and others in the family. She expressed how much she missed them but wanted them to join her if they thought if the trek was worth it.

Sarah understood the principles of her faith. The importance of family, but individuals using their agency. Giving love ones a choice is a Christlike example I hope to emulate.Right then, I knew I wanted to share those same characteristics.Like sharing her name, wouldn’t it be an honor to share those traits?

Thank goodness for people like Mom who really want to know the person behind the name. Such people deserve gratitude. I’m sure that the individual who has passed on wants to give such people an award.

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