Pioneer
- A member of the Church (1847 - 1869) who traveled West across the United States via a horse, wagon, and/or handcart to avoid religious persecution.
The pioneers were the original members of the Church and were some of the strongest and most faithful. Uprooting their lives and families, they followed the Church as it tried to build headquarters in many different places (examples include Kirtland, Ohio; Nauvoo, Illinois; and finally Salt Lake City, Utah), with Winter Quarters near present-day Omaha, Nebraska serving as a temporary waystation. The reason for the constant moving was because they would become too strong in the respective area and the local population would drive them out with force; the strongest example of this is how Missouri Governor Lilburn W. Boggs signed an extermination order against the Mormons. Many pioneers died through persecution, sickness, and hardship. Many were converts gathered from across the eastern United States and especially Europe — large numbers came from Great Britain and Scandinavia.