William Burnett was born on November 3, 1827 in Bishops, Stortford, Hertfordshire, England
As a young married man William Burnett learned about the strange new sect called Mormons, who were preaching in London. He went to their meeting "on a lark" and to scoff, but remained to believe. He was baptized in London in 1851, at age 24. In time he received the priesthood. A Finnsbury Branch record from London shows he was ordained an Elder before sailing to America in 1855. He temporarily left behind his 3 small children and (non-believing) wife, including one year old Elizabeth Susan (our ancestor)..
William sailed with 581 "saints" on the Mormon -chartered ship, "Samuel Curling" on 22 April, 1855, landing in New York in about five weeks. . The emigrants continued by rail to Pittsburg, thence by steamboat to St. Louis, Mo and Atchison, Kansas. William joined the 5th Pioneer company immigrating that season and walked across the plains, arriving in Salt Lake 28 September 1855.
He later described his trip in a letter to the Millennial Star:
"Dear Brother, I have once been up to Zion, and I now bear a faithful testimony, as I have done many times before, that I know that the people called Latter-day Saints are a good and virtuous people. I crossed the sea from Liverpool, and then I crossed the plains with the servants of God, and there I saw it was not a Sunday religion only, but every day alike serving the Lord and when I arrived in Salt Lake City, I found the people there were all of one heart and one mind, trying to do each other good, and striving to build up the Kingdom of God; but family connections led me on to California and from thence to England."
These were only the beginnings of his travels for family and kingdom which would take him from England to America, back to England, to New Zealand, to Utah, back to New Zealand and back to Utah. Next week's post will detail his travels and multi-legged journey of Coming To Zion and being the first member and local leader of the Church in New Zealand.
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