Jeremiah Leavitt I and Sarah Shannon - Tribute by Faye Leavitt

September 12, 2000

As we begin this historic ancestral journey into the past, we have gathered this beautiful morning of September 12, 2000, at the Old North Cemetery in Hatley, Quebec, Canada, to dedicate a memorial in remem-brance of Jeremiah Leavitt and his wife, Sarah Shannon.

It’s a privilege for me to represent their descendants-both those descending by blood and by marriage- in paying tribute to them and I do so with a humble heart.   

Jeremiah was born July 10, 1760 in Exeter, Rockingham, New Hampshire, to Nathaniel and Lydia Sanborn Leavitt.  At the young age of 19, Jeremiah, as well as many of his kin, exhibited their patriotism as they served their country in the Revolutionary War. 

Records relate that in 1785,  at age 24, Jeremiah married Sarah Shannon, age 18, daughter of Thomas Shannon and Anne Rand.  According to researchers, both Jeremiah and Sarah’s lines can be traced back to Royalty.  The Revolutionary War had just ended and the spirit of new beginning was abundant.  Being apparently blessed with a sense of adventure,  and courage to blaze new trails, Jeremiah and Sarah began looking Northward in the late 1780's toward Hatley, Quebec, Canada. 

These two were pioneers in every sense of the word.  They must have struggled making the decision to leave so many of their family, as both their roots ran deep in the New England area.

This was barely-charted territory at the time they traversed the granite mountains and the deep woods.  The rich farmland that Jeremiah invested in would have to be cleared and plowed for the first time.

By 1805, they had ten children, ranging from an infant to age 15.  Hardships were inherent in colonizing a wilderness, and were they here they could  relate to us many tales of pioneering as they struggled to carve out an existence here in this land.

They undoubtedly rejoiced when Jeremiah’s younger brother Jonathan, wife Rebecca and children joined them in Quebec sometime prior to 1814. 

In the year 1817,as things began to prosper for the Leavitt family-Jeremiah died  at age 57.  Sarah was 51.   For the next 20 years, the large family remained close and continued to build their lives in Hatley and Compton. 

History of events in the family of Jeremiah and Sarah tells us that faith in God mattered much more than economic security.  After learning about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and after subsequent reading, studying, and discussing the Book of Mormon that had been left with one of the Leavitt girls by a missionary, most of the family acknowledged it as truth.  Urged on by their faith, in 1837, close to 60 of the family left Hatley to begin the long 800 mile journey westward to Kirtland, Ohio to gather with the Saints and be baptized.

This departure meant leaving their farms, their homes, neighbors, friends and families.  In Anne Leavitt’s words, “Perhaps on Sarah Shannon’s last day she made one final visit to this cemetery on the hill behind the Old North Church.  It had been Jeremiah’s resting place for 20 years.  She was now 71.  She had stood as matriarch of this family and would until 1840 when the rigors of the pilgrimage finally overcame her, and the prairie of Twelve Mile Grove, Illinois would become HER resting place.  In addition to Sarah, 1 daughter, her 5 sons, and many of their wives and children died before they reached their destination in the west.

The posterity of Jeremiah and Sarah, possessing the same unfaltering courage, helped to colonize much of the great American West and added strength to the building up of Zion.

 Jeremiah and Sarah are much more than names on a Pedigree Chart.  Behind their names lies a lifetime of experiences.  The scant knowledge we have of their lives doesn’t begin to chronicle their many trials and sacrifices, their joys and their sorrows, but we do know they raised a stalwart and close-knit family that has endured generations.  Their valuable contributions to our country, to the Leavitt family, and to society as a whole are beyond measure.  They laid the foundation for those who are assembled here today, as well as countless others.

    

As they were, we too, can be catalysts... to unify the present day Leavitt family.  We are the link between the past and the present.  We cherish the legacy they have left, revere them for the unfailing beacon they set forth for their descendants.  They smoothed the bumps and cleared the way.

 We ponder the choices Jeremiah and Sarah made, choices whose influence has spanned the generations.  They will never be forgotten-these grandparents- who clung fiercely to their dreams.  Their faith has been handed down from generation to generation, to the next and the next.   We are part of their eternal chain.

A part of the Mission Statement of the Western Association of Leavitt Families reads, quote: “to honor our dead and strengthen the sense of heritage”. End quote

We, who share the Leavitt heritage,  have been given much to live up to.  Preserving and sharing the legacy they have left for us is one way we can honor them.  Upon our shoulders rests the responsibility to keep the Leavitt name honorable, and seek out and gather in the far-flung descendants of Jeremiah and Sarah.

  It’s my prayer, we will carry on and not become weary in fulfilling this responsibility.

This tribute I leave with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.