Utah Historical Quarterly Volume 24, Number 1-4, 1956

Page 75

A N H I S T O R I C A L EPILOGUE

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n September 4, 1955, the Richard Fancher Society of America unveiled a monument to the memory of the victims and survivors of the Mountain Meadows massacre in 1857. A number of Fanchers were in the massacre, including Captain Alexander Fancher, sometimes referred to as Charles Fancher. He was a grandson of Richard Fancher of the Revolution for whom the family organization is named. The Fancher family has held family reunions for a number of years, but the erection of the monument at Harrison, Boone County, Arkansas, made this year's gathering a very special occasion, attracting more or less national interest. Chiefly responsible for the success of the reunion was the president, Mr. J. K. Fancher, of Connor, Arkansas. He had written hundreds of personal letters to family members, had followed up the business of collecting money and getting the contract for the monument, and then planned in detail the day's activity. As part of this, he had been in communication with the Utah State Historical Society, and invited both Dr. A. R. Mortensen, Director, and Mrs. Juanita Brooks to attend the ceremony. Through the efforts of Dr. Mortensen and the generosity of Mr. Nicholas G. Morgan, Sr„ Mrs. Brooks was able to goMrs. Brooks reports that the services were sacred in nature, though non-denominational, carefully planned in a spirit of tolerance and forgiveness. She was cordially received and her talk well accepted, with the reaction of many present that they were glad to know more of the background facts that led to the massacre. Some of the Fancher family expressed a desire to hold memorial services at the Mountain Meadows in September, 1957. Mrs. Brooks assured them that they would have full cooperation from the people of southern Utah in helping to make the pilgrimage a success. Several who have already visited the site protested that there is no marker on the highway to direct those interested to the place, and that the side road to it is


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