Son Of Jeremiah IV and Mary Ellen
Jeremiah and Eliza were both led from their respective homes in Hatley, Canada and Washington D.C. by their new found faith in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints to Nauvoll, Ill. where they met each other and were married Feb. 1, 1845.
During a brief stay at Bonaparte, Iowa they were visted by Father Jeremiah Leavitt II who shortly after his arrival took sick and died. Mother Sarah S Leavitt recorded, "He sang Come Let Us Anew, as long as he had strength to sing and then wanted Eliza to sing it." Come Let Us Anew now stands at the Leavitt family hymn, sung on occasions of both sorrow and joy.
The family moved from Bonaparte to the Kanesville area for several years. They crossed the Plains with their five children, arriving in the Salt Lake Valley on Sept. 15, 1852.
From Tooele, Utah, Jeremiah was called to the Santa Clara Indian Mission on May 22, 1857. Living first in Santa Clara and then in Gunlock they suffered great losses in the flood of 1861-62. As a result of the various struggles associated with frontier life they helped carve out the communities of Mountain Meadows, Clover and Meadow Valleys and Hebron. They finally settled back in Gunlock where Jeremiah built a home and farmed.
Jeremiah was a hard working, good man who live was an example of faithfulness to his friends and family. Eliza's testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith remained with her to the end. It was on the strength of both of their testimonies that they were able to faithfully bring their young family to "Zion" and to settle and survive in Utah's Dixie.
Their earthly tabernacles now rest beside each other in this peaceful cemetery. And while the roots of their posterity are here in Gunlock, their descendants have since branched out in every direction. May their legacy be reflected in our lives and passed to our children for generations to come.
Placed by the Jeremiah Leavitt III Chapter of the Western Association of Leavitt Families. Dedicated 17 June 2006.