Lucinda Harmon Jackman, 4th wife of 7 to my namesake Levi Jackman, began her crossing of the American Great Plains on this day in 1849 in search of a new life free from persecution from the US government and religious zealots who declared her lifestyle as a Mormon an affront to god and society. Though historical accounts of Lucinda, my 3x Great Grandmother, are difficult to find in comparison to the documents detailing the life of her husband, the stirring personal parallels in our lives make it easy to imagine her as familiar. Because of her beliefs and non-traditional marriage, before trekking across the continent she was a societal outcast. She left the only world she’d ever known behind for a new chosen community, with whom she faced probable death in hopes of building a space where the next generation of their kind could feel safe. My heart finds a queerness in her story. I don’t know if the Lucinda of 1849 would be able to comprehend my queer existence today, but that doesn’t diminish my desire to walk where she walked, reach through time and thank her for her precedent of pursuing love despite the sacrifices it would demand of her. Thank you to @chloembower and @sammydigi for assisting on this project.