Opportunities for Headstone Donation Begun
At last, after years of uncertainty, the resting places of both Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith have been located and verified. The story is a veritable, high-tech Scotland Yard clue chase. The Saints Herald in 1960 published an account of the location of the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith graves. It was the account by the family cemetery sextant, who was shown the sites by the original grave digger who had buried Emmeline, the wife of Joseph the 3rd, in 1869. He had inadvertently disturbed Mother Smith’s grave, and with the help of Emma, made identification.
We published this account in our newsletter with a request that anyone in the family with corroborating journal accounts to please inform us. Not long after, another sent us an account that contradicted the sextant’s account, made by Joseph and Lucy’s grandson. It was then decided to continue the sleuthing by using modern technology. It took some time for all the puzzle pieces to fit but now they do. After some search and proper timing, a ground penetrating radar scan was arranged. Here are some excerpts from the final scan report.
“The x-ray images arise from variations in the soils caused by pit excavation and refilling. The overall uniformity of the soils in this cemetery indicates considerable coffin decay… The considerable mixing of soils makes the identification of child burials particularly difficult, because of the smaller size…â€
The diagram below shows four marked graves, including Emmeline’s that will serve as reference since the x-ray verified their currently marked positions. The investigative mystery was discovering whether there were graves either to the east or to the west of Emmeline’s as per the contradicting accounts. (Drum roll please) Now quoting again: “The area just west of Emmeline is vacant…Mother Smith could then be to the east of Emmeline. The scan indicates that we do have a grave image in this eastern area that is close to Emmeline and matches the Saint’s Herald account by the cemetery sextant. There is also a grave image just to side of the Lucy image that must be Father Smith’s.
Now that we know where they are, the Family invites each family member to participate in memorializing our namesakes with appropriate markers. See below…