Some of you are reading this for the first time and so don’t know who we are. We are descendants of Joseph and Lucy Smith like most of you. We are organized to assist grandfather organizations and other noted ancestor organizations between Father and Mother Smith and all of us. We have a board of trustees consisting of descendants from many parts of the country, officers, and an advisory committee of past trustees. We meet once to twice a year and publish this Newsletter at about the same frequency. We invite you to donate annually to make all that we do as a family possible. This newsletter will give you some idea of what we have been up to over the last year. We were originally organized to upgrade and maintain the Nauvoo Family Cemetery which is owned by the Community of Christ. Our mission and functionality has increased over the years as we have seen need and responded, as you can see by visiting our web site at www.josephsmithsr.org.
In the environment of the failing family we feel it our stewardship to help. Meeting this many dimensioned need requires many hands, minds, inspiration and finances. As you will read, we want to provide you with tools with which to reach your children and grandchildren across the generational gulf to impart the values of our successful ancestors. We have many such tools now and many more that are on hold requiring family financial participation. Currently only ten percent of the family pays the annual $15.00 dues. Some with greater personal resource and a desire to “do good†have added many dollars to projects that have blessed family members. We have an on-going need for such family loyalty. We now have a media group that have both talent and facilities to produce media tools from books for children to videos that impart history and values. Please visit and read on the websites the list of resources and the excerpt from Dr. Kyle Walker’s PhD thesis on the Smith family values. One of those essential values is highlighted.
We need your participation. Please read the following letter penned by Elder M. Russell Ballard in behalf of the Board of Trustees, which includes, M. Russell Ballard, Wallace Smith, Eldred Smith, Dan Larsen, Lachlan MacKay, and Craig Frogley.