The Joseph Smith Sr Family is spearheading the effort to preserve the Asael Smith headstone at the Union Cemetery in Stockholm, New York, and will re-set the headstone on July 28, 2012. Smith family members are invited to participate by donations and may attend the event if they desire.
Ben Pykles, LDS Church Historical Curator, visited friends who live on the Union Cemetery Road. When he saw the damaged headstone, he searched out family members who might be able to preserve the stone. No recent family member with ownership could be located, and eventually contact was made with the Joseph Smith Sr. Family Organization.
The headstone is cracked, weathered, and fallen at the base. The stone cannot be removed from the cemetery, so it will be cleaned properly and then inserted into a newer stone that will hold it upright; James Long, a Smith cousin who works for Hallmark Stone, will oversee cleaning of the stone. The stone will then be set on top of a cement foundation that will be four feet deep which will enable it up to endure the harsh winter conditions of northern New York.
The family will engrave Asael’s statement on the back of the stone, “It has been borne in upon my soul that one of my descendants will promulgate a work to revolutionize the world of religious faith.â€
Funds can be donated via mail to Joseph Smith Sr Family, c/o Frances Orton, 381 W 3800 N, Provo UT 84604 or online at http://www.josephsmithsr.org/node/34.
Family will meet at the Union Cemetery in Stockholm, New York at 12 Noon on July 28, 2012. There will be a short family program about Asael.