Registration is now open for the 2020 Vision Celebration. This day will be filled with wonderful experiences helping us celebrate 200 years since the First Vision.
Smith Family 2020 Vision Celebration
Smith Family Monument & Plaza Dedication
Topsfield, MA. – June 20, 2020
Topsfield Cemetery Smith Monument during a visit of Joseph F. Smith and family members
December 25, 1905
This monument was erected in memory of Robert Smith and also 1st and 2nd Samuel
By George A. Smith and other descendants in Utah
A new Smith monument and plaza is underway in Topsfield, Massachusetts. This unique and large endeavor at the Pine Grove Cemetery will include a monument similar to the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial in Sharon, Vermont.
Congregational Church in Topsfield, Massachusetts –
Photos by Michael Nebeker
The monument has been developed by the Mormon Historic Sites Foundation through the Chair, Kim Wilson. This 2020 project celebrates the 200th anniversary year of the First Vision and the 400th anniversary year of the Pilgrims landing at Plymouth Rock. The Smith Family Monument and plaza is a tribute to the Smith family who immigrated to Topsfield, Massachusetts. Five generations of Smith descents cherished the American dream and raised their families in the Topsfield community. They were actively involved in the Congregational Church and the community.
President M. Russell Ballard is excited about the project and he is planning to perform the dedication. The dedication will take place on Saturday, June 20th, 2020 at the Topsfield Fairgrounds Arena. It is an exciting time for descendants of Robert Smith, the first Smith to immigrate to this country, to come together and to celebrate and learn an amazing part of the Smith family history. Space at the dedication will be limited.
If you would like to participate please click this link.
Partially installed granite sections – Photos by Rick Cochran
The construction of the site has begun. Like the Joseph Smith Birthplace Memorial, Vermont granite is being used. The Topsfield Cemetery Commission approved a large plaza area encompassed by granite curbing, granite corner posts, the middle granite posts, four granite benches and decorative chain cordoning-off the plaza area. The new monument and the existing marker will be inside the curbed area with a long 300-foot handicapped accessible pathway from the parking area directly to the Smith Family Monument.
The approval of the project included a stipulation that the site work would begin in 2019. The polished granite memorial is expected to be installed by late March of 2020.
This photo was taken at the edge of the parking area looking towards the new Smith plaza and monument – Photo by Rick Cochran
Architectural rendering of the Smith Family Memorial
Mormon Historic Sites Foundation has asked that the family contribute toward the memorial. This is honoring the Smith family and we feel we should support it by contributing what you are able by pressing the green donate button and giving what you can.
This is a wonderful gift in honor of the Prophet’s birthday! It is exactly 214 years from his birth – Monday, December 23, 1805.
2018 Salt Lake City Memories
Reunion Links
2018 Smith Reunion Final Program
Thursday, August 2 – Registration – Meet and Greet
Friday, August 3 – Scholarship Presentation and
In Emma’s Footsteps Movie
Friday – Smith Family Devotional
Saturday, August 4 – Service Project and Devotional
Saturday – Smith Family Devotional
Sunday, August 5 – Music and the Spoken Word
Sunday – Music and the Spoken Word
Video Clips
Family Service Project – Sleep in Heavenly Peace – Bunk Beds
Be Part of the Smith Family History
Click above to view the podcast, Dreaming of a Heavenly Home by Dan Adams
The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family has been meeting together since 1972 and look how we have grown. We have the chance to experience and learn how our ancestors trials allowed them to glimpse eternity and have the strength to endure life with hope. Come be part of history.
Register by Saturday, July 21.
Links:
Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion History in Pictures
2018 Online Reunion Agenda
Order Reunion T-Shirts
Reunion Fact Sheet  (parking and building entrance instructions)
Our service project will take place right next to the Pioneer Pavilion #7 on the map.
Plan ahead to be part of our family photo. Leave early if you have trouble getting around and meet at Mary Fielding Smith’s Cabin # 47 on the map. You can walk there or take the train to the stop by #44 T by the Native American Village. It is a short walk from there. Just follow the directions on the path.
Link for: This Is The Place Heritage Park Map
The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is working with Sleep In Heavenly Peace for our summer’s service project.
Please click this Lehi Chapter link and fill out the Sleep In Heavenly Peace Release Form online to participate.
Or contribute by mail with checks or money orders to:
Joseph Smith Sr. Family Association
c/o Frances Orton
381 W 3700 N
Provo, UT 84604
Make a notation on the check: Sleep In Heavenly Peace.
Lucy Mack Smith Shawl
The Spring 2018 Smith Newsletter featured a Paisley shawl belonging to Lucy Mack Smith. These shawls were extremely popular in the early 1800s. The cone or almond shaped designs came from East Asia. Because so many shawls were produced in Paisley, England, the almond pattern came to be called a Paisley pattern.
Lucy’s black wool shawl is large enough to cover a bed or to be folded over and worn as a winter coat.
Pattern Activity
If you want to participate in this activity please sign up. This activity will cost $3.00 per white iron-on vinyl transfer (10.5 inches wide and 3.75 inches tall). You also need to provide and bring the fabric item you wish to place the Lucy Mack Smith Shawl Pattern on.
For those who are unable to build a bunk bed you can bring and donate solid colored pillowcases. We will provide a Smith greeting vinyl message to transfer on your donation.
Reunion News – April 27, 2018
Scholarship Contest
The Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is offering annual scholarships to college, high school and junior high students who are planning to attend college or similar institution.
Up to $1,000
Deadline is July 1, 2018
How learning about the values and sacrifices of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith’s family can help me and my family honor their legacy.
Applicants do not need to be Smith Family descendants to enter. For more details go to https://josephsmithsr.org/scholarship/.
Inside the Smith family home in 1818, which was their second home in Palmyra.
- The reconstruction is located on the site of the original.
- The eight witnesses saw the golden plates in a grove near the log home.
- Joseph’s first visit from Angel Moroni was here.
- Joseph lived here at the time of the First Vision which occurred in the woods behind the home.
“Dreaming of a Heavenly Homeâ€
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion
August 2-5, 2018
Reunion Registration Is Now Open!
Click on the above registration link or use: https://josephsmithsr.org/reunion/registration/.
You can look forward to:
- Thursday night registration will be held in the lobby of the Church Office Building.
- Friday morning, we will have a family gathering at the Conference Center’s Little Theater. The afternoon will be open for individual family groups to take tours and enjoy time together. In the evening we will have a family dinner in the lobby of the Conference Center. This is a unique opportunity to sit down and enjoy a meal together as one large happy family group. A devotional will be held after the dinner in the Conference Center’s Little Theater.
- Saturday, we will have our service project, family memorial and photo, and a picnic lunch at This Is The Place Heritage Park at 2601 East Sunnyside Ave. There will be free time in the afternoon to enjoy This Is The Place Heritage Park. Saturday evening, we have a family meeting in downtown Salt Lake at the Assembly Hall.
Then of course we will have our last gathering attending Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday.
The Spring Family Newsletter Is Here
We had an unfortunate mix up on the database and we are sorry for the confusion with the newsletter mailing. You may have received someone else’s name to your address. We apologize for the error. We hope you understand that we won’t be able to resend the newsletter.
The pattern used on the cover of the newsletter was taken from a shawl that belonged to Lucy Mack Smith under the design work of Danielle Maddox.
We have attached a copy of the Spring Newsletter to this email blast. You can also view this information here: https://josephsmithsr.org/newsletter/2010-2019/spring-2018/.
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association Is Working with Sleep In Heavenly Peace
The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is working with Sleep In Heavenly Peace for our summer’s service project. Sleep In Heavenly Peace was featured this month on a program called Returning The Favor. Please watch this clip https://www.facebook.com/ReturningTheFavor/videos/2020109721593621/ and see why their team stopped by Twin Falls, Idaho to meet Luke Mickelson who started Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization whose mission is to ensure that no child in their town ever has to sleep on the floor.
Click to donate toward our service project.
Or contribute by mail with checks or money orders to:
Joseph Smith Sr. Family Association
c/o Frances Orton
381 W 3700 N
Provo, UT 84604
Make a notation on the check: Sleep In Heavenly Peace.
Steve & Frances Orton
Steve: steve.ortonio@gmail.com
Frances: ortonfrances@gmail.com
c/o Steve and Frances Orton
381 West 3700 North
Provo UT 84604
Request for Musical Numbers
We are looking for musical numbers for Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at our Reunion.
If you have a musical number you would like to perform that would work
with our theme (Dreaming of a Heavenly Home), please contact
Frances Orton at ortonfrances@gmail.com.
Reunion News – March 31, 2018
- Dreaming of a Heavenly Home
- Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is Working with Sleep in Heavenly Peace
Dreaming of a Heavenly Home
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion
August 2-5, 2018
The Smith family home in 1818 which is their second home in Palmyra.
- The reconstruction is located on the site of the original.
- The eight witnesses saw the golden plates in a grove near the log home.
- Joseph’s first visit from Angel Moroni was here.
- Joseph lived here at the time of the First Vision which occurred in the woods behind the home.
We are looking forward to our upcoming reunion. Registration will open in April but you can start planning now.
You can look forward to:
- Thursday night registration will be held in the lobby of the Church Office Building.
- Friday morning, we will have a family gathering at the Conference Center’s Little Theater. The afternoon will be open for individual family groups to take tours and enjoy time together. In the evening we will have a family dinner in the lobby of the Conference Center. This is a unique opportunity to sit down and enjoy a meal together as one large happy family group. A devotional will be held afterward the dinner in the Conference Center’s Little Theater.
- Saturday will with have our service project, family memorial and photo, and a picnic lunch at This Is The Place Heritage Park at 2601 East Sunnyside Ave. There will be free time in the afternoon to enjoy This Is The Place Heritage Park. Saturday evening, we have a family meeting downtown Salt Lake at the Assembly Hall.
- Then of course we will have our last gathering attending Music and the Spoken Word on Sunday.
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is Working with Sleep in Heavenly Peace
The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is working with Sleep In Heavenly Peace for our summer’s service project. Sleep In Heavenly Peace was featured this month on a program called Returning The Favor. Please watch this clip https://www.facebook.com/ReturningTheFavor/videos/2020109721593621/ and see why their team stopped by Twin Falls, Idaho to meet Luke Mickelson who started Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization whose mission is to ensure that no child in their town ever has to sleep on the floor.
Click to donate toward our service project.
Or contribute by Mail with Checks or Money Orders to:
Joseph Smith Sr. Family Association
c/o Frances Orton
381 W 3700 N
Provo, UT 84604
Make a notation on the check: Sleep In Heavenly Peace.
Join host Mike Rowe as he travels the country in search of remarkable people making a difference in their communities. Returning the Favor gives back to those who pay it forward with humor, heart and surprise. Because one good turn deserves another.
Mike Rowe is an American actor primarily known as a television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel Series Dirty Jobs and the CNN series Somebody’s Gotta Do It.
Steve & Frances Orton
Steve: steve.ortonio@gmail.com
Frances: ortonfrances@gmail.com
c/o Steve and Frances Orton
381 West 3700 North
Provo UT 84604
Reunion News – February 27, 2018
- Dreaming of a Heavenly Home
- Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is Working with Sleep in Heavenly Peace
“Dreaming of a Heavenly Homeâ€
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion
August 2-5, 2018
The Smith family home in 1818 which is their second home in Palmyra.
- The reconstruction is located on the site of the original.
- The eight witnesses saw the golden plates in a grove near the log home.
- Joseph’s first visit from Angel Moroni was here.
- Joseph lived here at the time of the First Vision which occurred in the woods behind the home.
Dreaming of a Heavenly Home — 2018 Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion Theme
By Daniel Adams
Father and Mother Smith knew better than anyone what it meant to be refugees. But their trials had also allowed them to glimpse eternity. They saw their heavenly home and what their family could be, and this knowledge, like that of the saints before, gave them the strength to endure, to continue to dream of their heavenly home.
This year marks the 200th anniversary of Father and Mother Smith being driven from their home and having to rebuild once again, in a tiny log cabin in Palmyra, New York. Here, they would find a short refuge until they would be forced again to leave. Here, Father and Mother Smith would read the Bible to their children and plead for divine protection. Here, Joseph Sr. told his children of his remarkable dreams of the restoration. Here, Lucy would tell her children how God answered her desperate prayers in a grove of trees. Here, Joseph would read the invitation of the Apostle James and determine to ask of God what he should do. Here, the heavens would rend and the Angel Moroni would descend to reveal a mighty work and a wonder. Here, the family gathered nightly to hear Joseph recount his remarkable visions of the ancient inhabitants of this continent. Here, the Smith boys and girls grew strong in faith and work, believing that God was watching over their family. This place, more than any other, symbolized what can be ours — no matter the coming persecution, trials and difficulties — when we dream of our heavenly home.
On this 200th anniversary, the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith descendants have the opportunity to gather in Salt Lake and help current refugees that have been driven from their homes and lost all of their worldly possessions. We will be building bunk beds for refugee children and their families. We would like to give each family a history of the Smith Family and Smith embroidered blanket for each bed, so they might know that God is aware of them, that our family understands to some degree what it means to be refugees, and now with this gift, perhaps they too can dream of a heavenly home.
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is Working with Sleep in Heavenly Peace
The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is working with Sleep In Heavenly Peace for our summer’s service project. Sleep In Heavenly Peace was featured this month on a program called Returning The Favor. Please watch this clip https://www.facebook.com/ReturningTheFavor/videos/2020109721593621/ and see why their team stopped by Twin Falls, Idaho to meet Luke Mickelson who started Sleep in Heavenly Peace, an organization whose mission is to ensure that no child in their town ever has to sleep on the floor.
Click to donate toward our service project.
Or contribute by Mail with Checks or Money Orders to:
Joseph Smith Sr. Family Association
c/o Frances Orton
381 W 3700 N
Provo, UT 84604
Make a notation on the check: Sleep In Heavenly Peace.
Join host Mike Rowe as he travels the country in search of remarkable people making a difference in their communities. Returning the Favor gives back to those who pay it forward with humor, heart and surprise. Because one good turn deserves another.
Mike Rowe is an American actor primarily known as a television host and narrator. He is known for his work on the Discovery Channel Series Dirty Jobs and the CNN series Somebody’s Gotta Do It.
Steve & Frances Orton
Steve: steve.ortonio@gmail.com
Frances: ortonfrances@gmail.com
c/o Steve and Frances Orton
381 West 3700 North
Provo UT 84604
Reunion News – January 28, 2018
- Mark Your Calendars
- The Family Gathered in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Smith Family Cemetery Dedication
Mark Your Calendars
Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion
August 2-5, 2018
- The second home the Smith family lived in after moving to Palmyra.
- The reconstruction is located on the site of the original.
- The eight witnesses saw the golden plates in a grove near the log home.
- Joseph’s first visit from Angel Moroni was here.
- Joseph lived here at the time of the First Vision.
Two hundred years ago, the Smith Family had been driven from their home and had to relocate and rebuild in a new place. More than anyone, the Smiths knew what it meant to be homeless and refugees. We are helping build bunk beds for those down on their luck and refugees so they can sleep with more comfort, in memory of Joseph Sr. and Lucy pulling and building together in 1818.
What would you have given for our Father and Mother Smith to be able to sleep with a roof over their heads?
Today, 200 years later, we have an opportunity to help others with similar difficulty and have Joseph’s family and name known for good. In 2018, in conjunction with Sleep in Heavenly Peace, the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is honoring their sacrifice and endurance, by building beds for refugee families in the Salt Lake City, Utah area.
At this 200th Anniversary gathering, we will be donating and building bunk beds for refugee children.
Won’t you join us for this seminal event? With your family’s donation for a bunk bed, we can make a difference for hundreds of children, and just as our past gatherings, your good works and Joseph’s name will be broadcast to thousands.
You can learn more about Sleep in Heavenly Peace by watching these links:
Provo group donating beds to help others KSLcom
Watch for additional Family Association and Reunion details that will be coming soon.
Click to donate toward our service project.
(Photo: Lindsey Orton)
The Family Gathered in Honor of the 25th Anniversary of the Smith Family Cemetery Dedication
August 6, 2016
You can read more about the 2016 Nauvoo Reunion activities by going to http://josephsmithsr.org/2017/02/12/2016-nauvoo-memories/
During the program held at the cemetery, Elder Ballard said, “There is no one who has ever lived in my judgement, with the exception of the Savior, who is more entitled to rise up on the day of resurrection in a glorious and beautiful garden. I have always felt deeply that Joseph, Hyrum, Emma, and Father and Mother Smith, Samuel, Don Carlos and other family members will rejoice together on the day of resurrection. They all played important roles at an important time in our history.†Elder Ballard’s full address.
Lachlan Mackay is a member of Community of Christ Council of Twelve and a Trustee of the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Foundation. He shared some stories about Lewis C. Bidamon and how Emma met him during the time Lewis was fighting to protect the remaining Latter Day Saints in Nauvoo.
Lach said, “Here is what I appreciate most about Lewis. He was father and parent to the children of the prophet. For David he was the only father he ever knew. Of course, Emma was pregnant when Joseph was killed and David was born 5 ½ months after his father’s death. For raising those children, I will be eternally grateful.†Read more about finally marking Lewis’ grave.
Steve & Frances Orton
Steve: steve.ortonio@gmail.com
Frances: ortonfrances@gmail.com
Checks made out to: Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Organization
c/o Steve and Frances Orton
381 West 3700 North
Provo UT 84604
Website: http://josephsmithsr.org/reunion/
2016 Nauvoo Memories
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Bertha Madison Smith by Anina Luff
Sr. Family Report by Daniel Adams
Joseph for President by Susan Easton Black
Scholar discusses Joseph Smith – Church News – Susan Easton Black
Friday, August 5, 2016
Friday Morning Cemetery Service Project
Don Carlos Smith by Gracia Jones
Lewis C. Bidamon highlights by Gracia Jones
Saturday, August 6. 2016
Carthage Jail Morningside Photos
Carthage Jail – Program – Susan Easton Black
Death on a Thursday Afternoon by Richard Neitzel Holzapfel
Elder Ballard – Carthage Jail – Program
Cemetery 25th Anniversary Remembrance
Lachlan Mackay – Cemetery Talk
Family Devotional
Karl Anderson – Smith Family Devotional
Elder Ballard’s talk at the Smith Family Devotional
Saturday Afternoon Photo Memories
History of Foundation and Association by Karl Anderson and Daniel Larsen
Lach Mackay’s presentation on A Brief History of the Smith Family Cemetery
Sunday, August 7, 2016
Winter Quarters Fireside Photos
The Story of John Pidding Jones Missing the Boat by Ivor Jones