Author: gator

Carla Duke of Burlington, Iowa has invited the Joseph Smith Sr. family to contribute to a gravestone for Lucy Salisbury Duke Whalen. Lucy is the niece of Joseph Smith Jr., daughter of Joseph’s sister Katherine Salisbury. Lucy has been buried in an unmarked grave for 113 years.

To contribute, please write to:

Carla Duke
4363 Hunt Road
Burlington, Iowa 52601

Write checks to:
Lucy Salisbury Duke Whalen Cemetery Marker

by Ora Smith

One hundred and three descendants of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith gathered in Mesa, Arizona for a reunion on January 21st, 2006. This was the third such gathering of Arizona descendants since 2002. Family members were invited to bring with them old ancestral photos and histories, which were scanned and shared on a CD with everyone interested, which was mailed out later. Large wall charts showing family lineages were displayed. They were also fortunate enough to have some great guest speakers, such as the artist Glen S. Hopkinson who brought some of his original paintings and bust of Joseph Smith. In the evening they heard from Gracia and Ivor Jones, Mike Kennedy and Steven Orton, who all in some way or another shared the message of how important it is to gather as a family and get to know each other as well as to know our roots. They made us realize we need to go beyond meeting at reunions, and get to know each other in other ways. We need to be more involved in each others lives and take opportunities to get together more often.

If you are an Arizona descendant (or know someone who is) and you didn’t receive an invitation to the last reunion, please contact Hyrum and Ora Smith at hyora@cox.net.

On October 15, 2005, members of the Smith Family, Topsfield Historical Society, and the LDS New Hampshire Exeter Stake met to honor 5 generations of Smiths living in Topsfield, MA.

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, dedicated a monument at the Smith homestead. Bishop Rob Fitzgerald dedicated a marker at the Congregational Church where 5 generations of the Smiths worshiped. The audience met to connect the past, present, and future. Speaker Joseph Fielding McConkie, a Smith descendant and BYU professor, said that monuments “give meaning and purpose to all that we do.”

Now is the time to plan for next summer’s reunion in Salt Lake City on August 3, 4, and 5, 2007. We want to see all of our cousins! Pictures and stories about your cousins at the 2005 Ohio, New York, and Vermont Reunion are available at www.JosephSmithSr.org.

First missionary of the Restoration

The Samuel H. Smith family unveiled a statue of Samuel H. Smith on June 13, 2005, the 175th anniversary of his leaving on his first mission.

Over 200 descendants from 7 generations, and from each family line, gathered at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake to remember Samuel as “a common man, who did great things,” a man who was “faithful, honest, patient, devoted, and steadfast.” He was a “healer,” and “testifier,” with an “unwavering love of Jesus Christ and his church.”

Elder M. Russell Ballard and Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, (members of the LDS Twelve Apostles), were given small statues and plaques in appreciation for their support. Elder Ballard invited the children to help him unveil the statue. On September 11th, 2005, the statue was placed at the LDS Missionary Training Center in Provo, Utah.

Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith 18th Biennial Family Reunion, August 2005

By Frances Orton

[Editor’s Note: The journal of the August 2005 Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith 18th Biennial Family Re-union recounts their special experiences at the Kirtland temple and the divine assistance in completing their journey. Only the first page is printed here, but the complete text and photos can be accessed online at http://www.josephsmithsr.org.]

Monday, August 8, The Smith family group left Provo for Salt Lake City meeting the remainder of the group at west side of Temple Square. After the bus was loaded we began our journey. As we drove through Parley’s Canyon the bus began to experience difficulties. During our first rest stop Bryan and Steve were throwing the Frisbee and it went on the roof of the rest stop’s pavilion. Our driver, Walt Kolditz was not only able to get the bus rolling again but he used his ladder to retrieve the Frisbee. We made it through Wyoming and into the family’s first destination at the Best Western Stagecoach Inn in Ogallala, Nebraska. We arrived late at night and really appreciated the rest.

Tuesday, August 9, we boarded the bus early and continued through Nebraska and Iowa. Today Buddy shared a DVD that Eldred and Hortense made called, Witness the Restoration – Smith Family Artifacts and Their Story. It was nice to view this as a family group during our travels. We also listened to a CD of Carole Mikita’s radio interview of Buddy Youngreen about the history of the Smith family reunions. This interview was tapped on 8/2/05 and broadcast on 8/7/05 as part of her People of Faith on Utah’s new AM820. We pulled into the Davenport Fairfield Inn in Davenport, Iowa about 10:45 p.m. They allowed the pool to be open later for the bus group to go swimming.

Wednesday, August 10, we left the hotel at 8:00 a.m. Today we crossed Illinois and Indiana. We then stopped at the Cleveland airport to pick up cousins flying and driving in from various areas of the country. We drove to the Fairfield Inn in Willoughby, Ohio. Karl Anderson spoke to the family during the morning session in Kirtland.

Thursday, August 11, today we visited and toured the Kirtland Temple. We also enjoyed a stop at the Whitney Store, the Morley Farm, and the temple rock query.

Continued with additional photos and story at http://www.josephsmithsr.org.

Smiths get acquainted in Salt Lake City and Australia

By Julie Maddox
August 2005 marks the first world-wide reunion of the Joseph Smith Jr. Family. The descendants gathered in Salt Lake City (Aug 5-7) and in Australia (Sep 2-4) to celebrate Joseph’s 200th birthday. They toured historical sights, saw documents and artifacts written by and belonging to Joseph and Emma and received copies of some of these. They learned about Joseph Smith, found their names on a 17 foot genealogical chart, and had their pictures taken with Joseph and Emma.

They mingled, ate Emma’s raisin oatmeal cookies, and learned of Joseph’s ancestors. The youth made a movie about Palmyra, and the children danced, played and laughed. The cousins in Salt Lake attended a “Joseph Smith Spectacular” — a highlight for many as they saw the love and respect thousands had for their ancestor by giving his descendants a standing ovation.

In Carlingford, Australia, cousins learned of their Australian heritage through Ina Inez Smith and Sydney Wright, learned of Joseph Smith and were honored to hear of Joseph Smith’s contributions by Mr. Dennis Clark from the NSW Australian Parliament.

But perhaps the most significant event was the vote taken at the conclusion of both the Salt Lake and Australia reunions: the cousins’ unanimous decision to hold reunions every other year. Australian cousins want to see places their ancestors lived, so the 2007 reunion will take place in Nauvoo.
Cousins can see photos and get information at the family website: www.JosephSmithJr.com.

The web site will provide ongoing information about Joseph and Emma, their ancestry and posterity, keep their genealogical histories accurate and current, and receive information about the 2007 Joseph Smith Jr. Reunion.

We need your help to maintain Emma’s request

By Lachlan MacKay

“Joseph I should like if you are willing to extend that fence so as to enclose the graves of your two little brothers.

“I have got twenty five dollars that no one has any right to but myself, . . . I feel anxious to apply that money on that graveyard, after I have done that I think I can ask our Smith relatives to help mark Fathers and Mothers graves if no more.”
–Emma to Joseph III, 1867

Smith descendants joined together in the early 1990s to beautify the family cemetery in Nauvoo, Illinois. We were inspired by the above passage in an 1867 letter from Emma Smith Bidamon to her son, Joseph Smith III. The family raised funds to place a new stone monument for Joseph, Hyrum, and Emma Smith and to install brick walks, lights, benches, a new fence, and new interpretive information. Trees, grass, and flowers were planted. The newly beautified cemetery was dedicated on August 4, 1991. Cousins continued to work together in 2002 to locate and mark the graves of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, just as Emma had hoped 135 years earlier.

Life in 1840s Nauvoo was sometimes made miserable by hot, humid, bug filled summers and winters cold enough to paralyze the mighty Mississippi. Much has changed in Nauvoo since our ancestors left, but the extremely harsh conditions have stayed the same, and they have taken a toll on the work we did almost fifteen years ago.

We need to make major repairs and improvements to the cemetery. Damaged brick walkways are becoming a hazard and need to be dug up and replaced. The original lighting fixtures and lamps that illuminate the path must also be replaced. A combination of tens of thousands of visitors and the driest summer in recorded history have damaged the lawn and left large areas in need of reseeding. We need to rebuild and replant the two existing flower berms and install a concrete footer and brick borders around them. The flowerbeds surrounding the monument require landscaping and replanting as well. The irrigation system needs to be upgraded and rotten fencing must be replaced.

It is time, once again, to call on the “Smith relatives” for help. These major improvements are expected to cost over ten thousand dollars. Your donations are needed to continue to maintain the family cemetery in an appropriate fashion and in so doing, to better preserve the legacy of those who have gone before.

We could use the expertise of a professional bricklayer. If anyone is available they should contact Lachlan at lachlanmackay@gmail.com or by phone at (440) 256-2719.

Please send your tax deductible gifts for refurbishing the cemetery to:

The Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Foundation
c/o Craig Frogley
10763 S 2000 E
Sandy UT 84092

The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Foundation Newsletter
http://www.josephsmithsr.org

HYRUM- LIVING
-Lovina DonnaLee Frogley 435-757-7554 1,691
-John Sam Isom 801-771-6911 863
-Joseph F. Mary Donoho 801-546-4707 4,593
-Jerusha Ben Donoho 801-546-4707 593
-Martha Ann Carole King 435 673-4303 3,348
-Sarah LaRene Gaunt 801-572-0169
Debbie Nelson 801-302-8855 1,218
JOSEPH Jr- Michael Kennedy 801-756-1091 894
SAMUEL Robert Smith 801-489-7589 497
WILLIAM Graci a Jones 435-673-2165 93
CATHERINE Marge Porter 801-876-3265 468
LUCY Gracia Jones 801-595-8131 68