Author: gator

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http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/news/56686702-78/smith-joseph-family-church.html.csp

Family reunion • Hundreds of cousins related to LDS founder’s parents gather every other year.
BY BRIAN MAFFLY
THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE
PUBLISHED: AUGUST 3, 2013 07:59PM
UPDATED: AUGUST 3, 2013 09:57PM

Cramming several hundred people into a group photograph is no mean feat, but it’s a little easier when they are all cousins.

Descendants of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith, the parents of the LDS Church founder, gathered for their biennial family reunion at Salt Lake City’s This Is the Place Heritage Park this week for picnics, activities, conferences and catching up. On Saturday, at least 700 snuggled up close, kids in front, under the towering monument commemorating the Mormons’ 1847 arrival in the Salt Lake Valley.

“It’s the people. It’s the family,” said Gayle A. Miller, of East Millcreek, who has been traveling to the reunions for years. “It’s the relationships you make and keep with each other. I’ve seen people who remember me from years ago.”

Smith reunions are usually held in places like Nauvoo, Ill., Kirtland, Ohio, and other towns important in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

“It’s a real sacred and unique event,” said Derek Beck, of Kuna, Idaho, attending his first reunion with his four young children. “It gives us an opportunity to discuss the Smith family and what they have gone through and what they did to help the work of the church in these latter days.”

Like many attendees, Beck descended from Joseph Jr.’s other brother and early church leader Hyrum, whose own son Joseph F. Smith fathered 43 children. The two brothers died in 1844 at the hands of an anti-Mormon mob in Carthage, Ill. The murders helped spur the church’s migration west and eventual settlement in Utah under Brigham Young’s leadership.

Joseph Jr. had appointed his father the church’s presiding patriarch not long before his 1840 death in a log cabin built for him and Lucy in Nauvoo, Ill. Lucy did not join the westward exodus and remained in Nauvoo until her death in 1856. The cabin site is the subject of a new archaeological excavation, called IDigNauvoo. Researchers hope to learn more about the couple who played a key role in the birth of the LDS faith.

This year’s gathering of almost 900 is the biggest since the Smith reunions began in 1972.

“We’re hoping for a world record, but that would take 2,600. Eventually we’ll get there,” said Frances Orton, the reunion coordinator who lives in Provo. Setting the record is an easy possibility since the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association regularly communicates with 5,000 Smith descendants around the nation. The Smiths, who had 11 children, farmed in New York and Vermont during a period in American history marked by fervent religious revival.

Association officials believe there are 40,000 to 50,000 living descendants, and the association actively seeks them out.

“As we find them, our function is to help them understand what our family values are,” said Jared Glade, a volunteer from Syracuse who handles the organization’s websites. “They are intangible things, like caring about your family. One term they use is religiosity. It’s more than faith. Faith put into action.”

Activities Saturday included “Joseph’s Miracle Run” to raise money to endow a medical scholarship at Dartmouth College. The 1K kids’ run commemorates the 200th anniversary of Joseph Jr.’s recovery from a serious infection, thanks to Nathan Smith, the doctor who founded Dartmouth’s medical school.

“It’s our way to give back to him and to honor his generosity and being ahead of his time,” Glade said. At age 7, Joseph contracted typhoid fever that attacked his leg, and Dr. Smith treated the infection by surgically exposing the bone. Nathan Smith was not related to Joseph Sr. but one of his descendants, a Colorado physician, did attend the reunion.

The biennial gathering has been held in odd-numbered years, but it switches to even-numbered years in 2014, when it will be held in Independence, Mo. The reason for the switch is to time the 2020 gathering in Palmyra, N.Y., with the bicentennial of Joseph Jr.’s visions that gave rise to the LDS movement, according to Orton.

bmaffly@sltrib.com

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865583922/Descendants-of-Joseph-Smith-Sr-to-hold-miracle-run.html

By Carole Mikita , Deseret News
Published: Wednesday, July 31 2013 6:15 p.m. MDT

SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of people, mostly members of the Joseph Smith Sr. family, are preparing to gather for a special family reunion Saturday.

During the reunion, they will hold a 5K race to honor the work of a doctor who saved Joseph Smith Jr.’s life 200 years ago.

In 1813, at age 7, Joseph Smith Jr. suffered intense pain from typhus. The deadly infection spread first to his chest and then his leg. The infection, known today as osteomyelitis, was spreading. At the time, to save his life, amputation was considered.

“Young Joseph Smith was about to die,” said Daniel Adams, with the Joseph Smith Sr. Family Association. “Nathan Smith intervenes. He only lives a couple of miles away. He is the only man in America who even understands what’s going on and has the competency to do the surgery. That surgery that he performed was accepted as common practice more than 100 years later it was so advanced.”

Nathan Smith is the founder of Dartmouth Medical School. He pioneered the surgery to cut open the inner bone and leave it exposed while it gradually healed.

Members of the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association have held reunions since 1972. During the past several reunions, they did service projects.

This year, on the 200th anniversary of the experimental surgery that saved Joseph Smith Jr.’s life, the family is holding the Joseph’s Miracle Run at This Is the Place Heritage Park, 2601 E. Sunnyside Ave.

The 5K begins at 7 a.m. Saturday, with registration from 6 a.m. to 6:30 a.m. The children’s run is scheduled for 8:15 a.m., with registration between 6 and 7:45 a.m.

“This is a chance for us to give back and do a gift of gratitude for all that was done for our ancestor 200 years ago,” said Frances Orton, president of the family organization.

This year, they will create a scholarship to Dartmouth Medical School in honor of Nathan Smith.

“Through the process of this reunion, we’ve been able to come in contact with some of Dr. Nathan Smith’s family, and we have invited them to this reunion, so they will be there,” Orton said.

The Joseph Smith Sr. family has grown to more than 40,000 descendants. Ruth White and her 10-year-old son, Nathaniel, are among the thousands of descendants who live in Utah. White said she will participate in the Joseph’s Miracle Run.

“It struck a chord with me because the doctor that had operated on Joseph Smith and saved his leg, and possibly his life, had also co-founded Yale Medical School, where Nathaniel was born and where his life was saved,” she said.

Nathaniel was born with a rare condition called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which causes joint contractures and muscle atrophy. He needed a ventilator, then a trach tube when he was born. Surgery to lower his jaw followed. Doctors used a new technique to save his life.

“Nathan Smith, he saved my life,” Nathaniel said. “Joseph Smith’s injury was his leg, and my injury was my jaw.”

“I wanted to overcome my personal weakness and be able to run in the race as a way to give back to Dr. Smith, whose works lived on in my son,” Ruth White said.

The race is open to people of all faiths to raise money for the scholarship. The descendants are also hoping to find more family members.

For more information on the race, go to www.JosephsMiracleRun.com. For more information on the reunion, go to www.josephsmithsr.org.

Email: cmikita@deseretnews.com

http://www.ksl.com/?sid=26228944&nid=148&title=5k-run-to-honor-joseph-smiths-doctor&fm=home_page&s_cid=queue-1

By Carole Mikita

SALT LAKE CITY — Thousands of people, mostly members of the Joseph Smith, Sr. family, are preparing to gather for a special 5K race on Saturday. Money is being raised to pay tribute to a doctor who, 200 years ago, saved Joseph Smith, Jr.’s life.

They call this race Joseph’s Miracle Run.

In 1813, at age 8, Joseph Smith, Jr. — who founded The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints — underwent experimental surgery in his home to remove infected bone from his left leg.

Smith’s doctor, Nathan Smith, founded Dartmouth Medical School and co-founded Yale Medical School. Ten years ago, Nathaniel White was born at the Yale hospital. Surgeons used a new technique to save his life.

“Nathan Smith saved…my life,” said White. “Joseph Smith’s injury was in his leg and my injury was my jaw.”

Nathaniel was born with arthrogryposis multiplex congenita, which causes joint contractures and muscle atrophy. He needed a ventilator, then a trachea tube when he was born. Surgery to lower his jaw followed.

Ruth White, Nathaniel’s mother, wanted to support the doctor whose innovations paved the way for her son’s surgery. “I wanted to overcome my personal weakness and be able to run in the race as a way to give back to Dr. Smith, whose work lived on in my son.”

The Whites are members of the Joseph Smith Sr. Family foundation who gather every two years for a reunion and service project. This year they will create a scholarship to Dartmouth Medical School in honor of Dr. Nathan Smith.

http://ksl.com

http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/13037

By Meridian Magazine

The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association invites the public to join with them in Joseph’s Miracle Run this August 3rd at 7:00 a.m., at This is The Place Heritage Park in Salt Lake City (2600 East Sunnyside Avenue). The 5K Family Run will commemorate the 200th anniversary of seven-year-old Joseph Smith’s 1813 leg surgery.

Proceeds from the race will fund a scholarship in Joseph’s name at Dartmouth’s Geisel Medical School to honor Dr. Nathan Smith who performed the surgery that saved Joseph’s leg and likely his life.

In addition to the 5K miracle run, there will be a 1K run for children under twelve. As the children cross the finish line they will receive their medals from Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Council of the Twelve. They will also be filmed as the cross the finish line. Elder Ballard, who is a descendant of Hyrum Smith, said he is more than happy to award the medals to the children running in Joseph’s Miracle Run. “I am so proud of these kids for wanting to run and support Joseph,” he said.

Sarah Gudmunson, a member of the race logistics committee, said, “This race is for a great purpose—establishing Joseph’s name for good. It is also just going to be fun. There is nothing like crossing the finish line in a race and having a medal put around your neck. To have the kids receive their Joseph Smith medals from Elder Ballard will be will be nothing short of awesome. They will be filmed as they cross the finish line.”

That Elder Ballard will be at the race was great news for Tatum Brewer, one of the first registrants in the 1K run. Tatum is three and a half, and challenged the six year old age limit for the race. She won her cause. Tatum, who runs with her Mom, Amanda, and her aunts McCall Fagan and Tawni Packer, has already run two 1K races. “Tatum is pretty athletic,” her aunt McCall says, and she feels that she is six already.” Her Mom reports that “Tatum really wants that medal.” According to Tatum the whole thing is “cool.”

What will Tatum get for running the 1K?

A commemorative medal from Elder Ballard as she crosses the finish line
A commemorative Tee shirt
Parking for her folks at the park
An all day pass to enjoy all the amenities of the park
An opportunity to have Joseph Smith’s name known for good and also help a deserving medical student become a doctor

Come join Tatum at the race. We invite you to run in the 5K or the children’s 1K race, or to cheer, volunteer, or contribute. You will want to be part of this experience. We hope to see you at the race. Please take a minute and go to our website:

www.JosephsMiracleRun.com

http://www.ldsmag.com/article/1/13036

By Ruth White

Celebrate the 200th anniversary of Joseph Smith’s leg operation with a 5K run this weekend, August 3, at This is the Place Heritage Park. Details here. www.JosephsMiracleRun.com

“I will, mom! I’ll be your trainer.” My young son is the one lone voice that stands out among my unenthused family at my request for support in getting fit for the 5K, “Joseph’s Miracle Run”. The run commemorates the boy Joseph Smith’s miraculous leg surgery performed by Dr. Nathan Smith of Dartmouth Medical School 200 years ago. The surgery which saved Joseph’s leg and his life was before its time and not accepted as standard procedure for another 100 years.

So when my little Nathaniel offers his support a vision unfolds of our training. What this means is, that I will run down the road behind Nathaniel as I push his wheelchair. It is somehow very appropriate that Nathaniel and I join forces for the 5K to raise money for a scholarship as a gift of thanks for Dartmouth Medical School on behalf of Dr. Nathan Smith.

When I consider all that I have now as a result of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel, my faith, my ability to see the “big picture”, I am determined to overcome my own personal weakness and run. But with Nathaniel on my team the significance is greater. Not only did Dr. Nathan Smith found Dartmouth Medical School, but he also co-founded Yale Medical School, where Nathaniel’s life was saved when he was born there nearly 200 years after its founding.

This is my little Nathaniel—so full of personality; a joker, a tease, a notorious flirt since birth.

Ten years of age and my gift. Dr. Nathan Smith has affected my life in many ways and consequently, the “gift of gratitude” towards a scholarship has many layers of meaning for us. Nathaniel, who has been through so much physical adversity since his birth, and I, who have been with him through surgeries, therapy, pain and tears, train as I envisioned: me running and pushing, and Nathaniel waving to all he passes.

He shouts to the neighbors working in their gardens, “I’m training my mom!” It is definitely more difficult to run behind the wheelchair and I wonder if I can really do this for the race. But this has a lot of meaning for my little guy. He so wants to run. As we push forward together, I reflect on the greater journey of the miracle of Nathaniel’s life—the tenuous circumstances around his birth, a tracheostomy, ventilators, numerous surgeries—and in many ways I connect personally with Joseph Smith’s story.

My feet plod against the pavement rhythmically as I think back to a recent surgery on Nathaniel’s jaw which left screws in the bone. As parents, it was our responsibility to turn the screws which separated the bone fragments, forcing new bone growth. Nathaniel screams as I rotate the device which turns the screw in his jaw. He clenches, writhes, then sobs. But this is just one turn on the left side of his jaw. I must repeat it for the other side. “Are you ready for the next one?” I ask. “Just a minute” he pants, “Give me a minute to calm down.”

The tears stream down his face and run over the screws emerging at his ears, trickling down to the scars under his jawline. Finally, his breathing slows and willingly he submits to the ordeal again. Every day, twice a day, the routine lasts a month. My mind turns to young Joseph‘s surgery and while his agony was assuredly more intense, there is a certain similarity in the scenario. Joseph who willingly submits to the physical ordeal of surgery without anesthesia, as long as his father held him and my son willingly submitting to the agony inflicted at the hands of his parents. The shared experience of the pure and virtuous trust of the little child is heartbreaking to both parents. Nathaniel’s screams are searing. I can’t stop my ears because I must turn the screw, but in my mind I run to the same field beyond the cabin where Mother Smith has run to stop her ears from the same searing screams. We meet here. She knows the pain of my child’s piercing scream.

The road stretches on and Nathaniel points out that I have slowed down. I have to pick up my pace. He loves to feel the swift movement and the air passing his face—sensations he seldom experiences. Nathaniel has some mobility and can use a walker, but it’s not like the other boys. “I want to run. I want to jump!” he says often and sometimes in frustration, sometimes in longing. Again my mind turns to Joseph, recovering from the surgery that removed major portions of diseased bone from his leg. It would be years before he regained the ability to walk, or run, or jump.

Nathaniel sees the other boys and tries to join in their basketball games. They’re good kids and help him throw the ball. He leans on his walker and swings his legs attempting to gain speed. He struggles to keep up but, at best, he trails behind them. I see the image of Brother Joseph running, as he so often did, with the boys for sport, fun, competition—all the things that Nathaniel has a desire for. Joseph turns and kneels on one knee beckoning to the young straggler who clambers on his back. Then they’re up and off again as Joseph runs with his little friend mounted behind. But in this day, it’s my little guy who wants to be with the boys, who wants to run, to keep up, to be with the group. If Joseph were here, it’d be Nathaniel he’d hoist on his back, to feel the thrill of the race, the camaraderie of the pack and the joy of the finish.

Nathaniel and I continue our run. Cars pass, drivers wave. Cyclists give thumbs up. Pedestrians cheer. At first I believe all this commendation is for Nathaniel, who represents faith, miracles, strength in adversity. But suddenly, I realize it is for both of us, to keep it up, keep going, to keep on the journey. Truly he has been training me in more ways than he realizes. We may be slow but we press on together. I still wonder if I can push him for the entire 5k. But as I run along behind my son, we look with gratitude to those who came before. Thank you, Dr. Nathan Smith, your works have followed you and live in my son. Mother Smith, thank you for the times in the field. Thank you, Brother Joseph, for your enduring strength which shouldered the Restoration and gave me the faith to run my journey. And one last favor. When, we come to the race, carry my son. He so wants to run.

To run with Joseph, volunteer, or to help with the Gift of Gratitude for Dr. Smith, please visit:

www.JosephsMiracleRun.com

Or contact Vivian Adams
801-763-5612

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/north/highland/joseph-smith-run-connects-years-of-miracles/article_72e79d24-743e-568f-90ee-a7b6db5a2814.html

GENELLE PUGMIRE – DAILY HERALD
HIGHLAND — Every other day, 10 year-old Nathaniel White takes time away from his computer games, movies and other electronic devices, to take on his new role as coach for his mother — Ruth White plans to run while pushing her son in his wheelchair. White considers this one of the most important runs of her life — a run that connects 200 years of miracles.
On Aug. 3 descendants of the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family will hold Joseph’s Miracle Run Bicentennial 5K at This is the Place Heritage Park. This year marks the 200th anniversary of young 7-year-old Joseph Smith Jr.’s successful experimental leg surgery performed by Dr. Nathan Smith, founder of Dartmouth Medical School. He also co-founded Yale Medical School and the New Haven Children’s Hospital, where Ruth White was sent during her complicated pregnancy with Nathaniel.
“I felt a personal connection to Dr. Nathan Smith,” Ruth White said. “He was in the right place at the right time for Joseph. We were in the right place with Nathaniel. For us there is a spiritual connection with Dr. Smith and our family.”
The White family, who are direct descendants from Hyrum Smith, Joseph Jr.’s brother, aren’t the only ones with that spiritual connect. In the last two centuries, thousands of young LDS children have heard the story of the young boy Joseph, who would become the first prophet of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They have been taught about the miracle of Dr. Smith, but many may not know much of Dr. Smith, or what makes Joseph Sr.’s descendants connect across time.
Joseph’s miracle
A typhoid epidemic had cut a swath of disease and death across New England in 1812-13. All seven of Joseph Smith, Sr.’s children fell ill with it. Joseph Jr. suffered the greatest. A large sore was detected between Joseph’s breast and shoulder. When the doctor lanced it, it was recorded that “a full quart of matter” was discharge from it. Immediately, Joseph felt pain drive down his side and rest in the bone marrow in his leg. The bacteria had invaded the leg and Joseph could barely handle the pain.
After three weeks of unbelievable pain, a swollen leg and fever, the attending doctor made an incision in the leg hoping to provide some relief. This did not happen. Instead of healing, it got worse. The fever and bacteria became osteomyelitis, an infection of the bone.
A group of surgeons were summoned from Dartmouth Medical College just a few miles from the Smith family home. Dr. Nathan Smith was one of the surgeons. After examining the leg, it was determined amputation would be the only recourse. Joseph Jr. and his mother refused the amputation. However, there was one possibility. Dr. Nathan Smith, a young doctor, had developed an experimental surgery where he would cut through new bone growth and extract the infected bone. It was decided to try the procedure. During the surgery, nine large pieces of bone were extracted.
According to Ruth White, as she tells the family story, “after his surgery, the more painful part was the recovery, when shards of bone would work itself out of the leg,” White said. White noted there were 14 other pieces of infected bone that were worked out of the leg by members of the family taking turns massaging young Joseph’s leg. He was on crutches and could barely walk for nearly three years.
The removal of diseased bone rather than amputation was unheard of. It wasn’t until after World War I, more than a century later, that Dr. Smith’s surgical method was adopted as a medical procedure. The Smith family descendants consider this the first miracle of the Restoration.
Nathaniel’s miracle
“It is somehow very appropriate that Nathaniel and I join forces for the 5K to raise money for a scholarship as a gift of thanks for Dartmouth Medical School on behalf of Dr. Nathan Smith,” Ruth White said. “Not only did Dr. Nathan Smith found Dartmouth Medical School, but he also co-founded Yale Medical School, where Nathaniel’s life was saved when he was born there.”
In some written thoughts on her blog, Ruth White adds, “Nathaniel has been through so much physical adversity since his birth. It is definitely more difficult to run behind a wheelchair and I wonder if I can really do this for the race. He so wants to run. As we push forward together, I reflect on the greater journey of the miracle of Nathaniel’s life, the tenuous circumstances around his birth, a tracheostomy, ventilators, numerous surgeries, and in many ways, I connect personally with Joseph Smith’s story.”
As Ruth and Nathaniel White plod along the pavement, she thinks back to a recent surgery on Nathaniel’s jaw, which left screws in the bone.
“As parents, it was our responsibility to turn the screws which separated the bone fragments, forcing new bone growth,” she said.
She remembers in her blog, “Nathaniel screams as I rotate the device, which turns the screw in his jaw. He clenches, writhes, then sobs. But this is just one turn on the left side of his jaw. I must repeat it for the other side.”
Ruth White had to do this every day, twice a day for a month. “My mind turns to young Joseph’s surgery and while his agony was assuredly more intense, there is a certain similarity in the scenario.”
She adds in her notes, “Joseph, who willingly submits to the physical ordeal of surgery without anesthesia, as long as his father held him — and my son willingly submitting to the agony inflicted at the hands of his parents — that shared experience is heartbreaking. Nathaniel’s screams are searing. I can’t stop my ears because I must turn the screw, but in my mind I run to the same field beyond the cabin where Mother Smith had run to stop her ears from the same searing screams. We meet here. She knows the pain of my child’s piercing scream.”
The Miracle Run
Cars pass, drivers wave, cyclists give thumbs up and pedestrians cheer as Ruth and Nathaniel White continue their training for the Aug. 3 event. They, like approximately 40,000 descendants of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith, understand the passion behind the run to honor Dr. Nathan Smith. According to Ruth White, the Guinness Book of World Records will be there to record the world’s largest family reunion. While only a tenth of the descendants may be there, it doesn’t diminish the devotion they have for the good doctor.
“We are very excited about this run,” said Frances Orton, president of the family organization. “As part of this opening 5K run, the organization is seeking to raise enough funds to provide a gift of gratitude to assist an aspiring medical student at Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine in Joseph’s name. The annual scholarship will be a reminder of the charitable contributions of Dr. Nathan Smith.”
Members of the public are invited to join in the 5K, contribute to the scholarship fund, and enjoy the festivities at This is the Place Heritage Park. Admission is free. To register, volunteer or donate visit www.JosephsMiracleRun.com.