https://www.byutv.org/player/9c7d3293-fd51-4f7b-b1df-ece04151f831/americas-sacred-ground-kirtland
Kirtland Docudrama: ‘America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland,’ set to premiere Sept. 24
By Chad Felton, The News-Herald
An hour long docudrama is set to debut about the area where The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was headquartered from 1831 to 1838, after being formally organized in western New York.
The film, “America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland,†produced by BYUtv, will premiere at 6 p.m., Sept. 24, at the Kirtland LDS Stake Center at 7866 Kirtland-Chardon Road in Willoughby. The event is free and open to the public.
The film, which will also stream live from the BYUtv website, will also include the story of the events surrounding the construction and dedication of the Kirtland Temple.
The docudrama’s director, Russ Holt, believes not many towns have a history compared to Kirtland’s, and he knows there was no better location to air the film.
“It’s very appropriate, as people from all over the United States and Canada uprooted to Kirtland because they wanted to be taught by who they believed to be a man of God,†Holt said, referring to Joseph Smith, founder of Mormonism and the Latter-Day Saint movement. “We thought it important to tell this story of the early 1800s. It’s one of the most important stories ever told. That’s why we decided to make this film.â€
Holt, who also wrote the film, first came to Kirtland as a college student.
“It was a privilege to come here and film where these great events took place, and I’ve considered it a privilege to visit every time over the years,†he said. “The (Kirtland) Temple itself is a massive building. Filming inside was a unique opportunity. It’s a marvel that it’s still there. The people then were quite poor, and they sacrificed a lot to build it.â€
“America’s Sacred Ground: Kirtland†was financed by BYUtv and several donors who felt strongly about the project, according to Holt.
“We worked on it for over a year,†he said. “It’s been an exhilarating and inspiring project to conduct the research on the site. We felt it essential to be accurate and tell the story correctly. We are grateful to the Community of Christ, and the many residents who helped us as extras and in other capacities, to make this film a reality.â€
Holt and Kirtland historian/consultant Karl Anderson will both speak at the premiere.
The film will then be shown worldwide, on BYUtv, Oct. 1, between general conference sessions from 2 to 4 p.m.
This story has been corrected to show that the docudrama will premiere Saturday Sept. 24, not Sept. 17.
10 Interesting Facts About Emma Smith
by Aleah Ingram
Emma Smith is one of the most fascinating characters of the Restoration. She is remembered for her unrelenting strength and ability to overcome hardships. On the anniversary of her birth, which took place on July 10, 1804, in Harmony, Pennsylvania, here are ten interesting facts you may not have known about Emma Smith.
ONE. Emma wasn’t planning on eloping. In 1827, Emma was visiting a Mr. Stowell and his family in New York. She saw Joseph there, who she had been courting for seventeen months. She would write : “I had no intention of marrying when I left home; but, during my visit at Mr. Stowell’s [Joseph]…urged me to marry him, and preferring to marry him to any other man I knew, I consented.â€
TWO. The angel Moroni told Joseph he would receive the gold plates and other hidden items in September if he brought with him the right person. After looking into the seer stone, Joseph discovered the right person was “Emma Hale.†Nine months after their marriage, Emma drove the wagon to the Hill Cumorah and waited while Joseph gathered the plates.
THREE. Emma toiled thousands of extra hours so that Joseph had the time to accomplish of the work of the Lord.
FOUR. Emma was considered an herb doctor and often went among the sick to administer medicine.
FIVE. Joseph and Emma were distant cousins. Both had ancestors on the Mayflower.
SIX. Emma opposed using the word “benevolent†in the name of the newly founded women’s society, as suggested by Joseph Smith and Elder John Taylor. Benevolent was a popular word for women’s societies of the day and Emma did not want the church’s women’s society to be associated with the world. After discussion, it was decided that the society would be called the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo.
SEVEN. The current hymnbook of the Church has twenty-six of the hymns that appeared in Emma’s 1835 hymnal, which she compiled after revelation from the Lord.
EIGHT. Emma had a beautiful soprano voice. Records state she often sang obbligato parts in choral groups and filled the Smith home with sweet music.
NINE. Brigham Young sent money to Emma through a Church attorney to pay off the debts of Joseph Smith and the Church in Nauvoo. The attorney, Almon Babbit, kept all the money for himself and neither Brigham nor Emma ever knew.
TENTH. Emma saw Jesus Christ and Joseph in a dream before her death.
Road to Carthage Marathon
I am helping to publicize and promote a marathon run that honors the memory of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. It is being held on May 27th this year, which is Memorial day weekend. The run starts in Nauvoo, and ends in Carthage.
Would you be able to help us get the word out about this marathon through your website or an email to Smith family members?
For more information, you can look at our website, which is:
https://www.roadtocarthagemarathon.com. It will give you the details of the entire weekend of plans for the race.
If you have any questions, please let me know.
Sincerely,
Judy Chauncey
Media Relations Specialist
Road to Carthage Marathon
760-681-0925
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845
http://www.josephsmithpapers.org/paper-summary/lucy-mack-smith-history-1844-1845/1
Source Note
Lucy Mack Smith, History, 1844–1845; handwriting of Martha Jane Knowlton Coray and Howard Coray; 240 pages, with miscellaneous inserted pages; CHL.
Note: Lucy Mack Smith, the mother of Joseph Smith, dictated this rough draft version of her history to Martha Jane Knowlton Coray (with some additional scribal help from Martha’s husband, Howard) beginning in 1844 and concluding in 1845. In 1845, the Corays inscribed a fair copy of the history under Lucy’s direction.
The Serialization of Lucy Mack Smith’s History of Her Son
https://ldsmag.com/lucymacksmith/
The following is a chronological listing of each of the published chapters of The Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother.  Please click on any chapter or section to read or reread it, or to catch any you have missed.
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
Elder M. Russell Ballard lays wreath in Nauvoo cemetery
NAUVOO, ILL.
Two apostles — Elder M. Russell Ballard of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Elder Lachlan Mackay of the Community of Christ (both descendants of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith) — met with more than 400 cousins in Nauvoo, Illinois, on Aug. 6 to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the Smith families coming together to beautify, enlarge, landscape and increase access to the Smith Family Cemetery.
Elder Mackay, a great-great-great-grandson of the Prophet Joseph Smith, and Elder Ballard, a great-great-grandson of the Prophet’s brother Hyrum, laid wreaths on the graves of Joseph Smith Sr., Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph Smith, Emma Hale Smith and Hyrum Smith. They were assisted by Anina Luff, Elder Mackay’s mother; and Katie Clayton, one of Elder Ballard’s granddaughters. Elder Ballard said that two of Joseph’s other brothers, Don Carlos Smith and Samuel Smith, are buried in the cemetery but the exact location of their graves isn’t known.
During the ceremony, the family also placed a marker to honor Lewis C. Bidamon, Emma’s second husband and the last to be buried in the cemetery. Elder Mackay spoke of Bidamon’s welcoming generosity, his humor and his caring of Emma’s sons. “For raising [Joseph Smith Jr.’s] children I will be eternally grateful. I am just thrilled we are finally able to mark Lewis’ grave,” Elder Mackay said.
Continue reading “Elder M. Russell Ballard lays wreath in Nauvoo cemetery”
Reunion News – July 24, 2016
Make sure you attend the kickoff meeting on Thursday evening and the rest of the activities on Friday and Saturday. Press this link for: Online Reunion Agenda
Reunion Registration
Registration for the Nauvoo Reunion is still online. The cost is $35 per person. Go to: Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunion Registration.
Order T-shirt for the Reunion
Order T-shirts by July 18th. For questions about the shirts, contact Debbie Nelson or call her at 801-360-9929.