Joseph Smith, Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Organization

Elder Ballard
Recorded Remarks from the August 2011 Family Reunion

I am sorry that I am not there in Kirtland with all of you Smith cousins, but we have the quarterly meeting of the Quorum of the Twelve on the same time that you are meeting there in Kirtland.

I did want to express my deep love for each of you and thank all of you for what you are doing and [for] honoring the name of Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith.

This Foundation has done some wonderful work when we consider how it came about. When we wanted to beautify the cemetery in Nauvoo it just kind of came together with the wonderful support of Wallace Smith and now the Community of Church of Christ along with the family members to organize the Joseph Smith Sr. / Lucy Mack Smith Foundation. We have done a wonderful work over the years. The cemetery, I think, is a credit to all of the family members that have participated in helping to beautify it.

I recall the day that I was informed that a letter had been found in the history—Historical Department– actually, of the Community of Christ Church where Emma had written in her own hand a letter, I think it was to Joseph Smith the III, and in it, it said, “Here is $20.00. It is all mine. Please use it to beautify the cemetery where Father and Mother Smith lie.” That one letter that surfaced bound the whole family together and for all of these years we have worked together and we’ve tried to accomplish many, many good things. We have done, in my judgment, a great work in getting each of the family members, the Hyrum Smith, the Joseph Smith Jr., all of the other children, Samuel Smith, and so forth– all of you now have got your own family organizations and you are getting acquainted with each other and you are learning to know who your cousins are and I think all of this effort of trying to keep the family together and to reach out to family members, wherever they may be– all over the world now—has to be a great sense of pleasure and joy on the part of Father and Mother Smith.

I want you to do all you can to continue to encourage the youth of the family. I have great concern about the children today not only in our family but in the Church. If we are not careful we could lose the sense of what our roots are, who our forefathers are, what marvelous price, what a tremendous price they were willing to pay in order to bring about the fulness of the gospel on the earth again and a restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

We work hard out here in the West now, we’ve got some work going on at the Heritage Park — This is the Place Heritage Park, up in Salt Lake City–with the same effort to try to have everybody remember how the valley was, here in the Salt Lake, was settled. It was settled because our forefathers, and particularly the Prophet Joseph Smith, had the remarkable experience, which is true, of kneeling in the presence of the Father and the Son, and the fulness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through him, and those forefathers of ours who were the pioneers of yesterday who made the effort to build the Church from New York to the Salt Lake Valley, going through challenges and difficulties that are hard to express–we must never ever lose the sense of appreciation and gratitude for those who have laid this great work and have given us so much. Therefore, I am so anxious to see that the young children in the Smith family participate in the individual family organizations and ultimately in the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Foundation so that they will be taught by parents and grand parents what it means to be a member of the Smith family and what it means to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

So my charge to you and encouragement to you this morning is carry on the great work that you are doing, the wonderful work you are doing in family history, the great work that you are doing in the temples taking care of those family members who have not yet had the opportunity to hear the gospel and yet you are doing the proxy work for them in the temples. That’s a wonderful thing and I encourage you for it and thank you for it. It’s a wonderful thing that you are writing your histories and you are seeking the personal histories of your own family members. The more we can know about those wonderful forefathers of ours the more we can reverence and appreciate who they are and what they have given to us the stronger we are going to be as a family.

One of the things that I think is so very important is that we realize that in order for this organization to prosper and to continue to be able to reach out we ought to all not hesitate to participate in paying the dues. They’re very modest and all of us should find it an honor to be able to help to support the work of the Foundation. So I encourage you all to think about that and to be generous as we possibly can so the work can go on year after year touching the lives more and more of our family members.

I suppose many of you are also already members of the John Lathrop Family Foundation. I find it a great pleasure to receive the letters, the quarterly letter from the Lathrop Family Foundation and learn more and more about our heritage clear back to John Lathrop, and that’s the thing that we want to see that gets– continues to go forward in the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Foundation.

So I hope that you have a wonderful experience together. I hope that you find great joy in being involved and volunteering to participate on the various committees. You will be talking about those during your seminar back there or your family reunion back there. Find things that you can do to participate in to help to strengthen and make the foundation ever stronger, and all of that makes the family ever stronger.

I suppose that there will not be anything that will be more thrilling for anyone of us when that day comes when we pass from this world into the next to be able to hopefully be embraced by Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack and to our forefathers, our grandfathers, in my case, Hyrum and Mary Fielding, and have them say to us, “Thank you, thank you, for keeping the cemetery beautiful, thank you for seeking out the family members and building unity and love and strength within our family,” because when all is said and done families can be together forever in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And that’s one of the great quests that all of us have is to build this family unity so that we will stand together in that day when we will all be together in the presence of our wonderful great, great grandparents, and others of our family members that we love.

I have asked our Heavenly Father to bless each and every one of you. Through the holy apostleship vested in me, I ask Heavenly Father to watch over and bless each of you, dear cousins, and your families [that] you may be protected, [that] you may have a wonderful time together and that the gospel of Jesus Christ will continue to be a most precious and important part of your lives.

I, of course, will leave you my testimony that Jesus is the Christ, he is the Son of God, this is his Church. We are all on his errand. There is a great work that we must accomplish in his holy name and may we be blessed to so do is my humble prayer in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

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By Mike Kennedy

“Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it” (D&C 135:3). I used to wonder in my early days of membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, since Joseph Smith has done so much for the salvation of men in this world and taught such doctrine about the eternal preservation of the family, why he did not have all of his own family sealed to him?

Joseph Smith and his beloved wife, Emma, saw a terrifying revelation, given five years before, come true at Carthage in a most horrifying way, severely impacting his family: “If thou art accused with all manner of false accusations; if thine enemies fall upon thee; if they tear thee from the society of thy father and mother and brethren and sisters; and if with a drawn sword thine enemies tear thee from the bosom of thy wife, and of thine offspring, and thine elder son, although but six years of age, shall cling to thy garments, and shall say, My father, my father, why can’t you stay with us? O, my father, what are the men going to do with you? And if then he shall be thrust from thee by the sword, and thou be dragged to prison, and thine enemies prowl around thee like wolves for the blood of the lamb…” (D&C 122:6).

It makes sense that a loving God would have a plan that would recover the family of Joseph and Emma, honor the sacrifices made, and fulfill Joseph’s petition that his family would come to “be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou art God” (D&C 109:70). I did not know then that the Lord did have a plan, nor that I would be a big part of that effort.

My name is Michael Allan Kennedy, and I was raised in a small mining town in central Nevada. Tonopah is located about halfway between Las Vegas or Reno, a bit over a four hour drive in either direction. In addition to mining, Tonopah relies on government operations such as the Tonopah Test Range for Nuclear Testing, bombing operations for the new F-117 Nighthawk, and Area 51, which is nearby. The military likes isolation and Tonopah is isolated.

In my growing years, I was also isolated from both the LDS and the RLDS churches. I never heard of either church or even the word “Mormon”. The first time I heard “LDS” I thought it was some discussion about “LSD”. Joseph Smith was never part of any of our family discussions during my life until about halfway through my junior year in high school. My mother and father did not participate in any formal religious organization, but we were raised understanding and believing in a divine supreme being and were raised with confidence that such a being did exist.

During a cold wintery afternoon in my American history class, Miss Glass, our teacher, felt her students would have a greater appreciation for the development of our country if we knew, in addition to the founding fathers and other historical characters, how our own ancestors were involved in the development of our nation. By the end of the class period we received an assignment to research during the next two weeks our own family history. Using our research we were to create a pedigree chart, select someone from that chart, and prepare both a written and an oral report on that ancestor. This report was to show how this person, by our own interpretation, helped with the development of America.

Taking this assignment home I asked my father for some help. He told me there were three individuals he felt had something to do with American history in our family lines and named them off: Orville and Wilber Wright, Jonathan Swift, and some ambiguous person by the name of Joseph Smith.” I asked my dad who he was, and was informed, “He is the founder of the Mormons!”

“Who are they?” I asked. “The Mormons founded Utah,” said my dad. Well, that sounded very “American History” to me so I selected him. My dad left the room indicating he would be right back with the help I needed. Within a few minutes he returned with a box and told me that everything I needed to complete my assignment I would find in this box.

My father told me that he grew up never really knowing his family. He explained that his father, Roger Alexander Kennedy, was killed about a year after he was born and he was raised by a step father who was very abusive. Sometime after my father turned 17, he joined the Army which required a birth certificate. That was when my father first learned that the man he called father was not really his father: “I was raised with the name Roger Allan Butler and never liked the name Roger so all my friends called me Al Butler.” My father started in the military with that name and during his service in the Korean War it was changed to R. Allan Kennedy.

The military shipped my father off to serve in the Korean War. Dad told me of several unique experiences during the War when he felt a higher power watching out for him and preserving him. Because of these experiences he felt he wanted to know a little more about his true heritage, so he contacted his favorite aunt, Glenna Henderson, who lived in Independence, Missouri. At the end of the war after my father was discharged, he visited with Aunt Glenna, and she gave him this box of records.

After explaining, my father left the room and I took the box over to the table and began going through its contents by sorting it on the table. I pulled out a picture of Emma Hale Smith, wife of the Prophet, then another one of Lucy Mack Smith, Joseph’s mother. I also found a journal of Alexander Hale Smith, Joseph’s son, and other documents and artifacts. As I was extracting the material from the box, the doorbell rang. Being the closest to the door, I answered it.

At the door were two young gentlemen, slightly older than me, well-dressed, with name tags indicating that they both had the same first name, “Elder”. One of them said, “Hello, I’m Elder Archibald, and we have a message for the head of the household.” I brought them in and called for my dad.

As we were waiting for my father to arrive, these young men glanced at the artifacts on the table and noticed the pictures. The two elders stared at each other for about a minute and then Elder Scott asked me what these items were. I told them that I was working on a school homework assignment involving one of our ancestors, whose name was Joseph Smith, and who founded the Mormon Church.

How was I to know that the “Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints” which was on their name tags and “the Mormons” were the same thing! It was obvious these young men were very excited.

They gave me all six discussions in the next ten minutes. This brought the rest of the family down: my mother and three brothers.

As these Elders explained who they were, my father arrived and informed them he was a second great grandson of Joseph Smith and I was Joseph’s third great grandson. The Elders indicated they had some “discussions,” and would like to come back next week, since they would help me with my homework assignment. My father agreed, and every Tuesday at 7:00pm these Elders came and gave us the discussions.

However, after the first two discussions I noticed this was getting rather religious, and decided I did not wish to participate any further since I had a bad experience with another religion a year earlier.

Since that time I have developed a great testimony that our Father in Heaven is a master of choreography. What I did not know then, and learned many years later, was that these missionaries were tracting out Tonopah on a limited eight week “test” mission. At that time, The Church only had enough missionaries for larger communities such as Reno, Sparks, Carson City, Fallon, Las Vegas, etc.; not enough to assign to small towns.

Today, I’m the president of the Joseph Smith and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society founded in 2006. One of the JSEHS projects was producing the movie, “Emma Smith, My Story.” In the process, I was introduced to McClain Bybee, of LDS Philanthropies. As we got to know each other, I learned he served as a councilor in the mission presidency of that mission during the same time the missionaries came to our door. Brother Bybee informed me those missionaries were testing to see how well or receptive the area would be to the missionaries; if not, they would close that part of the mission down. At the end of the eight weeks, the missionaries had to return to Fallon, Nevada to continue the rest of their mission, as the test was not very productive. During this eight week period there were only two families in Tonopah who agreed to take the missionary discussions – my family was one, and the other family was the Gene Dodge family whose daughter, Darcy, is now my wife.

Darcy was a golden contact, anxious to be baptized. She accepted the gospel literally the first time the missionaries came to her home. As the missionaries pleaded with Darcy to wait until the sixth discussion before committing to baptism, they asked her if she knew Mike Kennedy. She did, and they told her, “He keeps ditching out of the lessons, is there anything you can do?”

Before, as I believe was choreographed by the Lord, and previous to the visit of these Elders to either of our homes, Darcy and I were elected to be leaders of the High School newspaper. I was elected President and Darcy was made a reporter, so we knew each other from this association.

Darcy knew my mother through work and had a conversation with her, after which I was not allowed to “ditch out” on the lessons anymore. I came up with another idea, following that old adage, “If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.” I decided to tell the missionaries I would get baptized but not until after I graduated from high school. If they were still interested they would come back in a year to baptize me. (They did). I figured if I waited to get baptized then, that after my baptism I would leave for college and never see the missionaries again, and I could continue with the rest of my life. The missionaries could go their way, telling anyone they wanted that they baptized me, and they would go away happy. Everyone would be happy.

The next heaven-choreographed event, which I also did not know about until years later, occurred after my baptism. My father called his aunt, Glenna Henderson, who was the same aunt that gave us the box. She had collected all the artifacts that were handed down from one generation to the next since Emma, retrieving them from various families. She had given them to my father some twenty years earlier. My father told Aunt Glenna about my baptism. Coincidently, at that very moment, Buddy Youngreen, who had been assigned by President Harold B. Lee to find descendants of Joseph Smith and Lucy, was visiting with Aunt Glenna. Buddy, after hearing about my baptism, thought he ought to mention it to President Lee once he returned back to Salt Lake City; and so he did.

After hearing Buddy’s report, President Lee asked, “Buddy, where is this young man? I would like to meet him.” Buddy responded, “President, he’s currently attending college at his father’s Alma Matter and believes he has gotten far away from all the Mormons.”

President Lee responded, “Oh! Where is that?” Buddy told him, “In Cedar City!” President Lee then asked Buddy to visit me and ask me to go to Salt Lake to meet with him.

Buddy came to my apartment and knocked on my door at 2:00am. My father was part of central Nevada’s Search and Rescue program, and we grew up knowing that if someone came to your door at that hour something bad had happened. When I opened the door, I found a stranger, dressed in Sunday clothes. He informed me that President Harold B. Lee would like to meet with me.

I was greatly troubled by this. I had only been a member of the Church a little over thirty days. I wondered what I had done wrong that got the attention of the President of the Church. Nevertheless, I agreed to go, and a few days later I climbed into Buddy’s car and we began the trip to Salt Lake.

After the usual formalities were completed with President Lee, he asked: “Brother Kennedy, as the third great grandson of our beloved Prophet Joseph Smith, tell me what you know of him?”

All I knew about Joseph Smith was the report I gave in high school. I figured it was pretty good since I got an ‘A’, so recalling it from memory I explained to President Lee how Joseph Smith discovered the State of Utah. I did not get too far into this explanation when President Lee interrupted and asked me if I would mind waiting for just a minute, because he had someone he would like me to meet; and he left.

A few minutes later, he came back, and in tow was this new apostle. I was introduced to Elder Bruce R. McConkie. President Lee said, “Elder, this young man is the third great grandson of the Prophet Joseph Smith, a literal descendant, and he has been explaining to me how Joseph Smith discovered the state of Utah. What are your impressions?” Elder McConkie replied, “President, I think we have a problem!” President Lee went on, “Elder McConkie would you mind spending a little time with this young man and help him with this problem”.

I then went through more discussions, not the kind I felt comfortable to ditch. Today I cherish the insights, teachings, and counsel he gave me that have guided me and always stayed with me.

At that time, however, I had different reason to go to Salt Lake.

Salt Lake City is half way between Cedar City, UT and Rexburg, ID where my girlfriend, Darcy, elected to go to college. By this time, I was falling in love with her but I was confused with lack of what appeared to be reciprocal feelings because of all the “Dear John” letters she had been sending me, making me very confused. Since half the trip was already covered, I took a Trailways bus the rest of the way to Rexburg to talk to Darcy face to face and find out if we could work things out. As I got off the bus, instead of a hand shake I got a “big” hug. I left, believing an opportunity was still possible. Darcy introduced me to her roommates, who had convinced her that the best person to marry was a returned missionary. I did not qualify. All of them told me that I had to serve a mission first, and that I had made some commitment to serve a two-year mission. I kept telling them I made no such commitment, but it did not seem to matter. I was determined when I returned back to my apartment in Cedar City to prove them wrong.

After I returned to my apartment, I searched through all my belongings and finally found my baptismal certificate. Sure enough, I was right. Nowhere on the certificate was any mention of a commitment to serve a two-year mission. To add additional validation, I called my bishop and made an appointment with him to discuss serving a mission.

He readily invited me to meet with him, and so I did the following Sunday. I told him about the conversation with my girlfriend and her roommates. He simply responded, “Brother Kennedy, you made this commitment before you were even born!”

He really did not want to know what I was thinking about the Church after that remark, but eventually the conversation came to this question, “Brother Kennedy, if you were to know that the Lord wanted you to serve a two-year mission would you serve.”

I told him if I knew the Lord wanted me to serve I would. He said, “That is all I need to know for now.” We shook hands and I left. A few weeks later, his secretary called and indicated the bishop would like to meet with me again, and I agreed to the visit. By this time, I started attending church because I learned Joseph did not discover the state of Utah, and I wanted to learn as much as I could, as soon as I could, to avoid any further embarrassments.

During the course of the conversation, the Bishop told me it had been made known to him that the Lord did not wish me to serve a mission at that time. However, he did have a mission for me later on, and I would not be able to complete that mission without the experiences I would develop during marital life. My Bishop told me, “So it is with the blessings of the Lord and the Church, you will be an exception and should continue with your plans to marry.”

I was elated and happy and anxious to return to my apartment where I called Darcy on the phone and informed her, “I have Bishop’s permission to go ahead and get married.”

Darcy said, “I only want to be married in the temple.” “Okay,” I said, “not a problem – pick one!”

Darcy said, “Michael what is your priesthood?”

I said, “I believe they made me a deacon.”

“You can’t go to the temple as a deacon; you need to be advanced in the priesthood.”

“Alright”, I said somewhat reluctantly. I called the Bishop back and told him I needed to be advanced in the priesthood. The Bishop said, “I’d love to talk to you about that, and believe we can help you with it.”

Another appointment was made, I was interviewed and the Bishop indicated he would recommend me to the ward for priesthood advancement. I was elated. The following Sunday I stood amazed as all these people, who did not really know me, supported the Bishop in my priesthood advancement. Later, during the ordination, I was very excited and anxious to call Darcy and give her the great news. As soon as I could, after the “Amen”, I ran for home, called Darcy and told her I had great news. “Not only can we get married in the temple now, but they advanced me in the priesthood, and I can probably do the ceremony myself because they made me a Priest.”

I was deflated to learn the Bishop gave me the wrong priesthood, so after disconnecting from Darcy I called the bishop back and informed him he gave me the wrong priesthood; I needed this Melchizedek priesthood.

Bishop asked me, “Brother Kennedy, how long have you been a member of the Church?” I told him, “About three months.” And he responded, “Brother Kennedy, usually we don’t advance anyone to the Melchizedek Priesthood until they have been a member of the Church for at least a year.”

I triggered on that word, “usually.” That meant there had to be an exception, and I wanted to know what it was. He informed me that only someone higher in authority could authorize it. I remembered one of the conversations I had with Elder McConkie recalling a discussion about there being three members in the First Presidency, twelve members in the Quorum of the Twelve, at least seventy members in the Quorum of the Seventy, and (at the time) many Assistants to the Twelve. I suggested to the bishop that we start with one, and keep asking until someone said yes. The Bishop suggested I should just leave the matter in his hands.

A few weeks later, the Bishop caught me in the hallway and mentioned that the stake had some business in a few weeks that would require the presence of a General Authority, and that they would present my petition to him. I asked, “Great, who is he?”

He responded, “Elder Bruce R. McConkie.”

I suggested we move on to the next one. From his expression, I recognized later on in life, that he knew how little I knew. A short time later, Elder McConkie came and interviewed me and the Bishop separately. It was during this time where I learned I would be the first of Joseph Smith’s posterity to receive the Melchizedek priesthood, fulfilling prophecy that one day the priesthood would be returned to the Prophet’s line before his posterity would be gathered.

Darcy and I were sealed in the Provo Temple (that was her favorite), and for the next ten years I grew in the Church, developed a testimony, and then began to lead the effort to help create opportunity for the posterity of Joseph and Emma to receive the teachings of the gospel that Joseph Smith taught.

Darcy and I do frequent firesides, and I’m often asked, since I was so slow to develop a testimony at first, what my testimony now is.

I tell them.

Joseph’s faithfulness, despite very difficult situations, taught me to trust in the Lord.

The Lord knows our sacrifices; and we have had plenty. We have had many trying times and can relate to Emma and Joseph’s sacrifices.

In the latter days of Joseph’s life just a short time before his death, Joseph Smith had two problems which weighed heavily on his mind. In the role as Prophet and President of the Church, he had the sealing keys bestowed on him by the authority of God from those who held those keys, and it was his responsibility to make sure these sacred keys and the authority to exercise those keys were passed on, to ensure the continuation of the Priesthood and the ability to bind on earth and in heaven. Ensuring that that authority and those keys would always be in place, in the manner the Lord had designated.

The second problem: in the role of a father, knowing he would be taken, what would become of his family?

I know he sacrificed his life, knowing what the cost of restoring the gospel would be to his family. Trusting in the Lord, he was assured that that cost would be made up by the restored sealing keys he held. The Priesthood would no more be taken from the earth, his family would one day all be sealed to him. Joseph Smith had to have the fullness of the priesthood before he could pass all the keys of that priesthood on to those the Lord authorized; Joseph had great comfort in that. Joseph Smith could not have received the fullness of the priesthood without sharing the ordinances he received with his eternal companion, his beloved wife, Emma. “Neither is the man without the woman nor the woman without the man, in the Lord” (1 Cor. 11:11). I have full confidence today that Joseph Smith, my third great grandfather, who still guides the affairs on this earth of this last dispensation, is watching closely over the ministering of his family, and does so with the mother of his posterity, Emma Hale Smith.

Joseph Smith also taught me that when I pray to that Supreme Being my father taught me about, I now know whom I am praying to; I know His nature, His character, and His great love for us. This knowledge makes my conversation with Him real, and his answers are as real because I know He lives and He does hear our prayers. He has answered mine, some the way I wanted, and many in other ways. As I continue to perform my service to God and my family, I know the impressions I receive have important meaning. I learned what Joseph taught: this life is about the perpetuation of the family and preserving that family so my wife and my children will always be mine and always be with me. I know the Lord made this promise to Joseph and Emma. They trusted and relied on that promise. Emma wants her children and grandchildren as much as Joseph does. I know they are depending on me to lead this gathering effort. Joseph Smith knew before his death that he would be dependent on his own posterity to bless his family through the temple ordinances, like other families are dependent on their posterity to do their work in the temple. I know that baptism in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave me entrance into the kingdom of Heavenly Father, and most importantly that it was the receiving of the ordinances of the Temple, with my beloved wife, and now eternal companion, that made me an heir to our Father in Heaven.

Sincerely,

Michael Allen Kennedy

JosephSmithJr.org

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Meridian Magazine
Missionary Moment: The Healing Letter between Joseph’s and Brigham’s Descendants
By Mike Kennedy

This article is from the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society Board, including Michael Kennedy, President; Darcy Kennedy, Secretary; Gracia Jones, Chief Historian; C. Ivor Jones, Vice-President and Sheri M. Bennett, Public Relations.

Prologue by Gracia N. Jones

In the wake of the assassination of Joseph Smith, there were many difficult times for the surviving Smith family; and also for the leaders who remained to preserve The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its mission to the world. Weighing heavily upon Brigham Young, who, as president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, was facing the need to protect the Church itself from disintegrating into fragments; and weighing upon the Prophet’s widow, Emma Hale Smith was the need to provide for and protect her five fatherless children.

It was probably inevitable, given the fact that Smith died without a will, that conflicts would arise over ownership of property (almost all heavily mortgaged), and held in Smith’s name as Trustee-in Trust for the Church, and over possession of documents of importance to both the entire Church and to Emma.

Emma’s holding onto the unpublished manuscript of Joseph’s translation of the Bible, and her attempt to obtain papers held by Young, which she considered hers by right, opened a fissure which widened despite the amicable resolution of most property issues.

When Young led the bulk of the Latter-day Saints west to the Rocky Mountains in 1846-47, Emma refused to go. The Church leaders felt they had left Emma well-off with a hotel, houses, lots to sell, and a farm. They expressed hope that she would change her mind and follow them later. This might have eventually happened except for the actions of agents placed in charge of attending to settling the Smith estate. Emma was deeply hurt, both emotionally, and financially, by unscrupulous actions of some, after Brigham and the rest of the Apostles had left.

In the hearing of Emma’s teenaged son, Joseph III, one agent told Emma he was determined to take her west; he said he would ‘make her so poor she would have to go.’ As soon as the majority of Latter-day Saints left Illinois, Emma’s property became nearly worthless and subject to litigation over title issues; she was reduced to poverty level. Her son would remember the strong-arm tactic to try force his mother out of Nauvoo, and in later years he blamed Brigham for the bondage of debt she carried most of the rest of her life.

Emma remarried in 1847, and raised her children in Nauvoo, far apart from the LDS Church influence, avoiding as much as possible any discussion of the troubled times which had robbed her of her beloved Joseph. According to their own testimony, she did not discuss Church doctrine, or attempt to influence her children for or against church work.

Dissenters against Brigham Young’s leadership eventually established a group called the Reorganization; they prevailed upon Joseph III to become their leader. After holding back several years, he took leadership in 1860. In subsequent years, Joseph III’s brothers, Alexander and David, became ministers in the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. In the 1870s, Alexander and David went to Salt Lake City where they met face-to-face with Brigham Young and other church leaders who had known their father. They asked to use the Tabernacle for preaching; when asked what they would preach, Alexander told them he would preach against the doctrines and practices of the Utah Church. Of course they were denied use of the Tabernacle.

The conflict which occurred between Brigham Young and Alexander was reported publicly by both Salt Lake newspapers and by the Smith’s in the RLDS publication, The Saints’ Herald. In Utah, Emma was denounced publicly as ‘a wicked woman’ and the Smith boys returned to the Mid-west filled with indignation for her sake. Thereafter, in many of their sermons, Brigham Young was denounced as a usurper and false leader. Alexander’s bitter feelings against Brigham Young included a belief that he had in some way contrived to have their father killed so he could take over leadership of the Church. This terrible falsehood had been promoted by the dissenters since 1845; although Joseph III stops short of expressing such certainty, Alexander, in his journal entries and letters bequeathed an unspeakable prejudice into many generations of the Smith posterity, thus instilling a feeling of antagonism toward the name of Brigham Young and an irrational fear of having anything to do with the ‘Mormon Church.’

At the western end of the issue, in LDS folklore, and tradition, Emma was either ignored, or branded as a wicked apostate. Generations of Latter-day Saints knew next to nothing of her, though some went so far as to blame her for Joseph’s death.

It is important to realize that there was ‘false witness’ born by individuals from both followers of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith III, each in defense of the position the particular side had taken. Thus, Brigham Young and Emma Hale Smith Bidamon, Joseph’s two most devoted and loyal friends, were made to appear to be mortal enemies and used to support a vicious prejudice for far too many generations.

The Story

It is amazing how the Lord quietly brings about his purposes by touching a heart here or giving an idea there. His work often goes forward without notice by the world as we respond to these gentle promptings. Once in a while it is sweet to share these miracles and rejoice together.

One such miracle began in February 2007 when Michael Kennedy contemplated their upcoming 2007 Joseph and Emma Smith family reunion. Michael told his wife, “I feel I am supposed to contact the Brigham Young family to ask them to write a letter to the Joseph Smith Jr. family that would apologize for the ill feelings that some of the descendents of Joseph and Emma have toward Brigham. However, once I have this letter I don’t know how to present it to our family.”

Sometimes this is how the Lord works, he sends an idea, but often does not send all the details of how to carry out the ideas. He allows us to exercise our faith and efforts to seek further inspiration; then things often fall together precept upon precept, line upon line. Darcy, Michael’s wife, told him to, “Ask for a representative from the Brigham Young family to come to our reunion and present the letter.” From the time Michael mentioned this need there was never a thought that it would not take place, it was just how, when and who.

A couple of weeks went by as Michael tried many different avenues to contact the Brigham Young Family. On a fluke, Kari Robinson, the historian for the Brigham Young Family Association, came upon Michael’s email to the Brigham Young web site. She felt impressed to contact Michael. Conversation with Kari triggered Michael’s memory of their having met some years earlier in Quincy, Illinois.

The mayor and leading citizens of Quincy were preparing to have a celebration where they wanted to invite the Church and descendants of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith to be part of their town commemoration as they reenacted the Saints crossing the Mississippi to find sanctuary after the expulsion from Missouri due to Governor Bogg’s ‘extermination order’.

Kari and Michael had walked together leading that parade. After listening to Michael explain what he felt was needed, Kari understood what Michael was asking, and she paved the way. She contacted Mary Ellen Elggren, President Elect, of the Brigham Young Family Association and shared Michael’s request along with the purpose and reasons.

Kari invited Michael and Darcy to attend a Brigham Young Family Association board meeting on May 24, 2007 only 3 weeks prior to the gathering of Joseph Smith’s family where Michael hoped to formally present the Young family’s response. Meanwhile Mary Ellen Elggren pondered the request and wondered how to respond. After doing some research, she fasted and prayed for direction. While feeling perplexed and wondering what she could write which would fulfill the request, words suddenly began to come into her head which she realized were not her own thoughts. She ran to her computer and began typing as fast as she could to keep up with the words flooding her mind as if they were being dictated. The result was an amazing letter from the Brigham Young family to the Joseph and Emma Smith family. (See copy of the letter at the end of the article.)

At the board meeting, Michael and Kari introduced the subject to the rest of the members. Mike explained what efforts had taken place to gather the posterity of Joseph Smith Jr. and the depth of prejudice against Brigham Young shrouding their minds. He said that he felt an ‘apology’ letter from the Brigham Young family would help undo a great amount of that prejudice. As he continued, most at the meeting were on the same page immediately, except one man who wanted to know why it was that the Smith family needed such an apologetic letter when all of this took place so long ago.

Gracia Jones, another descendant of Joseph Smith, and Chief Historian for the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, was present with her husband C. Ivor Jones, Vice President to the organization. Gracia explained that it wasn’t really an apology, but a bridge to connect the two families who had been such close friends in the past. Michael later explained that he knew an ‘apology’ was not the right term he wanted, but it was the only word that would come to him since the beginning of this quest. At some point, since Mary Ellen was unavoidably absent that evening, Kari read the letter to the group. Once explanations were given and the letter was read, the consent was unanimous.

It was beautiful. All members of the Brigham Young Family Association board approved the letter prepared by Mary Ellen and agreed to send three representatives to the upcoming Smith reunion to present it. A peaceful feeling filled Darcy’s heart, and she suggested the letter be called the “Healing Letter.” A short time later they received the official copy: With tears, Michael and Darcy Kennedy looked at this beautiful document on parchment bearing the names and signatures of not one, but ten—including the officers of the Brigham Young Family Association Board, and the officers of the Brigham Young Granddaughters Association. What a thrill to watch the Lord’s work unfold.

Realizing this letter would not only begin to impact a change within the minds of the descendants of Joseph and Emma, Michael felt this letter, once presented, would also have a great impact amongst the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints. Michael felt impressed to call upon a good friend of the Joseph Smith family, Michael Watson, then Secretary to the LDS Church’s First Presidency.

Brother Watson, who was very well acquainted with the history of prejudice and conflict which had been in place for so many generations commented, “Are you sure you want to do this@f0” Michael felt the Spirit replying that it was time for healing to begin. Whereby, Brother Watson responded, “Would you mind if we took a look at the letter@f1” After making a couple of small editing changes, the First Presidency gave the document their blessing and approval.

Three individuals were chosen to represent the Brigham Young Family Association: Mary Ellen Elggren, Kari Robinson, and Peter Kennedy. The spirit witnessed the caliber of their sacrifice and the impact their attendance at the reunion would have. All were painfully aware that at this late date air fare was at a premium for the Brigham Young descendants, but they also understood this sacrifice was heaven’s request. Each knew the inspiration for this could have been given a year ago and all could have been easily put in order well in advance, but this was to be a sacrificial pledge. Our hearts were full to the brim with gratitude to the Brigham Young family and to the Lord witnessing once again that this is His work, not ours.

During the reunion in 2007, the Smith family stayed in Grandma Emma’s home more commonly known as the Nauvoo House. Kim Herrera, Michael and Darcy Kennedy’s daughter-in-law, was reading her scriptures on the bank of the Mississippi River early one morning. She found this scripture about the Nauvoo House where the family was staying: “And now I say unto you, as pertaining to my boarding of strangers, let it be built unto my name, and let my name be named upon it, and let my servant Joseph and his house have place therein, from generation to generation” (D&C 124:56, emphasis added). This week with Smith family members staying in the Nauvoo House, Joseph and Emma’s family literally “had place therein, from generation to generation.”

The Smith family members gathered to stay in the Riverside Mansion, known as the “Nauvoo House” and now as “Grandma’s house.” They became unified as they carried their bags off the bus inside and made their beds. Emma’s posterity cooked together in her kitchen. They slept in her home and gathered in the dining room to share meals and later play games into the night.

Their laughter filled Emma’s home and the sound of children running up and down the stairs, and the sight of babies being bathed in the big sinks brought to mind Emma’s era when Alexander’s children would come to visit. Each night as the lights were turned on the glow of love and unity lit up Grandma Emma’s home and the windows shone with a warm glow. Sounds of conversations, expressions of joy for being with family members, love and light spilled out onto the street and over the Mississippi River. One descendant stood in Emma’s bedroom and with great emotion said, “I feel something here. I don’t ever want to leave.” The prophecy was being fulfilled, as three and four generations of Emma’s ‘children’ (ie, her posterity) played in her home along the banks of the Mississippi. One could only imagine Joseph and Emma’s feelings as they witnessed from above their family gathering in their home.

Additionally, LDS descendants of both Brigham Young and Joseph Smith Sr. families gathered in a prayer circle in the temple Joseph had built the Nauvoo temple. It was a great healing moment to have these two families once again joined together in sacred prayer.

The most important part of the reunion was on the last night when Mary Ellen Elggren with Kari Robinson and Peter Kennedy at her side, stood up to explain and read a letter to the posterity of Joseph and Emma from the Brigham Young Family Association. Mary Ellen explained that when Michael called and asked her to participate and to help heal the grudges and bitterness that existed in the Smith family toward Brigham Young, she was shocked. As far as she knew, Brigham had left Emma with a hotel, farm and several properties. He had tried to leave her well cared for. She explained that after the saints went west, Brigham had his hands full trying to establish everyone in Utah. She had no idea there was animosity between the families. She then said she had fasted and prayed to know what to do to help heal these animosities. She told how the words to a letter came to her. She said that even though she wrote the letter, she was not the author.

Mary Ellen Elggren then read the tender plea, the “Healing Letter,” from the Brigham Young Family Association asking everyone to put aside any existing misunderstandings between the two families and re-establish a bond. Mary Ellen stated that Brigham and Joseph loved each other and like Emma, Brigham’s dying words were the repeated name of his greatest friend and mentor, Joseph. She explained that the Young family has “committed themselves to do whatever is needed to publish to the world their deep regard for Emma Hale Smith and her noble life.”[i]

A copy of the letter was given to each member of Emma’s family present. Copies have since been mailed to all other descendants of Joseph and Emma as well as descendants of Brigham Young. We believe the “Healing Letter” has come forth in this generation to help bring about what was prayed for by the prophet Joseph Smith, in his dedicatory prayer at the Kirtland temple in March 1836:

Doctrine and Covenants 109:

68 O Lord, remember thy servant, Joseph Smith, Jun., and all his afflictions and persecutions—how he has covenanted with Jehovah, and vowed to thee, O Mighty God of Jacob and the commandments which thou hast given unto him, and that he hath sincerely striven to do thy will.

69 Have mercy, O Lord, upon his wife and children, that they may be exalted in thy presence, and preserved by thy fostering hand.

70 Have mercy upon all their immediate connections, that their prejudices may be broken up and swept away as with a flood; that they may be converted and redeemed with Israel, and know that thou art God.

At the time this prayer was given, the Smith family was tightly united; but within a decade, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was driven to the west. The Smith family became divided, and afflicted by deep divisions and for many generations prejudice existed not only in the Smith family toward the leaders of the “Utah church” as they called it, but also among some members of the LDS Church toward Emma.

Prejudices exist in many families. The healing that began between the Smith and Young families at this reunion is an example to all families of how old wounds can be healed, ancient offenses soothed over, and unity can exist again generations later. Those who have participated in this experience feel it is a miracle orchestrated by a loving Heavenly Father. Verse 57 of section 124 tells how the covenants Joseph and Emma made, apply to their posterity. “For this anointing have I put upon his head, that his blessing shall also be put upon the head of his posterity after him.” Joseph and Emma received their own endowments in Nauvoo and were sealed together for eternity.[1] These covenants with God impact generations.

The Young family continues to do what they can to remove any remaining prejudices toward Emma. A few months later, in September 2007 at “This is the Place Park” in Salt Lake the Brigham Young family held their own family gathering. This same letter was read to them and supported by these descendants who unanimously agreed to its resolution. Additionally, descendants of both families gathered in the temple Brigham Young had built, the Salt Lake Temple. A special prayer was held here and descendants from Joseph Smith and Brigham Young gathered. The circle was so large it circled the room; and to testify the Lord was orchestrating these events all participants learned, at the conclusion of the prayer, the officiator in the prayer circle was a direct descendant of John Murdock, Julia Murdock Smith’s father. Truly, the Lord remembers and keeps his promises. Darcy Kennedy whispered with great joy, “This is the beginning of the healing.”[2]

As Joseph told her in the dream she had right before she died, “Be patient Emma; you shall have all of your children.”

Before Emma’s children can be gathered, prejudices must be removed as Joseph himself prophesied as he dedicated the Kirtland Temple in 1836.[3] It is an example for all families to put aside old traditions of animosity and be united as one.

For further information contact the Joseph Smith Jr an Emma Hale Smith Historical Society: info@josephsmithjr.org. The Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society (JSEHS) is a non-profit organizations operated by the descendants of Joseph Smith and Emma that promote the understanding of the life and times, teachings, and heritage of Joseph and Emma.

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[1] Andrew F. Ehat, Joseph Smith’s Introduction of Temple Ordinances Master’s Thesis. 63, 263.

[2] Sheri M. Bennett, Journal entry 11 June 2007, (journal in possession of author).

[3] Doctrine and Covenants, 109:68-70.
_____________________________________________________________________

[i] Mary Ellen Elggren, Brigham Young Family Association Letter (Nauvoo, Illinois, 9 June 2007) copy of letter in author’s possession. See appendix III for the entire letter.

http://www.ldsmag.com/index.php?option=com_zine&view=article&ac=1&id=7384

By Mark Albright

Mark Albright is the president of the Washington DC South mission and shares these missionary stories with Meridian Magazine. This letter comes from Bob Smith, a direct descendent of Joseph Smith.

If you want to share a missionary story, send it to President Albright by clicking on the “email author button” by the title of the article. Please note the names of new converts and investigators will be changed to maintain privacy.

Dear President Albright,

I was the 108th direct descendant of the Prophet Joseph Smith to be baptized into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (the Mormons). I was the 2nd direct descendant of Joseph to be endowed in the new Nauvoo Temple. I think it is time to share my story with a larger audience.

I was raised in the Reorganized LDS church, now known as the Community of Christ. All of my life I had been taught to distrust and fear the Mormon church which is headquartered in Utah. My journey to become a Mormon started in the summer of 2005 when I ran across a web site: JosephSmithJr.com. I spent several hours reading what was there. I e-mailed the site and explained who I was. I was contacted the next day and was invited to visit Utah in August for a Joseph Smith Family Reunion. I was fearful to go, and was actually concerned for my safety and well being. I left thinking I was like a sheep being led to the slaughter, and I might be going out on a nice plane, but I was coming back in a pine box! But contrary to my beliefs, it actually was a delightful experience. My niece Kim Larson and I were picked up at the airport by John and Gwen Smith, the great-grandson of Hyrum Smith, Joseph’s brother. They were our hosts for the next 3 days.

Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, a Smith cousin as a descendant of Joseph’s brother Hyrum, addressed us. About 200 descendants attended the gathering. Most, like me, were not members of the Mormon church. We were also hosted by descendants of Samuel Smith, another of Joseph’s brothers. Our reception was totally awesome.

The warmth shared will last a lifetime. We went to a play at the Marriott Center at BYU celebrating Joseph’s 200th birthday. I will never again in my life have the feeling of total emotion I felt as I stood in the middle of the stadium with my family as we received a standing ovation from 23,000 people. We were also guests of honor at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir’s weekly broadcast, during which music director Craig Jessop welcomed us and paid tribute to Joseph’s wife, Emma, for her collection of hymns. The choir sang hymns centered on Joseph, “Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning,” and “Praise to the Man.” When they sang “Joseph’s First Prayer,” I wept openly for the first time in 50 years. This had never happened to me before, not even at the deaths of my parents, wife or son.

We were also shown various displays regarding Joseph and Emma Smith in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, as the Church celebrated the 200th anniversary of Joseph’s birth. Under the direction of descendants Michael Kennedy and his wife, Darcy, and Gracia Jones — the first Smith descendant to join the Church and receive her endowments — we held a family dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City. The art department at BYU presented me with a beautiful book about my Great Great Grandfather, Joseph Smith.

I was also presented with an LDS Hymn Book in memory of Emma’s contributions to Church music. After I returned home to Nebraska, I placed both of these new books in my living room. At this point I was a total emotional wreck, but I knew what I needed to do. For the next few months I did much research and soul searching. I looked back to the Reorganized church only to find out they had changed the church name, denounced the Book of Mormon, and denounced Joseph Smith as the prophet–all of which I was very opposed to. I felt that the original Church was the one to pursue.

In January of 2006, two young Mormon missionaries came knocking on my door, Elder Batin and Elder Williams. When I invited the elders to come inside, they immediately noticed the LDS hymnal and the art book about Joseph Smith on my table. Needless to say, when the missionaries discovered I was NOT a Mormon, they stayed in my living room teaching me for most of that day. Our discussion was fascinating for them and for me, because I already knew so much about their church history which intertwined with RLDS history; however, many of the gospel principles were different. Over the following weeks I took all the missionary lessons and struggled with the huge disparity between what the elders were teaching me and what my RLDS friends and family had taught me my entire life.

The conflict within my heart and soul grew to the point that I finally told the missionaries that even though I believed their message and all their LDS doctrines, I could not join the Mormon Church until I could find out for myself why Brigham Young had left Emma behind in Nauvoo with five children to raise. I was conflicted and could not come to a resolution that would comfort me. It did not make sense to me that Emma had been left to fend for herself, after being so instrumental in the Restoration. I also spent several evenings in the home of David and Jodi Edwards who were LDS friends of mine, and where Elder Sandhu and Elder Johnson taught me further doctrines.

In April of 2006, I was driving down the highway to work and singing along loudly to a Southern gospel radio station. I still remember the song I was listening to was titled: “Joy, Joy Wonderful Joy” by the gospel group Bill and Gloria Gaithers. Suddenly, to my dismay, the radio went completely silent. I was a bit irritated at this since the car I was driving was almost new. How could the radio break so soon? I hit the dash and fiddled with the radio dials, but finally gave up and just drove along the road alone and in complete silence.

In the quiet I started to ponder about my dilemma. Should I join the Mormon church as I wanted and enjoy fellowship with the Saints? Would this upset my family and the many generations of Smiths who were angry that Emma had not been taken West along with the Saints? Suddenly, to my surprise, I clearly and distinctly heard a women’s voice speaking to me. It was as clear as if it had come through the radio speakers. The voice said: “Robert, Follow your heart. I stayed in Nauvoo because I was tired and could travel no further.”

I knew instantly that the voice belonged to Emma Smith, my Great, Great Grandmother. It was made clear to me at that moment that Emma had just given me her permission to be baptized into the Mormon Church! My ancestors would not be angry with my decision to join my new found faith.

My last remaining concern and stumbling block had just been miraculously removed.

I was baptized on May 13, 2006, by my cousin Michael Kennedy, the President of the Joseph Smith Family organization, and the first descendant of Joseph to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood. I was confirmed by my good friend and stake president David Edwards. Also baptized at the same baptismal service by Michael was Caleb, the son of my good friends David and Rebecca Denning. David is the son of my second cousin Gracia Jones and is stationed here in Omaha. I was overwhelmed with emotion that the great-great grandson and the great-great-great-great grandson of Joseph were to be baptized during the same service! It was a joyful occasion. Caleb’s and my baptism was the first time that a descendant of Joseph and Hyrum had worked together in the baptism of a family member.

Robert W. Smith baptized by Michael A. Kennedy, pictured here with Elders Batin and Williams and Caleb Denning, a 4th great grandson of Joseph, was baptized at the same time in Omaha, Nebraska.

I could only imagine the rejoicing and tears that were shed by the two brothers on the other side of the veil. Their families were being united again after 150 years. The beautiful dedicatory prayer at the Kirtland Temple offered by Joseph, especially D&C 109:70, is continuing to unfold, that the prejudices of Joseph’s posterity “may be broken up and swept away as with a flood that they may be converted.”

Among Joseph and Emma’s posterity are now some 125 living adult descendants who are members of the Church, and of them, at least 14 have served full-time missions. Our prejudices have indeed been swept away as if by a flood as we are converted to the Gospel of the Restoration! I was endowed in the Nauvoo Temple in June 2007. Thanks for your efforts to spread the light of truth!

Warm Regards,

Bob Smith

Omaha, Nebraska

By Kimberly Jo Smith

http://ldsmag.com/church/missionary/article/8105?&ac=1

A great, great granddaughter of Joseph and Emma Smith takes us on her journey from animosity and fear of the Church to conversion.

I would like to share with you my journey to find my great-great grandparents Joseph and Emma Smith. When I was young my mother taught me about Heavenly Father, the Savior, and the Holy Ghost. This foundation was integral throughout my childhood as I encountered many trials and traumas which could have taken me down dark and lowly paths were it not for this knowledge she gave me. It also prepared me for the introduction to my great-great grandparents Joseph and Emma Smith, two individuals I was not aware of until age twelve.

I was born August 7, 1962 in Maryville, Tennessee to Joseph Frederick Smith and Mary Sue Roberts Smith. By the time I was twelve years old we had moved nearly forty times. Yet my heart was always filled with cherished memories of the Smoky Mountains and our mountain people who lived there. My Pappaw Roberts was part Cherokee and a spiritual giant. I remember he always seemed so grand to me. He was a good man who was always searching for spiritual truths and taught my mother the same. His example of following the guidance of the Holy Spirit in all things was something that my mother relied on for strength and comfort, for she suffered much physical abuse at the hands of her mother who suffered from a depressive illness.

At the age of nineteen, Mother married my father, Joseph Frederick Smith. My father is a man of many talents, especially music, excelling in the style of Bluegrass. He passed that love of music on to his children, teaching us all how to sing and harmonize. Wherever we lived, Dad would take part in bluegrass parties or “jam” sessions. We loved performing with him and this love of music carried down to my own children.

When I was nine years old living in Oregon, I was abused by a neighbor. After this experience I was debilitated in every way. I stopped singing. I would not do anything in public. I would take zeros in school rather than give an oral report. I looked down when I walked; I would not look people in the face.

My self-image suffered severely; I hated myself. I thought I was ugly and stupid. This destructive thought process drained me to the point I had no energy. I withdrew to my room. I became lost in writing, reading, and music; food became my best friend. The more I hated myself, the more I ate. Food was my only joy aside from music and reading. I was made fun of at school and did not have the inner strength and confidence to let the remarks roll of my back or throw a comeback comment their way and laugh it off. Every comment rang like truth within my heart and it eroded my spirit.

There is one thing I did not forget. The example of my mother’s devotion to Heavenly Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost showed me that I would always have three friends who loved me no matter what, and I leaned on that. Whenever I felt alone, I talked to Jesus like he was my best friend sitting right beside me. Though I heard no reply, I felt His presence, and I knew He heard me. Knowing that I had those connections kept me grounded and helped me to refrain from unhealthy activities that some victims turn to such as; drugs, alcohol, and promiscuity. There was something in me that just did not want to cross those lines.

In 1973 I bought an album by the Osmonds called “The Plan.” This purchase would change my life. I can still picture pulling the album out of the sleeve and putting the record on. The music began to play. As the album cover fell open into the palms of my hands, my mind was opened to something I had never seen before. It was my first introduction to the Plan of Salvation. As I looked at the visual images of pre-mortal life, childhood, eternal marriage, and returning home, I heard the words “Let me take care of you and keep an eye on you….”

I looked at the record as it was playing, and then at the illustrations before me, realizing that this album was completely different. This was not “Puppy Love”, or “One Bad Apple.” The moment left me feeling removed from everything while I tried to sort out what I was experiencing. I was very aware of a presence that was both comforting and enlightening. However, there was a struggle within me that I did not understand; I felt compelled to keep the experience to myself, especially from my father. Such emotions were confusing to me. I had always loved my father a great deal and could not understand why I felt impressed to keep this music to myself. So I followed my feelings, absorbing the music and this desire to know more, in silence. In the future I would learn the reason for caution.

One day I was listening to the song “Are You up There?” My father walked past my room pausing beyond my bedroom door. He made a negative comment that I do not recall. I knew he did not care for The Osmonds because their hair was too long for his taste, so he thought they were hippies. I was moved to ask him that day why he didn’t like them. I will never forget the look on his face as he replied, “They are Mormons.” I had never seen such a look on his face before. His countenance changed to something cold and dark. I knew very little about spiritual matters at that point in my life, but I did recognize that the atmosphere changed, and it didn’t feel good. So from that point I never listened to the music unless I had my headphones on.

Two months after this experience we traveled to Ava, Missouri to visit my Grandma Smith. She lived in a log cabin on a hill nestled in the rich and lush foliage of the Ozark Mountains. On this particular visit, I walked into the living room of the cabin, which led into a small sitting room and sat down. As I rested my head against the cushioned back of the couch, my eyes fell on two portraits hanging side by side on the wall before me.

It is hard to describe the feeling I had at that moment except to say that for a brief period it seemed as if time stood still. My hearing did not pick up audible sounds around me. I felt as if there was no one else on earth except me and those two portraits. My attention was first drawn to the man in the portrait which hung on the left; the familiarity was deep and instant. The gentle, fair complexioned face housed eyes that seemed to hold stories in their backdrop hues of gray and piercing blue; knowledge in a face so fair, a history that spoke volumes which reached out and embraced me in unknown depths.

I felt a longing to get close to this man. I was drawn to know who he was, when and where he lived, and why his portrait was in Grandma’s house. What did it have to do with me? I felt a mixture of sadness and joy, and a feeling I can only describe as gut-wrenching, as I looked upon his gentle but unsettling smile.

Tears began to stream down my face as I looked to the portrait beside the man and searched the face of a lovely woman. She seemed to convey a noble bearing, with raven black hair, eyes large and round, their color a beautiful dark brown. Again feelings of admiration and sadness rose in me, so much so that I could not bear to look any longer and went to find my Grandmother.

I asked her who the people in the portraits were and she responded, “Those are your great-great grandparents, Joseph and Emma Smith. Joseph established the ‘true’ church.” The true church? I had no idea what she meant. I only knew that these two people, the man in particular, seemed very familiar to me. I was overcome with an immediate love for them that was precious. I felt an intense yearning to learn everything I could about them both. The fourteen years which followed were filled with many interesting paths, leading me on a quest for knowledge about my ancestors. Such paths and journeys are often the target of the adversary and his fiery darts, and mine was no exception.

Not long after our visit to Grandma Smith’s we moved to Ava, Missouri and settled in her log cabin. This placed me in the heart of my father’s family, and we became very close. It was not a peaceful situation however, for among them I witnessed elements of bitterness, which had been passed down from earlier generations. Even though I had the teachings of my mother to help me recognize the signature of the adversary’s handiwork, some of the residue of the family traditions could not help but fall upon me. I learned that the church my Grandma had referred to was the Church of Christ Temple Lot, an organization my Grandpa Smith joined after leaving the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints in 1925.

It was in the company of my father’s family that I heard rumors that Brigham Young had my great-great grandfather Joseph killed. Their strongly-held belief that Brigham was bent on destroying Emma and the children, usurping the work for which my ancestor had died, turning it into his own corrupt organization became impressed upon my tender mind. This would be the first and only time in my life that I would hate someone, for it was not in my nature to have such feelings, but a feeling of instant hate settled in my heart toward Brigham Young.

I asked my father about Joseph Smith. An intelligent man in all areas of history, specifically the scriptures, I knew my father had many of the answers I sought; yet I was curious why he never spoke of such things before in our presence. The conversations started out informative, but soon I stopped asking questions altogether, because only a small amount of time was spent in speaking of the history of Joseph. Instead I was tutored in his version of the nature of Brigham Young, and his band of Brighamites who blindly followed him to the west. A feeling of unpleasantness would fill my entire being. It was clear I would have to find the information I sought elsewhere.

As I passed through my teenage years, there were precious moments that kept the desire to know more alive within me. I was always aware of the man with the blue eyes, and for some reason I felt a closeness to him, which never went away. I recall two events specifically that branded me with a deeper desire to know my own family history.

One day when I was fourteen, I found myself alone in the house with nothing to do. My Grandfather Smith’s trunk was in my father’s study, beckoning. I knew it was filled with old things, but I never had the opportunity to look in it. That afternoon I discovered treasures I would never forget. Inside the trunk were old books, documents, letters, and images from the past. I stared at familiar faces on tin types, whose eyes gazed back into my own eyes as if to say, “We dearly love you, please come to know us.” Who were they? What did they have to do with me? Somehow I felt that I knew them intimately without knowing anything about them.

A chill ran through me as I ran my fingers across the image of their faces. The drive to learn my history was magnified immeasurably as I pored over letters written by Joseph and Emma’s sons and books that were passed from one generation to the next. Tears fell uncontrollably. There was a deep sadness within me; I yearned to learn more but had limited access. I put the items back in the trunk and walked over to my father’s roll-top desk, there on top lay a “Book of Mormon.”

By this time my siblings and I had stopped going to my father’s church. I had heard my father preach from The Book of Mormon, but I had never read it. I looked out the window and beheld the loveliness of the day. The sun was bright and there was a soft breeze blowing the trees and flowers. My gaze fell back upon the book. I picked it up, thumbed through it, and then placed it back down resting my palm upon it. I had a love and respect for it without knowing why, except that my ancestor was responsible for it being on the earth. Still, I did not know its full history. My hand rested almost lovingly upon the book and a rush of warmth filled my being, I inhaled sharply.

Looking out the window I felt momentarily frozen in time. As my gaze remained fixed on the elements of nature, I was given to know, in a language a fourteen-year-old could understand, that the book was of God, and that my great-great grandfather who brought it forth was a good man who had performed a great work for the Lord. Thus, at the age of fourteen, I received a testimony of Joseph and The Book of Mormon without having read it. Because of what my mother taught me about the Holy Ghost, I accepted those feelings without question. The experience of viewing the old pictures and holding the “Book of Mormon” established a tender devotion within me keeping alive the desire to know more as I made my way to adulthood.

In 1989, I was married with a three-year-old son, Bryan, and was expecting my daughter, Leah. The fire within me concerning my family history reached an unbearable point. I only had four generations back to Joseph and Emma and little information beyond. Ava was a small town with limited access for in-depth research beyond the library; where I went one day to ask where I might go to do family history research.

I was told the best place to go was a family history center.

That made perfect sense. So I asked where to find one and was told it was sixty miles away in Springfield, Missouri at the LDS Church. “What is that@f0″ I asked, eager to find this wonderful place where I might do research. “The Mormon Church,” She replied.

The woman may as well have run a knife through me. Imagine my feelings, my hopes dashed in one fell swoop. There was no way I was setting foot into that building! My father warned me about Mormons, missionaries in particular; how they are well trained, and if not careful you could be easily snookered! I left feeling defeated and almost fuming as I sat in the car. Then the spirit whispered to me it was more important to get the information no matter where it came from. So I decided I would take my tablet with my four generations and act like I knew what I was doing so I would not have to talk to anyone for fear of getting snookered.

As I walked into the Family History Center I was greeted by a kind lady wearing a black tag; a missionary. She asked if I needed any help and I replied, “No.” Then she showed me to the computers and said if I needed anything to let her or her husband know. I then knew I had it made, I would simply sit down and figure everything out for myself. I would not need to ask for any assistance; but after I clicked on “enter here,” everything went down-hill. I tried several avenues but did not what I was doing. I was not about to announce, “I need help,” five minutes after I sat down. Unbeknownst to me these missionaries had some kind of sixth sense or something. Just as I formed a brilliant plan of how to make a successful exit, the Elder came over, sat down beside me and asked if I needed any help.

“Sure,” I replied with a smile, inside feeling thoroughly defeated. He responded, “Well, I’ll tell you what. Let’s take a name through and I will show you how it is done. What is the furthest name you have?” I thought to myself, “What@f1 I can’t tell him that!” I was afraid to tell anyone I was Joseph Smith’s descendant. “I need a surname,” He said. “Smith,” I answered hesitantly. And as he typed it in I began to think that maybe it would not hurt after all, what could happen here in this little room….with these two missionaries?

“Okay,” he said, “I need the given name.” I paused for a moment looking down at my tablet. It was a moment I will never forget; all manner of thoughts passed through my mind. Then I thought, “Maybe he won’t notice!” “Joseph,” I said quietly. There was no reaction. I was so relieved that I sat back against my chair and let out a breath.

“Birth date?” That was an easy one. “December 23, 1805,” I responded, almost jubilant at my success in eluding attention. The Elder turned and looked at me suddenly, “Really, now! Would that be Joseph the Prophet?” He smiled. I would have been upset that my attempts at anonymity failed were it not for his excited behavior. I thought saying such a thing would bring harm to me. He called his wife over and they began asking a barrage of questions about me and my history; questions I could not answer. I left feeling very ignorant about myself, filled with an awareness to once and for all find out the history behind my ancestry.

There were two things I noticed about those missionaries. They were very kind, and they had the Holy Ghost with them. I knew it because of how my mother taught me. But it contradicted everything my father had said about these people, and I was not sure how to handle the experience. I did feel comfortable enough to keep going back, and it was during those visits that I learned about a town named Nauvoo. From the time my eyes fell upon the word I knew I had to go there.

In the summer of 1989 some family members and I traveled to Nauvoo, Illinois. It was the first visit for us all, which perplexed me. As I walked along on the guided tours and glimpsed the scenes before me, the beauty of the grounds, the solitude of the graves of my ancestors, I could not understand why it had all been kept from us.

Upon entering the Homestead everything took root in my heart. As my eyes adjusted to the dimness, I looked up and breathed in sharply. It was one of those moments that people identify with déjà vu. I felt as if I had been there before. I struggled with the emotions coursing through me, realizing it was more. It was as if I was having a memory that was not my own. As I breathed, thoughts and feelings about Joseph and Emma filled my heart. Tears fell down my face and I lagged behind the others so that I might absorb as much as possible.

I dealt with similar feelings before, but not so deep and personal. This was profound, intimate, filled with sorrow, yet held together with joy; a precious gift that seemed broken. I walked out of the Homestead with an assignment that came in whispers. Like when a friend is standing beside you urging you to read a particular book or visit a certain place because it was so rewarding. Only I could not see who was whispering to my heart. I only knew that there was a host of what felt like family and friends about me and an unmistakable presence that I had felt from childhood, a familiarity that had no name until that day, Joseph. It was evident to me that I needed to visit Nauvoo often to learn for myself the true history of my people, Joseph and Emma, and why I felt so drawn to them on such a deep and personal level.

While I was making trips once a year to Nauvoo, the Osmonds established their family theater in Branson, Missouri, a mere fifty miles from our home in Ava. I wanted to go to see the Osmond’s show, but I procrastinated. After six years of procrastination, I think the Lord got tired of waiting for me to go. We won tickets on a radio program to a theater show in Branson. When we went to pick up the tickets it was for the Osmonds. I was thrilled! Two days before the show, Merrill Osmond had a vision of Joseph Smith. In this vision Joseph showed Merrill the Smith posterity. Merrill said it was as if he was looking upon a sea of faces and they were miserable. Joseph said to him, “This is my posterity, please help them.”

Two days later while I was watching the show, Merrill came on stage and started to sing a gospel number.

His face was illuminated and the Spirit filled the theater. I knew that for some reason I was being directed to meet this man, so after the show we met and talked in depth.

By the end of the conversation I told him that I was Joseph’s great-great granddaughter. His face changed dramatically as he said, “Oh, I need to talk to you!”

Through the friendship with Merrill, and the Osmond family, I learned that Mormons were not the monsters they had been portrayed to be when I was young. I felt that I could ask them more about their church, and they would not lead me falsely. Merrill invited me to take the discussions in his home with the sister missionaries. By the third discussion, I knew I was supposed to be baptized. As any convert will tell you, that is when the flood gates of the adversary open. I was hit with all of the issues I had grown up with; Brigham Young, polygamy, baptism for the dead. All I knew for certain was that the Holy Ghost was telling me to go forward. Because of my mother’s teachings of never questioning that guidance even when it doesn’t make sense, I knew that if I did what I was prompted to do that all would be well. I was baptized June 7, 1998. For the first time my eyes were truly opened, and it felt as if I had come home.

In the years following my baptism my heart, mind, and spirit were opened to a greater knowledge of the healing power of the Savior. The strength I gained from that knowledge gave me an assurance I could be made whole again and be at peace with the traumas of my past. I forgave willingly and let go of the pain. I focused my energies on attending to my church callings and working to help pull the Smith posterity together. The desire within me to serve was magnified and the more I served the more I healed.

My story would not be complete unless I told how I overcame my bitterness toward Brigham Young. I truly feel that one of my missions is to convey to the world the importance of letting go of the past and healing to become a united family.

The first Sunday I attended Relief Society I was very excited. I had heard so much about it! When I walked in the room I was handed the manual. I looked down to behold the image of the man I had come to hate; Brigham Young. I eased out of the room and went out the front door, throwing the book in the trash on my way. I resolved to never go to Relief Society while they were using that manual. I would only attend sacrament.

After two years I was ready to go to the temple. Our temple was in St, Louis, but I felt that I was supposed to go somewhere specific. I began to ask my friends what their favorite temple was. One friend mentioned the Manti Temple and as soon as I heard the name something clicked. I felt that was where I was to get my endowment. I asked her where it was located; she told me Utah. I was terrified! I couldn’t go to Utah. That was a scary place!

I remember riding through Salt Lake City in 1980 with my sister as we were traveling from Idaho to Missouri. When we got to Salt Lake, I crouched down in the seat until we were into one of the canyons! But now I knew I was supposed go there, so I saved enough money for the trip. There was something I needed to attend to before we could leave. I had not dealt with my feelings about Brigham Young.

Two days before we were to leave for Utah I was taking some elders home from Zone Conference. One of them asked me if I was going to learn all about Brigham Young while I was in Utah. I felt a surge of bitterness race through me. Tightening my grip on the steering wheel, I replied that I would not have time; I asked why he wanted to know. The atmosphere within the car grew very quiet and there was a shift of emotion. This particular elder was very special. There were times I saw him discuss things with people, and I knew by the change in his countenance that the Lord was working with him. When he did not respond to my question I glanced over at him and groaned to myself. I could tell the Lord was working with him, and I knew that I must listen.

“What is on your mind,” I asked him. This elder did something very wise; he bore his testimony of the Savior first. The Spirit filled the car, lowering my defenses. He then bore his testimony of Joseph Smith and my defenses went down even more. By the time he got to Brigham Young, I didn’t have any defenses left! There was a signal ahead and the light turned red. When I hit the brakes something washed over me and all of the hatred I had ever felt toward Brigham Young was taken from me. It was so sudden it took my breath away. I believed in and had witnessed the healing power of the pure love of Christ, but this was the first time I ever experienced it myself. I told the Elder there was an empty space where all of the hatred had been and that I would learn all I could about Brigham Young.

Part of our trip to Utah included a tour of Temple Square, including the burial place of Brigham Young. When we got to his grave I asked for a moment alone. I knelt down to pray beside the place where he rested. In that prayer I asked him to forgive me for all of the hatred I had borne against him for so many years and to forgive my family for carrying that hatred from one generation to the next. Then I forgave him for the things he had said and done because the hurt was created on both sides. In that moment I heard a heavenly choir sing “Nearer My God to Thee.” In that moment the following thoughts came to me. All of the things that our ancestors experienced, even the pain they may have caused one another, they experienced those things, not me. They are on the other side of the veil and have reconciled those things, it is wrong to carry it on.

It was then I knew that I had a work to do in speaking to people about healing and uniting. The times we live in call for us to be strong and united so that we may be able to handle the things which are coming. It is important we learn to forgive ourselves and one another. Love ourselves, and one another, and let go of the issues of the past. We cannot hold on to those issues and the Savior at the same time. It is vital to have the Savior as the central part of our lives for it is through Him that we are able to overcome all things.

The impact of my mother’s example is far reaching. Because of her teachings I came to know the Savior and the Holy Ghost early in life.

The strength from the knowledge and testimony I developed gave me the grace to forgive my abuser and let go of the pain so I could become whole. The discovery of my grandparents, Joseph and Emma and the relationship I formed with them as I became acquainted with their lives and history, further magnified and strengthened my testimony of Heavenly Father, the Savior and the Holy Ghost and the restored gospel. Within two years of my baptism my children joined the Church.

My son and I began to share our story at firesides in 2000. My sister and mother would accompany us. The beauty and fullness of the Spirit amongst the Latter Day Saint people confirmed to them the scripture, “By their fruits ye shall know them,” and at length they were baptized into the Church.

The love and talent of music is a gift that has been passed through several generations of Joseph and Emma’s posterity. Their children and grandchildren were very adept at composing and singing beautiful songs. My son, Bryan, and I have written, recorded, and performed many songs about our ancestors. I have become grateful for the rich and tender knowledge of my heritage. It has been a spiritual feast for the past eleven years to share our story and music at firesides all over the United States.

The fullness of the gospel is the most precious thing we can have in our lives and through it we have the capability of sharing a fullness of joy with all of those we come into contact with. The words of my great-great grandfather Joseph are deeply rooted in my heart, “Shall we not go on in so great a cause?”

Sincerely,

Kimberly Jo Smith

Kim currently serves as an Ambassador to the Smith family for the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society. For more information visit our website at http://www.josephsmithjr.org/.

http://ldsmag.com/lds-church/article/8009?ac=1

By Mary Ellen Elggren

This is a response from Mary Ellen Elggren who is the Brigham Young Family Association Board Chair and immediate past president to a recent Meridian article on the healing letter sent from Brigham Young’s family to Joseph Smith’s descendents.

“What of Joseph Smith’s family? What of his boys? I have prayed from the beginning for Sister Emma…They are in the hands of God, and when they make their appearance before this people, full of his power, there are none but what will say – ‘Amen! We are ready to receive you.’” Brigham Young 18601

1844 was a devastating turning point in so many lives. A crime of enormous proportion had been committed, and the guilty never bore the weight of the consequences which were unimaginably far reaching. The noblest of men had been murdered, and no justice was proffered to the grieving. The Prophet, Joseph Smith, was suddenly gone, and also his two brothers. It was left to family and friends to pick up his tremendous burden and carry on. Because the priesthood is the governing power within the Lord’s Church, the greatest share of the load fell upon the Apostles and particularly Brigham Young as Quorum President. Weeks earlier, the Prophet had given the final keys of authority to the Apostles and then sent them hundreds of miles away, which undoubtedly protected their lives. Joseph’s wife, Emma, faced the overwhelming concerns of a mother for her fatherless children, but more than that, an extended family under violent attack and in mortal danger.

Brigham, who by nature preferred keeping a low profile and working in relative obscurity, was thrust by priesthood calling into uncomfortable visibility. Nevertheless, he took up his service valiantly beyond all possible expectation. Having been carefully prepared by Joseph, he took his marching orders from the Lord, and from no one else. He directed the completion of the Nauvoo Temple, so the saints could be endowed, and led the Church into the safety of the wilderness, plus many hundreds of other tasks. As he turned his eyes west, he wanted Emma Smith to take refuge under his protection. He felt strongly that women should not be burdened with their husband’s debts2, but Emma chose to stay in Nauvoo where she had laid to rest her husband and other loved ones and to fight for her properties. The Lord allowed it. Shall we not respect and appreciate her choice as he did? In the wake of such tragedy, can we not understand?

We can love and admire Emma Smith for all she gave so generously to the restoration of the Lord’s Church. We can love and admire Brigham Young for rescuing the infant Church, and, as prophesied by John in Revelation 12: 1-6, preventing the dragon from devouring the child as soon as it was born.3 Brigham stood at the apex of the completion of this prophesy in the Last Dispensation. The responsibility now rested with him. As the Nauvoo Temple was completed, John’s prophecy was memorialized in symbolic carvings in the exterior stone, “clothed with the sun…the moon under her feet…a crown of stars…”4 With aching hearts, the saints left their temple and their beloved Emma Smith behind, took the infant church and stepped into an unknown future.

With thirteen hundred miles separating Emma’s sons from the influence of the apostles, they were vulnerable to the harsh voices of dissenters who had lost faith in Joseph and rejected Brigham Young, and who purposefully colored their childhood memories of events and helped to harden their hearts toward Brigham Young. In her grief, Emma Smith seems to have chosen to keep her feelings somewhat private, perhaps even from her family. She married again for reasons that include an effort to gain control over her financial affairs, a difficulty for a widow under the laws of nineteenth century Illinois. In these circumstances, her boys became steeped in false traditions, maybe more than she knew.

In 1860, the youthful Joseph Smith III decided to join with those who were attempting a reorganization of the Church, and had earlier pressed him to serve as their president. In 1869 his brothers, Alexander and David, were sent on a mission to Salt Lake to rescue the saints from what they perceived as the evil clutches of Brigham Young. Meeting with President Young and nineteen Church leaders including their own cousins, they revealed their hostility, and galvanized the rift that separated them from the Church which their father had given so much to restore.

Asked where they got their information, Alexander remarked “I had lived through the experiences…, and did not need to have anyone inform me.” Asked if their mother did not give them information he recorded his answer as, “Yes sir, and I had more confidence in her statement than I did in his” (referring to Brigham Young.)5 Alexander was so sure of his position that he saw no problem with claiming his mother as his source. But Brigham and the others in the room knew the truth of things, and they knew that Emma also knew. By invoking his mother’s name, Alexander was compromising her integrity. In his ignorance, he failed to grasp the seriousness of this error (Alexander was only 6 at the time of his father’s martyrdom).

The practice of plural marriage, though introduced by the Lord through Joseph Smith Jr, had become central to the alienation of his sons. It is my opinion that hind sight clearly shows how inspired and effective plural marriage was in securing the early Church, not to mention the successful colonization of the American southwest. It brought thousands of God’s children quickly to the earth like an army, born into the covenant family, carrying the gospel message to the world, gathering converts, and building cities and temples. It seems evident that whenever the Lord has instituted plural marriage, as found in the scriptures, it has been for this same purpose: to raise up a righteous generation to His name to do His work.6 It took less than fifty years to accomplish this very purpose in these latter days.

While great numbers were gathered from across the mortal world, even more effective was the gathering of the unborn from the pre-mortal world, children of God who had been foreordained to do this work. The process was necessarily accelerated by plural marriage, as it was a very narrow window of time and opportunity. Obedience to the Lord’s limited and well defined direction was essential. I am personally grateful to those who chose to obey. By 1890, it was done. No longer were Church members called to gather from the far corners of the earth. No longer was the practice of plural marriage needed. The Lord’s restored Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints had sufficiently matured and was irrevocably launched into the world well before the end of the nineteenth century.

From Then to Now

Working as a Church History tour director since 1974, I knew the basic story of Emma Smith and her family after the exodus of the Church from Nauvoo in 1846. Tour members were aware that Emma did not come west with the saints and that a rift had developed between Emma’s family and Brigham Young, but little else was usually known by them.

They were always grateful to learn more of the story. I was pleased when I could add to the report that a bond was developing between the descendants of Hyrum Smith, who had come west, and the descendants of Joseph Smith Jr., who had stayed behind. They joined together to beautify and maintain the little Smith family cemetery in Nauvoo. It was exciting to learn that a few of Joseph’s and Emma’s descendants had actually joined the LDS Church7, though the majority remained apart.

When visiting the Kirtland Temple, I often requested the Reorganized Church site director to meet my groups, because he was a direct descendant of Emma and Joseph Smith. On one occasion I introduced him as Emma’s descendant and myself as Brigham’s descendant, demonstrating that we were working together. I felt him bristle at the suggestion. I was unaware of the depth of the rift that still persisted for him. I would need and would soon receive a dramatic tutorial on the subject.

In 2007, as president elect of the Brigham Young Family Association, I received an email from family historian, Kari Robinson, stating that Michael Kennedy, President of the Joseph Jr and Emma Hale Smith Family Organization, was requesting that we send an emissary to their family reunion in Nauvoo and bring an apology.

Our family president, David Knight, the officers and board were justifiably wary of this request. I had only a small inkling of what might be in store. Upon learning that Michael Kennedy was a priesthood holding endowed member of the LDS Church, I felt hopeful that an important opportunity was being offered. I appealed to Heavenly Father to bless us that we might know how to respond. Time was short; their reunion was only a few weeks away.

I remembered that in 1999 Elder Dallin H. Oaks had spoken to our family about the rift between Brigham Young and Emma Smith, and I reached out to him for help. He responded immediately sending a packet of his research notes, helpful quotes and a supportive letter ending with the words, “I have no counsel on the apology subject mentioned in your message, but I will say that I have met Michael Kennedy and he seems like a reasonable and well motivated person.”8 It seemed clear to me that this was not a Church matter; it was a family to family matter.

My daughter encouraged me to write the apology. As I was explaining to her why I was not qualified to do so, words began pouring into my mind, and I felt compelled to type them as quickly as possible before they were lost. Reading what had been typed, the Spirit embraced me, and my eyes filled with tears. I audibly breathed out the words, Thank you. I think this is right.9 I emailed it to David Knight and the family officers telling how it was received, and left it to them to decide what to do. I left Salt Lake the next day on a Texas Temple tour.

It was a wonderful tour going from temple to temple, and sharing with the group this unfolding spiritual experience with the Smith family. Soon a series of emails began to arrive from David Knight: 1-“The officers and board have decided to use the statement as you received it.” 2-“We have a meeting set this week with Michael and Darcy Kennedy and Gracia and Ivor Jones of the Smith Family. We will give them the statement.” 3-“We had the meeting, and it started with a dark feeling of contention. Kari took out the statement and read it aloud. The contention subsided and the spirit filled the room. Everyone is in agreement.” 4-“The statement has gone to the First Presidency’s Office for review.” 5-“The statement has been reviewed. They say it’s pretty good if we will delete a couple of phrases.” 6-“You need to go to Nauvoo to present the statement at the Smith reunion. Additional Young family descendants Kari Robinson and Peter Kennedy will be joining you.”

Toward the end of the Temple Tour, I received an impression to leave the tour in the capable hands of my husband and fly home a day early, so I could join the Smith reunion starting in Independence, then travel with them in their bus to Nauvoo. I spent my last night in Texas on the phone with noted historian, Bruce Stewart, finding answers to questions I had about some of my family’s lingering misunderstandings concerning Emma Smith (none of which come to mind now, and I am grateful to have resolved and let them go.)

As head of the committee revising curriculum for the seminaries and institutes, Bruce had his finger on the pulse of all things Church history. He told me that I should meet with Craig Frogley, a descendant of Hyrum Smith, who had been directed by Elder M Russell Ballard to foster and help facilitate the gathering of the descendants of Joseph and Emma Smith. There was no time for me to meet Brother Frogley, so Bruce emailed the materials I requested, and ended our conversation with a caution that a meeting with Craig Frogley would have been best.

Arriving back in Salt Lake, I had urgent business for the Utah Tour Guide Association of which I was president. It ended at a place I had never been, off the 106th South exit west of I-15 to drop my associate, Leslie Keston, at her new home. As we passed her chiropractor’s office, she expressed how nice it was to be close to the tender care she needed for her back. Knowing I was going to the Smith reunion, she asked if I had read ­The Peacegiver by James L. Ferrell. I had, but thanks to her reminder, I was prompted to take that book with me.

Soon I was boarding a sold-out plane, amazed that I was able to get a seat and hoping I could get some much needed sleep during the flight. The man next to me asked where I was going. I replied, “Kansas City; where are you going?” His answer instantly dismissed all thoughts of sleep. He announced that he was going to the Joseph Smith Jr family reunion in Independence. When I told him that was my destination too, he replied, “When I saw you coming down the aisle, I just had a feeling. My name is Craig Frogley.” He also mentioned that he hadn’t been planning to attend this reunion, but the Spirit just wouldn’t leave him alone about it, so here he was.

If I had any doubt that my assignment was being enabled through the veil, that doubt was gone now. While giving me important preparation for what was ahead, Brother Frogley gave me a much appreciated reassurance. Reviewing Gracia Jones’ story, he related how brave she was, that her family was steeped in false tradition concerning Brigham Young that had formed a terrible rift keeping them from the Church. However, she had built a bridge over that rift and was the lone descendant of Emma Smith in the Church for many years during a time when Emma was not well regarded.

Gracia had received the impression that “as through a woman the division came, so through a woman the gathering shall be.” Craig added, “Welcome Sister Elggren, we’re glad to have you with us.” For the first time I felt at ease about a woman being sent to represent the Brigham Young family in this matter.

I learned that Craig Frogley taught Institute classes at the U of U Institute of Religion, and he was also a chiropractor. “Is your office off the 106th South exit west of I-15?” I asked. When he said that his family of chiropractors had their offices there, it was that extra signature that left no room for speculating about coincidence, but absolute assurance there was a plan in motion, and I was being guided on a special mission.

I once heard Bruce Stewart tell a tour group in Kirtland that if they wanted to have the kind of spiritual experiences that were manifested to the early saints, they needed to get onto the cutting edge where the action is, which is family history and temple work. He was so right, and I was certainly on that edge.

The Reunion

Imagine my shock when in the company of the Prophet’s descendants, I learned that many of them earnestly believed Brigham Young to be the worst kind of turn-coat with a murderous heart who was responsible for the conspiracy to kill Joseph, Hyrum and even Samuel Smith10, so that he could take over the Church. How could they perpetuate such a demonstrable and injurious lie? I learned that this was just a part of the false traditions that have clung to this family for generations. I had never heard any of this before. Someone asked me how I felt with such accusations being leveled at my ancestor? I responded, “He was able to endure it; I guess I can.” However the truth is that I was humiliated, offended and hurt. I felt surrounded by the enemy. About that time I looked up to see the faces of two dear friends with whom I had worked on past Church history tours, Kenneth Mays and Paul Thomas Smith. They were there to give historical information on the bus trip to Nauvoo, and though surprised to see me, I felt they were there for me as much as for the Smith family.

That evening in my quarters I began to feel angry, and I wanted to go home. Sleepless, I remembered that precious book in my suitcase, The Peacegiver. I reread the story of Abigail drawn from the Old Testament11. I recalled the many tender mercies of the Lord that had accompanied this whole experience. I knew the statement had been given to me through the veil, the Lord had placed me by birth and prepared me over the years to accomplish this task, time was made for Craig Frogley to coach me, faces of old friends appeared when I thought I was without friends. By morning I felt renewed and ready to board the Smith family motor coach with my Brigham Young Family name badge that had felt like a target the day before. Kari Robinson had also arrived, so I wasn’t the only “Brighamite” on the scene.

The tour was very different from usual Church History tours in this area. In Iowa we stopped at Graceland College and the cemetery where Alexander and David Smith were buried. We zipped right past Garden Grove with only a minimal acknowledgement that we were on the Mormon Trail as that was not a part of the history of the Prophet’s family. I began to see them in a new light, and this day opened the way for me and for Kari to begin building our bridge to Joseph and Emma’s precious children.

By the time we reached Nauvoo, I loved them all, and they had graciously accepted my presence with them. The children immediately loved and adopted Kari.

Michael and Darcy Kennedy had worked on this reunion for two years, and they and another family member, Kim Smith, wanted to meet with us privately in Nauvoo the evening before we would deliver our message to their family gathering. Peter Kennedy (no relation to Michael) had arrived by this time, so there were now three “Brighamites” among the “Josephites.” Surprisingly, I was beginning to enjoy being referred to as a “Brighamite.”

The meeting commenced with introductions. Kim Smith, baptized in 1998, told of her struggle to come to terms with Brigham Young. We learned that while most converts have to gain a testimony of Joseph Smith, Joseph’s descendants have to gain a testimony of Brigham Young, and it’s a stubborn and formidable barrier. There was a marked feeling of tension. Kari knew just what to do. She read our statement aloud, and I witnessed for myself the effect of it. The Spirit filled the room, and Darcy began referring to it as “The Healing Letter.” They invited us to join them in the Nauvoo Temple the next morning for the endowment session in which another of their cousins, Robert Smith, [Read Robert Smith’s experience concerning Emma: “I Was Too Tired to Go West.] would be endowed.

Saturday, June 7, 2007 was a day never to be forgotten. As the temple session proceeded, the word was passed: We will all come to the prayer circle. Though not an openly emotional person, I could not restrain the moisture from pouring from my face as I joined with representative descendants of the Prophet Joseph Smith, the Patriarch Hyrum Smith, and President Brigham Young. As required we committed there were no bad feelings among us. We were encircled by our unseen families through the veil, and we could feel their overwhelming joy. It was truly apparent that some things must be bound on earth, before they can be bound in heaven. It is my personal feeling that this was the seminal event for which we were brought together. This temple commitment of forgiveness was required at our hands in behalf of those who were no longer on the earth.

In the afternoon we went to Carthage. A strange series of events delayed and nearly prevented the bus with the three “Brighamites” from returning to Nauvoo. Yet there was nothing that could prevent us from standing before the living descendants of Joseph and Emma Smith, and, from the mouth of three witnesses, asking them to “please accept our regrets for things past and things lost and our hand in love and fellowship for the future where all is to be gained.”12

In Numbers 14:18 we are told “The Lord is longsuffering…visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation.” It became evident that when the third and fourth generations have passed away, the fourth and fifth generations may choose to overcome the false traditions of their fathers, and when they do, they will have all that heaven allows in accomplishing it.

Gracia is fourth generation, Michael is fifth, and I know they were foreordained by the Lord and placed by birth to do the work they are doing to gather together the descendants of Emma and Joseph Smith Jr.

I have learned some important things. The restoration was a family assignment. However, it is not a narrow and exclusive family as some may have thought. It is, instead, a broad and inclusive family. In fact, everyone who makes the baptismal covenant joins the family by taking upon themselves the family name which is Jesus Christ. It is His family.

When the saints left Nauvoo, their precious temple was destroyed, and the beloved family of the Prophet was divided away from them, but because this is the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times, all things will be restored. I never thought I would see that temple rise again on the hill overlooking Nauvoo, but there it is. We truly are witnessing the restoration of all things. Is the Lord waiting for us to pass away, so He can move ahead to heal up the wounds in our families, or is it time for us to simply reach out our hands and love first? “To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1. We have come to a season of healing within the covenant family of the Lord on both sides of the veil. We need to attend to it using all the tools that heaven has given us. If there is a rift, for heaven’s sake, build a bridge.

Journal of Discourses, Vol. 8, p. 69
History of the Church, vol. 5, p. 350. In 1843 Brigham gives strong counsel against women assuming their husband’s debts: “I wish to give a word of advice to the sisters…I have known elders who had by some means got in debt, but had provided well for their families during their contemplated mission; and after they had taken their departure, their creditors would tease their wives for the pay due from their husbands, till they would give them the last provision they had left…such a course of conduct on the part of the creditor is anti-Christian and criminal, and I forbid my wife from paying one cent of my debts while I am absent…and I want the sisters to act on the same principle.”
Bruce R. McConkie, Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, p. 516. The woman represents the eternal Church of God. The man child is the Kingdom of God being born into the world. In the Meridian Dispensation, the child is taken back to heaven, but in the Last Dispensation, the child is protected and brought to maturity. (From a lecture prepared by Bruce Stewart.)
Wandle Mace, Autobiography, BYU Special Collections, Writings of Early Latter-day Saints 207. Wandle Mace assumed the responsibilities of Nauvoo Temple architect when William Weeks left the Church. (From a lecture prepared by Bruce Stewart.)
This account from Alexander’s letter to Joseph III can be found in Autumn Leaves 14, no. 8 [Lamoni, Iowa, August 1901]: 349-351
Jacob 2: 25-30. The only exception to monogamy is when the Lord specifically commands otherwise as noted in verse 30.
Full name: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, also referred to by those who rejected Brigham Young as the “Brighamites.”
Letter in the author’s possession
The “Healing Letter” originals in the possession of the Smith and Young Family organizations. Copy included below.

10. Journal of Discourses, vol. 5, p 77

11. The Peacegiver, p 35-52. Abigail humbly kneels before the angry army of David, not only to save her city, but more importantly to save David.

12. Originally part of the “Healing Letter” and given verbally at the presentation of the document to the Smith Family gathering.

For more information of the Joseph Smith Jr. and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society go to www.josephsmithjr.org

http://www.lothropp.org
The Lothropp Family Foundation
The decendants of Reverand John Lothropp

http://www.pbs.org/americanprophet/

A Television Documentary

Directed by Lee Groberg

Narrated by Gregory Peck

Written by Heidi S. Swinton

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

Hyrum Smith- http://www.hyrumsmith.org/
The John Walker Family – http://www.walkerfamily.org/
Hyrum and Martha Smith Family – http://www.hyrumgsmith.org/
Sarah Smith Griffin Family – http://www.sarahsmithgriffin.org/
Joseph F. Smith Family Association – http://www.josephfsmith.org

Joseph Smith, Jr. – http://www.josephsmithjr.com

Samuel H. Smith – http://www.samuelhsmith.org

Catherine Smith Salisbury
Barraclough Branches – http://www.gencircles.com/users/barraclough/1
Robert Roseberry Family – http://familytreemaker.genealogy.com/users/r/o/s/Robert-Roseberry/index.html

Edited by Kyle R. Walker

http://www.byubookstore.com/ePOS?store=439&item_number=9781598114980&form=shared3%2fgm%2fdetail.html&design=439

Review by Dr. Craig R. Frogley

Kyle Walker wrote his doctoral dissertation for his PhD in Marriage and Family Therapy from Brigham Young University on the family dynamics of the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family. Therein he explored the best researched family values against the realities of the Smith Family’s success. In so doing he made available to us the “Smith Family Values” that we can use in our own families. In this new book he has invited some of the top researchers and authors on the family to contribute a biography of each senior family member, thereby elucidating these values in family context. Some of the Smith biographies are available in longer book form, while some are only targeted here, for the first time. Finding them all together in one book makes this volume worth owning.

Mark L. McConkie, who authored a book on Joseph Senior, writes the chapter on him. As with all the other previous authors the chapter is not just an excerpt from their book but a concisely written chapter for this compilation. I found each chapter delightful and detailed with insights that added wonderfully to the Smith Family literature. Other authors include Lavina Fielding Anderson who authored “Lucy’s Book”, she writes the chapter on Lucy Mack; Richard L. Anderson, author of several restoration histories, writes a unique chapter on Alvin; Gracia N. Jones, who is a descendant and author of several volumes on Joseph and Emma, adds a unique chapter on Sophronia; Ronald K. Esplin serves as the co-editor of the Smith Papers project and author of other history texts, has written the chapter on Hyrum Smith; Dean L. Jarman wrote his masters thesis on Samuel H. Smith and so teams with Kyle Walker to contribute the chapter on Samuel. Other contributors are well qualified historians who continue the text with chapters on Don Carlos and Lucy. Kyle Walker finishes the book with chapters on William and Katharine.