Friends of Our Ancestors: Joseph and Hyrum Smith
2010
Many of our ancestors lived through the events in the early Church including the trials and tribulations which befell the Saints in Nauvoo, Illinois. Many journals, including that of George Morris and Jonathan Pugmire talk of their direct contact with the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother, the Patriarch, Hyrum Smith. Other journals from the time that we have read have referred to various relationships with the Prophet Joseph Smith. All of our ancestors who received Patriarchal Blessings while in Nauvoo, did so by the hands of Hyrum Smith. Hezikiah Sprague was one such ancestor. Therefore, these two men played a significant role in the lives and destinies of our ancestors. This beautiful statue of Joseph and Hyrum riding off to Carthage is a touching reminder of the events of that time. They were murdered in the jail at Carthage and would not return to their beautiful city again in this life. Beyond them is the great Mississippi River which also played a part in the history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints as our ancestors moved across its frozen surface as they were driven from their homes by the mobs. In front of Joseph and Hyrum, also overlooking the giant Mississippi is the re-built Nauvoo Temple. It is impossible to have an understanding of many of our ancestors without knowing the history of the Church and the events that took place in their in the lives of Joseph and Hyrum Smith. Many of those dramatic events were witnessed and shared in by our ancestors.