The Mysteries of Joseph Smith Jr.

Ten Things You Didn’t Know About the Prophet Joseph Smith and His Family

1.      Entrepreneurial Grandfather

Joseph Smith’s grandfather Solomon Mack was an avid entrepreneur who ran a coasting trade between Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, taught the art of making saltpeter for gunpowder, carted military bags during the French and Indian War, managed over a thousand acres of land, and owned a schooner (a large sailing ship with several masts).

2.      Meeting His Grandmother

Joseph met his ninety-two-year-old grandmother Mary Duty Smith in Kirtland, Ohio, after she expressed her desire to be baptized. Of her, he said, “She was the most honored woman on Earth.”  Mary told Lucy, “I am going to have your Joseph [Jr.] baptize me, and my Joseph [the patriarch] bless me.” Though she passed away before her wish was fulfilled, the Lord has promised, “All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God.”

3.      The $1,000 Wedding Gift

When Lucy married Joseph Smith Sr. in 1796, she received $1,000 (over $14,000 in today’s time) as a wedding present from two of her brothers, but rather than spending it, she saved the money as a cash reserve for unexpected emergencies in the future. Unfortunately, the emergency came in 1803 when Joseph Smith Sr. was cheated out of his profits from a large investment made in the plant ginseng and had to give up the family farm in addition to Lucy’s wedding present to pay off debt from their store.

4.      Typhoid Fever and Death

The same typhoid fever that killed 6,400 people in the Connecticut Valley and led to little Joseph’s infamous leg surgery also brought his sister Sophronia close to death. Ninety days of illness left the girl limp and motionless, but after offering a final prayer of hope and love, Lucy held the child in her arms and paced the floor until, miraculously, the child began to sob and breathe again.

5.      Juvenile Debate Club

Young Joseph was part of a juvenile debate club in Palmyra that discussed questions of morality, politics, and even the existence of God. In response to the question of a Supreme being, Joseph declared that the magnificent beauty of this created universe proclaims the undeniable existence of a loving Heavenly Father.

6.      Seeking Treasure

In 1825, Joseph and his father went to work for a man named Josiah Stowell who believed he had found a Spanish silver mine in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Joseph Jr. had developed a reputation for helping people find lost property and hidden things through the use of a peculiar stone. When Stowell caught news of this, he recruited the Smiths and offered them two-elevenths of the treasure they were to find.

7.      Eloping and Forgiveness

Joseph and Emma originally met when he boarded at the Hales’ home during the earlier treasure expeditions with Stowell. Emma’s father refused to let the two marry, but after they eloped, Joseph and Emma returned to get her things, and Joseph promised that he had quit treasure-seeking and intended to work hard for the family. Isaac Hale was contented and even offered to let the new couple live on the Hale property.

8.      Smitten Thrice Before Reviling

The early saints received much persecution, and in an effort to defend his people, Joseph organized what would become known as Zion’s Camp. However, as the military group was forming, a revelation was received informing the saints that they were to bear even physical persecution. Armed defense was justifiable only after they were smitten three times.

9.      First Woman to Receive the Endowment

Emma received her endowment from the Prophet Joseph Smith in September of 1843, becoming the first woman to receive the ordinance. She was then asked to officiate for other women and did so until just before the saints left Nauvoo.

10.  Presidential Candidacy

After being denied help by both major candidates in the 1844 presidential election, Joseph decided to run for president. Approximately 350 men volunteered to go around the country campaigning for him, and even before that, Joseph wrote, “When I look into the Eastern papers and see how popular I am, I am afraid I shall be president.” He was one of the only two men ever shot running for president, the other being Robert F. Kennedy.

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Sources

Bushman, Richard Lyman., and Jed Woodworth. Joseph Smith: rough stone rolling. New York:

Vintage , 2007. Print.

Lloyd, R. Scott. "Scholar Discusses Joseph Smith's 1844 Presidential Election Campaign."

Church News and Events. N.p., 29 Sept. 2016. Web. 13 July 2017.

Ludlow, Daniel H. Encyclopedia of Mormonism. New York, NY: Macmillan Pub. Co., 1999.

Print.

A Brighter Future and the Arts

3 Reasons why you and your kids should be involved with the arts

     The world at present can sometimes make the scripture “men are that they might have joy” seem like a gray area because of the countless trials and empty pleasures we experience, but research has shown that through regular involvement in and development of artistic skills ranging from music to drawing or photography, both children and adults can experience more success and happiness in their lives.  Participation in the arts plants three primary seeds that will lead to a brighter future.

1.      Career success:  At first glance, art and future employment seem to be two highly uncorrelated nouns, but research done by Americans for the Arts found that creativity is one of the top three personality traits sought after by U.S. employers, yet eighty-five percent of employers cannot find the creative types they seek.  These findings are significant because everyone from PBS to the Washington Post agrees that art is extremely important in child development, especially in relation to creativity and innovational skills.  The catch is that one of the other top three traits sought after by employers is expertise in the field or industry of application, so participating in the arts will help you develop essential creativity and innovation skills, but obtaining knowledge in another field is also of vital importance.

2.      Overall well-being:  Part of having joy in this life is finding things that bring us wholesome pleasure and take us out of our daily routine to a place of excitement or delight for even ever so small a moment.  A survey done by Americans for the Arts showed that sixty-three percent of Americans experience pure pleasure when they are involved with art in a given day, and even more than that said the arts help to lift them up beyond everyday experiences.  Very few people can deny the joy they get from creating or even just witnessing beautiful art.  In fact, art is so beneficial to human well-being that it has been used to improve the medical condition of patients as far back as 1948.  National Endowment for the Arts summarizes a few of the different studies done in relation to art and patient improvement.  One such study found that premature infants in an intensive care unit were released an average of three days earlier than others when treated with sung and spoken lullabies.

3.      Impact on others:  Despite the fact that participating in the arts can be extremely beneficial to yourself, picking up an artistic skill such as music, painting or dance and using it to impact the lives of others is no doubt an even more rewarding benefit of participating in the arts.  Art is a special form of communication that uses more of the human senses and reaches individuals on a deeper emotional level than mere speaking and listening.  Almost any person can think of a time when art made their day better whether it be through listening to music, attending a galley or watching a dance competition, and if the opportunity existed, would each of those individuals not love to return the favor to someone else?  Simply put, art is an opportunity to give back, impact lives and change the world.

Written by Abraham Bedard – Director of Marketing at Bedard Fine Art

Works Cited

Lynch, Grace Hwang. "The Importance of Art in Child Development." PBS. Public Broadcasting Service, 25 May 2012. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

"Research Reports." Americans for the Arts. Americans for the Arts, 15 Feb. 2017. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.

Strauss, Valerie. "Top 10 skills children learn from the arts." The Washington Post. WP Company, 22 Jan. 2013. Web. 11 Apr. 2017.