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The Smith Family in Vermont

Improvement Era, vol. 14, no. 2, December 1910, pp. 95 to 102

Junius F. Wells

IMPROVEMENT ERA. Vol. XIV. DECEMBER, 1910. No. 2 The Smith Family in Vermont. BY JUNIUS F. WELLS. The sojourn of the family of Joseph Smith, the "Mormon" prophet, in the state of Vermont, was between the years 1791 and 1816. During this period of about twenty-five years, they resided in the towns of Tunbridge, Randolph, Sharon, Royalton and Norwich, and for about a year in Lebanon, N. H. The family came from Ipswich and Topsfield, Essex county, Mass., where its ancestors were original settlers. The prophet's ancestry is briefly given, back to the first American progenitor, as follows: He was the fourth child and third son of Joseph Smith, born July 12, 1771, Topsfield, Mass., and Lucy Mack; married January 24, 1796, at Tunbridge, Vt. He was the third child and second son of Asael Smith, born Mch. 8, 1744, Topsfield, Mass., and Mary Duty; married February 12, 1767. He was the fifth child and second son of Samuel Smith, born 26th January, 1714, Topsfield, Mass., and Priscilla Gould; married 1734.

  • Written at the request of the compilers of a genealogical history of the to^n of Royalton, Vermont, which is about to be published. — J. F. W.

96 IMPROVEMENT ERA. He was the third child and first son of Samuel Smith, born Topsfield, Mass., 26 January, 1666, and Rebecca Curtis; married January 25, 1707. He was the son of Robert and Mary Smith, who came from Essex county, England, in 1635. In the maternal line, Joseph Smith was descended from a Scotch family; the first known American was: Ebenezer Mack, who resided at Lyme, Ct., and died 1777. His wife, Hannah Gates, died 1796. Their son, Solomon Mack, born at Lyme, Ct., 26 September, 1735, died 23 August, 1820. Married 1759, Lydia Gates, daughter of Nathan Gates, born 3 September, 1735. Lucy their daugh- ter, was born 8 July, 1775, married 24 January, 1796, to Joseph Smith. Their children were

  1. Alvin, born Tunbridge, Feb. 11, 1797, died 19 Nov., 1824.
  2. Hyrum, born Tunbridge, Feb. 9, 1800, killed Carthage, 111., 27 June, 1844.
  3. Sophronia, born Tunbridge, May 16, 1803.
  4. Joseph, born Sharon, Dec. 23, 1805, killed 27 June, 1844, at Carthage, 111.
  5. Samuel H., born Tunbridge, Mar. 13, 1808, died July 30, 1844.
  6. Ephraim, born Royalton, Mar. 13, 1810, died Mar. 24, 1810.
  7. William, born Royalton, Mar. 13, 1811.
  8. Catherine, born Lebanon, July 28, 1812, died Feb'y 1, 1900.
  9. Don Carlos, born New York State, Mch. 25, 1816, died Aug. 7,
  11. Lucy,  born  New  York  State,  July  18,  1821.

Asael Smith, with his family, came up from Ipswich, Mass., in 1791, and settled in South Tunbridge, where he bought one of the gore farms, to which was later added two or three others. The site of this homestead, which Asael and his sons cleared, is the farm now owned and which, for many years past, has been owned and occupied by Mr. John F. Bennett. They appear to have been pioneers in this part of Tunbridge, lying on the North Royalton boundary, and this locality was known as the Smith settlement. It was set off as school district No. 13, and Jesse Smith was appointed trustee. Asael Smith was a man of ability. He had served a full term as a soldier of the Revolution. He had held offices of trust in Ipswich and Topsfield, Mass., before emigrating to Vermont; and

HEARTHSTONE AT THE BIRTHPLACE OF THE PROPHET JOSEPH SMITH. Portraits of the Prophet Joseph, his mother, Lucy, and his brother, Hyrum Smith.

98 IMPROVEMENT ERA. he was chosen to almost every office, except town clerk, in the town of Tunbridge, while he lived there. He was selectman, moderator, grand juror, surveyor of highways; member of the building committee, trustee and pew-holder of the church; and moderator of the meeting that in 1798 formed one of the earliest, if not the first, Universalist society in the state. In 1796 his son, Joseph, married Lucy Mack, daughter of Solomon Mack, of Gilham, N. H. These were the parents of the prophet. They occupied the first clearing of the farm, working it on shares, while the father and the remaining sons broke up the remainder. They were successful farmers, and in 1802 they took their savings, and some means that had been given Lucy as her mar- riage portion, and opened a little store at Randolph. The goods purchased at Boston appear to have been sold mostly for ginseng root, which was shipped to China and sold by a partner in the transaction, who proved to be dishonest, making no returns for the cargo. This disaster to their fortunes compelled a return to their farm life, and later Joseph rented the farm owned by his wife's father in Sharon, moving on to it in the fall of 1804, or the spring of 1805. This farm, which was mostly in the town of Sharon, also comprised a tract of several acres ly:ng between the two lines of Sharon, along Ebenezer Dewey's, in Royalton; and here was located the homestead and part of the orchard, reaching over the line into Royalton. This is where their fourth child, Joseph, was born, on December 23, 1805. They prospered while living on this farm, for about three years, when the family moved to Tunbridge for a short time, and thence to a farm in Royalton, which they occupied for three years. During this period, Joseph senior worked on the farm sum- mers and taught school part of the time winters. His son Joseph attended the school on Dewey hill, and was taught his letters by Deacon Jonathan Kinney, the schoolmaster there. The family moved to Lebanon, N. H., in 1811, and remained there until late the following year, when they rented a farm from Squire Murdock, in the town of Norwich, about two miles north of the village on the old turnpike road. Here they remained

THE SMITH FAMILY IN VERMONT. 99 for three years, and in the spring of 1815 took their final leave of the state and moved to Palmyra, New York. On the way, they stopped at Royalton, where the prophet's mother parted forever with her mother, Lydia Gates, widow of Solomon Mack. She remained at the home of her son, Daniel Mack, in Royalton, where she died in 1817. It was not until 1820, about five years after the family left the state of Vermont, that Joseph Smith came into the public notice, by announcing that he had seen a vision of the Father and the Son, and had been called by them to the labor that proved to be his life work, namely, the establishment of the Church and organization which has come to be known over the whole world as the "Mormon" Church. It is not appropriate in these pages to trace the growth of this Church, but to mention it, as through it the old homestead of his parents and birthplace of the prophet has recently come into great prominence, and attracted attention of the world to the towns of Royalton and Sharon ; whose history would not be complete without allusion to the celebration of the prophet's one hundredth anniversary, at his birthplace, December 23, 1905. In May of that year, Mr. Junius F. Wells, of Salt Lake City, Utah, purchased the old farm, for the Church, of which he is a member and representative, and began the work of erecting a monument and memorial in honor of the prophet who was its founder. This was completed, so far as the raising of the monu- ment went, and the dedication occurred on December 23, 1905. A company of leading officials of the "Mormon" people came from Utah for the purpose, there being over fifty present, and their President, Joseph F. Smith, son of Hyrum, and nephew of the prophet, offered the dedicatory prayer. There were six or seven hundred people present from all parts of the state. The work of completing the Memorial Cottage and beautifying the surrounding grounds was left with Mr. Wells, who continues to spend a part of each year there, and under whose direction a very beautiful place is being made, to which thousands of visitors are attracted annually. Within the Memorial Cottage are being assembled the por- traits of the Smith family, and those associated with them in their

THE JOSEPH SMITH MEMORIAL MONUMENT, SHARON, VERMONT.

THE SMITH FAMILY IN VERMONT. 101 lifetime, also pictures showing the places of residence from Essex, England, in 1635, to Carthage, Illinois, in 1844. Chief among these portraits is a group of three, comprising Joseph the Prophet, his mother, Lucy Mack Smith, and his brother Hyrum. These are beautifully painted in oil, on wood panels, and adorn the mantelpiece, which has been built over the old hearth- stone that has been preserved, and occupies in the new cottage the precise place that it did in the old home where the prophet was born. We present a picture of this, and of the monument which is described as follows: Description of the Joseph Smith Monument. The monument is of dark Barre granite. It rests upon a concrete foundation fourteen feet square and seven feet deep. The first base is twelve feet square, twenty inches thick, and weighs about nineteen tons. The second base is nine feet square, two feet thick and weighs about thirteen tons. The inscription die is six feet square, six feet two inches high, and weighs about twenty tons. The capstone is seven feet four inches square, two and a half feet thick and weighs about ten tons. The shaft is four feet square at the base, three feet at the top, is thirty-eight and a half feet long (a foot for each year of the prophet's life) and weighs about forty tons. The total height of the monument is about fifty-one feet and weighs about one hundred tons, the whole being beautifully polished. The Inscription. Around the capstone is the following verse from the New Testament. It was reading this verse that led Joseph Smith to seek the Lord in oral prayer. In response, he received his first vision: If any oj you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. — James 1: 5. Upon the front of the inscription die: Sacred to the memory of Joseph Smith, the Prophet, Born here 23rd December, 1805. Martyred, Carthage, Illinois, 27th June. 1844.

102 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Upon the opposite side of the inscription die: Testimony of Joseph Smith. In the spring of the year of our Lord, 1820, the Father and the Son appeared to him in a glorious vision, called him by name and instructed him. Thereafter heavenly angels visited him and revealed the principles of the Gospel, restored the authority of the Holy Priesthood, and the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ in its fulness and perfection. The engraved plates of the Book of Mormon were given him by the angel Moroni. These he translated by the gift and power of God. He organized the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on the sixth day of April, 1830, with six members. He devoted his life to the establishment of this Church, and sealed his testimony with his blood. In his ministry he was constantly supported by his brother Hyrum Smith, who suffered martyrdom with him. Over a million converts to this testimony have been made through- out the world; and this monument has been erected in his honor, to com- memorate the one hundredth anniversary of his birth, by members of the Church which he organized. They love and revere him as a Prophet of God; and call his name blessed for ever and ever. Amen. Christmas Hymn. {For the Improvement Era.) My heart is full of thanks and love For Him who dwells in heav'n above; He sent his Son to Calvary, To suffer, bleed and die for me. Therefore, my soul shall ever sing All hail to him, my God and King, Who found me in the darkest night, And sent to me the gospel light. 0 Father dear, I ask of thee No blessing to withhold from me; And may I ever faithful prove To sing the praises of thy love. Niels Hansen.