This poem was written by my 5th-great grandfather Jesse Ballard (1808-1865). He writes about the biggest trials he faced in life including the deaths of his wife and his seventeen-year-old son. His poem is very religious and even though he wasn’t a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, the focus of […]
Bridging Time Through Poetry: Words from my Fifth Great-Grandpa Read More »
The sister post to this article about Mary Fielding Smith’s experience at the martyrdom of her husband Hyrum can be found at Pioneering Sisterhood here. P.S. Dear Emma, I am very much resigned to my lot, knowing I am justified and have done the best that could be done. Give my love to the children.1
“I am Strong Now,” Emma on the Day of the Martyrdom Read More »
When the LDS missionaries came to Toronto in 1836, Mary Fielding Smith and her sister Mercy ran and warned their neighbors to avoid them, fearing the strange new church. Amazingly, only a few days later they were baptized. Parley Pratt wrote that the people in Toronto “drank in truth as water, and loved it as
Independent, but not Alone: The Faith of Mary Fielding Smith Read More »
Memorial Service This summer my family and I participated in a memorial service at Smith Family Cemetery in Historic Nauvoo for the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum Smith (June 27, 1844).1 The service included prayer, music, scriptures, and quotes all crafted into a dramatic retelling of that fateful June-day when
Battles with Grief: Then and Now Read More »
Long-distance Engagement “You want to postpone the wedding?” I asked my fiancée. “We need more time,” he said. “We need to get to know each other better. We need time to plan and prepare.” We had set a date for the end of February, but now he wanted to move the wedding all the way
