I saw this on the Provo Daily Herald Facebook page, but I can't seem to post the link from FB.

http://www.heraldextra.com/news/local/did-your-ancestor-know-joseph-smith/article_869c5bbd-a393-5008-b5ed-352f3f21686c.html

The comments on the FB page are just too funny.

Yep. Chauncy Webb. He's the one who helped Fanny Alger after Emma kicked her out of their house for being pregnant with Joe's lust child :)

John Neff met him in Nauvoo and started the first mill in Salt Lake in what's now called "Millcreek."
Eli Harvey Pierce was baptized by Joseph Smith. His father Robert was "same sex sealed" to Joseph Smith.

That might make another interesting thread. "Which of your ancestors were sealed in a same sex pioneer ceremony?"

Doubtful....but probably knew Bringem Young.

Ron Burr

They were Levi Hancock, Mosiah Hancock, and David Dutton Yearsley, and their families.

Fanny Alger was Mosiah Hancock's niece, his sister's child. So, at least my kids are not in a direct pedigree line for polygamy. But there is some blood relationship.

The only sane one was David Dutton Yearsley, whom Smith took advantage of financially, 'borrowing' thousands from him, as he was the most wealthy resident. Figures.

The Hancocks were real pieces of work. They were heavily into the deeper doctrine of Mormonism. Levi played the violin very well. Sometimes he would give an evening of entertainment to B.Y. and his inner circle.

David White Rogers and family were baptized by Parly P Pratt in 1837. In 1844 he bought lots on either side of horny joe's mansion in Nauvoo and started building a brick house. To lose it all a year later before heading out to Deseret. It took 6 generations to shake off that conversion.

Well my great grandfather was born in 1834 to Horny Joe's uncle, Silas Smith.

He was baptized a Mormon by Harem Hyrum.

Then there was my Shummy grandpa who was called
as 'Bodyguard to the Prophets' in Nauvoo.

Doesn't mean I'm proud or anything but I've learned to live with it.

I'm a descendant of Grandpa Silas, also! I guess that makes me first cousins with JS (several generations removed). It used to be fun to brag about that...

Yeah, I have quite a few connections. But the saddest has to be the story of Weare Leavitt. Died right before making it to Nauvoo.
https://familysearch.org/photos/documents/6751587?returnLabel=Weare%20Leavitt%20%28LHS7-2HW%29&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2F%23view%3Dancestor%26person%3DLHS7-2HW%26spouse%3DKWJR-FDZ%26parents%3DLCCB-JD6_L878-DZZ%26section%3Dmemories

Although my ancestors helped start the Whistling & Whittling Brigade:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Nauvoo,_Illinois#The_.22Mormon_War_in_Illinois.22_and_the_Mormon_Exodus

They considered themselves the "stripling warriors" of Nauvoo.

It made me sad to see that his daughters became "fourth" and "fifth" wife of a polygamist.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2014 12:14AM by dydimus.

Josephine Rosetta Lyon who clamed she was one of JS's wives.

Yes, always a source of pride growing up. Shadrach Roundy, body guard of JS.

Now, after my journey down the rabbit hole, he likely guarded JS from irate parents of young girls, guarded him from arrest warrants for attempted murder. He was also a member of the council of the 50.

The end

Yep. My great++++ grandpa Levi Jackman kicked it with ole BY and JS. Came into the valley with BY. Hunkered down in good ole slc with the whole lot of them. Smh*

Oh another one was Zopher Ensign. Joined the church in 1832 when B.Y. took his Baptist church to the Mormons. There was also Sanford Porter. Baptized in 1829 before the church was even organized. Sanford Porter, Jr. was baptised at 8yrs old in 1831.

https://familysearch.org/photos/images/7189027?returnLabel=Sanford%20Porter%20Jr%20%28KWJ8-KD6%29&returnUrl=https%3A%2F%2Ffamilysearch.org%2Ftree%2F%23view%3Dancestor%26person%3DKWJ8-KD6%26spouse%3DKWJ8-KD8%26parents%3DKWJT-VMZ_KWJT-VMH%26section%3Dmemories

John Murdock, he gave the Profit and Emma his twin babys after his Wife died.

Not on my side of the family, but hubby's family has a few rumored to have been close to Ole Joe (although I didn't find any of them through the link in the above mentioned article). One ancestor was even supposed to be one of his bodyguards:

https://familysearch.org/patron/v2/TH-300-44685-0-14/dist.pdf?ctx=ArtCtxPublic

https://www.lds.org/friend/1974/08/faith-story-philemons-faith?lang=eng&query=philemon+christopher+merrill

His wife was "receiv'd" as a member to the Relief Society at the second meeting:

http://josephsmithpapers.org/paperSummary/nauvoo-relief-society-minute-book#!/paperSummary/nauvoo-relief-society-minute-book&p=13

I unfortunately have lots of ancestors that were in Vermont, Ontario, Ohio, and Nauvoo with Joseph Smith. I suspect Israel Barlow knew him best, traveled with him in Zion's camp, served as a Danite and was an official body guard for the prophet. I have an ancestor who was one of JS plural wives, won't mention the name or discloses too much about me.

Hey cousins ... I am also a descendent of Weare Leavitt through Phoebe Cowles.

Yeah me too. Of course, this was before Polygamy; so yeah Weare Leavitt only had the one wife Phoebe and so Hey Cuz!!!

Indeed I do. Chauncey Webb's brother Edwin. In fact I can go HieToKolob one better. Edwin Webb and his bride Eliza Ann McWethy were married by Joseph Smith himself in 1835. (AFAIK, JS never tried to "marry" Eliza Ann.) Ironically, Edwin was the Webb black sheep; he never joined the church although he lived in Kirtland & Nauvoo with the others.

Hey Kolob - wouldn't Seth & Harriet Taft also have known JS?

Adding:

Eliza Ann's parents also knew JS of course; the marriage occurred in her father's house. Her dad Isaac got into trouble with JS a couple of times on account of (you guessed it) money. Isaac & his wife didn't follow JS to Nauvoo, remaining in Kirtland.

Isaac was not a member of the Kirtland Safety Society, although both Edwin and Chauncey Webb were.

I have ancestors who were married in Nauvoo, so it's very possible. Dummies.

I've mentioned it before, but he boinked my ancestor's sister. Said ancestor didn't see fit to mention it in his journal, but his brother did, and she made it onto the "wife" list.

My ancestors on both my mother's side and my father's side of the family were neighbors and friends with JS. They were among the very first members of the cult. They apostatized from the Church of England. I don't consider myself or my children apostates--we are merely returning to the true religion of my ancestors--Christianity. I used to revere them, reading about them in the Mormon church history accounts, but now I'm ashamed of the polygamists and those who were conned out of their fortunes by JS. Two of my ancestors were downright evil--liars, probably murderers. I have no respect for a man who would abandon his wife (wives) and children to try to survive alone, so he could go on a mission to Europe, to recruit more victims.

All those early Mormons were apostates.

My mother's side of the family were polygamists, and held very high positions in the cult. My father's side of the family were huge cult supporters, financially, but no polygamy. They had to do with the founding of BYU, and some are still teachers and administrators there. Several BYU buildings are named after both my father's and mother's ancestors.

I have over 100 first cousins, and I was the second to leave the cult, and the third to get a divorce.

Yes, one of his benefactors since Kirtland.

Yeah... ugh... Joseph Smith is my first cousin. I hate knowing that.

Is it physically/ statistically possible for a mormon living in the United States to not be related to Joseph Smith or Bringem young or even both?

Yep, my parents were both converts and I have absolutely no connection to either one. As an active Mormon, I always wished for some sort of pioneer ancestry so I could be part of the group, now I'm glad and feel proud that I don't have any.

There is probably a connection by marriage though. My husband's family goes way back in Mormonism, but I don't want to count that.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2014 03:05PM by want2bx.

Another Israel Barlow here, plus one other, present at the founding of the church.

Probably met him and knew a lot about him. They pioneered in Warsaw in 1837, and didn't much appreciate the interlopers.

Stephen Markham; he was a bodyguard to JS. He was my great-great-grandfather, and came to Utah in the original company with Brigham Young.

http://www.judyharper.info/geneology/LDS%20Biography%20of%20Stephen%20Markham.pdf

or this Ensign article (at the bottom of the page)

https://www.lds.org/ensign/1993/01/to-hear-or-not-to-hear?lang=eng

Then we are related. :)

My father's mother was a Markham.



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2014 12:45PM by fossilman.

Yep. William Clayton: JS's scribe, inventor of the Odometer (he called it the Road-o-meter), and author of "Come, Come Ye Saints."

Sister Barney. I'd have to look up her first name and exactly how i'm connected. I know she left Nauvoo and had sister wives.

You are related to the Barneys? I am too!

My ancestor, Lewis Barney, probably knew Joseph. He was one of the people who gave everything to Brigham to live communally.

There is a funny story about him and Porter Rockwell. Rockwell always liked to pretend he was a bad azz and said "When I hunt, I ONLY go for hard prey - I never go for does, only bucks" Well, my ancestor Lewis saw his catch one day and said "Hey, Port! Nice tits on that buck." Rockwell stormed off.

Some of them did. They converted in the 1830s, helped build the Nauvoo temple, etc. One was posthumously sealed to JS. She had turned him down, but in the hysteria after he died, she agreed to be sealed to him. BY did the honors, sealing her for time to one of his pals.



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 12/16/2014 10:31AM by Stray Mutt.

My ancestor Lucy Walker knew Joe, in the biblical sense.

My gggrandfather was J.C. Wright and built a house in Nauvoo. He knew briggy and others but I am not sure about ole filandering joe.

I am related to alexander mcrae, one of the men who got to spend a lot of time with joe in the liberty jail. http://lds-truth.com/churchhistory/liberty.html

it's not working for me so I don't know.

Yes, 2nd and 3rd great-grandparents--early converts from England. They arrived in time for the dedication of the land for the Nauvoo temple in 1841. 2nd ggfather was described as a "friend" of Joseph and was allowed to take a 23-yr old recent immigrant as a second bride. She then disappeared from history. He wasn't in the council of the anointed though.

Later he had business problems with Hyrum and then BY and John Taylor and was kicked out, and soon died under mysterious circumstances.

Knew him Biblically - Zina Huntington.

I'm the gr-gr-gr-gr-gr-gr granddaughter of Brigham himself.

Won't get any more specific than that, because there aren't too many of his granddaughters living in this part of the United States.

Southern ExMo Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I'm the gr-gr-gr-gr-gr-gr granddaughter of Brigham
> himself.

I'm the gr-gr-gr grandson of Brigham himself. My grandmother was his great granddaughter.

My great great granddaddy was Gilbert Belknap, a close friend (supposedly) of JS. He was at the jail with JS the day he died, but JS sent him home as he knew trouble was coming.

BY made them stay at winter quarters instead of being with him when they made it to sl. So they came two years later. He had two wives, I was related to the first one.

This almost makes me want to dig out this encyclopedia that the Belknap family put out in the 1970's. It is called "Heritage with Honor". My aunt and uncle bought me my very own copy.

They were from England I believe. I have met cousins locally.

Aye.

My great-great-great grandfather Thomas Jefferson Butterfield and his wife Mary Ann Parker Butterfield joined the Mormons in Kirtland, OH. It was there he sold a horse to Joseph Smith. I can't remember the story exactly, but somehow Joseph never paid him, and he "had the honor" of giving Joseph Smith a horse.

They followed him to Missouri and Nauvoo, and ended up going to Utah with the Brighamites.

My gr gr gr grandfather was Emer Harris, brother to Martin Harris.

Oliver Huntington - "inhabitants on the moon", brother of Zina Huntington Jacobs Smith Young

James Holt - family was so poor it is mentioned twice in the early RS minutes.

I'm certain there are others.

Edwin Woolley, Nauvoo merchant, ancestor of the Woolleys who got the FLDS polygamy revelation.

I am not Mormon, no one in my family was until my son was recruited...

But some of my ancestors may well have crossed paths with JS. I am a several-greats granddaughter of Eleazur Fairbanks, who was the first pastor (Presbyterian) of the first church established in Smyrna, NY. http://wayne.nygenweb.net/townships/palmyra.html

Since he was a Presbyterian minister, my guess would be Eleazur wouldn't have approved of JS at all. Eleazur died in Smyrna a couple of years after Jo moved there...Eleazur, his wife or his daughter, (my gr gr gr gr grandmother) Marianna may have witnessed some of the very beginnings of Jo's scheme in Smyrna.

Sorry...should have written Palmyra, NY. My bad memory and non-Mormonism showing.

I'm ashamed to say yes. I have her name at home. My mom put together a whole book about her life and it was all about her TBM relatives. She's proud that a grandmother on her mothers side (probably great, great grandmother) ironed Joe's suit for him the night before he died. I could have it wrong so please no haters but it was along those lines. My mom is proud, I am embarrassed.