In this episode Susan tells us the story of the origins of the largest female organization in the world, the Relief Society of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The original idea from some women in Nauvoo was to create a local chapter of the Benevolent Society. Eliza R. Snow was asked to […]
Leading up to the presidential election of 1844, Joseph Smith and other church leaders counseled about who should get their vote. None of the alternatives seeming desirable, it was finally proposed that General Joseph Smith run himself. This he did, eventually finding a running mate in Sidney Rigdon. Neither of them were known to ever
In this episode Susan talks about a central focus of the prophet and the saints in Nauvoo – the temple. We know from a previous episode that Joseph had received revelation and instituted baptisms for the dead, and a font was built for that purpose on the site of the Nauvoo temple, sheltered by a
If you visit Nauvoo today (2020s), you’ll see a small agrarian town. But in its heyday when it was the gathering place for the saints, it was a thriving center of religious, civic, business and cultural life, whose population briefly rivaled that of Chicago. In this episode Susan tells us some fascinating facts about life
In this episode we talk about the history of the place we now call Nauvoo, the reason so many died there when the saints first arrived, and a glorious revelation that followed regarding those who have died without baptism. What were the two names for Nauvoo before it was Nauvoo? Why did the saints buy
As the latter-day saints were running for their lives from Missouri, following the Extermination Order, east to Illinois, the town they came to was Quincy, just over the Mississippi River. What makes Quincy remarkable is the kindness of the people there, who took in more than triple their population and, in contrast to people they
We take a moment in our account to talk about a great friend to the saints and a remarkable man – Alexander Doniphan. While others in positions of influence were seeking to harm the saints Doniphan, a lawyer, stood up for them and stood up for justice, showing an integrity seemingly lacking in others at
As we discussed last time, Joseph Smith and others were taken prisoners in Far West on Oct 31 of 1838. A death sentence was passed on them, but they were effectively saved from execution by Alexander Doniphan. While their lives were spared, they were incarcerated for the next five months. Why were they taken prisoners
Learn about the events that led up to the infamous Extermination Order by Governor Boggs of Missouri in 1838. It reads in part, “the Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must be exterminated or driven from the State if necessary for the public peace—their outrages are beyond all description”. What made Governor Boggs, and
This is a video-only episode (except the little explanation version I do separately). For the video go to: https://youtu.be/9ModX2-auQo (YouTube). If you happen to be listening on Spotify then click the little switch to go to the video version. In this episode I take you on location to Independence, Missouri! We believe this is the
