Smith descendants reunite at celebration
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At a family reunion held in Salt Lake City Aug. 5-7, some 136 descendants of the Prophet Joseph Smith grew better acquainted with their forebear, and with each other.
The descendants, most of whom are not Church members, were surrounded by commemorations of Joseph Smith as the Church he founded celebrated the 200th anniversary of his birth.
Under the direction of descendants Michael Kennedy and his wife, Darcy, and Gracia Jones — the first Smith descendant to join the Church — Smith family members registered and held a family dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building in Salt Lake City, and later held a family meeting at the Joseph Smith Building on the BYU campus in Provo. On Saturday morning, the family was hosted at This Is The Place Heritage Park for breakfast. They were guests at the evening youth spectacular, "Remembering the Prophet Joseph" at BYU's Marriott Center where they were recognized by the people attending.
They were also guests of honor at the Mormon Tabernacle Choir's weekly broadcast, during which music director Craig Jessop welcomed them, paid tribute to Joseph's wife, Emma, for her collection of hymns, then directed as the choir sang two hymns centered on Joseph, "Oh, How Lovely Was the Morning," and "Praise to the Man."
Later, Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve, a Smith cousin as a descendant of Joseph's brother Hyrum, addressed them. They were also hosted by descendants of Samuel Smith, another of Joseph's brothers.
"It was a great step forward," said Elder Ballard. He said these family members came from all parts of the United States, and that he had met one from Australia. "It was wonderful for them to become acquainted with each other, and get acquainted with the reality of who Joseph Smith is as the Prophet of the Restoration.
"I think all the descendants had to be impressed with the great and marvelous work he established in restoring the gospel."
Another Smith cousin, Stephen M. Studdert, descendant of Joseph's grandfather Aesal Smith, took part in the reunion.
He said that last December, nearly all the living descendants of Joseph and Emma Smith — about 1,000 — received an invitation to the reunion.
Their experience "was sweet beyond expectations," he said. "They were deeply touched and tears were many. They began to understand the significance of Joseph to them and to the world."
He said that while some were very informed on their famous ancestor, others were unaware of the significance of their forefather and a few didn't even know they were his descendants. Many met for the first time, described as "not only physically but emotionally spread out" from each other. But emotions came to the surface during the reunion. After the youth spectacular, members of the Smith family went to the dance floor and hugged the young performers.
"It was sweet to watch," said Brother Studdert. He said temple work has been done for the deceased children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren and great-great-grandchildren of Joseph and Emma, which number about 2,100. Among their posterity are some 125 living adult descendants who are members of the Church, and of them, seven have served full-time missions.
He said Elder Ballard "bore the most powerful testimony of Joseph Smith that I have ever heard. He talked about (Joseph) in a powerful way that I sensed was new to most, if not all, of them, that Joseph was foreordained before the foundation of the world to be instrumental in restoring the gospel for the last time. That they were blessed to bear his blood, and how the day would come on the other side of the veil where Joseph would put his arms around each of them."
The descendants appreciated the opportunity for a family reunion. Kathy Emmett-Meek of Olympia, Wash., enjoyed visiting with more than a dozen cousins whom she hadn't seen in years.
"We came here because of Joseph Smith (family reunion) and because of this," she said, referring to the youth performance.
But for many others — such as Frances Abbey, of Ronan, Mont., and Robert Smith of Omaha, Neb., — it was a chance to learn about the family.
"I grew up Methodist; Grandma didn't talk about the LDS faith," Abbey said. "It is those descendants of my grandma whom I've come to meet because none of them lived in Montana."
Robert Smith, a great-great-grandson of Joseph Smith, has "known the whole story of Joseph Smith since my earliest memories. I have known I have come from a very special family.
"As a child and throughout adulthood, we did nothing alone; it was always the family. The thing I've learned here is there are many more family members than I ever believed possible, and the true love of family is a blessing."
