Descendants: Prophet's kin gather
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SYDNEY, Australia — Thirty-seven direct descendants of Joseph Smith, who are not Latter-day Saints, gathered in Sydney over Australia's Father's Day weekend Sept. 2-4 to honor their famous forefather in a celebration of his birth 200 years ago.
When the Joseph Smith Junior Family Organization in America discovered that there were some 380 descendants of Joseph and Emma Hale Smith living in Australia, they had a dream to meet with them in a gathering to mark the bicentennial of the Prophet's birth.
Not knowing where to begin, Michael Kennedy, president of the Joseph Smith Family Organization, contacted Lionel and Marianne Walters — directors of the Sydney/Canberra Key City Public Affairs Council — and sought their assistance.
Brother and Sister Walters invited a local Latter-day Saint businessman, John Bailey, to be the committee chairman in Australia for this event. Although Brother Bailey is not a descendant, he has a great love for the Prophet Joseph. Brother Bailey served as a young missionary in the Eastern States Mission, close to Palmyra. In 1997, he and his wife, Lesley, returned to the area when he was called to preside over the New York New York South Mission. Also serving on the committee were Howard and Helen Jeffree and Greg and Trisha Brown.
The committee immediately went to work to build bridges of understanding with the Australian descendants by contacting each of them. Friendships were soon made and a remarkable relationship with Robyn Mah, great-great-great-granddaughter of Joseph and Emma, was formed. Mrs. Mah became the co-chair of the committee and quickly helped to involve the other Australian cousins in this historic reunion.
Mrs. Mah's family line descends through Joseph and Emma's son, Alexander Hale Smith. Alexander's daughter, Ina Inez Smith, married an Australian, Sidney Garden Wright. They emigrated to Australia, had ten children and were pioneers in the Forster/Tuncurry area of New South Wales.
Years later, in a letter written by Ina Inez in 1938, she tells of a visit from her famous cousin in America, George Albert Smith: "I had a big surprise last week when Mavis and I got back, from one of the neighbors who handed me a card with the name of George Albert Smith on it from Salt Lake City, and when we got around the corner we found a big car awaiting us from which stepped a tall, slight gentleman who came to meet me with his hand out. He smiled and said, 'I guess you're the one I am looking for. I am sure you are Inez Smith Wright. I am a cousin from America and this is another cousin.' The other cousin was a fine looking young man about 20 years old. He proved to me his claim was OK, so we had about an hour together. He left Australia on the first of April. He comes from the Utah side of the family but it has made me feel very good towards him. To think he went to so much trouble to find me, he was out here on something to do with the Boy Scouts. He had a letter of introduction from the governor of the state of Utah and seemed to be a man of importance. It made me long to go home more than ever."
Brother and Sister Bailey, and others of the committee traveled to the Foster/Tuncurry area of New South Wales to meet with Smith family members. Here, they met Robyn's mother, June Wright, who is the wife of Max Wright, a direct descendant of Joseph. Mrs. Wright has kept marvelous records of the family and this made it possible to blend what the Joseph Smith Junior Family Organization already had in order to compile a more accurate genealogical record.
On Friday evening, a welcome/reception dinner was held at Robyn Mah's Lane Cove Music and Cultural Center, providing an informal and relaxing atmosphere for the family members to meet and mingle. Brother Kennedy introduced their family history on a 3-ft. by 17-ft. scroll showing the lineage from Joseph and Emma to the present. The Australian family members were especially delighted to see that their line, coming from Alexander Hale Smith, took almost a third of the entire chart.
On Saturday morning, the group met at the Church Area Offices where they saw the Church film, The Restoration. This deeply touched many and helped them to better understand the significance of their great ancestor and the vital role he played in the restoration of the gospel.
A visit to the temple annex to see the Brisbane Temple Open House video and receive a booklet, "Temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints," was appreciated and reverently received by all.
The highlight of the morning was their visit to the administrative offices of the local family history department. Here, they received packages including a disk with their personal lineage and had a "hands-on" experience in looking up their own family lines.
On Saturday afternoon, a senior parliamentarian, David Clarke, a member of the Legislative Council, the New South Wales Upper House, spoke to the group and congratulated them on their family values and unity. Mr. Clarke, a devout Catholic, spoke in praiseworthy terms of the Prophet Joseph Smith and the many valuable contributions that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has made and continues to make in society.
On the same afternoon, Matthew Brown, a U.S. author of several books about Joseph Smith, made a presentation, which dispelled much of the misinformation that many family members had been exposed to about Joseph Smith.
The group reconvened on Sunday morning at the Church Area Offices for a family organization discussion led by Brother Kennedy with enthusiastic feedback from family members. They watched a recording of the Aug. 7 Mormon Tabernacle Choir broadcast. After the broadcast ended, two special numbers, "Joseph Smith's First Prayer" and "Praise to the Man," were sung to the descendants, evoking tears and tender feelings from many in attendance.
