Falling Stars

A meteorite shower occurred on a night in Church history long remembered by the Saints. It was the night thousands of Saints were camped along the Missouri River at Wayne City Landing, after being driven out of Independence at gunpoint in November 1833. Among them were the ALLREDS - William, Elizabeth and their 14 children. While camping there in the open, in the frigid cold weather, they witnessed a meteorite shower—a glorious display of heavenly lights which they interpreted as a sign from heaven that God was with them.

Apostle Parley P. Pratt, who was an eyewitness to events in Jackson County in 1833, left this record:  Thursday, the shore began to be lined on both sides of the ferry, with men, women, and children, goods, wagons, boxes, chests, provisions, etc., while the ferrymen were very busily employed in crossing them over; and when night again closed upon us the wilderness had the appearance of a camp meeting. Hundreds of people were seen in all directions. Some in tents, some in the open air around their fires while the rain descended in torrents. Husbands were inquiring for wives, and women for their parents, parents for children, and children for parents. Some had the good fortune to escape with their family, household goods, and some provisions; while others knew not the fate of their friends, and had lost all their goods. The scene was indescribable, and I am sure would have melted the hearts of any people upon earth.... Next day, our company still increased, and we were chiefly engaged in felling small cottonwood trees, and erecting them into temporary cabins, so when night came on we had the appearance of a village of wigwams, and the night being clear we began to enjoy some degree of comfort.

About two o'clock the next morning, we were aroused from our slumbers by the cry of, "Arise and behold the signs in the heavens." We arose and to our great astonishment all the heavens seemed enwrapped in splendid fireworks as if every star in its broad expanse had been suddenly hurled from its course and sent lawless through the wilds of ether. I can give the reader no better idea of this scene than by allusion to the shooting of a bright meteor with a long train of light following in its course such as many of us have seen in a bright starlit night. Now suppose that thousands of such meteors with their fiery trains were to run lawless through the heavens for hours together, this would be a scene such as our eyes beheld on that memorable morning; and the scene only closed by giving place to the superior light and splendor of the king of day. No sooner was this scene beheld by some of our camp than the news reached every tent and aroused everyone from their slumbers; every eye was lifted towards the heavens, and every heart was Tilled with joy at these majestic signs and wonders showing the near approach of the Son of God. (ibid., 180–181)

I love this description:

While the Saints were in camp in huts and tents made from bedding or carpets, or many of them without protection of any kind, they witnessed the wonderful "shower of stars." This was the morning of November 13,1833. The accounts of this night are many and interesting. The whole heavens appeared to be full of shooting, twisting stars, some like meteors, and some like "large drops of rain in sunshine." The streaks of brightness would twist and turn like serpents. They appeared to fall to the earth and be seen no more. (Vida E. Smith, Young People's History 1:140)

Not only did the saints feel buoyed by this miracle, their lives were spared. A mob had gathered to kill any saints left in Missouri and they had their eyes set on the banks of the river where it would be like "shooting fish in a barrel". On their way, the sky lit up striking the mob with such awe that they halted their advance on the Saints to watch the magnificent celestial display. In the morning, they simply turned around and went home, and immediately thereafter, the Saints safely escaped to Clay County.

It was from these events that W.W. Phelps penned the words, “Now Let Us Rejoice in the Day of Salvation.”

One encyclopedia explains that this was the Leonid meteor shower, which occurs every 33.25 years. It states that "every November, when the Earth passes through [the meteor's orbit], we meet at least a few Lenoids per hour," but that on November 13, 1833, the display was the greatest in recorded history. In that shower it was estimated to have "furnished 200,000 meteors for a given station [visible at a single place] between midnight and dawn, numbers of them brilliant, and many leaving trains" (The Encyclopedia Americana [1954] 18:713a, 713).

Conversion of Anders (Andrew) and Bodella Paulson

They were newlyweds living in Denmark. They worked at a dairy where he made 9¢ a day and she made 6¢ a day. It was then that they were converted to the LDS Church. Having heard that the Mormon Elders speak of the streets, telling of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon, quoting James. “If any of you lack wisdom let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and upbraideth not and it shall be given him, but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering, for he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, driven with the wind and tossed.” Next day Grandmother Poulson tried to find the scripture referred to but could not remember where it was found in the Bible, but recalled what it said, that if you prayed humbly you would receive the wisdom desired. She prayed as instructed. When she again opened her bible it was at Jas. Ch. 1 and directly over the verses 5-6 was a small bright light that moved over the lines as she read them. She was so happy that she wept with joy and closed the bible without remembering the chapter. When grandfather came home she told him of her experience. He was much disappointed that she could not tell him where it was found and finally said- “Mother let us pray again and perhaps we can find it.” With all the faith humble people could have, they did so. This same experience was repeated again to both of them. They never again forgot the chapter and verse. With study and prayer this experience converted them to the gospel as taught by the Latter Day Saints. (this event was told by Grandfather Poulson to his daughter Karenstens, who in turn related it to her son Dan, from whom it came to the writer direct.) Joy and happiness were theirs in full measure, but when it became known that they had been converted to another church their minister demanded their bible, but they refused to give it up. They were discharged from their jobs in the dairy and found it difficult to procure employment of any kind but finally did so at three cents per day. They studied the scriptures, attended all meetings possible and made preparation in due time to immigrate to Zion (Utah) as soon as possible.

Alvah J. Alexander and the Prophet Joseph Smith

(From Young Woman's Journal 17 (1906), p.541) - Found at the Lands and Records Office in Nauvoo Sept 2014 "I came to Nauvoo in the fall of 1842. At this time I met the Prophet Joseph Smith, and knew him from then till the time of his death. I was only a boy of eleven when I first knew him, but I always loved him, and no amusements or games were as interesting to me as to hear him talk. I remember one day I was at his home playing with his children, when he came home and brought two men. These men had been arrested for abusing Joseph. He brought them in and treated them as he would one who had never done him a wrong; gave them dinner before he would allow them to depart. Just before they sat down to dinner he brought his children up and introduced them. Pointing to me he said: 'This is a neighbor's little boy'. When the officers were taking Joseph to Carthage, at the time of his assassination, my father and I met them. We stepped to one side of the road to allow them to pass. Captain Dunem, who was with Joseph, stopped and told my father that Joseph said he never expected to return. And he never did, for he was foully assassinated at the Carthage Jail. When they returned with the body, I was among those who went to meet them. I saw him lying in state at the Mansion House. I was deeply affected, as my love for the Prophet was great. As a boy, my testimony that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet was as strong as it is now as a man; and I verily testify that Joseph Smith was a true Prophet of the living God."

Nauvoo!

We went to Nauvoo again this past weekend and it meant more than ever. We found the names of our relatives who died along the way to Salt Lake on the walls of the Pioneer Memorial. We learned how Philander Colton made bricks at the kiln. We saw the grave of Joel Scovil and one of the original sunstones carved by Charles Lambert.

We went to the Land and Records Office and stayed until they kicked us out saving names onto a cd along with maps of where they lived in Nauvoo and it was so fun to see how close to one another members of my side were with Jaymee's family. Some even shared lots! We went through a couple generations on Sienna's fan on my side and I was shocked to see that only about 4 couples out of maybe 30 or so didn't live in Nauvoo. I had no idea so many lived there!! What new meaning that town has for me.

Pictures and new info to come!!

Isaac Lee and Julia Ann Chapman

When Isaac Lee was forced, because of his wife, Julia Ann Chapman's illness, to pull his wagon out of Brother Benson's train, he camped for a few days to allow her to recover. In spite of the fact that she had rest and fresh meat, she still remained weak. Her cough was sometimes violent. Concluding that they could not make the trip west this summer, they turned back and by easy stages made their way to Loup's Fork. With good milk and the tender care of the sisters who were living there, Julia made a partial recovery. Feeling that his wife, during the winter, might have a better chance to recover back in Kanesville, Isaac made a bed for her in the wagon box, then slowly and carefully he returned to Missouri. Immediately, Isaac set about finding a house. Although they were dismantling the houses at Winter Quarters, Isaac got a place there for temporary shelter. Being an experienced sawmill man, he found employment immediately. Leaving Julia in the hands of a few women still living in Winter Quarters, he began looking for a more personal place to live. He was unwilling to take her into Kanesville itself, for it was often ravaged with malaria and cholera. Finally he found a farm on the east bench above the river which had been abandoned by one of the Saints leaving for the West. He moved onto this farm and hauled one of the log houses from Winter Quarters and set it up in a protected ravine filled with trees and shrubs. Here Julia felt more at home. Realizing that Julia was pregnant again, they both did everything they could to strengthen her for the ordeal. The baby came on a chilly night on the 19th of November 1850. For a time it was touch and go whether Julia would make it. The baby was farmed out to a big healthy Scandinavian woman who nursed it along with her own child. As the spring came, Julia ate dandelion greens, drank milk, and lay stripped to the skin in a protected place until her body was tanned like leather. During this summer, Isaac raised a crop on the land he occupied. Although she was not well, Julia lived comfortably through the winter of 1851, doing as little as possible, allowing her body to heal. With the coming of spring, the brethren made a concerted drive to get all the Saints out of Kanesville. Other than for Julia's health, Isaac was well equipped to travel. In the heat of the late spring, Julia gained some weight and felt pretty well. Deciding that they could safely make the trip, Isaac loaded the wagon, making a special bed for his wife. At first she did very well, cheerful that at last they could go west and be with their relatives. But as the trip continued, the strain began to tell. Some mornings she was unable to get up. When they crossed Loup's Fork they again pulled out of the line, getting one of the Elders who lived at the Fork, Isaac and he administered to her. She seemed to relax and feel better, but during the night she lapsed into her last long sleep. After they buried her, Isaac was so grief stricken that he sat for days, staring in front of him, felled by his tragedy. One evening James Walsh came to his fire and said, "I have seen many tragedies along the trail, and I respect you for your grief, but life must go on. Now you owe your little ones an even greater responsibility than before. Now you must be both father and mother to them. Crying tears of anguish over your lost wife is right and proper, but you must never allow your grief to immobilize you. What would Julia want you to do? You have begun a great quest, which, unfortunately, she was too weak to finish. Now you must finish it for her." Out in the night Isaac walked for hours, asking why? Why? But with the coming of midnight, a peace enveloped him like a cloud. His beliefs taught him that although her body was dead, she, herself was still alive and would wait for him. He must not fail her. The next morning, 10 July 1852, he gathered a bunch of wild flowers and placed them at the base of the rude plank marker. They yoked up the oxen and started west.

Grandson Writes Grandma about Mother's Death

I love Polly Colton. From what I've read, she was a lot like me. She had even more in common with Grandma Marge. She lost a little baby son and then her eldest died before she did. So much heartache. But she was a strong woman with a keen sense of humor. 

I can't imagine this. This would be like Chandler writing to Grammy to tell her about Melanie and Lizzy's death. How is it done? 

Emily and her family were living in Arizona and Polly was in Ashley (now Vernal) Utah.

(Letter written by Daniel Philemon Jones to Polly Matilda (Merrill) Colton about the death of her daughter, Harriet Emily Colton Jones. Copied from the original, by Miriam Colton Perry, Jan 1, 1960. Original spelling & punctuation preserved.) 


My Dear Grandma: 


It becoms my painful! duty to write to you and send news that will be hard for you to bear . We have just got word from Tonto Basin by Wesley that they had an accident that took from us the one that gave me life, that is my mother and your daughter, and her baby Bertie. This is the hardest news that it would be possible for me to write to you for I realise that she was very dear to you as well as her children. And Little did she think that she was to go first, but it is so that she has gone, and we are left to mourn her loss and her little boy Bert who was allmost two years old. I have just wrote to sister Mary and sent her Pa’s letter, and told her to forward it to you so that you can see how he feels and his discription of the accident. It seems that they had built a shed in front of their tent and fastend the guy rope of the center of the tent to the shed, which they had been very careful! to make very stout and heavy, as they susposed. It had been raining for a week past and the continneous rain had made the ground very soft and the wet guy rope srunk untill it drew the shed over and ma was under it or part of her was, it seems that her head and one hand was out. She spoke once to Vina and once to Pa before she died. there was no help near to help Pa get the log of from her untill after she breathed her last. Pa says that it was over in a very short time. The baby was in Mas arms it never moved after the shed fell. It is a sad blow to Pa as he has no one to go to in his sorrow up there. Wiley, Ella, John, and I will start up there, as soon as the river gets so that we can cross which will be in a few days. We will send for Eddy to meet us there, I will write to you again when we return; which will be in about two weeks. 

I want to tell you that it is all right with ma, she was as good and true a woman as ever lived on earth, true to her trusts as a wife, true to her faith and her God, and my prayer is that her brothers and sisters and her children, may so live we may all meet her and enjoy her society in the life to come some say that I am religeous like my ma, If so, I am glad of it, for I know that she has gone to meet her maker, and I certainly want to see her again with her three little children. I wish that all that are bound to her by the ties of kindness would think of her life, her faith in the Gosple of our savior, and shape there lives as hers was for it would be pleasant to think that some day we would all be reunited never to part again. 

May God our heavenly father bless you and grandpa so that you may feel that it is his will not ours, for he must of (wanted?) Ma or he never would have taken her in the way that she was taken. give love to all, we are all well hoping this will find you the same I remain 


yours D. P. Jones

Testimony of Miles L Jones

I don't remember how I came across it, but I found a book which was a compilation of many of the testimonies of most of the authorities who had lived since the Restoration. I was excited to see that Grandpa Uncle Miles (as I like to call him) was in the book! So I bought it and when it came, Sienna and I found four or five other ancestors in it. So we'll post their testimonies, too.

Testimonies of the Divinity of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints by Its Leaders Compiled by Joseph E Cardon & Samuel O. Bennion, 1931. Press of Zion's Printing and Publishing Company; Independence, Jackson County, Mo Elder Miles L. Jones President of the East Central States Mission since its organization January 1, 1929 I am indeed grateful to my Heavenly Father for the testimony I have of the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and this testimony is being strengthened from time to time by a realization of the blessings that have been promised me by the servants of the Lord. I have witnessed the power of God made manifest upon many occasions in bringing comfort to those who were in sorrow; I have seen the sick healed through the administration of the Elders of the Church, and I am a living witness to all the world as one having been raised from my bed of affliction by the power of the Lord, through the administration of those holding the Holy Priesthood. Inspiration from on high has come to me which has directed my labors in the ministry, both at home and abroad. I have been placed in positions where the wisdom of man was of no avail, but through the power of the Holy Ghost, my duty has been made plain and I acknowledge the hand of the Lord in these blessings that have come to me. I know that God lives and that He is our Father and that we are His children. I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, and the more we serve him and keep His commandments, the greater will be our joy both now and in the life to come, and by this same spirit and power I know that Joseph Smith is a Prophet in very deed and is the one whom God has raised up in this day and age of the world to again establish His work upon the earth for the last time, and this work will continue to grow until eventually it covers the entire earth and all mankind will be left without an excuse. I leave this testimony with you in all humbleness and sincerity and I do it in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer, Amen.