July 10: (7185 steps) We had a leisurely
morning that included sleeping in, doing a batch or two of laundry and a nice
breakfast. Then we headed for Palmyra
NY. Our first stop was the temple
grounds. It is a small temple, but has
the same Spirit. Laura went inside and
made arrangements for us to return to do baptisms and to do some sealings later
in the day. Our next stop was the
Grandin Press. Never had I imagined the
labor and time intensive process required to produce those first 5000 copies of
the Book of Mormon. E.B. Grandin was
roughly the same age as Joseph Smith. He
had only been in the business a short time, but had recently acquired the state
of the art press of that day. That was
possible because of the recently finished Eerie Canal that allowed freighting
of such items into the Harbor there in Palmyra.
Grandin refused Joseph’s offer at the first request, but accepted when
Joseph returned to petition his services again.
It took 7 months of full time work to produce the books and Grandin did
them a good job. It was privilege to be
there, hear the stories, see replicas of the era printing equipment and see the
step by step process in more detail. It
was interesting that Grandin left the printing business shortly after completion
of the Book of Mormon and died in his upper 30’s just like Joseph Smith. He was clearly born when he was critically
needed for “such a time as this.” We
returned to our hotel and got ready to do baptisms. Taylor did the baptizing again. His confidence, dignity, and spirit made me
so proud of him. Caden had found most of the names so that made the experience
special as well. Darrel acted as voice
for some of the confirmations. As he
began one of the names Jessica was proxy for, the Spirit deepened and his voice
filled with emotion. None of us doubted
that presence of that sweet sister.
Between the baptism and sealing sessions, Darrel and I drove
down to the Whitmer Farm where the small plates of the Book of Mormon were
translated and the Church was organized.
There is a combination chapel/visitor’s center there. The faith of David Whitmer and his family
touched my heart. This location is also where the Three
Witnesses were shown the plates by Moroni.
I loved the Spirit there and every detail shared. I could easily be a senior missionary at the
Church Historical Site. Going over those
early stories until they become a part of my core memory would be a privilege
and a thrill.
We returned to the temple that evening to do some sealings
that Laura and Janna had found. Frank
Stevens, Paul Mangelson’s first cousin, was the sealer. We saw Corbin Allred as we entered that
temple. (Saints and Soldiers star and included in temple film.) That was a bit of a thrill as
well.
Our hotel was in Rochester, N.Y. but our first
destination was Palmyra. The Temple was our first stop.
The stained glass features the Sacred Grove.
Moroni watches of this area.
The religious excitement and diversity described in Joseph
Smith's day, apparently still exists. These four churches are on
the corners of the main intersection in town.
Zion Episcopal Church
United Methodist Church
BIRTHPLACE OF THE BOOK OF MORMON
E.B. Grandin Publishing Office
We gathered in the store office.
This is where orders were made and business conducted.
Joseph may have signed the contract at the desk like this one.
One of the orginal 5000 copies of the Book of Mormon.
Actual Manuscript reproduction.
1 Nephi 3: 2-14
Book of Mormon Promise ready to print.
Moroni 10:4-5
(Each letter was positioned one by one.)
Sister Missionaries told us about the laborious process
of printing and binding a book in that time.
Binding Press
All original books were leather bond.
This sister missionary is holding a replica of the first copies.
From the new History of the Church Volume one. "Egbert Grandin was a
printer in Palmyra who was the same age as Joseph. Grandin declined Joseph's
proposal at once, believing the book was a fraud. Undeterred, Joseph and
Martin kept searching and found a willing printer in a nearby city. But
before accepting his offer, they returned to Palmyra and asked Grandin
once more if he wanted to publish the book.,This
time, Grandin seemed more willing to take the project, but he wanted to
be paid $3,000 to print and bind five thousand copies before he even
started work. Martin had already promised to help pay for the printing,
but to come up with that kind of money, he realized he might need to
mortgage his farm...Wealth he had spent a lifetime accruing could be gone
in an instant if the Book of Mormon did not sell well.
“Thou
shalt not covet thine own
property,” the Lord said, “but impart it freely to the printing of the
Book of Mormon.” The book contained the true word of God, the Lord
assured Martin, and it would help others believe the gospel...Martin
obeyed the Lord and mortgaged his farm to guarantee payment. Grandin
signed a contract and began. Joseph had translated the text of the Book
of Mormon in three months,
assisted by one scribe at a time. It would take Grandin and a dozen men
seven months to print and bind the first copies of the 590-page work."
The cast and crew were making final preparations for the
Hill Cumorah Pageant scheduled to begin that weekend.
The Hill Cumorah was much smaller than I had imagined.
This photo shows the pageant scene from
the top of the hill near the momument.
The monument is designed to remember key events
in the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
A lovely path leads from the Visitor's center to the monument.
THE PETER WHITMER FARM
This place is also the site of miracles associated
with the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.
Miracle #1:
Oliver and David Whitmer were
friends. The Whitmers lived in Fayette, NY and they exchanged letters often
throughout the translation process. People in Harmony had become less welcoming
to the Smiths. Some men had even threatened to attack them, and had it not been
for the influence of Emma’s family, they might have been seriously hurt. A letter
informed David that it was God’s will for him to bring his team and wagon to
Harmony to help Joseph, Emma, and Oliver move to the Whitmer home in Fayette,
where they would finish the translation.
The family agreed and David wanted
to go to Harmony immediately. But his father reminded him that he had two days
of heavy work to do before he could leave. His father said he ought to pray
first to learn if it was absolutely necessary to leave now. David took his
father’s advice, and as he prayed, he felt the Spirit tell him to finish his
work at home before going to Harmony. The next morning, David walked out to the
fields and saw rows of dark furrows in ground that had been unplowed the evening
before. About six acres had been plowed overnight, and the plow was waiting for
him in the last furrow, ready for him to finish the job. David worked hard to
plow the remaining fields and prepare the soil for a successful planting. When
he finished, he hitched his wagon to a strong team of horses and set out for
Harmony earlier than expected.
Miracle #2:
Once Joseph, Emma, and Oliver moved
to Fayette, David’s mother had her hands full. Mary already had a large family
to care for, and tending to their needs filled Mary’s days with work. Mary had
faith in Joseph’s calling and did not complain, but she was getting tired. She
had little time to relax herself, and the added work and the strain placed on
her were hard to bear.
One day, while she was out by the
barn she saw a gray-haired man with a knapsack slung across his shoulder. His
sudden appearance frightened her, but as he approached, he spoke to her in a
kind voice that set her at ease. “My name is Moroni,” he said. “You have become
pretty tired with all the extra work you have to do. You have been very
faithful and diligent in your labors. It
is proper that you should receive a witness that your faith may be
strengthened.”
Moroni opened his knapsack and
removed the gold plates. He held them in front of her and turned their pages so
she could see the writings on them. After he turned the last page, he urged her
to be patient and faithful as she carried the extra burden a little longer. He
promised she would be blessed for it. The
old man vanished a moment later, leaving Mary alone. She still had work to do,
but that no longer troubled her. She was likely the first witness of the plates other than Joseph Smith and the only woman.
The visitor's center is one wing of their chapel.
This is where the church was organized after the
translation was complete and the Book of Mormon published.
The first baptisms to include membership in
the Lord's true church happened in a lake near-by.
This is a replica of the Whitmer home, but it stands on
the exact ground that the original stood.
A desk and chairs such as these in the loft of the home likely
served as the main translation spot of the part of the Book of
Mormon completed here. Historians suggest that the
small plates of Nephi were translated here.
