A Mission Within A Mission

How does that work you wonder?  Brett’s business partner Dale Wilson had an opportunity to help remodel a kitchen of the Joseph Knight’s home.  Dale is directly related to Joseph Knight.  He said he would do it but only if his business partner could come, Elder Hatfield. Originally this was supposed to happen in October, after we would be finished with our mission, however they wanted us to come now instead.  Dale and his wife drove to Colorado Springs with cabinets and flooring to pick us up.  Not without struggles though.  Dale had to replace 6 coil packs in his truck.  Then we thought we might be having transmission issues, but pumping up the tires seemed to help with that.  So 27 hour drive, however, we did make a few highlight stops along the way.  It’s so green and beautiful.  Colorado Springs even though it’s 6500 ft in elevation

We are staying (living in the Josiah Stowells home). He was a very industrious and by “severe labor and frugality” developed a large farm and saw mills.  He had 810 acres.  He and Joseph Knight were friends and associates together. 

Cool story about Josiah Stowell and how his journey with Joseph Smith began.  He had heard of a silver mine that was opened by the Spaniards in Harmony, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania.  He had heard that a Joseph Smith had these glass stones that he could see things, with hopes that he could find the silver mine.  In October 1825, He hired Joseph and this is what Joseph Smith says: In order, if possible, to discover the mine he hired me to seek after the mine with the use of my “peep stone”.  After I went to live with him, he took me, my brother Samuel and my father, with the rest of his hands, to dig for the silver mine.”  Joseph continues: “I continued to work for nearly a month, without success in our undertaking and finally I prevailed with the old gentleman (Stowell) to cease digging after it”.  During this time, Joseph and company lived with Issac Hale, which is where Joseph Smith became acquainted with Emma Hale. 

Josiah Stowell was so impressed with Joseph Smith’s work ethic that he was invited to stay as a hired hand.  Joseph Knight a good friend also told Joseph Smith that they could keep him busy between the two of them. 

Emma Hale had visited near the area of Josiah Stowell to help her sister who had just had a baby.   Joseph and Emma began courting during this time.    Emma’s parents were bitterly opposed to Joseph Smith as they heard he had seen angels and was stashing some gold plates.   Josiah Stowell convinced Joseph and Emma that they should get married.  They went to Squire Tarbells’ and were married.  The mantle pictured, is one of two in the Squire Tarbell’s home.  It was donated to the Josiah Stowell’s home.  It could have been the very mantle they stood in front of to get married.  They had to cross the Susquehanna river, either on a ferry or they crossed the ice.  Joseph and Emma Smith were married January 18, 1827.   They spent their first few honeymoon days in the Josiah Stowells home.  They moved to Manchester to live with Joseph Smith’s parents.  

Josiah Stowell and Joseph Knight had much confidence with Joseph Smith.  When the plates were to be given to Joseph Smith they both tarried around the Smith home.  These two men were primary witnesses to the events coincidental to the receiving of the ‘Plates”. 

A court record recorded in the June 30, 1830, trial held in South Bainbridge (now Afton) Josiah Stowell stated in a response to a question asked by the prosecutor (This was when Joseph Smith was prosecuted in Bainbridge county and then again in the next county.  Josiah’s wife had a relative who was an attorney and defended Joseph Smith.  Josiah paid for the attorney).  Attorney: “Well did you ever actually see the gold plates”, Josiah: “Yes, when he passed the plates to me through the window, I did see a portion of the plates”.  Attorney: “What did they look like”?  Josiah: “They were dirty looking and kind of green”.  (When Josiah grabbed the plates thru the window from Joseph there was a small hole in the bottom corner of the bag and he could see the plates through that.  He never opened the bag, to get a good look). 

Josiah had such faith and reverence for Joseph Smith and the Gold Plates.  He is one of the many quiet, loyal, unwavering advocates of Joseph Smith, and in helping bring forth and building up of the kingdom of Zion. 

It’s been so fun to stay here in an almost 200 year-old house.   To see the Susquehanna River across in front of the house.  That river is so big.  It just has a reverence about it, maybe because of the significance surrounding the early Saints with it.  Staying in one of the 4 bedrooms that could have been Joseph & Emma’s honeymoon suite.  Ha ha.  The original floor is still here throughout the home.  The church history throughout the area is truly inspirational. 

We have done a few tours here.  It’s fun how people do research and if they are directly related, they seek these places out.  The Church does not own these properties. The people who purchased these historical homes are not even related to the Knight’s and Stowell’s.  Descendents of these families have gathered to protect and preserve.