In Kirtland: Revelations Remembered, the Gathering Continues

In the early days of the Church, Kirtland, Ohio, was the scene of some remarkable events affecting the entire course of Latter-day Saint history. And today, members of the Church in the Kirtland area are busily engaged in the work of renewing ties with the past, while at the same time making abundant plans for the future.

One of the most historically important structures in the town is the Newel K. Whitney store. The Prophet Joseph Smith and his wife Emma lived in the remodeled upper floor of the store for a year and a half; it was during this time, between 1832 and 1834, that the Prophet received over twenty significant revelations from the Lord—among them the Word of Wisdom, now section 89 of the Doctrine and Covenants.

After the Saints left Kirtland in 1838, the Whitney store was sold and used for a variety of purposes—post office, restaurant, hotel. In 1979 the Church acquired the property to develop and preserve it as a major historic site. Today, the building is being renovated to reflect its original appearance.

When the sesquicentennial anniversary of the Word of Wisdom revelation occurred last February, a small group of about thirty Church members and other invited guests assembled in the store’s upper room where the School of the Prophets had met. There, a brief but inspirational meeting was held to commemorate the bestowal of the Word of Wisdom revelation, 150 years earlier to the day—27 February 1833.

Presiding was Elder G. Homer Durham of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy and current Church historian. “We are honored,” he said, “to be present on this historic day, and to be at or near the spot where the council of high priests was meeting when the revelation was made available.” In a brief prayer of thanksgiving, he expressed “a sense of deepening awe and appreciation for what has transpired in this building on many occasions and on this particular day of February 27, 1983. We recall before thee … the revelation known as the Word of Wisdom, given … for our temporal, physical, and mental well-being.”

Earlier in the day, at the conference of the Cleveland Ohio Stake, Elder Durham had observed that since the gospel’s restoration and the revelation of the Word of Wisdom, great physical and spiritual blessings have come to members of the Church.

The commemoration at the Whitney store was, in a sense, part of a larger effort to bind past and present together. Last October, in conjunction with the dedication of the new Kirtland Ward chapel, a “Finding the Posterity” program was launched in the Kirtland area with the intent of bringing descendants of early Kirtland Saints into contact with the Church. (See Ensign, Dec. 1982, p. 68.)

According to Bruce Walborn, a high councilor in the Cleveland Ohio Stake who spearheads the project, “The October reception for the posterity of the early Kirtland Saints was only the beginning of a program of finding all the posterity of early LDS Kirtland members. Our faith, not our numbers, will cause us to lengthen our stride and to rekindle the flame that burned so brightly here in the 1830s.”

Between faith and works, much has been accomplished since that initial October gathering:

President Ezra Taft Benson, President of the Quorum of the Twelve, who greeted descendants and their families at the reception, has subsequently communicated personally with each nonmember descendant who attended.

The Kirtland Genealogical Library has been established to serve Church members and nonmembers alike. Workers are currently busy assembling files on all early Latter-day Saint names. These files will contain photos, journals, documents, memorabilia, and, according to Brother Walborn, “just about anything we can collect on these families. We expect that these files will be of great interest to nonmembers and members who come to our library to attempt to establish their connection with the early Saints.”

An index of all early Kirtland LDS names, including all known immediate descendants, has been compiled. This master index will be updated as additional information is gathered.

A six-week genealogy class, designed especially for nonmembers, began in late March and will be offered on a continuing basis. Also planned is a genealogical research seminar, scheduled for early September.

“This program is now really underway,” said Brother Walborn. “We are searching for an enormous posterity of the early Saints—possibly in excess of 300,000 living descendants.”

And, though small, the beginnings he describes are impressive:

“Currently we have three people taking the missionary discussions. The Russell J. Rich family of five was baptized in the Kirtland Ward in November. This family was very inspired by the reception in October. Brigham Young’s granddaughter, Kay Spires, was also baptized in the Toledo Ohio Stake since the reception.”

Photography by Michael Rich

Elder G. Homer Durham of the Presidency of the First Quorum of the Seventy addresses invited guests in the upper room of the Newel K. Whitney store in Kirkland, Ohio, where the Prophet Joseph Smith received many revelations.

The Newel K. Whitney store is currently being renovated to reflect original appearance. In store’s front are, left to right, Karl R. Anderson, Regional Representative; Walter C. Sheldon, first counselor in the Cleveland Ohio Stake Presidency; Elder Durham; and Kenneth K. Bradford, second counselor in the Cleveland Ohio Stake Presidency.