The
Revised and Enhanced History of Joseph Smith by His Mother
Edited by Scot Facer
Proctor and Maurine Jensen Proctor
Chapter
9
A
wedding present of one thousand dollars from Stephen Mack
and John Mudget to Lucy. Six years on the farm at Tunbridge,
Vermont. Two children, Alvin and Hyrum, added to the Smith
family. Move to Randolph, Vermont.
January 1796 to spring 1802
Soon after I was married, I went with my husband to see my
parents, and as we were about setting out on this visit,
my brother Stephen1 and his partner in business,
John Mudget, were making some remarks in regard to my leaving
them, and the conversation presently turned upon the subject
of giving me a marriage present.
“Well,” said Mr. Mudget, “Lucy ought to have something worth
naming, and I will give her just as much as you will.”
“Done,” said my brother. “I will give her five hundred dollars
in cash.”
“Good,” said the other, “and I will give her five hundred dollars
more.”
So they wrote a check on their bankers for one thousand dollars
and presented me with the same. This check I laid aside,
as I had other means by me sufficient to purchase my housekeeping
furniture.
Having visited my father and
mother, we returned again to Tunbridge, where my companion
owned a handsome farm upon which we settled ourselves and
began to cultivate the soil. We lived on this place about
six years, tilling the earth for a livelihood.2
Click to Enlarge
Part of Joseph and Lucy Smith's farm in the
hills above the town of Tunbridge, Vermont.
In 1802, we rented our
farm in Tunbridge and moved to the town of Randolph with
our first two children, Alvin and Hyrum,3 and
my husband opened a mercantile establishment.
Click to Enlarge
Birth entries of Smith children still can
be found in the Tunbridge town records. Here we see the
record of Alvin's birth.
Continue
to Chapter 10 of The
Revised and Enhanced History
of Joseph Smith by His Mother
——————
Notes
1. Stephen Mack’s business enterprises started
in Gilsum, New Hampshire, in 1787 when he was twenty-one.
He then moved operations to Tunbridge in 1793. He would
continue forging a successful career throughout his life
and become one of the great developers of Detroit and Pontiac,
Michigan, opening stores, running saw and flour mills, farming,
and building for many years until his death in 1826. (See
Anderson, Heritage, pp. 28, 180; Bushman, Beginnings,
p. 19.)
2. Joseph
and Lucy lived on this farm from their marriage in January
1796 until 1802. A note of sadness is found in Joseph Smith
Sr.’s patriarchal blessing book of 1834, where he addresses
the Smith family and speaks of “three seats” vacated by
death among his children: “The Lord in his just providence
has taken from me at an untimely birth a son ... My next
son, Alvin ... was taken.” (See Bushman, Beginnings,
p. 198.) Joseph and Lucy’s firstborn son was taken in death
sometime between the middle of 1796 and the spring of 1797.
3. Alvin was
born February 11, 1798, and Hyrum was born February 9, 1800,
both at Tunbridge, Vermont.
