Idaho Falls Chatelain Clan: July 2024

The Grand Finale! We are so blessed to have the opportunity to go on 3 separate Church History workshops as S&I employees. This year was our last one, the Northeast Church History Workshop. We had an incredible experience, met some wonderful new friends, and loved our time connecting more with Jeremy and Connie.

We arrived in Boston on Monday and went to a Smith family cemetery in New Hampshire. Our first stop the next day was in Sharon, Vermont, and the birth place of Joseph Smith Jr.

Monument commemorating Joseph Smith's birthplace

All our workshop friends (before we were all friends)

The actual stone at the original doorway of the cabin Joseph was born in

Back woods behind the birthplace. Joseph's grandparents had their home at the bottom of this hill

This is the city building of the Vermont city that Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack were married at. This city building still has the original records of their marriage and the births of Alvin and Hyrum.

Marriage record

Record of Alvin's birth

Record of Hyrum's birth

Bridge where Joseph and Lucy may have courted. Beautiful city!

Later that night, we arrived in New York. This is the house of Josiah Stoal, an employer and devoted friend to Joseph Smith.

Joseph Knight Sr. home in New York where the first branch of the Church (Colesville) was organized.

A pond in this area, which is behind the Knight home, is where they did many baptisms

Wednesday: Harmony Pennsylvania. Workshop group picture next to the Susquehanna River (where Joseph and Oliver baptized each other)

Joseph & Emma's firstborn son, Alvin, who died at childbirth. Original headstone in the cemetery down the road from their little home in Harmony

Inside the Hale home (Emma's parents). Fancy indeed!

Outside of the Hale home

Down the road a little from the Hale home, this was Joseph and Emma's little home. These are pictures inside their little kitchen area.

Group picture inside the summer kitchen of Joseph/Emma's home

Outside Joseph/Emma's home

Back to New York, now to the Whitmer farm. Alex's face is crazy like that because there was (another!) tornado warning rolling through.

Outside the Whitmer family home

The likely room where Joseph and Oliver finished the Book of Mormon translation

Palmyra, New York: Big brother Alvin's original headstone in a cemetery just around the corner from the town.

Melanie really enjoyed meeting this man who had been commissioned to care for the Tomlinson Inn. This was the Inn where missionaries (Samuel Smith) first presented a Book of Mormon to Brigham Young (Menden NY). This sweet man has lived a tough life, and is now giving his life to preserving this beautiful Inn.

We had dinner that night in a Mall Food Court with an awesome merry-go-round.

Thursday: Group picture in front of the small, beautiful Palmyra temple (dedicated in 2000)

The little gap in the greenery allows you to look out to the sacred grove (even from a temple window)

Looking at the temple from the path that leads to the Sacred Grove

Looking out to the sacred grove

Outside the Smith family cabin

Inside the Smith family cabin (fireplace hearth where Joseph told his mother, "I have learned for myself").

Beautiful bridge leading over to the Sacred Grove

Inside the Sacred Grove

It was so fun because Averly had her pday on that day and called us while we were walking through the Sacred Grove. We got to talk to her as we enjoyed the beautiful scenes of the Grove!

Inside the Smith family frame home that Alvin built down the road from their first little cabin

Outside the beautiful Smith family frame home

Inside the Grandin printing press where The Book of Mormon was printed. Can you see the black ink splatters under the window? They say that is most likely original ink from when it was printed. Cool.

Outside the Grandin Printing Press

Another dear friend Melanie made inside the Grandin printing press. This good man is a member who had recently lost his wife. Just wanted to see these sites (by himself).

The Hill Cumorah. This is a picture of the area that used to be used for the Hill Cumorah Pageant. All the shrubbery at the bottom used to just be a cleared area of grass where the audience would sit. The hill is starting to take on a lot of growth, too.

Moroni monument at the top of the Hill. A cool part of this visit was that the Church has coordinated with Jeremy to make the hill accommodating for wheelchairs. And thus, Jeremy was able to go all the way to the top of the hill with us!

The Ricks'. They did a celebrity look-alike game, and these two were pegged for Daddy War Bucks and Annie. So hilarious!

In Ohio now. We took a little break on the beach of Lake Eerie.

Lighthouse just off the Lake Eerie beach.

Dinner that Thursday night was fun. It was at a place called Mission BBQ. The whole restaurant honors police, military, and fire fighters, and they were nice enough to stay open late for our group to come and have a very late dinner (9:30 pm)

By this point, the group had become very good friends.

Oh yeah - it was Alex's 45th birthday. The sign on the back of the bed was one Verity made to send with us so we could put it up on dad's birthday.

Friday: First stop, the John Johnson home (Hiram, Ohio, outside of Kirtland) from which Joseph Smith and Sydney Rigdon were dragged out and tarred and feathered.

This is also the home where Joseph and Sydney received the revelation of the Kingdoms of Glory in D&C 76.

After our tour of the Johnson home, it was so cool as everyone gathered around Jeremy and he told stories he knew from his research about how the media responded to the death of the Smith's child (Murdoch) as a result of the exposure to the cold the night of the tarring and feathering. The media was SO harsh and cruel.

On the bus, our guide did trivia games. This is Jeremy winning his prize for winning the "Guess the old church movie" trivia game. Never been prouder!

Our dear friends, James and Gary, who came and helped get Jeremy transferred from his wheelchair to his hotel bed every night of the trip. These dudes are AWESOME!

This was at a Church near Kirtland and at a podium where Sydney Rigdon preached from before he became a member of the Church.

Melanie enjoying another bus fun-ity - the combination of a caramel and peanut M&M. I think she likes it!

In the city of Kirtland. This is outside one of the homes Joseph and Emma lived in for a short time (after they left Hiram?)

Top floor of the Newell K. Whitney store. This is the room where the revelation on the Word of Wisdom was inspired (tobacco spittle on the floor that Emma cleaned)

Main floor of the Whitney store

Outside of the Whitney store (this is where Joseph pronounced to Newell, "Thou are the man.")

Outside of the Johnson Inn

Dinner that night was outside Kirtland at this awesome Amish restaurant. Love these people!!

Saturday: Final day of the trip. This is at the Kirtland Temple stone quarry.

The Kirtland temple was just purchased by our Church 3 months before our visit. The tour through the temple was SO much better this time than when we took our family in 2019 and got a tour from a member of the Community of Christ.

From the stairway inside the Kirtland temple

This is 3rd floor of the temple, which we did not get to go to in 2019. This is the room where Joseph saw the vision and received the revelation of D&C 137 (Alvin and parents in the Celestial Kingdom)!!

Us in that same room

2nd floor of the temple, assembly room

A picture of the inside of the outer walls. These are the actual stones the pioneers used to build the temple!

Main floor of the Kirtland temple. This is where Joseph/Oliver saw Jesus Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah. We did indeed sing "The Spirit of God" as a group, and it was AWESOME!

At these very pulpits.

Jeremy was absolutely determined to get inside the temple: "I didn't come all this way to not go in the temple." 7 of us from the workshop lifted him, in his chair, inside the temple. He got a special private tour of the main floor of the temple. So cool!

See all those cracks in the stucco? I bet our Church will fix it up soon.

Original title put on the Kirtland Temple

Headstone of Oliver Granger who was commissioned to stay behind and sell off Kirtland properties. That mission was a failure, but the Lord said to him, "His sacrifice is more important than his increase."

Joseph and Emma's home next to the Kirtland cemetery next to the Kirtland temple. This home was purchased by the church 10 years ago, and only opened for tours last year. We didn't get to tour it in 2019. Again, another historic site Jeremy helped with to make it accommodating for wheelchairs (path and ramps).