Comments about ‘Smiths' descendant on family quest’

Have you considered Gary Smith of Sandy Utah. A Great great grandson of the broth of Joseph Smith.

This is a wonderful Story. Smith Decendants are reuniting into a large family group.

This is very awesome. Someone who is a family descendant of JS...Very sweet!

Great to see someone pull up the history of this great man. Thanks!

Excellent story...Thank you Carrie. As I prepare this morning to head to Conference, this story renews my faith.

Keep up the good work!

WOW! is all I can say! Thanks!

Emma Smith was an elect lady and did a lot to help her husband and endured many persecution's to help the work of the lord go forward. Always served people before and after the exodus.

Interesting is she much of the time abhored polygamy but tolerated Her second Husband Lewis Bidamens infidelity helped raise his illegitimate son and told Bidamen to marry the child's mother after her death that is interesting.

She did go through a lot unfortuntly it took a long time for any of her posterity to come back to the fold. Samuel Smith's widow and Mary Fielding Smith came west and most of there posterity is in the church now.

Sad thing is few of Emma's are. Hopefully the lord will be merciful to her but her sister in law's went through same trial's and did come west.

Emma's care of Lucy after her husband's death is exemplary and Bidamen did a lot for her as well.

This is another one of my vast areas of ignorance, so I appreciate this story and Mr Kennedy's efforts. Thank you.

This is huge! These are things that every person who calls themselves a Mormon should be excited about! Thank you Michael Kennedy!

Several months ago a co-worker pulled me aside and told me the story of Mr. Kennedy's conversion to the church. He was one of the two missionaries who had knocked on the door at that precise moment. He and Mr. Kennedy have had a reunion recently and it thrilled my friend to no end to hear of his involvement in documenting the descendants of Joseph and Emma.

Finding family is priceless. I LOVE this story. I think the more I live the more I am in awe of Emma Smith and the trials she had to go through and how she handled them. Well I am in awe of all those first members of the church that had to endure so much especially losing children and spouses. How special that the missionaries showed up at the right moment. Thank you Mr. Kennedy for doing so much work to find your family. So many people will be affected by this, especially all the decendents of Emma.

This is SO wonderful!! It truly is Emma's time to shine and all that is coming forth is making that happen. There is a musical production tonight only at Thanksgiving Point about Emma and Joseph. It looks to be wonderful. I myself am working to open a musical program telling Emma's story from her perspective. Keep an eye out for that in the very near future. Way to go brother Kennedy!!

Just wanted to comment on this article on Mr. Kennedy's conversion to the church. How something small such a history report in school blossomed into something much bigger. Just got done watching the video, "The Work and the Glory" first video, and made me realize the struggles of one family had with following the Prophet Joseph, and wanting to be apart of Zion. I'm sure there were other families as well, that went through similar struggles. Always wondered what happened to Emma, and her and Joseph's children and their posterity. I am happy to read that Mr. Kennedy is dedicated to seeking out and letting other members of his extended family know that they are apart of something much bigger, and let the truth of Joseph and Emma be known to them.

"The film is the latest project...to correct long-standing myths and misjudgments about Emma Smith, he said"

It will be interesting to see this not-so-new spin on Emma. I wonder if it will include the quote from Brigham Young about how Joseph will have to go to Hell to get Emma if he is going to have her in the Eternities.

I'm sorry but history is history. It sounds like he's out to create some myths of his own.

I serve at the Family History Library and have looked at the 17-foot-long family tree many times. It is wonderful to know the story behind the family tree. Thank You

Things like this just build faith so much!

Carrie, great article. It's one of the best you've had, and you've had many great ones. For those of you readers who haven't paid attention, Carrie is one of the best religion editors out there. Some of her articles are very controversial and some readers can't figure out whether she's a member of the LDS church or not because of the objectivity of her stuff. A sign of a great reporter!

I am a person that has more respect for Emma Smith than anyone else in the past LDS stories that I hear. What she endured is very admirable. And the fact that she realized the good in people even though they hurt her is more admirable. I think she realized that polygamy among men is ridiculous. She came to understand (through her second marriage) that multiple relationships happen because of death and lust and such, but more than one at once is disgraceful! If more people could have followed her example we would have had much less heartache today. These off-shoot groups of the LDS church probably wouldn't have existed and the ridiculous discussion about the validity of polygamy wouldn't probably exist much either. Of course it's not valid...it hurts people and always has. I don't believe "God" ever told anybody to practice it...that's just an excuse!

I am all in favor of genealogy work... but people receiving special privileges merely because of who one of their ancestors was is unethical and wrong. It is as if the Church is beginning to flirt with deifying Joseph Smith - they treat everything about him with such "worship" that it would be hard to imagine how they could "worship" Jesus any better than that?! Do genealogy, but back off on the worship and adulation of mere mortals who were fallible human beings!

All blessings are dependent on one's faithfulness. Emma lost her elect lady status when of her own free will, she left the Church, and refused to follow Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve to Utah. Because of her actions, none of Joseph Smith's children, including the adopted Julia Murdock, stayed in the Church. Mary Fielding Smith, the widow of Hyrum, is the true elect lady. She went through great trials, yet still remained true to the faith, as did her children, many of whom became Church leaders.

Only God can make eternal judgements. The fact is that Emma Smith became an apostate, and did not endure to the end. No apostate regardless of previous status, is guaranteed eternal salvation. God is no respector of persons.

Ralf, You may want to research the quote from BY a little more closely. BY quoted Joseph as stating how much Joseph loved Emma and that he would go into the depths of hell for her. BY did NOT say that JS would have to go into the depths of hell to have her, only that he was willing too. big difference.