Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1897-09-04
VISIT TO TOPSFIELD, MASS.
Interesting Notes Of The Old Smith Home
stead.

% River St. Providence. II. L.


-. a., ,s,-
m, ,,,, r,,,.a august 80 io'''
~ 'i'e r'ui'or'
II was the writer's privilege not long
since to visit the old colonial town of
,r,,,,,oaI, a., ~, -, w. -
-, -,
S't''eu as curry us looo' IN lFct' as
am Informed. IL was n part of the old
Ipsvirh grant of Iond and doubtinss
,,o, sot,is1 q, ,,or, a., r,,a,,.,,,, ,,,,r,,
"u' o''''e' III P"'' Wy 'PS"ieh p''P'''
II never was large town, nor is
now, its population being only about
eleven hundred
II 10 quaint picturesque Ola set
tlement with an air OF quiet prosperity
about it, quite in keeping with the APP
pearance of the people. The houses
are mostly of wood, and quite gener-
ally painted white, and charming in
contrast With a profusion of trees and
foliage with which the place Is adorned.
Two churches. Congregational and
Methodist, and quite a respectable two
story town hall. comprise the largest
buildings of the place.
A small shoe factory and a few stores
make up the remainder of its outward
appearance.
It lies twelve miles southwark from
llarverhill. Mass, about six or seven
miles south of Georgetown, and about
other old colonial town, of more or less
interest to a number Of the residents
Of Utah; and on the coast, little
southeast, lies Salem, of wltchcraft
notoriety.
BY this time some OF the readers
of this sketch may wonder what there
is about Topsiield to interest any of
the people of Utah. Well, about a
mile in northerly direction from this
quaint old town lies the former home
sead of the Smith family. and occupied
at one time by Asael Smith, father of
Joseph Smith ST.. who was born there,
and consequently grandfather of the
great Prophet of this century. Joseph
Smith Jr.. whose name is held by hun
dreds OF thousands now as a synonym
Tor good. and is still held as a SYNONYM
tor evil by those who. without thought
or Investigation. scorn and deride the
idea that he was a Prophet of God.
This man. under the call of God, be-
came the first great leader and
Prophet in modern Israel. from whose
ranks came the Pioneers whose
achievements fifty years ago you have
recently celebrated
TO this man.while he was vet a hum
Bile boy the angel seen in vision by
the APOSTLE John on the Isle of Putmos,
brought the everlasting Gospel"
Inquiry, oh! We people who scoff
and sheer, what the curses were, and
what the motives, which led Joseph
smith .Jr.. from bovhood. 10 hear the
prosecutions endure the shame. heaped
iIpon him and finally to seal his testl-
monv 10 the world with his blood.
That which led him to endure nil
this has led his followers TO share i'm
his nersecutions. endure the worlds
fnper of scoirn, and in many instances
sacrifice their lives TO the worlds hit
Ter hate, and ali in the nineteenth CEN
turv That ali this would take place
was foretnId Inv this pronhet whose
humble origin in the flesh can he
traced in his ancestry to this quiet.
old antiuuated town,
In the records of births, among the
old records of the town. Joseph Smith
Josenh smith the "NIormon"
The old homestead once comnrIsed
about 90O nrres. but much of IL has
Ieen sold 20 maize smaller places.
The old house in which Joseph SIR.
,,,as horn ,vos rarInced NV n main pnu,
one on the old cellar. about twenty
wears since. II "a now occupied by a
Mr., Frame, and was once owned by
HE u,,fe's father whose name 4 aid moi
get Mrs. Frame treated me kindly.
6ermittinr and aiding me in procurinr
~ souvenir from the old house. she
said she had heard her mother sneak
of the smith family. hut she knew
nothing of the doctrines Of the
church, j left tracts with her bore
NV testimony TO her. and wlthdrew-
nisased that it had been my privilege
10 walk over n portion of the same
ground walked over by Brother Joseph
Smith Sr., the first Patriarch OF the
Church of which l am a humble mis-
slonnry. and to which owe glad and
supreme allegiance.
hrnnng the saints who hacarne