Isaac and Elizabeth Lewis Hale Home Key Points of Interest The home currently on the property is a reconstruction, built by the church in 2015 Emma Hale Smith, Joseph's wife, grew up here with her parents, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale Joseph first met Emma when he and his father boarded here while working for Josiah Stowell nearby Rose charged the Hales $3.79 an acre for their land which was more than ten times the amount Bennett initially paid for it and a dollar per acre higher than Rose charged Isaac and Elizabeth Hales neighbors, suggesting he took advantage of the added value twenty years of Hale family improvements had given the land. . Because Luzerne County tax assessments are missing for the period before Susquehanna County was created, there is a fourteen year gap without tax information on the Hale property. While Comfort did not elaborate on the details of the Hale family exodus, or the apparent religious conflict he had with the family, the following spring he wrote to his son, Jesse Hale Ward Hale and Reuben Hale moved last season out on the Alegany and David Hale went this winter the last of sleighing to the same place and also Daniel Westfall moved near the same place the fore part of winter. Joseph Smiths 13 1/2 acres were rounded for tax purposes to 13 acres of improved land just south of the Morse property. During the early settlement years no one could live on their farming. His protg Silas Comfort Swallow described himself as a child of many prayers, my father having been a Methodist Class Leader and my mother an old time shouting Methodist, with a consistent life behind it, that shouted equally as loud. Robert H. Rose, letter to Isaac Hale, January 2, 1810, Deeds. Joseph Smith's Witchcraft, Scrying and Arrest 1820 - 1827 142. agreed with Lucy Smiths account, arguing Joseph began courting while still at the Hale farm, stating a group of money diggers boarded at his [Isaacs] house [when]JS [Joseph Smith] began courting Hales daughter Emma. Michael Hubbard MacKay, Gerrit J. Dirkmaat, Grant Underwood, Robert J. Woodford, and William G. Hartley, eds.,The Joseph Smith Papers,Documents Volume 1: July 1828June 1831(Salt Lake City: Church Historians Press, 2013), 347. Bartlett, Crawford and Stearns Architects. After Jesse Hale built a home on his fathers property, Isaac was taxed for three homes until he transferred twenty-six acres of his property to Jesse, and his sons home was taxed separately. As soon as Emma learned of her fathers death, she wrote her Hale family from her own mansion in Nauvoo and invited them to participate in the refined aspects of her life, even if they chose not to become Mormons. Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 - April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the first wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). Emma first met Joseph Smith Jr. in 1825, while he boarded with her family. In that remote region, we cannot conceive the farming will ever be profitable, a friend wrote.147, Pickering was part of the American gentry and had little in common with the Hale family. Joseph received revelation from God to leave Kirtland for the safety of his family, and on January 12, 1838, Joseph left for Missouri. isaac hale father of emma smithwhere to privately print photos. John Comfort wrote his son on Christmas Eve 1836 of the Hale family exodus. . When her son Joseph III became president of the RLDS Church, she was again asked to compile a hymnal. Alva borrowed the epitaph on Isaacs headstone from Benjamin Franklin: And stript of its lettering and gilding. [16] Soon after this, I was informed they had brought a wonderful book of Plates down with them. Tench Francis dictated his will on April 4, 1800, leaving his large tract of Susquehanna Valley property to his wife. Verily, I say unto you: A commandment I give unto mine handmaid, Emma Smith, your wife, whom I have given unto you, that she stay herself and partake not of that which I commanded you to offer unto her; for I did it, saith the Lord, to prove you all, as I did Abraham, and that I might require an offering at your hand, by covenant and sacrifice. After his dismissal, Pickering decided he wanted to retire from public life, move to the country, and become a gentleman farmer. A detailed exploration of this home, including images of the construction plans, and the Pickering family interaction with Isaac Hale and his family is in Mark Staker, Emma Hale Smith and Her Family in Harmony, Pennsylvania, Historic Sites Files, CHL, 2010. One of the key elements of this style of preaching was a belief in direct answer to prayer. 3. Near the end of that year, an assessor appraised the Hale family 15 x 30 foot log home as worth $26.133 The tax assessment noted they lived on a 150 acre farm owned by Charles Francis, using either an alternate name for Tench or that of an as yet unidentified son.134 Isaacs brother-in-law Nathaniel Lewiss family was also listed as occupying 100 acres of Charles Franciss farmland just west of the Hale family that included a 15 x 28 foot log home and a log stable of unspecified size.135 Francis paid the tax for the land, not Isaac Hale or Nathaniel Lewis. After a five month battle with consumption, Elizabeths health began to fail. Isaac straightened the original foundation for the log home by adding a wall in front of a previous curved foundation wall on the west side of the cellar.240 He dug out a larger area to expand the cellar with a kitchen in the new basement and added a new foundation on the east side of the cellar which included a stairway so the family could access the basement from bulkhead doors at ground level.241, When the Hales added a rearaddition to their home between 1820 and 1822 to accommodate a ground level kitchen, they did not add a cellar under the new addition.242 The larger space attached to the rear of the home provided enough room for a pantry and kitchen sleeping chamber (the borning room of later generations) in addition to including a kitchen big enough to take care of most of the familys needs with the basement kitchen useful for cooking in the summer months.243. Joseph Smith left no record of what he thought of the Isaac and Elizabeth Hale farm and recently expanded home when he first encountered them at nineteen. While it is unlikely Isaac knew much about Josephs education from observing him with the treasure diggers, writing letters was an important part of courting during the period and this gave Isaac an opportunity to evaluate Josephs abilities. A grandson recalled the family gathering around Isaacs bed on January 11, 1839, as he charged them, You must not believe in Jo Smith or any false doctrines, but believe in the Holy Bible. Joseph SmithIII, Last Testimony of Sister Emma,290. Thou Art an Elect Lady: D&C 24, 25, 26,27,, My Great-Great-Grandmother Emma Smith,, My Dear and Beloved Companion: The Letters of Joseph and Emma Smith,, A Heart Full of Love and Faith: The Prophets Letters to His Family,, Emma Smith letter to Joseph Smith, Mar.7, 1839. It is not clear why only Alva and Emma are listed as Hale children in the records. But the reflection is more than human nature ought to bear, and if God does not record our sufferings and avenge our wrongs on them that are guilty, I shall be sadly mistaken. Buck and Hale had left the Oquago Valley before it was settled, and J. The Hales were among a small number of prominent families in the valley who established a standard of ethical behavior for the community. By referring or linking you to these resources, we do not endorse or guarantee the content or the views of the author. Since he made his living hunting, there was little need to store a harvest of grain and animal feed. When he reported receiving a calling from God to take his father's place as head of a "New Organization" of the Latter Day Saint church, she supported his decision. J. Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the first wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). During this period, the government approved a plan to build new twenty-foot wide roads to replace meandering trails and increase access to the area. See Returned as Elected, Quarter Sessions Docket, Susquehanna County, 3: 3637, 7071, 101, 120. When he drew a map of the valley in 1800 it only depicted the frame homes he found there, such as that of Daniel Buck at Painted Rock and John Hilborn at the rivers bend, but not the Hale cabin between those two, or the other log homes of families scattered along the river.148 These backwoodsmen and their families did not receive Pickerings notice for most purposes. . It now included academically trained ministers rather than uneducated circuit riders and included a formal liturgy and structured meetings where once had been primarily organic and expressive outdoor rural meetings reverberating from the mountainsides at the beginning of the century. The Stowell work party went a little over a mile and a half west on Oquago Road where a narrow footbridge on the west side of a small cemetery connected the families across the river and marked the beginning of the farm of Vermont emigrants Isaac and Elizabeth Hale. Both families were financially well placed and both played a significant role in community life. Yeah, I doyou squeeze in. 180. isaac hale father of emma smith. Nevertheless, it is apparent that Joseph withheld knowledge of some of these relationships from Emma. . 6 Moved to Wells, Albany Co., New York (later in Rutland Co., Vermont), ca. all Lands held by patent, warrant, location, or improvements; Houses and lots of ground, and groundrents; all gristmills, sawmills, hempmills, oilmills, snuffmills, papermills, and powdermills; all Furnaces, Forges, Bloomirzes [bloomeries], Distilleries, Sugarhouses, malthouses, Breweries, Tanningyards and farries [ferries]; all Negro and Maulatto slaves; all Horses mares geldings and Cattle above the age of four years, and all offices and posts of profit, trades and occupations, Ministers of the Gospel of Everry Denomination and Schoolmasters only excepted. Laban Capern and Johnah Brewster, letter to John Hilborn, January 24, 1814, 1813-1814 Tax Assessment Records, Harmony Township, Susquehanna County Courthouse, Montrose, Pennsylvania. Nancy F. Glass was asked specifically to respond to accusations Oliver Cowdery had been involved in the group. One of these trained ministers had a position in the Methodist church in Lanesboro. Road Proposal, Court of Quarter Session of Peace, November, 16, 1857, Susquehanna County Courthouse. : Warren F. Draper, 1883), 63, 344; F.A. The Warrior Path was a major travel route created by Native Americans on foot as war parties moved rapidly through the region to control territory of interest to competing tribes active in the beaver fur trade.37It also led to hunting grounds along the rivers tributaries. Town of Hingham,History of the Town of Hingham, Massachusetts(Hingham, Mass: n.p., 1893), 160. 143. Her mother Elizabeth Lewis Hale died in 1842. [1] In 1842, when the Ladies' Relief Society of Nauvoo was formed as a women's service organization, she was elected by its members[2] as the organization's first president. Against the wishes of Emma's father, Emma and Joseph married on January 18, 1827. Emma was supportive of Smith's teachings throughout her life with the exception of plural marriage and remained loyal to her son Joseph Smith III in his leadership of the RLDS church.[6]. Colbert, Journal of the Travels of William Colbert.. Understanding the physical setting of the Hale farm and its mansion,helps us to not only better place the events of 1825-1830 Mormonism within their physical and cultural setting, but also enlarges our appreciation of the Isaac and Elizabeth Hale family. In response to Emmas invitation, Isaac and Elizabeth Hales children who had already left the Susquehanna Valley settled farms within visiting distance of the city of Nauvoo, although they elected to not live within the Mormon community. It's worth noting that this is the historical record and there might be different perspectives on Isaac Hale's relationship with Joseph Smith. Young Emma and Charles were briefly raised within the same extended family until Charles left the valley with his mother. A surveyor in the employment of Dr. R. H. Rose, while tracing a boundary line through the woods, placed his hand high on a tree to mark where the ax-man, who followed, should strike out a chip as an evidence of the line that had been run. Isaac Hale had initially welcomed Smith when he came to Harmony, Pennsylvania where Emma grew up, looking for a place to stay and continue his translation of the Golden Plates from which the Book of Mormon would be translated from. One of Emmas young female contemporaries described what she considered tragic circumstances connected to another woman in their area. A grandson of Isaac and Elizabeth Hale, Lorenzo D. Wasson left the valley for Nauvoo, Illinois, perhaps to share news of Isaacs death, but also to learn more about his aunts unusual religion. In every flowr, and shrub, and tree, Gods goodness you may plainly see.187 Hymn writing became a popular pastime in the Susquehanna Valley and Justin Clark, editor of the local newspaper The Centinel,regularly published to an interested audience information in his newspaper about religious music, including locally written hymns under various pseudonyms.188, It took several more years before Methodism made its way to the Susquehanna Valley. Wilford C. Wood later purchased a portion of this property and suggested it was the site where the Melchizedek Priesthood had been restored, presumably influenced by the 1874 atlas, see Historic Site Files, CHL. Blackman,History of Susquehanna County,102. Land use of area. MarkL. Staker, A Comfort unto My Servant, Joseph: Emma Hale Smith (18041879), in RichardE. TurleyJr. and BrittanyA. Chapman,eds., Women of Faith in the Latter Days, Volume One, 17751820 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2011), 34362. the LDS Church History Department. Did Isaac Hale like Joseph smith? 263. Since Blackman,History of Susquehanna County,88, 95, also claimed there was not a sawmill in Harmony Township before 1810, much later than the construction of the Hilborn and Drinker homes, and the 1798 tax records list sawmills a decade earlier than her date, the Hilborn and Drinker homes may have been built shortly after Isaac Hale purchased his property and before his marriage. These were frame homes with the most expensive valued at $80. 199. The next day after this happened, I went to the house where Joseph Smith Jr., lived, and where he and Harris were engaged in their translation of the Book. In December 1827 Joseph began work on the Book of Mormon. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. Nina M. Versaggi, Director, Public Archaeology Facility, Binghamton University, Personal communication to author, September 13, 2013. The Hale family had a 130-acre farm, with orchards of apples and pears, a large garden, and groves of maple trees. Charles Hatchs 18281829 tavern was evidently a log structure and likely related to the log tavern Sylvanus Hatch in neighboring Great Bend Township. After Hale returned home from military service, he inherited all of his grandfathers estate with the stipulation that he was to take into his Care his Grandmother Phebe Ward in her old age, to keep and provide for during her life, to free her from all or any cost to this State.24 Despite the presence of his uncles, Hale inherited both the property and responsibilities of a son. 281. 289. Buck served as the first permanent minister stationed in the Everlasting Hills.166 He found success in his attempt to spread religious conviction, and he developed a congregation downriver eight miles from the Hale home. Mumford owned a large lumbering company elsewhere in the county and along with the four residences in the Susquehanna Valley, the company also paid taxes on a sawmill. Home; Services; New Patient Center. David Cordingly,Under the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life among the Pirates(New York: Random House, 1995), 17879. Emma's father, Isaac Hale died 11 January 1839. Reddit and its partners use cookies and similar technologies to provide you with a better experience. 196. John Lewis eventually moved to Harmony Township, New York, where he became a Methodist Elder, preacher, and a judge in the county, and his son later served as a member of congress. 80. 5. J. 26. For example, when the company of cartographer F. W. Beers made his map of the township in 1872, he marked the Foundations of 1st Morman (sic) Temple on what had been Jacob/Joseph Smith land. Enoch Mudge,The American Camp-Meeting Hymn Book(Boston: Joseph Burdakin, 1818), vii; Adam Clarke, the theologian to which many Methodist clergymen, including Emmas uncle Nathaniel Lewis, looked for insight into the scriptures, interpreted the Elect Lady mentioned in the Second Epistle of John (2 John 15) as an eminent Christian matron . Blackman,History of Susquehanna County,102. He had been hired by Josiah Stowell, of South Bainbridge, New York, to dig for Spanish treasure. 123. . Elizabeth Hales brother Nathaniel had joined the Methodists in Wells, Vermont, with his parents along with some of [their] children and neighbors. But Elizabeth had not.181 Because of her fathers conversion, however, she may have been sympathetic to Methodism early. 113. 305. Robert S. Hansen, Tioga County, Pennsylvania Extension Director, personal communication to author, March 16, 2010. Part of this letter is written in Emma Smiths hand and part in Joseph Smiths hand. History, 18381856, volume A-1 Although most of this frame home later burned in an 1865 fire, and was rebuilt into an even larger home by the carpenter James Tillman in the early 1870s, there is enough evidence from the original frame home to determine some significant aspects of its appearance and character. Chaffee,History of the Wyoming Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, 721. But her placement of the ruins on the Westfall property is supported by early sources.268The map Blackman described marking the town suggests it was a small settlement and it was likely affiliated with the larger community at Oquago to the norththe connection between the two places may explain the name of Oquago Mountain. 11. The Lewis family arrived among the earliest settlers, and they would have spent most of their time clearing land to make it productive. 115. Several of Pickerings friends had purchased large tracts of land in the Susquehanna Valley from him; and those friends combined the properties together and gave them as a gift to Hamiltons widow for her familys support.155 Through this means Elizabeth Hamilton briefly became owner of a significant portion of the Hale neighborhood. Local historians explored their history, their minister wrote about them in his autobiography, and during the late nineteenth century the steamboat Erminie took tourists downriver to see their property and hear about Joseph Smith.315 Although Isaac Hale may have wished a life of distinguished solitude, he was thrust onto the public arena against his will. The letter has one thousand eight hundred andthirteenfourteen written which is likely a correction because of a wrong year added just after the change on January 1. Wife of Joseph Smith Jr. and Latter Day Saint leader (18041879), "Elect lady" and the early church, 18301839, The workers were searching for the supposed silver mine for. 246. . A neighbor of the Lewis family, Old Mr. Fry, was among those who brought the practice with him. In addition to the daybook, the 1820 census that included David as part of his fathers household also documented the business activities of each household. Born in 1790, she spent much of her later life attending tea parties and religious events. Staker and Jensen, David Hales Store Ledger: New Details about Joseph and Emma Smith, the Hale Family, and the Book of Mormon.. Born 21 Mar 1763 in New Haven, Connecticut. Karen Lynn Davidson, David J. Whittaker, Mark Ashurst-McGee, and Richard L. Jensen, eds.,The Joseph Smith Paper, Histories, Volume 1: 18321844(Salt Lake City: Church Historians Press, 2012), 236 (hereafterJSP,H1). Matthew Kirk and Corey McQuinn of Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc. in Rensselaer, New York directed the excavation of portions of the Hale home site during 2004, and again from 2010-2012 for the Historic Sites Division of the LDS Church History Department. Annotated Record of Baptisms for the Dead. . Nathaniel Lewis dedicated much of his time during that year to working for the Unitarian Timothy Pickering and assisting the dying Tim Pickering in his last hours, but he was also likely involved in Methodism by then, since he had preached for years in Vermont before marrying and coming to Pennsylvania. George Peck listed the text of each sermon he delivered in the Hale home in a Memorandums booklet he kept for each place he stopped on his circuit. But Isaac, who did not have the same experiences in Vermont, and had resisted full involvement in Methodism for several years even when Lewis preached and promoted it, apparently had an independent spirit and was not inclined to adopt his brother-in-laws perspective. About Public Member Trees. 94. R. Hines Statement,Naked Truths About Mormonism1 (January 1888): 2. 208. 220. Paul,History of Wells,33, 37, notes one of the Lewis sons became an acceptable local preacher before he mentions the conversion of John and Levi Lewis in 1789. 299. Musket strike plate (left); antler handle (right), found on Hale Farm, Collection of. . David was tall and straight, with eyes bright and brown, and hair dark almost black. He looked much like his sister Emma with whom he had a close relationship. Wilkinson,Annals of Binghamton,105; First Presbyterian Church Records, Hallstead, Pennsylvania. This early 19th century home house the Isaac and Elizabeth Hale family. Trial Notes, Scribe A and Trial Notes, Scribe B.. By implication the Presbyterian minister seemed to think praying for direct answers and prophesying would invite influence from the devil on him as well.184, Although Colbert left the region and never went into the Susquehanna Valley where the Hale family lived, his type of Methodism became widespread in the region as others did not seem to share the concerns of the Presbyterian minister.