Rallying Point

The Kirtland Temple became a rallying point for the Saints from far and near. To some coming from other places, the Kirtland temple had much the same significance as the temple of old in Jerusalem. Oliver B. Huntington described his journey with a group of the Saints: “We left Sackets Harbor . . . but [were] driven back, the wind blowing a perfect gale; we landed in Rochester the next morning before sunrise. . . . From Rochester we took the canal to Buffalo and from Buffalo to Fairport, 12 miles from Kirtland we sailed on a steamboat, and in four days from the time we left Sackets we were in Kirtland. We all walked the 12 miles with joy, rejoicing at the privilege of getting there no matter how: O, what joy again came over every one of us as we came in sight of the temple. The Lords House, Solemnly exclaimed every one, as we were trudging along in a confused flock. It makes me think of tribes going up to Jerusalem to worship, [as] anciently.” (Huntington, Diary, photocopy, 27, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. Picture: lds.org)

Temple Angels

Prescindia Huntington described an experience that occurred during a meeting she had not attended: “A little girl came to my door and in wonder called me out, exclaiming, “The meeting is on the top of the meeting house!” I went to the door, and there I saw on the temple angels clothed in white covering the roof from end to end. They seemed to be walking to and fro; they appeared and disappeared. The third time they appeared and disappeared before I realized that they were not mortal men. Each time in a moment they vanished, and their reappearance was the same. This was in broad daylight, in the afternoon. A number of the children in Kirtland saw the same. When the brethren and sisters came home in the evening, they told of the power of God manifested in the temple that day, and of the prophesying and speaking in tongues. It was also said, in the interpretation of tongues, “That the angels were resting down upon the house.” (Tullidge, Women of Mormondom, 207. Picture: lds.org.)

The Faith of a Child – Heber C. Kimball

During the winter of 1834-5, Heber attended the theological school established in Kirtland. Here originated the lectures on faith, formerly in the book of Doctrine and Covenants. It was the custom, at these meetings, to call upon a certain number to speak for the edification of the others. Heber, on one occasion, was invited to address them on the subject of faith. Every passage of scripture bearing on the theme having been quoted by previous speakers, and not wishing to repeat what they had said, he was left to depend entirely upon the Spirit. He began by relating the following anecdote, the incident of which had occurred in his own family:
“My wife, one day, when going out on a visit, gave my daughter Helen Mar charge not to touch the dishes, for if she broke any during her absence she would give her a whipping when she returned. While my wife was absent my daughter broke a number of the dishes by letting the table leaf fall, and then she went out under an apple tree and prayed that her mother’s heart might be softened, that when she returned she might not whip her. Her mother was very punctual when she made a promise to her children, to fulfill it, and when she returned she undertook, as a duty, to carry this promise into effect. She retired with her into her room, but found herself powerless to chastise her; her heart was so softened that it was impossible for her to raise her hand against the child. Afterwards, Helen told her mother she had prayed to the Lord that she might not whip her.” Heber paused in his simple narrative. Tears glistened in the eyes of his hearers. The Prophet Joseph was weeping like a child. He told the brethren that that was the kind of faith they needed—the faith of a little child, going in humility to its Parent, and asking for the desire of its heart. He said the anecdote was well-timed.

(Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, p.69. Picture: Wikipedia)

“There was a blessing for you”

Although the young 16 year old Benjamin Johnson had not worked on the temple, he fervently desired a blessing from the Prophet Joseph Smith. He described the crowded congregation, and said he was standing by the door when the Prophet looked his way:
Oh! how I did yearn for a blessing! And as the last blessing, apparently, was given, the Prophet earnestly looked towards the door where I was standing, and said to his brother Hyrum, “Go and see if there is not one more yet to be blessed.” Brother Hyrum came to the door, and seeing me, put his hand upon my shoulder and asked me if I had not worked upon the Temple. I said, “No sir,” but it seemed like passing a sentence upon my fondest hopes. He then asked if I had done nothing towards it. I then thought of a new gun I had earned and given as a donation, and of the brick I had helped to make. I said, “I did give often.” “I thought,” he said, “there was a blessing for you,” and he almost carried me to the stand. The Prophet blessed me, with a confirmation of all his father had sealed upon me, and many more also. I felt then that the Lord had respect for my great desire. Even to be the youngest and last to be blessed seemed to me a high privilege. When the Prophet had looked towards the door, I felt as though he would call for me, though I could not see how I had merited so high a privilege. But so it was, and my joy was full.
(Benjamin Johnson My Life’s Review (1947), p.22 – p.23. Picture: lds.org)

Night Watches

The early members had few friends and kept guards over the temple at night as stated by Joel Hills Johnson: but very few friends among the world, “at this time while they had” thousands of enemies who were holding their secret meetings to devise plans to thwart and overthrow all of our arrangements. We were obliged to keep up night watches to prevent being mobbed, and our work being overthrown.”

(Joel Hills Johnson, 1802–1882,” typescript, Church History Library; and BYU Special Collections)

“We layed upon Brother Joseph’s floor”

Heber C. Kimball speaks from firsthand experience:
While we were building the Temple, in Kirtland,…we were persecuted and were under the necessity of laying upon the floor with our firelocks by our sides to sustain ourselves, as there were mobs gathering all around to destroy us, and prevent us from building the Temple. And when they were driven, every man that was in the church, arose, and we took our firelocks, to reinstate our brethren, and in the night we layed upon the floor; we layed upon Brother Joseph’s floor, and upon Sidney Rigdon’s floor, so as to be ready to keep our enemies at bay.”

( Times and Seasons 6 (July 15, 1845): 972. Picture lds.org)

“God had heard and would answer that boy’s prayer.”

Oliver Huntington, the Prophet’s bodyguard, tells how the Prophet knew he was safe because of a boy’s prayer:
At a time when Joseph Smith was guarded day and night by his brethren from mob violence, that he might perform his necessary business labors and get the necessary night’s rest and that his life should be safe; he was in a log house at night. Several brethren were with him and were making arrangements as to who should stand guard that night. Joseph was listening to the prayer of a little boy in the room adjoining. The boy prayed for the Prophet, that he might be secure and safe from his enemies, the mob, that night.
When the boy had done praying, Joseph turned to his brethren and told them all to go to bed and all sleep and rest themselves that night, for God had heard and would answer that boy’s prayer. They all went to bed and slept safely until morning undisturbed.
(Max H. Parkin, Conflict at Kirtland (Salt Lake City: Dept of Seminaries and Institutes of Religion, 1967), 206. Picture: TheDreamersArt via Pintrist)

“Our Woman were Engaged”

The women in Kirtland assisted in building the temple by supporting the men. Heber C. Kimball comments on the women’s involvement and tells that almost all the sisters in Kirtland were involved in some activity:

Our women were engaged in spinning and knitting in order to clothe those who were laboring at the building, and the Lord only knows the scenes of poverty, tribulation, and distress which we passed through in order to accomplish this thing. My wife toiled all summer in lending her aid towards its accomplishment. She had a hundred pounds of wool, which, with the assistance of a girl, she spun in order to furnish clothing for those engaged in the building of the Temple, and although she had the privilege of keeping half the quantity of wool for herself, as a recompense for her labor, she did not reserve even so much as would make her a pair of stockings; but gave it for those who were laboring at the house of the Lord. She spun and wove and got the cloth dressed, and cut and made up into garments, and gave them to those men who labored on the Temple; almost all the sisters in Kirtland labored in knitting, sewing, spinning, etc., for the purpose of forwarding the work of the Lord. (Heber Kimball “Extract from Journal,” Times & Seasons 6 (1845), p.867)

This afternoon the sisters met again at the Temple to work on the veil. Towards the close of the day I met with the Presidency and many of the brethren in the house of the Lord, and made some remarks from the pulpit upon the rise and progress of the Church of Christ of Latter-day Saints, and pronounced a blessing upon the sisters, for their liberality in giving their services so cheerfully, to make the veil for the Lord’s House.

(History of the Church, Vol.2, p.399)

Lorenzo Young’s Healing

Lorenzo Young drove himself close to death during the winter of 1835-36:

“It was then the last of November, and the weather daily grew colder. A Brother Stillman assisted me a day or two, but said that he could not stand the cold, and quit the work.

I continued, day after day, determined, if possible, to complete the job. When I got badly chilled I went into my house, warmed myself and returned again to the work.

I completed the task in the forepart of December, but was sick the last two days. I had caught a bad cold, had a very severe cough, and, in a few days was confined to my bed.

My disease was pronounced to be the quick consumption. I sank rapidly for six or seven weeks. For two weeks I was unable to talk.” ((Lorenzo Dow Young, “Lorenzo Dow Young’s Narrative,” in Fragments of Experience (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882), pp. 43-45.)

In January 1836 Joseph sent for Hyrum Smith to administer to and heal Lorenzo Young. Lorenzo “had been pronounced by the best physicians in the country past all human aid.” The Lord spoke through Hyrum and he said things he couldn’t have known himself. Lorenzo described his miraculous healing and a prophecy Hyrum uttered as the Spirit rested mightily upon him: Hyrum was full of blessing and prophecy. Among other things, he said that I should live to go with the Saints into the bosom of the Rocky Mountains, to build up a place there, and that my cellar should overflow with wine and fatness…. At that time, I had not heard about the Saints going to the Rocky Mountains; possibly Brother Smith had. After he had finished he seemed surprised at some things he had said, and wondered at the manifestations of the Spirit. I coughed no more after that administration, and rapidly recovered. (Lorenzo Dow Young, “Lorenzo Dow Young’s Narrative,” in Fragments of Experience (Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1882), pp. 43-45.)

“Build a House for Our God”

Lucy Mack Smith, describes the reaction of the leaders to Joseph Smith:
“Some were in favor of building a frame house, but others were of a mind to put up a log house. Joseph reminded them that they were not building a house for a man, but for God; “and shall we, brethren,” said he, “build a house for our God, of logs? No, I have a better plan than that. I have a plan of the house of the Lord, given by himself; and you will soon see by this the difference between our calculations and his idea of things.” (Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith, p.230. Picture: lds.org)

Quarrying The Stone

Joseph Smith worked at the stone quarry. He wrote, “I acted as foreman in the Temple stone quarry, and when other duties would permit, labored with my own hands.” (History of the Church, Vol.2, p.161) Heber C. Kimball described the operation of the quarry:

When we arrived in Kirtland, [upon their return from Zion’s Camp] Joseph said, “Come, brethren, let us go into the stone quarry and work for the Lord.” And the Prophet went himself, in his tow frock and tow breeches and worked at quarrying stone like the rest of us. Then, every Saturday we brought out every team to draw stone to the temple, and so we continued until that house was finished. (Journal of Discourses, Vol.10, p.165 – p.166, Heber C. Kimball, April 6, 1863)

Those who had no teams went to work in the stone quarry and prepared the stones for drawing to the house. President Joseph Smith Jr. being our foreman in the quarry. The Presidency, High Priests, and Elders all alike assisting.–Those who had teams assisted in drawing the stone to the house. These all laboring one day in the week, brought as many stones to the house as supplied the masons through the whole week. We continued in this manner until the walls of the house were reared. (Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball, p.68. Picture: lds.org)

The Lord’s Temple Plans

Truman O. Angell recorded how Frederick G. Williams and the others saw the temple plan or model:

“… Joseph received the word of the Lord for him to take his two counselors Wiliams and Rigdon and come before the Lord, and he would show them the plan or model of the house to be built. We went upon our knees, called on the Lord, and the building appeared within viewing distance: I being the first to discover it. Then all of us viewed it together. After we had taken a good look at the exterior, the building seemed to come right over us, and the Makeup of this Hall seems to coincide with what I there saw to a minutia. (LDS Church Archives, Journal of Truman O. Angell, p 4), Truman O. Angell further stated that “the leading mechanic” recommended to Joseph Smith that the seats in the building be rearranged. The Prophet responded by saying he had seen them in vision and insisted that the original plans be carried out. (Picture lds.org)