Dearest Cousins,

It is that time of year again when we have the privilege to come together to celebrate our heritage as descendants of Joseph F. Smith.  Please join us for the annual family reunion/birthday celebration/Family Home Evening on:

Monday, November 14^th, 2016
at the Monument Park Stake Center (1320 East Wasatch Drive)
Registration begins at 6:30 p.m. and the program will start promptly at 7:00 p.m.

This year we will be privileged to hear from Michael F. Hemingway. Brother Hemingway is currently the Director of Proselyting for the Missionary Department of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. He served as the mission president of the New York Rochester Mission from 2007 to 2010. Because of his service there, Brother Hemingway has a great knowledge of the Church historic sites in that part of the country. He will be sharing stories about the influence that Joseph F. Smith had in procuring many of the historic sites in the New York and Vermont areas.

A note from family data steward Mary Donoho:

“As a member of the Joseph Smith Senior Family Association committee, I had the privilege this past week, of listening to the first hand reports and attendant miracles attending the Joseph Smith Sr. Family Reunion this past August. Year after year one thing remains constant and I somewhat jokingly tell Frances Orton (our Commander in chief, Committee Chairman, or Leader Extraordinaire) that we should be compiling a yearly list of miracles surrounding the reunions. The one thing that stands out and should be engraved in our hearts is that the Lord cares about this family. He is aware of, watches over and cares about what happens to this family. That being the case, why would you not want your descendants to learn about their heritage and take advantage of the blessings being showered upon us, individually and collectively? Please help us reach all our family members by updating your genealogical ties and address database. You can enter the data directly into the family record or you can fill out the address form that came with this invitation and send your information to:

Mary M Donoho, 9871 N West Crimson Ct, Highland UT 84003 or better yet send it to me at thomasj@pathstone.us and I will enter it for you (after you enter it for me!) And if you are one of those saintly angels who is willing to update your family information directly onto our website, let me know and I’ll set you up.”

Upcoming Joseph Smith Sr and Lucy Mack Smith Family Reunions

August 2 – 5, 2018 in Salt Lake City, Utah
August 6 – 9, 2020 in Palmyra, New York

In 1816, the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family were warned out of their home in Norwich, Vermont. After being forced to sell most of their belongings to pay creditors, the family moved to Palmyra, New York. In 1818, Alvin, Hyrum, and family joined their father in working together to build a log home. In honor of the family working together and overcoming hard times 200 years ago, the Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family Association is joining efforts with the Habitat for Humanity to build a home for a refugee family in Salt Lake County. Please donate money, time, expertise, materials, and service in making Joseph’s name known for good.

200 years since Joseph Smith Jr. received the First Vision will be our focus in what we are calling our 2020 Vision year. What a monumental experience this will be for our family to have a pilgrimage to our roots and the sacred beginnings of the restoration. If you would like more information or have any questions about these reunions, contact: Steve Orton, steve.ortonio@gmail.com  or Frances Orton, ortonfrances@gmail.com.

Don’t forget to pay your family dues so our reunion can continue to be an annual event. The dues are $10 per household. You can pay your dues at the reunion or through the website if you’d like: http://josephfsmith.org/

We love all of you, and we are excited to be with you again. Thank you for being a part of this amazing family and for participating in its preservation. We look forward to seeing you soon!

Danny Wood
2016 Committee Chairman