Pillar of Light

by Gerald N. Lund

  Without further word, he turned and walked to the door. The whole group, still half in a daze, followed him with their eyes in disbelief. Was that it? Was the lesson done? Was Joseph leaving?

  But as he put a hand on the latch, he stopped for a moment. “This morning has been a busy one,” he said with a smile. “First Lydia came to me and raised some concerns she had about what was going on in the family. While I was still pondering on that and on what to do, I received two other visitors. I didn’t know they were coming. No one here knew they were coming.”

  He opened the door and stepped halfway out, raising one arm to beckon. “It’s time,” he called. He stepped back, opening the door all the wider. A moment later a figure appeared at the door. Joseph reached out his hand and gripped the other’s. They embraced.

  Lydia was instantly on her feet, staring. “Nathan?” she breathed.

  But before she could move, a second figure stepped through the door. Joseph stepped to him, hand extended. He pulled him further into the room. “Joshua, your family are all here. Welcome home.”

  Now Caroline was up, gaping, not daring to believe. Will leaped to his feet, his face infused with joy. Olivia was staring, her mouth open, her eyes rapturous. There was only one who seemed not at all surprised by the figure’s appearance. Savannah wiggled free of her grandfather’s grasp and slid to the floor. Arms outstretched, she trotted around the legs and the feet and the furniture that blocked her way. “Papa, Papa,” she cried.

  Joshua dropped to his knees and swept her up. He stood, hugging her little body fiercely to his. “Hello, sweetheart,” he murmured. Then in an instant Will and Olivia were also to him. He reached out with one arm and brought them in too.

  All present were on their feet now, but no one moved except Caroline. She walked toward him, as if half-numb. Joshua saw her and handed the baby quickly to Will. Then she was in his arms, and he buried his face in her hair. “Oh, dear Caroline,” he whispered against her. “Can you ever forgive me? I’ve been such a fool.”

  After a moment, she pulled back. She reached up and touched his chin. “Your beard?”

  “Yeah, Papa,” Olivia said, looking up at him. “What happened to your beard?”

  Joshua pulled free of his wife and turned to Matthew, smiling sadly. “Several weeks ago I found that my family did not know me with a beard.” And then suddenly his hands were trembling. He turned to face his mother and father. “And I wanted my family to know me,” he said, his voice barely audible.

  With one great racking sob, Mary Ann was across the room and into his arms. “Oh, my son, my son, my son,” was all she could say.

  Matthew came up then, and Rebecca right behind him. Joshua reached out and touched her face. “Beautiful Rebecca,” he said. “I couldn’t believe it that day on the road. My little Becca grown into a lovely woman.”

  As they clung together there, Nathan moved over to Lydia. He slipped an arm around her waist, reaching out with his other hand to touch the baby’s hand. “You’re all right?” Lydia asked.

  He nodded, his eyes moist. “Yes. Everything’s all right now.”

  Suddenly Joshua turned and looked to where Jessica stood quietly waiting next to John Griffith. Rachel stood at her side, looking a little confused. Caroline, Mary Ann, Rebecca, Matthew—in one moment they all stepped back and the room fell quiet. Joshua looked frightened, but slowly he moved across the room. His eyes did not leave Jessica’s face. “Jessie,” he started.

  She shook her head quickly. “You don’t need to say it, Joshua,” she smiled. “This is enough.” She turned. “I would like you to meet my husband, John Griffith.”

  John extended his hand, and Joshua gripped it hard. “I’m pleased to meet you, John Griffith.”

  John nodded, but Joshua had already turned to Rachel. His hands came up, and for a moment it looked as though he was going to take her in his arms. But her eyes were frightened, and she shrank back against her mother.

  “This is your father, Rachel,” Jessica said. But Rachel only pushed the harder against her.

  “It’s all right,” Joshua said. “Joseph has invited us to stay for the Independence Day festivities. There’ll be time to get to know her.”

  He straightened and turned. And all in the room knew that the moment had arrived. They moved back, opening the space between Joshua and his father. Benjamin had not moved from the moment he had stood up. He looked like a shattered man. His shoulders were stooped, his face old and tortured.

  For what seemed like an eternity, no one moved. Then Joshua took a half step toward his father. “Pa?”

  There was no answer. Benjamin just stared at him, his eyes haunted, his hands clenching and unclenching at his sides. Joseph, who had been watching all of this from the corner near the door, came forward a step. “Benjamin,” he said softly, “it’s time.”

  And with that, Benjamin Steed opened his arms and started slowly toward his oldest son. Then, with a sob that was a great cry of pain and freedom and release, he broke into a stumbling gait, and in a moment father and son were in each other’s arms, clasped together in a grip that not even death itself could have broken.

  Notes

  Chapter One

  The vision of Jesus Christ, Moses, Elias, and Elijah, which took place in the Kirtland Temple one week following its dedication, is described in the novel as it is found in Doctrine and Covenants 110 and in History of the Church 2:434–36 (hereafter cited as HC). April third in the year 1836 was Easter Sunday and Passover season.

  Chapter Four

  Heber C. Kimball’s blessing of Parley P. Pratt is taken almost word for word from the latter’s autobiography. Thankful Pratt’s consumption (tuberculosis) and her ten years of childlessness are also as reported by Parley. (See Autobiography of Parley P. Pratt, ed. Parley P. Pratt, Jr. [1874; reprint, Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1985], p. 110; hereafter cited as PPP Auto.) Nathan Steed’s presence is, of course, a fictional addition.

  Chapters Six and Seven

  In actuality Parley P. Pratt was alone on his mission to Upper Canada (now the Province of Ontario), although a Brother Nickerson did travel with him as far as “the neighborhood of Hamilton.” Having Nathan Steed accompany Parley is the author’s fictional device. However, the events of that mission depicted in these two chapters are as described in Parley’s history. (See PPP Auto., pp. 113–28.) The prayer for help in Hamilton, with its resulting offer of money and a letter of introduction to John Taylor; the coming of the Widow Walton under inspiration to the Taylor home; the miraculous healing of the blind woman; the meetings at the Patrick home, including John Taylor’s reading from Acts 8—these are all as reported by Parley. Details of John Taylor’s final speech when Mr. Patrick refuses to allow Brother Pratt to continue to use his home are taken from B. H. Roberts’s Life of John Taylor (1892; reprint, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989), pp. 37–38 (hereafter cited as LJT).

  Chapter Ten

  The meeting of the sisters at Benjamin and Mary Ann Steed’s house (where Parley learns that his wife has been cured) is not based on any actual meeting, but the fact that Thankful was completely cured by the time of Parley’s return is a matter of record (see PPP Auto., p. 129). Other details given at this point in the novel––Emma’s current pregnancy and her previous losses of children, the description of Eliza R. Snow’s talents, and so on––are historically accurate. Nathan’s report about the conversion of the Fielding family and his account of how the woman who had been healed of her blindness finally succumbed to the pressure from her peers are as reported by Parley P. Pratt (see PPP Auto., pp. 117–18, 128).

  Chapter Eleven

  Emma and Joseph did name their baby born on 20 June 1836 after Frederick G. Williams; and the account of the naming of Mahonri Moriancumer Cahoon reflects actual history and is how we now know the name of the brother of Jared (see George Reynolds, “The Jaredites,” Juvenile Instructor 27 [1 May 1892]: 282).

  The meeting at the temple with the brethren is not based
on one specific meeting but is meant to illustrate what was beginning to happen in Kirtland at this time. Some of those depicted as being present may not have been in Kirtland at the exact time the meeting takes place in the novel. Also, records do not indicate how the Saints accepted Joseph’s decision to go to Salem. Using it as a basis for some of the Saints being disgruntled is the author’s interpolation. However, the figures given for the debts of the Church at this time are accurate. It is also difficult to pinpoint exactly how soon the critical spirit began to infect specific individuals. There is no question about whether men like Warren Parrish, John Boynton, and others turned against Joseph; but at what time their disaffection first began to surface remains a matter of speculation.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Having Newel Knight in Far West when Benjamin, Nathan, and Matthew arrive is slight conjecture on the author’s part. William G. Hartley’s “They Are My Friends”: A History of the Joseph Knight Family, 1825–1850 (Provo, Utah: Grandin Book Co., 1986), pp. 117–21, indicates that around this time Newel’s extended family were making efforts to move to Far West, that Newel assisted in these efforts, and that he even built a cabin there into which the family of one of his brothers, Joseph Knight, Jr., moved in 1837. It therefore seemed reasonable that Newel Knight might be in the area when the Steed men arrive in October 1836. But it is likely that Newel, his wife, and their children did not actually move to Far West until early in 1838.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Joseph Smith did go to Salem, Massachusetts, where he met Brother Burgess, as described elsewhere in the novel. Burgess had not been there for many years and could not even identify the house where the treasure was supposed to be buried, which was a disappointment to Joseph and those with him. The revelation to which Joseph refers in this chapter of the novel is now section 111 in the Doctrine and Covenants. Five years later Erastus Snow went to Salem to preach the gospel. He baptized over 120 people, thus fulfilling the Lord’s promise that there were “many people” who would be gathered out of Salem in “due time.” (See D&C 111:2. See also Church History in the Fulness of Times [Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1989], pp. 170–71; hereafter cited as CHFT.)

  Chapter Fifteen

  The meeting of the brethren described in this chapter took place on 2 January 1837. The details are basically as reported in various sources (see note for chapter eighteen). The Kirtland Safety Society did use the bank notes already obtained by Oliver Cowdery, and wording changes (from “BANK” to “anti-BANKing co.”) were stamped only on those notes that conveniently allowed for such changes.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Thankful Pratt was able to conceive a child as Heber C. Kimball had promised in his blessing. Her remarkable experience preceding the birth of that son and her death a short time afterwards are as Parley records them in his history (see PPP Auto., pp. 141–43).

  Chapter Eighteen

  The events leading up to and associated with the Panic of 1837 and the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society Anti-Banking Company are summarized in several excellent sources (see, for example, CHFT, pp. 171–73; Milton V. Backman, Jr., The Heavens Resound: A History of the Latter-day Saints in Ohio, 1830–1838 [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1983], pp. 311–23, hereafter cited as HR; and Marvin S. Hill, C. Keith Rooker, and Larry T. Wimmer, “The Kirtland Economy Revisited: A Market Critique of Sectarian Economics,” BYU Studies 17 [Summer 1977]).

  Chapter Nineteen

  The account of Parley’s disaffection and John Taylor’s response to him are accurately portrayed in the novel (see PPP Auto., p. 144; HR, pp. 325–26; LJT, pp. 39–40). However, there is some evidence that Parley sought out John Taylor rather than vice versa. Nathan’s role in all of this is, of course, fictional.

  Joseph Smith, Sr. (usually called Father Smith by the Saints), was the Patriarch to the Church and gave patriarchal blessings to Church members in “blessing meetings.” However, it is not known if Mary Fielding received a blessing from him at this time.

  Chapter Twenty

  For convenience in telling the story, the meeting in which Brigham Young defends the Prophet, and in which Jacob Bump tries to “lay hands” on Brigham, is placed here in the narrative, at the end of May 1837. Although some historians place this meeting at this point in time, there is evidence that it may have been held as early as February of that same year. Brigham’s own account of this meeting does not specify the date. But whatever the timing, the incident is depicted as Brigham described it later (see Leonard J. Arrington, Brigham Young: American Moses [New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1985], pp. 57–58). Joseph’s prophecy, alluded to in this chapter, that Brigham Young would one day lead the Church is reported in HR, pp. 278–80.

  The next three meetings described in the novel—the Sunday, 28 May, gathering during which Warren Parrish pronounces a curse on Joseph’s head; the 29 May meeting in which charges are brought against some of the dissidents; and the worship services of 4 June at which Heber C. Kimball is called to go to England to proclaim the gospel—are all matters of record (see Ronald K. Esplin, “The Emergence of Brigham Young and the Twelve to Mormon Leadership, 1830–1841” [Ph.D. diss., Brigham Young University, 1981], pp. 277–79, hereafter cited as “Emergence of Brigham Young”; HC 2:484–86, 489–90; CHFT, p. 174).

  Chapter Twenty-One

  The depicted farewell scene between Heber C. Kimball and his family, including some of the words of his prayer, is as reported by Robert B. Thompson, newly married husband of Mercy Fielding, who with his wife would accompany Heber part of the way on his journey (see Orson F. Whitney, Life of Heber C. Kimball [1888; reprint, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1992], pp. 108–9; hereafter cited as LHCK). Some sources report that Heber’s children also accompanied the party to Fairport Harbor, but the novel follows the account in LHCK, which seems to imply that they did not.

  Joseph’s illness and the subsequent effect of Doctor Levi Richards’s blessing are reported by Joseph (see HC 2:492–93). The dissenters did attribute his illness to a curse pronounced upon him by Warren Parrish, but his remarkable recovery ruled that out in a hurry. Ebenezer Robinson’s statement about truth and righteousness prevailing is given in Esplin’s “Emergence of Brigham Young,” p. 238. This sentiment was typical of many of the Latter-day Saints who remained faithful during this period, and may partially explain why the “Truth Will Prevail” banner in England so struck Heber C. Kimball and the other missionaries when they saw it.

  Chapters Twenty-Two and Twenty-Three

  In chapter twenty-two, the depiction of Parley Pratt’s repentance is drawn from his autobiography and other sources (see PPP Auto., p. 144; “Emergence of Brigham Young,” pp. 286–88).

  The events depicted in chapters twenty-two and twenty-three concerning the arrival and subsequent activities of the missionaries in Preston are told in some detail in LHCK, pp. 118–36. The seeing of the banner; the reported dreams had by some of the Reverend James Fielding’s congregation in Preston; the acceptance and then rejection of the missionaries by the reverend; the race to the river; the first baptisms—all are part of this record. (See also James B. Allen, Ronald K. Esplin, and David J. Whittaker, Men with a Mission, 1837–1841: The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the British Isles [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1992], pp. 26–36; hereafter cited as MWM.) The account of the encounter with evil spirits is quoted (with some minor editorial alterations) from LHCK, pp. 129–31.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  While Benjamin Steed’s wavering between faithfulness and personal apostasy is part of the fictional story that this novel tells, the details of what was happening with many of the historical figures––David Whitmer, Martin Harris, and so on––are drawn from the accounts of those dark days in Kirtland. The attempted takeover of the temple and its resulting violence are portrayed in the novel as they are described by the Prophet’s mother and others (see Lucy Mack Smith, History of Joseph Smith by His Mother, ed. Pres-ton Nibley [Salt Lake City: Bookcra
ft, 1958], p. 241, and Eliza R. Snow Smith, Biography and Family Record of Lorenzo Snow [1884; reprint, Salt Lake City: Zion’s Book Store, 1975], pp. 20–21; see also Karl Ricks Anderson, Joseph Smith’s Kirtland: Eyewitness Accounts [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book Co., 1989], pp. 220–21).

  Chapter Twenty-Six

  The description of the progress of missionary work in England and Heber C. Kimball’s activities at this time is drawn mainly from LHCK, pp. 137–43 (see also MWM, pp. 36–40).

  The conference of 3 September 1837 is a historical event, and action was taken against many of the dissidents (see HC 2:509–11).

  The action taken by Derek’s boss, Mr. Morris, at the textile factory was not a widespread occurrence as far as we know, but Mr. Morris’s behavior is representative of the efforts of some real-life employers and family members to coerce converts into abandoning their new religion (see LHCK, p. 153).

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  The death of Hyrum’s wife, Jerusha Barden Smith, is accurately portrayed in the novel, including her calling of the children together for a last farewell (see HC 2:519).

  Chapter Twenty-Eight

  The various details given in Lydia’s letter to Benjamin and Mary Ann are accurate, including Joseph’s call for Hyrum to marry the Canadian convert Mary Fielding without delay. The description of the precipitous flights of Brigham Young and Joseph Smith to escape death from the hands of the apostates is accurate (see HR, pp. 342–43).