July 2010 Nauvoo heritage

July 24, 2010

Hi, everyone,

Hope your summer is going wonderfully!

I had the opportunity to spend the week of July 12 – 17 on a church history tour visiting Independence, Liberty, Far West, Adam-ondi-Ahman and Nauvoo. Vey hot and humid and lushly beautiful country.

I was able to visit the Lands and Records office in Nauvoo and learn more

Details about our ancestors, William Junior and Elizabeth Bell Bennett and their son, John.

They left Tennessee in 1829 to take up homesteading in Shelby County, Illinois.

On August 16 and 17, 1831 William E. McLellin and Hyrum Smith preached of the restored gospel in Shelbyville, Shelby co. This is probably the meeting where William Jr. first heard the gospel message. He was baptized in 1835 and moved his family to Nauvoo to help build the Nauvoo temple. Elizabeth was baptized in 1839. The Bennett family lived at lot 107, section 4 in Nauvoo until 1846. On Feb 3, 1846 William and Elizabeth were endowed and sealed for time and eternity in the Nauvoo temple.

Then they were called to join the Saints heading west. Then comes a BIG mystery: William was cruelly murdered on the banks of the Des Moines River in Lee county, Iowa Oct. 30, 1846. I have not found the rest of that story.

Elizabeth and several family members stayed in Kanesville Iowa until 1851. They joined the Erastus Snow company in April and arrived in the Salt Lake Valley October 7, 1851. They settled in Payson Utah where Elizabeth kept house for son John, (our ancestor) until his marriage. Elizabeth lived out the remainder of her days at the home of her daughter, Nancy Ellen McCauslin, in Provo, where she died in 1864.

I have seen the grave marker of Elizabeth Bell Bennett in the Provo Cemetery.

John Bell Bennett, my great-great grandfather was born in Shelbyville, Illinois in 1830, the tenth of 11 children This means Nauvoo (Hebrew for beautiful) became his home when he was just 5 years old. He actually grew up in Nauvoo, coming west at age 16.

What were his experiences? Did he help with the temple? At 14 years, how did the death of the prophet affect him? We know he was faithful. He stayed true to the faith. He died in 1902 and is buried in the Payson Utah Cemetery.

We’ll learn his story next.

This week take time to ponder, your pioneer heritage in the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. What does it mean? How can we honor this heritage in the way we live our lives today?

Does anyone have thoughts to share?

Remember you are creating your children's heritage. Let's give them great stories to tell.

Love ya'

Aunt Linda