Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith
Prophet, Seer and Revelator

Saturday, December 31, 2011

Family Farm

Both John's parents came from aristocratic families, but neither of them were the eldest so they didn't inherit land, titles or money. John's father worked in the British tax office.
Three years after their move to Liverpool, an uncle left James and Agnes a farm near Hale, so the family moved back to Westmorland. John continued his schooling in Beetham, walking about a mile each way.8 On the family farm John learned to plow, plant, harvest, stack hay, and do other chores. He loved to ride high-spirited horses, and was bucked off fairly often. “And I have indelibly impressed on my mind, some of my first mishaps in horsemanship . . . evolutions between the horses’ backs and terra firma (the ground).”
John learned to work hard. The Lord was preparing him for pioneer life to be able to survive in the Utah desert.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

John Taylor's Boyhood Vision

When John was seven, his family moved to Liverpool where he began school and attended the Church of England. He tried to be the best person he could be. But he had an energetic personality and sometimes made mistakes. When another boy pulled his kite down from the sky, John said some bad words. Another time John slipped on the ice and swore. Afterwards, John was sorry. He worried that he was not good enough; he wanted to be obedient to Heavenly Father.


John prayed often and kept himself close to God. “Many a time I have gone into the fields and concealing myself behind some bush, would bow before the Lord and call upon Him to guide and direct me.”

John came to know that Heavenly Father cared for him. Even before Joseph Smith had the First Vision, John saw an angel in the heavens, holding a trumpet, and he knew the heavenly messenger was calling to all the nations of the earth. He wondered a great deal about this experience but didn’t know the meaning of the trumpeting angel until later in his life.

Saturday, December 3, 2011

John Taylor's Parents

James and Agnes Taylor were both born to aristocracy; but the oldest children in their families inherited the money, titles and property. Since they were younger children, they had to earn their living, so even though James was well-educated and came from wealth, he had to work. He found a job with the British government, taxing manufactured goods.


The small town of Milnthorpe invited shoppers to market every Friday. The farmers came to town just before dawn, carrying their goods in small carts. Some travelled along the Kent River which meandered through the fields on its way to Morcambe Bay. Others hurried to town past historical castles in the area that crumbled, struggling to survive, some against ancient attacks of the Scots to the north and others from decay and lack of use.