The “last witness” of the Book of Mormon was a man well known in the home of the Ezra Thompson Clark family. Martin Harris, who was the last man to personally see the angel and touch the golden plates of the Three Witnesses, was a man with strong links to the Clark family. Edward Stevenson, brother of Ezra’s wife Mary Stevenson Clark, was the man responsible for bringing Harris west after the former Palmyra farmer had left the church and the body of the church had moved west. He re-baptized Harris into the church. Harris and Stevenson met a number of times during Stevenson's many cross-country journeys, and at one point the Rock of Gibraltar native bore his testimony to Harris in the Kirtland Temple and then softened the witness on the idea of coming west. Stevenson actually led the fund-raising drive that brought Harris to Utah in 1870. Once in Utah, Harris was nursed back into the love of the church he felt had left him, according to Amasa Clark. Amasa, the 10th child of Ezra and Mary Clark, said Harris traveled from community to community when he first came west, and while in Farmington stayed at the home of Ezra Thompson Clark. “He stopped all night at my father’s home here in Farmington. He went to Sabbath the next morning and he stood up in school, Sunday School, and bore his testimony as it is recorded in the Book of Mormon,” Amasa said.1 Amasa’s exposure to Harris was not limited to the one Farmington visit. Amasa, then just a young teen-ager, was in Salt Lake visiting the home of his Uncle Edward Stevenson and came down to breakfast one morning and ended up breaking bread with Harris. “As we sat at the table my aunt said, ‘this is one of the witnesses of the Book of Mormon.’…That was in the 14th Ward, that’s where I first saw him, (in the 1870’s) because he was visiting at the home of my uncle, Edward Stevenson of the 14th Ward, when I was a boy, well, we were cousins together. Edward Stevenson (son of his uncle) and I were about the same age and so I visited that home quite frequently during the year, at least off an on. That’s where I saw him first when he came one Saturday morning,” Amasa told an interviewer.2 When he re-located to Utah, Harris moved to Harrisville, then to Smithfield, Utah (where he saw Caroline and their son Martin Harris, Jr.), and in 1874 to Clarkston, Utah, where he died on July 10, 1875. Harris passed away a poor man as to worldly means. Sixteen years later when Edward Stevenson found that the last witness had only a plain cedar post to mark his grave, Uncle Edward called on Amasa and his older brother Timothy Baldwin to contribute to a more fitting monument. They were among a group of 16 who donated for a marker. Donors included Wilford Woodruff, Joseph F. Smith, and Nathan Porter.3 Written by Antone Clark May of 2001 1 Oral History Interview with Amasa Clark, June 26, 1964, page 36 2 Oral History Interview with Amasa Clark, June 26, 1964, page 37 3 Stevenson Family History, Vol. 1, page 168

Charles Redd Center fo Western Studies Brigham Young University LDS Polygamy Oral History Project, August 20, 1980 CRC K110

Wilford Woodruff Clark, bishop of the Montpelier ward in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, has risen by successive steps from deacon to elder, from elder to one of the seventy, thence to the office of high priest and finally to that of bishop. As a member of the seventy he performed a mission in the south, principally in North Carolina, where he met with great success in establishing churches. In civil life he is known as Hon. Wilford Woodruff Clark. He was elected, as a Republican, to the third Idaho state legislature, of which he was an active and useful member. He introduced the bill giving the state legislature its present membership: one senator from each county and representatives according to population, and was influential in securing the passage of the bill which gave the franchise to women. Bishop Clark was born at Farmington, Davis County, Utah, February 2, 1863. His forefathers were among the first settlers of our American colonies and were prominent in fighting the fight of liberty and in making our primitive national history. Ezra T. Clark, his father, was born November 25, 1823, in Illinois, where Bishop Clark’s grandfather was a pioneer, and married Mary Stevenson, who had the unique distinction of having been born on the rock of Gibraltar, in 1825. They were converted to the faith of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints early in the history of the church in Iowa, and in 1848 crossed the plains to Salt Lake City, and were among the earliest emigrants who braved the dangers of that long and perilous journey. In 1849 they located at Farmington, Davis County, Utah, on a farm which Mr. Clark made one of the best in the vicinity and on which he yet lives. He has been an active and efficient member of his church, and has faithfully and successfully performed several important missions in its behalf, in the United States and in Europe, and now has the great honor of being one of its patriarchs. The wife of his youth has been spared to him and they are living out their days calmly, peacefully, without regrets and with the hope that is given to those who labor for their fellows and trust to God for their ultimate reward. Bishop Clark was educated at Salt Lake City Deseret University, now the Utah University, and at Brigham Young Academy, at Provo, Utah, and engaged in farming and stock-raising, which he has continued to the present time, with increasing success. At Montpelier he has a farm of one hundred and twenty-four acres, and with his father and brother, he owns a ranch of twelve hundred acres at f Bear Lake County, Idaho, where they have a herd of cattle and also a herd of horses. They began to import Shorthorn cattle about thirty years ago, as a means to the improvement of their own stock, and as a result they have been instrumental in improving to a degree the stock of the whole county. They are breeding a fine grade of horses, and are among the most successful farmers in their part of the state. July 22, 1885, Bishop Clark married Miss Pamelia Dunn, a native of Plain City, Utah, and a daughter of John Dunn, a prominent citizen of that town. They have had eight children: Wilford Woodruff, Jr.; William O.; Vera Pamelia; Royal D.; Ernest, deceased; Elmer R.; Homer, and Howard, twins, born on their mother’s thirty-fifth birthday.

The Hill Cumorah Monument, in enduring bronze and granite, stands as a testimony to all nations, kindred, tongues and people that the angel spoken of by John the Revelator has indeed come to earth. It also expresses our thanks to God for His kindness in revealing these things to us. —Torleif S. Knaphus, June 19351 Artist and sculptor Torleif S. Knaphus was born on a farm in western Norway on 14 December 1881 to a family with Lutheran ties, strong family values, a love of the scriptures, and a desire to serve God. As young as age five, Torleif tended the family’s sheep in the hills just beyond the farm. It was there that he first discovered his love for art. Having noticed his inter- est in nature’s beauties, Torleif’s mother gave him a sketchbook and encouraged him to draw what he saw while on the hillsides. He kept the book hidden from his father, fearing that he would think it was a waste of time. But Torleif found great joy in expressing himself in those elementary drawings.

My dear relatives: I am very grateful for this occasion. I appreciate the honor you have paid me by calling the family together for a reunion in recognition of my having reached the 90th milestone on my life's journey. I am happy to meet so many of you here today, and welcome you to this reunion. Many of you will remember how delighted our beloved father was to have us mingle together on such occasions as this, and how he hoped we would continue to do so to renew our love and friendship for each other and not only to cement more closely our family ties, but to renew our faith and loyalty to the Church which he held so dear and to which he consecrated so much of his life. Ours is one of the first families in the Church. Our progenitors were among those who laid the foundation for the building up of the Kingdom of God in these the last days-the dispensation of the fullness of times. They early preached the restored word. They went through the drivings and the mobbings. They gave of their means and their lives to help build a Zion to the God of Israel who had revealed himself anew to the children of men. Father, when but a boy, gave to the Prophet his last few dollars to help finished the Nauvoo temple and received from the Prophet the promise that he would never want for mans. He heard the Prophet speak his farewell words when he went as he said, "like a lamb to the slaughter." He saw the mantle of Joseph fall upon the shoulders of Brigham. And when doubt and uncertainty were in the minds of some, even members of his own family, as to where was the rightful leadership, where was to be found the right road to follow, father never faltered but declared "where you find the majority of the General Authorities of this Church, there you find the truth. I am going with Brigham Young and the Saints to the Valley of the Mountains." And so after many trials and hardships he was able to fit himself out and early in the second year of the entrance of the Saints into this valley he came with his family. Here he set his feet firm in the conviction that this was the place. Here he established the roots of his family tree and became the patriarch and founder of the Clark family here in the west. Here he labored to transform a desert into fruitful fields. Here he mingled with the General Authorities of the Church, was a true and personal friend to many of them, had them frequently in his home, broke the bread of friendship with them, accepted gladly and willingly any call they made of him for service, was loyal to their wishes and faithful to their teachings. He was never found criticizing the Priesthood, he was never found complaining against the Church or the doctrines taught by the brethren. I have heard him say on more than one occasion that if there was any doubt in his mind about the acceptance of any principle advanced, he always reserved his judgment, waited patiently till time justified its truth. I pass that on to you, and particularly to you younger ones here, as a wise and judicious thing to do. If in your schooling or in your association with learned men there seems to be ideas advanced that appear to be in contradiction to the teachings of the Church, do not immediately denounce the Church or voice criticism of the Authorities who teach them, but reserve your judgment, wait patiently and future years will no doubt justify their truth and bring to you an inner satisfaction in such justification. Being among the oldest of father's children, it was my good fortune to be associated with him for a long period of years. Ezra James, the eldest boy, was sent on a mission to Europe in 1865. Timothy, the oldest, who was a member of the Militia, was called South with his company to protect the Saints from the Indians. Naturally then to me fell the responsibility of aiding father in his labors to build up an inheritance in Zion. With him I went through much of the pioneering in enlarging his fields, in driving his stakes in new lands, in building up his flocks and herds. I knew of his ambition to create an estate that would insure his children an inheritance in Zion. With my older brothers I sacrificed much to make more comfortable the lives of the younger children coming on. Father wanted them to have an education to be prepared to give worthy and efficient service to their Church and to the community in which they lived. Many of you younger ones do not know much of the system under which we lived and labored, that of having nothing we could call our own but holding everything in common for the benefit of those who needed. I would caution you all to be charitable to one another, to be helpful where help is needed. Father would have it so. We who labored that you might have would wish it so. There is one thing I have in my heart I would like to talk to you about today. Father was very anxious about his genealogy. He had hoped when on some of his missions to be able to find out something about his progenitors, but he did not succeed in getting very much. At the time our son Lt. Oliver Clark was stricken with a fetal illness as a result of his service in the armed forces of the United States in what has come to be known as World War I, Maria, my wife, went East to take care of him. Our grandson, Joseph L. Robinson, had just finished his intern work after graduating in medicine and had taken over the health work of a big industrial plant in New Britain, Connecticut. Maria and Oliver went there hoping that Joseph could give them some help, but primarily to receive the services of a doctor who had been highly recommended as being an expert in the disease Oliver was stricken with. While there Maria found time to go to the library in Hartford and do some research work in genealogy. It was there, after almost giving up hopes of finding anything I the Clark line, that she came across a record written in longhand and filed away in the basement of the Library. It proved to be a history of two Clark boys, both by the name of George, who came to America in 1637 and who were of our direct line. Knowing of our father's desire and Maria's interest in genealogy, we were happy to accept a call in 1921 to labor as workers in the Salt Lake Temple. We labored there for many years. It was there in 1923 on the 100th anniversary of father's birth that the family gathered and did work for the hundreds of our kin. At the time of finishing the Salt Lake Temple, an invitation was extended to prominent members of the Church to donate funds in order to complete the interior of the Temple that it might be dedicated on the fortieth anniversary of the laying of the cornerstone. Father responded liberally. He with others who had likewise responded were invited to attend a special meeting in the Temple just previous to its dedication. At the close of that meeting it was told me that father's testimony at the meeting that of seeing the mantle of Joseph fall upon Brigham Young proved to be the keynote thought of the meeting. He had a great love for and pride in the Temple. He had sent teams of oxen to haul stones from the quarry in Cottonwood canyon as well as donating freely to it. He hoped he would always have a representative there doing work. We have done fairly well. But we could do better. Brother E. B. has spent several years there now and also a grandson, Joseph E. Robinson, and his wife doing a fine work. I wish the family would give this matter of genealogy work special attention and also instill in your children faith in temple work and its ordinances; creating in their hearts a desire to make their marriage vows there and be sealed to each other for time and eternity. And now in closing I bear you my testimony. In the ninety years I have lived I have seen the Church grow in strength and power. I know of a surety that it is the Church of Christ. That the Priesthood of the living God is held by its members, under whose administration the Kingdom of God will be established and the way made ready for the second coming of the Savior of the world. I admonish you and your children, and your children's children to live true to the faith of our parents. Serve the Church as they served it. Attend to your duties in the Priesthood and take advantage of the wonderful opportunities provided by the auxiliary organizations of the Church. Develop the gifts within you. If you do this I promise you, you will be happy in your family and community life. That you will be blessed and prospered in basket and in store. That many of you will come into prominent leadership in the Church, recognized as true and valiant men and women, worthy of the honor and respect of all en and the gratitude of us whose name you bear. God Bless You All.

By Ora Steed Larsen (Given to Daughters of Utah Pioneers) My information has been gathered from family records and histories; Susan Alice Bell Clark Steed's Life History (pages 3, 5-8); Ezra Thompson Clark's Ancestors and Descendants (page 120); the Biography of Ezra Thompson Clark (page 63); remarks given by Obert C. Tanner at the Ezra T. Clark Family Reunion, Farmington, Utah June 8, 1985; and a talk given by Michael Christian in the 12th LDS Ward, St. George East Stake, Sept. 8, 1991 From the time I was very young my mother told me of experiences she and her brother John, who was two years younger, had together and I developed a fondness for my Uncle John even though I never met him. Researching his life history has been a joy. John Alexander Clark was born the 29th of February 1871, the fifth child in a family of 10, to Ezra Thompson Clark and Susan Leggett Clark, in Farmington, Utah. My mother, Susan Alice Clark Steed, was very close to her brother John. From my mother's life history I quote: "Of my six brothers and three sisters, a close companionship existed between my brother John and I. From our early childhood, the joyous days of playing games, competition in learning verses and multiplication tables were shared together. The Christmas I received the book "Lydia Knight" and "Jacob Hamblin" created a desire for good reading. Attending school and teaching school together have been vivid and cherished memories." From the biography of my Grandfather Ezra Thompson Clark, written by my Aunt Annie Clark Tanner (page 63) we read: "When John was called on a mission in 1894 he was teaching school in Minersville, Utah. After the Christmas holidays his brother Charles took his place. John was delighted to go to Palestine. He was ambitious for an education and offered to relinquish all claim on the family property if he could realize his desire. An incident is told that illustrates John's personality and his father's understanding of him. One of the older boys manifested a little impatience in John's delay when they were getting ready to round up cattle in Bear Lake. "Don't mind his careful preparation," said the father. "When John gets off on a trip he never comes back for something he should have taken." John Clark was buried in a beautiful cemetery at the foot of Mount Carmel, Palestine, where a monument marks his grave. It was a great regret to his father that he could not bring the body home. Again I quote from my mother's history: "My brother, John, and I attended summer school at Provo. He had attended school there the previous two years and had accepted an offer to teach school at Minersville, Beaver County, Utah, with me as his assistant. Our experiences were at times hard, but very valuable in that community. I had four grades with 50 pupils, and marvel how I kept so many busy. "We both took active part in the auxiliary organizations of the ward. We had cultivated a love for books at an early age. This interest probably dated from the Christmas we received our first real books as gifts. We had read together: 'David Copperfield,' 'Ben Hur,' 'The Last Days of Pompeii', 'Added Upon,' 'Ishmael Worth,' and the Standard Works of the Church. This interest in good reading led to John's organizing a reading club. "Into every life comes sunshine and shadows and a cloud now darkened my sky. John received a letter, which ended our close association. It was a call to the Turkish Mission. He arranged for our brother who had just returned from a mission to take his place teaching. His leaving caused an indescribable loneliness and gloom for me, but when he asked me if I was sorry he was going, I replied with all the cheerfulness possible, 'No, I'll try not to be, as it is the Father's calling.' "Here are a few excerpts taken from a letter I received while he was on his mission. His mission was a joy to him and he gave his all in the service of his Maker." (His letters were written on parchment and are still in our family.) Haifa Palestine September 18, 1894 Dear Sister Alice, And you are really in Provo at BYU….This is the year I was supposed to graduate, but the Lord willed it otherwise; and we were able to attend this year together, weren't we? But we are both where we should be. During the last few days, I have thought often of a year ago. Tomorrow the 19th of September is the anniversary of the initiation into the schoolroom. I believe it was very essential to fulfilling of my next undertaking. I am having a very fine time now; am enjoying the blessings, which I have imagined missionaries enjoyed. Am as contented as you can imagine and enjoying my mission to a very great extent. Am getting along nicely with the language. In fact, I am blessed exceedingly in understanding and making myself understood. I scarcely ever speak English to anyone, save myself. I have been here one month and feel right at home; get along splendidly. Shall be very pleased to hear from you. Your true brother, John A. Clark Coming back to my mother's own writing: "It was while engaged in hard study at BYU I received the tragic news of John's death. This was the first great sorrow I had known. After only a year of missionary work he had died of smallpox and was buried in Haifa. His memorial services were held in Farmington and I returned to Provo to continue my course, but the reality of knowing he was never coming back almost caused my failure. "One day I returned from school in a despondent and listless mood. The following morning I experienced a very unusual manifestation. John's voice, as plainly as when he was alive, quoted the same words he had spoken just before he left saying, 'You said you were not sorry I was going on a mission, now why are you?' "I replied, 'I'll try not to be anymore.'" This manifestation helped my mother to overcome her sorrow and she was able to study with a light heart and did get her diploma. Uncle John died at the age of 24 while serving a mission in the Holy Land. From the book, "Ezra Thompson Clark's Ancestors and Descendants" (page 120) I quote: "John Alexander Clark died in Haifa, Palestine, February 8, 1895. He was teaching school in Minersville, Utah when he was called to a mission to Turkey. He landed at Liverpool in February, met his co-workers in Leipzig, Germany, and in the summer started to work among the German population of Beirut, Syria while starting to study Arabic. In August he went to Haifa where he started to work among the Arabs. He contracted smallpox and was buried in a cemetery at the foot of Mt. Carmel, Palestine." My cousin, Obert C. Tanner, gave some remarks at the Ezra T. Clark Family Reunion, June 8, 1985. I quote "….Susan Leggett, my grandmother, and Ezra T. Clark lost a son, John Alexander, who died of smallpox while on his mission to Palestine in 1895. I was the first of the family to visit the grave in 1927. I talked to a man who knew Uncle John well and had great affection for him. He was a Lutheran Minister. He told me he and Uncle John would meet and would quote favorite Bible passages to each other. This friend of John's showed me the room where John lived and died. "His death was a great shock to all members of the family. Uncle John was distinguished for his love of books. My mother, (Annie Clark Tanner) considered him the scholar of the Clark family. He accepted a mission call and died while tracting in the Moslem area of Haifa, Palestine." My last reference is to the remarks of Michael Christian given in my ward's sacrament meeting, September 8, 1991. Michael, along with others of the Clark Christian family, had just returned from visiting his parents, Clark and Laurel Christian, in Jerusalem, where his father was teaching at the Brigham Young University Learning Center. Michael was the last speaker. The others had talked about historical sites, but Michael talked about the building and the opposition from the people there in building the center. He said when Orson Hyde first dedicated the Holy Land in 1841 he felt there would be a Church Learning Center in Jerusalem. Wilford Woodruff mentioned the same message. President Kimball was there when the Orson Hyde Park was dedicated, and he felt the need so great that he searched out nine locations for the proposed center. He was inspired to pick the one on the Mount of Olives. The Church then started to make arrangements to begin building. The Jewish people and churches caused trouble. They asked why our church should be allowed to have a building there, that our church never had been established there, and they did not want us there either. Then it was discovered that two Mormon missionaries were buried in a cemetery in Haifa, which proved our church had representatives in their country years before and had indeed established a foothold in the Holy Land. As Michael spoke, goose pimples started up my back for I knew one of the graves was my Uncle John Clark. He was so anxious to do missionary work he went into a home where they had smallpox, contracted the disease and died there. My Grandfather Clark had a headstone of a half-grown tree put on his grave signifying only half of his life had been lived. Though my Grandfather Clark was unable to bring Uncle John's body home for burial, staying where it was served as a witness for truth, enabling our church to establish a learning center in Jerusalem. The scriptures tell us that by witnesses He will prove His word and the two missionaries were witnesses. The building was started with much opposition. In fact, when it was half built it was necessary that President and Sister Holland be sent there to talk with government officials. The eight-story building was completed in a magnificent location overlooking both the new Jerusalem and the old city of Jerusalem. I am thankful to belong to the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers, which has us give histories of our ancestors. By searching out information about our ancestors who have passed on, we get to know and love them. I like this thought about ancestors from an unknown author: "Ancestors are one of the most valuable and satisfactory possessions. They are nontaxable and can't be stolen. Their upkeep is practically nothing, and they don't deteriorate with age or neglect. In fact, they increase in value as they grow older."

(The following history was written by Grandmother in lead pencil. It was found by my sisters in a dresser of hers soon after her death in November, 1911. H.D.C.Clark) My father, Joseph Stevenson, was born at Ashby, Barsby, Leicestershire, England, the 15th of October, 1787. He died in Michigan territory in 1831, aged 44 years. My mother, Elizabeth Stevens, and he were married in London, England in 1812 on June 20th. She died in Salt Lake City, Utah aged 84 years, 7 months and 9 days. Children: William born in London, Kent, England, 10 June 1813, died December 17, 1840; Joseph born March 11, 1815, in London, Kent, England, died December 14, 1884. Both were baptized at St. Pauls, London. My father and family moved to Gibraltar, Spain and right into business and made money. Mother would go upstairs and reach out and wrap paper around the bunches of grapes just outside to keep the birds from eating them. Here Henry D. was born September 10, 1817 and Edward was born May 1, 1820. He (Edward) went in Zion's Camp from Michigan to Missouri in 1834. He was carrying the mail and saw the falling of the stars (meteors) in 1833. Elizabeth Stevenson born at Gibraltar and I, Mary Stevenson, was born there on August 29, 1825. We moved to Albany, New York in 1827 after landing in Brooklyn. Here[Albany] James was born on August 12, 1830. We moved to Detroit, Michigan where father died in 1831. Mother was baptized in 1832 and Edward in 1833. In 1834 he left 240 acres of land and the family and started for Zion, going to Liberty, Missouri. The rest of the family followed in 1835. My three oldest brothers did not receive the gospel. They went to Cincinnati, Ohio and worked at their trades, one a printer and the other two coopers. I was six years old when father died. I had a dream, when I was about seven years old, of seeing the Savior. He took me in his arms and then set me down. My mother and brother and only sister sat in a circle. He blessed and kissed us. It was only the members who had become L.D.S. who were in the circle. I told the dream to mother. She said, "That is a good dream. Be a good girl." We lived in Missouri until the Saints were driven from there to Quincy, Illinois, and then to Nauvoo. We moved across the Mississippi River to Montrose, Iowa and then to a settlement called Clarksville near the town Charlestown where brother Edward built us a cabin and went to work for a living as best we could. At Montrose we lived in a room adjoining Brigham Young. My sister Elizabeth and I worked for gentiles as the Saints were too poor to hire us. My mother was called upon by a sister Morris Phelps (Laura Clark Phelps) to take care of her children while she and her brother John Wesley Clark went to get her husband and others out of jail in Missouri, and she accomplished it for she was directed by the spirit of the Lord. Mother took care and was a comfort to her children until they returned to their home. My sister Elizabeth and I were baptized when I was 12 years old, in Far West, Missouri, by David W. Patten. I have always been taught to keep the Sabbath day holy and have had a testimony of the gospel from childhood. That testimony that I have heard from the Prophet Joseph Smith and others. It has always stayed with me and I can truly say that I rejoice in the gospel of life and salvation. It will continually be a joy in this life, also in the world to come if we will be obedient to keep the commandments of the LORD. My mother was very handy with a needle and used to help the Prophet's wife and others of the authorities, and so she was well acquainted and received much instruction and intelligence. When we lived seven miles west of Nauvoo, my husband's father (Timothy Baldwin Clark, father of Ezra T. Clark) had a good supply of animals and we went often to attend conferences and Fourth of July celebrations in Nauvoo and reviewed the Nauvoo Legion in their marching. It was a beautiful sight to see the Prophet Joseph on his prancing black horse that seemed to keep time with the music of the band. We would sometimes attend meetings in the Grove. We witnessed the laying of the cornerstone of the temple and later attended the conference held therein and received our endowments there on New Year's day, 1846. We passed through the sad afflictions of the saints in the assassination of our dear Prophet and his brother. My mother walked the dooryard in lamentation. But, with all the persecutions we had passed through, we were driven again toward the wilderness. The Prophet Joseph Smith said, before his death, that we would go to the Rocky Mountains. My brother, Edward Stevenson, went with a company in 1847. My husband and I, and babe, in June 1848. But before starting, my sister's husband, Job Bailey, was not ready to go with us. But he said he would come in two years. His father had joined the Strangites (an apostate group) and so there was no sign of my sister's coming as her husband was preparing to go with his father. My brother, Edward, when with my husband in Illinois working for breadstuff would kneel upon the ground and pray Our Father in Heaven to deliver our sister from apostasy and open the way for her. All of a sudden her husband was taken violently ill and passed away the day her baby was born. The doctor sent a note to my husband who went back and settled her business and brought her and her two little girls in time to start with us. We got along nicely. I will mention what looked like a sad accident. My husband was driving three yoke of oxen. I tried to jump out of the moving wagon but did not jump far enough and fell back in front of a hind wheel. My husband, as quick as thought, grabbed that wheel and held it from turning. My mother, who was in the wagon, jumped out and ran to the leads and stopped them. He raised the wheel and said, "Get up if you can." He was as white as a sheet. I got up and got the camphor for I thought I was fainting. We lived two winters at Winter Quarters where my second child was born. From here we started in June 1848 and saw many herds of buffalo and many Indians. We were not frightened. I had all I could do caring for our children and cooking. We used buffalo chips for fuel. We would stop a day, once in a while and cook up all we could and do our washing. Evenings we would milk the cow and put dried bread in the milk and had this for supper. We were happy. We would get around our campfires. We felt that we were going to a place of safety where we would not be mobbed and driven from one state to another as we had been. We were poor and had not time to get clothing and food for our needs before starting, that we really needed. We arrived at our destination, Salt Lake City, October 12, 1848. We lived in North Canyon two winters. At Salt Lake we were pleased to meet my brother, Edward. We built a log cabin in North Canyon. My husband was ill with mountain fever while building. Here we were near water and timber. While living there our third child was born November 25, 1849. We named her Mary Elizabeth. Quite a number of families lived near us and we would get together and have very pleasant times. April 3rd, 1850, we moved into Farmington, took a farm and raised good crops. Several of our neighbors did likewise. Several Clark brothers came from the east and camped a few days and then went on to California to get the precious gold. But John Wesley Clark stopped with us. In 1852 my fourth child was born. We named him William Henry. In five weeks from that time John Wesley, who was subject to fits, fell in the water while after the cows and was drowned. The water was about nine inches deep. He was a good Latter-Day Saint. In 1854 our fifth child was born, March 21st. We named him Joseph Smith. When he was five weeks old our dear little William Henry took croup and passed away. That year the grasshoppers made away with our beautiful field of wheat. We planted and raised corn in its place and so had corn bread instead. In 1856, Feb. 13th, our sixth child was born. We named him Hyrum Don Carlos. When he was seven months old his father was called on a mission to England. He started September 10th in Parley P. Pratt's company. I felt the responsibility of the care of five children but they were obedient and we got along nicely. I had an invitation to go on a pleasant trip up a canyon. While we were there (July 24, 1857) enjoying ourselves, those who were carrying the mail came bounding up with the news that we were to be massacred for they had the ropes to hang us or we were to be driven again from our homes. My husband, with others of the elders, was called home. The counsel was to leave our homes clean and ready for the match in case Johnston's army should attempt to enter the city. President Brigham Young said that the enemy should never again inhabit our labors or homes. A young brother came to me and said, "Would you like me to help you and drive the team?" He took right hold and helped me out. My husband found me at Payson. The word was to move back to our homes. There were not many things to move and we were soon in our homes again. Of course, no gardens, no crops raised. But we gathered greens and there were some onions in the ground. The saints were blessed and prospered after the sacrifice. Our homes looked beautiful. The grass had grown all over the place, even up to the doors. We had left our homes the 5th of May, 1858. I had never expected to see our home again but I felt all right. It had always been so. It was all I could do to accomplish my labors from day to day. I felt blessed in returning. This was the 9th of July 1858 over lively roads. April 7th, 1859, we had a child born. We named him Edward Barrett. Although we raised no crops in 1858, we were prospered having our health and strength. The basement of the Salt Lake Temple had been filled with earth. It was taken out and the work resumed building the temple. While my husband was on his mission I felt that I wanted to put in a donation for the temple. My little boys drove one of the best of our three cows out of the yard. I said, "Send that." My brother, Edward, made a note of it as one of the first donations. I wrote my husband about it and he replied that it was alright. April 1st, 1861 we had a child born and named him Charles Rich. Shortly after this, a sister Susan Leggett came from England and lived with us. She became my husband's wife. She had ten children. Three passed on the other side. One lovely son (John Alexander Clark) died near Jerusalem in Palestine while filling a mission.

A loving mother is the core and foundation of a home, and they surely needed the love and care of a mother. Brother A. L. Clark married March 31, 1895 in the Salt Lake Temple Susan Duncan. She went into that home as a loving mother and gave the little boys the same love and care she did her own five lovely children. And I'm sure they loved and honored her and do so today as their mother. She has been affectionately called "Aunt Susie." She has been such a wonderful help mate to her husband, supporting him in all he did. They have succeeded in maintaining a happy home and a wonderful companionship---just like sweethearts. One of the greatest lessons of life learned in a home is doing for others and cultivating love and devotion and good will. They have raised a wonderful family. No wonder he loves the son, "Let Me Call You Sweetheart." We all love these good people. May this great bond of love we have for each other tie into a greater love in our Heavenly Home. A. L. has been a mayor of our city. I remember how thrilled and excited we were when we first got electric lights through his administration. Our only source of light had been candles and kerosene lamps. How it saved us from chasing to the store for two-bits worth of coaloil every Saturday night. He has been our bishop sixteen years, a counselor, Superintendent of the Stake Sunday School, Ward Teacher, Sunday School Teacher, and fulfilled two missions. He was treasurer of Davis County School Board for sixteen years and President of the bank for many years. He is a great scouter, has the honor of being an Eagle Scout and Silver Beaver. He has gone on many hikes and rough ones too, and also to many scout conventions. He has taken his older brothers up our canyon to Scout outings, returning home late and safely. He never missed a good turn, kind to widows or the unfortunate, to the shut-ins or sick folks, taking David Hughes to sing for them; or to fix a clock or comfort the sorrowing ones; or to sit at ones piano and play "Shine On", or hand you a bunch of Articles of Faith cards to pass out to peole when going on a trip or a little Book of Mormon to hand out. When we were children he used to pull teeth for us. I think he carried the old faucets in his pocket to the bank. He has given much unselfish service to mankind. I think he found his deepest joy in living the gospel and sharing his love and devotion. He also loved to play. He loved his car, but his bike he loved much more. He had ridden it many years. I remember one dark night we used to have fences and a gate that stretched across the sidewalk. Amasa riding along hit the gate and was knocked to the ground. It stunned him for awhile but it didn't stop him long. He was soon up and on his way. I have often told him I would like to see him race with Frank Stevenson on their bikes. Amasa is a wonderful monument to Farmington. He is a greater lover of his whole wheat cereal. I would like to say boil up a little more wheat and add another handful of raisins Brother Clark for we want to keep you with us for a long time yet. He has a strong testimony of the Gospel and his life has been successful because he believed in the teachings of his Master. We all came from a Celestial home to this earth and we shall return to a Celestial home when we leave this world. I should like to be there when Brother Amasa L. Clark receives that crown of glory for all his faithfulness, his charitable acts, his kindness and all his good thoughtful deeds while here on earth. May God continue to bless him and his lovely companion and family.

One Hundred Years of Highlights By Lucy Rigby McCullough (Speech given on the occasion of the 100th birthday of Bishop Amasa L. Clark) My light is but a little one My light of faith and prayer But lo! It glows like God's great sun For it was lighted there! Even as a child he stood tall and listened while time told of eternal principles and their application, while history recorded great events and quiet happenings. With a spirit tuned to appreciate both equally, he dreamed and worked and learned. At the hour of his birth, the noises of Civil War had scarcely died away, and almost could be heard the hoofbeats of Lee's horse leaving Appomattox. Pioneers were plodding westward, sometimes under stormy skies and sometimes over moonlit parries. California gold had been discovered a few years earlier, but the gold he used was hammered by hard work and consistent effort as he helped to carve a Utah that would be his home. The church into which he was born had moved its headquarters into his beloved valley in 1847, and it was to be his privilege to shake the hand of every one of its presidents except that of the Prophet Joseph Smith. His activities in the Church have been varied and each assignment he has conscientiously executed. He was Farmington's bishop for 16 years. His keen interest to share his faith with others has prompted him to provide the means whereby 14 missionaries could spend time teaching its tenets. Five of the missionaries have been members of his own family. When Leland Stanford lifted his sledge to strike the Golden Spike, as a boy nearly four years of age, he was learning to help his mother set the table and dry the dishes. Only he remembers how hard it was to do this after nightfall for then the sun was down and their only light came from a string floating in a dish of tallow. He recalls still how very proud his mother was when she was able to have candle molds. Yes, then real candles were possible and the little boy could see much farther. In a starched white shirt with piercing eyes, the little boy stood close while a far-reaching and stirring event took place. Aurelia S. Rogers believed that children should be taken from streets in idleness and given an organization that would put a song in their hearts and treasurers in their hands. Thus the Primary was born. With a twinkle of eye and a wry smile, he recalls that the Clarks were the first people in Farmington to have water in the house coming from a tap. As a shy young man of twenty with an understanding heart, he had asked Alice Charlotte Steed to be his bride. And Alice Charlotte had said "yes" and so they had dreamed and worked and prayed together. As an old adage expressed it, "they had worked like everything depended upon them during the day and then at night prayed like everything depended upon the Lord." But Alice Charlotte could not stay long and so, as he bad her good-bye, his dreams were wrapped carefully as he wept softly and took his children by their hands and told them they must keep their mother's light still shining. Then a few years later, from the wings of his stage, stepped another charming lady, and as Susan Duncan smiled, he dusted off his dream and knew that life was good. She was scholarly, confident and ambitious. She taught their children that winning battles was important and that he who wins must work. She made for them beautiful flower gardens, told them stirring tales, and read them soothing poetry. A favorite selection of hers, "Song from Pippi Passes" expressed her philosophy of life, so she reached Browning while she stepped up life's ladder for a better look at the distant fields. The years at the spring; The days at the morn; The morning's at seven; The hillside's dew-pearled; The lark's on the wing; The snail's on the thorn; God's in his heaven; All's right with the world. One day Aunt Susie's brilliant mind will be set free to soar again to beckoning mountain tops. As one looks at the program today, he is startled by the achievements of one man; he is astonished by the happenings that have occurred in one man's life. Bishop Clark has seen many things happen and heard of many more during his richly filled 100 years. He has seen 14 States come into the Union. He has thrilled with the exploits of Teddy Roosevelt and his RoughRiders in the Spanish-American War. He has watched the happenings of Two World Wars and has stood at attention with barred head while the Stars and Stripes has been displayed, and men have marched to duty and sometimes death. The news of the sinking of the "Luthsana" has saddened him; and he was filled with pride when he heard of the heroism displayed at the raising of the flag at Iwo Jima. During his life Hawaii and the Philippines and Guam became American Territory, the Panama Canal was leased, and the patience of Dr. Gorgos in attempting to eradicate yellow fever and the steadfastness of Col. Gothels have become legend. Sadly he has bowed his head as the news of the assassination of three presidents has come to his ears. Many inventions have added comfort to his life. The Atlantic Cable was laid in 1866; the typewriter was perfected in 1867; the telephone was exhibited by Bell in 1876; the electric light was invented in 1880. He has seen the development of the phonograph, of radio and TV. He has delighted in the stages of transportation, of ox team, horse, train, automobile and plane. He loves the story of James J. Hill, the railroad and empire builder, of Henry Ford and his gas buggy; of a young man with a few sandwiches, a candy bar, and a roaring motor, who said simply as he landed in Paris, "I'm Charles Lindbergh." And then there was John Glen, and today the Gemini Twins. With a love of beauty, he has been stirred by the band music of Phillip Sousa, by the light opera of Victor Herbert, by the news that the New York Philharmonic Orchestra had been established. He has loved the strains of "After the Ball" and the "Rain in Spain." He saw the magnificent Mark Twain become America's best humorist, saw the Barrymores become America's Royal Family of the Theatre, witnessed the birth of Mickey Mouse in 1928. He saw the Industrial Revolution and watched while America becomes a world power. People, events, people, history, people, progress, people, love, ideals. But people-first and foremost always people. And so each year on a simmery summery days, the ladies of this community who have lost their husbands will look out on their porches on lawns and each will see a shining green-watermelon and each will know that A. L. Clark has renewed his token of friendship with her. As we set at the bier of our father some ten years ago, our door softly opened and A. L. Clark stepped into the room. With dramatic simplicity he told us a story which we shall always cherish. He recounted how our father had made a daring rescue of a neighbor whose team was running away. And most of you here assembled could tell of similar incidents when he has come to a house of mourning and left a message at a house of hope. In St. Matthew 5:16 we read: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." "Shine on Shine on Shine on Bright and clear Shine on Shine on The day is near.

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By Antone Clark It was a late night in March 24, 1832 when a mob broke into the quarters of Hiram, Ohio where Joseph Smith was staying. The group of forty men came into the room, seized him, and began carrying him out of the house. They dragged the 26-year-old prophet into the night, tarring and feathering him. During the ordeal, they also attempted to pry open his mouth to force- feed him acid. In the attempt, one of the teeth of Joseph was broken. Joseph’s clothes were ripped from him and a man leaped on him and scratched his body with his fingernails muttering, “That’s the way the Holy Ghost falls on folks!” That broken tooth would leave Joseph with a sibilant for most of his life. The whistle-like sound, which accompanied all of the public speaking by Joseph, until shortly before his death, became one of his identifying characteristics. In a very real way, the unique sound of the prophet’s voice has left its imprint on history. Benjamin Johnson wrote of the incident and result. (Joseph Smith portrait) Spoke with sibilant “The prophet’s lost tooth, to which I alluded was, as generally understood, broken out at while trying to pry open his mouth to strangle him with acid, which from time, until the tooth was replaced by a dentist neighbor, a year or so previous to his death, there had a whistle-like sound to accompany all his public speaking which I again plainly heard at the time of which I wrote.” While there is no record of the tooth ever being fixed in official church accounts, Johnson’s account of a dentist neighbor fixing the tooth, a year or so previous to Joseph’s death in 1844 is thought to be a reference to Alexander Neibaur, a scribe to the prophet. Neibaur practiced dentistry in Nauvoo. Neibaur is believed to have been the only dentist in Nauvoo. A German immigrant, he was well enough acquainted with Joseph that he recorded hearing Joseph tell a shortened version of the First Vision, just weeks before Joseph and his brother Hyrum Smith were martyred in Carthage Jail. In the Nauvoo Neighbor of Oct. 29, 1845, he ran an advertisement suggesting he could fix teeth, do extractions or other sundry dental work. Neibaur is first linked to the City of Joseph in 1841, when he also ran an ad in the Times & Seasons. “Alexander Neibaur, Surgeon Dentist. From Berlin, in Prussia, late of Liverpool and Preston, England. Most respectfully announces to the ladies and gentlemen and the citizens of Nauvoo as also of Hancock county, in general, that he has permanently established himself in the city of Nauvoo, as a dentist, where he may be consulted, daily, in all branches connected with his profession, Teeth cleaned, plugged, filled, the Scurva effectually cured, children's teeth regulated, natural or artificial teeth from a single tooth to a whole set inserted on the most approved principle. Mr. N. having had an extensive practice both on the continent of Europe, as also in England, for the last 15 years, he hopes to give general satisfaction to all those who will honor him their patronage.” Even if the tooth was eventually fixed, it is clear that a large majority of Latter-day Saints who were with Joseph in Ohio, Missouri and then Illinois, knew the whistle-like sound that accompanied the voice of Joseph when he tried to pronounce an s. Among this group who knew the prophet in this manner, was a young Illinois native by the name of Ezra Thompson Clark. Clark wrote little, but his love for the Lord’s prophet comes through in the few things he did record, or had recorded. The Clark family first had links to the Prophet Joseph when Ezra’s brother William O. Clark attended the school of the prophets in Ohio. Later in Missouri, the family deepened its relationship with the young church leader. Ezra’s sister, Laura Clark Phelps, is credited with hiding the prophet and his brother, Hyrum, from a mob while in Far West. When the saints left Missouri to head north, the Clarks located in Iowa. The river and the distance from Nauvoo, however, proved no obstacle to a growing respect that Ezra had for Joseph Smith. In Iowa, Ezra found companionship in the company of Edward Stevenson and Nathan Porter. Sometimes Ezra would go with Edward and Nathan across the Mississippi River to Nauvoo where they would go to the grove to hear the Prophet Joseph. ”Although it cost some trouble to go over the Mississippi River to Nauvoo, Nathan Porter, E. T. Clark, I, and others made it a point to go and hear the Prophet speak, for he always had something good and cheering for all who loved to hear words of inspiration and deep instruction. I used to be highly repaid for my trips over the river and could feel encouraging to go on with my work which was still hard,” Stevenson wrote of the time. On still another occasion, Ezra rowed across the river to be at the ceremony laying the cornerstone of the Nauvoo Temple. It was during this occasion that Ezra gave the prophet his last dollar and Joseph would put his hand on the then teen-age boy and told him that his family would be blessed with means and that they would be among the nobility of the earth. Ezra’s wife, Mary Stevenson Clark, records the impact of the prophet’s death on June 27, 1844. Ezra and Mary, though unmarried at the time, were among the mournful throng that went to meet the entourage bringing the bodies of Joseph and Hyrum. Mary said that such a vast procession of weeping Saints would never be forgotten. It was the Prophet Joseph’s passing that signaled another major change in the church and the Clark family. With the church in a state of transition from the loss of its leader, Sidney Rigdon and several others stepped forward to claim the right of leadership. A meeting was called in which Rigdon was given a forum, along with Brigham Young, to talk about the mantle of leadership. During this meeting, a number of people noted that they saw and heard the Prophet Joseph when Brigham spoke. The detail of this experience is best exemplified by what Benjamin Johnson recorded, when he says he heard Joseph’s famous whistling sound through Brigham. “…suddenly, as from Heaven, I heard the voice of the Prophet Joseph that thrilled my whole being, and quickly turning around I saw in the transfiguration of Brigham Young, the tall, straight, and portly form of the Prophet Joseph Smith, clothed in a sheen of light, covering him to his feet; and I heard the real and perfect voice of the Prophet, even to the whistle…caused by the loss of a tooth…broken out by the mob at Hiram. This view, or vision, although but for seconds, was to me as vivid and real as the glare of lightning or the voice of thunder from the heavens, and so deeply was I impressed…that for years I dared not tell what was given me of the Lord to see. But when in later years I did publicly bear this testimony, I found that others had testified to having seen and heard the same. But to what proportion of the congregation that were present, I could never know. But I know I do know that this, my testimony, is true.” One of those people who had a similar experience was Ezra Thompson Clark. It was at this meeting that Ezra had an experience that would shape the rest of his life and separate him from the rest of his family. His testimony was recorded just months before he died, to be passed down to his posterity. “Before I left Nauvoo, I heard the Prophet Joseph say he would give the Saints a key whereby they would never be led away or deceived, and that was: the Lord would never suffer the majority of this people to be led away or deceived by imposters, nor would he allow the records of this Church to fall into the hands of the enemy. I heard Joseph say this, and I also heard him say that he would roll the burden of the Apostleship upon the quorum of the Twelve. I heard Joseph preach many times; heard him, in the last sermon he ever delivered, bear testimony to the truth of the work that God had called him to; also that the Lord had never suffered him to be slain by his enemies, because his work had not been done, until a short time ago. He had now laid the foundation of this work, and rolled the burden of the priesthood upon the Twelve; and, having given them their washings and anointings, they would now bear off this work triumphantly, and it would roll on faster than ever before; and, if the Lord was willing to accept of him, he was willing to go. “I want to bear record that he spoke as Joseph used to speak; to all appearances, the same voice, the same gestures, the same stature.” Ezra Thompson Clark This he spoke to the people. I was one who heard his voice, and know that he spoke like an angel from heaven. I never heard him speak with more power than then, and I heard him many times. I was satisfied. I knew him to be a prophet of God. I had heard him prophesy many times, and had seen his prophecies fulfilled, and had also shaken hands with him, and he had blessed me, and I had felt the influence and power of the Lord upon him and upon me, and I have never forgotten that blessing from that day to this, and I never shall. Two days later the Prophet was martyred, and two or three weeks later, when the saints held a conference, and Brigham Young arose as leader of the Church, I want to bear record that he spoke as Joseph used to speak; to all appearances, the same voice, the same gestures, the same stature. I bear this record to all the world, to my children and to my children's children, and also bear record that this work is God's work, and that it will roll on as it has done from that day to this. Clark’s reference of speaking as Joseph used to speak, the same voice, would suggest that Ezra too heard the hissing sound that accompanied every S that Joseph used to utter; only this time the sound was coming from Brigham young. To one as well acquainted with Joseph as Ezra T. Clark, there would be no mistaking his voice and sound and gestures from that of Brigham Young. At the same time that Ezra saw and heard Joseph speak through Brigham Young, other members of the greater Clark family were left vacillating in their convictions. The fact that they did not have that experience only seemed to expose a vulnerability that would soon become manifest. Eventually many of Ezra’s siblings would fall into diverse paths and distance themselves from the church that Joseph had organized on earth. But Ezra and Mary and their family remained steadfast to the church. Ezra’s love for the Prophet Joseph was manifest in several ways. He named a son Joseph Smith Clark, after the late prophet and then just months before he passed away, Ezra had his testimony recorded for his immediate family and for those that would follow. Ezra was there to hear the Prophet Joseph speak through Brigham Young. It is a testimony that has whistled through time. Compiled December 2005

In the 1860s in Utah Territory, Brigham Young anticipated that the arrival of railroads would bring new commerce and transform the Western economy. 1 To keep goods affordable and protect local producers, he and other leaders arranged an exclusive cooperative network between Latter-day Saint merchants and product suppliers. 2 These cooperative establishments succeeded for a time in restraining some imports, but as the local economy grew beyond subsistence during the 1870s, more people purchased merchandise on credit and sought employment rather than producing their own goods. A market panic in 1873 confirmed many of Brigham Young’s concerns—debts and bankruptcies multiplied across the territory, and the goals of the cooperative movement seemed undercut by the commercial activities of regular consumers. (Period Image of Main Street, Salt Lake City) Mercantile and cooperative institutions along Main Street, Salt Lake City. Intending to shore up smaller communities’ resources against outside interests, local and general Church leaders developed a system by the 1880s they called the “United Order” in about 150 settlements. Unlike cooperative networks, which consisted mostly of businessmen, this new system called for all members of the community to pool their labor and income to combat rising imports, sustain local production, develop new industries, and answer the needs of the poor. Whereas Joseph Smith implemented the law of consecration through the oversight of bishops, the United Orders applied consecration covenants to all civic relationships, from employers and employees to commercial boards and investors. In the vast majority of United Orders in Utah Territory, members contributed to a common fund, received capital stock and stock payouts, and limited their labor and commerce to the local order. Women generally shouldered the tasks of textile production, education, cooking, and medical and midwife care, while men labored on farming and infrastructure projects.4 But not all United Orders functioned the same way. In the “United Order of Enoch” in St. George, applicants signaled their covenant pledges by being rebaptized and pledging to abide by the order’s rules, and they elected a board of managers to direct the community’s various enterprises; in Brigham City, a board of managers largely extended the cooperative network to regular citizens. In Orderville and Price, members of the order aimed for complete communal living; the board of managers instituted a work schedule, assigned labor, and regulated meals and barter exchanges.5 (Historic map drawing of Orderville, Ut United Order 1875) Map of Orderville, Utah, 1875. As federal officials increased their enforcement of antipolygamy laws in the 1880s, many United Orders struggled to maintain membership amid government raids.6 Commercial enterprises continued to proliferate, and most Latter-day Saints opted to integrate into the expanding market economy. By the 1890s, both the cooperative institutions and United Orders had either closed or transitioned into private business entities. The Term United Order in the Doctrine and Covenants The term United Order was applied to different systems throughout the 19th century. Between 1832 and 1834, Joseph Smith and other associates jointly administered several mercantile, printing, workshop, and real estate ventures through an organization called the United Firm, a separate enterprise from the Church system of consecration and stewardship managed by Bishop Edward Partridge. When revelations discussing the firm were first published in the Doctrine and Covenants, code names replaced real names to preserve confidentiality, and the name “United Firm” was replaced with “United Order.” Latter-day Saints who had not participated in the firm confused the term United Order with Joseph Smith’s early efforts to implement the system of consecrated property first revealed by the Lord in Doctrine and Covenants 42.7

Some men are blessed with the gift to see things that ordinary people cannot see. Great artists and musicians often wrestle with this burden. Torlief Knaphus belongs among those who have known the struggle of dealing with a gift, greater than the mere shaping of clay between human hands. The sculptor left a legacy of work that shows a wide range of vision and skill, particularly some of the sculptures that make their place among the art telling the story of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He saw the latter-day work with an eye that keenly demonstrated faith, sacrifice and vision. Torlief Knaphus His oxen in the baptistry of the Alberta Temple became the prototype for other temples at one point and the diversity of his work is well demonstrated by the 100-plus figures one can find atop the Mesa Temple. But one of the most compelling experiences of his life involved a time when he could not find someone to match what he needed to see. Knaphus' is an exemplary story of faith and sacrifice and of one who gave his all to belong to the Kingdom of God. Born in Norway, he joined the church early in life because he found answers where others would not venture to see or feel beyond their experience and prejudice. He joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints against the advice of his family and friends. He had found truth, however, and paid a heavy price for it. His faith seemed to be matched only by his artistic skill and temperament. He turned down a scholarship to Italy to refine his artistic skills to come to America and be with the Saints. He made the last bit of the journey to Salt Lake City from Chicago with nothing but an apple in his pocket, full of faith and hope, but equipped with no knowledge of English and even less money. Torlief Knaphus Handcart Out of his hardships and experience, his art found a visual form. His sculpture of a couple struggling to pull a handcart, now displayed on Temple Square, was but a figurative demonstration of his own life. Knaphus eked out a meager financial existence and often found himself in the employ of the church he loved, underbidding what an artist should have been demanding for projects he had committed to. After the death of his first wife, he was commissioned by the church to do a sculpture of the angel Moroni that could be placed on the Hill Cumorah-----bringing attention to the prophet whose work marked the end of the Book of Mormon. Torlief struggled to visualize what the prophet would look like. It apparently is a struggle that took place for a long period of time. He made the issue a matter of prayer and would often go to Ensign Peak for communion with God about the matter. His second wife, Rebecca Marie Knaphus, said the artist told her once that during this period of time he was visited by Moroni. She said he described him as being dressed in white in a sort of military outfit. It was too sacred an experience for him to elaborate, she said. No details are given about how or where or specifically when this sacred visit occurred. He seldom spoke about it, she added. With a visual image of the former prophet in his mind, the artist made a whole series of sketches to give his project a form. The sketches quickly multiplied, however, leading to a complexity about which sketch was appropriate. Once again the sculptor found solace in climbing Ensign Peak to make the issue a matter of prayer. This time he took his sketches with him and laid them out in front of himself. He was determined to narrow his search down to one and to make sure his choice was in accordance with the Lord's will. He knew in his mind which image he liked, but wanted to know the mind and will of God. He was willing to put aside his artistic inclinations, if Divine Providence so mandated. As he laid the pictures out on the mountain, a finger came and pointed to a specific sketch----the very sketch he had chosen. The next day he took the sketches to church headquarters where he laid the sketches out for the presidency of the church and the 12 apostles, just as he had the day before for a divine source. Every single one of them chose the same sketch that a heavenly finger had pointed out less than 24 hours before. This chosen work was now closer to being a reality. Now he had to get down to the actual work itself and finding one who resembled what he had seen and sketched. Moroni Clark He found the body and torso of the former prophet in the physical makeup of a new friend, Elwin Clark, who had done a fireplace for the artist. He lived nearby in Salt Lake City. Clark had the muscles and build of one who had known the rigors of labor most of his life. Knaphus quickly put him to work posing for his developing project. But he could not find a face that was the perfect fit to complete his masterpiece. He set about as only he could to find the right match. Knaphus never owned a car and was famous for picking up people off the street for this project or that one. It was not uncommon for him to approach strangers and in his thick Norwegian accent ask them over to his studio for a sitting. One day in his jaunts around Salt Lake City, he saw an elderly, bearded-gentleman who caught his attention. He followed him around for sometime before he cornered him and pleaded with him to pose for his work. The gentleman, a rancher by profession, had moved from Wyoming back to the place of his birth, Farmington, a small community located north of Salt Lake City. He had no idea of the scope of what he was being asked. But the artist was persuasive and so he responded. Knaphus could not have imagined what his wild meanderings and search for the right face had brought together. His project had received the direction of heaven but it had another twist to it---that seemed very familiar to his new model. Elwin Clark was already in the room when the older man came into the studio. It was a chance meeting, but there was familiarity in his companion model. Moroni Clark Hyrum Don Carlos Clark. The face of an angel, specifically Moroni. The man asked to pose for the finishing piece of the sculpture was Hyrum Don Carlos Clark, Elwin's father. The statue was eventually finished and a likeness of this unique father/son combination made its way into bronze. It now sits atop the Hill Cumorah, beckoning to others to come and find the magic behind the place and the message it represents. Descendants of Hyrum Don Carlos Clark sometimes affectionately look at the statue and call it "Moroni Clark." More realistically it is the physical testament of the struggle of an artist who was given the direction of heaven to complete a work that itself stands as a witness of something far greater than itself.

The purpose of the Muddy Mission was to: 1. Produce cotton 2.Provide a way station for the Colorado River trade and emigration program 3. Serve as a barrier to Gentile (non-Mormon) expansion. The mission succeeded in only one of these before it ended in 1871. Oct Conference, 1864 183 Families called Jan 8, 1865 Summer - 60 families June - 40 families Fall - 25 families July, 1866 Settlement abandoned 1871 40 families (400 persons) All but Bonelli family leaves