In honor of my fourth-great grandfather's birthday, I thought I'd share a report that I wrote on a book about him that I wrote for my Joseph Smith and the Restoration class winter semester 2014. Hope y'all enjoy it!
I chose to do my book report on Hyrum Smith: A Life of Integrity by Jeffrey S. O’Driscoll. The
reason why I chose to read this book is because Hyrum Smith is my
great-great-great-great grandfather. Before reading this book, I honestly did
not know a lot about him. All I knew about Hyrum was that he was the church
patriarch, was inseparable from Joseph, and was martyred with Joseph in
Carthage Jail. After reading this book, I have gained a deeper understanding
and love for this man who was merciful, just, and kind to the very end. There
are ten major points that I gained from reading this book, a lot of which are
connected with each other.
Friend to Others
Hyrum was a friend to everyone, even to those he did
not know very well. In a letter to his aunt, he talked about a woman whose
husband turned her away naked and destitute because she was weak and unable to
work (pg. 285). It does not say in this passage how well Hyrum knew the woman,
but it didn’t matter. Hyrum lent his assistance to her and prosecuted the man
who hurt her.
In the same part of the book about the turned away
woman, the author tells of an instance where Hyrum went out of his way to
render service to a woman in the church. Service is a very important part of
friendship. We sometimes go beyond the call of duty to serve our friends
because we love them and care about their well-being. In this instance, a woman
had had a peculiar dream and wanted Hyrum to interpret it but because of the number
of visitors at Hyrum’s house, kept on getting rescheduled. Rather than tell her
just to leave it alone or to keep rescheduling it, Hyrum went over to her house
and took a long carriage ride with her and her husband, interpreting the dream,
thus showing how a true friend would behave.
Steadfast and immovable in church
service
“(Hyrum) was willing to set aside whatever he was
doing in order to see to the needs of the one” (pg. 39). While on his way back
from Colesville, he ran into Parley P. Pratt who was eager to hear the gospel. After
a lengthy discussion and allowing him to spend the night, rather than have him
go off on his own, Hyrum walked 22 miles with him so that he could be baptized
by Oliver Cowdery. Hyrum probably had other things to do and other people to
see, yet he set all of that aside to help a fellow brother join the church.
There was another instance where Hyrum was extremely sick and yet traveled a
great distance to Chariton in order to keep a teaching appointment.
“By 10 AM the next day, Hyrum was already en route
to Colesville with his family” (pg. 41). Hyrum wanted to know what the Lord
wanted him to do. Joseph inquired for him and Hyrum received the revelation
that he was to move to Colesville in order to save his life. What amazes me
with this story is that Hyrum did not hesitate to follow this prompting. He
immediately packed up all of his belongings, got his family ready, and left
immediately. He trusted in the Lord and was blessed for it, something every
missionary should do and is given if they trust in Him.
All of these stories speak of missionary work.
Missionaries all over the world preach the gospel in a variety of
circumstances. Sometimes the circumstances they preach in are not ideal. Missionaries
who are truly devoted disciples of Christ will drop everything they are doing
to bring souls unto him. Hyrum was in every aspect, a devoted disciple of
Christ and a wonderful missionary.
“Thy duty is unto the church
forever”
One thing that I didn’t even consider before
finishing this book was that forever also meant in the premortal existence. According
to the author of this book and according to section 138 of the Doctrine and
Covenants, Hyrum was a choice spirit who was “prepared to come forth in the due
time of the Lord to labor in his vineyard for the salvation of the souls of
men” (pg. 364). Hyrum fulfilled this revelation in many ways. He was first and
foremost, a missionary. He was also assistant President of the Church and
Church patriarch. He fulfilled his duty by always standing up for what was
right, even if it wasn’t very popular.
Always followed the promptings of
the Spirit
I already told one instance of where Hyrum followed
the promptings of the Sprit, now I will share another one. In January of 1830,
Hyrum had a feeling that something wasn’t going right at the printing office
(pg. 30). Oliver Cowdery was hesitant to go in and check because it was Sunday.
Hyrum left at once to go to the printing office because he could not ignore that
prompting he received. His quick acting turned out to be a blessing because he
with the help of his brother and father, stopped Abner Cole from wrongfully
printing the Book of Mormon manuscripts in his paper.
Put his trust in the Lord always
“My confidence in God, was likewise unshaken. I knew
that he could…deliver us out of the hands of our enemies; and in his own due
time he did so, for which I desire to bless and praise his holy name” (pg.
376). Hyrum wrote this to his wife Mary while in Liberty Jail. He knew that God
has/had all power and since he had the power to deliver him once, He will
certainly do it again. Hyrum confided in Joseph that he believed they should go
to Carthage and give themselves up and that God would deliver them. After
reading page 376, I now know what he meant by that. “One thing is sure; all
things will work for the good of them that love God” (pg. 376). Hyrum knew that
God blesses all who follow Him in faith. He knew based on scripture that God
would one day give to all who suffer rest, either in this life or in the life
to come. You just have to hold on in faith, trusting God’s plan for you, and He
will deliver you. Hyrum and Joseph did just that, were faithful to the very
end, and God gave them rest from all the troubles that they went through
because of their enduring faithfulness to Him and His gospel.
Meek and Submissive
One of the things that really impressed me about
Hyrum was how submissive he was and by extension, how easily he accepted
correction. Earlier in the book, Hyrum gives a speech before the entire
congregation about how important the scriptures are and how we should always
rely on them for authority in church matters. Brigham Young got up with all of
the books of scripture and said that he would rather have a living oracle than
all of the books of scripture put together. Hyrum realized that he was being
corrected. Instead of being angry at being corrected in front of a large
audience and storming away, he humbly accepted the correction and revised his
previous statement to align more with Brigham Young’s.
Another instance where Hyrum was submissive was over
the doctrine of plural marriage. Hyrum at first despised the doctrine of plural
marriage and even sweated over what Joseph was asking him to do about it.
Rather than leave the church like William Law over the matter, he did the right
thing; he humbled himself enough to kneel down in prayer and ask for a witness
of the truthfulness of this doctrine which he did receive. The mark of a true
disciple/prophet/apostle is being willing to humble yourself enough to know the
truth of His gospel. Rather than hating Joseph for the counsel he gave, he
humbled himself to know of its truthfulness.
Merciful judge with a big soul
There were two notable instances where Hyrum showed
great mercy towards individuals in the figurative chair of doubt and shame:
John C. Bennett and Sidney Rigdon. Bennett pleaded for forgiveness and Hyrum
agreed to wait to give him a trial (pg. 262). Rigdon had been inactive for a
very long time and Joseph wanted to release him and possibly excommunicate him.
Hyrum pleaded with Joseph to show mercy, believing that Sidney would change.
According to a gentleman by the name of Wandle, Hyrum worked with Sidney for
months to try and get him to come back to activity in the church (pg. 300). Hyrum
believed that you shouldn’t let prejudice arise, speak of anyone
disrespectfully, or destroy one another (pgs 321-323). The reason why he felt
this way is because he felt extreme pain at the thought of losing someone
forever.
All of these stories and quotes are beautiful. Hyrum
reminds me a lot of the Savior. Christ showed mercy unto all, saint and sinner
alike. He gave multiple chances to everyone to repent and become clean through
His Atonement. Even unto death, the Savior showed mercy unto His killers,
believing that they are better men than how they were presently acting. Christ
gave everyone second chances because He like His Father loved everyone and
couldn’t bear the thought of losing even just one to hell. Hyrum is a lot like
the Savior. He came to love nearly everyone he came into contact with and would
air on the side of mercy and even fight to the death to save them. Why did he
do this? It’s because of his love for them and for his ability to see others as
God does, as precious children worthy of saving and fighting for.
Integrity
The author of this book and several others who knew
Hyrum described him as a man of integrity. I Googled what the definition of
integrity was and it says that integrity is being honest and having strong
moral principles. Hyrum truly was a man of integrity. He was converted to the
gospel. He understood the principles in their truest form and constantly
strived to uphold them even if others didn’t agree with him. He understood what
the purpose of life was: to help others come unto Christ and he did everything
in his power to uphold that, even though it cost him time, favors of others,
and ultimately, his life.
Forgotten prophet of the
Restoration
In the introduction of this book, the author lists
qualities that make Hyrum a forgotten prophet of the restoration: humility,
faithfulness, and firmness, things I have already mentioned. The last quality
that the author mentions is being vocal when necessary on matters of doctrine.
On pages 265-267, Hyrum talks about the nature of God, how he was once as we
are, and about the wise nature of the word of Wisdom. He taught that any man
who says that the word of Wisdom is foolish will be overthrown. These doctrines
may have seemed controversial to some and yet, he was firm in his manner of
teaching. He taught as God wanted him to teach and never flinched away from
teaching those divine truths.
“Joseph, I cannot leave you”
Hyrum and Joseph were inseparable to the very end.
Hyrum showed his devoted love for his little brother even at a very young age
when Joseph was suffering of leg pain. He offered to take his mother’s place
watching over him and actually took his leg and held it to try and relieve some
of the pain (pgs. 7-8).
Before Joseph and Hyrum were called to go to
Carthage, both of them had already been arrested and acquitted multiple times.
On June 20, 1844, Joseph told Hyrum to catch the nearest steamboat home so that
he could be with his family. Hyrum replied “Joseph, I can’t leave you.” Joseph
kept on expressing his wish that Hyrum would leave so that when he died, Hyrum
could take his place and avenge him. Joseph finally admitted that he wished
Hyrum would leave so that he would feel better about dying. Joseph and Hyrum
preached together, lived together, fought together, and eventually died
together. Like Joseph’s love for him, Hyrum loved his little brother with a
deep love stronger than death and couldn’t bear the thought of being separated
from him.
Conclusion
Hyrum Smith’s dedication to upholding principles of
the gospel, his mercy unto others, and his unwavering friendship and loyalty to
those in need truly made him a man worth remembering, worth honoring. He truly
was the forgotten prophet of the Restoration. I love this man with all of my
heart and I am grateful for the chance that I had to study and get to know him
better.
I would also like to add that I see a lot of myself in him. Two characteristics that I identify the most with are his unwavering loyalty to those he loves and holds dear and his desire to never give up on anyone. I am a lot like him in this regard. I am fiercely loyal to those that I love and I like him would fight to the death to save those that I care about. Happy Birthday Hyrum!!!
