Hiram

Matt and I decided to take advantage of our time in Ohio by heading up north to a little town called Kirtland, which is a significant place for both our church and family histories. On the way there, we stopped about 45-minutes shy of Kirtland in an even smaller town called Hiram to visit the John Johnson Home.

In 1831, John & Elsa Johnson invited the prophet Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, to live with them on their 260-acre farm. The Johnsons were well-off and had a beautiful home with plenty of room for visitors. That home is still standing and has been restored by our church to its original condition. I couldn't help but take a picture of the beautiful woodwork in the kitchen and the large pantry that many a mom would envy.
The picture below is of the parlor-turned-guest-bedroom where Joseph and Emma stayed. On a Saturday night in March of 1832, a mob broke into the home and pulled Joseph from the trundle bed, where he was lying with his sick 11-month-old twin son. More than two dozen men dragged Joseph about 300 yards from the home, where they tarred and feathered him and then tried to force acid into his mouth. Joseph, Emma and their friends stayed up through the night to remove the tar and Joseph still conducted a church service the next morning. A few days later, their baby son died from being exposed to the cold on the night of the attack.
Although Joseph and Emma endured unimaginable heartache in Hiram, they also enjoyed immense blessings from our Heavenly Father. In the upstairs room pictured below, they had incredible spiritual experiences and were given great knowledge that continues to bless our lives today.
We had such a neat experience visiting Hiram, and it made us even more grateful for our heritage and our faith.