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Off the Beaten Path
In Search of the Prophet Joseph
by Becky Cardon Smith
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South Bainbridge, now called Afton, is located in southern New York, about 25 miles north of Harmony, Pennsylvania. (Here’s a Mapquest Link to give you some bearing: click here. Though the area has changed names several times, it was known as South Bainbridge at the time Joseph and Emma came here to be married. Prior to their marriage, Joseph lived and worked on a local farm owned by Josiah Stowell. The Prophet also experienced his first arrest, trial, and subsequent acquittal here in South Bainbridge.

The Township of Colesville is located about 7 miles southwest of Afton. Many significant early Church events also took place in this area including the organization of the first branch of the Church in 1830, numerous baptisms at the Knight farm, the occurrence of the first latter-day miracle, and another arrest, trial, and acquittal of the Prophet.

PLANNING YOUR TIME

While in this general area, we suggest you make a brief visit to South Bainbridge (Afton) and nearby Colesville (also referred to as Nineveh) to see several Church historical homes and sites. All are less than 10 miles from I-88 exit #7.

SITES TO SEE

Credit for the location of many of these sites goes to Charles Decker. He is a fifth generation Afton resident and local historian.

• Universalist Church – After exiting the freeway, you will be on State 41. Make an almost immediate left turn onto River Road. The brown Universalist Church is about the fourth building on your left, just before the Afton fairgrounds. Tradition says (and Charles Decker agrees) that the Knight family worshipped at this church. According to the Prophet, “Mr. Knight and his family were Universalists, but were willing to reason with me upon my religious views” (HC 1:81). Joseph Knight first met Joseph Smith when he hired him to work on his farm in 1826. Mr. Knight let Joseph take his horse and ‘cutter’ (sleigh) to visit Emma Hale in Harmony. He later visited the young couple at their home in Harmony in the spring of 1829, bringing needed gifts of food, money, and writing materials. Joseph Knight remained a life-long friend of the Prophet Joseph Smith.

• Marker at the site of Joseph and Emma’s marriage – Joseph met and fell in love with Emma while boarding at the Hale home in Harmony, Pennsylvania. Isaac Hale did not approve of Joseph’s interest in his daughter. He considered Joseph uneducated and of dubious character. Because of Isaac’s disapproval, Emma and Joseph eloped and were married in the home of Squire Zachariah Tarbell, Justice of the Peace. Though the home is no longer standing, the blue and yellow New York sign placed here around 1935 reads: “Mormon House. Joseph Smith, founder of the Mormon Church, was married in this house Jan. 18, 1827 to Emily Hale.” Notice that the sign mistakenly says “Emily,” not Emma. You will find the marker on the left side of the road, just past the entrance to the Afton fairgrounds on River Road.

• Afton Inn – This is possibly on the site where Joseph stood trial and was acquitted of being a “disorderly person” (HC 1:88-89). To see the site, continue on State 41 and go straight into Afton (.7 miles from the freeway exit). Turn left onto Main Street, which is also State 7. The inn will be on your right, just before reaching the Afton Historical Society building.

• Afton Historical Society – The Afton Historical Society has a small museum containing several items of interest. Notice one of the original mantle pieces from the Zachariah Tarbell home. On the mantle sits a bust of the Prophet and above the mantle hangs a painting of the Tarbell home. (Charles Decker donated the mantle piece to the museum; a second piece is in his home.) Don’t leave without taking a picture of a historical marker that once marked a spot “up the creek” where some claimed that Joseph dug and found some of the gold plates. (Which was of course not true.) The museum is open Sunday afternoons from 2:00 to 4:00, from Memorial Day through Labor Day, or by calling Charles Decker at 607-639-2720 to schedule an appointment. It is located at 116 Main Street (also known as State 7).

• Schoolhouse – Josiah Stowell Jr. (then 16) and Joseph Smith (then 19) became friends and schoolmates when the Prophet worked for Josiah Sr. from 1825 to 1827. Tradition says (Charles Decker agrees) that the home located at 439 State 7 was once the school that Joseph attended during a winter stay. The home is privately owned and not available for tours.

• Josiah Stowell Sr. Home and Farm Site – The Prophet was employed by Josiah, first looking for a Spanish silver mine and later working on his farm. Joseph was still working for Mr. Stowell at the time he married Emma (HC 1:17). Josiah became a member of the Church and attended the Colesville Branch. Both he and Joseph Knight were at the Smith frame home when Joseph returned with the gold plates on September 22, 1827. When most of the Saints left New York for Missouri, Josiah stayed behind. He later moved to Tioga County, New York. In a letter written to the Prophet on December 19, 1843, Josiah told of his desire to come to Nauvoo. He was ill at the time but hoped to be well enough to travel the following spring. Unfortunately, Josiah was never able to join the Saints in Nauvoo. He died on May 12, 1844 at the age of 76. The Josiah Stowell two-story white home is located at 323 State 7. It is owned by a member of the Church and permission is given to walk the grounds. (Please park in the driveway and be careful not to block the neighbor’s business.)

• Horace Stowell Home – The blue home, just south of the Josiah Stowell home, was once the home of Josiah’s son, Horace Stowell. It is privately owned and not available for tours.

• Nineveh Presbyterian Church – Though this is not the original church, many of the converts of the Colesville Branch previously belonged to this faith. The Colesville Branch was organized in October 1830 and soon grew to almost 70 committed members of the Church. Under the leadership of Newel Knight, they left their homes in the spring of 1831 for Kirtland, Ohio. They lived briefly in Kirtland before continuing on to Jackson County, Missouri, to become the first branch of the Church located in the Independence area. The two-story white home, located just to the right of the church, probably incorporates some of the original church structure. Both the church and the home are located south of the Stowell home. The home is privately owned and not available for tours.

• Joseph Knight Home – Many early converts were baptized at the Knight farm including Emma Smith, Joseph Knight, and his wife Polly. The pond where many of these baptisms occurred was probably located across the street from this home and situated back towards the hills. Joseph Knight and his wife Polly, remained active members of the Church. Though Polly was very ill while living in Kirtland, she refused to be left behind in Ohio when the branch was continuing on to Missouri. Her greatest wish was to set foot in Zion. Polly achieved this wish but died less than two weeks after her arrival in Independence. The Prophet attended her funeral and later recorded, “This was the first death in the Church in this land, and I can say a worthy member sleeps in Jesus till the resurrection” (HC 1:199). Joseph Knight died in Mt. Pisgah, Iowa while en route to the Salt Lake valley. Local records indicate (and Charles Decker believes) that the home located at 1963 East Windsor Road is the former home of Joseph Knight. To find this home, turn left off of State 7 just before the Nineveh Presbyterian Church. Take the bridge over the Susquehanna River and make a right turn onto East Windsor. The home will be on your right, just a little further south. It is privately owned and not available for tours.