Fall in Love with Church Historical Sites as You Visit New England
by Becky Cardon Smith
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For LDS travelers, the New England states also offer a wealth of Church historical sites. Topsfield, Sharon, Tunbridge, Royalton, Randolph, West Lebanon, Norwich, and Whitingham all hold special significance to us and are waiting to be explored. This is the first in a series of articles focusing on sites to see and things to do as you visit and fall in love with New England.

TOPSFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS

Topsfield, Massachusetts, with a current population around 5,800, lies about 20 miles north of Boston between Salem and Ipswich. Not far from the Atlantic Ocean, this New England area is steeped in early American history. Ipswich earned the title “Birthplace of American Independence,” after strongly opposing British tax policies with the cry, “No taxation without representation!” Nearby Salem, once considered an important seaport, was also the birthplace of Nathaniel Hawthorne and the origin of the infamous “witchcraft trials.” But for those of the LDS faith, the Topsfield area is important because it is the ancestral home of 5 generations of Smiths, including the Prophet’s father, Joseph Smith Sr.

PLANNING YOUR TIME

If you are going to be in the Boston area, consider taking a quick visit to Topsfield. Time spent driving through the commons, visiting the cemetery and seeing the Smith farmhouse site is about 20 minutes. Allow an hour if you are coming from the airport, stopping at the sites, and getting back on the interstate (sometimes longer if Boston traffic is heavy). While this is not a suggested lodging stop, you will find several restaurant choices while driving on US 1.

GETTING THERE

Coming from the Boston airport, drive north on Route 1A. Merge onto US 1-N for about 8 miles, and take I-95 N. for about 4 miles before taking US-1 N. (Topsfield exit).

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

In 1638, fourteen-year old Robert Smith moved from Boston, England to Boston, Massachusetts. After his marriage to Mary French, Robert bought a farm in the Topsfield Township and had ten children. (The general location of this farm is west of the commons near I-95.) A son, Samuel, married Rebecca Curtis and also bought a farm in Topsfield. They had nine children, their first son being Samuel Smith Jr. He also married, had 5 children, and lived in Topsfield. 

While living at what is now referred to as the Smith farm site, Samuel Jr. and his wife Priscilla had a son, whom they named Asael, on March 7, 1744. Asael Smith married Mary Duty and served as a soldier in the Revolutionary War. The couple would eventually have eleven children. Their second son, Joseph (Sr.) was born at the Smith farm on July 12, 1771. In 1791, Asael and his large family moved to Ipswich for about 6 months. They then moved to Tunbridge, Vermont where their son Joseph Sr. later met his future bride, Lucy Mack.

Concerning Asael Smith, the Prophet Joseph Smith recorded, “ My grandfather, Asael Smith, long ago predicted that there would be a prophet raised up in his family” (HC 2:443). After Asael had read the Book of Mormon, Joseph further stated that Asael “declared that I was the very Prophet that he had long known would come in his family” (HC 2:443). Asael was first shown the Book of Mormon when his son Joseph Sr. and grandson Don Carlos visited family members who were now living in St. Lawrence County, New York. Asael accepted the gospel but was too weak to be baptized. He died just a few months after his son’s visit on October 30, 1830. His widow, Mary, traveled to Kirtland in 1836 to visit her extended family. She had also accepted the gospel and planned to have the Prophet baptize her. Unfortunately, she passed away just ten days after her arrival, at the age of 93.

SITES TO SEE

·         Commons – After passing the Topsfield fair grounds on US-1, continue for half a mile and turn left at the signal onto High Street. Continue another half mile and you will reach the commons. Notice the large white Congregational Church located here. Some of the Prophet’s ancestors were baptized at this site including Asael and Joseph Smith Sr. The existing building was constructed in the 1840s and is not the original church.  

• Pine Grove Cemetery – Many members of the Smith family are buried in this cemetery including Robert Smith, Samuel and his wife Rebecca, and Samuel Smith Jr. and his wife Priscilla. The exact locations of the graves are unknown and a memorial marker to the Smith family was erected under the supervision of George A. Smith in 1873. The cemetery is located about one-half mile from the commons. After stopping at the commons, turn right and go north on I-95 (which is also 97 N.). Bear left at the fork in the road and stay on 97 N. The entrance to the cemetery will be on your left. As you enter the cemetery, the Smith family marker is located at your far left, very close to both a rock wall and the road (97 N.). 

• Smith Farmhouse Site – This was once the home site of Samuel, Samuel Jr., and the birth site of Asael Smith and Joseph Smith Sr. Though the original home is no longer standing, the Smith well still exists in the backyard of this home. To see the farm site after leaving the cemetery, make a right turn onto 97 N. Take the first left (at the fork) onto Ipswich Road. Go about one-half mile and turn left on North Street. Go one-tenth mile and turn left onto Boardman Street (stay on the right side of the forked road). Go to the end of the street and the home will be the last one on your left (Walker Road begins on your right). The home is privately owned and not available for tours.

Next week: Sharon, Vermont

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