Final Resting Places

It seems much of today was spent considering death. I spent quite a bit of time this morning looking through genealogy for names and dates related to Nauvoo. I especially enjoyed reading notes for Tarlton Lewis and William Carroll McClellan. Both are great great great grandfathers who lived in Nauvoo and made the trek west.

We didn't leave the hotel until nearly noon. We went to the Joseph Smith historic sites, now owned by the Community of Christ (formerly the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). We visited their old homestead, the Mansion House, the Red Brick Store, and the family cemetery.

After lunch, we drove out to Carthage to see the jail where Joseph and Hyrum were murdered. What I found interesting is that there is a dungeon room upstairs, with a jail cell inside a room with just little slits for windows, but the jailer felt these were honorable men and it was scorching hot in that dungeon room. So he gave the men his own bedroom and he and his wife slept downstairs with the kids. This is the room the Prophet and the other men were in when the mob broke in. We know the story. But it was something else to walk into that room and immediately have a sober and sacred feeling, to see the bullet hole in the door, to see the window Joseph fell from, and the well outside that they dragged him to. It was a strange mix of sadness and joy for such an incredible life and contribution, cut down so young.

After that, and a chili cheese dog at DQ, we went back to Nauvoo and over to the Land and Records Office just before they closed. There I looked up records for the McClellans, Day, Lewis, and Huntsman. I didn't have time to read them, but they copied them to a CD for me. I hope to read through them tonight or tomorrow. From there we went to the Old Nauvoo Burial Ground. I saw the names of some of my ancestors on a list there (including the wife of great-great-great uncle Benjamin Lewis, who was killed at Haun's Mill). But we did not locate any graves of anyone we knew. There weren't many standing and legible gravestones in the high grass, and the mosquitos and gnats were almost overwhelming.

Finally, not wanting to do buffet again tonight (the most common dinner choice here), we got some frozen lasagna and veggies at the grocery store and made dinner in the microwave in our room. We wanted to use the hot tub and indoor pool this evening, but it was just too crowded. So we watched a movie at Netflix.com instead. "The Stoning of Soraya M." Very sad. More death to finish the day with.

On that note, it's off to bed. We're going to attend a session at the Nauvoo temple in the morning!