Joseph Smith Cuts the Ice for Joseph Heywood's Baptism
Patricia Chiu
- Medium
ca. 2006
Leaded, stained glass picture
“My great-grandfather Joseph L. Heywood, a merchant in Quincy, Illinois, wrote in his journal, ‘In December of 1842 I visited the Prophet Joseph Smith in Nauvoo, and after listening to his preaching by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, I was baptized by Elder Orson Hyde, in the Mississippi River, the Prophet Joseph Smith assisting in cutting the ice.’ My research in Nauvoo and Church records indicates that the baptism would likely have taken place near the Homestead, shown here before later additions, where the Smiths lived until the Mansion House was completed in 1843. The temple on the hill behind was only a few feet above the foundation at that time. Joseph performed the same service for the Reiser family a few days earlier. I appreciate the Prophet’s practical approach to facilitating the act of faith that resulted in my ancestor’s baptism.’”