this story has NEVER generally been told, buried in barlow archives for generations..so it is kind of barlow's work and the glory and it makes a nice true story...william smith, hannah hibbert's brother in law was known to his mother, bill, as a very serious boy living on the outskirts of manchester, a bustling industrial complex of glass blowing and iron works{waterford chyrstal from that area} but his life took a more sedate, rural salford countryside aura taking care of the barley fields pruning and weeding.... she showered her beliefs on young william jr. so when the mormon missionaries arrived in 1840 these two were very ready for the gospel truths and thrilled...bill preceded to be taught by orson pratt. an apostle to joseph smith, his self in salford... and william's mother mary ebiert smith, 1797, wife of william smith sr. was a spiritual woman which was very bad for her since her husband fought hard against her religious tendencies..she showered her beliefs on young william jr., so when the morman missionaries arrived in 1840 these two were very ready for the gospel truths and thrilled..she preceded the arrival of pratt and jonson by 43 years with her testimony and had almost been ready for conversion since her birth...elder pratt the senior was 33 years old and heard the truths directly from the prophet and was intellecually on fire with the principals of the restoration..he was born in 1807, 2 years after the prophet's birth...so young william was ready and prepared to be baptised and start the stone rolling forward for all including barlow the putz...in 1840 at the age of 26 william became one of the first to hear and enthusiastically bring the gospel to the entire hibbert family and eventually to the daltons and lastly to the barlows through marriage.......thank you
6 years ago
