Comments on: Gaston L. Braley: Leaves from a Life’s Journal (2)

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:35:16 +0000

Jeffrey, I’m delighted to hear that your son used this story as a resource. I just finished replying to a similar comment on another post — it is a great pleasure to learn when Keepa goes beyond the moment of reading a post and into broader use. Thank you.

By: Jeffrey Laurence

Jeffrey Laurence — Fri, 17 Jun 2011 18:21:36 +0000

My son used a portion of this story to explain “what progenitors can teach us” as a youth speaker Sunday. My son, through my wife, is a descendant of Daniel H. Wells. The insight was how, as an impartial justice of the peace, D.H. Wells saw the charges against Joseph Smith and rejected them. When he would not mis-use the law the mobs turned on him as well.

Because D.H. Wells later was an Apostle & Counselor to Brigham Young, both LDS and non-LDS writers tend to assume he was biased early on. This meeting with Gaston Braley really shows to me that D.H. Wells was a non-LDS jurist trying to be fair in his court and had reject the charges against Joseph Smith to remain honest with himself. Gaston’s description made me fell like I was in that courtroom.

By the way, my ancestor, Elisha Randolph Laurence, and his family moved from Northern Alabama to “Worm Creek” (now Whitney) Idaho in 1872. Whitney is just north of Franklin. What was it about Southern converts & the Idaho end of Cache Valley? Elisha was converted by missionaries from Preston.

By: Maurine Ward

Maurine Ward — Wed, 25 May 2011 18:54:10 +0000

I was impressed that he ended up in Franklin, Idaho just twenty-two days after he was baptised.

By: CurtA

CurtA — Tue, 24 May 2011 16:07:47 +0000

Great story. Bro. Braley was on a spiritually planned trail. He encountered just the right people at just the right times. His history leaves out one small item that seems worth adding. This is from the DUP history of Whitney, Idaho, just north of Franklin, where Gaston had settled: “The Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Association was organized in 1888 with Herbert Rallison as president, Gaston Brawley [Braley] and Jasper head as counselors.”

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Tue, 24 May 2011 15:26:32 +0000

Excitement is better, Bruce.

By: Bruce Crow

Bruce Crow — Tue, 24 May 2011 14:54:44 +0000

I got so excited about Albert P. Berry, I forgot to thank you for the plug. So…Thank you.

By: J. Stapley

J. Stapley — Mon, 23 May 2011 20:46:04 +0000

Healing was common in the early missions, but my (unsystematic) study suggests that healings were more common in the southern states missions in the late 19th and early 20th century. Could also be that I’ve just read more southern states sources, as well…

By: Bruce Crow

Bruce Crow — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:33:36 +0000

I had no idea that any of William S. Berry’s uncles joined the church. Fascinating. That little detail gives me a little inspiration for a post.

By: Ardis E. Parshall

Ardis E. Parshall — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:02:38 +0000

Good catch. The Cane Creek Massacre was in 1884, so whether he's speaking from the perspective of 1893 (his mission) or 1933 (when this was dictated), it would be "earlier" rather than "later." Incidentally, any reader not familiar with the Cane Creek Massacre in which Elders Gibbs and Berry and two Tennessee brothers died should visit Bruce Crow's Amateur Mormon Historian. There's a link on the front page to an overview of the Cane Creek story, with many follow-up posts -- nobody anywhere has uncovered more about the event and the participants and the aftermath than Bruce has.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Mon, 23 May 2011 13:53:49 +0000

Amazing stories.

One question. When Brother Braley mentions Albert Berry, “uncle of one martyred later in Tennessee” he means “earlier,” doesn’t he?