Comments on: Guest Post: What Mormon Historical Figure Would You Invite to Thanksgiving Dinner?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 13:24:40 +0000

I’ve spent my whole life having Thanksgiving with Mormons. I’d go for someone outside the circle, maybe Abraham Lincoln.

By: Maurine Ward

Maurine Ward — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 05:15:17 +0000

I would invite Sarah Melissa Granger Kimball. In my opinion, she did more and served more time in Relief Society than any other one person. She is one of my favorite people.

By: Chad Too

Chad Too — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 21:34:06 +0000

I think I’d want to have Evan Stephens to my T-giving dinner. I’d serve a huge meal, and then invite everyone to the family room where we would have a rollicking good 3 or 4 hours with Evan on the piano. By then, everyone would be ready for pie.

…and if for some reason Evan declined to take the piano bench… No Pie.

By: Adam G.

Adam G. — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:54:10 +0000

I’d go big on personality. Brigham Young and J. Golden Kimball.

Besides holding us all spell-bound, like Kimball, I figure Young could give us all some profitable advice on business and practical matters. Plus if conversation lags, we could sound him out on what he thought of the Church’s move away from polygamy and some of his more esoteric theories. I’d ask him if it was really true that he contemplated a grand bargain with the Feds towards the end of his life where his bargaining chip was giving up polygamy.

I wouldn’t care ask Jesus Christ or Joseph Smith, they’re all too likely to have some revelation for me.

By: Yet Another John

Yet Another John — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:54:08 +0000

I think I would like to have Jens and Elsie Neilson of the both the Willie handcart company and the Hole-in-the-Rock expedition. I think they would be respresentative of the many early European saints that came to Zion, then were called (more than once) to pull up stakes and settle a new area. I’d like to get Elsie’s take on the faith and testimony to trade green Denmark for Bluff!

By: kevinf

kevinf — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 20:04:33 +0000

Michelle, sorry, you did mention J. Golden back with Porter Rockwell. Missed that when I was scanning the comments.

Also, a fascinating list, and lots of interesting reasons. These would all be Thanksgiving dinners that I would not want to see end.

By: Researcher

Researcher — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:52:55 +0000

Do we get to invite a table full? Since I have a few outstanding questions about the Founding Fathers – Eminent Men and Women – St. George Temple story, I’d invite:

Wilford Woodruff
James Godson Bleak
Lucy Bigelow Young
Susanna Mehitable Rogers Sangiovanni Pickett Keate (although I probably shouldn’t have favorites from the project, hers is my favorite story so far, and it’s coming up next week (sorry for the series promotion threadjack here : ))
And the Jarvis family, since they were involved in the project.

Here’s how I would imagine the dinner happening. Woodruff and Bleak would be off in the corner swapping fish stories. (Seriously! They were fishing buddies.) Lucy and Susanna could entertain the children with stories from their lives and from famous people they knew. And I’d be interviewing George and Ann Jarvis about their experiences in London, Japan, China, Boston, and St. George.

By: Rameumptom

Rameumptom — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:51:56 +0000

I wouldn’t do this on Thanksgiving, as it would end up not necessarily being a day of giving thanks, but I’d love to have dinner with Elder McConkie, so we could really get down and dirty on many of his writings and teachings that were plain wrong or severely deficient. And I’d like to ask him what he thinks of how the Church’s changes on grace, evolution and a series of other issues have moved away from his strong stance since his death.

By: kevinf

kevinf — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:50:47 +0000

Bookslinger,

Which one of the Three Nephites? I didn’t much like the one that I picked up hitchhiking a few years back.

I’m surprised no one has mentioned J. Golden Kimball. That SOB would be one helluva guest!

By: Christopher

Christopher — Tue, 22 Nov 2011 19:47:20 +0000

Solomon Chamberlain. James Covel (Covill).