Pillar of Light

This volume covers three years, 1827-1830

Chapter 1: March 1827. Meet the Steed family: Joshua (age 19) has dark hair, Nathan (age 17) has fair hair, Melissa (age 16) and Rebecca (age 9) both have dark hair while Matthew (age 6) is a towhead. The parents are Benjamin and Mary Ann Steed. Benjamin and his oldest boys work hard on the family farm. As new arrivals to the area of Palmyra, in the state of New York, they are struggling to clear their land and plant their crops. Martin Harris, a neighbor, suggests they hire the honest, hardworking and respected Smith brothers to help. Benjamin takes his advice and decides to contact this Smith family.


Chapter 2: Meet Lydia McBride (age 18, revealed in Ch.6) daughter of the local General Dry Goods Store proprietor and a beauty with long hair, black as ebony, and dark eyes; whose perfume drives Joshua Steed wild! He's in town to meet the Smith boys and pick up a few items at the store for his mother. Back at the farm, after getting in a few hours of work, Joshua, Nathan and little Matthew enjoy the company of their new friends by challenging them to a lively game of stick-pulling.


Chapter 3: Nathan gets his first introduction to Lydia McBride outside the store and is just as smitten as his brother. Joseph passes by and exchanges greetings while local riff-raff tease him about gold bibles and angels. Nathan and Joshua are puzzled but don't say anything. Back at the Steed farm, another day of hard work is put in and Nathan walks Joseph and Hyrum partway back to their own family farm. Curious about the taunting, he asks Joseph about it. Joseph tells Nathan his story which members of the church will immediately recognize as the First Vision.


Chapter 4: Melissa teases Joshua about his crush on Lydia McBride as they get ready to attend a neighborhood barn raising where Lydia is too busy holding court to speak to him. Hurt by her blatant disregard for him, Joshua joins the same riff-raff scheming to find out more about the mysterious gold Joseph Smith is rumored to have. They pass him the bottle and Joshua is advised to stop associating with those Smith boys.


Chapter 5: Happy Easer! Nathan finds his mother outside reading the Bible and wiping away tears. He tells her Joseph Smith's incredible story. She believes him. At breakfast, the family learns Joshua never came home last night from the barn raising. Benjamin is not happy about it.


Chapter 6: Joshua wakes up with a proper hangover. Lydia stalls attending Easter church services with her parents because she's hoping to meet Joshua. They admit their attraction to each other. Joshua agrees to come visit her while she is staying with her aunt. Joshua returns home and has a big fight with Pa Steed over Joseph Smith and all the rumors. Joshua declares he's leaving home and storms out. Benjamin tells the Smith boys he will no longer be needing their help on the farm.


Chapter 7: Mary Ann worries for her oldest son, it's been several days now and there's been no word from him since the big "falling out." She sends Nathan into town to look for him. His search leads him to the aunt's house where he comes upon the romantic scene of a solitary Lydia singing her heart out in an apple orchard. They bond almost immediately. Joshua interrupts them. He's a little annoyed at little brother sparking his former beau but doesn't press the issue. He says he'll think about coming home for a visit this Sunday.


Chapter 8: Lydia and Joshua meet in secret where they have a tense conversation over his estrangement from his family. Joshua has taken up residence in a seedy part of town and Lydia is worried about his association with his new friends, those troublemakers, the Murdock brothers, whose company he's taken up as well as his family's friendship with the Smiths. They share their first kiss before a knock on the door ends the scene. Lydia leaves hoping her parents won't find out and ship her off to Boston relatives.


Chapter 9: Nathan talks to Martin Harris because he took a temporary job, helping out on his prosperous farm to earn money for a birthday present for his mother. Now he's off to town to  make his purchase with the perfect excuse to visit his favorite Dry Goods Store where a certain lovely young clerk might wait on him. Lydia is happy to see him but Joshua also enters the store. Nathan invites him to the birthday dinner this Sunday and both boys leave. Outside, Nathan is walking alone when he meets Emma Smith, wife of Joseph Smith. The Murdock boys are also loafing around nearby and take this opportunity to make trouble for the wife of the famous visionary gold digger. Nathan is all chivalry and has Emma's back until Joseph returns. During all this, Lydia has come out to see what all the commotion is. Nathan is upset that she stood by and did nothing. Joshua witnessed the abuse of Emma as well but he is angry with Nathan for taking Joseph's side.


Chapter 10: Nathan calls on the Smith home to talk to Joseph. He needs to know more about these rumors. Joseph tells him about the Angel Moroni Visit he received four years ago and that those four years are now up. He will be retrieving the gold plates from their hiding place in the woods next week. Now begins the great work of the restoration.


Chapter 11: Nathan shares this second story with his mother who, again, believes all. Melissa also believes but Benjamin is not happy and remains unimpressed by these ridiculous  stories and rumors. Lydia comes over the next day to make amends for her actions as well as to tell Nathan she is no longer interested in being Joshua Steed's girlfriend and will officially break up with him tomorrow.


Chapter 12: Joshua plans to join the Murdock brothers and their gang in an attack on Joseph for the gold plates. When Lydia learns of this, she is horrified and runs to warn the Steeds.


Chapter 13: Joshua and his friends fail in their attempt to apprehend Joseph and take the heavy bag containing the gold record. Joseph is successful in fighting them off and getting away to the detriment of the mob.


Chapter 14: Nathan, Benjamin and Lydia arrive at the Smith residence. It is pouring rain. Breathing heavily, Joseph enters and reports his attack while his family attends to his minor injuries. The men leave to apprehend the mob while Lydia stays and talks to Joseph. She observes this family who talks of the coming work in translating the record and realizes all the rumors about them are untrue. Ben and Nathan return and the three go their separate ways. The two Steed men find Joshua at the tavern, nursing his wounds; drowning his sorrows. A HUGE argument between father and son erupts. Benjamin punches Joshua who grabs a pistol and threatens to shoot his own father while Nathan pleads for them to stop. Joshua looses his nerve and bolts.


Chapter 15: Benjamin talks to Martin Harris who shares his part in Joseph Smith's story. He recently had an interesting experience in fulfilling a scriptural prophecy from Isaiah. Ben is troubled. He doesn't know what to think about all this.


Chapter 16: Independence, Missouri, 1828. In leaving home to seek his fortune, Joshua ended up here: the borderline between the Wild West territories and civilized America. He's started up his own freight shipping business and is doing well. He's also discovered a special talent in poker and is currently winning enough tonight to expand his company. Meanwhile, back in New York, the Steed family is discussing Joseph's latest story about the trouble he recently had with a lost manuscript. Nathan is also making plans to court Lydia and set up housekeeping on a plot of land he's eyeing.


Chapter 17: Nathan visits Joseph to hear the entire story of The Lost 116 Pages for himself. To earn money for his marriage plans, Nathan has agreed to work for the Knight Family which, coincidently, is the same family Joseph will be staying with while commencing with the work of translating the ancient record. Nathan next meets with Lydia who is pleased her new beau will be out of town for a season as she's being sent to that Boston finishing school after all because her parents aren't too pleased at her marriage prospects.


Chapter 18: Nathan and Joseph talk about the progressing work. Nathan meets Oliver Cowdery. They marvel over the 116 pages story again now that Joseph has been forgiven and the work is going forth. Later, Oliver shares with Nathan the story John the Baptist Restores the Aaronic Priesthood and their baptism. Nathan immediately wants to be baptized too.


Chapter 19: In Boston, Lydia is very troubled when she learns of Nathan's baptism in a letter. She begins packing to return to Palmyra. In Missouri, we meet Jessica Roundy, illiterate, introverted barmaid and daughter of the local saloon owner, who has her eye on Joshua Steed. She studies at night, teaching herself to read and write so she might better impress Joshua who often talks to her and encourages her to improve herself.


Chapter 20: Benjamin hurt his arm so he will be staying behind while the entire family travels to Fayette, New York and the home of Peter Whitmer where a small, informal meeting will be held. Mary Ann is excited to go because Joseph will be reading from the recent completed translation of The Book of Mormon. She is anxious to see Nathan and wants to learn more about being baptized. Joseph reads an excerpt from what will become 3 Nephi 11 (the account of the Savior's visit to the Americas) and Mary Ann weeps.


Chapter 21: Martin Harris calls on Benjamin on the day his family is due to return. Benjamin is not impressed that Martin is planning on donating a large sum of money to help Joseph publish his new gold bible. Martin shares his testimony of being one of the Three Witnesses in the Book of Mormon. Ben is troubled and not sure what to think or believe.


Chapter 22: Nathan calls on Lydia so they can talk and make wedding plans but they argue instead. Lydia cannot accept this new religion. Benjamin and Mary Ann also argue over the issue. In Missouri, Joshua learns of Nathan engagement to his former girlfriend and gets very drunk. He's so upset, he runs right out to call on Jessica and propose marriage to her which she accepts.
(Don't do it, Jessie!)


Chapter 23: Eight months have now passed and even though Lydia and Nathan have broken off their engagement, he continues to work on his own property and has built a small cabin for himself.


Chapter 24: The new Mrs. Joshua Steed in Independence, MO is expecting her first child. She is quite content with her current life situation. Joshua is kind to her and they joke about the baby being a boy. Jessica worries she hasn't felt any fetus activity in several weeks but keeps it to herself. Back in Palmyra, Nathan purchases three copies of the newly published Book of Mormon. He plans to give one to Lydia on his way out of town to attend The Official Organization of the Restored Church of Christ on April 6, 1830 at the Peter Whitmer home in Fayette, New York. Mary Ann wants to go too.


Chapter 25: On their way out of town to Fayette, Nathan sends Melissa in with the copy of the Book of Mormon to give to Lydia at the store because he's driving the wagon on their way out of town. Inside is a letter to Lydia from Nathan with his testimony of the sacred book, encouraging her to read and pray over certain passages. Benjamin has grudgingly given his permission that his family might keep and read the copies of the Book of Mormon Nathan gave them. He also gave them permission to attend the special meeting on April 6.


Chapter 26: Lydia is mad when she discovers her father took the book Melissa brought in for Lydia and threw it in the dustbin. She fishes it out and reads the note Nathan left her inside the book. Realizing he is truly sincere in his love for her, she decides to give this book a chance and starts reading. In Independence, Jessica loses the baby and is heartbroken. She cries for the first time in nearly eighteen years. Narration says she hadn't cried since she was eight when her mother died. That makes her around 26 years old! Joshua drowns himself in the bottle, thinking of Lydia.


Chapter 27:  Mary Ann notes there are at least 50 to 60 people present in this tiny Whitmer log cabin for the organization of the newly restored church of Christ. Readers will recognize many famous names from Church History: Oliver Cowdry, Martin Harris, the Smith family, the Knights, Orrin Porter Rockwell and, of course, the entire Whitmer family including the older, married, children. The spirit is strong at the conference with the first blessing and passing of the sacrament, the inspired prayers read from what will one day be known as D&C 20. Because he has been baptized, Nathan receives the gift of the Holy Ghost, walks over to his mother and immediately begins to prophesy by the power of the spirit. Baptisms for all female Steeds follow afterward. Mary Ann, Melissa and Rebecca all join. Nathan baptizes them with encouragement from Joseph. Matthew is not included as one of the candidates for baptism but he did go with the family to the conference. Back in Palmyra, Lydia has a miraculous change of heart after reading the Book of Mormon and is waiting for her fiancée when Nathan returns from Fayette with his family. They kiss and will marry in the next book.


THE END