Shortly after the reconstruction of the Nauvoo Illinois Temple, I was busily engaged researching for a book that would explore the lives of each member of the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family. While researching in Carthage and Macomb, Illinois, I was thrilled to discover property records that helped establish where Lucy Mack Smith and the three Smith sisters lived in the decades after the deaths of Joseph, Hyrum, and Samuel Smith that fateful summer of 1844. I was able to locate, photograph and document those sites to include in several publications written about Katharine and her sisters.

An unexpected result of that research trip was locating and connecting with many of Katharine’s descendants who still resided in western Illinois and southeastern Iowa. While in Nauvoo, I met Estel Neff, who owned a used bookstore on Mulholland Street. I was delighted to discover that he was direct descendant of Katharine Smith Salisbury through her eldest son, Solomon, and we quickly formed a fast friendship. Estel shared with me many stories of the Salisbury family who remained in the area after the main body of Saints migrated to Salt Lake City in 1846, and he directed me to other family members who still resided in the vicinity. One of those was Mary Dennis, who lived across the Mississippi River in Burlington, Iowa; was a descendant of Katharine’s son Don Carlos; and had inherited most of Katharine’s surviving family mementos. I vividly recall the day she brought out a photobook owned by Katharine with pictures of Emma Hale Smith, William B. Smith, George A. Smith, and a host of other Smith relatives. Mary also had in her possession a locket containing a photograph of her husband, Jenkins; an original letter sent to Katharine by Brigham Young; a cache of Civil War letters written by her son Don Carlos; several early family histories; and other treasured heirlooms. Mary was anxious to have those items conserved in a repository so they could be appreciated by future generations, and I was grateful that she trusted me and Brigham Young University librarian David Whittaker to help facilitate their transfer to the L. Tom Perry Special Collections in Provo, Utah. Mary ended up becoming a close family friend, and those materials she had carefully safeguarded for decades substantially contributed in telling Katharine’s story. Now, some twenty years after that original research trip, a full-length biography of Katharine Smith Salisbury has finally come to fruition.

As with any book, many have labored behind the scenes to help make this manuscript a reality, and I want to express my appreciation for their contributions. Foremost among them is the Community of Christ Archives staff in Independence, Missouri, where most of Katharine’s surviving documents, photographs, and letters are housed. Rachel Killebrew has been especially helpful in locating archival materials and has always been prompt in responding to my research requests. Lachlan Mackay, a historic sites director and apostle in the Community of Christ, has also aided with my research needs, including providing photographs of several quilts made by Katharine. Ronald Romig, former Community of Christ archivist, was also helpful in locating materials on Katharine when I first began my research on the Smith family several decades ago.

I would also like to acknowledge the assistance of Keith Bruns, research specialist at the Hancock County Historical Society in Carthage, Illinois, who helped in tracking down materials related to Katharine’s descendants, including providing sources related to the murder of Alvin Salisbury. Katharine descendants Mary Dennis, Tom and Carla Duke, and Estel Neff were instrumental in locating and sharing Salisbury family materials, including letters and photographs in their possession that have been used in the book. Gracia N. Jones, a representative of the Smith family organization, has also been generous in sharing photographs and other historical items with me throughout the writing of this book. Elspeth C. Young generously allowed me to use a recent painting she did of Katharine and her son Solomon entitled Shall We Not Go On that depicts preparing for the migration from Ohio to Missouri.

I have appreciated the input of several colleagues in the Department of Religious Education at BYU–Idaho for their helpful suggestions, including Ryan Gardner, John Thomas, and Nathan Williams. Also, Phillip Allred and Dale Sturm, who both served as the department chair of Religious Education, and Reed Stoddard, my direct supervisor, were all supportive of my research efforts through the years. I want to acknowledge those at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City, who have been untiringly helpful. Mark L. Staker has been particularly supportive in locating materials at the Church History Library in Salt Lake City and has generously shared sources related to his own research on the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family. David Whittaker, John Murphy, and Cindy Brightenburg were effective in researching Smith family sources located at the L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah. Several private historians have been generous in sharing sources with me that have strengthened this biography. Bill Shepard has been very gracious in sharing numerous sources with me related to James J. Strang as I have gathered material on Katharine Salisbury and William B. Smith through the years. David and Sue August were supportive of a research trip to Voree, Wisconsin, and I appreciate their encouragement of my research interests over the course of this project. Brigham Young University faculty member Alexander L. Baugh kindly shared several early photographs that were used in this volume. Robert Cook has also been helpful in tracking down property records and locating historic sites related to the Salisbury family in Hancock and McDonough Counties.

I want to thank the staff at the Religious Studies Center, who collectively have lent their efforts in bringing this manuscript to publication. Jared Ludlow, Leigh Ann Copas, and Brent Nordgren have been supportive and interested in the manuscript from the beginning. Devan Jensen and Emma Eastman, who served as copy editors, were a pleasure to work with and helped improve the manuscript and contributed substantially to its publication. Carmen Cole has been most helpful in assisting with the photographs, cover design, and layout of the volume.

Finally, I appreciate the support of my family on the many research trips to notable historic sites, and to not-so-notable cemeteries on meandering country roads in Illinois. I appreciate the tried patience of my children—Joshua, Drake, Kelsie, Andrew, and Kyler—who have often grumbled, “Not another cemetery!” I hope that they will someday understand and appreciate my passion for church history. I also want to recognize the constant support of my spouse, Daylene. She has not only been wonderfully supportive of my research interests but has become a contributor to many historical organizations.