Sunday, January 20, 2013

Sunday Tidbits—Things I Didn’t Know


 Image result for The mormon battalion
Encampment of the Mormon Battalion
I dislike the fact that because I’ve written a few books that some people assume I know a lot. Nothing could be further from the truth. Partly because of my age and also because I’m horrible with dates, I don’t always retain stories and facts the way I should. I’m no different than anyone else, I learn as I go along and as I go along, I discover a lot. For instance, I read an interesting article this week, partly dealing with the Mormon Battalion. I learned something new, something that I had never heard before and actually had to say, “Wow! I didn’t know that.”I love it when I find myself saying this. Trust me it happens more often than not; it’s at times like this that I make certain to include it in the blog.

1.      Now to the question: We have been taught that the Mormon Battalion was never required to go to battle; however, on one occasion, they were within minutes of battle as the command was given to fix their bayonets. Who were they about to go to battle against?


a.      California rebels

b.      Wild bulls

c.       U.S. Federal troops

d.      Mexican troops


2.      There are many times in life when we say, “Wow, small world.” My wife has a good friend in Canada who served a mission many years ago (25+ years ago) to South Africa. While my wife was shopping at our neighborhood Harmon’s she started small talking with another lady (My wife is extremely friendly and speaks to most people she sees, whether she knows them or not). The conversation evolved and the next thing my wife learns is that this lady was a missionary companion to her friend in Canada all those years ago. Wow, small world! Believe it or not, the direct descendants of Lucy Mack Smith can say the same. When the Smith’s first moved to Palmyra, Lucy, Hyrum, Samuel, and Sophronia belonged to the Western Presbyterian Church, the same church that the maternal great grandparents to this future historical celebrity also belonged to in 1825. Who was the celebrity?


a.      Franklin D. Roosevelt

b.      Charlie Chaplin

c.       Sir Winston Churchill

d.      Bing Crosby



Yesterday’s answer

c.   Flour and water

The following is an excerpt from the journal of Truman O. Angell when he and some of the other brethren called on missions to the east and European areas; encounter an early spring snow storm. Since the snow was too deep for the horses to obtain feed, the brethren had to get a little imaginative.

   We camped the best way we could; by this time the snow had fell [fallen] some 6 or 8 inches deep, and still falling as though it would never cease. We got our axes going and soon had fuel but the next thing was to start a fire, which we managed after awhile; but it remained a doubtful point how soon we would get warm and our things dry. At the same time, the animals had to have our bedding fastened on them. We took a part of our flour and made some porridge and gave them to drink, and in this way kept them alive, and cheered up our own hearts.

Autobiography of Truman O. Angell, http://www.boap.org/

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