Trivia - Elvira and Jonathan really did receive the endowment in the Nauvoo temple on Dec 23, 1845 - Joseph Smith's birthday. And Widow Bell really did receive her endowment on Dec 25, 1845. I don't know that Elvira knew Widow Bell, though. That's the fun of fiction.

Trivia - I had been told the story of the nutty meal, but had no idea it was a story of one of my ancestors. I thank Sam Taylor for writing that down in his book on John Taylor ('The Last Pioneer', aka 'Militant Mormon'). I also came across a contemporary account from 1850 that expands the understanding of what was going on.

Trivia - You know that phenomenon that happens when you are watching a clip online, then it just stops? Well, this chapter is a bit like that. The good stuff has stopped and you just have a sketchy summary.

My plan had been to entertain you with the good chapters written earlier while I worked on the stuff that hadn't been written yet. But at least one of you ... Continue reading »