Morley Farm
The Morley Farm holds significance to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints because Joseph and Emma Smith lived there for a few months.
Isaac Morley was baptized by Parley P. Pratt in November 1830 near Kirtland, Ohio, where he farmed and was part of the Campbellites under Sidney Rigdon. The Morleys invited many early converts to live on his 80-acre farm. His farm served as the principle gathering place of the Saints in Kirtland after the revelation for the Saints to gather to the Ohio was given in Doctrine & Covenants Section 37. He offered his home to Joseph and Emma Smith and built a small home for them. They lived on the farm from from March to September 1831. Here, Emma gave birth to twins who soon died. Several days later, the Smiths adopted the infant twins of John Murdock, whose wife, Julia, died from complications of childbirth. During that time, Joseph received 13 revelations that are now recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants (sections 45–50, 52–56, 63–64).
Wilford Woodruff recalled a prophecy Joseph Smith proclaimed while on the Morley Farm:
- On Sunday night the Prophet called on all who held the Priesthood to gather into the little log school house they had there. It was a small house, perhaps 14 feet square. But it held the whole of the Priesthood of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints who were then in the town of Kirtland, and who had gathered together to go off in Zion's camp. . . .
- When we got together the Prophet called upon the Elders of Israel with him to bear testimony of this work. When they got through the Prophet said, ‘Brethren I have been very much edified and instructed in your testimonies here tonight, but I want to say to you before the Lord, that you know no more concerning the destinies of this Church and kingdom than a babe upon its mother’s lap. You don’t comprehend it.’ I was rather surprised. He said ‘it is only a little handful of Priesthood you see here tonight, but this Church will fill North and South America it will fill the world.’[1]
Today a small portion of the land is open to the public. The home that now stands on the property is not open to the public, and it is not the home where the Morleys or the Smiths lived. However, visitors can walk on a short uphill trail to a place that was significant in Joseph Smith’s ministry. There, in a small schoolhouse, he prophesied to a group of men about the growth of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. In that same gathering, 23 men, including Joseph Smith himself, were ordained high priests.
