Line drawing of Stephen Penfold farm in Newhope, Orange County, Calfiornia. Note the well house just west of the farmhouse.
Story Behind the Drawing:
Joseph Smith III tells the following story in his memoirs:
"One day also at the time of that 1889 visit to San Bernardino and Santa Ana, I performed nine baptisms at the residence of Brother Penfold in a small lake which he had made from his flowing well. Of the nine baptisms, only one was a boy although all were young. They were to be confirmed at a reunion or conference meeting. When the time came, one was absent - a girl about sixteen whose parents lived in or near San Bernardino. Brother Gibson, in charge of the mission work, made inquiry later about her absence and learned from the mother that she (the mother) desired the girl to be confirmed into the Church of England instead. The father, a man engaged in buying and selling cattle, did not belong to any church but had allowed his wife to adopt whatever form of religion she chose. She was nominally a member of our church but for some time had been attending the Episcopal services because their church was nearer to her home than ours.
The condition resolved itself into a kind of threefold family argument; the father, diffident, a bit sarcastic about all religious professions and doubtful about our claims; the mother acknowledging allegiance to our faith and ye thinking it better for her girl to be in fellowship with the Church of England congregation whose pastor inconsistently, we thought, had expressed his willingness to receive her on our baptism ---; and the girl herself demurring to that proposition, opposing her mother's wishes, and stating her preference to unite with us and be confirmed into regular church membership.
Brother Gibson thought it wise for us to have a talk with the mother and daughter before proceeding with the confirmation as the girl desired. The father was not present when we called for this purpose, although he was in an adjoining room and, as I afterwards learned, overheard the conversation... Somewhat to the chagrin of the mother and, as was afterwards stated, the pleasure of the father, the girl decided to remain with us and to receive confirmation under the hands of our elders."
Joseph Smith III tells the following story in his memoirs:
"One day also at the time of that 1889 visit to San Bernardino and Santa Ana, I performed nine baptisms at the residence of Brother Penfold in a small lake which he had made from his flowing well. Of the nine baptisms, only one was a boy although all were young. They were to be confirmed at a reunion or conference meeting. When the time came, one was absent - a girl about sixteen whose parents lived in or near San Bernardino. Brother Gibson, in charge of the mission work, made inquiry later about her absence and learned from the mother that she (the mother) desired the girl to be confirmed into the Church of England instead. The father, a man engaged in buying and selling cattle, did not belong to any church but had allowed his wife to adopt whatever form of religion she chose. She was nominally a member of our church but for some time had been attending the Episcopal services because their church was nearer to her home than ours.
The condition resolved itself into a kind of threefold family argument; the father, diffident, a bit sarcastic about all religious professions and doubtful about our claims; the mother acknowledging allegiance to our faith and ye thinking it better for her girl to be in fellowship with the Church of England congregation whose pastor inconsistently, we thought, had expressed his willingness to receive her on our baptism ---; and the girl herself demurring to that proposition, opposing her mother's wishes, and stating her preference to unite with us and be confirmed into regular church membership.
Brother Gibson thought it wise for us to have a talk with the mother and daughter before proceeding with the confirmation as the girl desired. The father was not present when we called for this purpose, although he was in an adjoining room and, as I afterwards learned, overheard the conversation... Somewhat to the chagrin of the mother and, as was afterwards stated, the pleasure of the father, the girl decided to remain with us and to receive confirmation under the hands of our elders."
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Location of the Object
Illustration from Leoy L. Doig's book: Newhope Days; An Adventure in Living, 1903-1910 (Santa Ana, CA: Pioneer Press, 1971). |
Date of the Object
Sometime between 1884-1903 |
Photos & Information Shared By
Dan Kelty |