Description
The Key
Joseph Holbrook once made a promise to his cousin Mary Ann Angell that he would “have religion when the right kind came along.”
On December 30, 1830, in the town of Western Massachusetts, Joseph Holbrook married Nancy Lambson. Together they bought a farm near Weathersfield, and started their life together.
Then about September 1832, Latter-day Saint Elders came to their community to hold meetings. Joseph attended and liked what he heard. He enquired of those present where he could get a copy of the Book of Mormon.
“They said they did not know. I then told them I would go fifty miles the next day to get one if they could direct me where. They said they could not tell me. I told them where I lived if they could direct any elders there at any future time, they would be welcome as I wished to learn more about this new revelation to man.”
Joseph then learned that his cousin, Mary Ann, had a copy of the book and she would lend it to him in two weeks. Joseph asked if he could at least see it. She agreed. Joseph said:
“I saw the Book of Mormon. I read the testimony of the witnesses. I looked at some of the gospel. I felt I much rejoiced to think an angel had come from God and brought such good news. I thanked my cousin for the favor of seeing the book, hoping she would not disappoint me in my having the privilege of reading it in two weeks. As the two weeks passed away, I thought much of Mormonism. I believed all I had heard or seen. I felt much to rejoice, for these words came often to my mind, “Blessed are ye for ye believe and have not seen.”
Two weeks later, Mary Ann brought the book. Joseph said:
“I commenced reading that evening, but being brought up not to spend any time on a weekday to read, I thought I must work. As my cart was in the field where I left it the day before digging potatoes, I went to work, but soon found I could not content my mind. I returned to the house, took the Book of Mormon and read a few hours, but as this was an unusual thing for me to stop work to read in the daytime, my wife became alarmed and thought I had better be at work than spending my time reading such deception. This called my attention again to my potato digging, but I had not dug long before I wished with all my heart I knew all there was in that book.”
Joseph went out to a quiet place to pray, asking the Lord to lead him right and show him the truth. When the prayer was over Joseph rose and said he would…
“…go to the house and read the Book of Mormon, work or no work. This was the after part of the day on Saturday. I read that day and night late and on Sunday I read again, my wife taking the child in the morning and going about three fourths of a mile to my brother’s, saying she would not stay in the house and listen to such nonsense. I read and prayed a number of times that day, being all alone, and marveled… that my wife should be so disturbed she could not stay at home, for she was always fond of having me to sit down and read of evenings and Sundays. I read the Book of Mormon through in two days and three nights and carried it home on a Monday morning to my cousin. She asked me what I thought of it. I told her I believed it was true and that God was at the bottom of the work.
Then Joseph recorded this fascinating observation:
“As there had been no meetings in this vicinity, I had to catch what I could from the Bible as the Book of Mormon had been a key to the Bible to me and it was now a new book, having the seals broken and light, life, and salvation on its pages.”
January 6, 1833, Joseph was baptized. He and Nancy attended their first Latter-day Saint meeting the next day. Nancy became converted and she too requested baptism. And together they marched on into history, first with Zion’s Camp in 1834, and then with Brother Brigham and the Twelve to Utah. True and faithful to the very end.
Would that all of us desired to read the Book of Mormon as Joseph did. Indeed, it is the key and reveals, light, life, and salvation.
Source:
Joseph Holbrook autobiography https://www.familysearch.org/en/tree/person/memories/KWJJ-XT7
