Isaac Morley Home



About one mile north of the center of Kirtland, lies the Morley Farm.  Brother Isaac Morley and his wife had developed a very good productive farm. He was a long-time resident of Kirkland and was converted to the church when the missionaries came through in 1830 along with many of his friends from the Campbellite church.  He was a strong believer and never wavered in his testimony. He had built a 14 x 14 log schoolhouse for his children and others up on a small hill above his farm.  When Joseph Smith came to Kirtland the schoolhouse was used for many of the meetings held for the community and the church.  The fourth conference of the church was held in this schoolhouse. Isaac Morley was a great  support to the growing church. Whatever was asked of him, he obeyed the Lord.  When Joseph asked him to sell his farm and give the proceeds to the church, he did so. He was called to be first counselor to Bishop Edward Partridge.  He was ordained a patriarch in November 1837 in Far West, Missouri.  On our visit we climbed the hill and saw the location of the log schoolhouse and felt the spirit of this holy place where the Savior appeared to Joseph Smith and where the saints were strengthened in their faith and testimonies.


Isaac Morley Farm and Schoolhouse site




This whole area had the feeling of being in the Sacred Grove

The Isaac Morley Farm

This is a page out of the script that the site missionaries quoted from.  Norm was pleased to
learn about another patriarch from the early days of the church.



Mary Elizabeth Rawlings at age 12, borrowed Brother Morley’s book of Mormon and read it. She was also one of the children that gathered up the papers of the Doctrine and Covenants when the mob destroyed the press in Independence Missouri. She spoke at BYU in 1905 and testified that while at a meeting with Joseph Smith in the Isaac Morley schoolhouse, Joseph Smith’s face lit up and he glowed. Afterwards Joseph said the Savior had been with them in that room that very day. The schoolhouse is sometimes called the Sacred Grove at Kirkland.



















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