Frog's Pond

August 14, 2017

We have settled into a comfortable routine here at the farmhouse, and each day we fall more in love with this beautiful area. The gardener who takes care of the grounds at the Knight farm came today and spent several hours trimming, mowing, and edging. His name is Ralph and he is very fond of this place, although he is not a member of the Church. Eric and Ralph had a great conversation while I got caught up on some things inside the home. We were very impressed with Ralph's work ethic and the care he took to make sure the grounds look well-groomed. Ralph's son came, as well, and cut a path through the tall grasses in the field behind the home that extends down to the Susquehanna.

We took some time today to find where the home of Justice Zecharia Tarble used to be located in what was then called South Bainbridge, but is now known as the Village of Afton. We located the marker where the home used to stand. Justice Tarble, or Squire Tarbell as he is known in Church history, was the justice of the peace that performed the marriage of Joseph and Emma. They eloped at the urging of Josiah Stowell with whom Emma was staying at the time. Emma's father, Isaac Hale, was vehemently opposed to Joseph marrying Emma. The Stowells offered their home as a place for Joseph and Emma to stay for three or four days until they left to go live with Joseph's family in the Palmyra area.

Eric standing next to the marker indicating where Justice Tarble's home once stood.

Historical pictures and information concerning Justice Tarble's home

Picture of Justice Tarble's home

One of four bedrooms in the Josiah Stowell home that could have been where Joseph and Emma
slept the first few days of marriage.

Or this could be the bedroom they stayed in

Or this one

Or this one

This afternoon we went to a local farmer's market called Frog's Pond Farms. It is known throughout the entire area as the best place to purchase fresh produce. The farmers in the area all sell their goods there, and we were pleasantly surprised with the variety and quantity of fresh fruits and vegetables as well as honey, jam, and other preserves available there. There are also animals at Frog's Pond, and we were greeted by an especially determined little piglet anxious to be free of his pen. We bought corn on the cob and peaches that had just barely arrived from the orchard where they were picked. We ate both the corn and peaches for dinner this evening and they were scrumptious. The peaches look just like any other peach on the outside, but when the peal is removed the fruit is white.

Piglet at Frog's Pond

Produce at Frog's Pond

The biggest cabbages we have ever seen!

After dinner this evening we made good use of the path that Ralph's son cut through the back field and took a walk down to the Susquehanna that borders the Knight farm. On the way back from the river, we walked through the remains of what used to be Joseph Knight Sr.'s orchard, which now consists of just four apple trees. We cut some wildflowers that were growing in the back field and created a bouquet for our table on our walk back to the house. We later sat on the deck and had Family Home Evening and watched the sunset over the beautiful scene in front of us.

Susquehanna at Knight farm

Another view of the Susquehanna at the Knight farm

What's left of Joseph Knight Sr.'s orchard

Our wildflower bouquet

We read the following this evening:  "Because of Father Knight's temporal support given to the Prophet during the early periods of the Book of Mormon translation and migration to Kirtland, OH, a blessing was given that applied to all worthy descendants that they would not want for the necessities of life. Father Joseph Knight's generosity towards Joseph Smith, which helped bring forth the Book of Mormon, did not go unrewarded. The Prophet promised him that the Knights would never want for necessities. Joseph Knight Jr.'s patriarchal blessing from his father promises temporal comfort to him: 'The blessing shall extend to thy children, and thy children's children, from generation to generation.' He was promised specifically: 'thou shall be blessed with all the blessings for the comfort of life.' The promise extends to Father Knight's descendants who remained faithful (Pilgrimage to Nineveh, Gordon and Kathryn Knight, 2015)."