Foundational Figures of the Restoration

1820-1846. Volume 1

By: Taylor Halverson

Narrated by: Virtual Voice

Who built the Restoration?
Most Church history books focus on events. This book focuses on people.

Behind every revelation stood faithful men and women who believed before there was certainty, sacrificed before there was success, and remained faithful when the future of the Restoration was far from assured.

Foundational Figures of the Restoration introduces readers to the remarkable individuals who stood closest to the Prophet Joseph Smith during the formative years of the Restoration. Their stories are stories of faith, courage, sacrifice, loyalty, leadership, and discipleship. Together, they helped establish a movement that would eventually spread throughout the world.

Meet the people who shaped the Restoration:
• Joseph Smith Jr.
• Hyrum Smith
• Emma Hale Smith
• Lucy Mack Smith
• Oliver Cowdery
• Martin Harris
• David Whitmer
• The Whitmer Family
• Joseph Knight Sr.
• Sidney Rigdon
• Edward Partridge
• Newel K. Whitney
• Brigham Young
• Heber C. Kimball
• Parley P. Pratt
• Orson Pratt
• John Taylor
• Wilford Woodruff
• And dozens of other foundational figures whose lives helped shape early Church history.

In each chapter, Taylor Halverson, Ph.D., combines biography, historical context, and the larger significance of an individual's contribution to the Restoration. Readers will discover how ordinary people responded to extraordinary revelations and how their choices influenced the course of Latter-day Saint history.

Written for teachers, students, Church history enthusiasts, tour participants, and lifelong learners, this volume offers a compelling introduction to the people whose faith helped establish the restored Church of Jesus Christ.

The Restoration was never the work of one person. It was built by a community of witnesses. Their stories deserve to be remembered. Because understanding the Restoration begins with understanding the people who lived it.