WilliamB.Smith “Yes, we always had family prayers since I can remember. I well remember
Father used to carry his spectacles in his vest pocket, and when us boys saw
him feel for his specs, we knew that was a signal to get ready for prayer,
and if we did not notice it mother would say, "William," or whoever was the negligent one, "get ready for prayer." After the prayer, we had a song we would sing,. . . . "
[William Smith, Quoted in Deseret News (Salt Lake City), January 20, 1894, p. 11.]
Lechmere Ancestral Home The painting by Al Rounds is of Severn End, the ancestral home of the Lechmere family. It is on the river Severn in Worcestershire, England. Mary Scudamore who married Thomas French was the daughter of William Scudamore and Margery Lechmere. William and Margery were Joseph Smith's fifth great grandparents.The Scudamore and Lechmere famies settled in England with other Normans at the time of William the Conqueror or before. Lechmere descendants still own the property. The additions on either end of the house as shone in the painting were added in the early 1600,s.