In a message dated 10/4/2006 12:53:27 P.M. Mountain Standard Time, [email protected] writes: My ancestors, the Rocks, were involved with building that first church. (Quincy twp. area??) I'd love to know where that first Mormon church was built and if it is still standing. <> FYI- The "first" Mormon Church was NOT built in Franklin County. This was a splinter group from the main body of the Mormon Church (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints) that set up a church in Franklin County under Sidney Rigdon,who was not made the leader of the Mormon Church when Joseph Smith, the founder, was assassinated. Brigham Young was made the leader of the Mormon Church after the death of Joseph Smith. When Sidney Rigdon was not made the leader of the Mormon Church, he took a group of followers and split from the Mormon Church and headed east from Nauvoo, Illinois to Pittsburgh and then to Franklin County. He and his followers purchased land and built a "temple". It was in fact a renovated barn where they held services. Then when Sidney Rigdon "prophesied" the 2nd coming of Jesus Christ on a particular date and it did not happen, the splinter group itself splintered and fell apart, leaving Rigdon with no followers. Many returned to the main body of the Mormon Church, which by then was immigrating to Salt Lake City. Others stayed in Franklin County, and melded into the community. I hope this clarifies things for you. Also FYI, the first Mormon Church meeting was held in the home of Peter Whitmer in Upper New York State (Fayette, NY) on April 6, 1830. The Whitmer family came out of Lancaster County, PA and were originally part of that prominent Mennonite family. You can see this family in our database at: http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi?op=GET&db=familyhart&id=I270960 It can probably be argued that the first Church Building for the Mormons that was specifically built for worship was in Kirkland, Ohio in 1831. A full history of the Mormon Church can be seen at: http://www.lds.org/churchhistory/history Thanks! Don & Jeanine Hartman FamilyHart http://midatlantic.rootsweb.com/familyhart/ Rootsweb List Admins for: Pennsylvania, PADutchGenONLY, Penna-Dutch, PAYork, PA-York-Gen, MD-Fred-Gen, MDWashin, Burket, Dierdorff, Gotshall, Glattfelder, Hartman, Kohr, Kaufman, Sturm USGENWEB CCs for: York Co., PA; Franklin Co., PA; Frederick Co., MD; Washington Co., MD