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Be One Celebration

“Only the comprehension of the true Fatherhood of God can bring full appreciation of the true brotherhood of men and the true sisterhood of women,” said President Russell M. Nelson at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ 40th anniversary celebration of the revelation on the priesthood. “That understanding inspires us with passionate desire to build bridges of cooperation instead of walls of segregation.”

Utah Historical Quarterly Redd Slave Histories is now available online.
For many years the family wondered about our connection to children of Venus and Chaney, the slaves of Elizabeth Hancock, John Hardison Redd's wife. The DNA evidence compiled in the past several years has not only revealed Redd ancestors but has given us knowledge about Redd descendants as well. It has been suggested the family could identify Venus' unmarked grave in Spanish Fork's City Cemetery and Chaney's unmarked grave in St. George.

Chaney's daughter Amy dies as a young woman and is buried with the Redds in the Spanish Fork Pioneer Heritage Cemetery.

In the last Redd Newsletter Celia Baker interviewed author of Redd Slave Histories Tonya Reiter.

Reiter’s discoveries about John Hardison Redd’s family have been circulating among Redd family members for years.

“For some, it has been a hard pill to swallow,” Reiter said. “The family looks up to John Hardison Redd as the initial Mormon — the one who joined the Church and brought them out to Utah. It has taken some convincing, but generally, everyone has been really welcoming and kind.”

The family organization wants to continue that trend and build bridges of cooperation and family unification.