Juanita Brooks, in her history of Dudley Leavitt, notes that after the death of Jeremiah I, Sarah Shannon Leavitt continued to be a strong influence in her family. Sarah was very much concerned that her descendants live Christian lives by observing the Sabbath, attending to morning and evening prayers in their homes, reading and discussing the scriptures, doing good, helping those in distress, and walking up-rightly before their God. The whole Leavitt family wished to be part of a good Christian congregation, but they were never really satisfied with local congregations in Hatley.
During the early-1830s much was being said about a new church that was organized by a young man named Joseph Smith who professed to be a modern day prophet. The Prophet Joseph Smith testified that he had received revelations from God and had been given divine authority to perform saving ordinances. Joseph Smith also professed that he had been given ancient scriptures recorded on gold plates which he translated into English by the gift and power of God. This translation, known as the "Book of Mormon," is a record of prophets who lived in ancient America and has the divine purpose of being another witness of Christ. The Prophet Joseph Smith, under direction and authority from God, organized on April 6, 1830 at Fayette, NY, The Church of Christ subsequently called The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also nicknamed the Mormons). Thus, the ancient church that Jesus Christ had established in the meridian of time with divine authority, essential priesthood offices such as apostles and prophets, and doctrine received through divine revelation from God was once again restored to the earth.
In spite of intense persecution, this unique church grew very rapidly. By 1831 the Prophet Joseph Smith was sending missionaries to surrounding communities to preach this restored gospel. By 1835, there were branches of the church established in New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and west into Missouri. In 1836, one of the Church's early apostles, Parley P. Pratt, went on a mission to Canada where he preached and distributed copies of the newly published Book of Mormon along with a pamphlet that he wrote called "A Voice of Warning." While on this mission to Canada, Apostle Pratt concentrated his personal missionary labors in the Toronto area. He organized a large branch of the church in Toronto. From there missionary labors extended to other areas of eastern Canada.
The town of Hatley, Sherbrooke, Quebec, is about 300 miles east of Toronto. They had received word-of-mouth accounts of this new church and the reaction to these reports by the local people was mostly negative. Sarah Sturtevant Leavitt reports that one of her husband's sisters came to her and revealed that she had heard the gospel preached by a Mormon and believed it and had been baptized. Hannah's baptism is reported to have occurred in 1836. Hannah related to Sarah what she had been taught by the Mormon missionary. Sarah readily accepted these accounts as an answer to her own personal prayers. There is some question as to when these events occurred and specifically when the first Leavitts were baptized or officially joined the church. Charlotte Leavitt, Weare's second oldest child, in her autobiography, reports that she joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the spring of 1834. This would make Charlotte fifteen years old at her baptism. In other family histories, it is reported that Weare's family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1837, having been converted by Elder Hazen Eldredge. Charlotte may have joined the church before the rest of the family so both records may be correct.
Juanita Brooks in her history of Dudley Leavitt, reports that, eventually, a man came into Hatley who had attended Mormon gatherings and brought copies of the two books distributed by Apostle Pratt: "A Voice of Warning" and "The Book of Mormon." After some persuasion, he loaned these books to the Leavitt Family. Night after night the Leavitt family gathered to read these books aloud and discuss their contents. Jeremiah II reports that, " ... when we saw the Book of Mormon & Covenants we believed them without preaching."
So intense was the Leavitt family's belief that they were determined to leave their established homes and community to gather with others who also believed in this message of the restoration. The Leavitt families studied and gathered information and prepared for their journey to join with other believers. In 1837 there were two major gathering places for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The first was in Kirtland , Ohio, and the second was in western Missouri on the very edge of the United States' western frontier. The Leavitt family determined that they would all leave together. From the records that are available it appears as though the Leavitt family's primary goal was to reach Mormon communities in either Kirtland , Ohio or western Missouri. They may have also planned a stop at Twelve-Mile Grove, Illinois, where they stayed for several years. Twelve-mile Grove is located in Wilton Township, Will County, Illinois, about 40 miles south of Chicago and about 14 miles from Joliet. Many family histories have incorrectly referred to Twelve-Mile Grove as located in Wilson or Wilson County.
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