Joseph Smith's distant relations.

In many of the mormon histories I have read there appears to be a pattern in early missionary work. Early branches of the church were formed when missionaries would travel to a place where Josoph Smith had relatives. One case in point was the Pontiac Michigan Branch. Hyrum Smith and others went there to share the gospel with his mother's family in 1831. Lucy's brother, Stephen Mack, had founded the city of Pontiac and his widow and children still lived there. His daughter Almira had already joined the church while visiting Lucy in New York. Ultimately, they did not receive his message, but others who heard the message did. Aftre Hyrum anf his companions left Lucy stayed behind to visit relatives and fellowship the new members. These early members asked Lucy to have the church send another missionary, preferably in nice clothes this time. Lucy made sure the next missionary (Jared Carter) was better dressed. By October 1834 there is a branch there large enough (reportedly over a hundred members) that Joseph Smith and several other church leaders make a special visit.

All this makes me wonder how many other early church branches may have been connected to Joseph Smith's family.