5 How old was Emma Smith when Joseph Smith died? Joseph Smith, when asked, advised leaders to obtain properties where the Saints could collect rather than scatter, and he developed Nauvoo to be the next gathering place.[115]. The hymnbook she created included familiar favorites from other denominations and hymns newly written specifically for the Latter-day Saints. A few ancient metal plates that were described as being similar to the Mormon origin were discovered by archaeologists in recent years but the golden plates havent been found yet. About sixty individuals in that network restructured their everyday lives in or near Nauvoo and continued to follow Joseph Smith. . Don Carlos [her son], with his family and the remainder of his baggage, was crowded into a buggy, and went in the same company with us. They encountered continuous rains and had to travel through mud. The next morning our beds were covered with snow, Lucy said, and they were unable to light a fire. According to Emma's great-great-granddaughter, Gracia N. Jones, Governor ThomasFord and 60 of his men were dining in the Nauvoo Mansion House at 5:00 p.m. on June 27, 1844the approximate hour of Joseph and Hyrum's martyrdom. Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. [49] Brother Markham then drove the wagon back to Far West to bring others out. And even when people did leave, they left reverently, speaking only in whispers. Below Ill list the link that I found talking about it, although I cant guarantee their accuracy! The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. This most likely caused people to behave differently than they might have in gentler circumstances. [14] Autobiography of Anson Call, typescript, 13, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. Their difficult trip to Mississippi River took twelve days: We had snow and rain every day but 2. Their tough experiences produced definite impactsboth short- and long-termon Missouri and Illinois, on the course of the Church, and on individual members.[1]. [51] Elder Heber C. Kimball sent his family with the Youngs. [5] Meanwhile, a militia force headed to Adam-ondi-Ahman, made the Mormons there surrender, and on November 10 gave them ten days to relocate to Far West or elsewhere in Caldwell County. Twice she undertook to kill him. . February 11, 1843, is promoted as another date when Emma may have become aware of Joseph's plurality. At the time of the third printing, however, Vals bishop received a call from a higher-up in Salt Lake who said that two girls had written a book about Emma Smith and were not to be invited to speak about the topic in sacrament meetings. If that were the only document people used to learn about Joseph Smith and his life, they would naturally assume that he was married once, to Emma, and not to approximately three dozen other women. Emma Smith, first Relief Society President and wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, had many incredible and difficult experiences in her life. Susan Easton Black and Richard E. Bennett (Salt Lake City: Millennial Press, 2000), 134. Here Samuel had hired a house and we moved into it, with four other families.[53]. Either Brigham Young was not aware of Babbitt's propensity for alienating those around him or, like Joseph before him, he overlooked his faults because he needed his legal knowledge. Moroni first instructed Joseph to enlist his oldest brother, Alvin, to help him recover the plates. There can be no question, though, that she made sacrifices far beyond what most Mormons would be asked to make, and that she experienced more than her fair share of suffering. The Smith family. Josephs death occurred on 27 June 1844. During this time, their relationship improved and Joseph may have agreed to stop taking on additional wives. Its almost as if youre holding the hymnbook in your own hands. Five reasons best explain why Saints moved during winter conditions: (1) by January, armed patrols were showing up and threatening the Saints, so in the January 26 public meeting the people agreed to begin moving immediately; (2) the Saints had been told that Joseph Smith would not be released from prison until they all had left Missouri, so the sooner that happened, the better;[39] (3) individuals were running out of food and supplies; (4) in February, Far West experienced some stretches of weather that seemed favorable for traveling; and (5) wagons going to Illinois and then returning to take others needed four to six weeks to make the two trips before the late March deadline. Caroline suffered from dropsy, or painful swellings, and the cold intensified her pain. So, he said, Sold my cook stove and the only cow the mob had not killed. With that money he hired a man with a team to drive him, Lydia, and their three children east. During the vandalism spree, a great portion of the records of the committee, accounts, history, etc. Succeeded Smith as leader of the LDS Church. Imagine, then, her familys concern when she developed a fondness for Joseph Smith, who was from a poor farm family and had almost no formal educationjust that which his father had given him at home with a small amount of traditional schooling. Emma Hale Smith was the seventh of nine children. During November and December, Joseph C. Kingsbury and Caroline, his wife of two years, lived in a little cabin with meager provisions. Emma's brothers and sisters were all named after family members, either on her mother's side or her father's. Although their marriage was often troubled following the introduction of polygamy, Emma continued to care for Joseph. But in a series of new essays, it describes the now-banned practice in detail. This made the poisoning accusation plausible for him. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. [44] Ebenezer Robinson, Items of Personal History of the Editor, Including Some items of Church History Not Generally Known. Green, a Quincy innkeeper and cousin by marriage to Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, encouraged the Apostles and other Saints to come there. Emma and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter Day Saints. View our community standards here. On the Joseph Smith Papers website, readers can turn through the original hymnbook page by page. Joseph Smith's death on June 27, 1844, created tremendous upheaval for Emma. It was difficult, dramatic, sometimes harrowing, and only partly organized. We loaded up our little efects into a wagon and with one small pair of stears we started out with five children [ages twelve, nine, seven, four, and two] in our family and only one pair of shoes amongst them, Daniel wrote. He crossed the river and found some hundred of the brethren waiting for the new ferry boat to be completed, which was done the next day. She was not perfect, but what is amazing is that she was as perfect as she was given the powerful trials and persecutions she experienced. Health problems and deaths. Thomass version is in E. Kay Kirkham, Daniel Stillwell Thomas, Utah Pioneer of 1849, bound typescript, 26; wife Martha Pane Jones Thomass version in Kate Woodhouse Kirkham, ed., Daniel Stillwell Thomas Family History, bound typescript, n.d., n.p., 25; copies in authors possession. Why? It's not. Before long, typhoid fever came into West Lebanon and "raged tremendously.". Albert Rockwood and his family left Far West with another family on January 10. My family . Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. She wore it in a locket the rest of her life, even after she remarried. [79] In its March 2 issue, the Quincy Whig termed the Saints crossing the Mississippi River objects of charity. Because they had been thrown upon our shores destitute, through the oppressive people of Missouri, common humanity must oblige us to aid and relieve them all in our power.[80], On March 5, Bishop Partridge reported from Quincy to Joseph Smith, The people here receive us kindly and are willing that we should enjoy the privileges guaranteed to all civil people without molestation.[81], Joseph Sr. and wife Lucy rented a house or part of it on the northeast corner of Sixth and Hampshire streets. Emmas life was a complex one. A day or two later, a ferry finally dodged through the ice and brought the women and children across.[59]. The story of how the word of wisdom came to be is commonly told by the church and fairly simple (see this video), Emma was tired of cleaning up the tobacco after the School of the Prophets met together in her house. In May that year the Mormon History Association held their annual meetings there. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 27184. However, the hymns Emma selected were particularly special. [123] Butler denounced the hard-heartedness that Missourians had shown his wife and children and Church authorities. She worried if John had escaped Missouri or been caught. [79] Smith, History of the Church, 3:270. As they moved on they found camp fires and tent poles already struck nearly all the way after this, apparently provided by the Committee of Removal. Performance cookies are used to understand and analyze the key performance indexes of the website which helps in delivering a better user experience for the visitors. [27] Gentry, Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri, 41419. Her family stayed behind after the Saints went West, and Elizabeth eventually remarried, the same year that Emma remarried. We were not permitted to leave Far West, Anson Call said, only to get our firewood. Emmas role in Mormon history is as enigmatic as ever. A painting by C. C. A. Christensen, Exodus of the Saints from Missouri, is the only depiction the author has seen of winter exodus experience. He looked at Emma Smith's decision to remain in Nauvoo through the eyes of a therapist. She moved away from Nauvoo for a while to avoid danger, but eventually returned to her former home. That same day Latter-day Saint men assembled at the town square at bayonet point and, one by one, signed deeds that gave their land to the state of Missouri to pay the costs of the Mormon War. On November 6, soldiers took more prisoners and then ordered all Saints out of Missouri by spring. To add an RSC website shortcut to your home screen, open the website in the Safari browser. Exmormons are told to leave quietly with their tails between their legs. Who was the oldest president of the LDS Church? Copyright 1997-2023 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". So she made a deal with Abraham O. Smoot and Martha, his bride of three months. 3 The process, like so many other endeavors in her life, Emma and Joseph eloped on January 18, 1827, in South Bainbridge, New York, and then went to live with the Smith family. The river froze over & we were obliged to camp close to the river 3 days and nights before we could cross in the boat, 6 waggons were with us at the time.[41], By mid-January, Saints were leaving Far West daily. [120] Levi W. Hancock petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 225. Since he did father many children with Emma, parenthood was possible, but there is, at this time, no biological proof of traditional marriage relationships and the only accounts came from others, not the women or Joseph. At Far West on February 22, Eliza R. Snow reported that a man had just arrived from Illinois who had counted 220 wagons between Far West and the Mississippi.[60] If that figure is accurate, and if wagons helped transport an average of four people each, then the man had passed about a thousand Saints on the road. Emma died in Nauvoo on April 30, 1879, at age 75. A woman living in a nearby house ran to find out what was wrong. Mormon regard for Quincy. Throughout the years, she has remained a complex topic for both Mormons and non-Mormons. Why did God ask Emma Smith to accept the plates? Conflicts between church members and neighbors also continued to escalate, and eventually Young made the decision to relocate the church to the Salt Lake Valley. At Quincy, where some Church members lived, John taught school for a short period. -Stephanie. At least one man escaped west to Fort Leavenworth. At Adam-ondi-Ahman they obtained provisions from fellow Saints. We all just made it on the opposite bank when the ice started to snap and pile up in great heaps, and the water broke thru! [98] That summer the prisoners who had been at Richmond escaped confinement, except King Follett. When he reached the Clevelands, Emma recognized him as he dismounted from his horse and met him half way to the gate.[101], A Quincy newspaper reporter publicized the arrival of Joseph Smith and his prison companions, concluding with a favorable description of the Church President and Prophet: We had supposed from the stories and statements we had read of Jo Smith (as he is termed in the papers) to find him a very illiterate, uncouth sort of man; but from a long conversation, we acknowledge an agreeable disappointment. "There's an image for you: a dark-haired 23-year-old woman racing down a country road, her hair probably flying in the wind, in order to notify her husband of an impending emergency," Delewski said. Some of Emma's friends, as well as many members of the Smith family, alienated themselves from Young's followers. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of FAIR, its officers, directors or supporters. Events of the 1838 Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. The oxen they had left could not pull all the load, so Newel unloaded part of his and Brigham Youngs goods and left them in the care of a friendly resident. [125] Animosity toward Missourians by Mormons and by Missourians toward Mormons lasted for generations. to ignore it entirely. . Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Because the Missouri militia wanted to arrest him, he fled from home on November 2, leaving Caroline and the children to fend as best they could. the Gospel Doctrine manual for church history. Within three weeks, the press got wind of the authors ecclesiastical silencing and began to report about itthereby tripling sales of the book. [91] On April 18, when a group of anti-Mormons found him at the public square, they threatened to blow his brains out and tried to ride over him with their horses. Emma was the seventh of nine children. But the youngest wife sealed to Smith was only 14 years old when she married him . They reached Quincy on January 29 and found ourselves in a land of Freedom once more by the help of God and his blessings. Holbrook observed that brethren were continually coming to Quincy from the Missouri as I had done.[43] In late January, Ebenezer Robinson and three other men walked from Far West to Quincy through the snow.[44]. We have to look at her entire life, not just one portion of it. The religion he founded continues to the present day, with millions of global adherents. She compiled the first hymnbook. One is that Emma had lived her adult life moving from place to place and house to house, crossing frozen rivers and walking in lots of mud and snow. These may have been given as payment for teaching. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? The mormon church is excellent with marketing, so many assume it's just a slightly strange but happy family filled religion. That larger move was led by Brigham Young and other Apostles whose first tutorial about moving a mass of people came during the Missouri exodus. Her first three died so quickly they were not even named. We invite you to give back. They lived with his family and then with hers for a time. [61] That same day, Eliza R. Snow and relatives, who had wintered seven miles from Far West, started for Illinois. This was exactly what she had tried to institute herself as a theological agent in her own right, so much so that when the Reorganization was founded in the 1860s she declared that Joseph had never been married to anyone but herself. They passed Saints heading east, including Elder John E. Page, who turned around and joined them. I hope this helps too! They were enough to wear out any woman and if she, in the end, was tired of fighting her way through life, that can be understood. Sidney Rigdon had been released in January. With discomfort on both sides, she soon found herself outside the mainstream of the church. 1 Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? Another died young at age 26. Its an outstanding and award-winning biography that was the product of countless hours of primary research. 4 (2000): 622. I'll share specifics later, but I wanted to share some excellent resources for all of you to dive into to read and listen to church history from Clayton himself. Joseph Smiths parents tried to leave early in February, but Lucy said, Just as we got our goods into the waggon, a man came to us and said, that Sidney Rigdons family were ready to start, and must have the waggon immediately. A few visitors from Brigham Young's faction of the Latter-day Saints came from Utah Territory to visit Smith at this house. While living in Pennsylvania, she rode a horse to warn Joseph Smith of people coming after the gold plates. Brigham, after all, saw Emma as fighting against the man Brigham revered as the Prophet, and he knew that Emma knew that Joseph taught plural marriage. Required fields are marked *. . Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. To reach safety in Illinois, the closest state, they had to cross the broad Mississippi River, and Quincy had ferryboat facilities. [122] James Galligher Petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 218. [119] Henry Jackson petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 247. Innumerable able-bodied men needed jobs. Nontraditional. [13] Hartley, My Best for the Kingdom, 8284. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Newel Knight had a wagon but no team. When he was murdered, she bent over him and expressed her sorrow that they had taken him from her. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. . [94] Porter, Brigham Young and the Twelve, 14149. I could have commanded some two thousand dollars but now I had only 1 yoke of old oxen and 2 cows left.[20], Two families moved in with Newel Knights family. Her health partially returned, but she has never been able to work much since, her husband wrote in 1845. She was often anxious and sad, but she coped. When it entered his stomach he went to the door and threw it off. John later filed claim for the loss of 240 acres of land, three yoke of oxen, a corn crop, and hogs. To understand her, we have to place her in her own setting and time, not in our own. What does the L.M., C.M. " Delewski said. [Isaac] Streator, Feb. 22, 1839, in Eliza R. Snow Letter from Missouri, BYU Studies 13 (Summer 1973): 549. Joseph Knights son Newel was Joseph Smiths close friendthe Prophet had performed his and Lydias wedding in Kirtland, and he had no followers more loyal than Newel and Lydia. The animosity between Brigham Young and Emma had multiple grounds: personal, religious, and financial, Brigham also doubtless considered Emma dishonest and a liar because she continued to insist that her husband had never taught the doctrine of plural marriage, Brigham and Emma did not agree on the disposition of Joseph's estate. In September 1843, Emma was the first woman to receive the endowment. Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania. . President Sidney Rigdon, Bishop Edward Partridge, and a few others felt the Saints could avoid problems like the ones they had in Missouri by spreading out rather than gathering together into Latter-day Saint communities. Reaching the river, they joined Saints waiting to cross who had no shelter. In July 1830 the Lord outlined her mission, in a revelation: Thou art an elect lady, whom I have called. They asked a committee of Latter-day Saints to provide them facts about the needy. Heres what they have planned, Why the Christian flag can fly on this government flagpole, Breaking the fast: Eid ul-Fitr is an occasion of peace, The unique stories and struggles of Latino Muslims, The Black church, religious freedom and gay rights. We finally got across, and we were so glad, for before we reached the other side, the river had started to swell and break up. What are various methods available for deploying a Windows application? He and his friends traveled on foot. [80] The Mormons, Quincy Whig, March 2, 1839. After 17 years of marriage, Emma's second husband, Lewis Bidamon, had a child with another woman named Nancy Abercrombie. . In that revelation she was designed the "Elect Lady" which Joseph later explained means one elected "to preside.". Emma Hale Smith was the seventh of nine children. [30] John Taylor, Alanson Ripley, Brigham Young, Theodore Turley, Heber C. Kimball, John Smith (the Prophets uncle), and Don C. Smith (the Prophets brother). [92] Smith, History of the Church, 3:32223. 11. One Latter-day Saint and two Missourians were killed. [35], On February 11 the committee accepted applications for assistance, and the next day they appointed Theodore Turley to superintend the management of the teams provided for removing the poor. The plan was for some wagons to go east, unload passengers and belongings at the Mississippi, and then return empty to help others move out. Governor Boggs infamous extermination order remained a stain on Missouris character for 137 years until June 25, 1976, when Missouri governor Christopher S. Bond signed an executive order rescinding it. [110] Smith, History of the Church, 3:349. They had fulfilled the commandment. When Elizabeth died in childbirth, young Elizabeth Agnes was leftwith her stepfather and, soon after, a new stepmother. Add an RSC shortcut to this device's Homescreen, In the menu, scroll past any icons and tap. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. All rights reserved. The Church News asked Church historians to answer the question "What should Church members know about Emma Hale Smith?" Here's what they had to say: What did Emma Emma do for the LDS Church? In fear of threats that the bodies would be stolen or desecrated, coffins filled with sandbags were used in the public funeral of the two martyrs. Find out how to attend either in person or virtually: The winners of the Church History Museums 12th International Art Competition have been announced, and the artwork is breathtaking. [115] Joseph Smith and Others to Edward Partridge and the Church, March 25, 1839, in Times and Seasons, May 1840, 102, and July 1840, 13132. Later witnesses would be permitted to view the plates, but God asked Emma to accept them on faith, a testimony that God recognized her as a woman of great faith. Brigham had very little patience for those who demeaned or rejected Joseph; the difficulties that Joseph experienced with Emma can only have frustrated the loyal Brigham. [20] The Life of Joseph Holbrook, 18061871, typescript, 46, Perry Special Collections. Young put on board some of his goods into the wagon carrying the Knights, and both families resumed their journeys. Mental and emotional scars. What a cold night that was! Mosiah recalled: The next morning the river was frozen over with icegreat blocks of frozen ice all over the river, and it was slick and clear. [56], The Hammer family. Then, because it was planting season, they moved about ten miles out and rented a farm. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. They took what scanty provisions we could muster. They walked and slept under the sky. Emma Smith is one of the most fascinating characters of the Restoration. To do so, would be to act with extreme cruelty. [3], By October 1838, Newel and Lydia Knight and their three children were among the Saints living in and near Far West, the Churchs headquarters city. Her family was fairly well-off financially, and so Emma was well-educated for a woman of her time. A woman should give her greatest priority to her home: her husband, her family, and the opportunity to child-bearing. One of the other items was a photograph of a family member that was mislabeled as being Emma. The leather binding, the marbled inside cover, and the worn pages are beautiful and unforgettable. Whats especially interesting to me about the unfolding historiography of Emma Smith is that she herself would have been happy with the disappearance of polygamy and Josephs other wives from Mormonisms official party line. Its an improvement that shes discussed at all. "On three of these moves she had to leave behind most or all of her furniture. He referred to a handmade chart that showed the homes Emma Smith had during her 17-year marriage to Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith. The next day, Richards wrote that Joseph was "busy with domestic concerns." Levi Ward Hancock continued as a President of the Seventy, marched to California in the Mormon Battalion, was a pioneer in Manti and southern Utah, and served as a patriarch. Illinois law at the time held that no church could hold more than ten acres of property, and so much of the church's properties were held in Joseph's name. She was finally confirmed in August 1830. [75] Wandle Mace Autobiography, typescript, 3132, Perry Special Collections. Economic impact on Illinois and Iowa. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. "I will suggest that she didn't change. Since she left no journal, we dont really know what the entire truth about Emma Smith isbut we do know she was remarkable. On March 5, Bishop Edward Partridge reported in Quincy that ice had been running for three days so that no one could cross the Mississippi. The author analyzes such factors as social/political issues, gender, race . Both the Church and Joseph Smith personally were heavily in debt at the time of the martyrdom. They left Far West on February 14. The way that current materials deal with the conflict with Brigham Young is . A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints was published in 1835. In response, when Saints reached safety they began filling out petitions for redress and having them notarized by justices of the peace and court clerks in two counties in Iowa and ten in Illinois. [123], Ghost towns and farms. Years later, in the anti-Emma atmosphere of Utah, Brigham Young spoke of a meeting where Joseph accused his wife of slipping poison into his coffee. In a remarkable twist of irony, her version of history is increasingly the LDS Churchs as well. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. Five of her children survived to adulthood: Julia, Joseph III, Freddie, Alexander and David Hyrum. Leaders compiled these petitions and affidavits and presented them three times, possibly four, to U.S. president Martin Van Buren and to Congress, but the federal government refused to act on them.[109].
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