Historians Share What You Should Know about Emma Smith The biography Linda and Valeen published with Doubleday several years later was not so guarded, detailing Josephs many polygamous alliances, his repeated lies to Emma about those marriages, and her conflicts with his plural wivesincluding a much-debated stair-pushing catfight with Eliza R. Snow. She is known in Church history for being well educated and was able to act as a scribe for Joseph when he was translating the plates because of it. My mother called my legs pipe stems, and my arms straws! he said. She is remembered for her unrelenting strength and ability to overcome hardships. Why Did Emma Smith Remain in Nauvoo after the Death of Joseph Smith? Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, https://www.fairlatterdaysaints.org/answers/index.php?title=Question:_Why_did_Emma_Smith_and_Brigham_Young_dislike_one_another%3F&oldid=194300. Out went everything by the log, Martha said, the looking glass by a stump. That night Martha, soon to give birth, became ill, so Daniel rigged up a bed frame made of forked sticks and rope strands, and then drove in the frozen ground four six-foot poles topped by cross poles, hung quilts all around, and left openings at the bottom so the heat of the log fire would shine in to keep them warm. Events of the 1838 Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. Emma did, from time to time, offer approval of specific marriages. As one said, those who moved during the winter traveled in colde weather thinly clad and porly furnished with provisions.[40] Women without their husbands had harder times of it than those with husbands. Copyright 1997-2023 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Many wished to be associated with the prophet for the eternal blessings they felt this would bring. [71], Quincy is on the east bank of the Mississippi on a limestone bluff 125 feet above the river. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. The response, signed by Elias Higbee and John P. Greene, stated that if we should say what our present wants are, it would be beyond all calculation; as we have been robbed of our corn, wheat, horses, cattle, cows, hogs, wearing apparel, houses and homes. Twenty widows were entirely destitute. 3 The process, like so many other endeavors in her life, Joseph Smith Foundation director, author, film producer, speaker. The religion rapidly gained converts, and Smith set up . She also learned how to cook and be a good host when her parents ran a boarding house. Her mother-in-law, Lucy Mack Smith, said of her: I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue and hardship, from month to month, and from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, and patience, which she has ever done; for I know that which she has had to endure she has breasted the storms of persecution, and buffeted the rage of men and devils, which would have borne down almost any other woman.. She said she was sorry to see the Mormons suffer so much and be driven from their homes. The biography was an instant commercial success, selling out its first two printings. [107] In todays currency, that equals $52,325,000 total, or $77,000 per petitioner. Her first three died so quickly they were not even named. Emma was a significant part of the church while her husband was alive. Quincys compassion, noted historian Richard E. Bennett, saved the saints as a people and may even have saved the Church as an institution.[88], Assigned by the Committee of Removal, David Rogers visited Jackson County on March 15, sold Church properties, raised some $2,700, and brought the funds to Far West by mid-April. [40] [Auto]Biographical Sketch of George Washington Gill Averett, typescript, 8, in Miscellaneous Mormon Diaries, vol. . But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. . Thank you for your insight about and compassion for Emma, and for taking the time to write about and share it with us. The John Murdock family left on February 4 without any team or animal or carriage of any kind. They put Mrs. Murdock and the household furniture in a Brother Humphreys wagon. He told her that the judgments of God would come upon her forthwith if she did not repent. Reaching the river, they joined Saints waiting to cross who had no shelter. 6, p. 408-412 it records an "Address of the Prophet" on Sunday, May 26, 1844 where Joseph Smith states: "What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only . Louis. Modern Mormons are beginning to come to terms with Emma as the elect lady God declared her to be in a revelation, but a very real and human one at the same time who fought for God as long as she had to before choosing the calmer life she longed for. Ever since the Prophet Joseph died as a martyr in Carthage, Illinois, some Latter-day Saints have felt disappointment that Joseph's wife Emma did not go with the Church in the westward exodus of the Saints in 1846-47. [107] Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, xixxxvii. 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. Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr. (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1993), 27184. Because of his position in the Illinois militia, he was often referred to as "Major" Bidamon. What Is the CES Letter? - Saints Unscripted 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. On four she had to move because of disruption caused by neighbors. Much business of consequence was accomplished during the day, Elder Woodruff noted, adding, It truly gave us great Joy to once more sit in conference with Br. [121] James Galligher claimed he was exposed to the weather in which sickness followed & the loss of one of my Children.[122] Innumerable such examples can be cited. One of the other items was a photograph of a family member that was mislabeled as being Emma. Emma raised her as her own daughter, and Elizabeth Agnes eventually married Emma's biological son, Alexander Hale Smith. Why Did Emma Smith Remain in Nauvoo after the Death of Joseph Smith [17] Dean C. Jesse and David J. Whittaker, The Last Months of Mormonism in Missouri: The Albert Perry Rockwood Journal, BYU Studies 28 (Winter 1988): 2729. We invite you to give back. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. [64] History of Zera Pulsipher As Written by Himself, typescript, 1516, Perry Special Collections. And Brigham, his relationship with Emma strained at best, did not bother to separate the inflammatory rhetoric of Babbitt's letters from the less dramatic probabilities. . These hymns had a great influence on the Saints during the early days of the Church. Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. So adamant was Emma on this point that the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held it as an article of faith, and Emma's children never accepted the idea that Joseph had instituted plural marriage. At least one man escaped west to Fort Leavenworth. She wrote to him that only God knew how hard it was for her to flee her home with her children, abandoning all her possessions and leaving her husband to endure whatever was to come. why did emma smith leave the lds church - ptitbuilding.com My God is it you Bro. Its an outstanding and award-winning biography that was the product of countless hours of primary research. had not heard anything from me during this time, neither dare I write to [them].[68], At a March 17 meeting, Saints in Quincy heard a letter read from the Committee of Removal in Far West asking for teams & money for the removing of fifty families of poor Saints from far west to Quincy.[69] On March 29 the committee in Quincy wrote to their counterparts in Far West sympathizing with their extreme labor and travail to move out the last poor Saints. What are various methods available for deploying a Windows application? The refinement, the charity of our age, will not brook it. And when people say she was wrong for remaining in Nauvoo, they are implying they know what she should have done," Richard Delewski said at the Sunstone Symposium on Aug. 13. . Emma knew better, but she also knew that a polygamous history would not serve her needs. The Butler and Smoot families. Who is the Real Emma Smith? - Prophet Joseph Smith She moved from Pennsylvania to New York to Ohio to Missouri and then Illinois. We will look forward to reading more of your work. Sidney Rigdon had been released in January. William G. Hartley was a professor emeritus of history at Brigham Young University when this was published. Deseret News Archives, Deseret News Archives. And where shall they be sent? the newspaper asked. [117] Benjamin F. Johnson observed that during the rest of 1839 in the Nauvoo area, the people had flocked in from the terible exposures of the past and Nearly every one was Sick with intemitant or other fevers of which many diedIn this time of great Sickness poverty & death.[118] Henry Jackson claimed the Marchs Stormy blasts of Snow & rain so affected his Sight that he was not able to work.[119] The exodus caused considrable sickness for the Levi Hancock family.[120] Mosiah Hancock, the boy who had crossed the Mississippi ice barefoot, was an emaciated lad for many months. [109] Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, xixxxvii. [19] John P. Greene, Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints from the State of Missouri, Under the Exterminating Order (Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839), 8. Five of her children survived to adulthood: Julia, Joseph III, Freddie, Alexander and David Hyrum. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? - YouTube "Joseph did not marry a wilting violet," Delewski said. Winter exposure and food shortages in Caldwell County and during exodus caused health problems for many and a host of deaths during 1839. Unlike the majority of Latter Day Saints, Emma Smith did not follow Brigham Youngs suggestion that the Latter Day Saints leave Nauvoo and settle in the Salt Lake Valley in present-day Utah. [84] Aroet Hale, Autobiography, typescript, 6, Perry Special Collections. At the time, the First Presidency consisted of Joseph Smith, Sidney Rigdon, and Hyrum Smith, who had replaced Frederick G. Williams as second counselor in the First Presidency in November 1837. . Emma, be patient, you shall have all of your children, he assured her gently. Six of 11 children had died: Alvin, twins Thadeus and Louisa, Joseph Murdock, Don Carlos and Thomas. It notes, Many of them crossed into Illinois at Quincy and were made welcome by the people here. In recent years, several related commemoration events have taken place in Quincy.[113]. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. "As a therapist, based on these words alone, I would have to say, 'Why would anyone even ask why she remained in Nauvoo?' Emma did, from time to time, offer approval of specific marriages. . Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. Her judgment lies in God's hands, not in ours or Brigham Young's. It is possible that polygamy would have come more easily if it had not been added to an already extraordinary number of other trials and if she had not been the first wife to face it in the Church. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". 'I'm not lost. If anything, I'm found': 3 Alberta women share - CBC 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. Some participants in the Missouri exodus vented powerful feelings of anger, horror, outrage, and persecution. Joseph Smith and the Latter Day Saints leadership had always asked for help from the US government. He referred to a handmade chart that showed the homes Emma Smith had during her 17-year marriage to Mormon Prophet Joseph Smith. It does not store any personal data. Emma and Josephs descendants grew up separated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Emmas life was a complex one. Donate to us by shopping at Amazon at no extra cost to you. [24] James Carroll Petition in Clark V. Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions: Documents of the 18331838 Missouri Conflict (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University, 1992), 155; see biographical sketch in Donald Q. Cannon and Lyndon W. Cook, eds., Far West Record (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1983), 252. "Remember, Emma was a woman of refinement and education. During the vandalism spree, a great portion of the records of the committee, accounts, history, etc. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Given these losses, it appears to me that Emma managed quite well.". After Alvin's untimely death, Joseph was told his replacement would be revealed by revelation. Provo, UT 84602 In the meantime, Emma assumed that because these men represented the Twelve they acted on direct orders from Brigham. During Sunday dinner on November 5, Joseph became ill, rushed to the door, and vomited so violently that he dislocated his jaw. However, I discovered there was a different attitude about Emma. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. Also, three men were sent to locate possible settlement sites up the Mississippi River in Illinois. John Murdock's wife also dies after delivering twins the same day. Newel said, Bro. When we came to within six miles of the Mississippi river, the weather grew colder, and, in the place of rain we had snow and hail. They walked six miles across low and swampy ground, sinking to their ankles in mud. Are Joseph and Emma Smiths descendants Latter-day Saints? Why did Ema Smith leave the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints The Saints exodus from Nauvoo took place a year and a half later, leaving Emma, a 41-year-old widow, with her aged mother-in-law, Lucy Mack Smith, and five children, ranging in age from fourteen years to fifteen months old, to care for. [102] See Missouri Republican (St. Louis), May 3, 1839. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. To his military leaders, it decreed, The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good.[2] Four days later, that order reached Church leaders and members in northwest Missouri. When asked if he had read the biography, Elder Oaks said he had seen several excerpts from it, and found that the authors views of Joseph Smith were nontraditional.. 4 (2000): 622. [70], Saints chose to go to Quincy for several reasons. 2022 FAIR Conference videos are now available to watch! At Huntsville, the driver said his horses could not go on, so the Knights unhitched the wagon and camped. 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. 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 did Emma Smith opt to stay in Nauvoo? - Deseret News [26], Some opinions downstate held that Mormons would not have to leave at all. When the boy, Charles, was 4 years old, Emma took him in and raised him as her own. [22] William Huntington Diary, 7; Lyndon W. Cook, Joseph C. Kingsbury: A Biography (Provo, UT: Grandin Book, 1985), 61. [22] Aroet Lucius Hale, age ten, recalled that while his father was helping others, My dear mother was lying sick in a wagon box in a tent.[23] James Carroll said that his family had to remain in an open frame in the Cold weather when the Snow fell in torrents and would Blow upon us in the Night and we with our Little ones would have to Crawl out of our Beds while the[y] were Coverd frequently with Snow that would blow in to the frame from the north and we had to endure it.[24] William F. Cahoon said, Both me and my family Suffred much on account of Could & hunger because we was not permitted to go out Side of the guard to obtain wood and provision.[25], After her husband John left, Caroline Butler faced three difficult tasks. And the last words out of Brighams mouth, and he died before Emma, were Joseph,' Elggren said. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. On 23 December 1847, Emma Smith married Lewis Bidamon, who was not a member of the Church. It was that she hated polygamy and flatly refused to countenance its presence among the Mormon people. In honor of the 175th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, LDS Living is sharing a series of articles about early Church history and some of its key figures. We reserve the right to not approve any comments that do not meet our community standards. Your email address will not be published. Triggered by Missouri governor Lilburn Boggss October 1838 extermination order against them, some ten thousand Saints engaged in a mass exodus, many going to Quincy, Illinois. [58], The Butlers and Smoots reached the Mississippi on March 10 or 11. [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. Is probably the most famous Latter Day Saint polygamist with 55 wives. She is known in Church history for being well educated and was able to act as a scribe for Joseph when he was translating the plates because of it. Why did God ask Emma Smith to accept the plates? Answer (1 of 10): At the time of her husbands death, not much changed. Along the way, he said he had to stop among strangers with my daughter who had given birth to a child on the prairie.[64] Elisha Whiting said his family was driven in the month of March through cold storms of snow and rain, having to make our beds on the cold wet ground which when we arose in the morning we often found drenched with water and then obliged to load our wet bedding into the waggon and move slowly forward.[65], About March 18, Wilford Woodruff, in Quincy and newly back from a mission, went to the river and looked across and saw a great many of the Saints, old and young, lying in the mud and water, in a rainstorm, without tent or covering. The poem praised those Who have put forth your liberal hand to meet / The urgent wants of the oppressd and poor! In 1841 Joseph and Hyrum Smith and Sidney Rigdon, the First Presidency, issued a proclamation of appreciation, saying, It would be impossible to enumerate all those who in our time of deep distress, nobly came forward to our relief and like the good Samaritan poured oil into our wounds and contributed liberally to our necessities as the citizens of Quincy en masse and the people of Illinois generally seemed to emulate each other in the labor of love.[112], In Quincys Washington Park stands a simple historical marker erected in 1976 to memorialize the Saints exodus.