[30] A second meeting on January 29 heard a partial report from the committee, after which Brigham Young proposed that Saints covenant to stand by and assist each other to the utmost of our abilities in removing from the state, and that we will never desert the poor who are worthy until they are safely out of state. [52] Heber C. Kimball Journals, 18381839, in Porter, Brigham Young and the Twelve, 134. 8 What did Emma Emma do for the LDS Church? In Daviess County on Caldwell Countys north side, Saints had begun building about 150 log houses at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and as many as 1,500 Saints in total lived in Daviess County. [57] Quoted in Lyman O. Littlefield, Reminiscences of Latter-day Saints (Logan, UT: Journal Company Printers, 1888), 7273. "When Emma died, she was surrounded by her family and friends. She, in turn, was instructed by Joseph to officiate in these ordinances for the women, which she did until shortly before his martyrdom. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); The Mormon Church distributes free copies of the King James Version of the Bible and the Book of Mormon. Succeeded Smith as leader of the LDS Church. And where shall they be sent? the newspaper asked. Under these conditions, one could reasonably conclude that she did not travel west in order to avoid losing any more of her children. She was told that her calling was to be a support and comfort to . That night at the prayer meeting, Richards, wrote in code that Joseph and Emma did not dress in the usual special clothing, a sign they were too much at odds to participate. While living in Pennsylvania, she rode a horse to warn Joseph Smith of people coming after the gold plates. John Lowe Butler, thirty, and wife Caroline, twenty-six, converts in Kentucky three years earlier, lived in Mirabile just south of Far West with their four children. She endured the jeering and insults of mobs. I am blown away at how single-handedly he is responsible for the majority of what we know about the Nauvoo years and the very adventurous last few years of Joseph Smith's life. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. 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. 1856Emma takes in orphaned Elizabeth Agnes Kendall, eight years old, and rears her as her own daughter . Then he had to be very careful for days to avoid capture. To fulfill their instruction, some members of the Twelve left Quincy on April 18, 1839, to travel secretly to Far West. Hi Nathan, thanks for your interest in Emma Smiths hymnbook! Time and again, she was uprooted, often without warning and frequently without time to pack her belongings. They received them as they came, sent forward all who had means and strength into the interior, provided the poor and sick with lodgings, fuel, food and clothing.[74] Wandle Mace opened his house to the refugees. 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. 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: [11] Charles C. Rich, A Sketch that I was an eye witness to in the state of Missouri, holograph, Charles C. Rich Papers, Church History Library, Salt Lake City. In fact, he generally took another man with him or even asked a father or brother to approach the woman. That morning we crossed over to Quincy, Illinois. Bishop Partridge felt the poor could be better served if scattered in various communities and not gathered in one place. They reached the bank of the Mississippi in eight days and found the river frozen over. The religion rapidly gained converts, and Smith set up . She carried two children while two others hung on to her skirt. While in Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith had instructed them to compile statements and affidavits about their losses and sufferings with the design of securing redress from the federal government for the losses they suffered in Missouri (Doctrine and Covenants 123:113). When morning came, he and Abraham Smoot crossed to Quincy, leaving their families with the wagon. Mormon Church Admits Founder Joseph Smith Had Up To 40 Wives : The Two-Way : NPR. The cookie is set by the GDPR Cookie Consent plugin and is used to store whether or not user has consented to the use of cookies. 185 Heber J. Deseret News Archives, Deseret News Archives. [98] Alex Baugh, We Took a Change of Venue for the State of Illinois: The Gallatin Hearing and the Escape of Joseph Smith and the Mormon Prisoners from Missouri, April 1839, in A City of Refuge, 3166. [28] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 8. Why did Emma Smith opt to stay in Nauvoo? [122] James Galligher Petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 218. Enter your email to receive updates on our LDS Living content, 2022 LDS Living A Division of Deseret Book Company, The Joseph Smith and Emma Hale Smith Historical Society, There is room for my brown paper-doll family: 2 gospel truths I learned as a young girl that carry my faith, Special Church Historians Press symposium to highlight women, religion, and records, See the stunning winners of the Churchs International Art Competition. Terrie, you are a treasure. [90] Diaries of William Huntington, 8; Isaac Leany Petition in Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, 485. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. In time, most of the houses were torn down for firewood or hauled away. To reach safety in Illinois, the closest state, they had to cross the broad Mississippi River, and Quincy had ferryboat facilities. Mother followed the cart carrying my little brother, Francis Marion in her arms. Barefooted Mosiah tried to follow in her tracks. A little girl, Amy, rode in the cart and felt bad that the others had to tramp through the snow.[45] At the Mississippi River they camped, and Oh! Emma crossed the ice carefully, walking apart from the wagon. 4, Missouri (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004), 28889, 361, 402. These hymns had a great influence on the Saints during the early days of the Church. "Some people might say that something about her changed, and that is why she did not come to Salt Lake Valley," Delewski said. Emma certainly made errors in judgment, as do we all. In December 1838 and early January 1839, the Missouri state legislature, by a close vote, refused to overturn Governor Boggss extermination order. Which is another way of saying that a particular view of history does not suit institutional needs in the moment. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". John P. Greene reported that during the months of February and March, the Mormons who were already in Quincy, formed a committee among themselves, to aid to the best of their power the committee of Far West in giving assistance to their suffering brethren. 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. My mother called my legs pipe stems, and my arms straws! he said. [51] Ronald K. Esplin, The Emergence of Brigham Young and the Twelve in Mormon Leadership, 18301841 (PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1981), 370; Times and Seasons, September 1840, 165. [117] Weakened by the rigorous trek in midwinter after the severe ordeal of persecution in Missouri, the exiles who were camped along the Mississippi River began to feel the effects of the hardships such that almost every family succumbed to the ague and bilious fever (Ivan J. Barrett, Joseph Smith and the Restoration [Provo, UT: BYU Press, 1973], 439). When pressed, Lindas bishop admitted he had received a similar call. At the time, perhaps ten thousand Mormons were concentrated in two particular counties. [123] Butler denounced the hard-heartedness that Missourians had shown his wife and children and Church authorities. When the two authors began piecing together Emmas life, there was only one small manila folder about her in the entire LDS Archives. [54] The Saints Petition to Congress, November 1839, in Smith, History of the Church, 4:2438; the mention of bloody footsteps is on p. 36. [71] In 1837 the population was 1,653 according to Pat. [100] Stanley B. Kimball, The Saints and St. Louis, 18311857: An Oasis of Tolerance and Security, BYU Studies 13 (Summer 1973): 489519. Abraham agreed to drive the Butlers wagon and two-horse team for Caroline, and Caroline let the Smoots put their baggage in the Butler wagon. . At Quincy, where some Church members lived, John taught school for a short period. She seems, among other things, to have been worried about providing for her children, as well as protecting them from the violence which had claimed Joseph. Finally, Brigham was Joseph's successor, and Emma challenged that succession by supporting her son, Joseph Smith III, as the 'proper' leader, and as one who would not teach the hated doctrine of polygamy (which Emma falsely claimed Brigham had foisted on the Church). All Rights Reserved. At Adam-ondi-Ahman they obtained provisions from fellow Saints. Analytical cookies are used to understand how visitors interact with the website. Other scribes would do the majority of the translation, but she filled in as needed. 6 What did Lucy Mack Smith say about Emma Smith? Why? [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. 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. However, she was never really an active member of that church, nor did she become active in any other church. Anson Call. The last words out of Emmas mouth when she died were Joseph. In an essay published on its website quoting "careful estimates", the church said the wives. This article examines the results of the Religious Landscape Study conducted in 2014 by the Pew organization, looking specifically at information related to the questions of who is leaving The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, why they leave, where they go, and what factors seem to contribute to their exodus. John said that Quincy residents generally were kind to the Saints all over the place. The Butlers stayed in Quincy for three or four weeks. Her first three died so quickly they were not even named. A Comfort unto My Servant, Joseph. Women of faith in the latter days. Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on 23 December 1805, in Sharon, Vermont. In addition to grieving the loss of her husband, she was expecting their final child. [100], In the morning of April 22, Dimick Huntington, at Emma Smiths request, went down to the rivers edge to inquire about news from the west, and spotted the Prophet. Caroline Butler, whose husband had fled Missouri in November, couldnt care for her four young children, ages seven years to two months, and drive her wagon at the same time. In May that year the Mormon History Association held their annual meetings there. . 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]. John Murdock's wife also dies after delivering twins the same day. [70], Saints chose to go to Quincy for several reasons. They got some better, Caroline said. She also learned how to cook and be a good host when her parents ran a boarding house. Her husband was arrested, essentially for being Mormon, leaving her alone to care for her children. Joseph quickly shut the door when he heard Emma coming, but Emma kept knocking and called out Eliza's . It was enough to make the heart ache to see the children, sick with colds, and crying around their mothers for food, whilst their parents were destitute of the means of making them comfortable.[21], Northwest Missouri winters can be harsh. [36] With Joseph Smiths approval, leaders in Far West decided to sell Church properties in Jackson County to help raise money for the exodus. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2011. By October 1839, King Follett had his trial, and because the charges of robbery were unsubstantiated, he was set free. Many of them started from scratch and built up religious communities in Illinois and Iowa. 16, Lee Library, 67; Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. Im interested in seeing which traditions she drew from. They organized into a company with Rich as captain. The large body of displaced Saints became an economic force and political presence in Illinois and Iowa Territory. Accordingly, our goods were taken out. They waited until another team came for them. All the same, she continued to have a testimony of his role as a prophet and she carried out her duties faithfully. At other times, she found she could not handle the choices she had made, much as Sarah in the Old Testament first encouraged her husband to marry her handmaiden and then discovered it was more than she was prepared to handle. It's dangerous and it ruins lives, even if the members don't understand that that's what's happening to them. By primitive Missouri roads, the distance from Far West to Quincy was about 180 miles. Though Joseph died at a young age, Julia was raised by Emma to adulthood. At night they would build fires if they could find firewood. He finally broke with all organized religion. Since she left no journal, we dont really know what the entire truth about Emma Smith isbut we do know she was remarkable. In 1842, when the Ladies' Relief Society of Nauvoo was formed as a . I have witnesses of this scene all around, who can testify that I am now telling the truth. Taking a direction shown him by the Spirit, Samuel and two others found a wigwam where an Indian woman baked cakes for all the company. When eternal marriage was first introduced, many families carried out sealings with friends and those they wanted to be eternally associated with, not entirely understanding what the revelation meant. She moved away from Nauvoo for a while to avoid danger, but eventually returned to her former home. The next morning our beds were covered with snow, Lucy said, and they were unable to light a fire. 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. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. 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. 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. But the way Emmas story is carefully sculpted reveals as much about gender expectations and religious norms in our own era as it did when Brigham Young declared her mormona non grata. [80] The Mormons, Quincy Whig, March 2, 1839. Sidney Rigdon had been released in January. [73] Bennett, Quincythe Home of Our Adoption, 86. There was scarcely a day while we were on the road that it did not either snow or rain, son John said. [49] Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984), 79. On March 21 Wilford Woodruff said the apostolic company passed through Huntsville and found the roads were full of Saints that were fleeing Missouri.[93] On April 24 they met three members of the Committee of Removal who had just been driven from Far West, who also joined them. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. When the family arrived opposite Quincy, they became ice bound for two weeks. While they waited, a Brother Brunson came from Quincy and asked campers to donate their outfits to go back and assist in removing the poor. She later married Major Lewis Bidamon, who had supported the Mormons during the trials, but was not a member. Newel prayed for help, for I knew not how to extricate myself but as I had never been forsaken by my Heavenly Father I commited myself and family into his care. For a week they were stranded, but finally a man asked his son to drive the Knights the rest of the way. More than 1,400 descendants of 1839 exiled Mormons came to Quincy and, attired like pioneers, represented their ancestors and walked across the Memorial Bridge to reach Quincy from Missouri. But only three of the two dozen adults in Knight family network faltered. While living at the Morley farm near Kirtland, Emma Smith gives birth to twins, who die shortly after birth. The CES Director apparently never got around to responding. 3 The process, like so many other endeavors in her life, [33] They sent agents eastward to deposit corn for Saints to use along the way, to contract for ferries, and to ensure security for the travelers. [107] In todays currency, that equals $52,325,000 total, or $77,000 per petitioner. [34] Smith, History of the Church, 3:255. . A storehouse of historical documents and records. During that period, the place was a hive of activity; Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, and Oliver Cowdery were boarding with the Whitmers, and other people (including curiosity-seekers) were constantly coming and going. After Alvin's untimely death, Joseph was told his replacement would be revealed by revelation. 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. [98] That summer the prisoners who had been at Richmond escaped confinement, except King Follett. The lack of a legal will placed both the Church and Emma's family in uncertain financial conditions. View our community standards here. Health problems and deaths. And even when people did leave, they left reverently, speaking only in whispers. In July 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation addressed specifically to Emma. He sealed that witness with his life. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. On the anniversary of her birth, which. February 11, 1843, is promoted as another date when Emma may have become aware of Joseph's plurality. [20] The Life of Joseph Holbrook, 18061871, typescript, 46, Perry Special Collections. Church Service When Joseph returned to Harmony, he received a revelation for Emma, now known as Doctrine and Covenants 25, calling her an elect lady and encouraging her to comfort and support Joseph in his afflictions. [32] The committee surveyed the needs and weighed requests for help. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". They restarted on February 14 and reached the Mississippi two weeks later, on March 1, where they camped and waited for more than a week.[47]. On 23 December 1847, Emma Smith married Lewis Bidamon, who was not a member of the Church. 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. Scores of Church members were living there, including Mary Jane York, William Hickman, John P. Greene, and Wandle Mace. In July 1830 the Lord outlined her mission, in a revelation: Thou art an elect lady, whom I have called. Levis nearly five-year-old son Mosiah recalled, The snow was deep enough to take me to the middle of the thigh, and I was bare footed and in my shirt tail. They hitched their horse old Tom to the cart, Mosiah said, and father drove the horse and carried the rifle on his shoulder. Brigham interpreted Emma's refusal to answer as an admission of guilt.. Joseph Smith Foundation director, author, film producer, speaker. [84] Aroet Hale, Autobiography, typescript, 6, Perry Special Collections. The Thomas family. This website is not owned by or affiliated with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (sometimes called the Mormon or LDS Church). Bidamon married Nancy Sebree in 1827, with whom he had four children. [51] Elder Heber C. Kimball sent his family with the Youngs. He attended school as they courted, trying to live up to her. During November and December, Joseph C. Kingsbury and Caroline, his wife of two years, lived in a little cabin with meager provisions. ", Delewski said, "If someone with Emma's experience came to me, I would talk about these deaths and see what effects sorrow had had upon her. 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. Adams County, organized in 1825, was named after John Quincy Adams, who that year became Americas sixth president, and the town of Quincy received his middle name. FAIR is controlled and operated by the Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research (FAIR). Joseph.[103] Perrigrine Sessions said that Joseph being there gave us much joy to see his face among the Saints and here the voice of inspiration that flowed from his lips this caused our drooping spirits to revive as we were like sheap with out a shepherd that had been scatered in a cloudy and dark day.[104] After Joseph heard the congregation enthusiastically sing the hymn Zion, City of Our God, Wandle Mace observed that Joseph rose to speak but had difficulty controlling his emotions: To look upon the Saints who had been driven from their homes, and scattered as they were, among strangers, without homes, robbed of everything, and to see them under all these trying circumstances assemble to this General Conference from all the region around, and sing of Zion, the city of our God, with so much spirit, showing their love and confidence in the gospel, and the pleasure he felt in meeting with them. [104] Donna Toland Smart, Exemplary Elder: The Life and Missionary Diaries of Perrigrine Sessions, 18141893 (Provo, UT: BYU Studies and Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History, 2002), 43. They developed communities, farms, roads, livestock herds, commerce, and trade in parts of Adam and Hancock counties, Illinois, and in Lee County, Iowa. We all use history to suit our purposes, and Emma simply did not suit the purposes of the LDS Church in the years following her husbands death. Emma died peacefully in the Nauvoo House on April 30, 1879 at the age of 74. 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.

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