[101] Cited in Baugh, We Took Our Change of Venue, 52. Other scribes would do the majority of the translation, but she filled in as needed. [15] Hartley, Stand by My Servant Joseph, 291; Reed Peck, Reed Peck Manuscript (Salt Lake City: Modern Microfilms reprint, n.d.), 29. They asked a committee of Latter-day Saints to provide them facts about the needy. In a remarkable twist of irony, her version of history is increasingly the LDS Churchs as well. 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. [108] The extended Knight familys losses were at least $14,562, or about $320,000 in todays currency. Exmormons are told to leave quietly with their tails between their legs. Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania. [10] They crossed the icy Mississippi River, some at Quincy, where Charles C. Rich said, We found friends and was kindly received.[11], Another half dozen Mormon militiamen led by Dimick Huntington left separately. 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. He instructed them to have the women pray about the request. I now saw my little daughter, Nancy Jane, for the first time about two months old. [4] William G. Hartley, Stand by My Servant Joseph: The Story of the Joseph Knight Family and the Restoration (Salt Lake City: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History at Brigham Young University and Deseret Book, 2003); and William G. Hartley, Newel and Lydia Bailey Knights Kirtland Love Story and Historic Wedding, BYU Studies 39, no. [18], Far West was ill equipped to become a refugee center for Saints displaced by Missouri militia. A decision to continue to gather. Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. What experience do you need to become a teacher? . William E. McLellin, apostle and apostate, died in Independence, Jackson County, Missouri, April 24, 1883, and is buried in Woodlawn Municipal Cemetery of the same city. [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. 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. Deseret News Archives, Deseret News Archives. Mary Audentia Smith Anderson. Emma was the seventh of nine children. Baggage filled the wagon, so Martha and Caroline sometimes took turns riding next to Abraham, the driver, while the other walked with and carried children. Your email address will not be published. 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. [13], During November 1838, Latter-day Saint settlements in Caldwell and Daviess counties endured a military occupation. [56] Daniel Stillwell Thomas Family History, 2729. Why? That party came to include Brigham Young, Orson Pratt, and John Taylor. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. When the river opened, the Thomases used two boats to move their effects across, while Daniel and son Morgan, twelve, stayed behind to ferry the cow across later. "Every symptom of poison," Richards noted in Joseph's diary. [73], Church members living in Quincy and nearby tried to help the refugees when they crossed the river. On the anniversary of her birth, which. Twice she undertook to kill him. . Abraham O. Smoot became mayor of Salt Lake City and then Provo, president of the Utah Stake, and a promoter of Brigham Young Academy. Three or four Latter-day Saint families lived in his houses adjoining the Butlers, and the man treated them all with kindness, which seemed a new thing to us, John confessed. The group then included one man, two women, and children ages seven, four, three, and one. appoint the oldest of those of the Twelve, who were first appointed, to be the president of your quorum., Brigham Young was the senior Apostle, hence the presiding Church officer on the ground. Her husband Joseph Smith had been killed in 1844, and after his death Emma Smith decided to remain in Nauvoo. 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. Her husband was arrested, essentially for being Mormon, leaving her alone to care for her children. Their tough experiences produced definite impactsboth short- and long-termon Missouri and Illinois, on the course of the Church, and on individual members.[1]. [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. After Joseph Smith died, Emma Smith moved away from Nauvoo for about six months before returning. She had no example to follow and no real support group, as later women would have. and P.M. refer to at the beginning of each hymn? 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: were destroyed or lost.[92], A year earlier, Joseph Smith had received a commandment for the Twelve to leave for missions over the great waters from the Far West temple site on April 26, 1839 (Doctrine and Covenants 118). 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. Further, the committee agreed to find employment for those able and willing to labor. Richard Neitzel Holzapfel and Kent P. Jackson (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center, Brigham Young University; Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2010), 34790. Mormon regard for Quincy. 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. 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. However, she was never really an active member of that church, nor did she become active in any other church. That is her divine mission. With discomfort on both sides, she soon found herself outside the mainstream of the church. The next morning our beds were covered with snow, Lucy said, and they were unable to light a fire. The Thomases complied. Thank you for your insight about and compassion for Emma, and for taking the time to write about and share it with us. [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. Babbitt would make Brigham's requests to Emma sound abrupt and thoughtless, and her responses to him selfish and defensive.[5]. 343-362. Emma, however, was the only sibling not to inherit a family name. "When Emma died, she was surrounded by her family and friends. Her health partially returned, but she has never been able to work much since, her husband wrote in 1845. [94] Porter, Brigham Young and the Twelve, 14149. Some participants in the Missouri exodus vented powerful feelings of anger, horror, outrage, and persecution. 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. Then he had to be very careful for days to avoid capture. At Huntsville, the driver said his horses could not go on, so the Knights unhitched the wagon and camped. At the same time, much of the Church's debt was held by Joseph as a private citizenthus, Emma was liable for Joseph/the Church's debts, but had a less clear claim on the Church's lands that Joseph held as Trustee-in-Trust.[3]. [39] Joseph Holbrook said that Saints understood that if the Church would make haste and move as fast as possible it would [do] much to the relieve our brethren who were now in jail as our enemies were determined to hold them as hostages until the church left the state so that every exertion was made in the dead of the winter to remove as fast as possible (Life of Joseph Holbrook, 46). Caroline went ahead and brought back some elders from a camp ahead to give Martha and Keziah blessings. The city cemeterys tombstones marking where some two hundred Saints are buried are long gone, and the site has become farmland. Browse the pages of the original 1835 hymnbook. " Delewski said. His wife joined the Reorganized LDS Church (now Community of Christ) and the family moved to Independence in 1870. Because Joseph Smith was in prison during the exodus, attention focuses here on Joseph Smith's parents, his wife Emma, Elders Brigham Young and Heber C. Kimball, and four selected families: the John and Caroline Butler family, the Newel and Lydia Knight family, the Daniel and Martha Thomas family, and the Levi and Clarissa Hancock family. From there, refugees had to cross the South and North Fabius rivers and mudflats to reach the Mississippi opposite Quincy. John Murdock's wife also dies after delivering twins the same day. Brigham Youngs family was also stranded at Huntsville, having too many goods for their wagon to haul. by Terrie Lynn Bittner | May 3, 2013 | Joseph Smith | 2 comments. [74] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 40. 7 Are Joseph and Emma Smiths descendants Latter-day Saints? [123], Ghost towns and farms. 3 Why didnt Emma Smith go west with the Saints? [76] They moved in with Judge John Cleveland and his Latter-day Saint wife, Sarah, four miles east of Quincy. 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. 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. The CES Director asked Jeremy to send him a list of issues that had caused him to lose his faith, with the intention of helping him out. Far West Saints met in a public meeting on January 26 to consider measures to expedite the move out of state, given the seeming impossibility of moving in consequence of the extreme poverty of many.[29] A seven-man committee was appointed to find out how many needed help and how much help members could give to those in need. When I reflect on how I found the gospel, I realize that my familys experiences informed two important pieces of my testimony. Emma raised her as her own daughter, and Elizabeth Agnes eventually married Emma's biological son, Alexander Hale Smith. 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 . 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. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Copyright 1997-2023 by The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. All Rights Reserved. For your free copy of the Bible, go to Free Holy Bible and for a free Book of Mormon, go to Free Book of Mormon, Designed by Elegant Themes | Powered by WordPress. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Many of the Saints were converts who had sung hymns before. . The streets and city square became corn fields. Since she left no journal, we dont really know what the entire truth about Emma Smith isbut we do know she was remarkable. And where shall they be sent? the newspaper asked. [108] According to calculations found in Samuel H. Williamson, Six Ways to Compute the Relative Value of a U.S. Dollar Amount, 1790 to Present, MeasuringWorth, 2008, a dollar in the year 2007 is 29.99 times what a dollar is 1839 was worth based on consumer price indexes. The Twelve then offered kneeling prayer at the southeast cornerstone, sang Adam-ondi-Ahman, and dismissed so they could leave there for their missions to England. Taken from The Return, typescript, 243, Perry Special Collections. Three days later they reached De Witt, where they sold a property deed and bought a yoke of steers for $25 and a wagon for $30. The refinement, the charity of our age, will not brook it. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? Emma Smith played an important part in the Restoration of the gospel, and today, more than two centuries after her birth on July 10, 1804, Church members can still learn from Emma's example. The animosity toward Emma Smith after the death of Joseph Smith quickly became evident. Samuel said they traveled the most secluded route they could find. Emmas role in Mormon history is as enigmatic as ever. These were the top four reasons for leaving the LDS Church: "I studied church history and lost my belief" (39% primary factor, 81% moderate to strong factor); "I lost faith in Joseph Smith" (39% primary, 84% mod-strong); "I ceased to believe in the church's doctrine/theology" (38% primary, 87% mod-strong); [8] After eleven days travel, they reached white Settlements on the Desmoine River in Iowa. Many were stripped of clothing and bedding, John P. Greene reported, and many without cattle, horses, or waggons, had no means of conveyance.[28] To provide them help required leadership. Delewski also explored the effect the practice of plural marriage had on Emma and Joseph Smith's relationship. [52] Heber C. Kimball Journals, 18381839, in Porter, Brigham Young and the Twelve, 134. Mormons had a divorce rate of about 1 percent. Elder Young, when his life seemed in danger, left Far West for Illinois on February 14, but Elder Kimball stayed behind to help with the removals.[38]. Twas a very cold and blustering night. They put clothes over the wagon tongue to make a tent and put their beds underneath. Many found refuge not only in Quincy but throughout Adams County and all over western Illinois. One mobber shot a cow and, while it was still alive, skinned off a strip of hide from its nose to its tail, and tied his horse to a stump with it. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. In jail in Richmond were Parley P. Pratt, Norman Shearer, Darwin Chase, Luman Gibbs, Morris Phelps, and King Follett. About sunset we landed in Quincy, Lucy said. Who was the oldest president of the LDS Church? A few visitors from Brigham Young's faction of the Latter-day Saints came from Utah Territory to visit Smith at this house. To understand her, we have to place her in her own setting and time, not in our own. Turley, Richard E., and Brittany A. Chapman. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? 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. . Understanding how early Saints worked earnestly to build up the Church helps us better appreciate the value of their work. The next day, Richards wrote that Joseph was "busy with domestic concerns." Your email address will not be published. [2] Leland H. Gentry, A History of the Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri, from 1836 to 1839 (PhD diss., Brigham Young University, 1965), 27385; Stephen C. LeSueur, The 1838 Mormon War in Missouri (Columbia: University of Missouri Press, 1987), 15053. Throughout the years, she has remained a complex topic for both Mormons and non-Mormons. But fairly soon after that the Saints were asked to leave Jackson County, so the new temple didn't get built. Mental and emotional scars. Sister Emma cried and said that they [thieves] had taken all of her bed clothes, except one quilt and blanket, and what could she do? So Caroline and other sisters told Emma to send hers to Joseph, which she did, and they gave her replacement bedding for her family. After the church dispersed in 1844, those folks who did not head west with Brigham Young kind of scattered until April 6, 1860 when Joseph's son, Joseph Smith III, was ordained prophet-president (Hence the name Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of LDS) The church did not bring into our beliefs doctrines dealing with the practice of secret . A Collection of Sacred Hymns for the Church of the Latter Day Saints, https://www.lds.org/music/index/hymns/title-tune-meter?lang=eng&_r=1, https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/HTML/what_is_meter.htm. A day or two later, a ferry finally dodged through the ice and brought the women and children across.[59]. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. [27] That left the Saints no choice but to leave Missouri as soon as possible. In the middle of the 19th century it was common, according to Delewski, for a mother to lose more than one child to the birthing process or disease. Initially, when Joseph admitted to her that he had received a revelation about polygamy and was told he absolutely must carry it out, she accepted it. 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! 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. Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805 - June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and the founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement.At the age of 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon and by the time of his death, 14 years later, he had attracted tens of thousands of followers. She handled nearly every trial with grace. 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. They formed the first wave of the exodus. When the boy, Charles, was 4 years old, Emma took him in and raised him as her own. This book contains copies of the individual and group petitions and provides excellent explanations about each of the petition drives and how the petitions were used by the Church to seek redress for its members. Emma had 11 children (two were the adopted Murdock twins), and six children died in infancy. My God is it you Bro. 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. For example, in the support materials for the Joseph Smith manual, polygamy is once again nowhere mentioned. For more on Emma Smith, check out the new acclaimed film Jane and Emma. God commanded and Joseph obeyed. 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. . However, a significant number had taken refuge in St. Louis, a Missouri city that became an oasis of tolerance for Mormons. She move 18 times and lived in 13 houses. 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]. [51] Elder Heber C. Kimball sent his family with the Youngs. As a youth she learned to canoe on the Susquehanna River and became accomplished with horses. [124] Berrett and Parkin, Sacred Places: Missouri, 329, 402, 411. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. She later married Major Lewis Bidamon, who had supported the Mormons during the trials, but was not a member. Young put on board some of his goods into the wagon carrying the Knights, and both families resumed their journeys. [119] Henry Jackson petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 247. Nov. 10, 2014. These include the petitions for redress, prison letters, other correspondence, diaries, autobiographies and memoirs, pamphlets, newspaper articles, and a mass of official Missouri government records. Linda requested and was granted a meeting with some general authorities, including Dallin Oaks, to discuss the ban and discover what aspects of the book had been found objectionable. Winter exposure and food shortages in Caldwell County and during exodus caused health problems for many and a host of deaths during 1839. The Knight family. . [70], Saints chose to go to Quincy for several reasons. He had no steady occupation and was involved intensely with religion. Mormon leaders have acknowledged for the first time that the church's founder and prophet, Joseph Smith, portrayed in church materials as a loyal partner to his loving spouse Emma . [106] Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, xix. Because of his position in the Illinois militia, he was often referred to as "Major" Bidamon. 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! Shortly after Joseph's brother, William, was born in 1811, the Smiths moved to the small community of West Lebanon, New Hampshire. . When the time came for Joseph Smith to retrieve the golden plates hidden in ancient times by an angela book today called the Book of Mormonshe went with him, praying at the wagon while he went to open the box. Print. They say father was a fallen prophet. And the last words out of Brighams mouth, and he died before Emma, were Joseph,' Elggren said. [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. The religion he founded continues to the present day, with millions of global adherents. The Lord says in Doctrine and Covenants 25:12, My soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.. 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. Memoirs of Joseph Smith III (18321914), ed. [14] Autobiography of Anson Call, typescript, 13, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. [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. Emma: People say all kinds of things, but Julia I know better. Both screamed loudly, and Caroline ran back to aid them. 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]. Given these losses, it appears to me that Emma managed quite well.". The authors were alarmed, though Linda was comforted by her stake president, who told her, You are my parishioner, and I will see you through this no matter how long it takes.. It does not store any personal data. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. . 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). But only three of the two dozen adults in Knight family network faltered. Though there probably was an argument, the poisoning accusation was unfounded. [61] That same day, Eliza R. Snow and relatives, who had wintered seven miles from Far West, started for Illinois. Then three hundred militiamen escorted them away to face trial and prison. Emma was baptized in Colesville, New York, on June 28, 1830. What does the L.M., C.M. . [32] Committee of Removal members were William Huntington, Charles Bird, Alanson Ripley, Theodore Turley, Daniel Shearer, Shadrach Roundy, and Jonathan H. Hale. Did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? Despite her parents disapproval, she eventually eloped. Uncertain which policy to push, the conference voted against accepting the land offer (Journal History, February 1, 1839). When one was unable to find employment, she hired Jane Manning herself. [63] Eliza R. Snow, an Immortal: Selected Works by Eliza R. Snow (Salt Lake City: Nicholas G. Morgan Sr., 1957), 1011. 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. Emma Hale Smith was the seventh of nine children. Brigham Young, remembering the covenant he asked the Saints in Far West to make to help move those in need, had members similarly covenant when preparing to leave Nauvoo for the West. Early Life and Marriage of Emma Smith. He and his friends traveled on foot. [25] William F. Cahoon Petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 15253. Each comment will be reviewed by a staff member before it will appear on the site. She would lose many of her children. . [34] Saints used existing roads as much as possible, although some took detours to avoid problems with local residents or to avoid being recognized. They appear, so far as we have seen, to be a mild, inoffensive people, who could not have given cause for the persecution they have met with. City leaders and residents suddenly had to deal with a humanitarian crisis thrust upon them. They kept insisting on constitutional protection . In May that year the Mormon History Association held their annual meetings there. By age 40, Emma had lost her husband, her mother and father, her father-in-law, three brothers-in-law and five children. 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]. The views and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of FAIR, its officers, directors or supporters. [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.
