why did emma smith leave the lds church why did emma smith leave the lds church

And even when people did leave, they left reverently, speaking only in whispers. Among the stories are: Hidden Mormonism in Orson Scott Card's fiction, Anti-debt diva gives outlandish money-saving ideas, "Travails and triumphs" of Mormon mommies blogging, Copyright 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company. She worked hard to support his mission. Emma: Because it was the price of faith. 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. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. John later filed claim for the loss of 240 acres of land, three yoke of oxen, a corn crop, and hogs. B. H. Roberts, 2nd ed. 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. On January 16, the imprisoned First Presidency sent instructions to Heber C. Kimball and Brigham Young that said, Inasmuch as we are in prison, . Their first twenty miles was through snow six inches deep. Their numbers exceed 5,000 peoplewithout any means and literally beggarsto be thrust upon the charities of Illinois, Iowa, or Wisconsin. Joseph Holbrook, thirty-two, said his wife Nancy had verry poor health that fall and winter because of being exposed to inclement weather by having to remove from place to place as our house had been burned and we were yet left to seek a home whenever our friends could accommodate us and for my safety. Saints in flourishing condition but a few months before, he said, were now destitute. [25] William F. Cahoon Petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 15253. Their hospitality stemmed more from pity than anything else. 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. But fairly soon after that the Saints were asked to leave Jackson County, so the new temple didn't get built. It took me a minute to find what you were looking at, but if I am correct, I see the PMs in Emma Smiths original hymnbook. Bidamon married Nancy Sebree in 1827, with whom he had four children. Nontraditional. We had heavy loads, were obliged to walk from 2 to 8 miles a day thro mud and water, camped out on the wet ground 3 nights before we arrived at the River. [100] Stanley B. Kimball, The Saints and St. Louis, 18311857: An Oasis of Tolerance and Security, BYU Studies 13 (Summer 1973): 489519. Joseph was susceptible to vomiting anyway. This is why, according to Delewski, the movie "Emma Smith: My Story" shows her outriding Joseph Smith. Both the Church and Joseph Smith personally were heavily in debt at the time of the martyrdom. [27] That left the Saints no choice but to leave Missouri as soon as possible. [15] Hartley, Stand by My Servant Joseph, 291; Reed Peck, Reed Peck Manuscript (Salt Lake City: Modern Microfilms reprint, n.d.), 29. During the exodus, Truman Angells wife Elizabeth, already ill, took a cold upon cold and was expected to die. 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.. . He finally broke with all organized religion. Though there probably was an argument, the poisoning accusation was unfounded. As a youth she learned to canoe on the Susquehanna River and became accomplished with horses. The biography was an instant commercial success, selling out its first two printings. 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]. The leather binding, the marbled inside cover, and the worn pages are beautiful and unforgettable. They ran out of provisions and became so weak they couldnt continue, so they held a council and prayed to know where to hunt. The last words out of Emmas mouth when she died were Joseph. While living in Pennsylvania, she rode a horse to warn Joseph Smith of people coming after the gold plates. I asked my mother one day, why don't Grandma laugh with her eyes like you do, and my mother said because she has a deep sorrow in her heart. The group then included one man, two women, and children ages seven, four, three, and one. All the same, she continued to have a testimony of his role as a prophet and she carried out her duties faithfully. Saints gathered for a general conference on May 46 held in a Presbyterian campground two miles north 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. After a long time, Mother Smith said, We succeeded . In 1842, when the Ladies' Relief Society of Nauvoo was formed as a . [90], By mid-April, the mobs lost patience with the Saints still in Caldwell County. Her family stayed behind after the Saints went West, and Elizabeth eventually remarried, the same year that Emma remarried. The author analyzes such factors as social/political issues, gender, race . [77] Kenney, Wilford Woodruffs Journal, 1:32930. A later First Presidency report about the exodus noted that women and children marked their footsteps on the frozen ground with blood, it being the dead of winter.[54] Was this an exaggeration? The next day, Richards wrote that Joseph was "busy with domestic concerns." The Butler and Smoot families. I have witnesses of this scene all around, who can testify that I am now telling the truth. When did Emma Smith leave the church? 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. [90] Diaries of William Huntington, 8; Isaac Leany Petition in Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, 485. 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. On October 27, 1838, three days after Missouri and Mormon militias engaged in the Battle of Crooked River, Governor Boggs issued his infamous extermination order. Required fields are marked *. Events of the 1838 Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. 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. 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. 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. While locals let the suffering Saints crowd into farms, sheds, huts, and tents, they judged the refugees to be generally of the poorer and more illiterate classes.[78] On February 25, Quincy leaders met and adopted measures to provide relief. During this last bout, Joseph said gratefully, "My wife waited on me. Also there were Wilford Woodruff and George A. Smith, who were soon to be ordained as Apostles. This difficult situation was complicated by the immense demands on Brigham Young's time. That is her divine mission. 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.. It is significant to note that the revelation instructed the entire presidency of the Church to leave Kirtland. 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. . Delewski shared many of the words used to describe Emma: "Quick wit and pleasant personality," "intelligence," "fearless integrity," "kindness of heart," "discretion," "benevolent," "hospitable," "motherly in nature to young people," "very high-spirited," "dignified," "courage," "zeal," "patience," "no gossiper," "commanding presence" and "innate refinement.". Her health partially returned, but she has never been able to work much since, her husband wrote in 1845. In total, these petitioners losses totaled $2,275,789an average of $3,761 per petitioner. She taught school before she met Joseph Smith. [Isaac] Streator, Feb. 22, 1839, in Eliza R. Snow Letter from Missouri, BYU Studies 13 (Summer 1973): 549. In July 1830 the Lord outlined her mission, in a revelation: Thou art an elect lady, whom I have called. 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. She finally gained a sense of stability and a place to raise her children when she moved into the Mansion House in Nauvoo. . No portion of this site may be reproduced without the express written consent of The Foundation for Apologetic Information and Research, Inc. Any opinions expressed, implied, or included in or with the goods and services offered by FAIR are solely those of FAIR and not those of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [99] At that point the Saints exodus from Missouri was finished, and Governor Boggss extermination order had basically succeeded in removing Saints from northwest Missouri. [91] Porter, Brigham Young and the Twelve, 137. [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. rev. She said, The teams were puffing and the wagons dragging so heavily that we were all on foot, tugging along as best we could.[63], During Zera Pulsiphers exodus that March, he and his son-in-law lost horses. At times, deep snows rubbed their wagon hubs during the journey. 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. 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). [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. We will look forward to reading more of your work. It does not store any personal data. I attended the premier of the Emma Smith Story [with] several of my children and grandchildren. The Smoots lacked a team, so their wagon was useless. At Huntsville, the driver said his horses could not go on, so the Knights unhitched the wagon and camped. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. . . [4], November 1 brought heartbreak for all Saints in Far West. Far West had a population by then of about five thousand Saints, and another five thousand lived in at least nineteen other Latter-day Saint communities in Caldwell County. She is remembered for her unrelenting strength and ability to overcome hardships. Learning that Missouri militia were looking for them, they set out for Iowa thrugh the wilderness, enduring snow and cold with little to eat. Among the twenty-eight men in this group were Samuel Smith and Phineas and Lorenzo Young. She was left alone with her five children, including her adopted daughter and four sons. Her husband Joseph Smith had been killed in 1844, and after his death Emma Smith decided to remain in Nauvoo. . Some participants in the Missouri exodus vented powerful feelings of anger, horror, outrage, and persecution. Those who hired him found him to be the best employee theyd ever hired. Emma did not learn about their deaths until 10:00 p.m. that same evening. On this same day, there was a skirmish between the mob and the Saints west of Big Blue River. Its seven members, soon expanded to eleven, agreed to move first the families of the Presidency and of the other prisoners. Hi Nathan, thanks for your interest in Emma Smiths hymnbook! FAIR is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing well-documented answers to criticisms of the doctrine, practice, and history of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 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. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. 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. She wore it in a locket the rest of her life, even after she remarried. The exodus from Missouri generated a rich store of documents and records. All but the youngest two had to walk every step of the entire distance. They were almost barefooted and some had to wrap their feet in clothes in order to keep them from freezing and protect them from the sharp points of the frozen ground. Son John, nine, later said that often the blood from our feet marked the frozen earth.[57]. She was a schoolteacher and even owned items of value, including cows. Eventually, however, she encountered a trial that became more than she thought she could handle. (Emma's schism church.) Another story about bleeding feet involves Nancy Hammer, whose husband Austin was murdered in the Hauns Mill Massacre a few months earlier. On the anniversary of her birth, which. 801-422-6975. Food was scarce, and housing inadequate. He told her that the judgments of God would come upon her forthwith if she did not repent. While living at the Morley farm near Kirtland, Emma Smith gives birth to twins, who die shortly after birth. As was common in their day, the early Saints sang the printed lyrics to familiar tunes. Brigham Young, in danger from anti-Mormons, joined the exodus on February 14. It's not. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [67] Scott G. Kenney, ed., Wilford Woodruff Journal, 18331898, Typescript, Vol. How many wives did Joseph Smith have LDS? [37] David Rogers Report, 1839, in William Rogers and Elizabeth Bessie Ritchie with Their Ancestors and Descendants (Salt Lake City: Leo R. Rogers, 1981), 230. In an essay published on its website quoting "careful estimates", the church said the wives. Julia: Some say that there were other reasons. 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. Isaac Laney said the committee had moved all but thirty or forty families when armed men from Daviess County ordered him and others to be out of the County by the next Friday night which was giving us Six dayes for to do that that Requird a month. So the committee urgently hired teams and sent families to Tenneys Grove, twenty miles away, with a minimum of personal belongings. Extermination order not rescinded for 137 years. . 1856Emma takes in orphaned Elizabeth Agnes Kendall, eight years old, and rears her as her own daughter . Uncertain which policy to push, the conference voted against accepting the land offer (Journal History, February 1, 1839). There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. Many found refuge not only in Quincy but throughout Adams County and all over western Illinois. Great questions! Shortly after her baptism in July 1830, Emma Smithwas called by God to compile a hymnbook to edify the Church. She was finally confirmed in August 1830. Some sneaked southward to the Missouri River and took boat passage to St. They numbered twelve families with more than sixty souls, having surnames of Knight, DeMille, Peck, Slade, Culver, and Stringham. Hundreds still lacked the means to leave. These cookies track visitors across websites and collect information to provide customized ads. 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. [125] Photocopy of order, filed June 25, 1976, copy in authors file; also see transcript in LDS Church News, July 3, 1976, 4. When the Twelve returned from Far West in early May, they rejoiced to see him a free man in Illinois. Emmas role in Mormon history is as enigmatic as ever. They left Far West on February 14. He was not sufficiently educated to write the translation of the plates, so while he translated through the Holy Ghost, she wrote his words. 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. Given that Brigham was blamed by Emma for being the inventor of plural marriage, he probably felt rather ill-used by her. [63] Eliza R. Snow, an Immortal: Selected Works by Eliza R. Snow (Salt Lake City: Nicholas G. Morgan Sr., 1957), 1011. Also, three men were sent to locate possible settlement sites up the Mississippi River in Illinois. The Missouri Arguss editor argued incorrectly on December 20, 1838, that they cannot be driven beyond the limits of the statethat is certain. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. In the future Brigham would have his own falling out with Babbitt and the rift would become so widely known that, when Indians killed Babbitt on the Western plains in 1856, Eastern newspapers erroneously reported that Brigham had ordered him killed. [37], Elders Young and Kimball kept in constant contact with the imprisoned First Presidency by correspondence, messenger, and visits. The Mormon church has said for the first time that its founder Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives. [70] John Taylor, Brigham Young, Isaac Higbee, Israel Barlow, John P. Greene to Dear Brethren, March 29, 1839, at Quincy, reprinted in Kate B. Carter, comp., Our Pioneer Heritage (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1960), 3:122. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. Emma and Joseph's descendants grew up separated from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Required fields are marked *. "Emma seemed to wax and wane in her acceptance of the practice," Delewski said. Joseph Smith presided. Innumerable able-bodied men needed jobs. When the Mormons left for Utah, she elected to remain behind. 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 and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter Day Saints. H. Redmond, History of Quincy and Its Men of Mark (Quincy, IL: Heirs and Russell, 1863), 15; Richard E. Bennett, Quincythe Home of Our Adoption: A Study of the Mormons in Quincy, Illinois, 18381839, 8788, and Susan Easton Black, QuincyA City of Refuge, 69, in A City of Refuge. The day has gone by when masses of men can be outlawed, and driven from society to the wilderness, unprotected. He could find no way to bring the Butlers wagon across the river, so he spent the night with his family. and P.M. refer to at the beginning of each hymn? 8 What did Emma Emma do for the LDS Church? Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling. Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. 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. She, in turn, was instructed by Joseph to officiate in these ordinances for the women, which she did until shortly before his martyrdom. About sunset we landed in Quincy, Lucy said. A Quincy Heritage Celebration was held July 24, 1999. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. [31] Smith, History of the Church, 3:25054. In the same year, Smith founded the Church of Christlater known as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saintsin Fayette Township. LM is long meter, CM is common meter, and so forth. How Orrin Hatch protected people of faith, KSL Newsradio is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. About sixty individuals in that network restructured their everyday lives in or near Nauvoo and continued to follow Joseph Smith. Training experience for 1846 exodus. See http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare. William G. Hartley was a professor emeritus of history at Brigham Young University when this was published. . I hope this helps too! [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). [20] The Life of Joseph Holbrook, 18061871, typescript, 46, Perry Special Collections. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Emma Hale Smith was the seventh of nine children. We use cookies on our website to give you the most relevant experience by remembering your preferences and repeat visits. My mother called my legs pipe stems, and my arms straws! he said. 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. 3 The process, like so many other endeavors in her life, The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Other. 4 (2000): 622. The Thomas family. a boy whom many Saints felt to be Smiths rightful prophetic heir, The biography Linda and Valeen published with Doubleday several years later. 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. Give us employment, the Saints pleaded, rent us farms, and allow us the protection and privileges of other citizens., The Quincy citizens committee passed a resolution which said that the Saints are entitled to our sympathy and kindest regard. Any Saints who because of sickness or destitution found themselves homeless, the committee decided, should appeal directly for assistance. https://www.lds.org/music/index/hymns/title-tune-meter?lang=eng&_r=1. When the boy, Charles, was 4 years old, Emma took him in and raised him as her own. A woman living in a nearby house ran to find out what was wrong. Your email address will not be published. Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania. She had no example to follow and no real support group, as later women would have. That did not stop Emma, a visionary woman in her own sense of the word. [27] Gentry, Latter-day Saints in Northern Missouri, 41419. She admitted that she had been reluctant to give her children any formal religious lifejust personal reading of the Bible and Book of Mormonbecause she was afraid of a return to the many trials she had faced. She said she was sorry to see the Mormons suffer so much and be driven from their homes. [Deseret News Weekly 15:364, 10/10/66, p 4-5 and 15:372, 10/17/66, p 4-5; MS 28:764, 774]) off-site. To add an RSC website shortcut to your home screen, open the website in the Safari browser. Emma Hale Smith Bidamon passed away in Nauvoo on April 30, 1879 , and is buried next to Joseph. 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. He did not court the women or put his proposals in romantic terms. Mental and emotional scars. 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. Under these conditions, one could reasonably conclude that she did not travel west in order to avoid losing any more of her children. He covered Joseph Smith's reluctance for years to keep this commandment of the Lord and how it was also very difficult for Emma Smith. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. 7 Are Joseph and Emma Smiths descendants Latter-day Saints? Delewski thinks she may have been the most promising of the Hale children because she had a rare additional year of schooling. Young put on board some of his goods into the wagon carrying the Knights, and both families resumed their journeys. 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.