The day has gone by when masses of men can be outlawed, and driven from society to the wilderness, unprotected. About sixty individuals in that network restructured their everyday lives in or near Nauvoo and continued to follow Joseph Smith. As a youth she learned to canoe on the Susquehanna River and became accomplished with horses. A woman should give her greatest priority to her home: her husband, her family, and the opportunity to child-bearing. LDS Church History documents that their mormon founder, Joseph Smith, lied to a large group of people about his having multiple wives. [98] That summer the prisoners who had been at Richmond escaped confinement, except King Follett. We had not the privilege of hunting our cattle and horses.[14] Newel Knight noted that because the Saints were unarmed, they became prey for small parties of armed men insulting our women, driving off our stock, and plundering. To him it seemed as though all hell was aroused to do us injury.[15] Newels cousin Reed Peck said that some horses, wagons and much other property were stolen from the Mormons by some of the militia who were villains enough to plunder.[16] By late November, most crops around Far West were unharvested, and potatoes still in the ground were frose solid. Soldiers rifled through homes, Albert Rockwood said, and our sheep & hogs, & horses [are] drove off before our eyes by the Missourians who come in small companies well armed.[17], In neighboring Daviess County, Missouri militia ordered all the Saints out and gave William Huntington and eleven other Mormons four weeks to round up the Latter-day Saints livestock, wagons, and personal property. John marked time until his family and his mother and brothers could join him in Quincy. [84] William Cahoon noted that a family named Travis offered him employment;[85] Mr. Travis also hired refugee Truman Angell to frame a barn. My mother called my legs pipe stems, and my arms straws! he said. Though there probably was an argument, the poisoning accusation was unfounded. 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. 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. Twas a very cold and blustering night. They put clothes over the wagon tongue to make a tent and put their beds underneath. As was common in their day, the early Saints sang the printed lyrics to familiar tunes. He and his friends traveled on foot. Learn how . [119] Henry Jackson petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 247. Turley, Richard E., and Brittany A. Chapman. I attended the premier of the Emma Smith Story [with] several of my children and grandchildren. Joseph Knight Jr., for one, claimed $200 for a mill burned down, $50 for a house burned, $50 for 3 acres of land and 50 peach trees, $25 for hay and corn, $475 for losses of land and town properties, and $150 for expenses for moving twice. Because the Missouri militia wanted to arrest him, he fled from home on November 2, leaving Caroline and the children to fend as best they could. Louis. . Many of them started from scratch and built up religious communities in Illinois and Iowa. Bidamon married Nancy Sebree in 1827, with whom he had four children. [31], William Huntington headed up a Committee of Removal. The exodus from Missouri generated a rich store of documents and records. Emmas role in Mormon history is as enigmatic as ever. [76] They moved in with Judge John Cleveland and his Latter-day Saint wife, Sarah, four miles east of Quincy. Emma did, from time to time, offer approval of specific marriages. [13], During November 1838, Latter-day Saint settlements in Caldwell and Daviess counties endured a military occupation. Speaking of Smith's "eternity-only" marriages to already married women, the church writes, " These sealings may also be explained by Joseph's reluctance to enter plural marriage because of the. The Thomases complied. Provo, UT 84602 Economic impact on Illinois and Iowa. The streets and city square became corn fields. When I reflect on how I found the gospel, I realize that my familys experiences informed two important pieces of my testimony. . Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania. She finally gained a sense of stability and a place to raise her children when she moved into the Mansion House in Nauvoo. On the anniversary of her birth, which. L. Hannah Stoddard is the lead author of Faith Crisis, Volume 1: We Were NOT Betrayed!, Seer Stone v. Urim & Thummim: Book of Mormon Translation on Trial, and Faith Crisis, Volume 2: New Mormon History Exiled from Church Headquarters.She is the executive director of the Joseph Smith Foundation, and producer or director of seven . Aroet Hale said a Mr. Stilson employed his father. [107] Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, xixxxvii. 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. 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. Yet I knew little of these things, for our branch of the family was far removed from our Smith heritage. The Joseph Smith Papers project explains that Emmas work laid a foundation for the continued role of music in Latter-day Saint worship. Emma contributed in creating a distinct identity for the church because this hymnbooks lyrics emphasize key tenets of the religion.. . Seeing the injuries, she rushed back to her house and brought back camphor, brown paper, and a pan of warm water. [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. I now saw my little daughter, Nancy Jane, for the first time about two months old. After his death she resisted encouragement to deny his role as a prophet. Mormon Church Admits Founder Joseph Smith Had Up To 40 Wives : The Two-Way : NPR. She was not perfect and made choices that seem hard for us to understand today. John later filed claim for the loss of 240 acres of land, three yoke of oxen, a corn crop, and hogs. Find out a few things you may not have known about this prominent woman in Church history. That covenant became the foundation for the Churchs emigration programs from then until 1869, producing the Perpetual Emigrating Fund in 1849, the handcart program from 1856 to 1860, and the 1860s team trains going down and back from Utah to provide transportation to Utah for emigrants in need.[126]. 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. "I will suggest that she didn't change. 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. Add an RSC shortcut to this device's Homescreen, In the menu, scroll past any icons and tap. Succeeded Smith as leader of the LDS Church. 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. At Adam-ondi-Ahman, Saints in October 1838 were building about 150 log houses, but most of them were not finished by the time the Saints left. She was told that her calling was to be a support and comfort to . Browse the pages of the original 1835 hymnbook. Innumerable able-bodied men needed jobs. 185 Heber J. Emmas disappearance from LDS history was so total that Linda says when she and Valeen co-authored an article about her for the Ensign in 1979, it was the first writing about her to appear in any official church publication in 113 years. 16, Lee Library, 67; Joseph Smith, History of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, ed. Both screamed loudly, and Caroline ran back to aid them. [7] William G. Hartley, My Best for the Kingdom: The History and Autobiography of John Lowe Butler, a Mormon Frontiersman (Salt Lake City: Aspen Books, 1993), 8184; Baugh, A Call to Arms, 39296. Emma did not learn about their deaths until 10:00 p.m. that same evening. Sarah later became Emmas first counselor in the Nauvoo Relief Society. [23] Heber Quincy Hale, Bishop Jonathan H. Hale of Nauvoo: His Life and Ministry (Salt Lake City: the author, 1938), 64. Five of her children survived to adulthood: Julia, Joseph III, Freddie, Alexander and David Hyrum. 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. No one could have recognized them as the prosperous Yankees they had once been in New York before embracing Mormonism. [72] It is about 130 miles upriver from St. Louis and 45 miles directly south of where Nauvoo now is. Although their marriage was often troubled following the introduction of polygamy, Emma continued to care for Joseph. Saints had until late March to vacate Missouri, but they started leaving in earnest during January. [15] Hartley, Stand by My Servant Joseph, 291; Reed Peck, Reed Peck Manuscript (Salt Lake City: Modern Microfilms reprint, n.d.), 29. For example, did Charles Wesley have any songs in her hymnal? [30] John Taylor, Alanson Ripley, Brigham Young, Theodore Turley, Heber C. Kimball, John Smith (the Prophets uncle), and Don C. Smith (the Prophets brother). New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2005. Delewski thinks she may have been the most promising of the Hale children because she had a rare additional year of schooling. This was exactly what she had tried to institute herself as a theological agent in her own right, so much so that when the Reorganization was founded in the 1860s she declared that Joseph had never been married to anyone but herself. She held on to her faith in God, in the gospel, and in Joseph Smith as a prophet throughout it all. Her husband, on the other hand, had only a handful of years of formal education. Many found refuge not only in Quincy but throughout Adams County and all over western Illinois. 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. [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. These may have been given as payment for teaching. 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. The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Analytics". Throughout the years, she has remained a complex topic for both Mormons and non-Mormons. Terrie, you are a treasure. 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. John Murdock's wife also dies after delivering twins the same day. [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. "[2], Furthermore, Brigham and Emma did not agree on the disposition of Joseph's estate. 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. On November 6, 1832, Emma gave birth to Joseph Smith III in the upper room of Whitney's store in Kirtland. [107] In todays currency, that equals $52,325,000 total, or $77,000 per petitioner. 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. [120] Levi W. Hancock petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 225. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. That is a great question! [92] Smith, History of the Church, 3:32223. Lorenzo said that his pants were so shredded by bushes that he refused to face Iowans until someone brought him better pants. They pulled out of Far West on February 18, leaving behind a house and farm. [26] Hartley, My Best for the Kingdom, 8586. John Lowe Butler, for one, wanted his written record to stand as a witness against Missourians who were cruel to his suffering family during the exodus and earlier. Since he did father many children with Emma, parenthood was possible, but there is, at this time, no biological proof of traditional marriage relationships and the only accounts came from others, not the women or Joseph. [77] Kenney, Wilford Woodruffs Journal, 1:32930. To add an RSC website shortcut to your home screen, open the website in the Safari browser. See http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare. [5] Meanwhile, a militia force headed to Adam-ondi-Ahman, made the Mormons there surrender, and on November 10 gave them ten days to relocate to Far West or elsewhere in Caldwell County. "On three of these moves she had to leave behind most or all of her furniture. [57] Quoted in Lyman O. Littlefield, Reminiscences of Latter-day Saints (Logan, UT: Journal Company Printers, 1888), 7273. God commanded and Joseph obeyed. Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith . Until that time, Emma had been largely written out of official LDS history. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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.. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2011. Fugitive John Butler, in Quincy, learned of their arrival, and he rowed across the river in a canoe, dodging ice. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Their first twenty miles was through snow six inches deep. 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.. However, I discovered there was a different attitude about Emma. Emma Hale Smith was the seventh of nine children. June 1831 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. 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. [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. 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. Required fields are marked *. . 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. 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. However, President Young advised the Saints to gather in order to help each other better. Fanny lived in the Smiths' house with Emma, which caused much tension. Its a beautiful article, but its not a fully honest one; polygamy is not mentioned once anywhere. It is fairly well known that these twins were adopted by Emma and Joseph as infants shortly after their own set of newborn twins died. However, you may visit "Cookie Settings" to provide a controlled consent. [88] Richard E. Bennett, Quincythe Home of Our Adoption, 101. She joined in his efforts to protect them from thieves and acted on occasion as his scribe. Emma Smith's personality and background, her almost nomadic search for a home, the loss of so many she loved and the stresses of plural marriage all played a part in her decision to remain in Nauvoo. 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). Some of Emma's friends, as well as many members of the Smith family, alienated themselves from Young's followers. At Far West on February 22, Eliza R. Snow reported that a man had just arrived from Illinois who had counted 220 wagons between Far West and the Mississippi.[60] If that figure is accurate, and if wagons helped transport an average of four people each, then the man had passed about a thousand Saints on the road. When Elizabeth died in childbirth, young Elizabeth Agnes was leftwith her stepfather and, soon after, a new stepmother. What experience do you need to become a teacher? [61] That same day, Eliza R. Snow and relatives, who had wintered seven miles from Far West, started for Illinois. 4 How many wives did Joseph Smith have LDS? . Hundreds still lacked the means to leave. If Mormonism is not true, it is a fraudulent version of Christianity and an enormous sham. [1] William G. Hartley, Almost Too Intolerable a Burthen: The Winter Exodus from Missouri, 18381839, Journal of Mormon History 18 (Fall 1992): 640. When one was unable to find employment, she hired Jane Manning herself. 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. . [38] Larry C. Porter, Brigham Young and the Twelve in Quincy: A Return to the Eye of the Missouri Storm, 26 April 1839, in A City of Refuge: Quincy, Illinois, ed. [44] Ebenezer Robinson, Items of Personal History of the Editor, Including Some items of Church History Not Generally Known. [73], Church members living in Quincy and nearby tried to help the refugees when they crossed the river. Every thing my family took with them out of Missouri, could have been packed on the backs of two horses; the mob took all the rest.[52]. Their hospitality stemmed more from pity than anything else. 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. Modern DNA has ruled out all children Fran Brodie had proposed were his through other marriages. Thank you for your insight about and compassion for Emma, and for taking the time to write about and share it with us. [55] The shoes belonged to the oldest boy, Morgan. I found my family in good health though in the mud and snow half a leg deep in the camp. For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. Being forced from Missouri posed a test of faith that most Saints passed, but some failed, as the extended Knight family illustrates. [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. 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.