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This most likely caused people to behave differently than they might have in gentler circumstances. On horseback, he, fellow Kentuckian David Lewis, and Elias Higbee endured December snows, cold, and meager food to reach Quincy, Illinois. Its an improvement that shes discussed at all. She had no example to follow and no real support group, as later women would have. "I will suggest that she didn't change. 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. After Brigham Young assumed a leadership role, he and his supporters considered Joseph Smith's physical property as property of the church. The Thomases complied. 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. Was also Governor of Utah Territory from February 3, 1851 to April 12, 1858. 4, Missouri (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004), 28889, 361, 402. 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! She frequently found herself living in the homes of others and just as frequently took complete strangers into her own home. He had one illegitimate child and after marrying Emma had another, which she raised, making her a most extraordinary woman. Further, the committee agreed to find employment for those able and willing to labor. How others feel about her decision, Delewski said, depends upon their own knowledge and understanding. Some sneaked southward to the Missouri River and took boat passage to St. the management of the affairs of the Church devolves on you, that is the Twelve . Emma Smith The essentialeven phenomenalrole Emma played in bringing forth the Book of Mormon has been re-examined on many fronts. Emma did not learn about their deaths until 10:00 p.m. that same evening. She then became a temple worker, helping others with their first temple experiences. During Sunday dinner on November 5, Joseph became ill, rushed to the door, and vomited so violently that he dislocated his jaw. Those refer to the meter used in the hymn text. She was finally confirmed in August 1830. The old man for whom John taught school treated them generously. 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. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. But Brigham died before she had the opportunity to speak with him. She moved away from Nauvoo for a while to avoid danger, but eventually returned to her former home. [57] Quoted in Lyman O. Littlefield, Reminiscences of Latter-day Saints (Logan, UT: Journal Company Printers, 1888), 7273. 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. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? Brigham Young and his family, with several others, Kimball said. On February 7 and 8, both men visited Liberty Jail, then returned to Far West. Its a beautiful article, but its not a fully honest one; polygamy is not mentioned once anywhere. On February 19 or 20, Joseph Smiths parents, Joseph Sr. and Lucy, finally joined the exodus. Years later, in the anti-Emma atmosphere of Utah, Brigham Young spoke of a meeting where Joseph accused his wife of slipping poison into his coffee. Caroline went ahead and brought back some elders from a camp ahead to give Martha and Keziah blessings. She had a lock of his hair cut and given to her. According to historian Richard Bushman, Joseph saw polygamy simply as a way to join families together for eternity. How old was Emma Smith when Joseph Smith died? [97] Liberty Jail prisoners were Joseph Smith, Hyrum Smith, Lyman Wight, Alexander McRae, and Caleb Baldwin. Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. She had to provide for the family after being deprived of the corn they had grown on their farm, which vigilantes had prevented them from harvesting. Emma eventually forced them to leave, unable to bear the pain of having Joseph's plural wives . [110] Smith, History of the Church, 3:349. 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. Don Carlos [her son], with his family and the remainder of his baggage, was crowded into a buggy, and went in the same company with us. They encountered continuous rains and had to travel through mud. Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on 23 December 1805, in Sharon, Vermont. The Saints persecution in several states and then expulsion by order of a state governor helps explain why they obtained a charter for a self-defensive city-state in Nauvoo with the Nauvoo Legion; why some Saints justified retaliation against persecutors; why many gladly exited the United States and headed toward Mexican territory in 1846; and why many Saints, if not the Church, expressed distaste for judges, courts, deputies, the federal army during the Utah War, and antipolygamy laws. Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2011. Latter-day Saint widow Elizabeth Kendall and her family first became acquainted with Emma at the Mansion House in Nauvoo. [17] Dean C. Jesse and David J. Whittaker, The Last Months of Mormonism in Missouri: The Albert Perry Rockwood Journal, BYU Studies 28 (Winter 1988): 2729. Young put on board some of his goods into the wagon carrying the Knights, and both families resumed their journeys. February 11, 1843, is promoted as another date when Emma may have become aware of Joseph's plurality. I fitted up a small wagon, procured a span of ponies, and sent my Wife and three children, in company with Bro. By 1838 Quincy had a strong population base of sixteen hundred residents, mostly Germans and New Englanders, and several industries and businesses, including its share of coopers and cabinet-makers, saddlers and leather-makers, and a pork packing and meat processing center. Quincy was on its way to prosperity. "Of these 13 locations, only four of them could be called her own," Delewski said. 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. 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. [90] Diaries of William Huntington, 8; Isaac Leany Petition in Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, 485. 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. Joseph Smiths parents. During this time, their relationship improved and Joseph may have agreed to stop taking on additional wives. This difficult situation was complicated by the immense demands on Brigham Young's time. 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. My 11 year old granddaughter who is not baptized into the LDS Church wanted a poster after which we obtained and she visited with the actors and actresses. Required fields are marked *. LM is long meter, CM is common meter, and so forth. When I reflect on how I found the gospel, I realize that my familys experiences informed two important pieces of my testimony. (Emma's schism church.) Caroline said that at one point that winter, Joseph Smith got word to Emma to send him quilts or bed clothes. Many found refuge not only in Quincy but throughout Adams County and all over western Illinois. [113] On February 10, 1989, Mayor Vern Hagstrom gave the key to city Elder Loren C. Dunn of the First Quorum of Seventy and declared February 15 the citys Latter-day Saints Day to honor Emma Smiths crossing for the frozen Mississippi River and entering Quincy. Jeremy's response was an 84-page document that came to be known as the "CES Letter.". "Remember, Emma was a woman of refinement and education. She made an understandable effort to keep some of the property and this put her at odds with Brigham Young, since it was unclear which of those properties belonged to the church and which to her. So adamant was Emma on this point that the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held it as an article of faith, and Emma's children never accepted the idea that Joseph had instituted plural marriage. [74] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 40. 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); She became a member of the Church at the age of 17 and began sharing her faith online in 1992. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Bidamon was support for Emma in raising her five children. 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. Who was the oldest president of the LDS Church? After 17 years of marriage, Emma's second husband, Lewis Bidamon, had a child with another woman named Nancy Abercrombie. [49] Brother Markham then drove the wagon back to Far West to bring others out. Emma, as she often did, was searching the home for Joseph when he and a girl were missing. She had a home and her children and she just had to carry on the best she could. 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. [108] The extended Knight familys losses were at least $14,562, or about $320,000 in todays currency. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. [14] Autobiography of Anson Call, typescript, 13, L. Tom Perry Special Collections, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University. 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. Her husband, on the other hand, had only a handful of years of formal education. When one was unable to find employment, she hired Jane Manning herself. For more on Emma Smith, check out the new acclaimed film Jane and Emma. As a youth she learned to canoe on the Susquehanna River and became accomplished with horses. She comforted other women, instructed them, and helped them to build their own faith. . The Missouri Arguss editor argued incorrectly on December 20, 1838, that they cannot be driven beyond the limits of the statethat is certain. 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. The second day we had to cross a long prairie, and were not able to reach the settlement. Why? She helped to care for Josephs mother and her mother-in-law noted that few women had endured as many trials as she had with so much grace. [28] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 8. She, like others who knew him well, saw an innate intelligence, a willingness to work very hard, and great integrity. While her brothers and sisters attended only the traditional grammar school, Emma went on to do an extra year of schooling beyond that. Her financial state was precarious because there had not been a clear line between the family money and the church money, with Joseph often going into debt to help support the church. [86] Truman O. Angell Journal, reprinted in Kate B. Carter, comp., Our Pioneer Heritage (Salt Lake City: Daughters of Utah Pioneers, 1967), 10:199. Tied to her waist were heavy bags containing Josephs papers. 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. The exodus from Missouri generated a rich store of documents and records. 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. Modern DNA has ruled out all children Fran Brodie had proposed were his through other marriages. Martha, about eight months pregnant, said, To hear them [children] crying at night with their feet cracked and bleeding was hardly bearable. If Mormonism is not true, it is a fraudulent version of Christianity and an enormous sham. [98] That summer the prisoners who had been at Richmond escaped confinement, except King Follett. [22] William Huntington Diary, 7; Lyndon W. Cook, Joseph C. Kingsbury: A Biography (Provo, UT: Grandin Book, 1985), 61. But the youngest wife sealed to Smith was only 14 years old when she married him . Its an outstanding and award-winning biography that was the product of countless hours of primary research. "Some people might say that something about her changed, and that is why she did not come to Salt Lake Valley," Delewski said. Their hospitality stemmed more from pity than anything else. She had sufficient faith to avoid looking at the plates even when they were in her bedroom or kitchen, although she frequently felt them and moved them out of her way as she worked. [35], On February 11 the committee accepted applications for assistance, and the next day they appointed Theodore Turley to superintend the management of the teams provided for removing the poor. The plan was for some wagons to go east, unload passengers and belongings at the Mississippi, and then return empty to help others move out. Emma Hale Smith Bidamon passed away in Nauvoo on April 30, 1879 , and is buried next to Joseph. [56] Daniel Stillwell Thomas Family History, 2729. It's dangerous and it ruins lives, even if the members don't understand that that's what's happening to them. At Quincy, where some Church members lived, John taught school for a short period. 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. Another died young at age 26. That morning we crossed over to Quincy, Illinois. Her health partially returned, but she has never been able to work much since, her husband wrote in 1845. Learn how . For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. 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. My mother called my legs pipe stems, and my arms straws! he said. In addition to grieving the loss of her husband, she was expecting their final child. He crossed the river and found some hundred of the brethren waiting for the new ferry boat to be completed, which was done the next day. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Emma served as a scribe during his first efforts to translate the Book of Mormon. There was scarcely a day while we were on the road that it did not either snow or rain, son John said. 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]. 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. Huntington estimated that in Daviess County the Saints lost nearly thirty thousand bushels of corn because of the militia takeover. So without further ado, here is my list of 21 reasons leaving the Mormon Church might be a great idea, even if it is true. Were most of her songs from her Methodist tradition, or did she draw more broadly? She was not perfect and made choices that seem hard for us to understand today. The additions were Elias Smith, Erastus Bingham, Stephen Markham, and James Newberry (History of the Church, 3:24954, includes 214 names of those who pledged). He told her that the judgments of God would come upon her forthwith if she did not repent. For example, did Charles Wesley have any songs in her hymnal? [31] Smith, History of the Church, 3:25054. One of the other items was a photograph of a family member that was mislabeled as being Emma.