why did emma smith leave the lds church
This remarkable event is free, but space is limited. Some sneaked southward to the Missouri River and took boat passage to St. 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. Brigham interpreted Emma's refusal to answer as an admission of guilt.. Social conversation and discretion were traits for which she was well-known. February 11, 1843, is promoted as another date when Emma may have become aware of Joseph's plurality. [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. Joseph Smith, Jr. was born on 23 December 1805, in Sharon, Vermont. Before long, typhoid fever came into West Lebanon and "raged tremendously.". Some of Emmas friends, as well as many members of the Smith family, alienated themselves from Youngs followers. Though there probably was an argument, the poisoning accusation was unfounded. 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. At the time of the third printing, however, Vals bishop received a call from a higher-up in Salt Lake who said that two girls had written a book about Emma Smith and were not to be invited to speak about the topic in sacrament meetings. 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. In intense cold, Lydia recalled, they sometimes scraped away snow beside the wagon so they could put down their beds at night. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 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. He looked at Emma Smith's decision to remain in Nauvoo through the eyes of a therapist. When the two authors began piecing together Emmas life, there was only one small manila folder about her in the entire LDS Archives. . She compiled the first hymnbook. To his military leaders, it decreed, The Mormons must be treated as enemies and must be exterminated or driven from the state, if necessary for the public good.[2] Four days later, that order reached Church leaders and members in northwest Missouri. "Joseph did not marry a wilting violet," Delewski said. This weekend at the Midwest Pilgrims retreat in Nauvoo, Illinois, I had the opportunity to listen to a fascinating talk by Linda King Newell, co-biographer of Emma Smith, first wife of LDS founding prophet Joseph Smith, Jr. She became the first woman to receive the temple endowment involving the making of sacred covenants with the Savior. The animosity toward Emma Smith after the death of Joseph Smith quickly became evident. Brigham Young, in danger from anti-Mormons, joined the exodus on February 14. Many could not get into houses, Newel said, and had to take shelter in wagons, tents, and under bedclothes and while in this situation we had a severe snow storm, which rendered their suffering intense. An acre of land in front of Lucy Mack Smiths home became completely covered with beds, lying in the open sun, where families were compelled to sleep, exposed to all kinds of weather. Houses in Far West were so full, Mother Smith said, that people could not find shelter. How Orrin Hatch protected people of faith, KSL Newsradio is preparing to celebrate its 100th anniversary. a boy whom many Saints felt to be Smiths rightful prophetic heir, The biography Linda and Valeen published with Doubleday several years later. On Nov. 4th, astoundingly, Richard McCarty obtained a warrant for the arrest of the men who had caught him in the act of looting the Gilbert store, charging them with assault and false imprisonment. 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. They got some better, Caroline said. https://www.hymnsandcarolsofchristmas.com/HTML/what_is_meter.htm. Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 - April 30, 1879) was an American homesteader, the first wife of Joseph Smith, and a prominent leader in the early days of the Latter Day Saint movement, both during Smith's lifetime and afterward as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church). The cookie is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Performance". . You might notice something a bit surprisingtheres no musical notation! That same day Latter-day Saint men assembled at the town square at bayonet point and, one by one, signed deeds that gave their land to the state of Missouri to pay the costs of the Mormon War. On November 6, soldiers took more prisoners and then ordered all Saints out of Missouri by spring. Modern DNA has ruled out all children Fran Brodie had proposed were his through other marriages. He delegated a great deal of the Church's interaction with Emma to Almon Babbitt, a man greatly lacking in tact: Almon Babbitt's airbordered on the pompousBabbit provided Joseph with legal advice that resulted in the destruction of the Expositor, then he refused to help when Joseph was jailed in Carthage saying, 'You are too late. 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. Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? He was not sufficiently educated to write the translation of the plates, so while he translated through the Holy Ghost, she wrote his words. While in Liberty Jail, Joseph Smith had instructed them to compile statements and affidavits about their losses and sufferings with the design of securing redress from the federal government for the losses they suffered in Missouri (Doctrine and Covenants 123:113). "There's an image for you: a dark-haired 23-year-old woman racing down a country road, her hair probably flying in the wind, in order to notify her husband of an impending emergency," Delewski said. What a cold night that was! Mosiah recalled: The next morning the river was frozen over with icegreat blocks of frozen ice all over the river, and it was slick and clear. In the October session of General Conference 1866, Brigham Young made these comments: "To my certain knowledge, Emma Smith is one of the damnedest liars I know of on this earth; yet there is no good thing I would refuse to do for her, if she would only be a righteous woman; but she will continue in her wickedness. 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. On February 19 the committee sent Charles Bird to visit Caldwell County and William Huntington Far West to determine how many families still needed assistance to move and to solicit means to help them. According to the official narrative, Emma stayed behind in Nauvoo rather than joining the majority of the Saints in Utah because she was a widow caring for five young children and Josephs aging mother, not because she believed that, as she expressed it at the time, the Twelve have made bogus of it.. When Saints pulled out of Far West, their houses, barns, fences, stores, schools, farms, farm equipment, household goods, livestock, and stored grain fell into non-Mormons hands. When the Twelve returned from Far West in early May, they rejoiced to see him a free man in Illinois. When the boy, Charles, was 4 years old, Emma took him in and raised him as her own. During November and December, Joseph C. Kingsbury and Caroline, his wife of two years, lived in a little cabin with meager provisions. Reaching the river, they joined Saints waiting to cross who had no shelter. [93] Kenney, Wilford Woodruffs Journal, 1:325. Lorenzo said that his pants were so shredded by bushes that he refused to face Iowans until someone brought him better pants. The religion he founded continues to the present day, with millions of global adherents. Thats likely why its content was acceptable for the Ensign nearly a century after the Church had begun distancing itself from polygamy. She later married Major Lewis Bidamon, who had supported the Mormons during the trials, but was not a member. Because Joseph Smith was in prison during the exodus, attention focuses here on Joseph Smiths 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. Training experience for 1846 exodus. Jeremy made the Letter available online. Many nights the floors, upstairs and down, were covered with beds so closely it was impossible to set a foot anywhere without stepping on someone elses bed.[75], Emma Smith and the children arrived on February 15. They left Far West on February 14. 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! LDS Church History documents that their mormon founder, Joseph Smith, lied to a large group of people about his having multiple wives. [40] [Auto]Biographical Sketch of George Washington Gill Averett, typescript, 8, in Miscellaneous Mormon Diaries, vol. Alpheus Cutler placed it in position. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. A woman should give her greatest priority to her home: her husband, her family, and the opportunity to child-bearing. Emma and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter Day Saints. [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. Why did God ask Emma Smith to accept the plates? I fitted up a small wagon, procured a span of ponies, and sent my Wife and three children, in company with Bro. After Brigham Young assumed a leadership role, he and his supporters considered Joseph Smith's physical property as property of the church. They started in February, but it was bitter cold, and they suffered fearfully, Caroline said. The day has gone by when masses of men can be outlawed, and driven from society to the wilderness, unprotected. Newel Knight had a wagon but no team. This most likely caused people to behave differently than they might have in gentler circumstances. Elder Kimball said he stayed behind to assist members of the Committee of Removal and to wait upon those in prison. In Far West he had to hide out in the woods during daytime. They had a reasonably good relationship despite these challenges. Emma certainly made errors in judgment, as do we all. 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. [74] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 40. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. [98] That summer the prisoners who had been at Richmond escaped confinement, except King Follett. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. Learn about and browse the pages of the first hymnal of the Church. A number of teams arrived from Illinois to help move the last families. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. Saddleback Church doubles down on support for female pastors, Mormonisms slow shift away from demonizing working mothers, Faith leaders urge Biden to sign executive order for reparations study by Juneteenth, For many congregations, wiping out medical debt has become a popular calling, More Jesus, less touching: 14 changes to the Mormon temple endowment ceremony, Real Housewife Heather Gay pens a juicy ex-Mormon memoir, How to stay Mormon after a faith crisis (if staying is what you want), Copyright 2020, Religion News Service. She was able to utilize the properties she owned to support her family, but with difficulty, particularly since she was left to cover Josephs many debts. the support materials for the Joseph Smith manual. Brigham, for all his strengths, had little patience for anyone who would betray the prophet, which he perceived Emma doing on multiple levels. [49] Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984), 79. Shortly, twelve mobbers with rifles entered the tithing office and broke windows, tables, chairs, and seventeen clocks into matchwood. One threw iron pots at Theodore Turley, hitting him in the shoulder. Shortly after Joseph's brother, William, was born in 1811, the Smiths moved to the small community of West Lebanon, New Hampshire. He told her that the judgments of God would come upon her forthwith if she did not repent. 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. Bidamon married Nancy Sebree in 1827, with whom he had four children. Browse the pages of the original 1835 hymnbook. Holbrook left behind his wife Nancy, who a week later gave birth to their fourth child, and three small children ages seven, five, and two. Emma Smith, first Relief Society President and wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, had many incredible and difficult experiences in her life. It's not. How many wives did Joseph Smith have LDS? So Levi rigged up a foot lathe and soon had two hubs turned out and built a cart. See http://www.measuringworth.com/calculators/uscompare. Under these conditions, one could reasonably conclude that she did not travel west in order to avoid losing any more of her children. [71] In 1837 the population was 1,653 according to Pat. Emma: Because it was the price of faith. Elggren believes they had that face-to-face after they had both died. She carried two children while two others hung on to her skirt. Shortly after her baptism in July 1830, Emma Smithwas called by God to compile a hymnbook to edify the Church. A test passed by the faithful. [64] History of Zera Pulsipher As Written by Himself, typescript, 1516, Perry Special Collections. Another died young at age 26. "I will suggest that she didn't change. Her judgment lies in God's hands, not in ours or Brigham Young's. [63] Eliza R. Snow, an Immortal: Selected Works by Eliza R. Snow (Salt Lake City: Nicholas G. Morgan Sr., 1957), 1011. Emma died peacefully in the Nauvoo House on April 30, 1879 at the age of 74. . That did not stop Emma, a visionary woman in her own sense of the word. 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. [3] LaMar C. Berrett and Max H. Parkin, Sacred Places: A Comprehensive Guide to Early LDS Historical Sites, vol. What are various methods available for deploying a Windows application? But the youngest wife sealed to Smith was only 14 years old when she married him . No one could have recognized them as the prosperous Yankees they had once been in New York before embracing Mormonism. She was not perfect and made choices that seem hard for us to understand today. Because of his position in the Illinois militia, he was often referred to as "Major" Bidamon. Joseph was susceptible to vomiting anyway. 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.. 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]. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our. 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); This is why, according to Delewski, the movie "Emma Smith: My Story" shows her outriding Joseph Smith. Constant delays meant that the Knights did not reach the Mississippi River until early May. by Terrie Lynn Bittner | May 3, 2013 | Joseph Smith | 2 comments. [6], In the exodus, Mormon militiamen were the first to leaveor rather escape. Functional cookies help to perform certain functionalities like sharing the content of the website on social media platforms, collect feedbacks, and other third-party features. 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. Emma Smith is one of the most fascinating characters of the Restoration. Her husband Joseph Smith had been killed in 1844, and after his death Emma Smith decided to remain in Nauvoo. [72] It is about 130 miles upriver from St. Louis and 45 miles directly south of where Nauvoo now is. Much business of consequence was accomplished during the day, Elder Woodruff noted, adding, It truly gave us great Joy to once more sit in conference with Br. 7 Are Joseph and Emma Smiths descendants Latter-day Saints? Such souls will have to suffer for the ill treatment of the Saints, he wrote, adding that they need not think that they will escape, for the Lord is just and He will punish those that have ill treated His children (Hartley, My Best for the Kingdom, 89). On May 10, Joseph Smith and his family moved into a small, two-story log house at Commerce, fifty miles north of Quincy, hoping that I and my friends may here find a resting place for a little season at least.[110] Church headquarters moved there, as did large numbers of the exiled Saints. Not six months before the death of Joseph, he called his wife Emma into a secret council, and there he told her the truth, and called upon her to deny it if she could. [32] Committee of Removal members were William Huntington, Charles Bird, Alanson Ripley, Theodore Turley, Daniel Shearer, Shadrach Roundy, and Jonathan H. Hale. She finally gained a sense of stability and a place to raise her children when she moved into the Mansion House in Nauvoo. She move 18 times and lived in 13 houses. Julia: Some say that there were other reasons. Her family had a fair amount of money. . [114] Close Friends as Witnesses: Joseph Smith and the Joseph Knight Families, in Joseph Smith: The Prophet, the Man, ed. Who was the oldest president of the LDS Church? Emma had been disappeared. These hymns had a great influence on the Saints during the early days of the Church. She taught school before she met Joseph Smith. Today, the world is divided into two, torn apart on whether or not to believe the story due to the lack of evidence. When her son became an adult and headed up the Reorganized Church, as it was then known, she joined. When a group of black Mormons arrived after a very difficult and painful journey fraught with danger and racial prejudice, their feet bleeding because they no longer had shoes, she sat them at her own dinner table and took them all into her home as guests until they could find work. On this same day, there was a skirmish between the mob and the Saints west of Big Blue River. There are several reasons Emma stayed in Nauvoo after Joseph Smith's death, but a few in particular stand out. Only his mother and sisters had shoes, but these wore out and became almost useless before they reached Illinois. 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. [90], By mid-April, the mobs lost patience with the Saints still in Caldwell County. With discomfort on both sides, she soon found herself outside the mainstream of the church. She was a schoolteacher and even owned items of value, including cows. These cookies help provide information on metrics the number of visitors, bounce rate, traffic source, etc. [102] See Missouri Republican (St. Louis), May 3, 1839. A Quincy Heritage Celebration was held July 24, 1999. The cookies is used to store the user consent for the cookies in the category "Necessary". Bushman, Richard L., and Jed Woodworth. [41] Jesse and Whittaker, Albert Perry Rockwood Journal, 34. Joseph Smith and the Latter Day Saints leadership had always asked for help from the US government. However, she had to wait for two months before she was confirmed, as Joseph was arrested the next day for his preaching about the Book of Mormon. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". [19] John P. Greene, Facts Relative to the Expulsion of the Mormons or Latter-day Saints from the State of Missouri, Under the Exterminating Order (Cincinnati: R. P. Brooks, 1839), 8. Further, the committee agreed to find employment for those able and willing to labor. Brigham Young and his family, with several others, Kimball said. Emma saw in him what her family missed. 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. Her family stayed behind after the Saints went West, and Elizabeth eventually remarried, the same year that Emma remarried. 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. 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. Yet I knew little of these things, for our branch of the family was far removed from our Smith heritage. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Its a beautiful article, but its not a fully honest one; polygamy is not mentioned once anywhere. On horseback, he, fellow Kentuckian David Lewis, and Elias Higbee endured December snows, cold, and meager food to reach Quincy, Illinois. It is significant to note that the revelation instructed the entire presidency of the Church to leave Kirtland. Emma Smith would make tremendous sacrifices for the gospel of Jesus Christ, for her husband, and for the church. Her first three died so quickly they were not even named. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. John, tall and strong, had fought off Missourians trying to block Mormons from voting. "Emma seemed to wax and wane in her acceptance of the practice," Delewski said. Young put on board some of his goods into the wagon carrying the Knights, and both families resumed their journeys. I hope this helps too! Her family was religious, devoutly Christian. Their first twenty miles was through snow six inches deep. She had no example to follow and no real support group, as later women would have. Her family was fairly well-off financially, and so Emma was well-educated for a woman of her time. [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.