why did emma smith leave the lds church

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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). These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. Illinois law at the time held that no church could hold more than ten acres of property, and so much of the church's properties were held in Joseph's name. A storehouse of historical documents and records. 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). She even owned cows and other items, possibly given as payment from students. Many wished to be associated with the prophet for the eternal blessings they felt this would bring. Hundreds still lacked the means to leave. Brigham Young University Ever since the Prophet Joseph died as a martyr in Carthage, Illinois, some Latter-day Saints have felt disappointment that Joseph's wife Emma did not go with the Church in the westward exodus of the Saints in 1846-47. He had no steady occupation and was involved intensely with religion. Fanny lived in the Smiths' house with Emma, which caused much tension. [107] Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, xixxxvii. [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. The story of how the word of wisdom came to be is commonly told by the church and fairly simple (see this video), Emma was tired of cleaning up the tobacco after the School of the Prophets met together in her house. 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. Alpheus Cutler placed it in position. Emma Smith, first Relief Society President and wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, had many incredible and difficult experiences in her life. She was a schoolteacher and even owned items of value, including cows. 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. 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. [75] Wandle Mace Autobiography, typescript, 3132, Perry Special Collections. This remarkable event is free, but space is limited. Twice she undertook to kill him. Caroline went ahead and brought back some elders from a camp ahead to give Martha and Keziah blessings. 40 Wives [47] Dated entries in An Abridged Record of the Life of John Murdock, Taken from His Journal by Himself, typescript, n.p., n.d., Perry Special Collections. I attended the premier of the Emma Smith Story [with] several of my children and grandchildren. Anson Call. 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. The animosity between Brigham Young and Emma had multiple grounds: personal, religious, and financial. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. [50], The Young and Kimball families. 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. 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. [71] In 1837 the population was 1,653 according to Pat. When he was murdered, she bent over him and expressed her sorrow that they had taken him from her. Learn about and browse the pages of the first hymnal of the Church. [76] Smith, History of the Church, 3:262. Emma was the seventh of nine children. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. Early Life and Marriage of Emma Smith. About Terrie Lynn Bittner The late Terrie Lynn Bittnerbeloved wife, mother, grandmother, and friendwas the author of two homeschooling books and numerous articles, including several that appeared in Latter-day Saint magazines. How others feel about her decision, Delewski said, depends upon their own knowledge and understanding. 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. He could find no way to bring the Butlers wagon across the river, so he spent the night with his family. Emma's brothers and sisters were all named after family members, either on her mother's side or her father's. Brigham interpreted Emma's refusal to answer as an admission of guilt.. (Later, on April 6, 1830, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would be officially organized there.) Their hospitality stemmed more from pity than anything else. On November 6, 1832, Emma gave birth to Joseph Smith III in the upper room of Whitney's store in Kirtland. Mormon women have the specific responsibility to be righteous daughters of God; good, faithful wives; and loving mothers. [27] That left the Saints no choice but to leave Missouri as soon as possible. "Women felt comfortable leaving their children in the church nursery across the hall," she writes, "because the caregivers passed background checks, earned a fair wage, and had a well-managed. [90] Diaries of William Huntington, 8; Isaac Leany Petition in Johnson, ed., Mormon Redress Petitions, 485. Though there probably was an argument, the poisoning accusation was unfounded. 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. Her funeral was held May 2, 1879, in Nauvoo with RLDS Church minister Mark Hill Forscutt preaching the sermon. Some church members inappropriately rejected her because of her rejection of polygamy and her outspokenness on the subject. All Rights Reserved. [35] A Missouri map published in 1840 by L. Augustus Mitchell, on file in the National Archives Branch in College Park, Maryland, shows roads that provided two possible routes, an upper and a lower one. In mid-February, Anson Call headed east. What does the L.M., C.M. Question: Why did Emma Smith and Brigham Young dislike one another? "When Emma died, she was surrounded by her family and friends. 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. 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. [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. "Some people might say that something about her changed, and that is why she did not come to Salt Lake Valley," Delewski said. She found them both bleeding badly. [76] They moved in with Judge John Cleveland and his Latter-day Saint wife, Sarah, four miles east of Quincy. The large body of displaced Saints became an economic force and political presence in Illinois and Iowa Territory. She also learned how to cook and be a good host when her parents ran a boarding house. So she made a deal with Abraham O. Smoot and Martha, his bride of three months. [126] Hartley, How Shall I Gather? Ensign, October 1997, 517. [84] William Cahoon noted that a family named Travis offered him employment;[85] Mr. Travis also hired refugee Truman Angell to frame a barn. [20] The Life of Joseph Holbrook, 18061871, typescript, 46, Perry Special Collections. Why did Emma Smith opt to stay in Nauvoo? [85] William Cahoon, Autobiography, in Susan Easton Black, QuincyA City of Refuge, 73, n. 34. One of the materials in it was a pamphlet that said Emma could be forgiven for her sins because she had lost her mind. At least one man escaped west to Fort Leavenworth. 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. 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. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He also owned and rented out ten or twelve small houses he had built. 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 . However, the hymns Emma selected were particularly special. . Only his mother and sisters had shoes, but these wore out and became almost useless before they reached Illinois. Abraham O. Smoot became mayor of Salt Lake City and then Provo, president of the Utah Stake, and a promoter of Brigham Young Academy. If Mormonism is not true, it is a fraudulent version of Christianity and an enormous sham. The cookie is set by GDPR cookie consent to record the user consent for the cookies in the category "Functional". 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. This difficult situation was complicated by the immense demands on Brigham Young's time. They received them as they came, sent forward all who had means and strength into the interior, provided the poor and sick with lodgings, fuel, food and clothing.[74] Wandle Mace opened his house to the refugees. She was left alone with her five children, including her adopted daughter and four sons. 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. 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. For him, it appears the marriages were fairly impersonal and meant to fulfill the requirement given him by an angel and to join certain families together in the eternities. In January some Missourians gave Levi Hancock, one of the seven presidents of the Seventy, three days to leave. A day or two later, a ferry finally dodged through the ice and brought the women and children across.[59]. [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. Uncertain which policy to push, the conference voted against accepting the land offer (Journal History, February 1, 1839). [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. Samuel said they traveled the most secluded route they could find. In Daviess County on Caldwell Countys north side, Saints had begun building about 150 log houses at Adam-ondi-Ahman, and as many as 1,500 Saints in total lived in Daviess County. Required fields are marked *. Another story about bleeding feet involves Nancy Hammer, whose husband Austin was murdered in the Hauns Mill Massacre a few months earlier. The Missouri Arguss editor argued incorrectly on December 20, 1838, that they cannot be driven beyond the limits of the statethat is certain. 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. ", Delewski said, "If someone with Emma's experience came to me, I would talk about these deaths and see what effects sorrow had had upon her. Deseret News Archives, Deseret News Archives. What did Emma Emma do for the LDS Church? Further, the committee agreed to find employment for those able and willing to labor. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. The Mormon church has said for the first time that its founder Joseph Smith had up to 40 wives. 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). Grant Building Huntington estimated that in Daviess County the Saints lost nearly thirty thousand bushels of corn because of the militia takeover. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. 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. William G. Hartley, The Saints Forced Exodus from Missouri, in Joseph Smith, the Prophet and Seer, ed. And when people say she was wrong for remaining in Nauvoo, they are implying they know what she should have done," Richard Delewski said at the Sunstone Symposium on Aug. 13. He was not, however, a member of her familys faith and in fact, had received a vision at age fourteen telling him not to join any existing church because none were completely right. LDS Church History documents that their mormon founder, Joseph Smith, lied to a large group of people about his having multiple wives. During the vandalism spree, a great portion of the records of the committee, accounts, history, etc. What is the LDS divorce rate? With discomfort on both sides, she soon found herself outside the mainstream of the church. 3. 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. 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. After deliberating on the best means to finish the job, we have thought that considering the bad state of the roads, the expense of ferrage in consequence of high water, that the teams are all nearly worn out, and the brethren here very poor and very much scattered that the best solution was to forward the remainder of the poor brethren by water. By contracting with a steam boat, the poor brethren might all be removed at once and the Far West committee would be free to get out of the state. They got some better, Caroline said. 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. Dirty smoking school of prophets. Why didnt Emma Smith go west with the Saints? 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. [31] Smith, History of the Church, 3:25054. Sorry about that! Sidney Rigdon had been released in January. . She held on to her faith in God, in the gospel, and in Joseph Smith as a prophet throughout it all. [82] Lucy Smith said ladies in Quincy sent them every delicacy which the city afforded.[83] Residents proffered employment. Emma and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter . A few ancient metal plates that were described as being similar to the Mormon origin were discovered by archaeologists in recent years but the golden plates havent been found yet. The animosity between Brigham Young and Emma had multiple grounds: personal, religious, and financial, 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, Brigham and Emma did not agree on the disposition of Joseph's estate. 5 How old was Emma Smith when Joseph Smith died? Emma eventually forced them to leave, unable to bear the pain of having Joseph's plural wives . 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. We will look forward to reading more of your work. Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith . Understanding how early Saints worked earnestly to build up the Church helps us better appreciate the value of their work. "Every symptom of poison," Richards noted in Joseph's diary. Lorenzo said that his pants were so shredded by bushes that he refused to face Iowans until someone brought him better pants. All rights reserved. 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. William G. Hartley was a professor emeritus of history at Brigham Young University when this was published. You've read 0 of 5 of todays most popular posts. She would smile with her lips, but to me, as small as I was, I never saw the brown eyes smile. When Elizabeth died in childbirth, young Elizabeth Agnes was leftwith her stepfather and, soon after, a new stepmother. First, Emma had intense anxiety over the protection of Joseph's and Hyrum's bodies. 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). 4 (2000): 622. By age 40, Emma had lost her husband, her mother and father, her father-in-law, three brothers-in-law and five children. by Terrie Lynn Bittner | May 3, 2013 | Joseph Smith | 2 comments. Tied to her waist were heavy bags containing Josephs papers. Modern DNA has ruled out all children Fran Brodie had proposed were his through other marriages. She handled nearly every trial with grace. 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. But in a series of new essays, it describes the now-banned practice in detail. We are sensible, brethren, that you have done all that you could do in removing the poor Saints, they said, adding that nor have we, brethren, been backward in exerting our energies for that purpose. [45] The Mosiah Hancock Journal (Salt Lake City: reprint by Pioneer Press, n.d.), 11. Print. The Thomas family stayed strong in the faith and emigrated to Utah in 1849. a boy whom many Saints felt to be Smiths rightful prophetic heir, The biography Linda and Valeen published with Doubleday several years later. Richard Bushman writes of the poisoning accusation: Through the late fall and winter of 1843 and 1844, Joseph and Emma's relationship broke down only once. 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. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. . Emma Smith The essentialeven phenomenalrole Emma played in bringing forth the Book of Mormon has been re-examined on many fronts. "Of these 13 locations, only four of them could be called her own," Delewski said. [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. Here Samuel had hired a house and we moved into it, with four other families.[53]. the management of the affairs of the Church devolves on you, that is the Twelve . He sealed that witness with his life. But the youngest wife sealed to Smith was only 14 years old when she married him . [32] Committee of Removal members were William Huntington, Charles Bird, Alanson Ripley, Theodore Turley, Daniel Shearer, Shadrach Roundy, and Jonathan H. Hale. Shortly after her baptism in July 1830, Emma Smithwas called by God to compile a hymnbook to edify the Church. [22] William Huntington Diary, 7; Lyndon W. Cook, Joseph C. Kingsbury: A Biography (Provo, UT: Grandin Book, 1985), 61. He was the son of Joseph and Lucy Mack Smith. [84] Aroet Hale, Autobiography, typescript, 6, Perry Special Collections. Under these conditions, one could reasonably conclude that she did not travel west in order to avoid losing any more of her children. At the time, perhaps ten thousand Mormons were concentrated in two particular counties. About sixty individuals in that network restructured their everyday lives in or near Nauvoo and continued to follow Joseph Smith. In conversation, he appears intelligent and candid, and divested of all malicious thought and feeling towards his relentless persecutors.[102], Joseph Smith quickly finalized plans for a new gathering place for the homeless Saints upriver at Commerce, soon to be renamed Nauvoo. [29] Smith, History of the Church, 3:249. This tendency toward privacy continued even after Joseph Smith's death. The exodus from Missouri generated a rich store of documents and records. It is possible that polygamy would have come more easily if it had not been added to an already extraordinary number of other trials and if she had not been the first wife to face it in the Church. Emma served as a scribe during his first efforts to translate the Book of Mormon. Her husband Joseph Smith had been killed in 1844, and after his death Emma Smith decided to remain in Nauvoo. I being barefooted and the ice so rough, I staggered all over. Joseph Smith and the Latter Day Saints leadership had always asked for help from the US government. [108] The extended Knight familys losses were at least $14,562, or about $320,000 in todays currency. [95] Kenney, Wilford Woodruffs Journal, 1:329. Im guessing something to do with the meter, but I cant figure it out! The group then included one man, two women, and children ages seven, four, three, and one. Were most of her songs from her Methodist tradition, or did she draw more broadly? The religion rapidly gained converts, and Smith set up . She comforted other women, instructed them, and helped them to build their own faith. Emma had 11 children (two were the adopted Murdock twins), and six children died in infancy. 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.

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why did emma smith leave the lds church

why did emma smith leave the lds church