why did emma smith leave the lds church

1 Why did Emma Smith leave the LDS Church? [122] James Galligher Petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 218. In the past three decades, there has been more published about Emma Smith in official church channels, including the new Daughters in My Kingdom manual, which mentions her very positively as the founder of the Relief Society, and the Gospel Doctrine manual for church history, which holds her up as an examplesomewhat reproachfullyof how to support ones spouse. 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. This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. However, the hymns Emma selected were particularly special. When those families reached Illinois early in 1839, they were poor, worn out, and ragged looking. 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. Samuel said they traveled the most secluded route they could find. [3], By October 1838, Newel and Lydia Knight and their three children were among the Saints living in and near Far West, the Churchs headquarters city. Im interested in seeing which traditions she drew from. Some of Emmas friends, as well as many members of the Smith family, alienated themselves from Youngs followers. 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. Fanny lived in the Smiths' house with Emma, which caused much tension. Then three hundred militiamen escorted them away to face trial and prison. In July 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation addressed specifically to Emma. She had a home and her children and she just had to carry on the best she could. 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. A few days later, Martha gave birth to a son she named after the Prophet. On November 6, 1832, Emma gave birth to Joseph Smith III in the upper room of Whitney's store in Kirtland. He had one illegitimate child and after marrying Emma had another, which she raised, making her a most extraordinary woman. Deseret News Archives, Deseret News Archives. Joseph and Emma apparently discussing the nastiness of cleaning up from cleaning up spit on the . Jeremy's response was an 84-page document that came to be known as the "CES Letter.". They restarted on February 14 and reached the Mississippi two weeks later, on March 1, where they camped and waited for more than a week.[47]. [49] Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1984), 79. He rode with the Mormon militia who fought in the Battle of Crooked River. We finally got across, and we were so glad, for before we reached the other side, the river had started to swell and break up. She became the first woman to receive the temple endowment involving the making of sacred covenants with the Savior. Since she left no journal, we dont really know what the entire truth about Emma Smith isbut we do know she was remarkable. The Church was already in a period of great stress and grief as people struggled to decide who the next prophet would be and they faced the realization that they were again in great danger with an uncertain future. The animosity between Brigham Young and Emma had multiple grounds: personal, religious, and financial. When her son became an adult and headed up the Reorganized Church, as it was then known, she joined. Susan Easton Black and Richard E. Bennett (Salt Lake City: Millennial Press, 2000), 134. . In 1888 a Lyman Wight cabin was the only building standing in Ahman, and by 1970 it was totally gone.[124]. [77], On February 23, the Quincy Whig reported that Saints were coming in from all quarters and that for several days they have been crossing at this place, bringing with them the wreck of what they could save from their ruthless oppressors. Emma and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter . the management of the affairs of the Church devolves on you, that is the Twelve . . . 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. But only three of the two dozen adults in Knight family network faltered. Being forced from Missouri posed a test of faith that most Saints passed, but some failed, as the extended Knight family illustrates. Some sneaked southward to the Missouri River and took boat passage to St. 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. 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). This made the poisoning accusation plausible for him. When one was unable to find employment, she hired Jane Manning herself. Advertisement cookies are used to provide visitors with relevant ads and marketing campaigns. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. 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. The John Murdock family left on February 4 without any team or animal or carriage of any kind. They put Mrs. Murdock and the household furniture in a Brother Humphreys wagon. She was baptized on 28 June 1830, shortly after the Church was organized. [27] That left the Saints no choice but to leave Missouri as soon as possible. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. [28] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 8. Many of them started from scratch and built up religious communities in Illinois and Iowa. We will look forward to reading more of your work. Sorry about that! Bushman, Richard L., and Jed Woodworth. By clicking Accept All, you consent to the use of ALL the cookies. Emma Hale Smith Bidamon passed away in Nauvoo on April 30, 1879 , and is buried next to Joseph. [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. The author analyzes such factors as social/political issues, gender, race . John marked time until his family and his mother and brothers could join him in Quincy. She was told that her calling was to be a support and comfort to . [49] Brother Markham then drove the wagon back to Far West to bring others out. ( 6-8 Oct 1866, 36th Semi-Annual Conference, Bowery, G. S. L. City. Elggren believes they had that face-to-face after they had both died. 185 Heber J. Today, you can find her happily organizing and reorganizing her house, scrap booking, reading books to her sons, or still writing an occasional freelance article. Joseph Smith did not have a Will but like today when the husband dies the surviving spouse is still entitled to a certain part of her husband's assets as defined by law, even without a will; but Emma would still have to go through court probate to obtain these assets. When the Twelve returned from Far West in early May, they rejoiced to see him a free man in Illinois. Why did God ask Emma Smith to accept the plates? 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? Answer (1 of 10): At the time of her husbands death, not much changed. At least one man escaped west to Fort Leavenworth. About sixty individuals in that network restructured their everyday lives in or near Nauvoo and continued to follow Joseph Smith. She was not perfect and made choices that seem hard for us to understand today. She comforted other women, instructed them, and helped them to build their own faith. This tendency toward privacy continued even after Joseph Smith's death. Fugitive John Butler, in Quincy, learned of their arrival, and he rowed across the river in a canoe, dodging ice. In honor of the 175th anniversary of the martyrdom of the Prophet Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum, LDS Living is sharing a series of articles about early Church history and some of its key figures. 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. The group then included one man, two women, and children ages seven, four, three, and one. [70], Saints chose to go to Quincy for several reasons. She said she was sorry to see the Mormons suffer so much and be driven from their homes. (Emma's schism church.) With other refugees, she and six children ages two through nine accompanied their small wagon, pulled by a blind horse. Many of the Saints were glad to find shelter in my house from the storms, he said. [55] The shoes belonged to the oldest boy, Morgan. Her funeral was held May 2, 1879, in Nauvoo with RLDS Church minister Mark Hill Forscutt preaching the sermon. He and his friends traveled on foot. In 1984, Linda wrote, with Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma:Emma Hale Smith, which has stood for nearly three decades as the definitive biography of Emma. Given these losses, it appears to me that Emma managed quite well.". "On three of these moves she had to leave behind most or all of her furniture. Initially, when Joseph admitted to her that he had received a revelation about polygamy and was told he absolutely must carry it out, she accepted it. 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. Emma, be patient, you shall have all of your children, he assured her gently. Six of 11 children had died: Alvin, twins Thadeus and Louisa, Joseph Murdock, Don Carlos and Thomas. While Joseph was in jail, Emma made the decision to flee with the rest of the Saints to Quincy. While living at the Morley farm near Kirtland, Emma Smith gives birth to twins, who die shortly after birth. [108] The extended Knight familys losses were at least $14,562, or about $320,000 in todays currency. They took what scanty provisions we could muster. They walked and slept under the sky. 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. 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.. [56] Daniel Stillwell Thomas Family History, 2729. When he reached the Clevelands, Emma recognized him as he dismounted from his horse and met him half way to the gate.[101], A Quincy newspaper reporter publicized the arrival of Joseph Smith and his prison companions, concluding with a favorable description of the Church President and Prophet: We had supposed from the stories and statements we had read of Jo Smith (as he is termed in the papers) to find him a very illiterate, uncouth sort of man; but from a long conversation, we acknowledge an agreeable disappointment. 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. That night at the prayer meeting, Richards, wrote in code that Joseph and Emma did not dress in the usual special clothing, a sign they were too much at odds to participate. [40] [Auto]Biographical Sketch of George Washington Gill Averett, typescript, 8, in Miscellaneous Mormon Diaries, vol. She also learned how to cook and be a good host when her parents ran a boarding house. Another attraction was that unsettled lands were available in the vicinity. [9] The men split into two groups to avoid attention. . Delewski thinks she may have been the most promising of the Hale children because she had a rare additional year of schooling. [106] Fortunately, 678 petitions survive. Emma certainly made errors in judgment, as do we all. [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. [85] William Cahoon, Autobiography, in Susan Easton Black, QuincyA City of Refuge, 73, n. 34. In order to do so, she crossed the frozen Mississippi river with two children clinging to her skirts and two in her arms. [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. During that period, the place was a hive of activity; Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma, and Oliver Cowdery were boarding with the Whitmers, and other people (including curiosity-seekers) were constantly coming and going. Mormon Church Admits Founder Joseph Smith Had Up To 40 Wives : The Two-Way The Church of Latter-day Saints never denied polygamy was part of its history. The second day we had to cross a long prairie, and were not able to reach the settlement. [25] William F. Cahoon Petition in Johnson, Mormon Redress Petitions, 15253. [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. He remained her companion until her death on 30 April 1879 at the age of 75 in Nauvoo. [74] Greene, Expulsion of the Saints from Missouri, 40. 1) Formal Dress. She was not perfect and made choices that seem hard for us to understand today. A Comfort unto My Servant, Joseph. Women of faith in the latter days. Emma Smith was born in 1804 in Pennsylvania and had unusual opportunities for a girl in her time. Latter-day Saint widow Elizabeth Kendall and her family first became acquainted with Emma at the Mansion House in Nauvoo. 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. The day has gone by when masses of men can be outlawed, and driven from society to the wilderness, unprotected. [30] John Taylor, Alanson Ripley, Brigham Young, Theodore Turley, Heber C. Kimball, John Smith (the Prophets uncle), and Don C. Smith (the Prophets brother). Economic impact on Illinois and Iowa. [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. 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. 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. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. The river froze over & we were obliged to camp close to the river 3 days and nights before we could cross in the boat, 6 waggons were with us at the time.[41], By mid-January, Saints were leaving Far West daily. The lack of a legal will placed both the Church and Emma's family in uncertain financial conditions. 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. . It notes, Many of them crossed into Illinois at Quincy and were made welcome by the people here. In recent years, several related commemoration events have taken place in Quincy.[113]. 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. A woman should give her greatest priority to her home: her husband, her family, and the opportunity to child-bearing. Moroni first instructed Joseph to enlist his oldest brother, Alvin, to help him recover the plates. Many found refuge not only in Quincy but throughout Adams County and all over western Illinois. This forced expulsion of Saints from Missouri produced short- and long-term consequences, as enumerated here for various of the parties involved. God commanded and Joseph obeyed. The mormon church is excellent with marketing, so many assume it's just a slightly strange but happy family filled religion. [90], By mid-April, the mobs lost patience with the Saints still in Caldwell County. The Thomases complied. They reached Quincy on January 29 and found ourselves in a land of Freedom once more by the help of God and his blessings. Holbrook observed that brethren were continually coming to Quincy from the Missouri as I had done.[43] In late January, Ebenezer Robinson and three other men walked from Far West to Quincy through the snow.[44]. "When Emma died, she was surrounded by her family and friends. 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. When the two authors began piecing together Emmas life, there was only one small manila folder about her in the entire LDS Archives. This cookie is set by GDPR Cookie Consent plugin. He operated a large butcher shop by the river and a wholesale store by the boat landing. They organized into a company with Rich as captain. This is why, according to Delewski, the movie "Emma Smith: My Story" shows her outriding Joseph Smith. Great questions! Sarah later became Emmas first counselor in the Nauvoo Relief Society. My God is it you Bro. Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith . So she made a deal with Abraham O. Smoot and Martha, his bride of three months. . 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. During the vandalism spree, a great portion of the records of the committee, accounts, history, etc. At Adam-ondi-Ahman they obtained provisions from fellow Saints. [56], The Hammer family. 1981), 23031. Other uncategorized cookies are those that are being analyzed and have not been classified into a category as yet. Another story about bleeding feet involves Nancy Hammer, whose husband Austin was murdered in the Hauns Mill Massacre a few months earlier. Each comment will be reviewed by a staff member before it will appear on the site. One of her grandchildren, Emma Belle Smith Kennedy, wrote: "Her eyes were brown and sad. Time and again, she was uprooted, often without warning and frequently without time to pack her belongings. Her family was fairly well-off financially, and so Emma was well-educated for a woman of her time. With discomfort on both sides, she soon found herself outside the mainstream of the church. Many people have focused almost entirely on the decisions she made in the last years of Joseph Smiths life and after his death, and sometimes those events trouble Mormons and please non-Mormons. . Its seven members, soon expanded to eleven, agreed to move first the families of the Presidency and of the other prisoners. These cookies ensure basic functionalities and security features of the website, anonymously. . In total, these petitioners losses totaled $2,275,789an average of $3,761 per petitioner. Newel and all men in the city had to surrender their arms. 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.. Emma did not learn about their deaths until 10:00 p.m. that same evening. 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. 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. 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.. They lived with his family and then with hers for a time. Newel prayed for help, for I knew not how to extricate myself but as I had never been forsaken by my Heavenly Father I commited myself and family into his care. For a week they were stranded, but finally a man asked his son to drive the Knights the rest of the way. The Smith family. 4, Missouri (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2004), 28889, 361, 402. At the time, perhaps ten thousand Mormons were concentrated in two particular counties. Out went everything by the log, Martha said, the looking glass by a stump. That night Martha, soon to give birth, became ill, so Daniel rigged up a bed frame made of forked sticks and rope strands, and then drove in the frozen ground four six-foot poles topped by cross poles, hung quilts all around, and left openings at the bottom so the heat of the log fire would shine in to keep them warm. 3 Why didnt Emma Smith go west with the Saints? Joseph and Emma adopt the Murdock twins nine days after birth. Emma and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter Day Saints. What did Emma Emma do for the LDS Church? [8] Lavina Fielding Anderson, ed., Lucys Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smiths Family Memoir (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2001), 69192. Emma did, from time to time, offer approval of specific marriages. [95] At that point, Brigham Young felt that the covenant to move the poor Saints had been fulfilled: We had entered into a covenant to see the poor Saints all moved out of Missouri to Illinois, that they might be delivered out of the hands of such vile persecutors, and we spared no pains to accomplish this object until the Lord gave us the desires of our heart. Soon after starting, her eyes became infected, so Martha Smoot walked beside her and led her along for five or six days. My mother called my legs pipe stems, and my arms straws! he said. But Brigham died before she had the opportunity to speak with him. Browse the pages of the original 1835 hymnbook. Though there probably was an argument, the poisoning accusation was unfounded. I understand Long meter and Common meter, but what is PM? She was well-educated and taught school. [110] Smith, History of the Church, 3:349. When the boy, Charles, was 4 years old, Emma took him in and raised him as her own.

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