Emma Hale Smith

Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (10 July 1804–30 April 1879) was married to Joseph Smith, Jr. until his death in 1844, and was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement in her own right, both during his life and afterward as a member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She was also named in 1842 as the inaugural president of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo, a woman's service organization which was later reorganized in Utah as a significant branch of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints under the name Relief Society. Image File history File links From http://www. ... Image File history File links From http://www. ... is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Joseph Smith redirects here. ... The Latter Day Saint movement (a subset of Restorationism) is a group of religious denominations and adherents who follow at least some of the teachings and revelations of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... RLDS redirects here. ... The Relief Society is the womens organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ... This article is about the U.S. state. ... For other uses, see The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (disambiguation). ...

Life

Early life and first marriage, 1804–1829

Emma was born 10 July 1804, in Harmony Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, as the seventh child of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis Hale. Emma first met her future husband, Joseph Smith, Jr. in 1825. Smith lived near Palmyra, New York, but boarded with the Hales in Harmony while he was employed in a company of men hoping to unearth buried treasure (specifically a silver mine for Josiah Stowell a farmer whose farm home still stand on the north side of the Susquehanna River on New York State Route 7 in Ninevah, New York, Just West of Afton). Although the company found no treasure, Smith returned to Harmony several times seeking the hand of Emma. Isaac Hale refused to allow the marriage because he considered Smith's occupation disreputable. Finally, on 17 January 1827, Smith and Emma eloped across the state line to South Bainbridge (Afton), New York, where they were married the following day. The site of the marriage is on the site of the present day Afton Fairgrounds located on New York State Route 41 within the Village of Afton, in the Town of Afton. The Afton Fairgrounds is located on the East side of the Susquehanna River and a New York State Historical Marker commemmorates the location. The couple moved to the home of Smith's parents on the edge of Manchester Township near Palmyra. is the 191st day of the year (192nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1804 was a leap year starting on Sunday (see link for calendar). ... Harmony Township is a township located in Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania. ... Joseph Smith redirects here. ... Palmyra is a town in Wayne County, New York, USA. The population was 7,672 at the 2000 census. ... is the 17th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Manchester, New York is both a town and a village located in Ontario County, New York. ...

While there, on 22 September 1827, Joseph and Emma took a horse and carriage belonging to Joseph Knight and went to a hill now known as the Hill Cumorah where Joseph received a set of Golden Plates. This created a great deal of excitement in the area. In December of 1827, the couple decided to move to be with Emma's parents' in Harmony where they reconciled to an extent with Isaac and Elizabeth Hale, who helped Emma and Joseph obtain a house and a small farm. While living there, Joseph began what he termed the "translation" of the plates into the Book of Mormon, and for a time, Emma acted as a scribe. She became a physical witness of the plates, reporting that she felt them through a cloth, traced the pages through the cloth with her fingers, heard the metallic sound they made as she moved them, and felt their weight. She later wrote in an interview with her son, Joseph Smith III: "In writing for your father I frequently wrote day after day, often sitting at the table close by him, he sitting with his face buried in his hat, with the stone in it, and dictating hour after hour with nothing between us." (History of the RLDS Church, 8 vols. (Independence, Missouri: Herald House, 1951), "Last Testimony of Sister Emma," 3:356.) is the 265th day of the year (266th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1827 (MDCCCXXVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Joseph Knight was a slave born in Africa and sold in Jamaica to a Scottish owner. ... An 1841 engraving of Cumorah (looking south), where Joseph Smith said he was given Golden Plates by an angel named Moroni, on the west side, near the peak. ... An 1893 engraving of Joseph Smith receiving the Golden Plates and the Urim and Thummim from the angel Moroni. ... // The Book of Mormon [1] is one of the sacred texts of the Latter Day Saint movement. ...

While in Harmony on 15 June 1828, Emma gave birth to her first child—a son named Alvin—who lived only a few hours. is the 166th day of the year (167th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1828 (MDCCCXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Thursday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

In May 1829, Emma and Joseph left Harmony and went to live with David Whitmer in Fayette, New York. While there, Joseph finished work on the Book of Mormon, which was published by March of 1830. David Whitmer (January 7, 1805–January 25, 1888) was an early adherent of the Latter Day Saint movement who eventually became the most interviewed of the Three Witnesses to the Book of Mormons Golden Plates. ... Fayette is a town located in Seneca County, New York. ...

"Elect Lady" and the early church, 1830–1839

On 6 April 1830, Joseph and five other men established the "Church of Christ" (whose name was changed to the "Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints" in 1838). is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... The Church of Christ was the original church organization founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

Emma was baptized in 28 June 1830 in Colesville, New York where an early branch of the church was established. During the next weeks, Joseph was arrested and tried in South Bainbridge for "glass looking" on the state's vagrancy law. Emma may have been disheartened and Joseph reported a revelation which instructed her to "murmur not" but also comforted her with the assurance, "thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou art an elect lady, whom I have called."[1] The revelation goes on to state that Emma would "be ordained under [Joseph's] hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church" and further authorizes Emma to "make a selection of sacred Hymns" for the church. is the 179th day of the year (180th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Liberty Leading the People by Eugène Delacroix commemorates the July Revolution 1830 (MDCCCXXX) was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Colesville is a town located in Broome County, New York. ...

Joseph and Emma returned to Harmony for a time, but relations with Emma's parents broke down, and the couple returned to live again in the homes of members of the growing church. They lived first with the Whitmers again in Fayette, then with Newel K. Whitney and his family in Kirtland, Ohio and then into a cabin on a farm owned by Isaac Morley. It was here on April 30, 1831 that Emma prematurely gave birth to twins—named Thaddeus and Louisa—who died hours later. That same day Julia Clapp Murdock died giving birth to twins, named Joseph and Julia. When they were nine days old, their father, John Murdock gave the infants to the Smiths who adopted them and raised them as their own. On 2 September 1831, Emma, Joseph and the twins moved into John Johnson's home in Hiram, Ohio. The infant Joseph died of exposure or pneumonia in late March 1832. Newel Kimball Whitney (1795–1850) (commonly known as Newel K. Whitney, with his first name sometimes being misspelled Newell) was a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an American businessman. ... Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. ... Isaac Morley (1786 - 1865) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement and a contemporary of both Joseph Smith and Brigham Young. ... is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Julia Murdock Smith (May 1, 1831 - September 12, 1880 ) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement and the eldest surviving child and only daughter of Joseph Smith, Jr. ... is the 245th day of the year (246th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Leopold I 1831 (MDCCCXXXI) was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... Hiram is a village in Portage County, Ohio, United States. ...

On November 6, 1832, Emma gave birth to a son, named Joseph Smith III, in the upper room of Newel K. Whitney's store in Kirtland. Young Joseph (as he became known) was the first of the children she bore to live to adulthood. A second son, Frederick Granger Williams Smith (named for a counselor in the church's First Presidency), followed on June 29, 1836. is the 310th day of the year (311th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1832 (MDCCCXXXII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Joseph Smith III — Leader of the 1860 Reorganization of the Latter Day Saint church. ... Newel Kimball Whitney (1795–1850) (commonly known as Newel K. Whitney, with his first name sometimes being misspelled Newell) was a prominent leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an American businessman. ... Frederick Granger Williams (1787–1842) (commonly known as Frederick G. Williams) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint and served in the First Presidency as Second Counselor to President Joseph Smith, Jr. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (or the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... is the 180th day of the year (181st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1836 (MDCCCXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a leap year starting on Wednesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

While in Kirtland, Emma's feelings about temperance and the use of tobacco may have influenced her husband's decision to pray about dietary questions. These prayers resulted in the "Word of Wisdom". Also, Emma's first selection of hymns was published as a hymnal for the church's use. It was also in Kirtland that Emma's husband began to teach and practice the doctrine of "plural marriage"—although this was not yet an official doctrine or practice of the church. And it was in Kirtland that the collapse of Joseph's banking venture, the Kirtland Safety Society, led to serious problems for the church and the family. On January 12, 1838, he was forced to leave the state or face charges of fraud and illegal banking. The Word of Wisdom is the common name of a section of the Doctrine and Covenants,[1] a book that consists of what many churches within the Latter Day Saint movement consider to be revelations from God. ... Plural marriage is a type of polygyny taught by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... The Kirtland Safety Society (KSS) was a quasi-bank organized in 1836 (and reorganized on January 2, 1837) by leaders and followers of the Church of Christ (precursor to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). ... is the 12th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

Emma and her family followed after, as they could, and made a new home on the frontier in the Mormon settlement of Far West, Missouri. There, on June 2, 1838, Emma gave birth to another son, Alexander Hale Smith. Events of the Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. Emma and her family were forced to leave the state with the majority of Latter Day Saint refugees. She crossed the Mississippi River which had frozen over in February of 1839. Of these times, she later wrote: Far West, Missouri, was a Latter Day Saint (Mormon) settlement in Caldwell County, Missouri. ... is the 153rd day of the year (154th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... Alexander Hale Smith (1838–1909) was the third surviving son of Joseph Smith Jr. ... The Mormon War is a name sometimes given to the 1838 conflict which occurred between Latter-day Saints (Mormons) and their neighbors in the northwestern region of the U.S. state of Missouri. ...

"No one but God knows the reflections of my mind and the feelings of my heart when I left our house and home, and almost all of everything that we possessed excepting our little children, and took my journey out of the State of Missouri, leaving [Joseph] shut up in that lonesome prison. But the reflection is more than human nature ought to bear, and if God does not record our sufferings and avenge our wrongs on them that are guilty, I shall be sadly mistaken."

Early years in Nauvoo, 1839–1844

Emma and her family lived with friendly non-Mormons John and Sarah Cleveland in Quincy, Illinois, until Joseph escaped custody in Missouri. The family moved to a new Latter-Day Saint settlement in Illinois which Joseph named "Nauvoo." On May 9, 1839, they moved into a two story log house there which they called the "Homestead." They lived there until 1842 when a much larger house, known as the "Mansion House" was built across the street. A wing (no longer extant) was added to this house, which Emma operated as a hotel. : Gem City United States Illinois Adams 14. ... There is also a Nauvoo, Alabama, and a Nauvoo, Pennsylvania Nauvoo (נָאווּ to be beautiful, Sephardi Hebrew Nåvu, Tiberian Hebrew Nâwû) is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. ... is the 129th day of the year (130th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1839 (MDCCCXXXIX) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

On March 17, 1842 the Relief Society was formally organized as the women's auxiliary to the church and Emma became its founding president. Shortly before this, Joseph initiated the Anointed Quorum—a prayer-circle of important men and women in the church that included Emma. is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... The Relief Society is the womens organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ... The Anointed Quorum, also known as the Quorum of the Anointed, or the Holy Order, was an elite body of men and women with special standing in early Mormonism. ...

Joseph had continued to practice plural marriage in secret. In Nauvoo, he began to privately expand the circle of men and women who were taught this doctrine. Joseph always denied the principle of plural marriage in public. Joseph's brother Hyrum was originally a strong opponent of plural marriage and asked Joseph to "seek a revelation" to settle the issue. Reportedly, a revelation that Joseph dictated on 12 July 1843 (although it may have been given earlier) converted Hyrum to the principle and Hyrum convinced Joseph to let him share it with Emma. Rumors of polygamy and "spiritual wifery" had dogged the Mormons for over a decade, and Emma had long been a public opponent of it. The reported revelation addressed Emma specifically and commanded that unless she "cleave unto my servant Joseph, and to none else. But if she will not abide this commandment she shall be destroyed, saith the Lord." (See Doctrine and Covenants, LDS, 132:54.) According to later reports, Emma took the copy of the written revelation that Hyrum had presented to her and burned it^{[citation needed]}. Further testimonies affirm that she later agreed to let Joseph marry (or re-marry) a number of plural wives. On May 11, 1843 she took part in a marriage ceremony between Joseph and Emily D. Partridge and Eliza M. Partridge. Nevertheless, throughout her life Emma continued to publicly deny the principle of plural marriage and untruthfully and repeatedly stating that neither she nor Joseph had any part in it^{[citation needed]}. The reasons for the denials is not known, however, Joseph often asked those whom he told never to reveal the doctrine publicly^{[citation needed]}. Plural marriage is a type of polygyny taught by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... is the 193rd day of the year (194th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: The Doctrine and Covenants The Doctrine and Covenants (sometimes abbreviated and cited as D&C) is a part of the open scriptural canon of several denominations of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... is the 131st day of the year (132nd in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1843 (MDCCCXLIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian Calendar (or a common year starting on Friday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Rumors concerning polygamy and other practices threatened to erupt into the open in June 1844, with the publication of the Nauvoo Expositor by disaffected former church leaders. The press was destroyed by the town marshal on orders from the town council (of which Joseph was a member) which set into motion the events that ultimately led to his arrest and incarceration in the jail in Carthage. While he was there, a mob of about 200 armed men stormed Carthage Jail in the late afternoon of 27 June 1844. Gun shots killed both Joseph and his brother Hyrum. The Nauvoo Expositor was a newspaper in Nauvoo, Illinois that published only one issue on June 7, 1844. ... Carthage is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. ... is the 178th day of the year (179th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Jan. ...

Later years in Nauvoo, 1844–1879

Joseph's death threw both the church and Emma's family into disorder. Emma was left a pregnant widow—it would be on November 17, 1844, that she gave birth to David Hyrum Smith, she and Joseph's last child together. In addition to being church president, Joseph had been trustee-in-trust for the church. As a result, his estate was entirely wrapped up with the finances of the church. Untangling the church's property and debts from Emma's personal property and debts proved a long and potentially dangerous process for Emma and her family. 17 November is also the name of a Marxist group in Greece, coinciding with the anniversary of the Athens Polytechnic uprising. ... Jan. ... David Hyrum Smith was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement and the youngest son of Joseph Smith, Jr. ...

The church itself was left with no clear successor and a succession crisis ensued. Emma wanted William Marks, president of the church's central stake, to assume the church presidency, but Marks favored Sidney Rigdon for the role. After a meeting on August 6, a congregation of the church voted that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles should become the new First Presidency of the church. Brigham Young, president of the Quorum, then became "de-facto" president of the church in Nauvoo. The Succession Crisis in the Latter Day Saint movement occurred after the assassination of the movements founder, Joseph Smith, Jr. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A stake is an administrative unit composed of multiple congregrations in sects of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. ... Sidney Rigdon Sidney Rigdon (19 February 1793–14 July 1876) was an important figure in the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. ... The current Quorum of the Twelve Apostles in the LDS Church. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the First Presidency (or the Quorum of the Presidency of the Church) was the highest governing body in the Latter Day Saint church established by Joseph Smith, Jr. ... Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and was the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death. ...

Relations between Young and Emma steadily deteriorated, and Emma's friends as well as members of the Smith family were cut off from the church. Relations between the Latter-day Saints and their neighbors also declined into near open warfare, and finally Young made the decision to relocate in the West. When he and the majority of the Latter-day Saints abandoned Nauvoo in early 1846, Emma and her children remained behind in the mostly empty town.

Nearly two years later, a close friend and non-Mormon, Major Lewis C. Bidamon, proposed marriage and became Emma's second husband on December 23, 1847. Bidamon moved into the mansion house and became stepfather to Emma's children. Emma and Bidamon attempted to operate a store and to continue to operate their large house as a hotel, but Nauvoo had too few residents and visitors to make either venture very profitable. Emma and her family remained rich in real estate but poor in capital. is the 357th day of the year (358th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ...

Unlike other members of the Smith family who had at times favored the claims of James J. Strang and/or William Smith, Emma and her children continued to live as unaffiliated Latter Day Saints. Many Latter Day Saints believed that her eldest son, Joseph Smith III, would one day be called to take his father's place. Knowing the dangers and hardships firsthand, Emma may have preferred a different path for her son. However, when he reported receiving a calling from God to take his father's place as head of a "New Organization" of the Latter Day Saint church, she supported his decision. Both she and Joseph III traveled to a conference at Amboy, Illinois and on April 6, 1860, Joseph was sustained as president of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which later became the Community of Christ. Emma became a member of this organization without rebaptism, as her original 1830 baptism was still considered valid. 1856 daguerreotype of James Strang, taken on Beaver Island, Lake Michigan, by J. Atkyn, one of his assassins. ... William Smith (also found as William B. Smith) (1811–1893) born in Royalton, Vermont, was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and an original member of the Quorum of Twelve Apostles. ... Joseph Smith III — Leader of the 1860 Reorganization of the Latter Day Saint church. ... The Amboy Conference was the setting of the official re-organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints into the Latter Day Saint denomination now known as the Community of Christ. ... Amboy is a city located in Lee County, Illinois. ... is the 96th day of the year (97th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... In the Latter Day Saint movement, the President of the Church is generally considered to be the highest office of the church. ... RLDS redirects here. ... Rebaptism is a practice in some denominations of the Latter Day Saint or Mormonism movement. ...

Emma and Joseph III returned to Nauvoo after the conference and he led the church from there until moving to Plano, Illinois in 1866. Joseph called upon his mother to help prepare a hymnal for the New Organization, just as she had for the early church. Plano is a city in Kendall County, Illinois, United States. ...

Major Bidamon renovated a portion of the unfinished "Nauvoo House" hotel (across the street from the mansion house) and he and Emma moved there in 1869. Emma died peacefully in her home on April 30, 1879. Her memorial service was held May 2 of that year in Nauvoo, Illinois. is the 120th day of the year (121st in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1879 (MDCCCLXXIX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Monday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ...

Richard Lyman Bushman, in his recent biography “Joseph Smith - Rough Stone Rolling” asserts that Emma’s second husband, Lewis Bidamon, had an affair after he married Emma which produced a child. According to Bushman, Major Bidamon brought the child home for Emma to raise when it was 4 years old and the mistress also lived in the Bidamon household with Bidamon and Emma. Richard Lyman Bushman, Gouverneur Morris Professor of History emeritus at Columbia University, is the author of many books on early American cultural and religious history. ...

Hymns and hymnals

In June 1832 a selection of six hymns were published in the first issue of The Evening and the Morning Star, an early church periodical (See June 1832, p. 8 - Wikisource). The Evening and Morning Star was an early Latter Day Saint periodical published monthly in Independence, Missouri from June 1832 to May 1833, and then in Kirtland, Ohio from June 1833 to September 1834. ...

The first church hymnal came off the press in 1836 (and maybe late 1835) at Kirtland, Ohio [2]. It was titled A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints and contained 90 hymn texts (no music). More than half of the texts were borrowed from other Protestant traditions, but often changed slightly to reinforce the theology of the early church. For example, Hymn 15, changes Isaac Watts' Joy to the World from a song about Christmas to a song about the return of Christ (See Joy to the world! the Lord will come!) Most of these changes as well as a large number of the original songs included in the hymnal are attributed to William Wines Phelps. Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, USA. The population was 6,670 at the 2000 census. ... A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for the Church of the Latter Day Saints. ... Isaac Watts (July 17, 1674 – November 25, 1748) is recognised as the Father of English Hymnody, as he was the first prolific and popular English hymnwriter, credited with some 750 hymns. ... Joy to the World is one of the best-known and best-loved of Christmas carols. ... Joy to the World! The Lord Will Come is an adaptation of the popular Christmas carol, Joy to the World, the Lord is Come. ... William Wines Phelps (also W.W. Phelps, and William W. Phelps) (February 17, 1792–March 7, 1872) was an important early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement. ...

Emma also compiled a second hymnal by the same title, which was published in Nauvoo, Illinois, 1841. This contained 304 hymn texts. There is also a Nauvoo, Alabama, and a Nauvoo, Pennsylvania Nauvoo (נָאווּ to be beautiful, Sephardi Hebrew Nåvu, Tiberian Hebrew Nâwû) is a city in Hancock County, Illinois, United States. ...

When her son, Joseph Smith III, in 1860 was called as the president/prophet of the Reorganization (now known as Community of Christ) she was again asked to compile a hymnal. Latter Day Saints' Selection of Hymns was published in 1861, although the extent of her involvement is not known. Joseph Smith III — Leader of the 1860 Reorganization of the Latter Day Saint church. ... RLDS redirects here. ...

Female Relief Society of Nauvoo

Emma was elected as the first president of the Relief Society of Nauvoo, 17 March 1842. The organization was formed to "provoke the brethren to good works in looking to the wants of the poor, [search] after objects of charity...[and] to assist by correcting the virtues of the female community," according to the minutes of the Relief Society. The Relief Society is the womens organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. ... is the 76th day of the year (77th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1842 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ...

Polygamy

Main article: Joseph Smith, Jr. and polygamy

Newell and Avery, in their biography, Mormon Enigma, cite evidence that Emma witnessed several marriages of Joseph Smith, Jr. to plural wives. However, like all those who participated in early Plural Marriages, Emma publicly denied knowledge of her husband's involvement in the practice of polygamy. Historians widely agree that Joseph Smith Jr. ... Joseph Smith redirects here. ... Polygamy has been a feature of human culture since earliest history. ...

Her son, Joseph Smith III, became prophet/president of the Reorganization — which gathered many of the Latter Day Saints still scattered across the Midwest and elsewhere. Many of the Midwestern Latter Day Saints had broken with Brigham Young and/or James Strang because of earnest opposition to polygamy. Emma's continuing public denial of the practice seemed to lend strength to their cause, and opposition to polygamy became a tenet of the Reorganized church (now known as Community of Christ). Over the years many church historians attempted to prove that the practice had originated with Brigham Young. Joseph Smith III — Leader of the 1860 Reorganization of the Latter Day Saint church. ... RLDS redirects here. ... Brigham Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was a leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and was the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death. ...

Beginning in the 1970s, however, with increasing professionalization in the reorganized church historians office, some (but by no means all) of the members of the reorganized church have come to accept the evidence that the system originated with Smith himself. Some recent reorganized church historians acknowledge Smith's practice of polygamy. That being said, there remains no actual proof of Smith's involvement, and much of the evidence is claimed by some to be suspect^{[citation needed]}.

References

• Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith (New York: Doubleday, 1984). ISBN 0-385-17166-8. 2nd edition. rev., Urbana, IL: University of Illinois Press, 1994.

• Michael Hicks, Mormonism and Music: A History, (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1989; [Paperback Ed., 2003]).
• Dan Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, Vol. 4, (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2002).
• Roger D. Launius, Joseph Smith III: Pragmatic Prophet, (Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988).
• Richard Lyman Bushman, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling, (New York: Knopf, 2005)

Linda King Newell is co-author with Valeen Tippetts Avery of the book Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith. ... Valeen Tippetts Avery (1936 - 2006) was an American biographer and historian best known for her work on Western American and Latter Day Saint history. ...

External links

1. Emma Tribute/Hymn Festival Information on Emma's life and contribution to hymnody (bicentennial celebration)