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123-731: After the killing of Joseph Smith , Emma remained in Nauvoo rather than following Brigham Young and the Mormon pioneers to the Utah Territory. Emma was supportive of Smith's teachings throughout her life with the exception of plural marriage and remained loyal to her son, Joseph Smith III , in his leadership of the RLDS Church. Emma Hale was born on July 10, 1804, in Harmony Township, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania , in her family's log cabin. She

246-566: A livery stable and was elected mayor, a position he held from 1867 to 1868. After the killing of Smith in 1844, several rival leaders claimed to be Smith's successor, including Brigham Young , Sidney Rigdon , and James Strang . Many of Rigdon's followers became disillusioned by 1847 and some, including apostle William E. McLellin and Benjamin Winchester , remembered Whitmer's 1834 ordination to be Smith's successor. At McLellin's urging, Whitmer exercised his claim to be Smith's successor and

369-452: A revelation , now known as Doctrine and Covenants Section 25, that highlighted Emma Smith as "an elect lady". The revelation says that Emma would "be ordained under [Joseph's] hand to expound scriptures, and to exhort the church." The revelation instructed Emma to "murmur not" and described Emma's duties to Joseph. Emma was also directed to be Joseph's scribe and to create a hymnbook for the new church. Joseph and Emma returned to Harmony for

492-612: 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 . On April 6, 1860, Joseph was sustained as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, which prefaced "Reorganized" to its name in 1872 and in 2001 became known as the Community of Christ . Emma became a member of the RLDS Church without rebaptism , as her original 1830 baptism

615-657: A "gathering place" for Latter Day Saints. According to Smith, the area would be the "center place" of the City of Zion , the New Jerusalem . On July 7, 1834, Smith ordained Whitmer to be the president of the church in Missouri and his own successor, should Smith "not live to God". By virtue of his position as President of the High Council in Zion, David Whitmer was sustained as "the president of

738-582: A "secret organization" formed within the church that denounced "dissenters", Whitmer used his position as one of the Three Witnesses to condemn the church: "If you believe my testimony to the Book of Mormon", wrote Whitmer, "if you believe that God spake to us three witnesses by his own voice, then I tell you that in June, 1838, God spake to me again by his own voice from the heavens and told me to 'separate myself from among

861-524: A Mr. Allen (possibly the fourth man) were all indicted for the murder of the Smith brothers. Wills, Vorhease, and Gallaher, perhaps conscious that their wounds could prove that they were involved in the mob, fled the county after being indicted and were never brought to trial. Apart from Taylor's report of what he had heard, there is no evidence that Wills, Vorhease, Gallaher, or Allen died from their wounds. Joseph and Hyrum Smith's bodies were returned to Nauvoo

984-592: A body that had led the Latter Day Saint movement since 1832. At the time of Smith's death, he was estranged from Smith due to differences in doctrinal beliefs. Young, president of the Quorum of the Twelve , claimed authority was handed by Smith to the Quorum. Strang claimed that Smith designated him as the successor in a letter that was received a week before his death. Later, others came to believe that Smith's son, Joseph Smith III ,

1107-615: A cabin on a farm owned by Isaac Morley . It was here on April 30, 1831, that Emma gave birth to premature twins, Thaddeus and Louisa; both babies died hours later. That same day, Julia Clapp Murdock died giving birth to twins, Joseph and Julia . When the twins were nine days old, their father, John , gave the infants to the Smiths to raise as their own. On September 2, 1831, the Smiths moved into John Johnson 's home in Hiram, Ohio . The infant Joseph died of exposure or pneumonia in late March 1832, after

1230-581: A congregation of the church voted that the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles should lead the church. Brigham Young , president of the quorum, then became the de facto president of the church in Nauvoo. Relations between Young and Emma steadily deteriorated. Some of Emma's friends, as well as many members of the Smith family, alienated themselves from Young's followers. Conflicts between church members and neighbors also continued to escalate, and eventually Young made

1353-546: A conversation with him last summer, denied my testimony as one of the three witnesses to the BOOK OF MORMON. To the end, therefore, that he may understand me now, if he did not then; and that the world may know the truth, I wish now, standing as it were, in the very sunset of life, and in the fear of God, once for all to make this public statement: That I have never at any time denied that testimony or any part thereof, which has so long since been published with that Book, as one of

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1476-409: A criminal indictment against Smith on the charges of perjury based on the statements of Joseph Jackson and Robert Foster. A second indictment, for “ fornication and adultery ”, was issued based on the statements of William and Wilson Law who swore Smith had been living with Maria Lawrence “in an open state of adultery” since the prior October 12. In 1844, in the city of Nauvoo, Illinois where Smith

1599-451: A cunning scheme". Murphy's account said that Whitmer had not been able to describe the appearance of an angel and had likened Whitmer's experience to the "impressions as the quaker [receives] when the spirit moves, or as a good Methodist in giving a happy experience." Whitmer responded by publishing " A Proclamation ", reaffirming his testimony and saying: It having been represented by one John Murphy, of Polo, Caldwell County, Mo., that I, in

1722-519: A dead man!” After emptying his pistol towards the attackers, Joseph tried to escape from a second-story window, but was shot several times and fell to the ground, where he was again shot by the mob. Five men were indicted for the killings, but were acquitted at a jury trial. At the time of his death, Smith was also running for president of the United States , making him the first U.S. presidential candidate to be assassinated. Smith’s death marked

1845-470: A door was left open during a mob attack on Smith. On November 6, 1832, Emma gave birth to Joseph Smith III in the upper room of Whitney's store in Kirtland. Young Joseph (as he became known) was the first of her natural children to live to adulthood. A second son, Frederick Granger Williams Smith (named after Frederick G. Williams , a counselor in the church's First Presidency ), followed on June 29, 1836. As

1968-468: A hotel. She often took in young girls in need of work, giving them jobs as maids. On March 17, 1842, the Ladies' Relief Society of Nauvoo was formally organized as the women's auxiliary to the church. Emma became its founding president, with Sarah M. Cleveland and Elizabeth Ann Whitney as her counselors. She had persuaded John Taylor and Joseph Smith to call the organization the "Relief Society" instead of

2091-532: A house and a small farm. Once they settled in, Joseph began work on the Book of Mormon , with Emma acting 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

2214-497: A light, "not like the light of the sun, nor like that of a fire, but more glorious and beautiful". He then went on to describe a table appearing with the golden plates , the Urim and Thummim , and other objects referenced in the Book of Mormon narrative. Whitmer continued: "I heard the voice of the Lord, as distinctly as I ever heard anything in my life, declaring that the records of the plates of

2337-551: A local militia, were assigned to protect the brothers. Jones, who was present, relayed to Ford several threats against Joseph made by members of the Greys, all of which were dismissed by Ford. On Thursday morning, June 27, church leader Cyrus Wheelock , having obtained a pass from Ford, visited Smith in jail. The day was rainy, and Wheelock used the opportunity to hide a small pepper-box pistol in his bulky overcoat, which had belonged to Taylor. Most visitors were rigidly searched, but

2460-420: A long walking stick in order to deflect the guns as they were thrust inside the room, from behind the door. Smith fired Wheelock's pistol. Three of the six barrels misfired, but the other three shots are believed to have wounded three of the attackers. Taylor was shot four or five times and was severely wounded, but survived. It has been popularly believed that his pocket watch stopped one shot. The watch

2583-574: A messenger informed the group that the Governor had gone to Nauvoo and "there is nobody in Carthage [that] you can [depend on]". When the group approached the building, jailers became alarmed, but Smith, mistaking the mob for the Nauvoo Legion, told a jailer: "Don't trouble yourself ... they've come to rescue me." Smith did not know that Jonathan Dunham, major general of the Nauvoo Legion, had not dispatched

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2706-649: A month later. Whitmer was baptized in June 1829, nearly a year prior to the formal organization of the Church of Christ . During that same month, Whitmer said that he, along with Smith and Cowdery, saw an angel present the golden plates in a vision. Martin Harris reported that he experienced a similar vision with Smith later in the day. Evidence places this event near Whitmer's father's home in Fayette, New York, on June 28, 1829. Later, in an 1878 testimony, Whitmer claimed to have seen

2829-592: A new settlement that he named Nauvoo . Smith, travelled to Washington, D.C. , to meet with President Martin Van Buren , seeking intervention and compensation for lost property. Van Buren said he could do nothing to help. Smith returned to Illinois and vowed to join the Whig Party . Most of his supporters switched with him to the Whig party, adding political tensions to the social suspicions in which Smith's followers were held by

2952-479: A riot. Joseph Smith was apprehended, but freed by the Nauvoo municipal court. Smith declared martial law and called out the Nauvoo Legion . After briefly fleeing Illinois, Smith received a personal statement from Governor Ford , who “pledged his faith and the faith of the state (Illinois) to protect him while he underwent a legal and fair trial”, convincing Joseph Smith along with Hyrum to return voluntarily. When

3075-582: A tenet of the RLDS Church. Over the years, many RLDS Church historians have continued to state that the practice had originated with Brigham Young . Emma had eleven children with Joseph, five of whom lived into adulthood. Killing of Joseph Smith Joseph Smith , the founder and leader of the Latter Day Saint movement , and his brother, Hyrum Smith , were killed by a mob in Carthage, Illinois , United States, on June 27, 1844, while awaiting trial in

3198-591: A theocratic community under Smith's leadership, or 'Zion' , first in Kirtland, Ohio and later in Independence, Missouri . In 1833, a mob of settlers attacked a Mormon newspaper's printing office, destroyed the press, and tarred and feathered two Mormon leaders. Mormons were driven from Jackson county . After losing the 1838 Mormon War , Smith was jailed and his followers were forced out of Missouri. After Smith escaped custody , he fled to Illinois, where he founded

3321-534: A time, but relations with Emma's parents remained strained. Emma's father was displeased that Joseph and Emma were living off charity and Joseph was late to return money he borrowed to purchase a farm. Many people in Harmony also openly opposed Joseph. Emma and Joseph returned to live at David Whitmer's farm in August 1830. This marked the last time that Emma saw her parents. Despite the rift that her marriage to Joseph created in

3444-447: A turning point for the religion he founded. In 1830, Joseph Smith, aged 24, published the Book of Mormon , which he described as an English translation of ancient golden plates he received from an angel . The same year he organized the Church of Christ, calling it a restoration of the early Christian Church. Members of the church were later called “Latter Day Saints” or “Mormons”. Smith and his followers sought to assemble together in

3567-435: A two-story log house in Nauvoo that they called the "Homestead". On June 13, 1840, Emma gave birth to a son, Don Carlos, named after his uncle Don Carlos Smith , Joseph's brother. Both Don Carlos Smiths would die the next year. The Smiths lived in the homestead until 1843, 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

3690-623: A “ plurality of Gods ”, and intended to set himself up as a theocratic king . After a vote of the Nauvoo City Council , mayor Joseph Smith ordered the Expositor 's press destroyed. The destruction of the press led to broader public outrage in the surroundings of the city, and the Smith brothers and other members of the Nauvoo City Council were charged by the State of Illinois with inciting

3813-528: Is a great evil, shocking to the moral sense, and the more so, because practiced in the name of religion. It is of man and not God, and is especially forbidden in the Book of Mormon itself. As to the High Priesthood, Jesus Christ himself is the last Great High Priest, this too after the order of Melchisedec, as I understand the Holy Scriptures. I do not endorse the change of the name of the church, for as

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3936-586: Is displayed in the LDS Church History Museum in Salt Lake City , Utah ; the watch was broken and was used to help identify the time of the attack. In 2010, forensic research by J. Lynn Lyon of the University of Utah and Mormon historian Glen M. Leonard suggested that Taylor's watch was not struck by a ball, but rather broke against a window ledge. Columbia University historian Richard Bushman ,

4059-548: The Anointed Quorum  – a prayer circle of important church members that included Emma. As she had in Kirtland, Emma Smith led "the work of boarding and clothing the men engaged in building [the Nauvoo temple ]". She also traveled with a committee to Quincy, Illinois, to present Illinois governor Thomas Carlin "a memorial ... in behalf of her people" after the Latter Day Saints had experienced persecution in

4182-519: The Book of Mormon , including missionaries of the LDS Church who were traveling from Utah Territory to the eastern United States and Europe. Despite his hostility toward the LDS Church, Whitmer always stood by his claim that he had actually seen the golden plates. Some of the 71 recorded interviews he gave between 1838 and 1888 contained different details than others. Recounting the vision to Orson Pratt in 1878, Whitmer claimed to have seen not only

4305-531: The Church of Christ (Whitmerite) was formed in Kirtland, Ohio . However, Whitmer never joined the body of the new church and it dissolved relatively quickly. Around this time, fellow Book of Mormon witness Oliver Cowdery began to correspond with Whitmer. After traveling from Ohio to Kanesville (Council Bluffs) , Cowdery attended the Kanesville Tabernacle meeting, called to sustain Brigham Young as

4428-626: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite) . In the 1860s, those who felt that Smith should have been succeeded by Joseph Smith III established the RLDS Church, which later changed its name to the Community of Christ . Modernly, Joseph Smith is known to have married women who were already married as well as girls as young as 14 . Some accounts say Smith may have had sexual relations with one wife, who later in her life stated that he fathered children by one or two of his wives, however DNA evidence does not support this . Some Mormons, especially those belonging to splinter groups such as

4551-416: The Community of Christ continue to deny that Joseph ever practiced polygamy in any sense. However, in 2014, LDS church spokesman Eric Hawkins said "(The church) publicly asserted Joseph Smith's practice of polygamy over a century and a half ago, especially in debate with other faith groups who traced their origin to Joseph Smith and who asserted that he did not practice plural marriage". Mainstream Mormons on

4674-482: The Expositor , the Nauvoo City Council passed an ordinance declaring the newspaper a public nuisance which had been designed to promote violence against Smith and his followers. They reached this decision after some discussion, including citation of William Blackstone ’s legal canon, which defined a libelous press as a public nuisance . According to the Council's minutes, Smith said he “would rather die tomorrow and have

4797-465: The Kirtland Temple was being constructed, Emma spearheaded an effort to house and clothe the construction workers. While in Kirtland, Emma's feelings about temperance and the use of tobacco reportedly influenced her husband's decision to pray about dietary questions. These prayers resulted in the " Word of Wisdom ". Also in Kirtland, Emma's first selection of hymns was published as a hymnal for

4920-490: The "Benevolent Society". The Latter-Day Saint Biographical Encyclopedia records that Emma Smith "filled [the position] with marked distinction as long as the society continued to hold meetings in that city [Nauvoo]". She saw upholding morality as the primary purpose of the Relief Society. As "protecting the morals of the community" became her mission, Smith supported the public confession of sins; on this subject, Smith called

5043-485: The Book of Mormon were translated by the gift and power of God." Whitmer, Cowdery, and Harris signed a joint statement declaring their testimony to the reality of the vision. The statement was published in the first edition of the Book of Mormon and has been included in nearly every subsequent edition. When Smith organized the Church of Christ on April 6, 1830, Whitmer was one of six original members. In 1835, Whitmer assisted Cowdery and Harris in selecting and ordaining

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5166-507: The Book of Mormon, Emma and Joseph went to live with David Whitmer in Fayette, New York , to finish the Book of Mormon. While there, both Emma and a schoolteacher named Oliver Cowdery worked as Joseph's scribes. Joseph received a copyright for the Book of Mormon in June 1829 and the book was published in March 1830. On April 6, 1830, Joseph and five other men established the Church of Christ . Emma

5289-565: The Book of Mormon, but denounced the other branches of the Latter Day Saint movement. Whitmer died in Richmond. The Whitmerite church survived until the 1960s. Whitmer stated his religious views in three publications: " A Proclamation " published March 24, 1881, " An Address To Believers in the Book of Mormon " published April 1887, and " An Address to All Believers in Christ " also published April 1887. I do not endorse polygamy or spiritual wifeism. It

5412-471: The Church of the Latter Day Saints and contained 90 hymn texts but no music. Forty-eight were written by Latter Day Saints, and the remaining forty-two were not. The texts borrowed from Protestant groups were often changed slightly to reinforce the theology of the early church. For example, Hymn 15 changed Isaac Watts 's Joy to the World from a song about Christmas to a song about the return of Christ (see Joy to

5535-499: The Hale family property. Rumors about Joseph having a unique ability to find hidden treasure caused Stowell to offer him a high wage. Although the company was unsuccessful in finding the suspected mine and Emma's father eventually turned against the project, Joseph and Emma secretly met without her family's approval several times at a friend's house during the dig and after while Joseph was working as farmhand nearby. When Emma and Joseph spoke to

5658-588: The Hales to receive a blessing on their marriage, Isaac and Elizabeth Hale refused; possibly because Isaac wanted Emma to marry a neighbor and he considered Joseph to be a "stranger" and possibly because of Joseph's failed money-digging operation on the Hale's land. On January 17, 1827, Joseph and Emma left the Stowell house and traveled to the house of Zachariah Tarbill in South Bainbridge, New York , where they were married

5781-540: The Latter Day Saint movement. Hyrum Smith, the Assistant President of the Church , was intended to succeed Joseph as President of the Church , but because he was killed alongside his brother, the proper succession procedure became unclear. Initially, the primary contenders to succeed Smith were Sidney Rigdon , Brigham Young , and James Strang . Rigdon was the senior surviving member of the First Presidency ,

5904-565: The Latter Day Saints, for as they sought to do unto me, so it should be done unto them.'" Whitmer interpreted God's command to include both the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) and the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints , (RLDS Church, now known as the Community Of Christ ): "God commanded me by his voice to stand apart from you." Whitmer continued to live in Richmond, where he operated

6027-528: The Latter-day Saints came from Utah Territory to visit Smith at this house. Emma died peacefully in the Nauvoo House on April 30, 1879, at the age of 74. Her funeral was held May 2, 1879, in Nauvoo with RLDS Church minister Mark Hill Forscutt preaching the sermon. Alongside W. W. Phelps , Emma Smith compiled a Latter Day Saint hymnal, published in 1835. It was titled A Collection of Sacred Hymns, for

6150-510: The Legion to Carthage and stage a jailbreak. Smith and the other prisoners were guarded only by six members of the Carthage Grays, led by Sgt. Frank Worrell. A division of militia began marching away from Carthage, but soon received orders from the Governor to disband. Learning that the Governor had dismissed the troops, a group from Warsaw set out to Carthage to see the Governor. Enroute,

6273-510: The Saints in Utah Territory . Cowdery, however, succumbed to tuberculosis and died March 3, 1850. In January 1876, Whitmer resurrected the Church of Christ (Whitmerite) by ordaining his nephew, John C. Whitmer , an elder , and giving him the title "First Elder". In 1887, Whitmer published a pamphlet entitled " An Address to All Believers in Christ ", in which he affirmed his testimony of

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6396-459: The Seneca Grenadiers. Whitmer and his family were among the earliest adherents to the Latter Day Saint movement. Whitmer first heard of Mormonism and the golden plates in 1828 when he made a business trip to Palmyra, New York , and talked with his friend Oliver Cowdery , who believed that there "must be some truth to the matter". Cowdery continued to write Whitmer letters concerning

6519-402: The Smith brothers were charged with treason against the State of Illinois for declaring martial law in Nauvoo, by a warrant founded upon the oaths of A. O. Norton and Augustine Spencer. At a preliminary hearing that afternoon, the Council members were released on $ 500 bonds , pending later trial. The judge ordered the Smith brothers to be held in jail until they could be tried for treason, which

6642-411: The Smith family who had at times favored the claims of James J. Strang or William Smith , Emma and her children continued to live in Nauvoo as unaffiliated Latter Day Saints. Many Latter Day Saints believed that her eldest son, Joseph Smith III , would one day be called to hold the same position that his father had held. When he reported receiving a calling from God to take his father's place as head of

6765-482: The Smith homestead. In 1928, Frederick M. Smith , president of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church) and grandson of Joseph Smith, feared that rising water from the Mississippi River would destroy the gravesite. He authorized civil engineer William O. Hands to conduct an excavation to find the Smiths' bodies. Hands conducted extensive digging on the Smith homestead and located

6888-889: The Smith household, but later regretted her decision and demanded the other wives leave. That July, at his brother Hyrum's encouragement, Joseph dictated a revelation directing Emma to accept plural marriage. Hyrum delivered the message to Emma, but she furiously rejected it. Joseph and Emma were not reconciled over the matter until September 1843, after Emma began participating in temple ceremonies, and after Joseph made other concessions to her. The next year, in March 1844, Emma publicly denounced polygamy as evil and destructive; and though she did not directly disclose Smith's secret practice of plural marriage, she insisted that people should heed only what he taught publicly – implicitly challenging his private promulgation of polygamy. Despite her knowledge of polygamy, Emma publicly denied that her husband had ever taken additional wives. While Smith

7011-421: The World (Phelps) ). Many of these changes and a large number of the original songs included in the hymnal are attributed to W. W. Phelps. Emma also compiled a second hymnal by the same title, which was published in Nauvoo, Illinois , in 1841. This contained 304 hymn texts. When her son Joseph III became president of the RLDS Church, she was again asked to compile a hymnal. Latter Day Saints' Selection of Hymns

7134-430: The attackers died when Smith shot them with his pistol. Most accounts seem to agree that at least three attackers were wounded by Smith's gunfire, but there is no other evidence that any of them died as a result. John Wills was shot in the arm, William Vorhease was shot in the shoulder, and William Gallaher was shot in the face. Others claimed that a fourth, unnamed man was also wounded. Wills, Vorhease, Gallaher, and

7257-416: The author of Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling , also supports this view. Richards, physically the largest of Smith's party, escaped unscathed; Lyon speculates that after the door opened, Smith was in the line of sight and Richards was not targeted. After using all of the shots in his pistol, Smith made his way towards the window. As he prepared to jump down, Richards reported that he was shot twice in

7380-427: The back and that a third bullet, fired from a musket on the ground outside, hit him in the chest. Taylor and Richards' accounts both report that as Smith fell from the window, he called out, “Oh Lord, my God!” Some have alleged that the context of this statement was an attempt by Smith to use a Masonic distress signal. There are varying accounts of what happened next. Taylor and Richards’ accounts state that Smith

7503-440: The bodies, as well as the remains of Joseph's wife, Emma , who was buried in the same place. The remains—which were badly decomposed —were examined and photographed, and then reinterred close by in Nauvoo. After the killings, there was speculation about who was responsible. Ford denied accusations that he knew about the plot to kill Smith beforehand, but later wrote that it was good for Smith's followers to have been driven out of

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7626-424: The brothers arrived at the county seat of Carthage to surrender to authorities, they were charged with treason against Illinois for declaring martial law . The Smith brothers were detained at Carthage Jail awaiting trial when an armed mob of 150–200 men stormed the building, their faces painted black with wet gunpowder. Hyrum was killed almost immediately when he was shot in the face, shouting as he fell, “I am

7749-475: The ceremony. Bidamon moved into the Mansion House and became stepfather to Emma's children. She and Bidamon had no children of their own. Emma and Bidamon attempted to operate a store and to continue using 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. Unlike other members of

7872-534: The charge of riot. On June 12, Smith was arrested by David Bettinger, constable of Carthage. Bettinger sought to convey Smith to the Hancock County Court that issued the warrant, Smith was freed when the charges were dismissed in Nauvoo municipal court on a writ of habeas corpus . Smith declared martial law on June 18 and called out the Nauvoo Legion , an organized city militia of about 5,000 men, to protect Nauvoo from outside violence. In response to

7995-471: The church in Missouri until the summer of 1837. After the collapse of the Kirtland Safety Society bank, Smith and his counselor Sidney Rigdon , battered by creditors, moved to Far West, Missouri , to evade arrest. The ensuing leadership struggle led to the dissolution of the presidency of the church in Missouri. Whitmer resigned and separated from the church. He was formally excommunicated from

8118-591: The church in Zion," not merely as a Stake President. Since the Quorum of the Twelve and the First Quorum of the Seventy had not yet been organized, this meant that there was a short period of time—from July 3, 1834, until February 14, 1835—when the High Council in Zion stood in an administrative position next to the First Presidency. It also meant that from July 3, 1834, until December 5, 1834, at which time Oliver Cowdery

8241-634: The church on the grounds of breaking the Word of Wisdom , neglecting his leadership duties, meeting with the other "Kirtland apostates", and circulating unfavorable information about Joseph Smith. Whitmer and the other excommunicated Latter Day Saints became known as the "dissenters". Some of the dissenters owned land in Caldwell County, Missouri , which they wanted to retain. The church presidency and other members looked unfavorably upon them. Rigdon preached his " Salt Sermon ", which called for their expulsion from

8364-421: The church's debts and property from Emma's personal debts and property proved to be a long and complicated process for Emma and her family. Debates about who should be Joseph's successor as the leader of the church also involved Emma. 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 8,

8487-548: The church's use. During the Panic of 1837 , the Kirtland Safety Society , the banking venture that Joseph and other church leaders had set up to provide financing for the growing membership, collapsed, as did many financial institutions in the United States at that time. Emma herself held stock in the Society. The bank's demise led to serious problems for the church and the Smith family. Joseph received revelation from God to leave Kirtland for

8610-411: The church, thunder and lightning frightened off the mob. Mob members fled, shouting, “The Mormons are coming,” although there was no such force nearby. After the attack was over, Richards, who was trained as a medical doctor, went back to see if anyone besides himself had survived, and found Taylor lying on the floor. Richards dragged Taylor into the jail cell (they had not been held in the cell, but in

8733-403: The community. Whitmer ordered that his testimony to the Book of Mormon be placed on his tombstone. In response to a question by Anthony Metcalf, Whitmer attempted to clarify the "spiritual" versus "natural" viewing of the plates: In regards to my testimony to the visitation of the angel, who declared to us Three Witnesses that the Book of Mormon is true, I have this to say: Of course we were in

8856-486: The county. A number of Latter Day Saints formed a secret society known as the Danites , whose stated goal was removal of the dissenters. Eighty prominent Mormons signed the so-called Danite Manifesto , which warned the dissenters to "depart or a more fatal calamity shall befall you." Shortly afterward, Whitmer and his family fled to nearby Richmond, Missouri . Whitmer, other dissenters, and Mormons loyal to Smith complained to

8979-578: The crisis, Illinois Governor Thomas Ford traveled to Hancock County, and on June 21 he arrived at the county seat in Carthage . On June 22, Ford wrote to Smith and the Nauvoo City Council, proposing a trial by a non-Mormon jury in Carthage and guaranteeing Smith's safety. Smith fled the jurisdiction to avoid arrest, crossing the Mississippi River into the Iowa Territory . On June 23, a posse under Ford's command entered Nauvoo to execute an arrest warrant, but they were unable to locate Smith. After he

9102-462: The decision to relocate the church to the Salt Lake Valley . When he and the majority of the Latter Day Saints of Nauvoo abandoned the city in early 1846, Emma and her children remained behind in the emptied 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. A Methodist minister performed

9225-399: The door open to fire into the room, though Smith and the other prisoners pushed back and prevented this. A member of the mob fired a shot through the door. Hyrum was shot in the face, just to the left of his nose, which threw him to the floor. He cried out, “I am a dead man!” and collapsed. He died instantly. Smith, Taylor, and Richards attempted to defend themselves. Taylor and Richards used

9348-525: The family, Emma did reunite with her family. She communicated with her mother through letters. Some members of her family moved to Nauvoo although they did not accept Emma's invitation to join Mormonism. Emma and Joseph went back to staying in the homes of members of the growing church. The couple lived first with the Whitmers in Fayette, then with Newel K. Whitney and his family in Kirtland, Ohio , and then in

9471-418: The first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the church. He also participated in some of the earliest missionary trips, accompanying Joseph Smith and baptizing new converts. Whitmer had been ordained an elder of the church by June 9, 1830, and he was ordained to the office of high priest by Cowdery on October 5, 1831. Soon after the organization of the church, Smith set apart Jackson County, Missouri , as

9594-499: The following day. On September 22, 1827, Joseph and Emma took a horse and carriage belonging to Joseph Knight, Sr. , and went to a hill, now known as Hill Cumorah , where Joseph said he received a set of golden plates . The announcement of Joseph having the plates created a great deal of excitement in the area. In December 1827, with financial support from Martin Harris , the couple accepted and invitation from Emma's parents to move to Harmony. The Hales helped Emma and Joseph obtain

9717-517: The golden plates but the "Brass Plates, the plates containing the record of the wickedness of the people of the world   [...] the sword of Laban, the Directors (i.e. the ball which Lehi had) and the Interpreters. I saw them just as plain as I see this bed". In 1880, John Murphy interviewed Whitmer and later published an account suggesting that perhaps Whitmer's experience was a "delusion or perhaps

9840-449: The guards forgot to check Wheelock's overcoat, and he was able to smuggle the gun to Smith. Smith took Wheelock's gun and gave Fullmer's gun to his brother Hyrum. Before a trial could be held, a mob of about 200 armed men, their faces painted black with wet gunpowder , stormed Carthage Jail in the late afternoon of June 27, 1844. Early on June 27, Smith authored an order to Nauvoo Legion commander Jonathan Dunham instructing him to bring

9963-462: The guard’s room across the hallway). He dragged Taylor under some of the straw mattress to put pressure on his wounds and slow the bleeding and then went to get help. Both Richards and Taylor survived. Taylor eventually became the third president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). Richards had escaped all harm except for a bullet grazing his ear. Joseph and Hyrum’s younger brother Samuel Harrison Smith had come to visit

10086-503: The local populace. Despite public denials of polygamy, Joseph Smith had a practice of secretly marrying his female followers. As early as 1838, Smith had faced accusations of polygamy. On April 18, anti-polygamists William Law, Wilson Law, Jane Law, and Robert Foster were excommunicated . On May 10, a prospectus announcing the Expositor was circulated. On May 23, a grand jury from the Hancock County Circuit Court issued

10209-455: The matter, which Whitmer then shared with his parents and siblings. One of Cowdery's letters inquired as to whether the Whitmers would be willing to provide the Smiths with lodging and a place to complete the translation of the Book of Mormon . The family agreed, and Joseph Smith, his wife, Emma Smith , and Cowdery came to the Whitmer farm to live on June 1, 1829. The translation was completed about

10332-413: The murders of the Smith brothers. All five defendants were acquitted by a jury, which was composed exclusively of non-Mormon members after the defense counsel convinced the judge to dismiss the initial jury, which did include Mormon members. The defense was led by Orville Hickman Browning , later a United States senator and cabinet member. After the killing of Smith, a succession crisis occurred in

10455-419: The new President of the Church . Cowdery bore, with conviction, his testimony of the truthfulness of everything that had happened spiritually regarding Smith and the Book of Mormon. Meeting with Young at Winter Quarters, Nebraska , he requested readmission into the church, and he was re-baptized into the church there. Cowdery then traveled to meet with Whitmer in Richmond to persuade him to move west and rejoin

10578-484: The next day. The bodies were cleaned and examined, and death masks were made, preserving their facial features and structures. A public viewing was held on June 29, 1844, after which empty coffins weighted with sandbags were used at the public burial to prevent theft or mutilation of the bodies. The coffins bearing the actual bodies of the Smith brothers were initially buried under the unfinished Nauvoo House , then disinterred and reburied deep under an out-building on

10701-589: The non-Mormons in northwestern Missouri about their forcible expulsion and the loss of their properties and began to file lawsuits to recover them. Tensions escalated, bringing about the 1838 Mormon War , after which Governor Boggs issued the Mormon Extermination Order in October 1838, authorizing deadly force in the removal of Mormons. Consequently, most of the Latter Day Saints were expelled from Missouri by early 1839. In response to "persecutions" from

10824-587: The other hand tend to accept that he practiced polygamy, but emphasize the sealings as a spiritual bonding ritual which was platonic and intended to unify the human race into one family. David Whitmer David Whitmer (January 7, 1805 – January 25, 1888) was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint Movement and one of the Three Witnesses to the gold plates of the Book of Mormon . Whitmer later distanced himself from Joseph Smith and

10947-548: The press of the Nauvoo Expositor , a newspaper published by disaffected former church members, was destroyed by the town marshal on orders from the town council (of which Joseph was a member). This set into motion the events that ultimately led to Joseph's arrest and incarceration in the jail in Carthage, Illinois . A mob of about 200 armed men stormed the jail in the late afternoon of June 27, 1844, and both Joseph and his brother Hyrum were killed. Upon Joseph's death, Emma

11070-716: The press, including charges of treason and inciting a riot . Violent threats were made against Smith and the Latter Day Saints. On June 12, Thomas C. Sharp , editor of the Warsaw Signal in Warsaw, Illinois , a newspaper hostile to the church, editorialized: War and extermination is inevitable! Citizens ARISE, ONE and ALL!!!—Can you stand by, and suffer such INFERNAL DEVILS! To ROB men of their property and RIGHTS, without avenging them. We have no time for comment, every man will make his own. LET IT BE MADE WITH POWDER AND BALL!!! Warrants from outside Nauvoo were brought in against Smith for

11193-545: 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. 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 10, 1839, they moved into

11316-516: The safety of his family, and on January 12, 1838, Joseph left for Missouri. Many faithful saints soon followed. Emma and her family followed and made a new home on the frontier in the Latter Day Saint settlement of Far West, Missouri , where Emma gave birth on June 2, 1838, to Alexander Hale Smith . Events of the 1838 Mormon War soon escalated, resulting in Joseph's surrender and imprisonment by Missouri officials. Emma and her family were forced to leave

11439-448: The same day and, after evading capture from a group of attackers, is said to have been the first Latter Day Saint to arrive and helped attend the bodies back to Nauvoo. He died thirty days later, possibly as a result of injuries sustained avoiding the mob. There have been conflicting reports about injuries to members of the mob during the attack, and whether any died. Shortly after the events occurred, Taylor wrote that he heard that two of

11562-456: The spirit when we had the view, for no man can behold the face of an angel, except in a spiritual view, but we were in the body also, and everything was as natural to us, as it is at any time. Martin Harris, you say, called it 'being in vision.' We read in the Scriptures, Cornelius saw, in a vision, an angel of God. Daniel saw an angel in a vision, also in other places it states they saw an angel in

11685-433: The state and said that their beliefs and actions were too different to have survived in Illinois. He said Smith was "the most successful impostor in modern times," and that some people "expect more protection from the laws than the laws are able to furnish in the face of popular excitement." Ultimately, five defendants— Thomas C. Sharp , Mark Aldrich , William N. Grover , Jacob C. Davis and Levi Williams —were tried for

11808-502: The state, along with most other church members. She crossed the Mississippi River , which had frozen over in February 1839. Of these times, she later wrote: 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

11931-559: The state. Rumors concerning polygamy and other practices surfaced by 1842. Emma publicly condemned polygamy and denied any involvement by her husband. Emma authorized and was the main signatory of a petition in summer 1842 with a thousand female signatures, denying Joseph Smith was connected with polygamy. As president of the Ladies' Relief Society, she authorized the publishing of a certificate in October 1842 denouncing polygamy and denying her husband as its creator or participant. In June 1844,

12054-435: 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." In Harmony on June 15, 1828, Emma gave birth to her first child – a son named Alvin – who lived only a few hours. He was buried east of their house. For the next two weeks, Emma remained gravely ill. Due to increased hostility towards Joseph as he worked on

12177-413: The thing smashed, than live and have it go on, for it was exciting the spirit of mobocracy among the people, and bringing death and destruction upon us.” Under the Council's new ordinance, Smith, as Nauvoo's mayor, in conjunction with the Council, ordered the city marshal to destroy the Expositor and its printing press on June 10, 1844. By the city marshal's account, the destruction of the press type

12300-418: The three witnesses. Those who know me best, well know that I have always adhered to that testimony. And that no man may be misled or doubt my present views in regard to the same, I do again affirm the truth of all of my statements, as then made and published. He that hath an ear to hear, let him hear; it was no delusion! To the "Proclamation" Whitmer attached an affidavit attesting to his honesty and standing in

12423-406: The town jail on charges of treason . The Nauvoo Expositor was a newly-established newspaper published by anti-polygamist ex-Mormons who had recently been excommunicated from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints . The newspaper's first (and only) issue criticized Smith and other church leaders, reporting that Smith was practicing polygamy , marrying the wives of other men, teaching

12546-411: The unit to Carthage to protect him. Allen Joseph Stout later contended that by remaining inactive, Dunham disobeyed an official order written by Smith after he was jailed in Carthage. The Carthage Greys reportedly feigned defense of the jail by firing shots or blanks over the attackers’ heads, and some of the Greys even reportedly joined the mob, who rushed up the stairs. The mob first attempted to push

12669-452: The wife takes the name of her husband so should the Church of the Lamb of God, take the name of its head, even Christ himself. It is the Church of Christ. Because Cowdery died in 1850 at age 43 and Martin Harris died in 1875 at age 92, Whitmer was the only survivor of the Three Witnesses for 13 years. At Richmond, Missouri, he sometimes received several inquirers daily asking about his connection to

12792-439: The women of Nauvoo to repentance with "all the frankness of a Methodist exhorter." She served as president of the Relief Society until 1844. According to the minutes of the founding meeting, 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". Shortly before this, Joseph had initiated

12915-573: Was George Witmer, who was born in Prussia , and his great-grandfather was born in Switzerland . Whitmer had five brothers and three sisters, one of which died in 1813 in her infancy. He grew up attending a Presbyterian church. By the 1820s, the Whitmer family had moved to a farm in Fayette , in New York's Finger Lakes area. On March 12, 1825, Whitmer was elected sergeant in a newly organized militia called

13038-463: Was a capital offense . The Smith brothers were detained at Carthage Jail , and were soon joined by Willard Richards , John Taylor and John Solomon Fullmer . Six other associates accompanied the Smiths: John P. Greene , Stephen Markham, Dan Jones , John S. Fullmer , Dr. Southwick, and Lorenzo D. Wasson. Ford left for Nauvoo not long after Smith was jailed. The anti-Mormon “Carthage Greys”,

13161-468: Was baptized by Oliver Cowdery on June 28, 1830, in Colesville, New York , surrounded by a group of mocking people. Later that evening before the confirmation service, Joseph was arrested for being a disorderly person and causing an uproar by preaching the Book of Mormon. A few days later, Joseph was acquitted of all charges. Emma was confirmed later by Joseph and Newl Knight . In July 1830, Joseph received

13284-408: Was carried out orderly and peaceably. However, Charles A. Foster , a co-publisher of the Expositor, reported on June 12 that not only was the printing press destroyed, but that “several hundred minions ... injured the building very materially”. Smith’s critics said that the action of destroying the press violated freedom of the press . Some sought legal charges against Smith for the destruction of

13407-416: Was criticized by some followers, Smith returned and was reported to have said, “If my life is of no value to my friends it is of none to myself.” He reluctantly submitted to arrest. He was quoted as saying, “I am going like a lamb to the slaughter ; but I am calm as a summer's morning; I have a conscience void of offense towards God, and towards all men. I shall die innocent, and it shall yet be said of me—he

13530-432: Was dead when he hit the ground. Eyewitness William Daniels wrote in his 1845 account that Smith was still alive when members of the mob propped his body against a nearby well, assembled a makeshift firing squad , and shot him before fleeing. Daniels’ account also states that one man tried to decapitate Smith for a bounty but was prevented by divine intervention an affirmation later denied. According to modern leaders of

13653-422: Was excommunicated from the church in 1838, but continued to affirm his testimony of the Book of Mormon. He was the most interviewed Book of Mormon witness . Whitmer was born near Harrisburg, Pennsylvania , on January 7, 1805, the fourth of nine children of Peter Whitmer Sr. and Mary Musselman . Whitmer's ancestry on both sides of his family was German, and the family spoke with a German accent. His grandfather

13776-479: Was interested in religion, canoeing, and riding horses. Emma learned how to read and write and was considered to be intelligent. She attended a girls school for a year and taught school in Harmony when she returned. Emma first met her future husband, Joseph Smith Jr., in 1825. Joseph lived near Palmyra, New York , but boarded with the Hales in Harmony while he was employed in a company of men hired by Josiah Stowell and one of Emma's relatives to dig for money on

13899-481: Was involved in the church, reading the Bible and singing hymns. Emma's father stepped away from the church for a time and became a deist , but later returned to the church after Emma's requests. The Hale family was relatively wealthy. Isaac hunted and Elizabeth hosted lodgers and boarders in their home. The Hale family was known for being honest, hard-working, and generous to their neighbors. Throughout her childhood, Emma

14022-423: Was left a pregnant widow. On November 17, 1844, she gave birth to David Hyrum Smith , the last child that she and Joseph had 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. Joseph had also been in debt when he died, leaving the responsibility to pay it on Emma Smith's shoulders. Untangling

14145-514: Was made the Associate President of the Church, David Whitmer, as President of the High Council in Zion, was the Prophet's rightful successor." Cowdery and Whitmer were also called to "search out" twelve "disciples", who would become the Quorum of the Twelve . Whitmer continued to live in Kirtland, Ohio , and his counselors, W. W. Phelps and John Whitmer (Whitmer's brother) presided over

14268-465: Was mayor, several anti-polygamist Mormons, recently excommunicated from Smith's church, joined together to publish a newspaper called the Nauvoo Expositor . It put out its first and only issue on June 7, 1844. Based on sworn statements, the Expositor revealed that Smith practiced polygamy , marrying at least eight other men’s wives, and he had tried to marry the wives of some of the Expositor' s publishers. In response to public outrage generated by

14391-442: Was murdered in cold blood.” During the trip to Carthage, Smith reportedly recounted a dream in which he and Hyrum escaped a burning ship, walked on water , and arrived at a great heavenly city . On June 25, 1844, Smith and his brother Hyrum , along with the other fifteen Council members and some friends, surrendered to Carthage constable William Bettisworth on the original charge of riot. Upon arrival in Carthage, almost immediately

14514-472: Was published in 1861. Polygamy caused a breach between Joseph and Emma. Historian Laurel Thatcher Ulrich argues that "Emma vacillated in her support for plural marriage, sometimes acquiescing to Joseph's sealings , sometimes resisting." Although she knew of some of her husband's marriages, she almost certainly did not know the full extent of his polygamous activities. In 1843, Emma temporarily accepted Smith's marriage to four women of her choosing who boarded in

14637-418: Was still alive, Emma spoke against polygamy, and she (along with multiple other signatories directly involved in polygamy) signed an 1842 petition denying that Smith or his church endorsed the practice. After his death, she continued to deny his polygamy. When Joseph III and Alexander specifically asked about polygamy in an interview with their mother, she stated, "No such thing as polygamy, or spiritual wifery,

14760-427: Was still considered valid. 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 III called upon his mother to help prepare a hymnal for the reorganization, just as she had for the early church. Smith and Bidamon bought and renovated a portion of the unfinished Nauvoo House in 1869. A few visitors from Brigham Young's faction of

14883-484: Was taught, publicly or privately, before my husband's death, that I have now, or ever had any knowledge of ... He had no other wife but me; nor did he to my knowledge ever have". Many of the Latter Day Saints who joined the RLDS Church in the midwestern United States had broken with Brigham Young and/or James Strang because of opposition to polygamy. Emma's continuing public denial of the practice seemed to lend strength to their cause, and opposition to polygamy became

15006-435: Was the rightful successor under the doctrine of lineal succession . A schism resulted, with each claimant attracting followers. The majority of Latter Day Saints followed Young; these adherents later emigrated to what became Utah Territory and continued as the LDS Church. Rigdon's followers were known as Rigdonites , some of which later established The Church of Jesus Christ (Bickertonite) . Strang's followers established

15129-577: Was the seventh child and third daughter of Isaac Hale and Elizabeth Lewis Hale. She was descended of primarily English ancestors , including seven passengers on the Mayflower . Isaac and Elizabeth arrived in Susquehanna County in 1791 where they bought land and became the first permanent settlers. Isaac and Elizabeth were members of the first Methodist Episcopal congregation in Harmony, where Emma's uncle preached. Beginning at age seven or eight, Emma

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