Thoughts on Emma Smith

[JustAskin]

Hi,

I watched the amazing video on YouTube last weekend about the life of Joseph Smith, and thought about how hard his wife, Emma's, life must have been. So decided to have a look online to find if I could have a look at some of her journal entries somewhere or a biography of some kind.

I came upon this article and just in that first few lines it says how Emma was originally looked upon with disfavor (however not so now). I'm really interested to know WHY? To me, she seems like an amazingly strong woman!

I Googled, and couldn't find anything worthwhile (like looking for a needle in a haystack!). So thought I would ask here... anyone know why Mormons originally disfavored Emma Smith?

Thanks :)

[pam]

Emma Smith | Ask Gramps

This is btw a response that I had written to be posted on askgramps.

Edited August 20, 2012 by pam

[bytebear]

A lot of it had to do with legal issues. Emma had the legal right to all of Joseph's property, including church properties abandoned by the Saints when they left for Utah. The RLDS church was formed after a few years and there were lots of legal battles between the LDS and RLDS church for such properties. Emma's son Joseph Smith III was chosen by the church founders to be the first prophet of their church, so Emma's decision to not follow Brigham Young caused a lot of strife at the time. I think after all the legal issues were ironed out (and the subsequent years of better relations between the two churches) have re-elevated Emma to a place of honor.

[rameumptom]

Emma and Brigham Young had some hard feelings. When Brigham asked Emma to go out west with the Saints, she said she would do so only if she were given a privileged status, as Joseph's wife. Brigham Young didn't see it in that way.

Also, polygamy was an issue between the two of them. He insisted that Joseph Smith began polygamy and was very supportive of it. She insisted that Joseph never had plural wives.

[applepansy]

I absolutely love Emma Smith. She truly was an "elect lady." I can't imagine living through everything she lived through and yet she stayed faithful to Joseph, the Book of Mormon and the church. Just because she didn't come on to Utah doesn't mean she lost her faith.

[classylady]

I absolutely love Emma Smith. She truly was an "elect lady." I can't imagine living through everything she lived through and yet she stayed faithful to Joseph, the Book of Mormon and the church. Just because she didn't come on to Utah doesn't mean she lost her faith.

I agree. I love Emma. Some day, (in the next life), I'd like to meet her. I want to thank her for the wonderful example of faith and dedication that she was.

[annewandering]

I saw something on facebook that made me think about Emma Smith today. It was a picture of some tombstones of the Smith family.

So I was thinking. Emma has a lot of trials and lost all her family but her one son. She had been raised to privilege and now had little but her memories. How hard it must have been to even think about leaving her only living son and the burial places of her beloved husband and babies.

I cant help but think it was a factor in her deciding to not go to the west.

[Swiper]

Hi,

I watched the amazing video on YouTube last weekend about the life of Joseph Smith, and thought about how hard his wife, Emma's, life must have been. So decided to have a look online to find if I could have a look at some of her journal entries somewhere or a biography of some kind.

Read the book "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith". It's a great biography about her and it can be found on either DeseretBooks or Amazon.

I came upon this article and just in that first few lines it says how Emma was originally looked upon with disfavor (however not so now). I'm really interested to know WHY? To me, she seems like an amazingly strong woman!... anyone know why Mormons originally disfavored Emma Smith?

Polygamy had caused Emma Smith great pain because she thought it was a false doctrine. She also had great dislike for Brigham Young and therefore she refused to go west with the Saints. Because of her refusal to support Brigham Young and polygamy; he came to vilify her before the rest of the church and he even accused her of having tried to murder her husband.

"I never saw the day in the world that I would not almost worship that woman, Emma Smith, if she would be a saint instead of being a devil." - Brigham Young

It's interesting to note that she married a non-member after Joseph Smith's death and that she didn't want her children to be involved with Mormonism at all (until RLDS/CoC changed her mind) because of all the pain she has suffered through the years.

Read the book I mentioned. It gives great insight and is written by academic scholars from both LDS and RLDS/CoC.

[annewandering]

Brigham Young had a temper and was opinionated. I can see why Emma and he did not get along. He was a prophet but he was not the kind of gentle man that Emma would have liked to have around her. Joseph and Brigham were like night and day, personality wise.

While I would not wish for her to have married a nonmember, all things considered it was not an unreasonable choice. She had enough of tribulation and she was already sealed to Joseph.

Did she have children by her second husband?

Edited to add information.

Emma married a man named Lewis C. Bidamon. He was a nonmormon but he had helped control the mob against the saints. He was in law enforcement after their marriage. I imagine Emma felt safe with him. Interestingly he was a philanderer. He was married several times, having children both in and out of marriage. He had a child outside of his marriage with Emma. Oddly, he never had any children with Emma at all despite the fact that they both had proven fertile with others.

I did not know Emma was pregnant at the time Joseph died. Another reason not to go west. Yes women did but it seems like a poor idea if avoidable.

Edited August 22, 2012 by annewandering

[Swiper]

Emma married a man named Lewis C. Bidamon. He was a nonmormon but he had helped control the mob against the saints. He was in law enforcement after their marriage. I imagine Emma felt safe with him. Interestingly he was a philanderer. He was married several times, having children both in and out of marriage. He had a child outside of his marriage with Emma. Oddly, he never had any children with Emma at all despite the fact that they both had proven fertile with others.

Lewis and Emma got married for companionship not for passion. If I recall correctly his proposal was something like this "I am lonely, you are lonely; why don't we get married?" Their marriage was based on a mutual understanding and respect for eachother, they were eachother's helpmates not lovers. Lewis had flaws but he was, in general, a goodhearted and decent man who made Emma happy and gave her a lot of the comfort and peace of mind that she had been missing in her life.

[annewandering]

Lewis and Emma got married for companionship not for passion. If I recall correctly his proposal was something like this "I am lonely, you are lonely; why don't we get married?" Their marriage was based on a mutual understanding and respect for eachother, they were eachother's helpmates not lovers. Lewis had flaws but he was, in general, a goodhearted and decent man who made Emma happy and gave her a lot of the comfort and peace of mind that she had been missing in her life.

That would not be surprising. And for safety. She was, after all, in enemy territory, even if the bulk of the church had moved west.