A baby whose gravestone bears no name

[Suzie]

In June 1828, Martin Harris asked permission to the Prophet Joseph Smith to let him borrow 116 pages of the Book of Mormon to take home with him so he could show them to Lucy Harris (who besides being his wife) was also his first cousin.

They had four children together. Lucy was a woman of a strong personality who not only believed Joseph Smith was a fraud but who was also very much against the association her husband had with him.

Despite the many conversations and disagreements they had about Joseph, Martin believed in Joseph's miraculous story. Lucy by the other hand, was bitter against the Church and in the eyes of some, she is also responsible (part or full) for the loss of those pages since there are early accounts that state that Lucy took the manuscript and destroyed them.

The loss of their farm due to the money Harris invested in the printing of the Book of Mormon, caused a major breakdown in their marriage and ending in separation in 1831. They never divorced. Lucy blamed the Church for the breaking of her marriage and accused Harris of being abusive. She died 5 years later at age of 44.

Harris remarried a niece of Brigham Young after Lucy’s death. He was 33 years her senior and Caroline Young Harris was quite the opposite of Lucy, however that didn’t stop Harris from apostatizing several times and finally being re-baptized at the age of 88. He died in Utah, at the age of 92.

One of the things that touch me the most about the loss of the 116 pages account it is certainly not the loss of the manuscript itself but what was happening at another location around the same time.

Emma Smith was giving birth to her first child. Joseph was thrilled to know it was a boy because he wanted to honor his brother Alvin. As a matter of fact,he named their newborn after him. Unfortunately, their baby was severely disabled and died within hours. Three years later they would go through this all over again, with the loss of their twin children who were born premature and died within hours after birth as well.

After taking care of Emma for a few weeks, Joseph left her side to go to Palmyra to take back the 116 pages he gave Harris. When he found out that he lost them, he was absolutely devastated. He blamed himself for doing something against God’s wishes but also devastated for the loss of his first son and he felt as he failed God and was receiving punishment for all his sins and shortcomings.

It was all too much to bear for this 20 something year old man who was called by God to translate an ancient book. I also think of Emma and her unbearable pain as a mother and how much she loved Joseph and truly cared for him.

It is not strange that there are hardly any records of their first baby’s death and disability; all we know is that he was severely malformed. Back in the 19th century, disabilities within a religious context, were seen as a curse from God and within a medical context, they saw disabilities as a threat that could weaken the genes of the nation therefore institutionalization was the preferred method of isolation for disabled people.

It is not strange, that the Disciples of Christ asked him after seeing a blind man:

Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? (John 9:2)

When I think about that scripture, I think of Joseph and Emma’s little Alvin. I think of the struggles they endured together, I think of their pain, hopes as well as aspirations of first time parents. I think of the plans they made and the dreams they probably had about this baby, and yet ...it seems his name and birth were almost forgotten by all and all that seems to remain in the story are just the 116 pages lost by Martin Harris…

But you see? There was more. There was a beautiful, fragile, innocent little baby being born. A baby whose gravestone bears no name...

His name was Alvin Smith.

Edited April 12, 2013 by Suzie
Typos

[Just_A_Guy]

Suzie, what sources do we have for the infants being deformed? All I had ever heard was that little Alvin only lived for a few hours, and that Emma herself nearly died.

[Suzie]

JAG, we have Linda K. Newell and V. Tippetts Avery in their biography about Emma and EMD. We also have other sources but are critical of Joseph. The Church web site talks about un-described birth defects.

I just realized you wrote "infants". I was referring specifically about little Alvin.

Edited April 16, 2013 by Suzie

[Just_A_Guy]

Sorry, I left out the apostrophe. Should have read "infant's". :)

Do you know what primary sources they draw from?

[Suzie]

I do not know for certain, but my guess is that it was probably the work produced by Vogel with EMD. I know some people are critical of him as a former member (just probably like they are with Quinn). However, in all fairness he has been praised by quite a few LDS scholars due to his careful and meticulous research. But again, it's just a matter of opinion.