When the Prophet Joseph Smith tried to introduce the doctrine of Plural marriage, it was rejected by many of the Saints including his wife,  Emma Smith. “It was not his work, but that of the Almighty, and he said it would cause the damnation of all who entered into it with impure motives, and none who acted unrighteously could stand, the trial would be so great; and there would be but few men who would be capable of being saviors upon Mount Zion” (Women’s Exponent, vol. In May 1844, William Law and Robert Foster brought a legal suit against Joseph Smith in the Carthage court for living in adultery with one of his plural wives, Maria Lawrence. The Hyrum Smith Family Association connects the descendants of Hyrum to their ancestors and to each other. My investigation into the motivates of Richard and Pamela Price led me to a Review of their book and research. Required fields are marked *. The continued doubts of  Law and the growing descent of  Marks towards the revelation on Plural marriage led to a bitter feud and open conflict with the Prophet Joseph Smith. (Joseph Smith, “Proclamation, June 11, 1844,” Joseph Smith Papers). The revelation on plural marriage, D&C 132, indicates that this further light and knowledge came after the Prophet inquired regarding the polygamous marriages of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and many other ancient prophets. I have never believed it and never can believe it. All they want is Hyrum and myself ; then tell everybody to go about their business, and not to collect in groups, but to scatter about. https://josephsmithfoundation.org/joseph-smith-polygamy/. 10, no11, 1 November 1881, p. 83). After Hyrum was killed in 1844, Smith chose to follow the direction of Brigham Young and the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. But unfortunately, Prices’ book is really just an attempt to rewrite history to fit their own conclusions. The fact that they took the trip with wives is strange as it would have required a long rough ride in a buggy. Testimony in the Temple Lot Case, part 3, page 450–51, questions 27, 53). . Joseph F. Smith, son of Hyrum Smith and his legitimate second wife Mary Fielding. One of their readers wrote: “I really was hoping this book contained well researched and documentation that would prove that Joseph Smith never lived polygamy. After Jerusha's death, he married Mary Fielding in 1837, and she bore him a son and a daughter. Over the years, many RLDS Church historians have  continued to state that the practice originated with Brigham Young. “The last time I met President John Taylor he said to me: I may never see you again and I want to tell you that I have seen the Prophet Joseph who said that the Lord did not want his people to be concerned about the [federal polygamy] raid or inquire when it would cease, ‘I will stop it in my own due time,’ said the Lord. Abraham received promises concerning his seed, and of the fruit of his loins–from whose loins ye are, namely my servant Joseph–which were to continue so long as they were in the world; and as touching Abraham and his seed, out of the world they should continue; both in the world and out of the world should they continue as innumerable as the stars; or, if we were to count the sand upon the seashore ye could not number them. The revelation recorded in the Doctrine and Covenants gives what the Lord Himself states about His commandment: I am the Lord thy God, and will give unto thee the law of my Holy Priesthood, as was ordained by me and my Father before the world was. Their mind is made up and they are convinced that Joseph is “innocent” of polygamy and that he is the victim of a conspiracy of epic proportions and no amount of facts will change their mind. As hostility increased, William law and other dissenters plotted to expose the secret of plural marriage in Nauvoo to the law and to public opinion. Abraham received all things, whatsoever he received, by revelation and commandment, by my word, saith the Lord, and hath entered into his exaltation and sitteth upon his throne. Taylor and his wife were in the same congregation as the Fieldings, all of whom were "disenchanted Methodists". Your email address will not be published. John Taylor. . Brother Joseph gave us to understand that it was our duty to follow the Twelve.‘” (Autobiography of Mosiah Hancock). The Prophet’s intention was to organize an exploring expedition to go to the West and find a location for the Saints to settle, then return to Nauvoo after the prevailing emotions and feelings had settled down. Emma, and Hyrum Smith has drawn devoted and curious visitors alike to a small cemetery plot located in the Smith Family Cemetery in Nauvoo, Illi-nois. [citation needed] She went to Winter Quarters and then on to the Salt Lake Valley. ARE YOU WILLING TO DIE FOR ME?’ Yes! I never was called Mrs. Smith. we have got to observe it, that it was an eternal principle, and that it was given to [me] by way of Commandment and not by way of instruction” (McConkie, Mark L. Remembering Joseph, p. 386). I had been fearing and doubting about the principle and so had he, but he now knew it was true. She [Mary] was always called Mrs. Smith, because she was his wife. Joseph Smith said that the practice of this principle would be the hardest trial the Saints would ever have to test their faith. 42 Both of Smith's grandfathers, Asael Smith (1744 –1830) and Nathaniel Aikens (1757–1836), served in the American Revolutionary War. She was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. “If Brother Joseph Smith had been led by the Spirit he had, he would never /have given himself up and gone to Carthage, explained, “but he would have gone right to these mountains, and would have been alive today to lead this people.” The lesson the Saints should have learned from the Prophet’s death, President Young stressed, was that “the sheep must follow the shepherd, not the shepherd follow the sheep” (Journal of Charles W. Walker, Brigham Young University Library, under date of March 21, 1858.). Name: Joseph Smith: Born: December 23, 1805 Died: June 27, 1844 (aged 38) : Positions: 1st President of the Church of Christ (later the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints), April 6, 1830 () – June 27, 1844 (): Date entered polygamy: April 5, 1841: Eventual No. . Mary Fielding, .however, was not true to Hyrum. Richard and Pamele Price began their study of Polygamy and the Mormon church in 1950. This spiritual wifeism! As one of the Eight Witnesses, Hyrum testified of the authenticity of the Book of Mormon plates, and he later assisted in … I thought it held up too until I did a thorough study of the practice. The destruction of the Expositor led to intense public outcry from surrounding communities. Keeping the revelation and practice of plural marriage secret and out of public view was a matter of life or death for the Saints. We will cross the river tonight, and go away to the West.”. I believe my father was a good man, and a good man never could have promulgated such doctrines” (“Mormon” 1860, 103). Your email address will not be published. He later wrote in his diary: “…polygamy was of the Devil and [Smith] should put it down”. By 1843 , one of the chief proponents of plural marriage was Hyrum Smith, co-President of the Church and joint dispensation head with the Prophet Joseph Smith. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, http://www.saintswithouthalos.com/b/lott_cp.phtml, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mary_Fielding_Smith&oldid=990439470, English emigrants to pre-Confederation Ontario, Pre-Confederation Canadian emigrants to the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Latter Day Saint biography Infobox with missing parameters, Articles with unsourced statements from November 2016, Wikipedia articles with SNAC-ID identifiers, Wikipedia articles with WORLDCATID identifiers, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 24 November 2020, at 14:02. Nonetheless, there are literally volumes of accounts given by the early saints, testifying that the revelation on Plural Marriage was revealed by the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith. The paper condemned the doctrine of plural wives which it called “abominations and whoredoms” (Nauvoo Expositor, June 7, 1844). Salt Lake City: Juvenile Instructor Office, 1884, pg. In 1997 it became the Franklin Covey Company. In order for faithful Mormon leaders to deny plural marriage publicly with a clear conscience, they developed a code for speaking using double meanings. When Joseph Smith introduced plural marriage to him, Hyrum at first opposed the idea, but when converted to the principle, he became one of its staunchest advocates. Mary Fielding was born in Honeydon (Honidon), Bedfordshire, England, on July 21, 1801. It was written in the small office upstairs in the rear of the brick store which stood on the bank of the Mississippi River. He married Jerusha Barden in November 1826. goes to Salem, Mass., with Joseph Smith, D&C 111: Intro. Hyrum was one of the original creators of the popular Franklin Day Planner. [1] She was the sixth child of John Fielding and Rachel Ibbotson, who were active in the growing Methodist movement in the area. Good thing we don’t believe in conspiracies of epic proportion, or in other words secret combinations. Three months after the Church was organized, in July 1830, Joseph Smith received a revelation for his wife Emma, instructing her to make a selection of sacred hymns for the Church of Christ. Februar 1800; † 27. After this time I lived with the Prophet Joseph Smith as his wife, and he visited me at the home of my brother Benjamin F. at Macedonia. Now I say to you as I am ready to testify to all the world and on which testimony I am most willing to meet all the Latter Day Saints and all apostates in time and through all eternity. Mary accepted the responsibility of caring for and raising Hyrum's children from his first marriage, including the future church patriarch John Smith. “That the Prophet Joseph told him that the doctrine of celestial marriage was revealed to him while he was engaged on the work of translation of the scriptures, but when the communication was first made the Lord stated that the time for the practice of that principle had not arrived.” (Noble, Joseph B. Centerville, Davis Co, Utah Stake conference, June 11, 1883. On Friday, June 7, 1844, dissenters from the Church published the one and only issue of the Nauvoo Expositor. I always found it odd this man didn’t play a bigger role in the history of Mormonism and why his brother Joseph Jr. didn’t utilize their brotherhood in a broader sense. February 9, 1800-June 27, 1844. Part 1, “Follow the living prophet” …and Excommunicate Joseph Smith? The Hyrum Smith biography is quite insightful into the character of Hyrum Smith. It is also unknown what occurred when they were there. Hyrum held many roles including Elder, Witness, Patriarch, Brevet Major General in the Nauvoo Legion and Assistant Prophet. Some of those who apostatized from the Church, also denied the revelation on Celestial and Plural marriage but supported a form of religion originally taught by Joseph Smith. This new holy prophet [William Law] has gone to Carthage and swore that I had told him that I was guilty of adultery. “Anyone who will read carefully the denials, as they are termed… will see clearly that they denounce adultery, fornication, brutal lust, and the teachings of plurality of wives by those who were not commanded to do so” (George A Smith to Joseph Smith III, October 9, 1869, Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints Archives). 53. At the time, Jerusha, Hyrum’s wife, was two weeks away from delivering their child, but he still went on his mission. I never had any fuss with these men until that Female Relief Society brought out the paper against adulterers and adulteresses. Beginning in 1880, Helen Mar Kimball Smith, plural wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith,  took to pen and paper to defend the Prophet Joseph from the antipolygamy crusade of Joseph Smith III and the RLDS Church. Let them search; they will not harm you in person or property, and not even a hair of your head. The Prophet Joseph Smith and the early Saints who practiced plural marriage are still under attack today, just as they were during the early Nauvoo period in which they lived. Today we’re taking a look at Hyrum Smith. Joseph F. Smith, son of President Hyrum Smith, nephew of Joseph Smith and sixth President of the Church, “The great and glorious principle of plural marriage was first revealed to Joseph Smith in 1831, but being forbidden to make it public, or to teach it as a doctrine of the Gospel at that time, he confided the facts to only a very few of his intimate associates.” (Deseret News, May 20, 1886, Andrew Jenson, The Historical Record 6 [Salt Lake City, Utah, May 1887]: 219), Helen Mar Kimball, plural wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, “The Lord revealed it [plural marriage] to His prophet, Joseph Smith, as early as the year 1831.” (Whitney, Helen Mar Kimball Smith. Many of the Latter Day Saints who joined the RLDS Church in Nauvoo Illionois had broken with Brigham Young because of their opposition to polygamy. (D&C 132:37). During the months of  February and March 1831, the Prophet Joseph Smith was engaged in translating the book of Genesis. In October 1837, Joseph called him to serve a mission in the eastern states. Unfortunately, in my experience those who are hardened against Celestial Plural Marriage don’t care about the facts. She reportedly arrived in the Valley one day before Lott. During this time, Mary came to know Joseph and Hyrum Smith and greatly loved and respected them both. …What a thing it is for a man to be accused of committing adultery, and having seven wives, when I can only find one”  (History of the Church Volume 6, 410-411). No doubt to his shock and dismay she not only abrogated his church’s official claim that Hyrum had other plural wives, but she went on to elaborate how not only had she not borne any children by Hyrum, but that no woman other than his legal wife had. ), Lucy Walker, plural wife of the Prophet Joseph Smith, Plural marriage “was revealed to the prophet in ‘31, but he did not teach it then … he received a revelation on polygamy in 1831.” (Kimball, Lucy Walker Smith. “No such thing as polygamy, or spiritual wifery, was taught, publicly or privately, before my husband’s death, that I have now, or ever had any knowledge of …. A major reason why he was martyred June 27, 1844, was because many of the Saints did not sustain him in this action. Dennison L. Harris remembered the following testimony given by the Prophet Joseph Smith only a few months before his death: “The same God that has thus far dictated and directed me, and inspired me and strengthened me in this work, gave me this revelation and Commandment on Celestial and Plural marriage; and the same God commanded me to obey it. [2]:102 She and her family were among the poorer church members driven out of Nauvoo in the fall of 1846, who experienced the incident later known as the "miracle of the quails". He preached: “There is but one principle by the leaders of any faction of this people that I hold in utter abhorrence; that is a principle (polygamy) taught by Brigham Young and those believing in him…  I have been told that my father taught such doctrines. After his brother Alvin’s death, Hyrum assumed a major share of the family economy. This undated photograph is from Martha Ann, daughter of Hyrum and Mary Fielding Smith by Ruth Mae Harris. Quoted in Andrew Jenson, “Plural Marriage,” Historical Record 6 (July 1887): 232–33.). Therefore, prepare thy heart to receive and obey the instructions which I am about to give unto you; for all those who have this law revealed unto them must obey the same. Hyrum Smith never had any wives except the one that died [Jerusha Harden Smith] and my sister [Mary Fielding Smith] and myself. Marrying Hyrum Smith. They still considered themselves part of the “original church” and began forming themselves into a “reorganized” Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. www.saintswithouthalos.com. [2]:98, In March 1838, Hyrum was among the church leaders taken to prison by the Missouri militia. According to Smith, his grandfather Aikens served under General George Washington. Emma’s continuing public denial of the practice seemed to lend strength to their cause, and opposition to polygamy became a tenet of the RLDS Church. . 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