Birthday for Relief Society, World Wide organization for Women

Emma Smith,

The 1st R.S. President

I learned some great things about her using Ensign articles & our recent Sunday School manual.

The post is long, it was hard to leave details out. Just skim it the best you can.

"I have never seen a woman in my life, who would endure every species of fatigue & hardship, from month to month, & from year to year, with that unflinching courage, zeal, & patience, which she has ever done."

-Lucy Mack Smith, her mother-in-law

Emma & Lucy

• At age 22, she was a school teacher & married Joseph; Her father firmly opposed.
• In their 1st year of marriage, she waited in the wagon while Joseph got the plates. She never saw the plates.
• On June 14, 1828, Martin has taken 116 pages from Joseph. The next day; Emma has their first baby; Alvin. He dies the same day. 
• At age 25, she is baptized & receives revelation from the Lord, D&C 25
• 1831, after 4 yrs. of marriage she is about 6-7 mons. pregnant with twins. She says good-bye to her parents for the last time, never to see them again. She travels 250 miles from NY to Kirtland, OH in the cold of winter.
• That April she delivers twins; a boy & girl. They die the same day.
• A few days later they adopt twins, Joseph & Julia. She is a mother for the first time!
• The following year the twins are 10 mons., they are sick with measles, Mobs attack that night, take Joseph to tar & feather him.  In the confusion the baby boy is exposed to the cold air & dies a few days later. Emma has now buried 4 of her 5 children.
• Finally in Nov. 1832 they have their own son, Joseph III, who lives to adulthood.
• At age 30, she receives her patriarchal blessing. She has 2 children: Julia,3 & Joseph,2
• At about the same time the first hymnal is printed that she help put together. She has a beautiful soprano singing voice.
• June 1836 she has another son, Fredrick. 
• Jan 1838, persecution against the Saints worsens. Emma has never had a settled home. The family travels across Ohio, Indiana, & Illinios. Again, in dead of winter.
• Feb 1838 the Smith family crosses the frozen Mississippi River into Iowa, by March they are in Far West, Missouri.  She is pregnant during these winter moves.
• She is almost 33 when she has a healthy baby boy, Alexander. 
• When her new baby is about 5 mons. & Julia, 7, Joseph 6, Fredrick 2; Joseph is sent to Liberty Jail where he is gone for nearly 6 mons.
• The mob attacks have gotten so bad while he is away, Emma is forced to leave Far West with her 4 children in the winter to cross the frozen Mississippi River, again. 

• Finally, in May 1839, the family is together again in Nauvoo. 
• In June of 1840, she has another son. He dies the following year at 14 mons. old
• In Feb. of 1842 she has a stillborn son. She has 4 living children.
• March 17, a month later, the Relief Society is organized. Emma says, "We are going to do something extraordinary"
• Summer/Fall 1842 While Joseph is in hiding, Emma & children become very ill; Emma nearly dies.
• Jan. 1843, Grand celebration for their 16th wedding anniversary
• In the spring, Joseph becomes mayor of Nauvoo
• May 1843, Joseph & Emma are sealed for eternity
• May 1844, Joesph accepts nomination to run for Pres. of the United States
• June 24, 1844, Emma & children see Joseph for the last time. She is pregnant.
• June 27, 1844 Emma serves dinner to Gov. Ford & 60 of his men in her Nauvoo mansion house about 5 pm. At 10 pm she learns that Joseph has been shot & killed.
• Nov 1844 she delivers her last baby, David. As a new widow, she is 40 with 5 children. Julia is 12, Joseph III is 11, Fredrick is 7,  Alexander is 5

This photograph depicts Emma holding her last baby, David,

months after Joseph was martyred.

About 18 mons. after Joseph was killed, the Saints began gathering at Far West.

It was during the winter months, they would be crossing the Frozen Mississippi River again.

Lucy Mack Smith was aging at the time & not planning to make the journey.

There was still a threatening atmosphere of persecution at the time, & Emma feared for the lives of her children.  She stays in Nauvoo the rest of her life to care for Lucy & her 5 children ages 14 yrs - 15 mon.

• 1847 Marries again  to Louis Bidamon. Some good came from the marriage  & some bad. He helped build a home for her, where she lived peacefully the last 7 yrs. of her life.
• 1856 Lucy dies, after having spent the last years of her life in Emma's care, last 3 yrs. in Emma's home. 
• 1862, Her 25 yr. old son Fredrick dies of illness, she had cared for him during his last months.
• 1877, Her adopted daughter, Julia has been deserted by her husband & is suffering from cancer. She comes home to live with Emma.
• Also in 1877, her last son, David is diagnosed with "brain fever"
• Her patriarchal blessing promised her "Thou shalt see many days"
• April 30, 1879 she dies peacefully in her sleep. She is 75. This day is the anniversary of her Kirtland twins' death.

She bore 9 children, adopted 2, buried 6 babies, & 1 adult son. She lived almost 35 yrs. after Joseph's martyrdom. Her testimony that was recorded in her later years at different times by friends & family is as follows:

"I believe he (Joseph) was everything he professed to be." "My belief is that the Book of Mormon is of divine authenticity. I have not the slightest doubt of it." "I have seen many, yes very many, trying scenes in my life which I could not see. . .where any good could come from them. . .But yet I feel a divine trust in God, that all things shall work for good."

References:

Joseph & Emma's Family, Ensign Feb. 2008

My Great-Great Grandmother, Ensign Aug. 1992

The Elect Lady, Ensign Sept. 1979

Illustrations by Liz Lemon Swindle