Since the church holds her up as a paragon of virtue, I was wondering if anyone has slogged through her interviews and statements for contradictory testimony of hers? Sir Richard Packham perhaps?

I don't know of any differing stories from her, but I do remember growing up (in the 80's) hearing whispered conversations in the church hallways about her, like she was still taboo to talk about and how everyone felt sorry for her that she wasn't in the celestial kingdom with Joseph because she wouldn't accept polygamy. But now that sentiment has completely changed in the church where she is held up as an example of holding onto her testimony despite things she didn't disagree with. Interesting.

My memory, too. We were told in no uncertain terms not to talk about Emma Smif back in the 1960s and 1970s. She was a mystery. It was obviously very troubling for the church at large that she chose not to follow the largest group of Mormons under Brigham Young. There was no narrative they could make up to explain this away. And then, suddenly, came "Mormon Enigma" by Avery and Newell, and the cat was out of it's bag, and no one one could chase it down and put it back. That forced the hand of Mormon leadership to create one of those faith-promoting narratives that they are expert at, and overnight she became the goddamn Holy Mother of Mormonism. Of course, they were never able to adequately explain away why she would not submit to Brigham Young's leadership, which remains a sort of shit sandwich for church historians.

I once gave the book Mormon Enigma to DW as a gift. It used to sell in Deseret Bookstore, for god's sake. But she immediately threw it in the rubbish because it was printed by Doubleday or someone like that, and that indicated to her that it was "anti-Mormon."

(*Its* bag, goddammit.)

Obviously Emma fell/falls into the category of those who leave when they become offended when the church tries to rob them of everything they can.

I distinctly remember going to a Relief Society birthday party (back in the day when we had those every year) in 1984 and they did some kind of play where they made Emma Smith out to be, as you say, a paragon of virtue. It was kind of a one-woman show this lady did where she read things Emma had written, had sappy music playing in the background and focused on the hard life she had read. I remember when it was because of where I was living at the time.

I also remember being so uncomfortable because it seemed so weird. Until that time, I had grown up with Emma being "she who we do not speak her name." Not that she was never mentioned, but it was always more in the light of someone who couldn't get on board with the Lard's plan and who was one of Joseph's trials that he had to overcome. Kids who were born in the 80s and after have grown up with a completely different picture of her. Now all the sudden she's Joseph's longsuffering true monogamous love. Spin Spin Spin.

I remember an elderly lady coming to my ward as well (mid-to-late 1990s?) doing a program like that in RS; it was all about how amazing, strong, and faithful Emma was and how she stayed with Joseph during all his trials. Polygamy was very tactfully avoided; the woman doing the program said she would only focus on the love between Joseph and Emma because that's what mattered. I'd never heard anything bad about Emma, so it was news to me that some people thought she had a bad reputation.

She obviously lied about polygamy...told her children that Joe wasn't a polygamist.

I think she was also in on the con and told some tall tales about the BoM translation, but I don't know if she ever contradicted herself there.

I wrote a paper on Emma when I was at BYU. There was a whole row of books, that mostly had bad things to say about her, at the library. They were probably all lies told by bitter Brighamites, but one book I referenced said Emma was an adulterer and had left Joe before his death.

I like the way this thread is going, especially the "We have always been at war with Eastasia" turnaround on Emma.

Growing up Emma was:

1. An apostate

2. A murderer. Killing Eliza Snow's unborn child by pushing her down the stairs.

3. In hell. Joseph said he would be with her in the next life even if he had to drag her out of hell. Brigham said that is exactly what happened.

4. She kept hidden Joseph's translation of the bible. Depriving mormons of scriptural knowledge.

5. She pushed her son into joining the reorganized church deptiving him of his place in the true church.

In the 50s/60s in my neck of the woods Emma was anything but elect.

I remember a stake relief society birthday party where they told stories, supposedly read out of the new at the time daughters of a king or whatever book. Anyway, one story was about how Joseph was sick bla bla and asked Emma if she would take care of his young wives, and she said yes, then Joseph got better, and...
It sounded just as made up at the time and no one from the stake seems to remember it because of how horribly contrived it was, but it sure came with a "be as good as Emma!" message.

In seminary in the 70s we were told that she basically had a mental break down when Joseph was killed. She lost touch with reality and couldn't be judged for not going with the saints to Salt Lake City.

We didn't know much about the RLDS or real mormon history so it made sense at the time. Kind of. And kind of not. It was an early shelf item.

Like Grant Palmer said, "Turns out the bad guys are the good guys and the good guys are the bad guys". So true.

Here's one take on Emma, from her own writings:

https://www.dialoguejournal.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/Dialogue_V17N03_103.pdf

"I'll never leave your side my dear Clyde, I'll ride 'till I die" - Bonnie