Emma Smith fascinates me.

About a year ago, I saw a LDS production: Emma Smith, My Story...and it was what you would expect.

Who was she really?

Devout, loving wife?

A scorned, hurt wife, who felt caught up in it all, with no way out?

True Believer?

Knowing accomplice to a fraud?

Disenchanted widow?

A little bit of all of the above?

What have you been able to learn about her, and how do you feel about her?

Have you read "Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith" by Newell and Avery? It is still the definitive biography of Emma.

Avery also followed up that book with a biography of Joseph and Emma's youngest son, David, who was born after Joseph was killed. "From Mission to Madness; Last Son of the Mormon Prophet" has information on Emma's life after Joseph and the Reorganized LDS connection with Emma's family, etc.

Both books give much insight into Emma as a person, but do not fully explain her; that is left up to the reader. Certainly, the LDS production you saw left way too much to be desired.

i too, am fascinated by emma smith, and i have a question[s] do tbm's believe emma is in the ck sealed to joe? is she in a lower kingdom? do they believe she is an apostate, for marrying a non-member ? just how do tbm's today regard emma ?

I have a close TBM friend who had no idea that Emma stayed in Nauvoo, didn't follow BY, married someone who had never been part of the church, or that JS's own children had started the RLDS church. They just think she was some beautiful, loyal wife who pretty much just dropped off the map when her husband died.

If you had, you would see that Emma was devoted, sincere, loving, pure, dedicated, demure, self-controlled, thoughtful, wise, supportive, service-oriented, everything that a Relief Society President should be.

Y'all spend waste so much time reading books and doing research about Joseph and Emma, when in 55 minutes you'll learn everything you need to know, and have your testimony enhanced at the same time.

Sniff...
Sniff..

Hmmmm...

Is that Antelope I can smell...?

William Law, who published the Nauvoo Expositor, said this many years later...

http://mrm.org/topics/documents-speeches/interview-william-law

>"Did Emma, the elect lady, come to your house and complain about Joseph?"

>"No. She never came to my house for that purpose. But I met her sometimes on the street and then she used to complain, especially because of the girls whom Joseph kept in the house, devoting his attention to them. You have overrated her, she was dishonest."

>"Do you mean to say that she was so outside of the influence Joseph had over her?"

>"Yes, that is exactly what I mean. Let me tell you a case that will be full proof to you. Soon after my arrive in Nauvoo the two L[awrence] girls came to the holy city, two very young girls, 15 to 17 years of age. They had been converted in Canada, were orphans and worth about $8000 in English gold. Joseph got to be appointed their Guardian, probably with the help of Dr. Bennett. He naturally put the gold in his pocket and had the Girls sealed to him. He asked me to go on his bond as a guardian, as Sidney Rigdon had done. "It is only a formality," he said. Foolishly enough, and not yet suspecting anything, I put my name on the paper. Emma complained about Joseph's living with the L[awrence] girls, but not very violently. It is my conviction that she was his full accomplice, that she was not a bit better than he. When I saw how things went I should have taken steps to be released of that bond, but I never thought of it. After Joseph's death, A. W. Babbitt became guardian of the two girls. He asked Emma for a settlement about the $8000. Emma said she had nothing to do with her husband's debts. Now Babbitt asked for the books and she gave them to him. Babbitt found that Joseph had counted an expense of about $3000 for board and clothing of the girls. Now Babbitt wanted the $5000 that was to be paid Babbitt, who was a straight, good, honest, sincere man, set about to find out property to pay the $5000 with. He could find none. Two splendid farms near Nauvoo, a big brick house, worth from $3000 to $4000, the hotel kept by Joe, a mass of vacant town lots, all were in Emma's name, not transferred later, but transferred from the beginning. She always looked out for her part. When I saw how things stood I wrote to Babbitt to take hold of all the property left by me in Nauvoo and of all claims held by me again in people in Nauvoo. And so the debt was paid by me--Emma didn't pay a cent."

And here's a story that has me shaking my head... It's from a certain apologist, clearly suffering from late stage "Nibley's Disease" wherein the sufferer, faced with overwhelming evidence the church is true, opts to go crazy rather than acknowledge the simple truth that the LDS church is a fraud. This one was first identified by Nibley's daughter, Martha...

Anyway, elsewhere on the web, this apologist, an attorney who's defended the LDS Church in sex abuse lawsuits, expresses his personal view that William Law and Emma were having an affair, and that was what motivated Law to publish the "Expositor."

I kid you not; I can't make this stuff up...

And a Cabbie note to "OlMan," I hope you were spoofing us, but if you were, Richard Packham--who's also an old man, but one of the sharpest individuals I've ever met--has requested posts be marked as spoofs if they might be unclear...

And if you weren't spoofing, you've just give me so more stuff to talk about next time I pick up tourists from the JS Building...

"Did you watch the movie about Emma Smith? You did? You want the rest of the story? Okay, we've got time..."

@ cabbie, great link, thanks

thanks for the info folks!

Our next door neighbor growing up was an old school Hoover era FBI agent. The mob operating out of Nevada was running a whore house in Burley, Idaho. Anyways, the FBI had the whore house under survelance and they got enough evidence to prosecute the guy. It turned out all of the assets were in his wife's name and they couldn't prosecute any further because it's illegal to make a spouse testify against a spouse.

Hiding assets under the wife is an old trick and still used. Emma was willing to protect Joe's assets if she got a cut. She probably didn't like his filandering but she probably had something going. I have noticed in some accounts that Emma used to go shopping in St. Louis. She was in it for the money I bet.

She never bought into polygamy, but at the same time wouldn't leave JS over it as many women would have. She was hardly naive what JS thought of it. After all he overtly tried to get her to buy into it by conning her with supposed revelation. So she lied about polygamy the rest of her life.

She also wouldn't leave her second husband even though he was also unfaithful.

She weighed her options and chose according to self-interest and preservation. She was an operator in her own right.

I wonder if she would have made the same denials if she was simply asked if JS was unfaithful. It would be easy to deny subsequent marriages she never recognized.

I think Joe charmed her off her feet to begin with but then she got sucked into the family scam and played her role in it. Then I think Joe became an asset. He had an enormous power over people and she was his wife. I bet Emma got addicted to the attention and praise. Then in Nauvoo when times were good, she justified the spoils as reward for paying her dues. Maybe she had her own affairs. In marriages like this, the spouses usually become business partners.

I kind of liken it to Bill and Hillary Clinton. She should have dumped the bum but they are a great political team together. Hillary knew if she dumped Bill she would lose a valuable campaign partner. I think they have an agreement to share the spoils and they will screw who they want to on the side.

She was a dirty hussy! for perpetuating a fraud a lie that has destroyed much lies. She's in the 8th circle of hell bobbing for cat poop in poo latrines (according to Dante). After smelling poo everywhere in Cangpoo (Cangzhou), especially in this very very very special school (according to my step brother).... this is a very very nasty fate. I honestly wouldn't wish it on anyone, but if someone willingly fouls themself their name, and their dignity in the manner of a false prophet has.... it's deserved!