BYU ScholarsArchive

Article Title

“A Man That You Could Not Help Likeing”: Joseph Smith and Nauvoo Portrayed in a Letter by Susannah and George W. Taggart

Authors

Ronald O. Barney

Keywords

Mormon studies, Joseph Smith, Nauvoo, letter, Susannah Taggart, George W. Taggart

Abstract

The Prophet Joseph Smith's call for members of The Church of Jesus Christ Latter-day Saints to gather to Nauvoo, Illinois, had a wide effect once the settlement acquired the trappings of civilization. What had been the obscure riverside village of Commerce soon evidenced expansion and progress: new inhabitants and bustling construction. Among those who gathered to Nauvoo were Washington and Susannah Taggart, who converted to Mormonism in 1841 or 1842 in Peterborough, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire. Taught the gospel by Elder Eli P. Maginn, the Taggarts soon planned their departure for the Mormon capital. Their eldest son, George Washington Taggart (age 25), and a younger son, Oliver (18), also embraced Elder Maginn's teachings of the Restoration. But three sons—Albert (23), Samuel (21), and Henry (16)—revolted at what they saw as the family's credulity. The converted Taggarts moved to Nauvoo in mid-1843, while the other three sons remained behind.

Recommended Citation

Barney, Ronald O. (2001) "“A Man That You Could Not Help Likeing”: Joseph Smith and Nauvoo Portrayed in a Letter by Susannah and George W. Taggart," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 40: Iss. 2, Article 13.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol40/iss2/13