The Lion and the Lioness: Brigham Young and Eliza R. Snow

Authors

Jill Mulvay Derr

Keywords

Mormon studies, Brigham Young, Eliza R. Snow, marriage

Abstract

He was born in 1801, she in 1804. He was a man known for his humor and gruffness, she a woman known for her sobriety and refinement. He preached unforgettable sermons, though he never learned to spell. She wrote reams of poetry and songs. He provided her a home as one of his wives for thirty years, but she never took his name. Both he and she were passionately devoted to the Prophet Joseph Smith and his expansive vision of eternity. President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and presidentess of its Relief Society, Brigham Young and Eliza Roxcy Snow formed a couple whose marriage eludes simple description (fig. 1). Though no children were born to their union and nothing suggests that the two were ever "one flesh," Brigham and Eliza were of "one heart and one mind."

Recommended Citation

Derr, Jill Mulvay (2001) "The Lion and the Lioness: Brigham Young and Eliza R. Snow," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 40: Iss. 2, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol40/iss2/5