BYU Studies Quarterly
Article Title
“You Had Better Let Mrs Young Have Any Thing She Wants”
Keywords
Missionary Wives, Mary Young, Joseph Smith
Abstract
It was a cold, blustery day in Commerce, Illinois—a town pressed up against the Mississippi River—in November 1839. As the rain poured from the sky, a small skiff appeared on the river, approaching Commerce (later renamed Nauvoo) from Montrose, Iowa Territory. A woman huddled in the vessel, trying to protect a small bundle in her arms from the elements. The rain, coupled with the spray from the river, soaked both the woman and the bundle, which was a two-month-old baby. Despite the rawness of the day, the woman was determined to reach Commerce, hoping to visit the tithing office of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and procure a few potatoes and some flour for herself and her six children, who were sick and living in difficult circumstances in Montrose.
Recommended Citation
Godfrey, Matthew C.
(2019)
"“You Had Better Let Mrs Young Have Any Thing She Wants”,"
BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 58:
Iss.
2, Article 3.
Available at:
https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol58/iss2/3