Explaining the Stigma: Emma Smith's Reputation Among Latter-day Saints, 1860 to Present

Authors

Dallan Petersen, Brigham Young University

Keywords

Emma Smith, Controversy, LDS, Polygamy

Abstract

In 1874 Brigham Young declared that Emma Smith, the widow of Joseph Smith, would "be damned as sure as she is a living woman. " Few people have ever elicited enough controversy to be publicly condemn by an LDS Church President, but Emma Smith is among them. Today, Emma Smith is a controversial figure among Mormons, but the reason she became so is less well known. Since the 1980s, LOS books and magazines have claimed her reputation is a product of her refusal to follow her husband's church to Utah in 1846. However, there is no evidence that Emma's reputation suffered among the Mormon populace until the early 1860s. Understanding why Emma became controversial among early Mormons will help us to understand why opinions of her are polarized to this day. While there are many arguments, analysis of early sources show that Emma first became a controversial figure among Mormons because from 1860 until her death she publicly claimed that Joseph Smith had never practiced polygamy.

Recommended Citation

Petersen, Dallan (2012) "Explaining the Stigma: Emma Smith's Reputation Among Latter-day Saints, 1860 to Present," The Thetean: A Student Journal for Scholarly Historical Writing: Vol. 41: Iss. 1, Article 5.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/thetean/vol41/iss1/5