Intimate Disciple, a Portrait of Willard Richards, by Claire Noall, 1957, p. 407; “Willard realized that Emma had refused to believe that any of the
young women boarding at the Mansion when it was first used as a hotel had been married to Joseph. She had struck Eliza Snow at the head of the stairs, and Eliza, it was whispered, had lost her unborn child.”
Mormon Portraits, 1886, pp. 57-58; “Mr. W.: ‘Joseph kept eight girls in his house, calling them his “daughters.” Emma threatened that she would leave the house, and Joseph told her, “All right, you can go.” She went, but when Joseph reflected that such a scandal would hurt his prophetic dignity, he followed his wife and brought her back. But the eight “daughters” had to leave the house.’” – Dr. Wilhelm Wyl
1 Corinthians 7:2; “Nevertheless, to avoid fornication, let every man have his own wife, and let every woman have her own husband.”
Exodus 20:14, 16; “Thou shalt not commit adultery. 16 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour.”
Our LDS references above provide a quick glance into daily events of Joseph and Emma Smith’s lives. Obviously, their marriage was less than ideal.
Regardless of Emma’s staunch denials of polygamy after Smith’s death, the hordes of evidence speaks for itself. There’s no reason to doubt the diaries of those who lived with and around this family, neither is there reason to wonder why drama was an ever present mainstay. (Emily Dow Partridge’s diary reveals Emma was present at Smith’s marriages to sisters Sarah & Maria Lawrence)
For whatever reasons, Emma hung onto Smith time and again. She was with him when he dug up all the property looking for buried treasure. She stuck with him through all his philandering ways, and she even went so far as to sign a declaration denying anyone in the Church was practicing polygamy when in fact, she knew they were.
It’s also interesting to note how the Church refuses to hang pictures up in church buildings even though ward, stake centers, and even the Church’s headquarters have his face plastered inside of all their buildings. It’s almost as if she’s nonexistent even though she’s mentioned in numerous talks.
The two examples today clearly show Emma’s disdain for her husband’s lifestyle which obviously negates her numerous denials that he was a polygamist. The whole narrative speaks to an underlying lifestyle of keeping secrets and lying to cover them up.
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