Hey, I’m Hannah and this is Firm Foundations.
Thanks for watching.
In this series we are learning how to separate
the facts from the fiction in LDS history
and doctrine.
Today we’re talking about Lucy Mack Smith,
Joseph Smith’s mother and a very important
figure in early LDS history.
One of the amazing things about Lucy Mack
Smith is that she wrote a lot.
She journaled and she wrote A History of Joseph
Smith by his Mother.
So we have a lot of information on her.
How she felt, what she knew about Joseph’s
activities, and her own testimony building
experiences.
Lucy was born in 1775 in New Hampshire.
Lucy grew up during one of the most tumultuous
times in American history, as she was a toddler
during the revolution, and grew up during
the fresh and delicate time when American
politics and the constitution were being crafted
and implemented.
Lucy grew up in a very religious home.
In a time of war and uncertainty, her mother
Lydia encouraged moral and religious piety
in her children.
Lucy and her older sisters all documented
spiritual visions or dreams, and Lucy’s
brother Jason went on to form a religious
community when he grew up.
In 1796, Lucy Married Joseph Smith Sr. their
first child died shortly after birth.
Lucy later gave birth to two sons, first Alvin
and later Hyrum, before she became ill with
what was diagnosed as consumption.
Consumption, which we now assume was Tuberculosis,
wasn’t curable at the time, and it was the
same illness that killed Lucy’s sisters.
However, Lucy was not prepared to die.
She wrote that she praed and pleaded with
God to let her live and raise her children.
She promised to serve God all her life.
She then heard a voice telling her, “Seek
and ye shall find; knock and it shall be opened
unto you.
Let your heart be comforted; ye believe in
God, believe also in me.”
Lucy experienced a surprising recovery and
began searching for a church that fulfilled
the organizational precepts taught in the
Bible as well as her spiritual needs.
After her recovery, Lucy gave birth to eight
more children, including Joseph Smith Jr.
Joseph Smith Sr. was spiritual, but didn’t
ascribe to any specific congregation.
Lucy was worried about her husband’s lack
of religious participation, but was comforted
in a dream.
Joseph Smith Sr. also had many dreams full
of spiritual symbolism.
At this period in time and space, it was common
for ministers to encourage women to be the
moral backbone of the family, teaching their
children, not only how to read, write and
work, but also how to faithfully attend church
and study and live the teachings of the Bible.
In this context, Lucy was the ultimate “soccer
mom” so to speak, meaning, she volunteered
at churches, encouraged and taught her family
the biblical texts, and was engaged in religious
community activities.
Not only did Lucy bear the primary responsibility
for her own spiritual well being of herself,
her husband and her 10 children, Lucy also
taught her children secular subjects.
Joseph, who struggled in school, learned to
read and write thanks to the tutelage of his
mother.
For several years, Lucy was an active member
of her local Presbyterian congregation, but
around the same time that Joseph Smith Jr.
discovered the gold plates, she stopped attending.
She said, "We were now confirmed in the opinion
that God was about to bring to light something
upon which we could stay our minds, or that
he would give us a more perfect knowledge
of the plan of salvation and the redemption
of the human family.
This caused us greatly to rejoice, the sweetest
union and happiness pervaded our house, and
tranquility reigned in our midst"
She was hopeful and believed that God was
bringing forth new light and knowledge.
Historian Jan Shipps noted that Lucy uses
the pronouns “we” “ours” and “us”
in her records when she discusses early church
restoration, rather than only referring to
“his” or “he” in reference her son
Joseph.
It appears that Lucy viewed the restoration
as somewhat of a family mission, not a solo
responsibility to be carried out by Joseph
alone.
When the Smith family moved to Kirtland Ohio,
Lucy, was fondly known by many saints as Mother
Smith, hosted many incoming families in her
home as they arrived in Kirtland to join the
LDS movement.
When Joseph Smith Sr. became a patriarch,
Lucy would often accompany him to blessings,
and in at least one recounting, it is suggested
that she participated in the blessing.
After Joseph’s death, Lucy at first supported
the claim on James Strang to lead the church,
later changing her mind, and supporting Brigham
Young.
Lucy stayed in Nauvoo with her daughters and
daughter-in-law Emma when the saints immigrated
west to present-day Utah, but before leaving,
Brigham Young gave her the title of Mother
in Israel, a title that was sustained on her
by many saints in a general meeting.
Towards the end of 1844, Lucy began her first
draft of her biography of her son Joseph.
It took her about a year to write it.
She finished the project with two complete
manuscripts, one of which she kept with her,
and one ended up in the hands of Orson Pratt
took to England, edited and published about
a decade later in 1853.
Before her death, Lucy had to mourn six of
her eleven children.
She lead a life of suffering and undaunted
faith, boldly living her truth and supporting
her family through thick and thin.
Lucy passed away in 1856.
There is some controversy around her biography
and Brigham Young’s reaction to it.
Basically, Brigham Young noticed that Orson
Pratt’s publication contained some inaccuracies
and eventually asked the saints in Utah to
destroy their copies.
Later, under the direction of Lorenzo Snow
and Joseph F. Smith, Lucy grandson, Lucy’s
biographical sketches of Joseph Smith were
republished.
That’s a very brief summary, so if you have
additional questions surrounding Lucy’s
biographical texts about Joseph, please check
out the answers on the Fair Mormon website,
linked below.
Thanks for joining us!
Firm Foundations is created by me, Hannah.
Don’t forget to subscribe, and we’ll catch
you next time.
