Was Joseph Smith Ever “Sealed” To Emma?
Why wouldn’t Joseph Smith’s sealing to Emma be a celebrated, documented, discussed, or written about as a major LDS restoration milestone? Why didn’t a single record of the town’s biggest celebrity couple’s sealing exist in a gossipy town of 12,000+ people? Why were cryptic symbols used to hide Joseph Smith’s perfectly legal “sealing” to Emma? Why would a well-known and legally married couple need to hide a sealing? Why rewrite a guys name as a woman’s in order to claim Hyrum was sealed to him/her? How did a violent man’s assault trial turn into a random outpouring of sealing ordinances, even for people who weren’t even there? How did people end up being sealed before they were supposedly married, according to sworn affidavits? Who was behind these changes, and why? These questions and more will be discussed on this episode.
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Was Joseph Smith Ever “Sealed” To Emma?
Table of Contents & Video Timeline
0:59 – The only source listed for Wikipedia’s claim 1
2:35 – The LDS church’s claims in official publications are never cited 2
3:56 – The chronological order of Joseph’s sealings to his wives shows Emma Smith as #27 3
4:52 – 4 versions of LDS history, an overview of the evolutionary document chain
5:48 – May 28, 1843 Journal – edits & revisions 4
8:58 – May 28, 1843 Journal – Taylor Shorthand “w-r m-r-r-d” inspection, with footnote #457 analysis 4
10:28 – Taylor Shorthand explanation 5
11:01 – May 28, 1843 Draft – edits & revisions 6
12:08 – May 28, 1843 Manuscript – edits & revisions. Brigham Young & Heber Kimball quote added about them being the only 2 trusted associates of Joseph Smith. 7
14:23 – May 28, 1843 – All 4 versions of edits compared side-by-side
15:25 – May 29, 1843 Journal (next day’s entry) – edits & revisions 8
17:46 – May 29, 1843 Journal – Mercy Fielding Thompson disproven, showing that J. (James) Thompson was likely the original person listed prior to edits 8
19:55 – The only 2 instances of “w-r m-r-r-d” in recorded history 9
21:02 – May 29, 1843 Draft – edits & revisions 10
21:26 – May 29, 1843 Manuscript – edits & revisions 11
21:47 – May 29, 1843 All 4 versions of edits compared side-by-side
22:32 – May 29, 1843 Footnote #457 analysis, showing speculation on part of JSP editorial staff 8
23:01 – Mercy R. Thompson affidavit inspected and cross-examined 12
25:56 – Mercy R. Thompson’s JSP Biography footnote #13 analysis, showing speculation on part of JSP editorial staff 13
27:36 – Brigham Young’s history cross-referenced, inconsistencies discussed 14
28:23 – Brigham Young’s history claims compared to D&C 132, inconsistencies discussed 14,15
29:40 – Closing summary, remarks 16
Sources behind Joseph & Emma Smith’s “Sealing”
1. Carol Madsen, “My Dear and Beloved Companion: The Letters of Joseph and Emma Smith“, Ensign, September 2008.
2. Latter-day Saint History: 1815-1846 Teacher’s Manual
3. Wikipedia, “List of Joseph Smith’s wives”
4. “Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 2, 10 March 1843–14 July 1843” [JSP doc #7998] p. 225
5. Wikipedia, “Taylor Shorthand”
6. “History Draft [1 March–31 December 1843]” [JSP doc #8470], p. 37
7. “History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]” [JSP doc #7624], p.1563
8. “Journal, December 1842–June 1844; Book 2, 10 March 1843–14 July 1843” [JSP doc #7998], p.226
9. Google search for [“site:josephsmithpapers.org “w-r m-r-r-d”]
10. “History Draft [1 March–31 December 1843]” [JSP doc #8470], p. 37
11. “History, 1838–1856, volume D-1 [1 August 1842–1 July 1843]” [JSP doc #7624], p.1564
12. Joseph F. Smith Collection, Affidavit Book 1:34, LDS Archives; typed copy
13. Joseph Smith Papers: “Thompson, Mercy Rachel Fielding” Biography, footnote #13
14. “Manuscript History of Brigham Young” May 28-29, 1843 entries
15. Doctrine & Covenants 132:7 (LDS edition)
16. Matthew 22:25-30 (King James Version)
