Bathsheba W. Smith
Encyclopedia
Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith (3 May 1822 – 20 September 1910) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement
. She was the fourth general president of the Relief Society
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a matron of the Salt Lake Temple
, a member of the Board of Directors of Deseret Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
, and a leader in the western United States
woman's suffrage movement.
On September 23, 1839, her father, Mark Bigler, died in Quincy.
In Nauvoo, Illinois on 25 July 1841, Bathsheba Bigler married George A. Smith
who was the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at that time. Smith kept a diary and sketchbook for most of her life which included drawings of prominent members of the Latter Day Saint community. Among the best known is a profile of church president Joseph Smith, Jr.
During the succession crisis that occurred after the assassination of Smith, Bathsheba Smith, her husband and two children joined the Latter Day Saint group following Brigham Young
. They traveled west and established themselves first in Salt Lake City and then in southern Utah. During the early 1870s, George A. Smith served as first counselor in the Church Presidency under Young. He and his wife traveled to many emerging Mormon settlements, preaching and promoting church affairs.
After the death of her husband in 1875, Smith became active in civic affairs and heavily involved in the women's suffrage
movement. She was called to serve as general president of the church's women's organization, the Relief Society
in 1901 and served in the position until her death in 1910. She was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
.
Latter Day Saint movement
The Latter Day Saint movement is a group of independent churches tracing their origin to a Christian primitivist movement founded by Joseph Smith, Jr. in the late 1820s. Collectively, these churches have over 14 million members...
. She was the fourth general president of the Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), a matron of the Salt Lake Temple
Salt Lake Temple
The Salt Lake Temple is the largest and best-known of more than 130 temples of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It is the sixth temple built by the church, requiring 40 years to complete, and the fourth operating temple built since the Mormon exodus from Nauvoo,...
, a member of the Board of Directors of Deseret Hospital, Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
, and a leader in the western United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
woman's suffrage movement.
Biography
Born near Shinnston, Harrison County, Virginia (now West Virginia), she was the daughter of Mark Bigler and Susanna Ogden. These excerpts from her autobiography tell how her family moved from Virginia, first to Missouri, and then to Illinois:- “My brother, Jacob G. Bigler, having gone to Far West, Missouri, joined the church there and bought a farm for my father, and then returned.”
- “About this time my father sold his farm in West Virginia, and fitted out my mother, my brother and sister Sarah, Melissa and myself, and we started for Far West, Missouri, in company with my two brothers-in-law and my uncle and their families.
- “Father stayed to settle up his business intending to join us at Far West in the spring, bringing with him, by water, farming implements [and] house furniture.
- “Three nights after we had arrived at the farm which my brother had bought, and which was four miles south of the city of Far West, word came that a mob were gathering on Crooked River, and a call was made for men to go out...for the purpose of trying to stop...the mob, who were...destroying and burning property. Cap. David Patten's company went, and a battle ensued.
- “My father had to lose what he had paid on his farm. And in February 1838, in the depth of winter, our family and thousands of the Saints were on the way to the State of Illinois. In the spring, father joined us at Quincy, Illinois.”
On September 23, 1839, her father, Mark Bigler, died in Quincy.
- “In the spring of 1840, our family moved to Nauvoo, in Illinois.”
George A. Smith
George Albert Smith was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the church's First Presidency.-Childhood:Smith was born in Potsdam, St...
who was the youngest member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
Quorum of the Twelve Apostles
In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles is one of the governing bodies in the church hierarchy...
of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints at that time. Smith kept a diary and sketchbook for most of her life which included drawings of prominent members of the Latter Day Saint community. Among the best known is a profile of church president Joseph Smith, Jr.
During the succession crisis that occurred after the assassination of Smith, Bathsheba Smith, her husband and two children joined the Latter Day Saint group following Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
. They traveled west and established themselves first in Salt Lake City and then in southern Utah. During the early 1870s, George A. Smith served as first counselor in the Church Presidency under Young. He and his wife traveled to many emerging Mormon settlements, preaching and promoting church affairs.
After the death of her husband in 1875, Smith became active in civic affairs and heavily involved in the women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement. She was called to serve as general president of the church's women's organization, the Relief Society
Relief Society
The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization and an official auxiliary of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, USA and has approximately 6 million members in over 170 countries and territories...
in 1901 and served in the position until her death in 1910. She was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery
Salt Lake City Cemetery
thumb|The northern section of the cemetery at night, looking towards Salt Lake CityThe Salt Lake City Cemetery is in The Avenues neighborhood of Salt Lake City, Utah. Approximately 120,000 persons are buried in the cemetery. Many religious leaders and politicians, particularly many leaders of The...
.