Bathsheba Wilson Bigler Smith (May 3, 1822 – September 20, 1910) was an early member of the

Latter Day Saint movement The Latter Day Saint movement (also called the LDS movement, LDS restorationist movement, or Smith–Rigdon movement) is the collection of independent church groups that trace their origins to a Christian Restorationist movement founded by Jo ...

. She was the fourth general president of the Relief Society of

the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Christianity, Christian church that considers itself to be the Restorationism, restoration of the ...

(LDS Church), matron of the

Salt Lake Temple The Salt Lake Temple is a temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on Temple Square in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. At , it is the largest Latter-day Saint temple by floor area. Dedicated in 1893, it is the sixth templ ...

, member of the Board of Directors of Deseret Hospital,

Salt Lake City, Utah Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, t ...

, and a leader in the western

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

woman's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement.

Early life and Missouri

Born near Shinnston, Harrison County, Virginia (now West Virginia), she was the daughter of Mark Bigler and Susanna Ogden. When she was young, Bathsheba traded names with a friend as a symbol of their friendship, which is where the "Wilson" part of Bathsheba's name comes from. When Bathsheba was 15, she heard about the Mormon gospel from members of the

. She believed in the church's message, and she was baptized on August 21, 1837, alongside her family. Soon after the family's conversion, they desired to move to Missouri along with other members of the church. These excerpts from her autobiography tell how her family moved from Virginia, first to Missouri, and then to Illinois: On September 23, 1839, her father, Mark Bigler, died in Quincy.

Nauvoo, Illinois

In Nauvoo, Illinois on July 25, 1841, Bathsheba Bigler married

George A. Smith George Albert Smith (June 26, 1817 – September 1, 1875) was an early leader in the Latter Day Saint movement. He served in the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and as a member of the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day ...

who was the youngest member of the

Quorum of the Twelve Apostles A quorum is the minimum number of members of a deliberative assembly (a body that uses parliamentary procedure, such as a legislature) necessary to conduct the business of that group. According to '' Robert's Rules of Order Newly Revised'', the ...

of the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * When used in the plural, a New Testament designation for local groups of people following the teachings of Jesus Christ: "...all the churches of Christ greet you", Romans 16:16. * The entire body of Ch ...

at that time. Bathsheba gave birth to their first child, George Albert Jr., on July 7, 1842. Several months after the birth, George A. left to the Eastern States to serve a mission. Upon his return to Nauvoo in 1843, George and Bathsheba received the ordinances of endowments and sealing. In 1844, Smith's husband left once again on a mission. He returned in August in time for the birth of the couple's daughter, Bathsheba, on August 14, 1844. 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 Joseph Smith Jr. (December 23, 1805June 27, 1844) was an American religious leader and founder of Mormonism and the Latter Day Saint movement. When he was 24, Smith published the Book of Mormon. By the time of his death, 14 years later, h ...

. Bathsheba and Eliza R. Snow designed the original temple garment, at Joseph Smith's request.

Salt Lake City, Utah

During the

succession crisis A succession crisis is a crisis that arises when an order of succession fails, for example when a king dies without an indisputable heir. It may result in a war of succession. Examples include (see List of wars of succession): *Multiple periods ...

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 (; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), from 1847 until his death in 1877. During his time as chu ...

. They traveled west and established themselves first in

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City (often shortened to Salt Lake and abbreviated as SLC) is the capital and most populous city of Utah, United States. It is the seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in Utah. With a population of 200,133 in 2020, th ...

. While other members of the family later moved to southern Utah, Smith spent the rest of her life in Salt Lake City. Bathsheba and George A. Smith were the parents of three children. Their son, George A. Smith Jr., was killed by Navajo while on his way to serve a mission with

Jacob Hamblin Jacob Hamblin (April 2, 1819 – August 31, 1886) was a Western pioneer, a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), and a diplomat to various Native American tribes of the Southwest and Great Basin. He ...

to the Hopi. Their daughter, Bathsheba, married Clarence Merrill, among whose children was Alice Merrill Horne. Their third child, John, died the day of his birth, April 14, 1847, in Winter Quarters, Nebraska. Smith also largely raised her sister's daughter, Julina Lambson, who later became a wife of

Joseph F. Smith Joseph Fielding Smith Sr. (November 13, 1838 – November 19, 1918) was an American religious leader who served as the sixth president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was the nephew of Joseph Smith, the founde ...

. During the early 1870s, George A. Smith served as first counselor in the First 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 locally involved in the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement, primarily through articles she wrote for the Woman's Exponent. For many years, starting at Nauvoo, Smith was also heavily involved in

temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...

work, and was the matron of the Salt Lake temple.Watt, "Smith", p. 206

General Relief Society leadership

In 1888, Smith became the second counselor in the Relief Society general presidency. In this position, she heavily encouraged home production of clothing. She was called to serve as general president of the Relief Society in 1901 and served in the position until her death in 1910. During her administration, the original Relief Society Building was completed (in 1909) and helped introduce classes on childrearing, industry, and marriage. In addition, the General Relief Society established an employment bureau for young women, educational nursing and mother's courses, and food storage plans under Smith's leadership. Smith was also on the board of directors at the Deseret Hospital and served in the Retrenchment Association presidency. She was among those called to testify before the

Smoot hearings The Reed Smoot hearings, also called Smoot hearings or the Smoot Case, were a series of Congressional hearings on whether the United States Senate should seat U.S. Senator Reed Smoot, who was elected by the Utah legislature in 1903. Smoot was an ...

, but due to ill health, was only able to file an affidavit. BathshebaWSmithGrave

Death and burial

Smith died on September 20, 1910, and was buried at Salt Lake City Cemetery. She was the first woman to have her funeral in the Salt Lake Tabernacle.

Notes

References

* *

External links

George A. Smith Family Papers, University of Utah

Diary of Bathsheba W. Bigler Smith, University of Utah
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smith, Bathsheba W. 1822 births 1910 deaths American leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Suffragists from Utah American women's rights activists Burials at Salt Lake City Cemetery Converts to Mormonism Counselors in the General Presidency of the Relief Society General Presidents of the Relief Society Latter Day Saints from Illinois Latter Day Saints from Missouri Latter Day Saints from Utah Latter Day Saints from West Virginia Mormon feminists Mormon pioneers People from Shinnston, West Virginia Smith family (Latter Day Saints) Temple presidents and matrons (LDS Church)