Amanda Barnes Smith (February 22, 1809 – June 30, 1886) was an American

Mormon pioneer The Mormon pioneers were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church), also known as Latter-day Saints, who migrated beginning in the mid-1840s until the late-1860s across the United States from the Midwest to the S ...

. She survived the

Hawn's Mill massacre The Hawn’s Mill Massacre (also Haun’s Mill Massacre) occurred on October 30, 1838, when a mob/militia unit from Livingston County, Missouri, attacked a Mormon settlement in eastern Caldwell County, Missouri, after the Battle of Crooked Riv ...

of 1838 in

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

. She also helped organize the first

Relief Society The Relief Society is a philanthropic and educational women's organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). It was founded in 1842 in Nauvoo, Illinois, United States, and has more than 7 million members in over 1 ...

Salt Lake City Salt Lake City, often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC, is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. It is the county seat of Salt Lake County, the most populous county in the state. The city is the core of the Salt Lake Ci ...

Early life

Amanda Barnes was born on February 22, 1809, in

Becket, Massachusetts Becket is a New England town, town in Berkshire County, Massachusetts, Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is part of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts, Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 1,931 ...

, to Ezekiel and Fanny Johnson Barnes. She was the fifth of their nine children. Her father did not belong to any religious denomination. Her mother was

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a historically Reformed Protestant tradition named for its form of church government by representative assemblies of elders, known as "presbyters". Though other Reformed churches are structurally similar, the word ''Pr ...

. After her birth, the family moved to

Ohio Ohio ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. It borders Lake Erie to the north, Pennsylvania to the east, West Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Indiana to the ...

, where she grew up.

Conversion

Amanda Barnes married Warren Smith when she was 18. He was a

blacksmith A blacksmith is a metalsmith who creates objects primarily from wrought iron or steel, but sometimes from #Other metals, other metals, by forging the metal, using tools to hammer, bend, and cut (cf. tinsmith). Blacksmiths produce objects such ...

. She joined the

Campbellite Campbellite is a mildly pejorative term referring to adherents of certain religious groups that have historic roots in the Restoration Movement, among whose most prominent 19th-century leaders were Thomas and Alexander Campbell. Influence of the ...

s when

Sidney Rigdon Sidney Rigdon (February 19, 1793 – July 14, 1876) was a leader during the early history of the Latter Day Saint movement. Biography Early life Rigdon was born in St. Clair Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, on February 19, 1793. He ...

and

Orson Hyde Orson Hyde (January 8, 1805 – November 28, 1878) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a member of the first Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He was the president of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles of the Church of Jesus ...

shared their beliefs with her. While her husband did not join with her, he consented. She was baptized by Rigdon. After she had a set of twins, Alma and Alvira,

missionaries A missionary is a member of a religious group who is sent into an area in order to promote its faith or provide services to people, such as education, literacy, social justice, health care, and economic development.Thomas Hale 'On Being a Miss ...

from the

Church of Christ Church of Christ may refer to: Church groups * Christianity, the Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ * Christian Church, an ecclesiological term used by denominations to describe the true body of Christia ...

taught her of their beliefs. She was taught by Simeon Carter. She was baptized on April 1, 1831, and her husband was baptized shortly thereafter. In 1832, the family moved to

Kirtland, Ohio Kirtland is a city in Lake County, Ohio, United States. The population was 6,937 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Kirtland is known for being the early headquarters of the Latter Day Saint movement from 1831 to 1837 and the site of ...

, selling their house in

Amherst, Ohio Amherst ( ) is a city in Lorain County, Ohio, United States. It is located west of Cleveland within the Cleveland metropolitan area. The population was 12,681 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. History The original village, which e ...

. Her parents did not approve of their decision to convert and wished to never see them again. As members of the church, she and her husband helped establish the Kirtland Bank and build the

Kirtland Temple The Kirtland Temple is the first temple built by adherents of the Latter Day Saint movement, located in Kirtland, Ohio, and dedicated in March 1836. Joseph Smith, the movement's founder, directed the construction following a series of reported ...

Hawn's Mill massacre

In 1838, the family moved to

and ended up traveling with ten other families that were led by

Joseph Young __NOTOC__Joseph Young (April 7, 1797 – July 16, 1881) was an early convert to the Latter Day Saint movement and was a missionary and longtime general authority of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). He was an elder br ...

. On the way, the family was stopped by a mob. They were taken back five miles and held by guards. They were kept for three days, and then let go. They arrived at Hawn's Mill,

, on October 28, 1838, on their journey to

Far West, Missouri Far West was a settlement of the Latter Day Saint movement in Caldwell County, Missouri, United States, during the late 1830s. It is recognized as a historic site by the U.S. National Register of Historic Places, added to the register in 1970. I ...

. After being in Hawn's Mill for only two days, a mob of anti-Mormons attacked the settlement. The mob comprised over 200 men. At least 17 members of the church were killed. Smith was shot at, but not harmed in the shooting. She escaped with her two daughters. The family's house had been robbed and their money was stolen, leaving them with nothing. Smith recorded in her journal that she had lost $50 in goods, $50 in a pocketbook and accounts, $100 in damages, and a gun worth $10. Smith's son Sardius and her husband were killed in the massacre. Her son Alma was shot and there was nothing remaining of his left hip. Her son Willard recorded the event of the massacre and said that his mother received

divine inspiration Divine inspiration is the concept of a supernatural force, typically a deity, causing a person or people to experience a creative desire. It has been a commonly reported aspect of many religions, for thousands of years. Divine inspiration is ofte ...

to heal Alma's shattered hip. She used ashes and made a

lye Lye is the common name of various alkaline solutions, including soda lye (a solution of sodium hydroxide) and potash lye (a solution of potassium hydroxide). Lyes are used as cleaning products, as ingredients in soapmaking, and in various other c ...

solution to coat the wound. She then used elm roots to make a

poultice A poultice or cataplasm, also called a fomentation, is a soft moist mass, often heated and medicated, that is applied to the skin to reduce inflammation, soothe pain, promote healing, or otherwise treat wounds or ailments. Soft materials like cer ...

. Alma's hip recovered after laying in the same position for five weeks. While Alma was recovering, the family had to stay in Missouri, since the boy could not be moved. There was fear that the mob would strike again. Smith recalls crawling to a corn field and offering a prayer. After praying, she recorded that she heard a voice that repeated the words from " How Firm a Foundation", a Mormon hymn: Throughout this event, Smith states that she had the faith that she and her family would be all right and that God would heal her son. When Alma was healed, the remaining family members moved to

Quincy, Illinois Quincy ( ) is a city in Adams County, Illinois, United States, and its county seat. Located on the Mississippi River, the population was 39,463 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, down from 40,633 in 2010. The Quincy, Illinois, mic ...

, on February 1, 1839. The news of the apparently miraculous recovery of her son led several physicians to approach her, asking how she had performed the surgery that healed her son. She replied that

Jesus Christ Jesus (AD 30 or 33), also referred to as Jesus Christ, Jesus of Nazareth, and many Names and titles of Jesus in the New Testament, other names and titles, was a 1st-century Jewish preacher and religious leader. He is the Jesus in Chris ...

had healed him. In Quincy, she became a schoolteacher to support her family.

Later years and death

Smith married another Warren Smith, who was not related to her first husband. With him she had three children. The couple later divorced. She saw the completion of the

Nauvoo Temple The Nauvoo Temple was the second temple constructed by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.''Manuscript History of the Church'', LDS Church Archives, book A-1, p. 37; reproduced in Dean C. Jessee (comp.) (1989). ''The Papers of Jose ...

in July 1847, where she received her endowment. Smith was a member of the Female Relief Society of Nauvoo. She traveled with

Emma Smith Emma Hale Smith Bidamon (July 10, 1804 – April 30, 1879) was a leader in the early Latter Day Saint movement and a prominent member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (RLDS Church) as well as the first wife of Josep ...

and Eliza R. Snow to visit the

governor of Illinois The governor of Illinois is the head of government of Illinois Illinois ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern United States. It borders on Lake Michigan to its northeast, the Mississippi River to its we ...

, Thomas Carlin. In 1850, Smith traveled westward to the

Salt Lake Valley Salt Lake Valley is a valley in Salt Lake County, Utah, Salt Lake County in the north-central portion of the U.S. state of Utah. It contains Salt Lake City, Utah, Salt Lake City and many of its suburbs, notably Murray, Utah, Murray, Sandy, Uta ...

. She helped organize the first

in Salt Lake City. Smith was called as the Assistant Secretary of the organization on January 24, 1854, and served in that position until

Brigham Young Brigham Young ( ; June 1, 1801August 29, 1877) was an American religious leader and politician. He was the second President of the Church (LDS Church), president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1847 until h ...

reorganized the Relief Society. She later served as the President of Relief Society in the 12th

Ward Ward may refer to: Division or unit * Hospital ward, a hospital division, floor, or room set aside for a particular class or group of patients, for example the psychiatric ward * Prison ward, a division of a penal institution such as a pris ...

. She also helped in the organization of

Sunday School ] A Sunday school, sometimes known as a Sabbath school, is an educational institution, usually Christianity, Christian in character and intended for children or neophytes. Sunday school classes usually precede a Sunday church service and are u ...

She died on June 30, 1886, and was buried in

Richmond, Utah Richmond is a city in Cache County, Utah, United States. The population was 2,733 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. It is included in the Logan metropolitan area. History Agrippa Cooper was the first settler in Richmond in the mid-1 ...

. At the time of her death, she was visiting her daughter Alvira Hendricks.

References

External links

Amanda Barnes Smith autobiographical sketch and statement, MSS SC 528
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections

Brigham Young University Brigham Young University (BYU) is a Private education, private research university in Provo, Utah, United States. It was founded in 1875 by religious leader Brigham Young and is the flagship university of the Church Educational System sponsore ...

Amanda Barnes Smith history, MSS SC 1667
a
L. Tom Perry Special Collections