Did the Book of Mormon witnesses & Joseph Smith’s family support James Strang? Ep. 151

Latter-day Saint critics are sometimes quick to claim that all of the living Book of Mormon witnesses except one, along with many members of Joseph Smith’s own family, believed that James Strang was Joseph Smith’s rightful successor. If that’s true, some people believe it undermines the testimony these people gave of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. In this episode, Dave gets into the history, and talks about how strong (or weak) these claims actually are.

Video transcript and additional notes: https://bit.ly/3srYhb5

“LDS Followers of Strang”, via The CES Letter, a Closer Look: https://bit.ly/3pS2Lai
From the Joseph Smith & Emma Hale Smith Historical Society: https://bit.ly/3GExm0V
“Emma’s Legacy: Life After Joseph” by Linda King Newell (John Whitmer Historical Association Journal): https://bit.ly/3CFRtJJ
See “Mormon Enigma: Emma Hale Smith” pg. 232: https://bit.ly/3w5UgcB
“Gleaning the Harvest: Strangite Missionary Work, 1846-1850″ by Robin S. Jensen: https://bit.ly/2ZRwwgc
“Looking After the First Family of Mormonism: LDS Church Leaders’ Support of the Smiths after the Murders of Joseph and Hyrum” by Kyle R. Walker, John Whitmer Historical Association Journal, vol. 32, no. 1 (2012): https://bit.ly/3mELTSb
“William B. Smith and the Josephites” by Kyle R. Walker (Journal of Mormon History): https://bit.ly/3nPPIUc
“Martin Harris: The Kirtland Years, 1831-1870” by H. Michael Marquardt (Dialogue Journal): https://bit.ly/3vRWM6e
“A Witness in England: Martin Harris and the Strangite Mission” by Robin Scott Jensen (BYU Studies): https://bit.ly/3pQjDOM
“David Whitmer: His Evolving Beliefs and Recollections”: https://bit.ly/2ZJ62ht
Katherine Smith Salisbury’s published denial of supporting Strang (The Saints’ Herald): https://bit.ly/3bwW1X0
In this 1848 edition of the “Gospel Herald” (after the Whitmers had started their own sect), Strang talks about having the Whitmers’ support in 1846: https://bit.ly/3pIrGwV
William Smith letter published in the June 1846 Voree Herald: https://bit.ly/3jP4HMT
William Smith letter published in the July 1846 Voree Herald: https://bit.ly/3Brxnlc
Here’s the Strangite missionary report about Emma Smith: https://bit.ly/3mCpuoR
Martin Harris is listed as a member of a Strangite high council here (Sept. 1846): https://bit.ly/2YfsNJa
Sept 1846 Voree Herald where it is claimed that all living witnesses (except one) and all of Joseph Smith’s family supported Strang: https://bit.ly/3jZiikY
Strang biographer William Shepard series: https://bit.ly/2ZSvUHD
Historian D. Michael Quinn on Strang: https://bit.ly/3BBpMQT
Epilogue of “Lucy’s Book”, edited by Lavina Fielding Anderson: https://bit.ly/2ZJEDvY

Notes:

— Historian D. Michael Quinn noted that “Strang left open, kind of tantilizingly, possibility for a living son [of Joseph Smith] to … have prominence, if not the successorship.” That might have been a selling point for the Smiths, many of whom believed Joseph Smith III would eventually lead the church. Source: https://youtu.be/ucS-FPVIdmY?t=297

— “William expressed his support of Strang’s leadership frequently from March 1846 through the spring of 1847 but, in reality, spent only a few weeks total at Strang’s headquarters in Voree, Wisconsin”. Source: Journal of Mormon History November 2014, William B. Smith and “The Josephites.” pg. 80-82.

— Katherine Smith also denied that she had signed any document certifying her support for Strang in a letter to George Lambert. She said, “I never signed any paper certifying to the calling of any man to take my brother’s place as leader of the church.” As sort of an addendum she added, through her daughter (Katherine was apparently sick at the time) that, “the whole thing was a forgery … her nor any of her people ever signed such a paper in support of Strang…” Sources: Katharine Salisbury to Elder George Lambert, February 10, 1899, Community of Christ Library-Archives / Letter from Josephine Salisbury to George Lambert, Feb 10, 1898. Community of Christ archives.

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