1) She was the sixth child of John Fielding and Rachel Ibbotson, who were active in the growing Methodist movement in the area.2) In 1834, Mary emigrated to join her brother Joseph and her sister Mercy in Toronto, Upper Canada. The spent 1847-1848 in Winter Quarters, Nebraska, preparing to leave for the salt lake valley. After diagnosing our case, considering the number of wagons we had, and the helplessness of the whole company, the wagonmaster very sternly informed the widow that there was no use for her to attempt to cross the plains that year, and advised her to go back to the Missouri River, and remain at Winter Quarters another year, when perhaps she could be helped," then the supervisor added: "If you start out in this manner, you will be a burden on the company the whole way, and I will have to carry you along or leave you on the way." This was a great astonishment to the company. In … We applauded her courage, determination, and her success. The man in charge of the herd of beef cattle rode up from the opposite side of the creek and called out: "Madam, I saw your oxen over in that direction this morning about daybreak," pointing in the opposite direction from that in which mother was going. The morning sun was then shining brightly, without a cloud appearing anywhere in the sky! She was the sixth child of John Fielding and Rachel Ibbotson, who were active in the growing Methodist movement in the area. There I saw our oxen fastened to a clump of willows growing in the bottom of a deep gulch which had been washed out of the sandy banks of the river by the little spring creek, perfectly concealed from view. She went West with the Saints after her husband, Hyrum Smith, had been martyred at Carthage Jail with his brother Joseph Smith. As the wife of Hyrum Smith, Mary was left a widow when her husband was assassinated at Carthage Jail on June 27, 1844. Mary Fielding Smith was born in England and joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Canada. She needed to get across the plains to the Salt Lake Valley the next season and supplies were critical. Nearby at Charleton, there the three Fieldings were baptized into the Church in May 1836. Mary Fielding Smith, Birth Date: 21 July 1801, Death Date: 21 September 1852,

Widow of Hyrum Smith and mother of Joseph F. Smith. Hyrum and Mary also had two children together, including Joseph F. Smith, who later became the sixth President of the Church. Certificate, 1844. I halted for a moment and then drew gently near enough to hear her pleading with the Lord not to suffer us to be left in this helpless condition, but to lead us to recover our lost team, that we might continue our travels in safety. A moment later the man rode off rapidly toward his herd, which had been gathered in the opening near the edge of the woods, and they were soon under full drive for the road leading toward Savannah, and soon disappeared from view. The views expressed by individual users are the responsibility of those users and do not necessarily represent the position of the Church. Mary Fielding was born in Bedfordshire, England on July 21, 1801. In the book, “ The Women of Mormondom”, written by Edward W. Tullidge in 1877, and edited by Eliza R. Snow, we get the full account. Do you know of any Joseph Smith documents that we might not have heard about? In this pitiable plight I was the first to return to our wagons, and as I approached I saw my mother kneeling down in prayer. Hyrum’s first wife, Jerusha, had died in childbirth, and Mary cared for Hyrum’s small children as her own. Early next morning, the captain gave notice to the company to arise, hitch up and roll over the mountain into the valley. He shares a fairly well-known story about Mary Fielding Smith being told that because she was a widow she shouldn’t have to pay her tithing. Instantly we rose from the 'mess-chest,' on which our breakfast had been spread, and started toward her, and, like John, who outran the other disciple to the sepulchre, I outran my uncle and came first to the spot where my mother stood. Church History Library: creatorOf: MS 885, Smith, Hyrum Fisher 1856-1923. Mary Fielding was born in Honeydon (Honidon), Bedordshire, England, on July 21, 1801. She became the wife of Hyrum Smith and from there her life would never be the same again. Mary Fielding Smith was the widow of Hyrum Smith, Joseph Smith's brother who died with him at Carthage Jail. He notes that she died in 1852, four years after reaching the Valley, and that after the funeral there was no formal tribute for more than thirty years until Joseph F. Smith, her son, published a faith-promoting story … For the official Church websites, please visit churchofjesuschrist.org or comeuntochrist.org. The spent 1847-1848 in Winter Quarters, Nebraska, preparing to leave for the salt lake valley. I sat in the front of the wagon with the teams we had in hand hitched to the wheels, while my brother was absent hunting the others. But the last promise seemed to be now impossible; the last hope of getting into the valley before the rest of our company was vanishing in my opinion. This circumstance was one of the first practical and positive demonstrations of the efficacy of prayer I had ever witnessed. We reached the Old Fort about 10 o'clock that Saturday night. But when morning came there was consternation in Mary Smith's camp. Mary Fielding Smith experienced several miracles and showed the men how it's done while walking across the plains to Utah. Her famous snappy remark, that she expects the blessings that come from […] Read More » Posted in General Conference Odyssey Tagged Mary Fielding Smith, Tithing Leave a comment. The death of this faithful animal would have been fatal to the progress of Widow Smith on the journey to the valley. After two months of illness, she died at fifty-one years of age, leaving behind her two young children. Mobs raided her home, and her son was nearly killed as a result of the attack. Today, Mary is admired as one of the most stalwart pioneers of the early Church. President Joseph F. 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