Catherine Smith and Sidney Rigdon Relationship

[bjw]

I was browsing through Van Hale's website tonight and I ran across an interesting debate between Van Hale and Wayne Cowdry (who was with two other writers that do research together) and the four of them discussed the Spaulding Theory and the book "Who Wrote the Book of Mormon?" (I think that was the title.)

I have already heard much of the theory they mentioned from reading Uncle Dale's sites, but one thing I had never heard before was a charge about Joseph Smith's sister Catherine Smith fathering a child with Sidney Rigdon during the 1820s, thus proving Rigdon knew the Smith family. The allegation goes on to say that Joseph Smith had a revelation saying that the baby was some kind of savior or Christ-child to be born into the world. Joseph then had to retract the revelation when the baby was born female and stillborn.

I could tell Van Hale was having a hard time debating three men at once, but I think he did a good job holding his own. His main line of defense against them was that most of the affidavits they are using are from people remembering events 25 to 50 years after the fact (or something like that). He used this story about the savior child to show that it was a ridiculous accusation and he used that to discredit a witness in the book, stating that other antimormons would have jumped on that already if it were true. They countered by showing the people were reputable witnesses by researching their character. I know I'm oversimplifying it but that's what I mostly got from it.

So, has anyone heard this story before? I know its fairly easy to connect Rigdon and Spaulding, but a connection between Rigdon and Smith prior to 1832, or a second manuscript, has yet to be proven. If this story could be proven true you would think someone would have jumped on it already.

My theory behind it is that they are aware that the idea of a savior child was common in occult circles, I have even heard that Aliester Crowley, Jack Parsons, and L. Ron Hubbard tried at one point to create some kind of child with superpowers or something using magickal workings. Since some antimormons try to connect Joseph Smith with anything occult, I'm thinking maybe they formulated this story based on them trying to paint Joseph Smith more as a magician than a prophet.

I think Van Hale made a good point that most affadavits were given long after the BoM came out. If anyone is curious about the debate you can listen to it here:http://www.mormonmiscellaneous.com/ by choosing program #57. (Warning: It's about 90 minutes long.) I don't know much about Van Hale but he seems pretty passionate about defending our church. So, has anyone heard anything about this Catherine Smith story or where it could have originated?

[Joseph Antley]

In 1831, there were rumors that Catherine Smith had an illegitimate child and that the Mormons believed that the child was fatherless and was going to be a Messiah. Pomeroy Tucker later, in his 1867 book, claimed that Rigdon was the father, and that he had been sneaking around Palmyra in the late 1820s.

"Fame now whispers in sly and obscure hints, something about a miraculous conception, from which we conclude the Mormon public mind is being prepared for the nativity of some wonderful personage." (

The Geauga Gazette

, (Painesville, OH), 17 May 1831)

"One of Joe's unmarried sisters proving to be enciente it was declared to be an immaculate conception, and a new Messiah would be given to the world. Old citizens of Palmyra and Manchester testify to hearing such stuff from Martin Harris, David Whitmer and other Mormons." (Clark Braden,

Branen-Kelley Debate

(Cincinnati, 1884), 356)

"Enthusiastic members of the brotherhood...foret[old] the event of a miraculous birth in association with an unmarried daughter of Joseph Smith, Sr. This predicted event was to astonish the gentile world as a second advent of triune humanity. Harris was exceedingly happy in the belief of a forthcoming prophet or Messiah under the Mormon dispensation, and spoke unreservedly of an "immaculate conception in our day and generation." The ample shrewdness of the prophet had probably been called in requisition to allay some unfavorable surmises on the part of his observing disciple, who was a frequenter at the family mansion; and it is apparent that the theory invented was readily adopted by Harris.

Rigdon had been an occasional sojourner at Smith's for a year or more though the reader may fail to perceive what this circumstance had to do with the case.

The upshot of the story is, that soon after the family started for Ohio, the miracle eventuated somewhere on the route, in the birth of a lifeless female child! The accident was readily set down to the account of divine intervention to avenge some act of Mormon disobedience, and Harris was thus easily reconciled. (Pomeroy Tucker,

Origin of Mormonism

(New York: Appleton and Co., 1867), 81-82.)

Joseph Smith III, however, stated that his aunt Catherine told him that she never met Rigdon until 1831, when Rigdon performed the marriage ceremony for her and her husband Wilkins Jenkins Salisbury. (The Saints Herald, 24 March 1883)

[bjw]

Wow, it looks like its been substantiated by more than one source. So, even if Rigdon was not the father, did Joseph Smith at one time actually claim his sister was impregnated with the Messiah by Immaculate Conception? To me, this just seems so far-fetched that I don't see how anyone would have stayed with Joseph Smith after that, even Martin Harris. Also, you would think more people would bring this up as evidence against Joseph Smith. I know I've never seen this on any anti sites even.

[Joseph Antley]

Wow, it looks like its been substantiated by more than one source. So, even if Rigdon was not the father, did Joseph Smith at one time actually claim his sister was impregnated with the Messiah by Immaculate Conception? To me, this just seems so far-fetched that I don't see how anyone would have stayed with Joseph Smith after that, even Martin Harris. Also, you would think more people would bring this up as evidence against Joseph Smith. I know I've never seen this on any anti sites even.

This is pretty obscure stuff. It apparently began with rumors around Palmyra that Catherine became pregnant and the child was expected to be a Messiah. Because the most primary sources are a couple newspapers that mention it off-handedly, I think it's fair to conclude that it was just an anti-Smith rumor, which was later elaborated and exaggerated by Pomeroy Tucker and others. Had Martin Harris and David Whitmer actually been running around telling people about the immaculate conception and coming Messiah, I think that we should expect it to appear in other sources, or to have at least been followed-up on by someone.

Personally, even if Catherine did have an illegitimate child, I don't believe that Joseph ever claimed it was conceived immaculately or that the child would be a Messiah. I certainly do not believe that Rigdon was the father, or that he was even aware of Catherine Smith's existence in 1829. This entire episode is suspiciously absent from the Hurlbut affidavits and E.D. Howe's Mormonism Unvailed, and you would think that they would have been eager to mention this.

Edited to add: There were other claims, however, that Joseph claimed that his firstborn son would be a Messiah-type figure, and that he would translate the gold plates when two-years-old. Possibly these other rumors of a Smith Messiah-child were what the early newspaper articles alluded to, and this was later mistakenly interpreted to refer to Catherine.

[Olavarria]

FYI

In Catholicism, Immaculate Conception refers to Mary and Jesus being born without original sin(being born guilty of Adam's transgression).

Immanculate Conception has nothing to do with having a sexual intercourse free conception.

[Joseph Antley]

FYI

In Catholicism, Immaculate Conception refers to Mary and Jesus being born without original sin(being born guilty of Adam's transgression).

Immanculate Conception has nothing to do with having a sexual intercourse free conception.

While that's certainly true in Catholic sources, it's often erroneously used by non-Catholics to refer to Jesus' miraculous conception, and that's the usage that appears to be used here.

[buraianto]

FYI

In Catholicism, Immaculate Conception refers to Mary and Jesus being born without original sin(being born guilty of Adam's transgression).

Immanculate Conception has nothing to do with having a sexual intercourse free conception.

It's my understanding that the Immaculate Conception only refers to Mary.

[bjw]

I stand corrected. What I was referring to was the belief that Catherine Smith was impregnated not by natural means but in a spiritual way, and the baby was supposed to be some kind of Savior or Christ child. Anyone know more about this? Was this actually believed at one time? Joseph Antley doesn't believe so, but he did give some quotes here that say something about it. I too was wondering why more antis, especially Hurlbut, didn't mention it.

[Joseph Antley]

Dan Vogel, a non-LDS critic, dismissed these rumors as "unfounded" in his Early Mormon Documents.

Here's another early obscure reference to "miraculous births":

It is said there are soon to be miraculous births among them [the Mormons], and the number it is expected, will materially increased after the general meeting. (

The Western Courier

(Ravenna, OH), 26 May 1831)

These newspaper articles were written in 1831, however, long after the alleged event took place, and they refer to future miraculous births, in the plural; so whether or not they refer to Catherine's "miraculous conception" is debatable. I'm leaning that that's not what they referred to.

It was also reported that Dr. McIntyre, one of the Smith's doctors, referred to the household of Joseph Sr. as a "perfect brothel".

[bjw]

Dan Vogel, a non-LDS critic, dismissed these rumors as "unfounded" in his Early Mormon Documents.

Here's another early obscure reference to "miraculous births":

It is said there are soon to be miraculous births among them [the Mormons], and the number it is expected, will materially increased after the general meeting. (

The Western Courier

(Ravenna, OH), 26 May 1831)

These newspaper articles were written in 1831, however, long after the alleged event took place, and they refer to future miraculous births, in the plural; so whether or not they refer to Catherine's "miraculous conception" is debatable. I'm leaning that that's not what they referred to.

It was also reported that Dr. McIntyre, one of the Smith's doctors, referred to the household of Joseph Sr. as a "perfect brothel".

It sounds like we can classify this along the same lines of the walking on water rumors, probably something sensational that circulated at the time. It could be based on the idea that God was going to raise up a "righteous seed" among the Mormons.