27 April 1843
Thursday 27. At the Temple A.M. went to prests. who rode with me to bro. H.C, Kimballs where sister Margt. Moon was sealed up by the priesthood, by the president— and M[arried] to me. ... evening told Mother in law concerning the priesthood.
1 May 1843
May 1st. A.M at the Temple, at 10. m[arried] J[oseph] to L[ucy] W[alker] P.M at prest. Josephs ... I have seen 6 brass plates which were found in Adams County ... Prest J. has translated a portion and says they contain the history of the person with whom they were found & he was a descendant of Ham through the loins of Pharoah king of Egypt, and that he received his kingdom from the ruler of heaven & earth.
2 May 1843
May 2nd ... Talked with Jane Charnock. she loves me & would sooner unite to me than R. Joseph rode out to day with Flora W.
16 May 1843
Tuesday 16. Went to see Pres. J. who ordered me to prepare for Carthage I returned home & got ready & started about 11 oclock in the New Carriage with prest. J. George Miller, Eliza Partridge, Lydia Partridge & J.M. Smith Loran Walker drove. We called at Carthage & saw Styles, Backenstos & others. Tarried about 15 minutes & started again for Ramus where we arrived about 3 1/2 oclock. We stayed at W. G. Perkins. Prest. J. & I went to B.F.Johnsons to sleep. Before we retired the Prest. gave bro Johnson & wife some instructions on the priesthood. He put his hand on my knee and says "your life is hid with Christ in God, and so is many others." Addressing Benjamin says he "nothing but the unpardonable sin can prevent him (me) 32 from inheriting eternal glory for he is sealed up by the power of the priesthood unto eternal life having taken the step which is necessary for that purpose." He said that except a man and his wife enter into an everlasting covenant and be married for eternity while in this probation by the power and authority of the Holy priesthood they will cease to increase when they die (ie. they will not have any children in the resurrection), but those who are married by the power & authority of the priesthood in this life & continue without committing the sin against the Holy Ghost will continue to increase & have children in the celestial glory. The unpardonable sin is to shed innocent blood or be accessory thereto. All other sins will be visited with judgement in the flesh and the spirit being delivered to the buffetings of satan untill the day of the Lord Jesus." I feel desirous to be united in an everlasting covenant to my wife and pray that it may soon be. Prest. J. said that the way he knew in whom to confide, God told him in whom he might place confidence. He also said that in the celestial glory was three heavens or degrees, and in order to obtain the highest a man must enter into this order of the priesthood and if he dont he cant obtain it. He may enter into the other but that is the end of his kingdom he cannot have increase.
23 May 1843
Tuesday 23. Conversed with H[eber] C.K[imball] concerning a plot that is being laid to entrap the brethren of the secret priesthood by bro. H[?] and others. Attended to much tax business with sundry brethren. ... Prest. Joseph & lady rode to his farm. Evening Prest. gave up lot 4 B 148 which he agreed to purchase of Asa Smith some time ago in consequence of Asas wanting to drag all money out of Prest. and paying it for land else to here. Prest. said such covetous minded men would be damned. Prest. stated to me that he had had a little trouble with Sister E[mma]. He was asking E[liza] Partridge concerning [Joseph] Jackson['s] conduct during Presidents absence & E[mma] came up stairs. He shut to the door not knowing who it was and held it. She came to the door & called Eliza 4 times & tried to force open the door. Prest. opened it & told her the cause &c. She seemed much irritated. He says Jackson is rotten hearted.
May the Lord preserve me from committing a fault to cause me to lose the confidence of my friends for I desire to do right thou Lord knowest.
1 July 1843
Thursday June 1st. This day I have been at Prest. J's office all day, preparing papers for the settlement of the Lawrence business with bro's Whiting & Richards. ... Evening J. rode in the carriage with Flora [Woodworth]. He let Lorin Walker have a knowledge of some things.
12 July 1843
Wednesday 12th This A.M, I wrote a Revelation consisting of 10 pages on the order of the priesthood, showing the designs in Moses, Abraham, David and Solomon having many wives & concubines &c. After it was wrote Prests. Joseph & Hyrum presented it and read it to E[mma]. who said she did not believe a word of it and appeared very rebellious. J told me to Deed all the unincumbered lots to E. and the children He appears much troubled about E[mma].
13 July 1843
Thursday 13. This A.M. J[oseph] sent for me. & when I arrived he called me up into his private room with E[mma] and there stated an agreement they had mutually entered into they both stated their feelings on many subjects & wept considerable O may the Lord soften her heart that she may be willing to keep and abide by his Holy Law ...
16 August 1843
We returned & met Prest. Joseph & some of the family going to the funeral of Judge Adams. P.M. I went with A. Young to look at a lot & called as sis Booths who is in trouble. Robert is gone away to work Sarah Ann is gone to Keokuk, & Elesabeth & husband is going to Chicago this evening.
This A.M. J. told me that since E[mma] came back from St Louis she had resisted the P[riesthood] in toto & he had to tell her he would relinquish all for her sake. She said she would given him E[liza] & E[mily P[artridge] but he knew if he took them she would pitch on him & obtain a divorce & leave him. He however told me he should not relinquish any thing O. God deliver thy servant from iniquity and bondage.
23 August 1843
Wednesday 23rd. ... Prest J. told me that he had difficulty with E. yesterday. She rode up to Woodworths with him & called while he came to the Temple. When he returned she was demanding the gold watch of F. he reproved her for her evil treatment. On their return home she abused him much & also when he got home, he had to use harsh measures to put a stop to her abuse but finally succeeded ... This evening I had some more conversation with Margaret & find she is stubborn and disposed to abuse me. I fell resolved to break my feelings from her if I possibly can.
Gold Watch
A gift of a watch is not much evidence for Joseph Smith living polygamy. In addition to Flora Ann Woodworth, Eliza R. Snow was also gifted a watch by the prophet Joseph Smith.
Historian Jennifer Reeder says that Eliza R. Snow “later used the watch in public settings to illustrate the principle of plural marriage” [Reeder, 125].
“Where the watch was concerned, however, Snow waited until Emma Smith's death before making a more public claim of that relationship by exhibiting the watch. Emma died on April 30, 1879, and the Deseret News published the news on May 13.64 Only two days later, Snow publicly displayed her gold watch for the first known time as a memento of her marriage to Smith” [Reeder, 139].
26 August 1843
Saturday 26th. ... Hyrum & I rode up to my house & J met Mrs Wdth & F. and conversed some time. ... Prest. J and I walked from my house to sis Durfee's and thence to his house.
28 August 1843
Monday 28th. ... Pres. J met Ms Wdth at my house.
29 August 1843
Tuesday 29th. A.M at the Temple Pres. J. at my house with Mss Wdth.
15 September 1843
Friday 15th. A.M at Prest. J's afterwards at the Temple Office all day. Evening Prest. J[oseph] met me & I returned with him to O. Spencers to borrow $1400.- to clear his farm from an incumbrance laying on it which fact Esq. Skinner has ascertained on searching the Records.
Prest.J. told me he had lately had a new item of law revealed to him in relation to myself. He said the Lord had revealed to him that a man could only take 2 of a family except by express revelation and as I had said I intended to take Lydia he made this known for my benefit, to have more than two in a family was apt to cause wrangles and trouble. He finally asked if I would not give L[ydia] to him I said I would so far as I had any thing to do in it. He requested me to talk to her.
17 September 1843
Sunday 17. At home all day with M[argaret] I had some talk with Lydia. she seems to receive it kindly but says she has promised her mother not to marry while her mother lives & she thinks she wont
18 February 1844
About 12 A.M. M[argaret] began to be sick and continued to grow worse until 5 o’clock when she was delivered of a son. She did remarkably well for which I thank my heavenly father. Mother attended her. I was at home all day. M[argaret] seems to do veery well.