Item Detail
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12711
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4
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0
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English
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Insanity and the Sweet Singer : A Biography of David Hyrum Smith, 1844-1904
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Northern Arizona University
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Ph.D. diss.
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"David Hyrum Smith, 1844-1904, was the youngest son of the Mormon prophet Joseph Smith and his wife, Emma. Born after his father was killed, David grew up in Nauvoo, Illinois, and joined the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. This church was headed by his brother, Joseph Smith III, and opposed some of the theological principles, namely the practice of plural marriage and a concept of gathering in one geographical place, that were promulgated by the Mormon church in Utah headed by Brigham Young. David Smith served as a missionary for the RLDS church and traveled several times to Utah to preach and collect converts among the Mormons of Utah. There he associated with men who opposed Brigham Young's policies, e.g., William Godbe, William Shearman, and Amasa Lyman, but because of his engaging personality and his relationship to the founder of the Mormon churches he was quite popular. David possessed a fine sense of humor, and a keen intellect. He argued effectively in public forums for his cause. But a developing insanity overwhelmed him in 1873 and by 1877 he had to be institutionalized in the asylum at Elgin, Illinois. David Smith then became a disconcerting issue for both Mormon churches and was ignored in their histories. An examination of his life illuminates many aspects of the strained relationships between the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, Independence, Missouri, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake City, Utah." [Author's abstract]