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Chapter 3: Research Methodology

By Kyle R. Walker
book cover
The Joseph Smith Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family: A Family Process Analysis of a Nineteenth-Century Household
Page 13

A method similar to sociological history will be used in examining historical documents related to the Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith family. However, rather than using traditional psychological or sociological paradigms, the research will be based on concepts emerging from the field of family studies. Using research specifically designed for studying the family will be most useful in highlighting familial patterns in the historical household.

There are numerous studies that recognize the field of family studies as a unique discipline within the larger field of social sciences.1 One of the unique aspects of this discipline in evaluating families is using what is termed a “systemic perspective.” At its fundamental level, systems theory is used to describe “regularities or redundant patterns we observe between people” and allows one to view “each member of a family in relation to other family members.” Additionally, this systemic paradigm includes the larger system in which the family is also a part. Hence, when examining a family, one must also take into consideration how the family operates in relationship to other families and how they fit into the broader societal and cultural contexts.2

Many family process concepts have developed from researching and evaluating families through a systemic perspective. Five common processes have been selected to [24] facilitate evaluation of the Smith family. These were highlighted in chapter 2 and include cohesion, resiliency, conflict management, religiosity, and family work and recreation. Within these five processes, the researcher will examine such aspects as the marital relationships, parent-child and sibling relationships, the roles of father and mother, and generational characteristics. It is expected that this approach will yield insights previously hidden within the historical narratives of the Smith family.

Historical Sources to Be Consulted

Primary Sources

One of the best primary sources is the history Lucy Mack Smith wrote during her lifetime.3 One author describes this narrative as a “chatty account of family events and vicissitudes, in particular those in which she herself plays an important role.”4 Nevertheless, Lucy Mack Smith’s account provides a unique glimpse into the Smith family dynamics. Housed in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Archives, Lucy’s “preliminary manuscript” provided the compiled source material for the published book described above.5 This manuscript may be a more accurate account of Lucy’s original statements, although much of the material is comparable. Lavina Fielding Anderson has recently compiled Lucy’s preliminary manuscript and published it alongside the 1853 published edition in parallel columns for comparison.6 Anderson’s publication will be referred to as opposed to the original manuscript due to time [25] and financial constraints. Lucy’s history is remarkably accurate, despite her advanced age when the history was dictated.7

Hyrum, Joseph Jr., and Samuel Smith each kept journals at one time or another, and all of these are available for review. For Joseph Jr.’s extensive historical works, I will refer to Dean Jessee’s compilations of journals, letters, and autobiographical and historical writings.8 Various interviews of Joseph Jr., William, and Katharine Smith were conducted and recorded. In addition, William published a short book dealing with his recollections of the family and events related to the coming forth of the Book of Mormon.9 Letters and other reminiscences were left behind by Lucy Mack, Joseph Jr., Hyrum, William, and Katharine. Many of Joseph Sr.’s patriarchal blessings are still in existence, as are some comments he made in 1834 regarding his family.10

Additionally, Joseph Sr.’s father, Asael, wrote a personal letter in 1796 that is still in existence and left a written address to his family in 1799. Also, Lucy’s father, Solomon Mack, published an autobiographical work around 1811.11 Joseph Sr.’s younger brother John left a short autobiography and some reminiscences related to family members. Another brother, Jesse, wrote a letter to Hyrum in 1829.12 In addition, Joseph [26] Jr.’s son Joseph Smith III left numerous recollections of family life that have been compiled into a single volume.13 Several cousins of the Smith children also kept journals.14 Lastly, journals or other personal recollections and personal correspondence of the grandchildren of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith will be consulted, although too voluminous to list.

In addition to published documents, a thorough search will be made of the LDS Church archives in Salt Lake City, Utah, and the Community of Christ Library-Archives in Independence, Missouri, to determine if there is any historical material related to the Smith family that would be pertinent to this study.

Secondary Sources

Secondary sources will include statements made by neighbors and acquaintances of the Smith family. Many individuals have written of their impressions or experiences with members of this family. Emphasis will be given to those persons who were well acquainted with members of the family. Although neighbors and friends may add insight into the Smith family, statements made by those in the family circle and incidents related to their interaction will be most relevant to this study.

Other sources include biographies of family members. There have been numerous biographies written of Joseph Smith Jr. since Mormonism’s founding in 1830. Studies [27] have attempted to examine both the psyche and character of this historical figure.15 In more recent years, there have been numerous articles and editorials written on the Prophet from a host of different perspectives.16 While much emphasis has been placed, both within and without the LDS Church, on understanding Joseph, surprisingly little attention of this type has been devoted to other family members.

Research on Smith Family Members

Although research on family interaction is limited, Calvin Rudd did a detailed study on the life of William Smith, and Dean L. Jarman considered William’s older brother Samuel Harrison.17 Several authors have written biographies on the life of Joseph Smith Sr. Earnest M. Skinner’s biography on Father Smith is outdated due to research that has emerged since it was written, but it gives a good overall historical background of his life.18 Another biography, written by Mark L. McConkie, follows a thematic format and adds insights into Joseph Sr.’s personality.19 Hyrum has been treated more extensively in the literature, with a full-length biography as well as a number of scholarly articles.20

An article by Richard L. Anderson summarizes much of what is known about Alvin, the oldest Smith son.21 Other than Joseph Jr. and Hyrum, William has been written about most extensively. Besides Calvin Rudd’s biographical thesis on William Smith, several recent articles have attempted to analyze William’s personality, character, and motivations, with an emphasis on the period of his [28] life following the death of his brothers.22 One article has been written about Don Carlos, the youngest brother in the family.23 Information about the Smith daughters—Sophronia, Katharine, and Lucy—is limited.24

Research on Smith Family Dynamics

Cecil McGavin wrote the one book published on the family of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. McGavin focused his research on specific individuals and subsets of the family (i.e., brothers of the prophet), giving short biographies of each member. However, he failed to connect individuals into a larger family picture and to address interpersonal relationships among family members. In addition his historical research methods are not satisfactory by today’s standards.25

There has been limited research on family dynamics within the Smith household. Much of the research pertains to Joseph Jr. and Emma Hale Smith. Recently a book has been published focusing on Joseph and Emma’s relationship.26 This work highlights family dynamics and the personalities of each partner within a historical framework. Several authors have written about how Joseph and Emma celebrated the holidays.27 Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery have addressed various aspects of Joseph and Emma’s relationship as well, largely focusing their study on Emma’s perspective.28 In addition there are several short articles that highlight Joseph Jr.’s role as husband, father, [29] son, or brother.29

Other studies have addressed the Smith family’s work ethic and productivity,30 honesty,31 physical strength and athleticism,32 and gentility.33 Several authors have studied the ancestors of Joseph Jr. and touched on their personalities and familial characteristics.34 Still other scholars have studied the movements and events in the Smith family prior to their move to Kirtland, Ohio, in 1831.35 Richard L. Bushman’s study Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism dedicates several pages to an interpretation of the personalities of Lucy and Joseph Sr.36

Although there exists considerable research on individual Smith family members and detailed historical records of events and movements that helped shape their lives, little analysis or synthesis has been done on the family itself. Some research exists on the personalities of a few family members, but there is little scholarly work on how family members interacted with each other and the kind of familial characteristics they exhibited.

There is also a need to bring together existing literature to give a more complete profile of the first family of Mormonism. This research, therefore, will attempt to ascertain what familial qualities were characteristic of the Smith family, what kind of interpersonal relationships they experienced, and how they operated as a family unit. The sources will then be discussed within a family process framework that includes five variables—cohesion, resiliency, conflict [30] management, religiosity, and family work and recreation.

The scope of this study will be focused on the immediate family of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. Emphasis will be placed on interactions among these family members during the time period when the children were actually in the home, prior to their marriages and being launched from the family. However, latitude will be granted to highlight characteristics or interaction among parents and their adult children and among adult siblings that would add depth to the understanding of this family’s qualities. The generational research will be limited to material that relates specifically to understanding the immediate family of Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith. [31]

Notes

1. William M. Pinsof and Lyman C. Wynne, “The Efficacy of Marital and Family Therapy: An Empirical Overview, Conclusions, and Recommendations,” Journal of Marital and Family Therapy 21, no. 4 (1995): 585–613; Steven R. H. Beach and K. Daniel O’Leary, “Current Status of Outcome Research in Marital Therapy,” in Handbook of Family Psychology and Therapy, ed. Luciano L’Abate, vol. 2 (Homewood, IL: Dorsey Press, 1985), 1035–1072. Other names for, or extensions of, this discipline include family science, human studies, family life education, human ecology, and marital and family therapy.

2. Dorothy Stroh Becvar, Systems Theory and Family Therapy: A Primer (Lanham, MD: University Press of America, 1999), 1–2.

3. Lucy Mack Smith, Biographical Sketches of Joseph Smith the Prophet and his Progenitors for Many Generations (Liverpool: S. W. Richards, 1853).

4. Donna S. Hill, Joseph Smith, the First Mormon (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1977), 32.

5. Martha Jane Knowlton Coray recorded Lucy’s narrative in a small notebook. She then expanded these notes into a “preliminary manuscript” and, with the assistance of her husband, Howard Coray, and Lucy, began revising the manuscript for publication. Richard L. Anderson, “Circumstantial Confirmation of the First Vision through Reminiscences,” BYU Studies 9, no.3 (1969): 388.

6. Lavina Fielding Anderson, ed., Lucy’s Book: A Critical Edition of Lucy Mack Smith’s Family Memoir (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 2001).

7. Richard L. Anderson, “The Reliability of the Early History of Lucy and Joseph Smith,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 4, no. 2 (1969): 13–28.

8. Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith: Vol. 1, Autobiographical and Historical Writings (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989); Dean C. Jessee, ed., The Papers of Joseph Smith: Vol. 2, Journal 1832–1842 (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1992); Dean C. Jessee, comp. and ed., Personal Writings of Joseph Smith, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2002).

9. William Smith, William Smith on Mormonism (Lamoni, IA: Herald Steam Book and Job Office, 1883).

10. For information regarding Joseph Sr., Lucy Mack, Joseph Jr., William, and Katharine, see Dan Vogel, ed., Early Mormon Documents, vol. 1 (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1996). The journals of Hyrum Smith and Samuel H. Smith are available at L. Tom Perry Special Collections at Brigham Young University. [Editor’s note: Since the writing of this dissertation, the author has edited a volume that includes biographies of each member of the Smith family; see Kyle R. Walker, ed., United by Faith: The Joseph Sr. and Lucy Mack Smith Family (American Fork, UT: BYU Studies and Covenant Communications, 2006).]

11. Documents related to Asael Smith and Solomon Mack (including Mack’s autobiography) are reproduced in their entirety in Richard L. Anderson, Joseph Smith’s New England Heritage, rev. ed. (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003).

12. Ibid., 188–94; Jesse Smith to “Hiram Smith,” June 17, 1829, Joseph Smith Letterbook 2, LDS Church Archives, 59–60, also published in Vogel, Early Mormon Documents, 1:551–54.

13. Mary Audentia Smith Anderson, ed., The Memoirs of President Joseph Smith III, 1832–1914 (Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1979).

14. George A. Smith, “Sketch of the Autobiography of George Albert Smith,” Deseret News, August 11, 1858, 109; Oliver R. Smith, Journal of Jesse Nathaniel Smith (Provo, UT: Jesse N. Smith Family Association, 1970).

15. Robert D. Anderson, Inside the Mind of Joseph Smith: Psychobiography and the Book of Mormon (Salt Lake City: Signature Books, 1999); Thomas Morain, The Sword of Laban: Joseph Smith Jr. and the Dissociated Mind (Washington, DC: APA Press, 1998); Fawn M. Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith, 2nd ed. (New York: Alfred Knopf, 1971); I. Woodbridge Riley, The Founder of Mormonism: A Psychological Study of Joseph Smith Jr. (New York: Dodd Mead, 1902). Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith and the Beginnings of Mormonism (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1984); Hill, Joseph Smith; Truman G. Madsen, Joseph Smith the Prophet (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1989).

16. For example, see Susan Easton Black and Charles D. Tate Jr., Joseph Smith: The Prophet, the Man (Provo, UT: Religious Studies Center and Brigham Young University, 1993); Richard L. Bushman, “Was Joseph Smith a Gentleman? The Standard for Refinement in Utah,” in Nearly Everything Imaginable: The Everyday Life of Utah’s Mormon Pioneers, ed. Ronald W. Walker and Doris R. Dant (Provo, UT: Brigham Young University Press, 1999), 27–43; Larry C. Porter and Susan Easton Black, eds., The Prophet Joseph: Essays on the Life and Mission of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1988).

17. Calvin P. Rudd, “William Smith: Brother of the Prophet Joseph Smith” (master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1973); Dean L. Jarman, “The Life and Contributions of Samuel Harrison Smith” (master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1961).

18. Earnest M. Skinner, “Joseph Smith, Sr., First Patriarch to the Church” (master’s thesis, Brigham Young University, 1958).

19. Mark L. McConkie, The Father of the Prophet (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1993).

20. Pearson H. Corbett, Hyrum Smith: Patriarch (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1963); Irene M. Bates and E. Gary Smith, Lost Legacy: The Mormon Office of Presiding Patriarch (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1996), 59–71; Ronald K. Esplin, “Hyrum Smith: The Mildness of a Lamb, the Integrity of Job,” Ensign 30, no. 2 (2000): 30–36; Bruce A. Van Orden, “Hyrum Smith: Brother of the Prophet,” Mormon Heritage Magazine 1 (1994): 18–23, 48. [Since the completion of this dissertation in 2001, there have been several noteworthy publications. Jeffrey S. O’ Driscoll’s biography of Hyrum—Hyrum Smith, A Life of Integrity (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 2003)—has supplanted Corbett’s earlier book, and Ronald K. Esplin has published a book length chapter highlighting Hyrum and Mary Fielding’s relationship. See Ronald K. Esplin, “Hyrum Smith,” in Walker, United by Faith, 122–63.]

21. Richard L. Anderson, “The Alvin Smith Story: Fact and Fiction,” Ensign 17, no. 8 (1987): 58–72. [Anderson has updated his earlier work in an article published since the completion of this dissertation. See Richard L. Anderson, “Alvin Smith,” in Walker, United by Faith, 82–121. See also Larry C. Porter, “Reminder of the Fairness of God,” Ensign 8, no. 9 (1978): 65–67.]

22. Bates and Smith, Lost Legacy, 72–103; Paul M. Edwards, “William B. Smith: A Wart on the Ecclesiastical Tree,” in Differing Visions: Dissenters in Mormon History, ed. Roger D. Launius and Linda Thatcher (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1994); Paul M. Edwards, “William B. Smith: The Persistent ‘Pretender,’” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 18, no. 2 (1985): 128–39; Irene M. Bates, “William Smith, 1811–93: Problematic Patriarch,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 16, no. 2 (1983): 11–23; E. Gary Smith, “The Patriarchal Crisis of 1845,” Dialogue: A Journal of Mormon Thought 16, no. 2 (1983): 24–35.

23. Roger D. Launius, “Don Carlos Smith: Brother of the Prophet,” Restoration Witness 18 (1980): 11–17. [Also see Roy B. Huff and Kyle R. Walker, “Don Carlos Smith,” in Walker, United by Faith, 354–97, published since this dissertation was completed.]

24. Richard L. Anderson, “What Were Joseph Smith’s Sisters Like, and What Happened to Them after the Martyrdom,” Ensign 9, no. 3 (1979): 42–44; Jerrie W. Hurd, Our Sisters in the Latter-day Scriptures (Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1987), 93–127; Emma M. Phillips, Dedicated to Serve: Biographies of 31 Women of the Restoration (Independence, MO: Herald House, 1970), 11–18. [Since the printing of this dissertation, there are now several scholarly articles on the three Smith sisters. See Gracia N. Jones, “Sophronia Smith Stoddard McCleary,” Kyle R. Walker, “Katharine Smith Salisbury,” and Nathan H. Williams, “Lucy Smith Millikin,” all in Walker, United by Faith.]

25. E. Cecil McGavin, The Family of Joseph Smith (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1963). For example, see the section of McGavin’s book dealing with Emma Smith, pp. 193–217.

26. Gracia N. Jones, Emma and Joseph: Their Divine Mission (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 1999).

27. Gracia N. Jones, Priceless Gifts: Celebrating the Holidays with Joseph and Emma Smith (American Fork, UT: Covenant Communications, 1998); Larry C. Porter, “Christmas with the Prophet Joseph,” Ensign 8, no. 12 (1978): 9–11.

28. Linda King Newell and Valeen Tippetts Avery, Mormon Enigma, Emma Hale Smith, 2nd ed. (Chicago: University of Illinois Press, 1994).

29. LaMar C. Berrett, “Joseph, a Family Man,” in Porter and Black, The Prophet Joseph, 36–48; Brent L. Top, “‘I Was with My Family’: Joseph Smith—Devoted Husband, Father, Son, and Brother,” Ensign 21, no. 8 (1991): 22–27.

30. Donald L. Enders, “The Joseph Smith Sr. Family: Farmers of the Genesee,” in Black and Tate, Joseph Smith: The Prophet, the Man, 213–25.

31. LaMar Garrard, “Traditions of Honesty and Integrity in the Smith Family,” in Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: New England, ed. Donald Q. Cannon (Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University, 1988), 53–64.

32. Alexander L. Baugh, “Joseph Smith’s Athletic Nature,” in Black and Tate, Joseph Smith: The Prophet, The Man, 137–50.

33. Bushman, “Was Joseph Smith a Gentleman?”

34. LaMar Garrard, “The Asael Smith Family Moves from Vermont to New York, 1806 to 1820,” in Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: New York, ed. Larry C. Porter, Milton V. Backman Jr., and Susan Easton Black (Provo, UT: Department of Church History and Doctrine, Brigham Young University, 1992), 15–31; A. Gary Anderson, “The Mack Family and Marlow, New Hampshire,” in Cannon, Regional Studies in Latter-day Saint Church History: New England, 43–52; Richard L. Bushman, “Joseph Smith’s Family Background,” in Porter and Black, The Prophet Joseph, 1–18; Anderson, Joseph Smith’s New England Heritage; Richard L. Anderson, “Joseph Smith’s Home Environment,” Ensign 1, no. 7 (1971): 57–59; Mary Audentia Smith Anderson, Ancestry and Posterity of Joseph Smith and Emma Hale (Independence, MO: Herald Publishing House, 1929).

35. Larry C. Porter, A Study of the Origins of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the States of New York and Pennsylvania (Provo, UT: Joseph Fielding Smith Institute for Latter-day Saint History and BYU Studies, 2000); H. Michael Marquardt and Wesley P. Walters, Inventing Mormonism: Tradition and the Historical Record (Salt Lake City: Smith Research Associates and Signature Books, 1994); Bushman, Beginnings of Mormonism.

36. Bushman, Beginnings of Mormonism, 9–10, 34–35. [Since the publication of this dissertation, this research was expanded. See Richard L. Bushman, Joseph Smith, Rough Stone Rolling (New York: Alfred Knopf, 2005).]