At age eighteen 19, in Nauvoo, Bathsheba earned the distinction of being was among the youngest woman present at the organization of the Relief Society in March 1842. She also attended the laying of the cornerstone of the Nauvoo Temple. In Nauvoo, too, Bathsheba and her husband, George A. Smith, were among the first to receive their temple endowments and to be taught the principle of plural marriage by the Prophet Joseph Smith be sealed together.

Bathsheba was one of the first persons to receive the temple endowment in Nauvoo and to hear the Prophet Joseph Smith teach of the celestial order of marriage. In January 1844, a month after Bathsheba and George A. received their endowments, Joseph performed the sealing ceremony for them. She wrote of the effect of the revelation on celestial marriage on her life:

"Being thoroughly convinced . . . that the doctrine of plurality of wives was from God; and having a fixed determination to attain celestial glory, I felt to embrace the whole gospel. . . . Like Sarah of old, I gave to my husband five wives, good virtuous, honorable young women. This gave them all homes, with us; being proud of my husband and loving him very much . . . and believing he would not love them less because he loved me more, I had joy in having a testimony that what I had done was acceptable to my Father in Heaven."

Over the next two years Lucy Meserve, Zilpha Stark, Sarah Ann Libby, Hannah Maria Libby (Sarah's sister), and Nancy Clement were married to George A. Smith, and Bathsheba accepted these women as sisters.

In June 1847, many Saints left Winter Quarters for the Salt Lake Valley. Among them were Bathsheba's sisters, her in-laws, and her husband, George A. Bathsheba longed to go with them, but she decided to George and Bathsheba followed a different course. Bathsheba remained at Winter Quarters with the rest of George's wives and children, feeling it her duty to care for them. Even though she wondered later if she should have gone, she did what she thought would be her husband's wish. In all, she spent three years at Winter Quarters to help others while George A. traveled back and forth to the Salt Lake Valley helping other Saints to migrate west.

By late June 1849Two years later, it was finally time for George A. secured enough supplies and a wagon for each of his five to lead his familiesy to move west.

In June 1851, George A.'s wife Sarah died. Her sister Hannah did not get along well with Bathsheba and, after Sarah's funeral, argued with Bathsheba over who would raise Sarah's three-year-old son. As first wife, it was Bathsheba's responsibility to handle the situation. Far more comfortable working with her hands than dealing with challenges such as these, she wrote of the conflict to George A.: "What Hannah will do now I don't know. . . . I could take her home if she would be kind to me, but she will not. I was not very well and my mind was troubled knowing the feelings that existed in our family and Sarah just being dead and everybody looking on, one saying one thing and another thing for every mean thing that could be said had been said. . . . I will try to do the best I hope I can and if I do not write I hope you will tell me how and I will try to do it as I always have."

By August, Bathsheba could write to her husband of resolving the conflict: "I saw Hannah today at meeting, she was as friendly as I have seen her since you left. I hope she will continue to be friendly for I do hate to have anyone cross with me."

George A. returned briefly the next month. The following year, in August 1852, Church leaders asked him to preside over the Saints in the Provo area, some forty miles south of Salt Lake City. He took Hannah and Lucy with him, leaving only Bathsheba in Salt Lake City.

In October 1857, George A. Smith took another plural wife, Susan Elizabeth West, and brought her to live with Bathsheba. Bathsheba later wrote of the common interest in home industry she shared with Susan:

"Sister Susan and myself for about ten or twelve years have spun, colored and wove full cloth, flannel, linsey janes, kerseys, blankets, coverlids, shawls, wove fringe, wool carpets, stair carpets, rag carpets, and have spun flax and tow, and wove table linen towels, bed ticks, and made sewing thread. We also carded, spun, and wove cotton, made cotton cloth for diapers, dresses, bedspreads, bed ticks, bags, spun candle wicking, spun and wove table cloths, towels, we knit our own stockings, socks, hoods neckwraps mittens, made netting, embroidery . . . and have done all to encourage home manufactory. We have exhibited many of our homemade goods at our territorial fairs and they always received favorable attention."

Still deeply grieving over her son's death, Bathsheba experienced a profound sense of loss when her daughter left home. But she was not alone. Happily for Bathsheba, Julina still lived with her, and she was close to the children of Susan, George A.'s seventh wife. She took a particular interest in Susan's oldest daughter, Clarissa.

George A. Smith died in September 1875.from complications resulting from an old injury, a lung punctured while he was serving on a mission. Bathsheba wrote of his death: "His head lay . . . against my bosom,. Ggood angels had come to receive his precious spirit, perhaps our sons, prophets, patriarchs. . . but he was gone my light, my sun, my life, my joy my Lord, yea almost my God. . . . I must not mourn but prepare myself to meet him but O my heart sinks within my bosom nearly."

Folks, here is another lovely article just waiting to be dissected by the foyer.  I rarely glance more than a few seconds at the cover of the Ensign, but this one had a photo of a mother showing her daughter how to sew on a button. 

Sure that the article would be full of useful tips on how to brainwash your daughters into thinking there is nothing more to life than caring for a house and children, I opened it up.  I was not disappointed.

Here is a link to the entire article:

http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll?f=templates$fn=default.htm

Sister Susan Tanner enlightens parents and YW leaders on how to make sure these girls know exactly where their place is.  Though the entire article is gag-worthy, here are some of the, *ahem*, finer points:  (my notes are in blue)

The article starts with this:

Several years ago my husband and I asked our children what they liked about the recent general conference. Our then-16-year-old daughter was elated. She said, "I loved it! I loved hearing inspired, intelligent prophets and leaders affirm motherhood." Then she told us that this was one of the disturbing anxieties in her life: "I just don't hear it from anyone?not at seminary, not in Young Women, and definitely not at school; nowhere except at home."

All I have to say, is 'yea, freakin' right'.  As if any 16 year old says:   "I loved hearing inspired, intelligent prophets and leaders affirm motherhood." 

It goes on:

....I talked with a group of about 20 Laurels whom I had never met before. I asked them what their goals were. The first few mentioned educational goals such as getting a PhD; some said they would like to go on a mission?all worthy goals. Finally one girl timidly expressed the desire to be a mother. Then a few more girls talked about other goals. After one more girl mentioned motherhood, the rest of them joined in. But it was quite courageous for those first two girls to admit they wanted to be mothers.

Note how she brushed over the fact that some girls wanted an advanced education.  "It's a worthy goal, but I want you to be like me and be a mother so that is what I'm going to talk about", is what she is really saying.

Here are her bullet points:

1.  We must teach young women how to strengthen their current homes and families

Several of our general board members grew up in homes with parents who were less active in the Church. One of them had a wise Young Women leader who counseled her to be with her family when they did recreational things on Sunday but to maintain her personal standards. So if they went to a swimming club, she would go with them to visit with them, but she herself would not go swimming. She was able to build a tender relationship with her family.

2.  We must prepare young women with skills, both temporal and spiritual, that will bless their future homes

(note how educational skills is not listed....)

Homemaking skills are becoming a lost art. I worry about this. When we lose the homemakers in a society, we create an emotional homelessness much like street homelessness, with similar problems of despair, drugs, immorality, and lack of self-worth....

So we must teach homemaking skills, including practical ones such as cooking, sewing, budgeting, and beautifying. We must let young women know that homemaking skills are honorable and can help them spiritually as well as temporally. Making a home appealing physically will encourage loved ones to want to be there and will help create the kind of atmosphere that is conducive to the Spirit.

3. We must inspire young women to want to be wonderful wives, mothers, and homemakers.

My best and most consistent example in learning the joys of homemaking and mothering was my own mother. She told me many times every day how much she treasured being a mother and homemaker, and then she lived those words in every action. She sang as she folded laundry; she exulted over the clean smell in a freshly scrubbed bathroom; she taught me how to read and write, sew and cook, love and serve. Because she emanated the Spirit and the fruits of love, joy, peace, meekness, long-suffering, and temperance, I felt it, and I knew I wanted the same things in my life.

4. We must help young women have the courage to face a world that is desecrating families and family values.

It has been alarming recently to feel the full fury of Satan's attack on families. Alternative lifestyles, abortion, cohabitation, divorce, immorality, and violence are issues that are screaming in our faces at every turn....

I feel faith in Jesus Christ and in His restored gospel upon the earth. I feel empowered by the truths of the gospel succinctly stated in the proclamation on the family. It takes a stand on each of the issues I just mentioned, as well as others.

(See, the thinking has been done, I don't have to do some hard thinking about some of life's complex issues.  I just love the gospel!)

5. We must emphasize to young women the eternal responsibility and privilege of motherhood and help them understand that each of them will make a home and influence children, whether or not they have the opportunity to have children in this life.

President Spencer W. Kimball (1895-1985) talked about the influence of strong women of God upon the world: "Much of the major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world (in whom there is often such an inner sense of spirituality) will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that the women of the Church are seen as distinct and different?in happy ways?from the women of the world."

We are distinct and different in happy ways because we know who we are eternally. We are all divinely appointed to these womanly roles of mothering and nurturing....

How significant are our roles as parents! How crucial are our roles as leaders! How imperative that we properly train the future righteous women of God!

Okay, so I have to say that she forgot one major bullet point:

6.  Young Women:  When you get to be 25 years old and have 4 little ones and feel overwhelmed with your calling and the financial problems you have because your husband is still in school and you have no health insurance and diapers cost too much... I have a little secret:  Prozac.  It's God's drug and it will make you forget about your problems.  It will help you raise up your children in the church so their salvation won't be lost.  YW leaders and parents:  let your girls know that after they have served everyone else in their life: their husband, their children, their ward.. then they can serve themselves... that is if they have any energy or self-esteem left.

The photos in the article are the following:

1.  A YW smilingwhile putting a pot roast together while the family gazes on adoringly. 

2.  A YW smiling while she irons something under the watchful eyes of two women who appear to be her YW leaders.

3.  A YW smiling as she arranges a vase of flowers with the help of a woman.

4.  A smiling YW with a full grocery handbasket and a list being pointed at by a woman.

5.  A smiling YW holding up something she has just finished sewing.  A woman and another girl look at her finished project with great adoration.  Interestingly , it looks like she is holding up a homemade temple 'leaf' apron.  (See pg. 23 of the magazine.)

6.  And finally... it wouldn't be a proper article without a smiling YW reading a Book of Mormon.

Sorry, but this article just pushed some of my buttons.  Makes me glad I won't be parroting this shit to my daughters.

• Bearing children out of wedlock is a disgrace.
• Bearing children out of wedlock is an embarassment.
• Church wishes to bring back the stigma of nonmarital childbearing.
• Having a child out of wedlock is a sin.
• Having a child out of wedlock may cause your baby to die of SIDS.
• Having a child out of wedlock will cause your child to become a juvenile offender.

"Ideal Mormons" and "Deep Friendships":

The first two lessons, which we learned early in our efforts to be good member missionaries, have made sharing the gospel much easier: We simply can’t predict who will or won’t be interested in the gospel, and building a friendship is not a prerequisite to inviting people to learn about the gospel. We discovered these principles when we were newlyweds and the missionaries in our ward asked us to make a list of people with whom we could share the gospel. We were to start with those at the top of our list and begin “preparing” them through a twelve-step process. First, we were to invite them to our home for dinner and follow that by going to a cultural event together. The sixth, seventh, and eighth steps were to invite them to church, give them a copy of the Book of Mormon, and ask them to take the missionary discussions. The program culminated in the twelfth step—baptism.

We dutifully made this list, placing those we thought most likely to be interested in the gospel at the top. They looked like “ideal Mormons”—people whose values, such as clean living and commitment to family, mirrored our own. We then began building deeper friendships with them, adding additional social events to our already busy lives. One by one, those we thought might be interested in learning about the gospel declined our invitations when we got to steps six through eight. Our invitations didn’t offend them, but in their own way they told us they were happy in their present approach to religion. After much work over many months, we didn’t find anyone who was interested in learning more about the gospel.