In church lore she was not only one of Joseph's wives, she was also his mother in law as her daughter was also married to Joseph.
She was present for many important early church happenings as well as part of the early relief society history.
She records receiving her second annointing in her journal.
She was a midwife and delivered over 4000 babies.
She also dressed and prepped bodies for burial.
She established a school.
She walked to utah.
She kept journals that are currently published as Patty Bartlett mormon midwife.
She was active in crossbreeding plants and trees. The Sessions Plum is one result of her work. (She also comes from the same family responsible for the Bartlett pear.)
Family lore states that when the bishop refused to refund money she overpaid for tithing, she went to Brigham and demanded the money. Brigham paid her.
She was a remarkably strong, self reliant and stubborn woman.
Forgot her best quote something along this line." I've completed all the temple work for my known ancestors now I never have to go to the temple again."
On my Dad’s side, My ancestors were all in Utah before the railroad arrived. True pioneers. I have ancestors buried in Nauvoo, Haun’s Mill and “on the trail” in Nebraska. Half were handcart company members.
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 07/21/2020 11:05PM by csuprovograd.
On my dad's side, we have a man and his family that were in the 1847 group. His name (my last name) is on the monument at the mouth of Emigration Canyon. My dad's mother was never mormon, so nothing there.
On my mom's side, some of her dad's family came to GSLC in the handcart companies. Her mom's family came in 1862, and I think took a train ride for a lot of the way.
mY G GRANDFATHER SURVIVED THE wILLIE hANDCARD ExPEDITIO,BUT HIS (AT THE TIME) ONLY SON DIDN'T.
hE WAS LATER A LEADER OF THE hOLE iN tHE rOCK EXPEDITION, MARRIED TWO MORE WIVES, SERVED AS bISHOP OF bLUFF AND HAD LOTS OF CHILDREN, INCLUDING MY NAMESAKE GRANDMA.
Great, Great Grandpa was an "adopted son" of Brigham Young back when that was some sort of church ordinance. He stood by Young during the conflicts over succession after Smith's death and came West with Brigham. Whether Great, Great was a true believer or whether he was in on Brigham's con is lost to the mists of time.
My grandmother was a Sessions as well and I have heard a similar story. Wonder if we are related? I have not done ant family history so no idea what the names are past my great grandmother in that line.
Part of the family was baptized by Hyrum Smith. Others came over in the Willie hand-cart fiasco. Uber-Great Grandfather was the temple president somewhere in So Utah, (can't remember where). Most were polygamists. One was one of the church historians during BY's time. Reading his journals is what started me out of the church.
On my mother's side are some folks that were part of an ox drawn wagon company. No pulling handcarts for them thankyouverymuch! My great grandmother was a Wheadon from South Jordan who married a Tilbury. Related to Joseph F. Smith and Lorenzo Snow somewhere along the line. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
I never understood this "pioneer worship" cult within the Mormon Cult. The fact that one's ancestor did something has nothing to do with the descendant who is alive today. Unlike DNA, most personality traits are not passed down through generations. Even DNA suffers a 50% dilution with each generation. That means if you are Joseph Smith's great, great granddaughter, you only share about 6.25% of DNA with Smith. In every state you could legally marry Smith and not have to worry about being too genetically similar, such that recessive traits would likely appear.
Take pride in what you do, not your ancestors, because they have very little to do with you.
I never saw it as a shared DNA, I see it as a chain of accomplishments built one on the other.
I have a possibly unique perspective in the my grandfather who I new well was born in the 1800s. He knew his great grandparents born in the 1700s and would tell me stories of those he knew and the stories of others going back even further and their involvement in the founding of the country or other contributions made by them.
My grandfather taught me woodcraft and knife fighting the same as he was taught by his grandfather. Both skills have served me well.
My grandmothers taught us home remedies, gardening, canning etc as they were taught. Some family recipes are over 200 years old.
Values taught long before mormonism run in our family. Patriotic pride, honesty, self reliance etc were part of our family before the mormon influence and continue even though most have walked away from the church.
I tell my grandchildren about ancestor long gone as examples of what they can achieve.
I'm not special because I'm related to Joseph Smith. I am however who I am because of what I've learned, observed and shared in my family.
Honoring them does not honor the elite of mormondom, it honors a family unit kept together for over 500 years and counting.
Mormon families bragging about their pioneer ancestors reminds me of a joke. They are like the potato family in that all the good parts are underground.