| Show FIRST MARTYR OF THE CHURCH in a brief history of the church written by the late president george A smith for the peoples journal and in toe ane DESERET of september 6 5 1865 1855 the historian in describing the attack on josepn smith the prophet and sidney rigdon by a mob in hiram portage county in 1832 refers to a little caile who lost lie its lite through being exposed to the night air at tue the time of the mobbing and says eay she may therefore be called the first martyr of 0 this dispensation the account given of the affair is all correct except that which mentions the sex of the little martyr it was waa a little boy and not a girl who lost bit bis lile life on that dreadful night and in order to establish this fact beyond a doubt so BO that forture historians may not as I 1 have doue perpetuate the error which perhaps was waa a were mere typographical one in the first place I 1 will give the particulars as aa I 1 have obtained them from elder john R mur dock of Be beaver aversand and bishop eldeon A murdock of joseph city sevier county both brothers of the child who died on the of april 1831 in war mensville rens ville towne biR cuyahoga Cuya hoga county ohio the wife of john john murdick gave birth to gwim a boy and a girl who were emed respectively joseph in honor of the prophet and julia the mother died six hours after their birth the prophet joseph who at that time resided at kirtland about 15 miles from heard beard ot of the circum stances stance and came to visit brother murdock who agreed to let the prophet have the two iwo little children tu to raise an a his bis own emma joseph Josep hla wife having lost a child about the same time and had no other children lo in september 1881 1831 joseph smith removed with his to hiram portage county about thirty miles from kirtland where he still resided in match march 1832 when he and sidney rigdon were dragg dragged eti out of their beds in the night tarred and feathered and nearly killed billed the little boy eleven months old who lost his life on that occasion was in bed bad with the prophet when the mob attacked the house the twin sister julia who on the night of the outrage slept with emma smith the prophets prophet a wife was raised a the smith family and after attaining the a aue e of womanhood married elialia dickson Di who was accidentally killed by the explosion of a steamboat of which he be was partly owner kubase subsequently she married a lawyer of the name of middleton with whom she lived until her bar death which occurred near nauvoo Illin illinois olp sept 10 1880 she died from cancer in the breast under date of february should read march 0 2 1 1832 joseph smith writes in his hl history before going to hiram to live with father johnsoe John soo 9 my wife had bad taken two ot of john murdock to bring up she received them when they were nine days old they were now nearly eleven months referring to the mobbing on the night of march should read the 24 b the prophet says during the mobbing one ot of the twi 8 received a severe cold and continued to grow worse till friday when it ft died see MM ANU star mar vol xiv p As an the hiram mob had nu no other cause tor for attacking the prophet than that he was a servant or 02 the lord and had been preaching the gospel with wath considerable success in the neighbor hood it is eminently proper thattie that the little boy who lost his bis life under the circumstances here mentioned armoul be classed clanged among the martyrs hence I 1 the following corrected iteen gitein of history joseph murdock who may be balle j the airet martyr in this dispensation was a son of john murdock and was born in warrensville Warrens ville township caya hogs hoga county ohio A ril 1881 died at hiram portage county ohio friday march 1832 from the effect of an exposure being sick with the me measles asies he slept with joseph smith in the night between saturday and sunday march and aad 1832 when a mob attacked the house in which the family lived anu anki drugged dragged the prophet out of bed leaving the child exposed to the night air which gave it IS a severe cold resulting in its death SALT CITY march |
