Mary Fielding Smith
| Mary Fielding Smith | |
|---|---|
Painting of Mary Fielding Smith by Sutcliffe Maudsley
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| Personal details | |
| Born |
Mary Fielding Smith July 21, 1801 Honeydon, Bedfordshire, England |
| Died | September 21, 1852 (aged 51) Salt Lake City, Utah Territory |
| Cause of death | Pneumonia |
| Resting place |
Salt Lake City Cemetery 40°46′38″N 111°51′29″W / 40.7772°N 111.858°W |
| Spouse(s) |
Hyrum Smith (1837-1844) Heber C. Kimball (1844-1852) |
| Parents | John Fielding Rachel Ibbotson |
Mary Fielding Smith Kimball (July 21, 1801 – September 21, 1852) was an early member of the Latter Day Saint movement, the second wife of Latter Day Saint leader Hyrum Smith, and the mother of Joseph F. Smith, who became president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church).
Mary Fielding was born in Honeydon (Honidon), Bedfordshire, England, on July 21, 1801. She was the sixth child of John Fielding and Rachel Ibbotson, who were active in the growing Methodist movement in the area. In 1834, Mary emigrated to join her brother Joseph and her sister Mercy in Toronto, Upper Canada.
The three Fielding siblings were introduced to the Church of the Latter Day Saints in 1836 by their good friend John Taylor. Taylor and his wife were in the same congregation as the Fieldings, all of whom were "disenchanted Methodists". On a trip to Toronto, John Taylor came in contact with the LDS missionary Parley P. Pratt and shortly after brought Elder Pratt to meet the Fieldings. They were baptized on May 21, 1836 in a creek near their home. Mary, John, and Mercy moved to Kirtland, Ohio, the following spring to join the larger body of the church.
Well educated, Mary earned a living through teaching school, tutoring private pupils and acting as a governess. At the suggestion of the church's president, Joseph Smith, the recently widowed Hyrum Smith courted Mary Fielding and the couple married on December 24, 1837. Mary accepted the responsibility of caring for and raising Hyrum's children from his first marriage, including the future church patriarch John Smith.
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