[Footnote A: John Taylor's journal, under date of June 30, 1845.]
Elder Taylor thus concludes his account of this visit with "Mother Smith:"
"We prayed with Mother Smith before we left her; and she and the family manifested good feelings. I am sorry the old lady should be troubled, she is a good woman and has passed through much trouble for the cause of truth, and has the respect and confidence of the whole Church."[A]
[Footnote A: Ibid.]
After his failure in Nauvoo, and in Wisconsin in connection with Mr. Strang, we next hear of William Smith in the winter and spring of 1850, visiting those who had been members of the church in Illinois and Kentucky, teaching "lineal priesthood as applied to the Presidency of the church." That is, he taught that his brother Joseph's eldest son had a right by virtue of lineage to succeed to the Presidency of the church; but also taught in connection with this that it was his right as the only surviving brother of the former President, uncle and natural guardian of the "seed" of Joseph the prophet, to stand, in the interim, as president pro tem of the church. There seemed to be a general acquiescence with this by the members of the church remaining in the districts where he labored—most of whom were either apostates or weak in the faith—and in the spring of 1850, he called a conference to assemble in Covington, Kentucky, where he effected an organization by having himself sustained as President pro tem, of the church, and Lyman Wight[A] and Aaron Hook as counselors pro tem to the President pro tem, and Joseph Wood as counselor and spokesman. It is claimed that many of the "saints" in northern Illinois and southern Wisconsin, were identified with this movement.[B]
[Footnote A: I cannot learn that Lyman Wight, once a member of the quorum of the Twelve, sanctioned this use of his name, or that he ever was connected with this attempt at organization on the part of Wm. Smith.]
[Footnote B: See Jason W. Briggs quoted by Tullidge in his supplement to the Life of Joseph, Josephite edition, p. 577.]
A year later, viz., in the summer of 1851, Palestine, Lee county, Illinois, was designated as a Stake of Zion, a gathering place for the saints, and the home of William Smith. At the October conference held at Palestine that year, there was a confession of belief in and the practice of polygamy, which resulted in many immediately withdrawing from the organization; and, it is said, that the declaration proved the means ultimately of its complete destruction.[A]
[Footnote A: Tullidge's Hist. of Joseph the prophet (Josephite edition, p. 577). Tullidge must be regarded as favorably disposed to the "Josephites," as he became identified with that movement. I mention the fact here as I find it necessary to depend upon him for facts occasionally.]
This was the last effort of William Smith at organizing a church; subsequently, when an organization was effected with Joseph Smith, eldest son of the prophet, as its President, he became nominally connected with that movement, but he was never prominent or influential. In the summer of 1880, the writer, then on a mission in the state of Iowa, in company with Hyrum Jensen, called at the home of William Smith, near Elkader, and found him living in poverty and obscurity.