Valeen Tippetts Avery. From Mission to Madness: Last Son of the Mormon Prophet. Champaign: University of Press, 1998. xii + 357 pp. $52.00, cloth, ISBN 978-0-252-02399-6.

Reviewed by Ronald Helfrich

Published on H-AmRel (February, 1999)

David (1844-1904) was a poet, narrative. Chapter two (1844-1850) relates David's painter, singer, hymn writer, missionary, theolo‐ birth, childhood, and adolescence in Nauvoo, Illi‐ gian, naturalist, traveler, husband, father, son, nois. Chapter three (1851-1865) explores how and madman. Perhaps he is most remembered, David, and his brothers Alexander and Joseph however, as the last born son of Mormon founder Smith III, like the many other Latter Day Saints and Prophet , Junior. who did not make the exodus to Utah with 's new biography of , coalesced into what would be‐ David Smith vividly portrays each of these aspects come the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of of "Sweet Singer of Israel[s]" fnally tragic life, but Latter Day Saints (RLDS) or "Josephites". Chapter not in an entirely successful way. Avery, a histori‐ four (1866-1868) continues the tale of David's spir‐ an at Northern Arizona University and co-author itual development as he becomes a successful of the seminal biography on David's mother, missionary in Iowa and Michigan. Chapters fve , draws on an impressive array of (1869) and 6 (1869-1871) narrate Smith's mission‐ sources--letters, poems, theological writings, ary journey to Utah and California, a mission that songs, naturalistic writings, travel writings, hospi‐ would end in mental sickness, David's return tal records, reminiscences, diaries--to tell David's home to Illinois, and Smith's marriage to Clara tale. Hartshorn. Chapter seven (1871-1872) fnds Smith on another Midwestern mission and details his Avery's biography proceeds in traditional heretofore unknown and unauthorized (by the fashion. After a preface and introductory chapter Church) quick trip to Utah. Chapters eight (1872), (1830-1844) setting out the contexts in which she nine (1872), and ten (1872-1873) recount David's wants to place David's life--the contexts of Ameri‐ second mission to Utah, his firtation with Spiritu‐ can Religious History, Mormon History, Smith alism and Liberal Religion (in the form of the God‐ Family History, and the History of Madness--Avery beites), his growing certainty that his father prac‐ allows Smith's life course to set the pattern of her ticed what his mother preached he didn't, namely, H-Net Reviews , his return to Nauvoo, his confrontation Avery is not attentive solely to the family rela‐ with his mother over the issue of his father's prac‐ tionships that both supported and troubled Smith tice of polygamy, and the reappearance of his throughout his life. She also explores David's rela‐ madness. Chapter eleven (1873-1877) follows tionship with his best friend, Charles Jensen. In Smith's further descent into insanity and para‐ Chapter twelve Avery suggests that while Jensen noia. Chapter twelve (1872-1877) excavates the may have viewed his relationship with David in nature of David's relationship with his closest homosexual terms, David certainly did not. Recog‐ friend, Charles Jensen (was it fraternal or homo‐ nizing how Charlie viewed their relationship, sexual?). And fnally, Chapters thirteen however, did not force Smith to abandon their re‐ (1877-1880) and fourteen (1880-1904) follow lationship. Rather he tried to help his friend deal David to the Northern Illinois Hospital and Asy‐ with his feelings in ways that from a contempo‐ lum for the Insane in Elgin, Illinois where he was rary vantage point, seem both humane and com‐ incarcerated and eventually ended his days. passionate. There are many things to praise in Avery's There are problems with Avery's analysis of narrative. She seems frst of all to have made use the Smith-Jensen relationship, however. Chapter of every possible source for the study of the life of twelve, in which this relationship is detailed, David Smith. Particularly praiseworthy is her use seems an afterthought. Up to this point David's of Smith's poetry to provide access to David's in‐ life course has structured Avery's narrative. This ner feelings and struggles. Attempts at psychologi‐ chapter, however, disrupts the books chronologi‐ cal reconstruction are always fraught with dif‐ cal narrative fow. It seems to be included primar‐ culty but Avery makes a plausible case that ily to fag the author's response to the current aca‐ David's poetry, for instance, is a mirror into his demic interest in the nature of male-male rela‐ soul. tionships than anything else. The data on the rela‐ Avery also nicely places David Smith's life tionship between the two seems, at least to me, into Smith family contexts. She sympathetically ambiguous. There is no clear evidence that the re‐ explores, for instance, the conficts and loves of lationship was perceived in any but fraternal an extended family unit beset with many prob‐ terms. lems--poverty, close living quarters, family se‐ It is in this chapter that a fundamental prob‐ crets, jealousies, religious duties and expectations. lem in Avery's analysis becomes apparent. In the She does a fne job of detailing the complex and end, the discussion of the relationship between sometimes contradictory relationships David had Smith and Jensen could have benefted from a with his mother, his brothers, his step-father, and more thorough dialogue with the now immense his wife. Avery's exploration of these aspects of social scientifc and historical literature on male- Smith's life impart a fesh and bones quality to male relationships. Particularly relevant here, for her narrative. Her David Smith seems almost example is Donald Yacovone's essay on fraternal alive. Perhaps nowhere is this more apparent discourse in nineteenth century America. Ya‐ than in Avery's exploration of the poverty that cavone has argued that there was a religiously in‐ dogged and troubled David all his life, a poverty fused discourse of fraternity, that parallels the fe‐ largely resulting from his missionary activities. male discourse of sisterhood and that was not ho‐ Again and again she utilizes source material in or‐ mosexual in nature.[2] Could Smith's and Jensen's der to reveal David's concern that he could not language be the language of brotherhood rather support his wife and son while being a missionary than the discourse of homosexuality or was it "without purse or script". something more complex and contradictory than

2 H-Net Reviews these two alternatives allow? This is an interest‐ struggle that centered around polygamy and au‐ ing and important question but unfortunately it is thority. Midwest Mormons denied that Joseph a query which receives no discussion in Avery's Smith had either taught or practiced polygamy. biography of David Smith. Despite this lack of in‐ They blamed "the Principle" on Brigham Young terrogation, this chapter remains, somewhat iron‐ and argued that they and they alone were the ically, the best one in the book because it steps rightful successors to "the Prophet". Young, on the outside the chronological structure of the book to other hand, proclaimed that he was teaching the investigate, albeit somewhat unsuccessfully, a "Restored Gospel" as Joseph had taught it. It was theme of theoretical importance in contemporary he who was the true leader of the Mormon com‐ historiography and social science. munity and it was only if the Midwestern Smith's This same dynamic is evident in other aspects came to see the central role polygamy played in of Avery's analysis as well. While Avery does a the Church that they could fulfll their prophetic nice job of placing Smith's life in the context of destinies and leadership roles in that Church. Mormon History, she fails to relate her insights to As Avery shows, this struggle over the issue of wider historical, social scientifc, and theoretical polygamy was not only a struggle between two issues relevant to her analysis. For instance, Av‐ churches in nineteenth century America. It also ery shows that Smith became a lightning rod, a had familial and personal dimensions. David, like symbol, of the struggle between Utah Mormons his brothers, believed his mother's denial that his and Midwestern Mormons. It was during David's father had never taught and practiced "the Princi‐ missionary visits to Utah that this clash became pal" of plural marriage. During his second mis‐ particularly apparent. All Mormons, whether of sionary stay in Utah, however, he began to inves‐ the "Josephite" or "Brighamite" varieties, expected tigate claims that that his father did preach and great things of David Smith. Joseph Smith had, af‐ practice polygamy. Smith even went so far as to ter all, predicted a leadership role for his son in interview his father's close friends and polyga‐ the Church he had founded. For "Reorganites" mous wives in order to ascertain the truth about David's missionary work in Utah had an almost his father's relationship to polygamy. His growing messianic quality to it. "Josephites" believed that realization that his mother had been less than Smith had the ability to lead Utah Mormons out of forthcoming with respect to the issue of plural the sinful bondage of polygamy. "Brighamites", on marriage was one of the factors Avery suggests the other hand, expected the son of the Prophet to led to David's second mental breakdown. In other repent, join, and eventually lead their Church. As words, church and family wide debates had con‐ Brigham Young said, if only David would repent sequences in Smith's life. of his sinfulness and recognize the centrality of Here again, however, Avery's inability to polygamy to the life of the Church, he would, as place her biography within the context of the his‐ his father predicted, play a central role in the toriographic and social scientifc literature afects Church hierarchy. her exploration of how these debates may have Avery uses this messianic aspect of David's played in David's insanity. She does nicely place life nicely to tie Smith's personal and Church lives Smith's madness in Mormon and familial con‐ together. As she shows, the struggles between the texts. For instance, she well delineates the con‐ various branches of the Smith family, those temporary explanations given for Smith's "melan‐ Smith's in Utah and those Smith's in the Midwest, choly" and "mania" by family members, friends, replicate Mormon wide struggles that were occur‐ concerned co-religionists, and "profession‐ ring in nineteenth century America. It was a als"--"brain fever", a weak constitution combined

3 H-Net Reviews with the fatigue and stress of missionary travels, a Mormon History. But its success is also its failure. consequence of David's realization that his father Charles Peterson in an essay in a book celebrating taught and partook of polygamy, a result of the contribution of Leonard Arrington's Great David's involvement with Spiritualism. Apart Basin Kingdom to Mormon and American History, from this context her analysis is rather anemic, drew attention to the parochialist impulse in however. She does not place the discussion of much LDS History. Avery's book in the end does madness into the context of the social scientifc not escape this tendency. While she hoped to and historical literature on insanity. She argues make a case for the relevance of the study of that David's weak constitution, the fatigue and f‐ David Smith's life to wider historiographic and so‐ nancial insecurity that resulted from missionary cial scientifc concerns, she has not achieved these travels, and David's discovery that what his moth‐ goals. In the end, this book, like so many other ex‐ er had told him about his father and polygamy, all plorations into Mormon History, does not escape contributed to Smith's madness. Yet she does not the parochialism the feld is too often mired in. take the discussion any further despite her con‐ Perhaps the only way it could have escaped this cern to place the issue within the context of the trap would for it to have been thematically orga‐ history of American madness. Such a discussion nized around historiographic or theoretical is‐ would have been helpful. Instead, Avery fails sues.[4] As it is not it remains a partly successful even to review the range of perspectives ofered excursion into the life of an important nineteenth by social scientists and historians to account for century Mormon fgure. the nature and etiology of madness. Such perspec‐ NOTES tives, of course, have ranged from the purely bio‐ [1]. The title of this review is taken from a logical to the purely cultural. One cultural per‐ quote in Grant McMurray's "'True Son of the Fa‐ spective that is particularly interesting and per‐ ther': Joseph Smith III and the Succession Ques‐ haps relevant to Smith's case is that proposed by tion" in Restoration Studies edited by Maurice by Julius Roth in his book Religious Melancholy Draper and Clare Vachos (Independence, Mis‐ and Protestant Experience in America. Roth lo‐ souri: Herald Publishing House), 131-145 as quot‐ cates the origins of "melancholy" in cultural de‐ ed in Valeen Tippetts Avery, From Mission to Mad‐ velopments in Protestantism, in particular to a ness: Last Son of the Mormon Prophet (Cham‐ sense that God had withdrawn his love from the paign: University of Illinois Press), 1998. believer. Avery would have done well to engage in a dialogue with Roth in particular and the theo‐ [2]. Donald Yacavone, "Abolitionists and the retical literature on madness in general. This 'Language of Fraternal Love'" in Mark Carnes and would have been helpful since Avery's study Clyde Grifn. Meanings for Manhood: Construc‐ seems to ofer support to the perspective that cul‐ tions of Masculinity in Victorian America (Chica‐ tural factors do play an important role in the on‐ go: University of Chicago Press, 1990), 85-95. set and expression of madness. [3]. Julius Roth, Religious Melancholy and So even judging by the criteria Avery sets, this Protestant Experience in America (New York and biography is a mixed bag. It nicely sets David Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1995). Smith's life into Mormon and Smith Family Histo‐ [4]. For an example of a thesis driven biogra‐ ries. It is less successful at relating Smith's life to phy see Marie Caskey, Chariot of Fire: Religion American Religious History and the History of and the Beecher Family (New Haven and London: Madness, however. Clearly it is an important con‐ Yale University Press, 1978). tribution to Mormon History and will undoubted‐ ly be read by those whose primary interest is

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Citation: Ronald Helfrich. Review of Avery, Valeen Tippetts. From Mission to Madness: Last Son of the Mormon Prophet. H-AmRel, H-Net Reviews. February, 1999.

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